ã€ŠSingle Wish: Rise Of The Omniscient Paragonã€‹


 Chapter 1 1: Not Meant For You

    ?Bam!

    Crash!

    "What is this that you brought?!"

    A middle aged man shouted with his clenched reddened fist on a table, a sheet of paper was beside his fist and broken pieces of ceramic was directly beside the table on the floor.

    In front of this middle aged man was a standing teenager, a neen year old boy to be more urate. The boy was currently looking at the broken pieces of ceramic on the floor. If one could ce back all the broken pieces together correctly, one would see a name at the bottom of a broken ceramic piece.

    This name was ''Corey''.

    ''That was my favorite mug.'' Corey thought with slight pain in his heart as he looked at the broken pieces of ss.

    ''If I knew I should have removed it from here before I came to give him.'' Corey sighed softly in his heart and then looked at the sheet of paper. He did not have the courage to face the middle aged man, his father.

    Just as he looked at the sheet of paper, he heard a shout from his father.

    "Answer me Corey! What kind of result did you bring home?!"

    Corey looked away from the sheet of paper and then looked at his father''s face. He could see the anger and disappointment in his father''s eyes, which pained his heart more than he expected.

    Although his heart was pained seeing the disappointment in his father''s eyes, his own eyes also had emotions.

    Tiredness was the most evident, followed by sadness and then hopelessness. Though deep in his eyes was an emotion most if not all would not be able to see, which was depression, intense depression.

    He was tired of his life.

    "Are you just going to stand there without saying a word?!" His father shouted once again when Corey did not reply to his question after a few seconds passed.

    Meanwhile Corey just looked down, he had nothing to say.

    What was he supposed to say in his defense?

    What could he say in his defense?

    What would be the point in telling his father that he doesn''t know what''s wrong also?

    What would be the point in telling his father that he tried, that he really tried but he still failed?

    What would the point in telling his father about all the all-nighters he pulled off way before and during his exams?

    What would be the point in telling his father about all the parties, social activities and possible new friends and old friends he neglected just so he could read and be focused on his studies?

    What would be the point in telling his father all this when his result did not even show a fraction of the hard work he put for his exams.

    There was no absolutely no point.

    No point at all.

    A few seconds of ufortable silence passed before Corey''s father spoke once more.

    "I''m very disappointed in you Corey. But most of all I''m worried about your future. You''re in your third year and your grades recently have been below average. You won''t find a good job after you graduate. No goodpany would want to hire average people, talk less of below average people."

    Corey trembled slightly when he heard his father''s words. It would have been better if his Father just raged and kept on shouting like how he used to do, at least his heart won''t hurt as much as this.

    What pained him the most was that he knew all of this, that was why he tried so hard but no matter how hard he tried, he still failed.

    Corey did not say a single word and just kept on looking at the floor. He did not know what to say.

    Seeing that Corey stood there motionlessly without saying a single word, Corey''s father stood up from the chair he was sitting on and then walked away.

    He stopped after taking a few steps and then spoke without turning his head.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Make sure you pick up the broken pieces on the floor."

    After saying that, he walked away.

    Corey removed his eyes from the floor and looked at his father''s back who was walking away. As he was looking at the back of his father, he heard a soft voice.

    "Junior."

    He looked at where his father was sitting previously, or to be more exact beside where his father was sitting previously.

    At this spot was his mother. She had been quiet the whole time and Corey had almost forgotten she was there due to everything he was feeling at the moment.

    As he looked at his mother, he could see she had a worried look on her face. Not one of anger or disappointment, but worry.

    Sometimes he could not understand what kind of love a true mother feels for her child.

    "Junior¡­" His mother paused and struggled to say the words that wanted toe out of her mouth.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Maybe being a medical student is not meant for you. You should probably try to do other stuffs."

    The moment Corey''s mother, Corey''s breathing paused and his entire body became stiff.

    Corey''s mother seeing Corey like this pained her because she knew how much Corey wanted to be a medical doctor, but seeing his current and past results, she knew Corey could not be a medical doctor unless some miracle happened, hence she had to speak up her mind at least just to let her son to start thinking of something different to do.

    Corey''s mother sighed softly after seeing Corey rooted on the spot for a few more seconds not saying a word and then stood up and left.

    Meanwhile in Corey''s mind, his mother''s words kept on ringing in his ears.

    ''Is not meant for you.''

    ''Not meant for you.''

    ''Not meant for you.''

    After a few more seconds, he kept on looking at the floor and spoke softly with his eyes bing slightly watery.

    "I know it''s not meant for me."

    "I just realized it in my third year."

    "But what am I supposed to do?"

    "If I say I want to start university all over again, Dad would have to spend more money on me."

    "Our family is just barely okay."

    "What do I do?"

    "I don''t even know what''s meant for me."

    "¡­ I''m tired."

    Corey used his right hand to clean his watery eyes and then moved towards the broken pieces of ceramic. He looked around and found a nylon to put the broken pieces into. After packing and sweeping all the broken pieces away, he dumped it into the waste bin in the kitchen.

    After doing all of that, he walked to his room. His room was just a normal room, it had no posters of any celebrity, nor did it have a picture of a half naked woman. Only a bed, bedside table, a reading table and a readingmp.

    He walked to his wardrobe and picked some clothes from it. The moment he picked up the clothes, he heard a knock on his door. He frowned slightly and then spoke.

    "Come in."

    The door opened and a teenage girl walked into the room. Although she was sixteen, she had the body of a woman in her early twenties.

    The girl looked at Corey with a slightly worried look.

    Corey spoke without facing her and removed his t-shirt, he didn''t need to see who knocked since he knew from the intensity of the knocks. He already knew his father, mother and sister''s knocks.

    "What do you want Anna?"

    Corey asked after removing his t-shirt revealing a t chested and not too skinny body. He removed his short afterwards and then threw both his short and t-shirt into hisundry basket.

    Anna looked at Corey changing and was not flustered or anything, she had a confused and worried expression on her face as she spoke.

    "Are you going somewhere?"

    "Yes." Corey answered and then wore a pair of ck shorts and a white long sleeve t-shirt. He then walked to his wardrobe and squatted.

    "Where are you going?" Anna asked curiously and also worriedly. A thought came to her mind and the worry on her face increased. She then hurriedly spoke.

    "Don''t tell me you''re running away. Please don''t run away."

    Corey looked at Anna who had a pleading and worried expression on her face. He stood up and then sat down on his bed, holding his white sneakers. He dropped the sneakers on the floor and then started wearing it.

    "I''m not running away Anna." Corey replied though Anna did not fully believe him.

    "Where are you now going?" She asked.

    "To the Temple."

    "Uh?" Corey''s reply stunned Anna. " I thought you didn''t believe in God?"

    Corey finished tying his shoeces and then stood up. He looked at Anna for the first time throughout this conversation and when Anna looked into the eyes of her brother, it looked¡­. Dead?.

    She was confused and worried.

    "At this point, I need something to believe in." He walked past her and then muttered in a low voice.

    "Even if serving and believing in God is what I''m meant for, I''ll take it."

 Chapter 2 2: Take My Pain Away

    ?"Oh Lord, lead us from the unreal to the real.

    From darkness to light. From mortal to immortality.

    Grant us peace in the celestial realm.

    Grant us peace, not death on Earth.

    May the mes be evesting.

    L¨¢tom."

    "L¨¢tom."

    "Alright everybody, let''s warmly wee our newest member, Corey."

    p p p

    "Wee Corey!"

    "Wee Corey. Please tell us about yourself and what made you to join us. If you have any problem or problems, you can tell us about it. We''ll help you in any way we can."

    A man who looked to be in his sixties spoke with a smile as he looked at Corey. He was wearing ck trousers and a long-sleeved ck shirt with a chain on his neck. The chain had two ck axes crossed diagonally as the pendant.

    Corey looked at the man who was the pope of the temple of mes and who was also the person who prayed previously. He then shifted his attention away from the pope and then looked at his surroundings. Around him were ten people wearing the same chain and pendant as the pope, sitting on chairs in a circle.

    When he came to the temple, he just wanted to pray on his own in the temple but surprisingly he met the pope and these current ten people in the temple.

    At first he wanted to ignore them but then the pope persuaded him to join them and since he didn''t want to be disrespectful to the pope, he decided to join them. He also learnt that today was Scriptural Study Day, which made him groan inwardly at his bad timing.

    A few secondster Corey sighed softly and then turned to the pope. He looked at the pope''s face which had a smile and thought of what to say or to be more urate, the best way to tell the pope he just wants to be alone and not be part of this scriptural nonsense.

    "Thank you Sir Pope for letting me join you. Although I''m not yet an official member of the temple." Corey paused slightly to look for any change in the Pope''s facial expression, but he saw no change so he continued.

    "I would prefer it if I can get alone time with your god. I would like to speak with him." Corey spoke and still saw the Pope having the same amicable smile on his face.

    "It''s great that you want to speak with our God Ogun alone, but as the Pope, how can I see somebody in pain and not offer my help through my God." The pope spoke and Corey sighed softly.

    He just wanted to be alone.

    Was that so hard?

    Just as he was about to speak, he heard the words of the Pope which shook him.

    "Let me guess, you''re having problems with your studies?"

    Corey looked at the Pope with unconcealed shock.

    "How did-"

    "Figuring out a small problem like that is easy for our God Ogun." The Pope''s smile widened slightly as he looked at the shocked look on Corey''s face.

    Corey''s shocked face then changed to that of a hopeful one.

    "Then can you please give me a solution?" Corey asked with a hopeful tone.

    "Have you heard about the wisest man to ever live on the?" The pope did answer but asked a question.

    Corey was stunned and confused.

    He had never heard of anybody who was called the wisest man on the.

    In fact, can somebody ever im to be the wisest man on the?

    Corey thought for a few seconds before giving up, he heard never heard of anybody who was called the wisest man on the.

    "I''ve never heard of the wisest man on the sir." Corey replied.

    The pope did not reply immediately and leaned back on his chair.

    "I found some texts from the ancient days and those texts talked about a man that lived thousands of years before the ancient days we know of. Honestly when I read the contents of the texts Iughed at the absurdity of the texts." The pope chuckled softly as he remembered the texts.

    "The texts say that the wisest man was called Solomon, King Solomon. Not only was he called the wisest to ever live on the, the texts also said he was the richest man to ever live on the. That he was so rich to the point that pure silver were like stones in his kingdom." The pope chuckled once more and shook his head as he spoke.

    "Not only was he so ''rich'' and ''wise'', he also had so many wives and concubines. He had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines. Can you believe that absurdity and nonsense?" The popeughed so hard that a tear came out of his eye.

    Even Corey had a disbelieving look on his face and wondered how somebody who was regarded as the wisest and richest man on the decided to have 700 wives and 300 concubines.

    Didn''t he know the stress of women?

    How the hell did he even fuck them all?

    As various questions were going through Corey''s mind, the Pope stoppedughing and continued speaking.

    "Although he had wealth, women and wisdom. What everybody praised him for during his time was his wisdom. Do you know how he got his so called ''unmatched wisdom''?" The pope questioned as he looked at Corey.

    "He was born with it?" Corey answered with a not-so-sure expression.

    "Hahaha." The pope chuckled softly and shook his head. "No, no, no. He was not born with it. He asked his own God for it."

    Corey had a frown on his face when he heard that.

    "So why are you telling me all of this? How would this help me?" Corey questioned.

    The pope looked at Corey with a small smile and then spoke.

    "I''m not going to force you to tell me what your exact problems are. Since you want to speak to Lord Ogun alone, I won''t disturb you any more. I just want to guide you on what to ask for from Lord Ogun."

    "If the contents of the ancient texts are true and a man could gain ''unmatched wisdom'' by asking a so called ''Great God''. Then why can''t you get wisdom from Lord Ogun so as to pass all your future exams and also not have problems with your education?."

    Corey looked at the Pope with a suspicious look, wondering whether it would work.

    The pope seeing his disbelieving expression smiled lightly. " There''s no harm in trying right. Just kneel and pray to Ogun, ask for wisdom so as to pass all your exams. Ogun can do all things and is the greatest God, so just try to do it. Something as small as that is no problem for Lord Ogun."

    Corey looked at the Pope for a few seconds before bowing his head.

    "Thank you for your advice Pope. I''ll do what you said." The pope chuckled softly and with a smile he spoke.

    "Just don''t forget to say the Lord''s prayer." The pope reminded and Corey nodded.

    "Can I take my leave by the way. I want to pray to Lord Ogun as soon as possible." Corey requested in the most polite way he could since he didn''t want to disrespect the Pope.

    "Yes you can." The Pope said with an amicable smile.

    ****

    Inside Corey''s Room

    "Oh Lord, lead us from the unreal to the real.

    From darkness to light. From mortal to immortality.

    Grant us peace in the celestial realm.

    Grant us peace, not death on Earth.

    May the mes be evesting.

    L¨¢tom."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    After saying the Lord''s prayer, Corey paused and looked outside through his window. He could see the full moon and although it looked beautiful, a thought passed through his mind.

    ''What would happen to the world if the moon and sun got destroyed?''

    Corey shook his head slightly to dispel that absurd thought and then took a deep breath. On his knees and palms ced together, he spoke.

    "My Lord, Ogun. I havee to seek your help... Please and please. I need your help... Help me."

    As Corey spoke, tears streamed down his face shocking him slightly. He paused and touched his face.

    He could feel his tears.

    "I''m crying." He chuckled self-depreciatingly.

    "My Lord Ogun, please I need your help.

    Please take my pain away.

    Just take my pain away.

    I''m tired.

    I''m tired of this life.

    I work so hard but I gain nothing.

    I try so hard but I gain nothing.

    Just take my pain away.

    I''m tired.

    Recently, people talk but I hear nothing.

    My eyes are dull.

    My heart is dead.

    Is there any point in living.

    I''m crying right now.

    Please juste take my pain away.

    I''m starting to fear for my future.

    I can''t see where my future lies.

    What do I do?

    I seriously just don''t know what to do.

    I fear seriously about my future.

    What do I do?

    Just take my pain away.

    My parents speak but I no longer hear

    Sometimes I just want to disappear

    I seriously just need your help.

    Why do I feel so dead inside?

    I''m tired of all the failures.

    Can''t I just win for once?

    Can''t I just pass for once?

    Ogun take my pain away.

    Come help me.

    Just¡­ help¡­me."N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Corey paused for a few seconds and then inhaled.

    "You know what.

    Fuck exams!

    Fuck the teachers!

    Fuck the schools!

    Fuck everything!!

    I try so fucking hard but I keep on failing!

    They say work hard and you''ll reap your rewards one day.

    But all I got is tears all day.

    What''s now the point in me working so hard.

    The pope said I should ask you for wisdom but would you even give me?!

    Why would you even give me?

    I don''t even believe in you!

    What I want from you is for there to be no schools.

    Don''t give me the wisdom.

    Take away the schools and¡­ my¡­pain.

    Just take away my pain."

    Drip Drip

    Tears streamed down Corey''s face down unto his bed as he wept in silence. A few secondster, the room was silent. The only sound was from Jeffrey''s calm breathing.

    He had fallen asleep.

    Beep Beep

    A few minutes after he fell, a beeping sound could be heard not only in his room, but on the entire.

    After the beeping sound ended, a translucent screen appeared in front of everyone on the including the sleeping Corey.

    IF YOU COULD BE GRANTED ONE WISH, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

    REMAINING TIME: 02:59:58

 Chapter 3 3: One Wish

    ?"Hmm." Corey groaned as he stood up from his kneeling position.

    "Tch." He rubbed his face in annoyance as he walked to the bathroom in his room to ease himself.

    Flush

    "What the fuck is this light?" Corey put his hand in front of his face in annoyance and started walking out of the bathroom. Still half-asleep, he could not see the source of light in front of his face.

    Bam

    "Fucking hell!" Corey rubbed his head in anger as he looked at the wall he hit. He turned his head and looked at the door he missed due to him covering his face from the annoying light.

    "What''s this?" No longer half-asleep, he could finally see the source of the light which has been disturbing him, the translucent screen.

    IF YOU COULD BE GRANTED ONE WISH, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

    REMAINING TIME: 00:02:03

    "What the fuck is this? One wish? Am I dreaming or am I finally crazy?" Corey questioned himself and looked around. He could not find anything odd, his bathroom was the same as always.

    He turned towards the screen once again and saw a difference.

    REMAINING TIME: 00:01:57

    As he looked at the screen, he decided to go to his room and sit on his bed. After sitting on his bed he looked around his room and could see that his room still looked the same. He rolled up his sleeves to make sure nobody injected him while he was asleep, after seeing nothing different on his body, he rubbed his forehead.

    He looked at the screen and saw that the remaining time was now one minute thirty seconds. He put his hand to touch the screen but his hand just phased through it.

    "Yep, I''m tripping. I don''t know how but I''m definitely tripping." Corey said and thenid his head on his back.

    He tried to ignore the screen but it was always in his face. He tried to close his eyes and go back to sleep but the words on the screen always came to his mind.

    A wish.

    One wish.

    ''Is this from Ogun?'' Corey wondered and looked at the screen.

    He remembered what the pope told him about King Solomon, he also remembered how he asked for some things and for him to take his pain away. Now he was wondering if this was Ogun''s way of answering him.

    "Should I try it?" Corey questioned himself and looked at the screen. His eyes turned to the timer.

    00:00:50

    He had less than a minute left.

    Corey inhaled softly and then exhaled. He decided to try it.

    "Now what do I wish for?" Corey wondered and thought.

    The main reason he asked for wisdom from Ogun was because he wanted to pass his uing exams, he wanted to be rewarded for his hard work.

    But if he could wish for anything, could he not wish for wealth? The main reason he was studying medicine was so that he could be rich in the future.

    If he could just wish for wealth, then what was the point of asking for wisdom?

    He got up from his resting position and sat on his bed.

    "I wish for-"

    Just as he was about to wish for wealth, he paused.

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    He remembered King Solomon. He was wise, rich and had a harem of a thousand women. The pope told him he asked for wisdom from his God.

    So he was wondering if he should ask for wisdom from Ogun? Could he use his wisdom to get rich and also a lot of women?.

    The more he thought of it, the more appealing it seemed to him.

    If he had wisdom, he would know how to make money and if he had money, women would flock to him. He could ask for wealth directly, and from the wealth he could get women.

    But why should he settle for wealth and women when he could get wealth, women and wisdom. Three is better than two right?.

    "I wish for-"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Just as Corey was about to speak once more, a thought came to his mind.

    Why couldn''t he wish for more than one wish?

    The thought of that made himugh in happiness.

    "Hahahahahaha. I''m the wisest. Why do I need to wish for one thing when I can wish for more than one thing?"

    Afterughing one more time, he spoke.

    "I wish for more than one wish." He decided not to be too greedy and not ask for infinite wishes. Who knows whether Ogun will strike him down with mes for been too greedy, the thought of it sent shivers down his spine.

    Corey rubbed his hand in anticipation and looked at the screen, waiting for his more than one wish. He looked at the timer and saw that he only had ten seconds left.

    Just as he was waiting he saw the screen turn red.

    REQUEST DENIED

    CANNOT WISH FOR ANOTHER WISH

    WARNING: DO NOT WISH FOR MORE THAN ONE WISH ONCE AGAIN OR THERE WOULD BE SEVERE CONSEQUENCES.

    When Corey read the warning, a shiver came from his soul and he trembled slightly. He quickly bowed towards the screen.

    "I''m sorry Lord Ogun. I''m sorry for trying to outsmart a Great God like you. Please forgive me."

    After bowing he looked at the screen and his eye moved towards the timer. He saw that he only had six seconds left and he panicked slightly.

    His free wish from Lord Ogun was about to leave!

    "I wish for wisdom." After he spoke, the screen changed.

    REQUESTING CONFIRMATION

    ARE YOU SURE?

    Jeffrey was about to say yes but a thought came to his mind and he decided to take a gamble. He looked at the timer and saw three more seconds left, so he spoke quickly.

    "I wish for unlimited wisdom, knowledge and understanding."

    Corey looked at the screen and was wondering if his wish would be epted since he was technically wishing for more than one thing. He was ready to quickly wish for only wisdom if his wish was rejected.

    REQUESTING CONFIRMATION

    ARE YOU SURE?

    Corey looked at the time and saw only one second left, so he quickly spoke.

    "Yes!" He spoke louder than normal in case Lord Ogun would not hear him.

    REQUEST ACCEPTED

    REQUEST WOULD BE GRANTED IN TWELVE HOURS

    As soon as those words appeared on the screen, the timer reached zero and the screen disappeared.

    "Phew." Corey released a breath the moment the screen disappeared. He had been holding his breath unconsciously.

    "Thank God it worked." Corey sighed andid on his back with his head on his pillow.

    "But still who gives somebody only two minutes to think of a wish. Somebody would just go and make a rash wish." Corey said, not knowing everybody was given three hours.

    "It''s better I keep quiet, what if Lord Ogun decides to take my wish away cause he thinks I''m an ingrate." Corey muttered and then looked at the clock on the wall in his room.

    The time showed 12:00am.

    "So that means I''ll have to wait till 12pm tomorrow to know whether I was actually tripping or not." Corey muttered as he looked at the clock, his heart full of hope and anticipation.

    "I hope I was not actually dreaming or tripping." Corey muttered and then fell asleep. His heart full of hope and his mind thinking he was the only one that ''Lord Ogun'' granted the opportunity.

    Not knowing that every human on New Earth was also granted that same opportunity and that New Earth was currently in an uproar and a lot of people were waiting for time to fast forward to 12p.m. the next day.

 Chapter 6 6: Apocalypse

    ?BOOOM!!!!

    The whole earth trembled as twelve different ces on the experienced cataclysmic changes.

    The dormitory Corey was in trembled due to the earthquake that urred.

    "Shit!" Corey cursed as he narrowly dodged a falling debris. Corey ran to his wardrobe and hid inside as he knew that was the safest spot in his room.

    The dormitory trembled for a few more seconds before it stopped, though Corey still hid in his wardrobe to make sure everything was actually safe. After confirming that it was safe, he came out, only to find his room in shambles.

    "Arghhh!!!!"

    As he was about to move, he heard a screaming from outside and he moved to the window to take a look, but the moment he did, fear gripped his heart.

    "Help me!! Help me!!"

    "Stop!! Don''te closer!!"

    "Arghhhh!!!"

    "What happened to you Jake?!! Why are you doing this?! Arghhh!!!"

    "My leggg!!!"

    Pandemonium!

    Chaos!n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Corey could see students fighting each other. There were at least a hundred students who gathered together outside and now each and everyone of them were fighting against themselves.

    Death!

    Screams of agony!

    Pleads!

    Corey could hear and see everything and he stood in shock for at least five seconds before he snapped out of it.

    He walked to his bed quickly and started searching his bag, all the while cursing.

    "I knew it! I just fucking knew it! That wish screen was bad, fucking evil piece of shit."

    As he rummaged through his bag, he threw a lot of stuffs away, like his books and some other educational stuffs.

    Ever since his sister told him that her wish was granted, he did not feel safe about the wish screen at all and was already preparing his mind for a chaotic world. He did not wish for super powers but fucking wisdom and now he had no way to defend himself.

    ''Maybe if I did not cut off all my friends I would have known about everyone been granted a wish and I would not have made a wish like wisdom.''

    Corey thought and then shook his head to rid himself of sad thoughts. He focused on searching his bag and a few secondster, he brought out two kitchen knives.

    "This should at least grant me some protection." Corey muttered then his mind went to his sister who wished for superpowers.

    "Oh I''m so fucking dead." Corey cursed and then inhaled and exhaled. He ced one kitchen knife in his trousers and then used his t-shirt to cover it.

    He could hear the screamsing from outside his room and he knew it was going to be very dangerous. He also knew he definitely could not hide in his room forever since it was hundred percent not a safe ce.

    He walked up to the door and then knelt. He checked the space underneath the door to make sure there was no shadow of anything or anybody in front of his door. After making sure there was none, he stepped out, gripping the knife tightly.

    The moment he stepped out, his face changed and his heartbeat quickened. There were dead bodies in the hall way. Blood, flesh and debris filled the hallway.

    Corey inhaled and exhaled to calm his fragile and scared heart.

    "You can do this Corey. You already guessed that this might happen. You''ve prepared your mind for this. You''ve got this!" Corey muttered to himself, trying to rile himself up. He then raised his hand up and pped himself.

    PA!

    "Ow! That fucking hurt."

    He rubbed his cheek and when he was about to start moving, he heard a growling from behind him.

    Grrrr!

    He turned to the back shakily and what he saw frightened him. One of the human corpse on the floor stood up shakily with it''s back facing Corey. A corpse rising back from the dead won''t have frightened Corey as much as this one did.

    What frightened Corey was that,

    The corpse head was facing backwards with a fist sized hole in it''s chest!!

    Which meant that it''s dead eyes were currently staring at Corey, even though it''s back was Corey.

    Corey stood rooted on the spot not knowing what to do. He was scared, truly scared. He didn''t know how to deal with this.

    He looked at the corpse and he could see that the corpse was that of a female. The corpse then smiled at Corey sending shivers down Corey''s spine. Just as he was about to make a break for it, something weird happened.

    One of the doors behind the corpse in the hallway opened quietly. A teenage skinny boy walked out of the door holding a baseball bat and then quietly walked to the corpse.

    The corpse unaware kept on looking at Corey. Meanwhile Corey looked at the boy and he could see the boy giving him a signal to just stay where he is, distracting the corpse.

    Corey was tempted to let the corpse be aware of the boy behind it, but after thinking about it. He was not that ruthless and besides if the boy could kill the corpse, it would be better.

    When the boy got close to the corpse, he raised the bat up and with all his might, no matter how small it was, smashed the bat unto the corpse head.

    PA! PA! PA!<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The boy repeatedly smashed the head of the corpse until it stopped moving and the head became unrecognizable. Meanwhile Corey''s mouth was open as he was shocked at the boy''s ruthlessness, especially after seeing the boy''s physique.

    "Hahh, Hahh, Hahh."

    Corey heard the boy panting and took a step forward.

    "Are you okay?" He asked but the boy did not respond, until a secondter he startedughing.

    "Hahahahahahahaha!!!"

    "This is just like the novels I''ve read! An apocalypse happens and people turn into zombies and the zombies would eventually give exps. I''m definitely going to be like a protagonist and do my best. I''ll definitely be the strongest! No more people bullying me! I''ll have plenty women like those protagonists and I''ll also be a King!! Hahahahaha."

    "But that damn universal system, it cheated me! I asked for a system which would have free lucky roulettes but the damn system said IT IS THE SYSTEM! it has given me and it only gave me one damn free lucky roulette! The rest I have to pay to spin the roulette wheel! In fact after spinning it, It only gave me a pill that increased my strength and agility by 1 point each! What a fucking scam!!"

    As the boy kept on rambling, Corey kept on looking at him with a weird look.

    ''One of those weird shut-ins.'' Corey thought and just as he was about to move closer to the boy, he stopped and saw something that totally spooked him.

    A translucent mist rose up from the corpse and went straight towards the boy. Due to the boy''s mindless rambling, he was unaware of the mist and the mist drilled into his body.

    "Arghhh!!!"

    "Help me! Help me!!"

    The boy shook, screamed and pleaded. He stretched out his arms towards Corey pleading with Corey to help but Corey too scared about the unknown, dared not to take a step towards him. In fact he took a step back.

    The boys screams continued for a few more seconds and then it died down, with his head hung low though he was still on his feet.

    Corey unaware of what the heck was happening spoke from a distance, tightening his grip on his kitchen knife.

    "Uhmm. Hey. Are you¡­ uhmm¡­ alright?"

    As Corey spoke, he saw the boy''s finger twitch. Corey took a step back because of precaution and his feeling of something been wrong.

    As he continued taking steps backward. The boy finally raised his head and looked at Corey. Although it looked like there was nothing wrong with the boy, what raised rm bells in Corey''s head was that the same smile the corpse had when it was facing him, the boy or whatever it was also had it.

    "Uhmm. Hello and¡­"

    Before Corey finished speaking, the boy''s mouth opened much much wider than it should, and a roar was released from the boy.

    Roarrr!!!

    "¡­Goodbye."

    Corey ran with all his might and the boy, no, monster behind him chased after him!

    Crash!

    Bang!

    Roarrr!!!

    Corey toppled some waste bins and also whatever he could topple, trying to reduce the monster''s speed.

    He was scared, he was afraid and he was panting hard.

    The monster was slightly faster than him which was not a surprise considering Corey rarely yed sports and never worked out.

    As he kept on running, he saw the stairs leading to the top most floor and without hesitation he climbed the stairs since he knew there was a dead end at the front.

    The monster still hot on his tracks followed him roaring with anger.

    Corey with fear in his heart thought of what to do as he climbed the stairs leading to top most floor. His speed reduced and the monster resulted to using it''s hands and legs to climb the stairs instead, shortening the distance between Corey and it.

    Corey not wanting to lose his life ran with all his might even though his muscles were starting to ache. As he climbed thest step, he saw the closest room on the hallway and opened it, wanting to enter before the monster emerged from the stairs.

    But the moment he put a foot inside the room, he stopped due to what he saw inside the room.

    Four monsters.

    One had tentacles as it''s chin and was wearing a chef''s apron while holding a spat, the second had several eyes on it''s forehead and had a tentacle as it''s hands, the third was bigger than the rest and had small eyes, it was also wearing a suit, thest had the body of tree roots and intestines with a ''human'' face and was sitting on a chair in front a table. And on this table was a cake with three candles on it.

    Behind the monsters were birthday decorations and on the wall was written Happy Birthday.

    Corey looked at the monsters nkly and the monsters looked back at him.

    "Uhmm... Wrong room." Corey said, backing away softly and slowly, while closing the door quietly and slowly.

    Roar!

    Roar!

    Roar!

    Roar!

    BANG!

    The moment he closed the door, the door trembled and Corey fearful that the door would break down ran for his life with a depressed and miserable look.

    "Who the fuck sent me to wish for wisdom?!!"

 Chapter 10 10: Killing A Smiley

    ?As Corey reached the stairs, he stopped and looked at all the corpses on the stairs. He took in a deep breath and gripped Smile Reaper tightly.

    He then walked softly towards the first corpse and knelt towards it.

    His heart beat quickened as he looked at the corpse and wasting no time, he stabbed the corpse through it''s head. He repeated it a second time since he was not sure if the corpse was truly dead.

    ''Fuck. What kind of useless system is this? There''s no notification to know if I killed something. How will I know if I actually killed a Smiley now?''

    ''Also, at least absorb whatever is used as exp automatically instead of me having to hold a soul stone.''

    Corey cursed the Universal System endlessly in his mind since there was no way he could know if what he stabbed was a Smiley or a just a dead body.

    Although the reason for Corey''s anger at the Universal System was somewhat valid, that was only for games and novels where the System automatically absorbs the energy that would be used to make a character stronger and also where the system would inform the person of the death of the people they killed.

    Assuming there was no system and this apocalypse happened, this would be what Corey and the other humans would face.

    The system does not have to tell Corey that he has killed a living being and the system definitely does not have to absorb the energy used to strengthen humans automatically especially when Corey was just a tier 0 trash with a low level brand in it''s eyes.

    It would definitely not give any special attention to somebody like Corey even though he had a high level talent.

    Although Corey did not know all this, he still kept on cursing the system in his mind.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Corey now knowing he had no way to be a hundred percent certain if he had killed a Smiley or just stabbed a dead body decided to move to the next corpse.

    He didn''t bother with the corpse he killed since he knew if it was actually a Smiley or even alive, it would have shook or attacked him, but it didn''t, so he was safe from that corpse at least.

    As he was moving down the stairs, he noticed that there were six more corpses on the stairs.

    After observing their positions, he kept on walking quietly and softly until he reached the next corpse.

    He crouched towards the corpse and stabbed It''s head twice. After seeing no movement or translucent misting out from the corpse, he walked towards the next corpse and repeated the same actions for four corpses.

    Step

    Crouch

    Stab

    Stab

    Despite the fact that none of the corpses he had stabbed were Smileys, he was still cautious and didn''t lower his guard.

    Why?

    Because he really wanted to kill a damn Smiley!

    He would not rest till he kills at least one!

    The physical and mental stress his fragile heart and mind went through must be repaid by blood!

    He was in fact hoping for one of thest two corpses to be a Smiley so that he could have an easy kill.

    And with that mindset, Corey moved towards the next corpse with the same vignce he had from the start.

    When he got close to the corpse, he crouched and then stabbed twice.

    He made sure the corpse was not going to make any sudden movement and then nned to move on to the next, but just as he was about to get up, he noticed a crystal in the torn chest of the corpse and his breath stopped for a second.

    ''Is that?''

    Corey pulled out the crystal from the chest with a lot more strength than he expected. The crystal was stuck the inner flesh of the corpse which made it harder to pull out.

    ''It''s actually a soul stone!''

    Corey eximed in his mind as he looked at the soul stone in his left hand. Although he was tempted to absorb it, he remembered that he was currently not in a safe position, so he put it inside his pocket.

    He then stood and turned towards thest corpse which was close to where he was, but the moment he did, he got the fright of his life and his fragile soul almost left his body.

    Just a few meters away from him was the corpse standing on it''s two feet with a creepy smile on it''s face as it looked at Corey.

    "Uhmm. Hey there Smiley. What a nice weather we have right?"

    Corey spoke with a very strained smile as his heart beat faster than a horse on steroids. Just as he was to take a step back, he saw the mouth of Smiley widen and he had a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.

    "Oh fuck." Corey cursed.

    Roaarrrrr!!!! Smiley roared.

    And Corey?

    He ran

    He ran faster than he had ever ran before.

    "If you don''t like the weather just fucking say so!! You don''t have to shout all the time!!"

    Corey shouted as he ran up the stairs like a mad man. He looked back and he let out a strange yelp when he saw Smiley close to him running on all fours.

    As Corey kept on running, he was thanking the Lord or whatever higher power was there for him getting stronger through the soul stone.

    He was sure he would be dead by now if he didn''t get stronger since the Smiley was close to him and it''s speed was higher than Corey''s.

    As Corey kept on running up the stairs, he saw that the stairs would soon end and he would eventually reach the corridor which had those sealed monsters.

    His mind spun rapidly as he kept on running, trying to think of how to kill Smiley.

    He did not want to open any of those doors anymore ever since the door with the creepy voice and multiple hands passed through the door and almost killed him.

    If not for luck, he would be dead by now.

    As his mind spun, he realized something he didn''t notice previously, something he thought was insignificant.

    He was calm inside

    Smiley was close to him, like 7 meters close, but he was calm

    He was not as scared as he was the first time he encountered Smiley.

    His mind then recalled an ability he had on his status screen.

    Fear resistance

    He didn''t bother trying to check out the detailed description of it since he thought the name described it enough and it wasn''t that important or useful, but it seemed he underestimated how useful it was.

    Like for instance, if not for the skill, he would never have figured out the method he nned on using to kill Smiley.

    Two secondster, Corey reached the end of the stairs and turned to the right immediately, stopping behind the wall.

    And in a smooth transition, he removed his bag from his shoulder and swung it like a baseball bat towards the stairs.

    BAM!!

    Bang Bam Bang Bam Bang Bam!<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    A loud sound resounded from the impact between Corey''s bag and Smiley''s head causing Smiley to fall down the stairs with so much force.

    Meanwhile Corey panted as he looked at Smiley which was not moving a single muscle. After catching his breath, he dropped his bag and ran down the stairs gripping Smile Reaper tightly.

    Not wanting to take any chances, he wanted to kill Smiley with his own hands¡­ or through Smile Reaper to be exact.

    As Corey ran down the stairs, he saw a translucent misting out from Smiley and he increased his speed with urgency.

    Just as the mist was about to fully escape from the body, Corey got close to it and stabbed it.

    Although he was not sure if he was actually meant to stab the mist, which he guessed was the actual body of Smiley, he decided to give it a shot since he didn''t want the mist to enter his body and be the next Smiley.

    As he was stabbing, he was also cursing the Universal System for not exining how to use smile reaper to actually kill a Smiley.

    Rooaarrr!!!

    A scream of pain and anger was released from the true body of the Smiley as Smile Reaper was pierced into the body of Smiley.

    Corey smiled and then pierced Smile Reaper into it''s body again.

    "Hahahaha!

    Were you not smiling before?

    Where''s your smile now you bastard?!"

    Corey said with excitement and repeatedly stabbed Smiley''s body, which was weird considering he was literally stabbing a mist.

    Despite that, much to Corey''s disappointment, the mist disappeared after the fifth stab and a red crystal dropped on the floor from Smiley''s disappearing mist.

    "Phew. That was hard."

    Corey said as he wiped off the sweat from his forehead using his sleeve. He then bent to pick up the red crystal on the floor.

    "But at least I finally killed a Smiley."

    Corey said with a smile as he observed the crystal in his left hand.

    He noticed that the crystal had something like letters inside of it, which reminded him of the skill crystal he absorbed previously.

    He wanted to absorb it immediately but first, he looked around to make sure he was safe and there were no more Smileys or powerful monsters around him.

    Although he saw some corpses on the floor, he was at least 90% sure that they were corpses and not Smileys, since if it were a Smiley, it would have gotten up and attacked him due to all the noise he made before.

    He also noticed the double transparent ss door which led outside of the building, but when he looked outside, he noticed a lot of corpses strewn on the ground outside.

    His breath quickened slightly and his heart beat also increased slightly seeing all the corpses outside, but a few secondster, he calmed down and decided to focus on the crystal in his left hand at the moment.

    It was at this point, he realized something.

    "Why isn''t the useless system asking me if I want to absorb the crystal?"

    Corey wondered and kept on looking at his right hand, wondering why a translucent screen was not appearing.

    "Absorb the skill crystal."

    Corey decided to try this method out since he knew that the Universal System was useless and unreliable, but there was no response from the Universal System causing Corey to be frustrated.

    "The hell! Absorb the damn crystal for me! Is that so hard for you to do?!"

    Corey cursed angrily at the Universal System but he got no response from it.

    A vein popped in Corey''s head and he ced Smile Reaper by his waist, then removed the crystal from his left hand and ced it on top of the eye on his right hand.

    "Absorb the damn crystal you useless piece of shit! At least-"

    Just as Corey was about to continue cursing, a translucent screen appeared on top of the eye on his right hand.

    He was stunned at first, but then a smile broke out of his lips.

    "Now I see. You like to be cursed at and abused before you answer people. Don''t worry, now that I know you''re a masochist, I will definitely be treating you like one."

    Corey satisfied with what he figured out, felt a certain pleasure in his heart knowing this.

    ''Since you like people cursing you and abusing you. I would definitely curse you so much you useless and evil system.''

    Corey thought with his smile widening slightly without him knowing.

    He then removed the crystal from the top of his hand, wanting to read the contents of the screen. But the moment he did, the screen disappeared.

    "¡­"

    "What the fuck?"

    Corey looked at the eye nkly and then looked at the crystal.

    He alternated between looking at the eye and the crystal a few times before something clicked in his mind.

    He then ced the crystal on top of the eye on his right hand and a translucent screen appeared on top of his right hand.

    He removed the crystal and the screen disappeared.

    He then held the crystal in his right palm and the screen appeared once again.

    "So you''re not a masochist."

    Corey muttered depressingly.

    A feeling of loss which could not be exined engulfed his heart.

    ---------

    [A/N]: This chapter was sponsored by Friedhellm_Rochze due to him dropping two power stones. Please appreciate him/her in the ment section.

    And from me, Thank you so much. I Really appreciate.

    For been the second person to drop power stones. I''m going to use your name in my novel. If you also have a wish you want, tell me in thement section or review and if you don''t, I''ll give you a wish don''t worry.

    Anyways thanks a lot for the power stones. And people, do not forget to VOTE!!

    I''ll use the names of the first five people who votes in my novel. Two spots have been taken, remaining THREE.

    So VOTE!! if you want your name in the novel.

    This type of bonus won''tst long.

    Have a good day.

    Cough Cough... Also sorry for not showing the skill Corey got in this chapter, I wanted to, but the chapter was getting too long so I just decided to stop there.

    Have a good day once again.

 Chapter 12 12: Leaving The Dormitory

    ?As Corey looked at the group of Smileys outside, the whistling sound increased suddenly in his ears and mind causing him to groan and take several steps back.

    The moment he took those steps, the whistling sound reduced giving Corey a massive relief.

    "What the fuck is that sound?"

    Corey muttered and then looked outside, he was a little farther so he had to squint his eyes a little to see outside, but when he did, a baffled expression appeared on Corey''s face.

    "What in the nine zes of hell is that?"

    In front of the ss door was a Giant Smiley holding a spear, but what was strange about that Smiley was the fact that it had ck lines all over it''s body. It would have looked cool if the ck lines were like tats, but the ck lines were likerge veins and arteries of the monster, so it just looked¡­weird and strange.

    Just as Corey was observing the Giant Smiley, it turned it''s head towards his direction frightening the shit out Corey.

    Corey''s breath stilled and his body became stiff like a statue, he did not dare to move.

    ''Oh please, whatever god can hear me right now, please don''t let your boy die. I''m still a virgin, I''ve not yet tasted the sweet taste of a woman.''

    Corey had an expression of grief as he stood still, not daring to move at all.

    And was the grief just cause he was a virgin?

    Nope

    He was tired of it all!

    He just wanted to leave this damn scary building and go home!!

    Was that so hard?!

    It was like a higher being was toying with him.

    Tears threatened to spill out of Corey''s eyes but he forced them back inside.

    ''I won''t cry. I won''t give whatever fucked up higher being that''s watching me the opportunity to see me cry. This daddy will not cry!''

    Corey thought, encouraging himself internally and then used the side of his eye to see if the ck Smiley was still facing his direction and to his delight and relief, he saw no Smiley outside the ss door.

    His tensed shoulders rxed, the breath he had been holding in came out in full force and a drop of sweat fell from his chin unto the floor.

    He was so scared to the point that he didn''t even know he was sweating and he had been holding his breath for quite some time.

    He just knew that the ck Smiley was so strong to the point that he would not even be able to put up a defense. His body was instinctively scared of it.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "I wonder which one is stronger between ck Smiley and those sealed monsters in the corridor." Corey muttered but he felt like the sealed monsters in the corridor were stronger.

    He felt like there was a reason they were sealed and ck Smiley was probably not their match.

    When he thought of ck Smiley once again, he remembered the whistling sound which warned him and his mind remembered something so he called up his status screen and looked for it.

    [DANGER SENSE(Level 1): A passive skill that allows the holder to sense dangerous situations ahead of time. If the danger level surpasses a Tier 1 situation, the skill would not be activated. The higher the level of danger, the more warning is transmitted to the holder. The lower the level of danger, the lesser the warning transmitted to the holder.]

    "So it''s the skill that warned me."

    Corey muttered and dismissed his status window.

    "And from what the description says, ck Smiley should not be a Tier 1, but should be so strong that I definitely won''t stand a chance."

    Corey looked at the ss window with a strange glow in his eyes and then he spoke.

    "When I''m strong enough I''ll kill it. A ck Smiley should be more fun to kill than a normal Smiley."

    A small smile appeared on Corey''s lips unknown to Corey.

    A few secondster, Corey scratched his head slightly and with an ufortable look, he spoke.

    "Uhmm. Don''t know if you can hear me but thank you Universal System for giving me the skill danger sense, I would have died if not because of it."

    "I promise not to beat you up too much in the future. Don''t worry, this daddy always keeps his promise."

    Corey patted his chest with a righteous look on his face and a secondter, an embarrassed expression appeared on his face.

    " That was so weird. I''m never doing that again."

    Corey muttered with a slightly embarrassed look and then shook his head.

    "I need to meet people. I think I''m finally running mad."

    Corey said and walked towards the ss door with an excited expression on his face.

    He was about to leave this damn building.

    But just as he was about to leave, he heard a whistling sound.

    His danger sense was warning him.

    "¡­"

    "God damn it!"

    Corey cursed and looked at his surroundings with gritted teeth.

    He was definitely not running back to the stairs or back into the building.

    He was one step away from leaving this damn building and a damn ck Smiley was not going to stop him from leaving!

    If he did not leave and find people, he felt that he might truly go mental!

    Just as Corey looked around, he noticed arge flower pot approximately ten meters to the ss door and close to the flowerpot, he also noticed a nk.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    His mind spun and the whistling sound became louder, almost reaching the unbearable level of the first time.

    Corey wasting no time, dashed towards the double ss door and opened the door further away from the flowerpot. After doing that, he immediately ran to the nk, carried it and thanking the heavens in his mind once again for his increase in strength or he would have struggled with the nk.

    After carrying the nk, he ran to the flower pot, ced the nk vertically by the wall close to the flowerpot and hid behind the flowerpot.

    The whistling sound caused by the ''Danger Sense'' skill was already so loud that if not because of the life and death situation at hand, Corey would have groaned and cursed the person that made the skill.

    Tap Tap Tap

    Corey heard sounds of footsteps and ignored the whistling sound.

    He didn''t dare to have a look at the Smileys entering inside.

    He moved closer to the flowerpot and a few secondster, he could see a huge figure climbing up the stairs from where he was.

    When he saw therge figure, which he presumed to be ck Smiley, climbing up the stairs, Corey released a breath of relief and decided to take a peek so as to see where the other Smileys were and if a Smiley was close to the door.

    Corey stood a little and peeked over the flowerpot, spreading the flowers in the pot apart just so he could see.

    Though the moment he spread the flowers apart, he lost his bnce slightly and pushed the flowerpot forward a little, but that little made Corey''s eyes to widen and a fearful look to appear on his face.

    The flower pot which was pushed forward slightly grazed the nk which was beside the flowerpot and because of that, Corey could see the nk falling in slow motion in his eyes.

    He stretched out his hand to catch the nk before it falls, but his hand just barely grazed it and¡­

    GBAM!!

    "¡­"

    Corey turned his head shakily towards the Smileys and Corey saw who?

    ck Smiley! towards the end of the stairs, looking at him.

    "I''m definite cursed."

    Corey said with a grim smile and ran towards the nk immediately.

    ROOAARRRRRR!!!

    An extremely loud roar, much louder than any roar he had heard from a Smiley was released from ck Smiley causing Corey''s fragile heart to race and luckily for him, he had fear resistance or else, he would have been petrified on the spot.

    He grabbed the nk and rushed towards the door with a mad expression, ignoring his pounding heart, the roars of the other smileys and the terrifying presence he could feel getting closer and closer to him like the grim reapering for his soul.

    Just as he was about reach the door, he saw a smiley appear outside the ss door and was about to enter the building through his only way out.

    "Fuck off!!"

    Corey shouted and without hesitation, mmed into the smiley causing it to fall and tumble a few meters.

    Meanwhile Corey, after regaining his bnce quickly turned back and saw ck Smiley ten meters away from him.

    Wasting no time, he mmed the door shut, almost breaking the ss and ced the nk in between the door handles.

    After he did that, he looked at ck Smiley and got another fright of his life.

    ck Smiley was in a throwing position and before Corey could say anything or react, his spear was released.

    Woosh!

    BANG!!!

    Corey petrified on the spot, looked at what looked like a round translucent shield which appeared in front of the door inside of the building, and prevented the spear from breaking the door.

    Corey whose heart was beating so fast that he could hear it, looked at ck Smiley and it looked back at him.

    Without roaring, saying a word or a change in expression, ck Smiley walked towards his spear and picked it up with the same creepy smile all Smileys always have.

    It looked at Corey after picking up his spear and walked towards the stairs.

    Corey backed away from the ss door a few secondster and just as he was about to turn, he heard growls.

    He turned and saw eight Smileys with their creepy smiles looking at him.

    "¡­"

    "Oh no no no no no. Gimme a fucking break!!!"

    ----------

    [A/N: This chapter was sponsored by Znous for voting with two power stones. Please thank him/her in thement section.

    A big thank you from me by the way. I really appreciate.

    Like i promised, your name would be used in the novel since you''re the THIRD person to vote with  at least two power stones. [I forgot to mention that to have your name on the novel. You must vote with at least two power stones.]

    You can tell me the wish you want and I would add it to it. If you don''t have, I''ll think of one for you.

    Alright people, I have one more chapter to write since another person voted.

    I''m tired, really really tired. It''s 10pm at the moment, but like I promised I''ll grit my teeth and write the chapter before I sleep.

    Thanks to everyone that voted today. Despite how tired I am, I''m actually very happy.

    Y''all don''t know how much this means to me.

    Have a good day or night.]

 Chapter 13 13: I Cant Die Yet

    ?Corey gritted his teeth in anger as an expression of madness slowly made his way into his eyes and facial expression.

    He would rip out the throats of this damn bastards

    And their god damn stupid smile, he would tear it off.

    No matter what!!

    He was fucking tired of this bastardsing after him every single time!!

    "Come!!

    No more running!!

    If I don''t tear that stupid smile off your face,

    Then my name isn''t Corey Junior Zane!!!"N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Corey roared and brought out Smile Reaper. Meanwhile the Smileys agitated by his roar, roared also.

    ROOOARRR!!!!

    Thebined roar of eight smileys would have scared or made Corey anxious but right now, Corey was anything but scared or anxious, in fact his anger and madness increased the moment he heard the roar.

    "Shut the fuck up you bastards!! Must you shout for every single thing?!!!"

    Corey roared then ran towards the smileys. As he ran, he spoke to the Universal System.

    "Increase my strength, agility, constitution and endurance to 10. Then increase my dexterity to 5."

    Although Corey was so angry to the point that normally he was not meant to be able to think of any other thing, he doesn''t know why but in a way he was still able to think rationally even when he was extremely angry.

    It was weird if one thinks about it.

    When one is extremely angry, they lose all sense of rationality. And if one starts thinking rationally, then their anger would inevitably reduce but for Corey, he was extremely angry and he was still able to think rationally.

    It was like he had a second mind which was not affected by his emotions and could still help Corey make rational decisions.

    Honestly, it was a terrifying ability when one thinks about it.

    Imagine somebody having an increase in strength due to anger, but can still maintain his rationality even with that anger.

    This was an ability somebody with an ''Omniscience'' talent could have. An ability that even the Universal System does not know about.

    Despite all of this, as Corey''s speed increased drastically, the smileys also ran towards him.

    Corey gripping Smile Reaper tightly, focused on the movements and positions of the Smileys with so much attention that he was totally unaware of his surroundings and a few changes were urring in his body due to his current state.

    His heart beat reduced but pumped more blood for every beat, sparks appeared in his brain and his lungs and nostrils breathed in air in a different manner.

    He was in a state a lot of martial artists could not reach and would definitely envy.

    A state called The Zone.

    Though, there was one problem concerning Corey''s zone. Corey is not a fighter and he had never held a knife to even kill a chicken, so although he was the zone currently, he could not utilize it to it''s full potential.

    As soon as the distance between Corey and the Smileys reached around 7 meters, the Smiley at the forefront jumped towards him with it''s mouth wide open and Corey despite his non-fighting experience, ''knew'' or to be more urate, ''predicted'' that the Smiley would jump towards him.

    He doesn''t know how he could predict something like that, but right now was not the time to think about stuffs like that.

    Calmly, Corey stopped wlessly and sidestepped to the left, leaving nothing but air for the Smiley to bite.

    Corey not wasting anytime held Smile Reaper in a reverse grip and stabbed it into it''s head from the top, eliciting a roar of pain and anguish from the Smiley.

    Ignoring the roar of pain from the Smiley, Corey removed the dagger from it''s head drawing out blood in the process, and twisted his body. His above average agility showing wonders at the moment.

    Twisting in a half circle, he swept his legs horizontally towards the abdomen of the closest Smiley and using the umted force of his spin, he sends the Smiley off his feet.

    Looking at the remaining six smileys which had surrounded him in a circle, Corey took in a deep breath and went towards the Smiley on his left.

    He could see that the body of the Smiley had a broken leg and was basically dragging itself making it a weak target.

    "Huuuaaaahhhhhh!!!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Corey roared out as he used a drop kick to send the Smiley far away from the circle. Due to his high agility, he couldnd on his feet after performing the drop kick.

    Using the opportunity, he ran through the opening and seeing the struggling Smiley on the floor, a strange glint appeared in his eyes and he ran towards it.

    Holding Smile Reaper, he performed a front roll and used the opportunity to stab the head with Smile Reaper.

    Rooaarrr!!!!

    Corey looked back and saw six Smileys chasing after him, with the smiley he kicked previously already back on it''s feet and it''s anger much much higher than before.

    Corey exhaled then made a decision. He stood, faced the front and ran.

    He ran like the wind.

    All the while cursing his stupidity.

    He could not believe that he thought he would be able to kill all the 8 Smileys especially when he didn''t have any priorbat experience.

    In fact the main reason he decided to run was because his head started aching him and he could feel his stamina running out. He definitely did not want to run out of energy while been surrounded by those creeps.

    So a chase between smiling corpses and a bloodied teenager happened, and itsted for only four seconds.

    After the third second, Corey''s eye''s started darkening and his chest started hurting him. Not knowing the exact reason for the pain, Corey forced himself to resist the pain and focus on his escape.

    But the next second,

    Cough

    Corey coughed out blood.

    His eyes darkened and his legs felt weak.

    Bam Bam Bam

    Corey tumbled and coughed out more blood. Broken bones, a bruised body and a bloodied body. Corey''s eyes darkened the more, threatening to close.

    ''No I cannot die here. I cannot die to fucking Smileys.''

    Corey stretched out his hand trying to pull himself up or drag himself but that in itself was a difficult task.

    ''I can''t die. No I can''t die yet. I haven''t called home yet. I haven''t asked about my sister yet.''

    Those were Corey''sst thoughts as he looked into the distance. He could not hear anything, he could not feel anything and what he saw was mainly darkness.

    But just as his eyes were about to close, he saw a streak of red and then his eyes closed.

    ______________________________________________

    [A/N: This chapter was sponsored by The_Founder for donating two power stones. Please thank him/her in thement section.

    Also, thanks a lot for the vote. I really appreciate it.

    So, you''re the FOURTH person to vote with at least two power stones and because of that, like I promised, your name would be in the novel.

    If you have a wish you want, please tell me in thement section and if you don''t, I''ll think of one for you don''t worry.

    Alright people, that''s all for today. I promised to release thest chapter before I slept today and I did that.

    Although it''s shorter than what I normally write and I''m sorry for that but I''m truly tired and it''s currently 1:48 A.M. here, so I''m going to sleep.

    Tomorrow, I''ll release another bonus chapter again because of two people. I''ll mention them in the chapter tomorrow.

    One more time, thank you for all those that voted, left ament, review and even added this book to their library. I''m grateful and I really appreciate it.

    I''ll do my best to not let you guys down.

    Before I sleep, just let me give you a little spoiler [Skip if you don''t want to read it.]:

    The plot truly starts after the MC leaves his school. That''s when shit would start going down with what I''ve nned.

    Goodnight and Have a nice day wherever y''all are.

 Chapter 14 14: Kyle

    ?"Hmm."

    "Where am I?"

    Corey groaned as he saw an unfamiliar ceiling. Realizing he was lying down he tried to sit but a painful groan was released from his mouth the moment he moved.

    Although painful, he resisted the pain and finally sat upright. He looked at his body which was covered in bandages and also some ripped clothes.

    "What the hell happened to me?"

    Corey muttered and just as he did, his head throbbed, making Corey groan. A secondter, memories of his fight with the Smileys rushed into his mind, making him to remember what caused his current condition.

    "I can''t believe I''m still alive."

    Corey muttered then looked around, trying to figure out where he was. When he looked, he realized he was in a kitchen of probably a restaurant or a cafeteria.

    Just as he was about to stand, the door to the kitchen opened, a teenage boy like Corey entered with a tray in his hands and just as he entered, he paused and the tray slipped off his hands.

    Crash!

    Shatter!

    With widened eyes and a shocked expression, he spoke.

    "You''re alive and awake?"

    He spoke out loud subconsciously, causing Corey to frown. Corey looked at the broken contents of what was on the tray which were a ceramic bowl of water and a towel.

    Corey looked back at the boy who was still in a daze.

    "Where-"

    Bam!

    "Mac?!"

    As Corey was speaking, the door mmed open causing Corey to pause. He looked at the door where he saw another teenager though this time, the teenager was huge and his clothes looking like they were about to be ripped apart by his muscles.

    ''If you want to be big, be big but at least buy bigger clothes. Are you a woman?''

    Corey had this weird thought born out of envy and looked at the man who was looking at the first teenage boy that came in, seeing the teenage boy not responding to his call, the huge teenager looked at Corey with threatening eyes.

    "What did you do you bastard?"

    He questioned threateningly and removed the giant sword which was strapped unto his back stunning Corey.

    ''Howe I didn''t see that before?''

    Corey had a baffled look on his face as he looked at the giant sword which was held with one arm by the huge teenager.

    ''Muscle head must have a lot of strength to carry something asrge as that with one hand.''

    Corey thought as he observed muscle head in front of him calmly. Despite the situation, he was not worried because he also had his own weapon which he would use to strike muscle head in front of him with a deadly blow if he dared to attack him.

    ''As long as I have Smile Reaper I-''

    ''Wait Smile Reaper?''

    Corey''s eyes widened and he looked around in panic. He touched his chest, his waist, his leg, even his hair.

    But he found nothing, no Smile Reaper, even his kitchen knives were gone.

    "Where the fuck is my Smile Reaper?!"

    Corey roared and looked at the muscle head in front of him with anger.

    He could not lose Smile Reaper

    That was his baby

    That was the only thing he had that could kill a Smiley!!

    He hated The Smileys to death

    How was he meant to have his revenge if he did not have Smile Reaper?!!

    If he doesn''t get his Smile Reaper back, there would be blood!!

    The muscle head was stunned seeing Corey''s expression of anger. It was more like borderline madness in his eyes.

    "What''s wrong with him and what the fuck is Smile Reaper?"

    Mat, the muscle head muttered as he looked at Corey''s expression and for the first time in Mat''s life, he took a step back due to fear from the expression of somebody.

    Just as the tension in the room was about to explode, a voice rang out from outside the room.

    "What the hell is going on here?"

    Corey looked at the entrance of the kitchen and the moment he did, a surprised expression appeared on his face, his anger dissipating.

    "Kyle?"

    Corey spoke with surprise in his tone as he looked at the tall handsome twenty year old young man with sses on his face who just walked into the kitchen. The man pushed up his sses and looked at Corey calmly.

    "Zane."N?v(el)B\\jnn

    He paused then looked around. Looking at the broken bowl, spilled water and Mat''s unstrapped great sword, he frowned.

    "What''s going on here?"

    Although he spoke calmly, Corey''s danger sense whistled very softly causing Corey to be stunned.

    ''Is he that strong?''

    Corey wondered and looked at his friend, or one of the friends he cut off from. Just as Corey was looking at him, the boy, Mac, who came in with the tray, spoke.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Sorry boss. I was stunned that this guy was alive and awake and because of that I dropped the tray. Brother Mat heard the sound of the tray falling and rushed in here, thinking I was in danger and a fight was about to happen. I''m sorry, it''s my fault for been slow to react."

    Corey turned towards the boy and although he seemed frail and fragile, the boy was calm as he spoke.

    "Hmm. Also, I was the one that treated him so there was no way he would have died or not woken up."

    Kyle spoke with hidden pride in his voice and turned towards Corey.

    "Are you okay Zane?"

    He questioned and Corey nodded his head slightly as he spoke.

    "Yeah, I''m okay." Corey paused for a second then spoke. "Uhmm. Do you know where my Smile Reaper is?"

    Corey questioned and Kyle had a confused expression.

    "Smile Reaper?"

    "Sorry I meant my dagger."

    Corey with an embarrassed look rified and Kyle looked at him strangely. He wanted to say something but decided not to and brought out Smile Reaper from his back pocket causing Corey''s expression to brighten.

    "Why do you call it smile reaper? The name the Universal System gave it was ghost reaper."

    Kyle questioned, looking at Corey with a curious look and Corey, without thinking spoke.

    "To obviously kill Smileys. It''s meant to rip out their creepy smiles."

    The moment Corey spoke, Kyle had a weird look on his face and looked at Corey strangely, even Mac and Mat looked at him weirdly.

    "Smileys?... Or do you mean the revenants?"

    Kyle questioned and Corey shrugged.

    "Does it matter. Smiley, Revenant, whatever. As long as they have the same creepy smile to me, they''re all smileys."

    Corey said and Kyle looked at him nkly. Mac and Mat looked at each other and Mat rotated his finger by his head, saying ''This guy is loco'' and Mac nodded in agreement.

    "Are you mentally alright?" Kyle asked.

    "¡­Probably not¡­" Corey paused "but I should get better¡­ I hope." Corey said, then looked at the dagger.

    "Can I have Smile Reaper by the way?"

    Kyle looked at him for a few seconds then threw the dagger to him. Corey due to his agility and intelligence, was able to catch the dagger by it''s handle making Kyle''s eyes to glint behind his sses.

    Average people would normally let the daggernd on the floor before picking it and would definitely not catch it mid-air.

    Corey''s actions made various thoughts to run through Kyle''s mind.

    "If you can walk, follow me. Let me show you the remaining survivors."

    Kyle said and starting walking towards the door.

    Meanwhile Kyle''s words made Corey''s eyes to brighten.

    "Survivors? How many survivors are there?" Corey stood and followed Kyle with a grimace. The pain was much higher than he expected.

    "Here? Not much. Approximately 20 people." Kyle replied and Corey wanted to speak but Kyle spoke before he could.

    "By the way. Can you tell me what you wished for?"

    Corey looked at Kyle strangely but after thinking for some time, he answered. "I wished for wisdom."

    Although Kyle was once his friend, he did not want to tell anybody he wished for Unlimited wisdom, knowledge and understanding. If anybody asked, he wished for wisdom.

    Meanwhile Kyle, after hearing Corey''s reply, he stopped and turned to look at him.

    And with a nk expression, he spoke.

    "Wisdom?"

    "Yes, wisdom." Corey was confused and looked at Kyle with a questioning expression.

    Kyle looked at Corey''s face for a few more seconds and as if confirming something, turned around and muttered.

    "Are you sure the Universal System didn''t cheat you and make you more stupid?"

    The moment he spoke, a vein popped in Corey''s head and he spoke with restrained anger.

    "I heard that you, you bastard."

    Kyle turned his head towards Corey slightly and then turned back.

    "That was the point."

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    [A/N: This chapter was sponsored by iiuminox and deathmonarch(my brother) for dropping one power stone each.

    Thank you iiuminox for the power stone once again. As for my lil bro, I know you just want to kill me with work, so no thank you from me.

    Also, sorry for uploading sote. We had family stuffs to do from 8-10 and I had to bathe, eat and do some other stuffs so I started writing around 12:30.

    I have three more chapters to write today. 2 for bonus and 1 for normal chapter, so be expecting.

    Hopefully I''ll be able to write them all properly and you''ll enjoy them.

    Thanks once again to everybody that vote and read my book.

    Have a good day/night wherever you are.]

 Chapter 15 15: Five Days

    ?As Kyle kept on walking upfront, Corey kept on cursing Kyle endlessly in his mind.

    ''What the hell do you mean by ''That was the point''?

    It doesn''t even make any sense

    You''ll just be acting calm and cool every single time just cause you''re handsome and the best medical student in school

    One day I''ll be cool and handsome also.

    More handsome than you

    Besides I didn''t be dumber, it''s those fucking Smileys and the useless Universal System

    This is just a phase

    A coping mechanism.''

    "If you''re done cursing me in your mind, we''re here."

    Corey was jolted out of his internal rambling state and he looked around with slight confusion.

    "Uh?"

    Taking a second to regain his bearings, Corey remembered the words of Kyle and with a cough of embarrassment, he spoke.

    "I wasn''t cursing you. Why would I curse you? You''re my friend. Friends don''t curse each other right?"

    Kyle raised an eyebrow and looked at Corey with a look saying, ''You think I believe you?''

    Corey cleared his throat and looked at the door behind Kyle and decided to change the subject.

    "Let''s go and meet the other survivors. We should not just be standing here."

    Kyle chuckled amusedly and without saying a word, he opened the door leading to the dining area of their school cafeteria.

    The moment Corey stepped through the door, Corey felt numerous pair of eyesnd on him. He looked around the dining area and saw approximately twenty students like Kyle said. Most were males but there were few females.

    As Corey was observing all of them, the males stood and saluted in Corey''s direction confusing and stunning Corey.

    ''Why are they saluting me?''

    Corey wondered and saw one of the femalese towards his position. He noticed she was wearing security clothes which looked hot on her.

    ''Is she alsoing for me?''

    "Food is ready Sir."

    Just as Corey was about to point to himself and embarrass himself, Kyle beside him spoke.

    "Thank you Mira."

    ''Oh, forgot about mr cool guy beside me.''

    And as Corey was about to go into his inner ramblings again, Kyle spoke.

    "Let''s eat Zane. You need the energy to fully heal."

    Without waiting for Corey''s reply, he walked towards one of the seats in the diner and Corey followed behind since he was truly hungry.

    As for Mat and Mac, they didn''t follow and went to a different seat.

    Reaching their seats, Corey sat opposite Kyle and looked at the food on their table with surprise.

    "This is the best food on the menu in school. They only sell it once per week and to get it is war."

    Corey said and looked at Kyle who had a calm look, not surprised at the quality of the food.

    "What happened guy. How did you be the boss of this ce? Howe they all treat you like this?"

    Corey questioned and Kyle who was about to dig his fork into his food, paused and looked at Corey.

    "Because I''m me."

    Corey''s mouth twitched and his hand became very itchy. He wanted to beat somebody so badly.

    Kyle''s face suddenly looked so beatable.

    "Speak English."

    Corey said through gritted teeth and Kyle turned his head slightly and raised an eyebrow.

    "But I am.''

    Snap

    Corey''s fork snapped and with dead eyes, he spoke his words, word for word.

    "SPEAK-EN-GLISH-YOU-BASTARD."

    Kyle still with a ''confused'' expression spoke calmly.

    "But I''m speaking English."

    Pop

    Something popped inside of Corey''s head and he looked at Kyle with annoyance.

    "Speak properly you motherfucker!"

    Meanwhile Kyle, with a more confused expression spoke.

    "But I''m not a mother fucker. I''ve never fucked my mother or anybody''s mother." He paused then a secondter, he had a look of realization.

    "Oh yeah, there was that day with your Mom.

    Are you talking about that day?

    How did you catch us?

    I thought we were discreet about it?"

    Corey gritted his teeth and if looks could kill, Kyle would have died a zillion times.

    What truly pissed Corey off was the calm look and smile the bastard in front of him always has even when saying something like that.

    It made the already cool bastard look more cool even when he was dissing somebody.

    Like how can you make dissing cool?

    Corey was envious as fuck!!!n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    As for the Kyle''s words, it didn''t bother him one bit, not because he didn''t care about his mother, he obviously did, it didn''t bother him since he had also said stuffs like that to Kyle and his past friends, so he was absolutely chill with that.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Fuuuuuu

    Corey took in a deep breath, then exhaled a few times to calm his nerves. A few secondster, he looked at Kyle who was eating with a small smile and spoke.

    "Out of everybody in our group, you''re the one I hate the most."

    Kyle chuckled, then spoke.

    "You''re just jealous cause you know you can never be as handsome as me."

    Corey''s mouth twitched and he inhaled and exhaled once again while saying a mantra inwardly.

    ''Kyle is a bitch

    Kyle is a bitch

    Kyle is a bitch

    Kyle is a bitch

    Kyle is a bitch

    Kyle is a ¡­''

    Kyle chuckled once more seeing Corey''s expression. He could guess what was going on in Corey''s mind but he wasn''t going to say anything. He was hungry.

    A few secondster Corey exhaled and felt like the nature energy was flowing positively towards him, that was until Kyle spoke.

    "If you''re not going to eat your food, I''ll eat it for you."

    And the nature energy became negative.

    Corey with a threatening look and tone looked at Kyle and spoke.

    "Don''t you dare touch my food."

    Corey grabbed a spoon beside his te and started eating. Kyle chuckled softly seeing Corey eating so fast and grabbed a napkin by his te. He cleaned his mouth and spoke.

    "The reason why the people here treat me like this is because I''m the strongest and I saved their lives. After saving their lives, I brought them to the cafeteria where there would be enough food. I also helped them to level up and get stronger."

    Corey looked at Kyle with surprise and quickly swallowed his food before speaking.

    "What level are you at and what did you wish for?"

    Kyle did not reply Corey for a few seconds before speaking.

    "I''m level 36 and I wished to be a mage."

    Kyle spread out his palm and a tongue of me appeared on his palm causing Corey''s mouth to go wide and his eyes to be green with envy.

    ''What the fuck!

    Not only is he handsome and cool, he has an attack powered skill and he''s also level 36?!!

    This is not fair!!

    This is not fair at all!!

    I wanted an attack powered skill to protect myself but I got none!

    And this bastard has one?!!

    Why is the heavens favoring this bastard?!!

    And how the fuck is he level 36?!!''

    Corey kept on looking at the tongue of me which was dancing over Kyle''s palm with unconcealed envy. Just as Corey''s eyes seemed like it wanted to devour Kyle, Kyle calmly spoke once again.

    "If you don''t believe that I''m level 36, you can check it out."

    Kyle stretched out his right hand which had a red eye and a translucent screen appeared on top of his hand.

    Corey checked the translucent screen and saw that the only thing he could see was Kyle''s level which showed that he was level 36, nothing more.

    "How did you do that?" Corey asked.

    "Only allowing you to see my level?" Kyle questioned and Corey nodded.

    "Just tell the Universal System in your mind." Kyle said after closing his status screen much to Corey''s shock.

    "So it''s not that useless after all." Corey muttered and Kyle looked at Corey with a confused expression, then a thought appeared in his head.

    ''He can''t be talking about the Universal System right?''

    Kyle thought butter dismissed it as something absurd. He didn''t believe there would be anybody that would have the guts to call the Universal System useless considering it was literally what gave them all their wishes and caused them to be like this, but little did he know that didn''t give a shit about the Universal System and even wanted to beat it up.

    After abandoning this absurd thought, he looked at Corey who looked lost in his thoughts and spoke.

    "Zane"

    "Hmm." Corey looked at Kyle, leaving his thoughts temporarily behind.

    "Your sister called four days ago. Your family was worried about you but don''t worry they''re alright, at least from thest time they called which was yesterday." Kyle said and Corey''s eyes widened.

    "What do you mean by four days ago? The apocalypse has only happened for one day. A day has not even passed." Corey said and Kyle tilted his sses upwards slightly.

    "You''ve been asleep for five days Zane. Today is the fifth day."

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    [A/N: This chapter was sponsored by nk_nk_ for dropping 3 power stones.

    Thank you so much for voting using power stones. I really appreciate it.

    Also, like I promised. You''re the FIFTH person to drop more than two power stones and I will use your name in my book.

    You can tell me what you want as your wish in thement section and if you don''t have any. I''ll think of one for you.

    So people, first of all, I''m sorry I''m dropping the bonus chapterste.

    I didn''t really like thest two chapters I dropped cause It felt uninteresting to me. I''m the type of person who is not easily interested in things, so if I''m feeling bored while typing my novel, I don''t like it.

    Because of that, I had to take a break to reorganize my thoughts and think of what to write that''ll be interesting.

    Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the iing ones, I still have to release two more chapters today before I sleep.

    Then I have a bonus chapter to write tomorrow because somebody dropped two power stones.

    Have a nice day/night.

 Chapter 16 16: Overpowered Sister

    ?To say Corey was shocked would be an understatement. He could not believe that he was unconscious for five days.

    He looked at  Kyle and saw that he had a serious look on his face and was not joking at the moment.

    "I need to call my family." Corey said and stood, wanting to leave immediately.

    His emotions wereplex at the moment, he could not imagine how much anxiety his family must be feeling over his absence and silence.

    Although before he left home, he was yelled at by his father causing the situation in the house to be strained and somewhat distant between him and his parents, he still cared about them.

    It was not like they maltreated him or abandoned him, it was just because of his results that their rtionship was a little bit strained.

    They always provided food, shelter and money, no matter how little, for him, so for him to be nonchnt about their anxiety in such a situation like what their world has turned to, would be heartless of Corey and at the moment, Corey was anything but heartless.

    Despite Corey''s emotions and desire to leave and call his family, Kyle did not care one bit.

    "Sit and finish your food. Nobody wastes food in this ce."

    He said without looking at Corey and Corey frowned.

    "I''m not in the mood to eat right now. I want to speak to my family."

    Corey gave his reason, expecting Kyle to understand but much to Corey''s surprise and confusion, Kyle did not let him go.

    "I don''t care if you''re in the mood or not in the mood. You finish that food. I can''t have people wasting food that''s not much in the first ce." Kyle said and Corey wanted to speak.

    "But-"

    "Besides I have your phone, how would you call your sister if I don''t give you?"

    Just as Corey was about to argue with Kyle, Kyle dangled his phone in front of him making him tongue-tied.

    As he looked at his phone which was held by Kyle''s two fingers, Corey''s eyes glinted and a secondter he had a look of resignation.

    He sat down grumpily but just before he fully sat, he sprang up like a cheetah and tried to snatch the phone from Kyle''s hands.

    Kyle had a look of surprise seeing Corey trying to snatch his phone and though he was surprised, his level was higher and his stats were much, much higher than Corey''s, so with a calm look, he pulled back his right hand holding the phone and at an inhuman speed, he grabbed Corey''s wrist with his left hand calmly.

    He looked at Corey and Corey looked at his captured hand with an open mouth, then looked at Kyle with an embarrassed look.

    "Uhmm. I''d like to eat my food now. I can''t use one hand to eat." Corey said and Kyle tilted his head slightly.

    "But you can. You only use one hand to eat normally." Kyle said causing Corey''s mouth to twitch.

    "Alright I''m sorry for trying to snatch the phone you bastard." Corey apologized, although with a bitter look and Kyle tilted his sses up slightly.

    "But I''m not-"

    Just as Kyle was about toplete his sentence, Corey quickly cut him off.

    "Alright, alright. I''m sorry okay. Just free me and let me finish my food quickly."

    Kyle looked at Corey for a few seconds, then kept Corey''s phone in his breast pocket before letting Corey go.

    Corey clicked his tongue then grumpily ate his food.

    Thirty Minutester.

    After Corey finished his food, he wanted to leave but Kyle told him he must take his bath before he gives him back his phone.

    Corey then was shocked because he remembered that before he almost died at the hands of the Smileys, he was actually covered in the blood and intestine of the first Smiley which was killed by those multiple hands.

    He asked Kyle who cleaned him and Kyle told him it was one of the female nurses among the group of survivors that cleaned him up with a rag and bowl of water causing Corey to be stunned.

    After having his bath properly, he thanked the nurse for washing him and collected his phone from Kyle. Kyle told him he could stay in the kitchen of the restaurant if he wants, which is where Corey currently is.

    Corey holding his phone up to his ear heard a girlish anime ringing tone which caused a smile to emerge on his lips.

    The song continued for a few seconds before the call was picked.

    "Moshi Moshi?"

    Corey smiled the more hearing the anime like tone from his phone. He was happy hearing his sister speak freely like that, which was a good sign that she was fine.

    "Hey Anna. It''s Corey." Corey said and he heard the sound of something dropping on the other side of the phone.

    "Onii-chan?... Onii-chaaan!!! You''re finally awake!!!"

    Corey quickly removed his phone from his ear due to the scream and waited for his sister to stop screaming and shouting.

    He could hear her shouting and telling their parents that he was finally awake and he could hear his parents voices of relief and concern over the phone.

    A minuteter, his sister calmed down and spoke.

    "Onii-chan you don''t know how much you scared us and how worried we were about you. We were afraid something terrible happened to you when your friend Kyle told us that you were asleep four days in a row."

    Corey could hear the relief and happiness in his sister''s voice which made him to smile a little.

    "Yeah, sorry bout that. I was running away from some monsters and I got injured in the process. I didn''t expect to sleep for five days." Corey apologized and he could hear a snorting from his phone.

    "Who told you to wish for wisdom? If you wished for powers like Sasuke or Gojo, you would have be like me. Awesome!"

    His sister said and Corey''s mouth twitched.

    "You don''t have to rub it in my face." Corey said but his sister obviously did the exact opposite and rubbed it on his face.

    "Nope. I''ll rub it on your face very well. When everybody''s wishes were given, I got a legacy called Sessor Of The Second Demon Queen. I also got two swords and I got three talents. I called the two swords ''Murasame'' like in Akam* ga k*ll and the other one I called it Princess, cause I''m going to be a princeesss! As for my three talents, one is called Natural Talent in Swords, Natural Talent in Combat and Natural Talent in Psychokinesis, I can send people and monsters flying just with my mind and I''m currently level 45. Aren''t I awesome? Hmm. Tell me I''m awesome Onii-chan."

    Anna said but Corey''s mind at the moment was nk and he kept on looking nkly as his sister kept on speaking.

    ''Sessor Of The Second Demon Queen

    Two Swords

    Three Talents

    An offensive talent.''

    Those words kept on ringing in his ears as his eyes turned from nk to moist.

    His heart was filled with regret. Serious regret.

    He could take it if Kyle had an attack skill but his sister was just too overpowered.

    What was up with all those abilities she got. Why did it seem like the heavens was favoring her.

    And how the fuck did she reach level 45 so quickly?!!

    He didn''t even have one offensive skill!!!

    The only thing he had to protect himself was Smile Reaper

    And the worst part of it was that he doesn''t know how to fight!<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    He doesn''t know how to wield a dagger properly unlike his sister who probably knew how to wield a lot of weapons because of his talent.

    He wished to go back in time.

    Just as Corey was wallowing in the pit of envy, he heard his sister''s voice.

    "Onii-chan. Onii-channn!!!"

    "Yes? I''m here." Corey replied with a weak voice and sniffed, trying to pull back the tears threatening toe out.

    "Are you crying Onii-chan?"

    Anna asked and Corey quickly cleaned his eyes and sniffed.

    "No. Why would I cry? It''s not like I''m jealous of you at all. Why would I be jealous of you? Because of all the cheat talents you got? Nope, never. I can never be jealous of that."

    Corey said and a loudugh could be heard from the other side of the phone.

    "Hmm, hmm. Onii-chan is definitely jealous of me. That''s good. Don''t worry, this big sister will definitely protect you."

    Anna said and Corey''s eyes widened.

    "Which big sister? Who is the big sister?"

    Corey questioned and Anna giggled mischievously.

    "It''s me obviously. My big brother cannot be weaker than me. Since I''m the stronger one then I''m the big sister."

    Anna said with a mischievous tone causing Corey to shiver and feel a deadly sensation of crisis.

    He could not imagine what would happen if his sister remained stronger than him in the future. When he thought of the all the time he beat her in pillow fights or bullied her using his strength and older age, the sensation of crisis increased.

    "Who said you''re going to be stronger than me forever or before I get home? I''m definitely going to be stronger than you." Corey said.

    "Lies. What level are you at?"

    Anna asked and Corey became quiet. He looked at his status window.

    [Level: 5 (Unawakened)]

    "¡­"

    "Does it matter?"

    Corey tried to sound nonchnt but his sister knowing him, giggled.

    "It''s obviously lower than mine since you''re talking like that. Even if you''re level 20 you won''t be able to pass me at all." His sister giggled.

    "¡­"

    Corey looked at his status screen once again.

    [Level: 5 (Unawakened)]

    "..."

    ''I''m not even level 10'' Corey thought depressingly and wondered how his sister was level 45.

    "Don''t worry little brother, when I be strong to take over the world I''ll protect you and you can be like those arrogant young masters with a powerful backing. Hahahahahahahaha."

    His sisterughed and when Corey was about to say something, he heard a knock on the other side of the phone, followed by his sister''s groan of pain.

    Pow

    "Ouch¡­ Moomm?!"

    "Don''t talk to your older brother like that. Next time it won''t just be paper I''ll use on you, it''ll be a wooden spoon."

    He heard his mother''s threatening tone and he could hear grumbling from his sister. He chuckled inwardly hearing this.

    ''No matter how strong you are sis, Mom is always going to be on my side.''

    He thought and spoke.

    "Hey Mom. How are you?"

    "I''m fine my baby boy. When will you be able toe home?" His mother asked.

    "I don''t know yet. School is still dangerous. When I''m strong enough to leave I''lle." Corey said.

    "Just stay safe okay. Your father and I did not expect the world to be like this. If not because of your sister, I don''t even want to think of what would have happened to us." His mother said and Corey could sense worry and pride when she mentioned his sister.

    "Don''t worry I''lle back very soon hopefully. Just stay safe also." Corey tried tofort his mother.

    "We will don''t worry. Your sister is actually very strong. Also, don''t mind what she''s saying about you been weak. A lot of people here are weak also. Your sister is one of the strongest in the neighborhood and because she has saved a lot of people, people are calling her a hero and saint. Just don''t stress yourself too much and make sure youe back in one piece alright. We don''t know what''ll happen if we lose you."

    His mother said and Corey smiled lightly.

    "Thank you Mom. Don''t worry I''lle back safely. Greet Dad for me." Corey said.

    "I will. Oh, your sister wants to talk to you again." His mother said and Corey could hear his mother warning his sister to treat him with respect making his sister grumble.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Onii-chan I forgot to tell you something. Can you remember that I said Mom wished for a better house and the best kitchen?" Anna said and Corey raised an eyebrow as to why Anna was telling him this.

    "Yes I remember." Corey replied despite his confusion.

    "Sooo, the thing is that our house now looks so cool and awesome and the kitchen is the best ce in the house. It even has a fridge and freezer that has unlimited foodstuffs and ingredients and the foodstuffs are the best foodstuffs in the world. I eat delicious foods everyday. Can you rte? Muahahahahaha."

    His sisterughed and Corey looked at his phone with a dead expression. Without saying a word or waiting for his sister to finishughing, he ended the call.

    A few secondster, he sighed, then looked around and then looked at the ceiling. As he looked at the ceiling, he spoke.

    "I''m definitely going to be stronger than her and spank her. I''ll definitely spank her, I don''t care what anybody says. She deserves it."

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    [A/N: This chapter was sponsored by Znous for dropping two power stones. Thanks a lot man.

    I''m so sorry readers for dropping this chapterte. When I was writingst night, my mind felt sluggish, like very sluggish and my eyes felt droopy so I decided to sleep cause I could not write anything.

    I wanted to sleep for just 2 hours or so but I slept for like 3 hours 30 minutes and I started writing around 1:45 am.

    I spent so long writing this chapter cause this chapter was mainly a dialogue chapter and I honestly do not like writing dialgoue chapters but I had to, for this chapter.

    Today is a Sunday here and I''m not sure if I''ll be able to write all the chapters I have to because I have to go to church with my family and our church doesn''t end until 12pm.

    Hopefully, Monday would be better and I would not have anything that''ll take away my time.

    Have a good day/night.

 Chapter 17 17: Record

    ?After Corey spent at least ten minutes trying to ept the fact that his sister was way stronger than him and had way more useful talents than him, he sighed and decided to make better use of his time.

    ''I need to get stronger.''

    Corey thought and remembered all that happened to him ever since the apocalypse started. He started analyzing his mistakes and errors and tried see how he could have made better decisions.

    The first mistake he realized he made was him not figuring out what his talent skill, ''record'' actually did.

    He knew record was a very useful skill that if used properly, would help the owner of the skill immensely so he decided to check it out.

    He pulled up the description of record from his status window.

    [RECORD: A passive skill which records everything in front of your eyes into your brain. You can view the recorded events anytime and the skill analyses the stats of anybody as long as the difference in tier is not greater than 1. The longer the time of record, the more detailed the statistics of the individual.]

    Although Corey fully remembered the details of the description of record down to thest dot due to his high intelligence, he still wanted to be 100% certain he didn''t miss anything.

    After Corey read the description, his mind spun and he realized how he could use his Talent''s ability to get stronger if it was exactly as the system described it.

    Corey decided to try and view what he recorded.

    He sat down in a meditative position and willed to see what he recorded and just as he did, something akin to an explosion happened in his mind and his eyes spun before it was engulfed by darkness. Soon the darkness receded and a bright light appeared in front of Corey''s eyes causing him to close it instinctively.

    A few secondster, he opened his eyes when he realized no light was entering his eyes, but when he opened them, he had a stunned expression.

    "What the?"

    In front of Corey were numerous bookshelves filled with books, both on his left and right sides.

    Just as Corey was wondering where the hell he was. A stream of Information entered his mind for a few seconds and after the transmission ended, Corey stood rooted on the spot for a few seconds with a shocked expression.

    "Holy shit! My talent skill is not useless at all! It''s even like a fucking cheat!"

    Corey eximed after returning from his stunned state. His heart felt slightly regretful when he thought of what record could do.

    Record, like the Universal System described could passively record whatever his eyes sees. If there was a living creature in front of him, it would start to analyze the stats of the creature even if the creature was not hostile.

    The longer he observed the creature, the more detailed the analysis of the creature. Though the higher the difference between his level and the creature''s level, the longer he needs to observe the creature for a more detailed analysis.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Although this ability of record was in fact very useful in so many ways, what made Corey exim and feel slightly regretful was the fact that record had another ability that the useless Universal System did not tell him about.

    Record could produce virtual simtions where he could fight the beings he recorded. The more detailed the analysis of those beings, the better Record could simte numerous types ofbats scenarios using the recorded beings.

    When Corey saw this, Corey was extremely happy and also slightly regretful.

    With this ability of record, Corey would gain something he thought would either need a skill crystal or numerous life and death experiences for.

    Combat Experience

    Although the ability was very good, what made Corey slightly regretful was that assuming he knew this ability of record, he would have stayed and hid in the dormitory for a longer period of time, set up a method that''ll allow the ck Smiley to enter the building and record ck Smiley until he gets enough details from it to gainbat experience in the virtual simtions created by Record.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Yes, there were a lot of things wrong with Corey''s idea, there was no point inying out the problems since he was not going use the idea, at least for now.

    After Corey realized how useful the ability of record was, he looked at the bookshelves filled with books around him.

    Corey walked towards the shelf on his right and took a book from the shelf, finding it to feel exactly like how a book would feel.

    There was also something the Universal System missed in the description of Record, Record did not only record what Corey saw after he got his talent. Record also recorded every thing Corey saw since the day he was born.

    If Corey wanted he could watch his entire life from the day he was born and this made Corey value record the more because no matter what, he would always be able to remember things he had forgotten as long as he had record.

    Corey opened the book he removed from the shelf and when he did, a hologram hovered on top of the book showing Corey on his eighteenth birthday studying in his roomte in the night.

    ''Corey'' who was studying suddenly turned his head to the back where he could see his former roommate snoring and sleeping without a care in the world. A hint of envy appeared in ''Corey''s'' eyes but determination suddenly took over and he continued studying.

    Corey looked at the hologram withplex emotions before he released a sigh and closed the book, then returned it back to the shelf.

    "Is it a good thing for me that the apocalypse happened?"

    Corey muttered as the book brought back memories he had buried deep down ever since the apocalypse happened.

    Just as the buried memories came rushing back in, Corey closed his eyes and he remembered the dead bodies he saw in the dormitory. The screams of agony and pleads he heard when the apocalypse happened.

    "Even if the apocalypse in a way made it that I don''t have to worry about school and all. I would never wish for the apocalypse. Something, anything could have hurt my family and even killed me. The apocalypse is not a solution to my problem."

    Corey spoke then exhaled softly, trying to calm his emotions.

    Although he spoke those words, Corey knew that if somebody asked him:

    If the apocalypse didn''t happen, what would you have done to change your life?

    He would be nk and remain silent because he already knew the answer to that question, but it was a question and topic he would always avoid.

    "Phew. I should not have watched that record."

    Corey muttered then looked at the bookshelves by his sides.

    "Time to see how much analysis Record did on the recorded beings." Corey said, then spoke once again.

    "Compile a record of all the recorded beings into a single book and bring it to me."

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    This chapter was sponsored by Prime_Zen for dropping 3 power stones.

    Thanks a lot man. I really appreciate.

 Chapter 19 19: Combat Experience

    ?Three Hours Later

    Corey woke up with a yawn, scratching his head he looked around.

    "Hmm. I''m still in the kitchen. Then that means the apocalypse was real and not a dream."

    Corey muttered thenid back on the floor. Funny enough and much to Corey''s surprise, he slept and he slept far longer than he expected to.

    ''I guess I was still tired mentally.''

    Corey thought then closed his eyes and wished to enter the space of Record.

    A secondter, he appeared in the space surrounded by bookshelves. Corey looking at the bookshelves had a thought.

    "I should give this ce a name. Hmm. Let me see."

    Corey rubbed his chin, then looked around. A few secondster, he pped his palms together.

    "I got it. Library Of Record. No wait, The Library Of Records. Yep, that''s much better. The Library Of Records."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Corey once again satisfied with his naming sense looked at the ce where he dropped The Book of Recorded Beings.

    ''Please let it be that I was dreaming.''

    Core hoped then took the Book of Recorded Beings and opened it with trepidation.

    He opened the book to page 2 and saw that the level of the monsters were the same as his ''dream''.

    He opened to page 3. It was the same.

    He opened to page 4. It was the same.

    He opened to page 5. It was the same.

    "¡­"

    Pa!

    "God damn it!"

    Closing the book with force, Corey cursed.

    "It was not a dream."

    "How in the world are there monsters as powerful as that in this ce. Like why would there be monsters as powerful as that? It doesn''t make sense. How is somebody meant to defeat monsters like that?"

    Corey sighed after speaking then ced the book back in the shelf.

    "And there goes my n of killing those monsters eventually."

    Corey sighed once more and was about to will for Record to start the virtual simtion but he stopped. He realized he did not check out the level of ck Smiley.

    He took the book of recorded beings once again then opened it to page 7 which had the analysis of ck Smiley.

    He checked for the actual name of ck Smiley and saw that it''s actual name was called Dark Revenant.

    ''Still gonna call it ck Smiley.''

    Corey thought then looked at the level of ck Smiley, hoping it was not as absurd as the sealed monsters.

    [Level 65 Dark Revenant]

    Phew

    Corey released a breath of relief when he saw the level. Although it was high, he was just hoping for the monster to not be a tier 1 or close to tier 1 because at least he felt he had a chance of killing it.

    After checking ck Smiley''s level. Corey decided to finally gain somebat experience.

    He willed for The Library of Records to open the door to the virtual simtion room and a door manifested out of thin air in front of him.

    Corey walked to the door, opened it and entered. After entering, Corey found himself in a white space where it seemed like it had no end. The floor was white, the sky or whatever Corey assumed to be the sky was white, his surroundings both on his left and right side were also white.

    Just as Corey was observing his environment with curiosity, a translucent screen appeared in front of him and Corey read the contents.

    [Wee to the virtualbat simtion environment.

    In this ce, you can choose to face any opponent(s) which has been recorded by Record.

    Any environment that has been recorded by Record can also be used as the environment of thebat simtion.

    Please Note: Every sensation experienced by the mental incarnation of the holder would be transmitted to the physical body of the holder.

    Please choose the opponent, number of opponents and the environment.]

    "Every sensation experienced by my mental incarnation would be felt by my physical body?"

    Corey muttered with a stunned expression and he spoke unconsciously after.

    "Does that mean even death. What if I''m eaten alive or something slices off my head?"

    Corey thought with sweat dripping down his forehead. He looked at the white space all around him and gulped.

    It wasn''t looking so appealing to him as it was from the start.

    He had the thought of refusing to go through thebat experience and maybe he would go through itter but when he thought of the fact that to gainbat experience which he severelycked, he would need to probably fight lots and lots of monsters in real life and the chance of death would be extremely high, he gritted his teeth and made up his mind.

    He was going to use this virtual room to gainbat experience even if he has to die a hundred or even a million or billion times.

    He knew just how much he neededbat experience especially when he remembered his fight with the eight Smileys, if he had made better decisions, he would never have been caught in the situation where he needed to be saved by Kyle, it was better he die here where his death would not be true than die in real life.

    He looked at the translucent screen and saw the various monsters Record had recorded. He saw the monsters in the sealed room and even ck Smiley. Although he was curious about what would happen if he faced those monsters, he didn''t choose to face them since they would not be weakened at all and would retain their levels.

    He looked at the monsters he could face which were the smileys.

    He could face the first Smiley he encountered in the dormitory. He could also face the eight Smileys that almost killed him outside the dormitory or even in the dormitory.

    Corey thought he would only be able to fight a maximum of eight smileys since that was the highest number of Smileys he faced, but he found out that he could increase the number of Smileys he could face to any number he wanted and he could also increase their levels up to level 30 at the highest.

    Corey was curious and kept on increasing the number but the moment he increased it to a hundred, he heard a warning telling him that if he increased it to more than a hundred, his mental energy would reduce drastically and there could be consequences.

    Corey since he was just curious about how far he could go, stopped and reduced the number of Smileys to 4 and set their levels at level 10. He also set the environment to outside the dormitory where he fought the eight Smileys.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    He wanted to face eight Smileys at first but he decided not to be too cocky and faced four. At least he felt he should be able to fight 4.

    After Corey confirmed his choices, the white space around him changed. It twisted and spun before the white receded and change to the outside of the dormitory.

    Corey looked around with interest and curiosity, wondering how his ability could do this.

    He even looked behind him and saw the dormitory but with no ck smiley inside. He looked at his clothes and realized that it was the clothes he wore after having his bath, although he still had bandages wrapped around some parts of his body.

    Just as Corey was about to continue his observation, white lights appeared around him and then he heard growls all around him.

    When the white light receded, he saw four smileys forming a circle with him at the center.

    "Hey there Smileys. Although you''re not-"

    Just as Corey was speaking, the Smileys roared. The smiley in front of Corey jumped at Corey not waiting for Corey to finish his words, stunning Corey.

    "Shit."

    Corey''s eyes widened and he cursed, he tried to dodge to the left and he did, sessfully avoiding the attack.

    After dodging, a smile appeared on his face and he tried to bring out Smile Reaper from his waist but,

    Chomp

    "Argghhhhh!!!"

    The smiley on the left bit Corey on his left shoulder making Corey to shout in pain.

    He punched the Smiley''s head reflexively, hoping for it to leave his shoulder but his strength which was lower than a normal level 5 human could definitely not make the smiley release it''s bite.

    The pain bing unbearable for Corey tried to bring out Smile Reaper but just as he did, the Smiley on the right bit Corey on his right leg.

    "Arrrrgggghhhhhhh!!!!!"

    Corey screamed in pain.

    He was not used to pain at all.

    He rarely encountered situations where he got injured since he rarely did physical activities. The pain he was going through at the moment was making his mind numb and his heart beat at an extremely fast rate.

    Just as the smiley bit Corey on his leg, another Smiley, the Smiley which was behind Corey walked towards Corey and pierced his chest causing Corey to look at his chest with a nk gaze.

    The first Smiley he dodged, ran towards Corey with an angry gaze, probably due to it missing it''s attack and bit Corey''s neck, eventually tearing off a part of Corey''s neck.

    The four Smileys started biting and chewing on different parts of Corey''s body, eventually leading to Corey''s death.

    -------------

    (In Real Life, The Kitchen of the Cafeteria)

    Corey''s physical body spasmed and a few secondster, a scream was released from Corey.

    "ARGHHHHHH!!!!!"

    Bang!!

    "Corey?!!!"

    The door burst open three seconds after Corey screamed and Kyle came in rushing with Mat and Mac.

    Kyle seeing Corey spasm in pain had a confused expression.

    He looked around warily but finding out nothing which could be the cause of Corey''s condition, he crouched and touched Corey.

    A shocked expression appeared on his face after touching Corey.

    "He''s burning up."

    Kyle then turned towards Mat and Mac and shouted. "Get me a bucket of water. Fast!"

    Mat and Mac although confused did as Kyle ordered and ran to find a bucket to fill with water.

    Kyle turned towards Corey and his confusion increased the more.

    "Corey what happened to you?"

    He asked but Corey could not reply and his body kept have violent spasms.

    A few secondster, Mat brought a bucket of water with a bowl inside and dropped it beside Kyle.

    Kyle took the bowl, filled it with water then poured it all over Corey''s body especially his head. Steam rose up from Corey''s body shocking Kyle, Mat and Mac.

    Kyle kept on pouring water until Corey''s body stopped spasming.

    Kyle walked over to Corey and touched his body, finding the temperature to be normal. He touched his head, finding the temperature to also be normal.

    Corey opened his eyes slightly and Kyle seeing that, spoke.

    "What happened to you Corey?"

    Corey looked a little lost before his eyes focused on Kyle''s face.

    ''Even when I''m weak and can''t see properly, you''re still handsome.''

    Corey had this weird thought but when he replied Kyle''s question, he spoke weakly not because he was faking it because he felt exceedingly weak at the moment.

    "I just did something stupid that''s all."

    Corey chuckled weakly after speaking and Kyle looked at him strangely before sighing then getting up.

    "Just don''t do something like that next time. Alright?" Kyle said and Corey nodded weakly.

    "I want to sleep." Corey said and Kyle nodded, leaving the room with Mat and Mac allowing Corey to sleep.

    ------------

    [ A/N: This chapter was sponsored by Prime_Zen and deathmonarch. Thanks a lot.

 Chapter 20 20: The Plot Thickens; The Merchant

    ?(Twelve Hours Later)

    Corey sat in a cross-legged position with his back resting against a wall, a hint of anxiety on his face. His face showed struggle a few times until a few minutester, he sighed very softly.

    "I was a fool."

    Corey said and rested his head on the wall while closing his eyes.

    Corey had slept for 8 whole hours after his death experience.

    After waking up, he spent an hourying in the same spot just looking at the wall in front of him nkly, sometimes images and memories of his death in the virtual room appeared in his mind making him shiver instinctively.

    After Corey stared nkly at the wall for a whole one hour, Corey decided to take his bath and eat some food.

    While eating, he thanked Kyle for saving him once again but Kyle just waved it off and told him he should not do foolish things that can cost him his life.

    Not once did Kyle ask what the foolish thing he did was and Corey was grateful for that since he would have felt somehow keeping his secret from Kyle who had saved him twice.

    After doing all of that which took 2 hours 30 minutes, Corey came back to the kitchen and had been sitting in the same position ever since.

    Right now, Corey was remembering everything that happened ever since thebat simtion started. He was trying to figure out the mistakes he made which led to his death.

    And the first mistake he realized was his cockiness and foolishness for choosing to fight four Smileys who were five levels higher than him.

    He had zerobat experience and the first thing he chose to do in his first virtual battle was to fight four Smileys who had higher levels than him.

    Another thing was that he underestimated the warning of the virtual room. It warned him that every sensation would be transferred to his physical body but he who rarely experienced physical pain still chose to increase the difficulty level of his fight to impossible making him die a horrible death where he was bitten and eaten to death.

    The third mistake he made was that after thebat simtion started, he did not bring out his weapon and was instead looking at his surroundings with curiosity and not a ounce of wariness, thinking he was safe.

    Observing his surroundings was not wrong but what was wrong was that Corey was observing his surroundings not so that he could use it to his advantage, he was doing that because he was just curious and interested in it, and the most foolish thing was that, he was doing that without a weapon.

    The fourth mistake he made was after the smileys were produced. Instead of him to be in a defensive, offensive or a position which would enable him to instantly react to any situation or most situations, he decided to talk.

    Talk like those foolish third rate viins in superhero movies would!

    And the worst part of it was that he was talking without holding his weapon!

    Even third rate viins wouldn''t do something as foolish as that!

    When he thought about the more, he was more like a very low-budget fourth rate viin or whatever was lower than that.

    Although there were more mistakes Corey made, these four were the main ones that he deeply ingrained into his soul, not wanting to forget them ever again.

    First, never try to battle beings way higher than one''s level unless one has a foolproof n.

    Second, never underestimate the feeling of pain and death especially been bitten and eaten to death.

    Third, observe your surroundings while thinking of ways to utilize it.

    Fourth, in a battle, always have your weapon out and if you''re not in a battle, always have a weapon that can be unleashed easily.

    This four lessons, Corey decided that no matter what, he would never forget them.

    And with this four lessons, Corey steeled himself and decided to enter into The Library Of Records and gainbat experience, but this time he would start from ONE Smiley at his level before increasing the level and numbers of Smileys gradually.

    Although he was scared of the pain of death especially been eaten alive, what fueled is determination was:

    ''I can''t let my sister to be stronger than me.

    She might decide to have revenge against me and take out of my food when I eat or even keep on waking me up with pillows.

    I can''t allow that!

    I can never allow that!''

    And with this thought as his determination, he gritted his teeth, brought out Smile Reaper and walked towards the door leading to the virtual room.

    ''Time to kill Virtual Smileys.''

    Corey thought, then entered the virtual room, taking his first step to bing one of the most powerful beings in the multiverse all because his sister was stronger than him.

    A strange thing can be what motivates humans to do some things.

    And when one thinks about it, it''s a funny thing actually.

    -------------------------<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    (Meanwhile in a room in the Cafeteria)

    "Boss. Are we going to take this group of survivors to the ce this night? I think they''re ripe enough." Mac asked as he sat beside Mat and in front of them was Kyle sitting while crossing legs, with a table in between them.

    "Not yet. Corey is not ripe enough yet. He''s still too weak." Kyle said while tilting his sses upwards slightly.

    "I can''t believe that bastard is just level 5 since all this time. Won''t he take forever before he bes ripe enough? Let me just kill him, having one less wouldn''t matter." Mat spoke with visible hostility in his tone.

    "Don''t kill him now. We''ll just bring him along with us and strengthen him, it shouldn''t take too much time considering our level." Kyle said and Mat calmed down slightly, not disobeying the order, though he still had an expression of hostility.

    "I wish we didn''t save him, then we would not have to wait." Mac said a few secondster thoughtlessly, then with panic he looked at Kyle and quickly spoke.

    "I don''t mean you made a wrong choice boss. It''s just that-"

    "It''s okay." Kyle cut him off then continued. "I wish we didn''t save him either. I thought he was in a very high level because of the way he fought those Revenants." Kyle said then sighed softly.

    "You guys can go. I have some thing to do." Kyle waved them off and Mat and Mac bowed before taking their leave.

    Kyle sat and stretched out his right hand and a translucent screen hovered on top of his palm.

    Looking at his status window, Kyle frowned looking at three things.

    [Level -> 69 (Awakened)]

    [Talent -> Supreme Magus (Awakened)]

    [Legacy -> Sessor Of The Seventh Supreme Magus]

    "It''s getting more and more difficult to level up." Kyle said with a frown and looked down.

    "And my stats are not improving as fast as they used to do." Kyle paused then sighed softly after dismissing his status window.

    "I need to strengthen Zane and the others. Especially Zane." Kyle tapped the armrest of the chair with a pondering expression.

    "Should I meet that bastard?" Kyle muttered, then stood and walked out of the room.

    ----------

    (Somewhere In E-Academy)

    "Oh. What brings the sessor of the seventh magus to my ce and at this time?" A man with white hair spoke. He was wearing a ck robe and he had a chain around his neck, the pendant of this chain were two axes crossed together.

    The man was sitting around what looked like a roadside stall and at the top of the stall was a sign board which read: The Merchant.

    Kyle with an indifferent expression replied the merchant. "Give me the same product."

    The merchant with a smile chuckled. "Is that how to speak with your superior?"

    Kyle did not reply and kept on looking at the merchant with an indifferent expression. The merchant seeing this just chuckled and spread out his palm, a small bottle containing a purple liquid appeared from thin air.

    Kyle seeing the bottle moved to take it but the merchant closed his hand and waggled his finger.

    "Ahn ahn ahn. You know the price." The merchant said and Kyle with an indifferent expression produced a silver coin.

    The merchant took the coin with a satisfied smile and opened his palm, allowing Kyle to take the bottle. After taking the bottle, Kyle was about to leave but the merchant spoke causing Kyle''s footsteps to pause.

    "Are you going to use the bottle tonight?" The merchant asked and Kyle replied with a cold tone.

    "What''s your business?"N?v(el)B\\jnn

    The merchant chuckled, then spoke. "You''re right. It''s not my business. Just bring the drop of blood for me."

    Kyle started walking off after hearing the words of the merchant, not bothering to reply the merchant. The merchant seeing this just smiled and said nothing.

    ''A drop of divine blood and also one of the candidates to take over the position of the seventh supreme magus. This is definitely my lucky chance.''

    The merchant thought as the wind blew.

    Closing his eyes, the merchant enjoyed the wind and the silence, his pendant blowing alongside the wind.

    -----------------

    This bonus chapter was sponsored by The_Founder. Thanks a lot man.

 Chapter 21 21: I See

    ?Two dayster

    "God damn it!"

    Corey cursed as his body spasmed for a few seconds before it stopped.

    He was currently sitting in a cross-legged position with numerous tes around him. His eyes which were closed, opened after his body stopped spasming.

    The moment he opened his eyes, a sharpness and coldness which was not there previously could be seen in his eyes.

    "I can''t just seem to kill a level 20 Smiley one on one unless I utilize my surroundings." Corey sighed after speaking then sniffed subconsciously.

    He grimaced immediately he sniffed and then sniffed his armpit to be sure what he perceived was from him.

    "Fuck I need to take a bath."

    After Corey spoke, the door to the kitchen was opened and Kyle walked inside. He walked towards Corey and looked at the tes all around.

    "Zane, we need to talk." Kyle spoke and Corey hiding his disgust due to his body odor looked at Kyle.

    "What''s up?" Corey questioned.

    "It''s been more than a day since the day your body spasming and I think you''re better now." Kyle spoke then gestured to the tes all around causing Corey to feel embarrassed.

    "No survivor here stays for free. It''s either they cook, clean or do other chores. But most of them follow Mat, Mac and I to kill the monsters outside and level up cause the monsters are a lot and it''s like they just keep on reappearing. So what I''m trying to say is that will you follow us when we go out to kill monsters tomorrow since your body should be fully healed. You''ll get most of the soul stones of monsters to level up and bring you up to the average level of the survivors at least."

    Kyle offered and Corey pondered over Kyle''s words.

    He knew what Kyle was basically trying to tell him was that he could no longer be a free loader. Either he does menial chores or he clears the monsters with the group.

    "What if I want to clear monsters alone?" Corey asked.

    Although it would be safer and wiser for him to work with the group. He was itchy to fight in real life and see how far he has gone in hisbat experience, besides he knew that Kyle would be suspicious if he saw him suddenly be better at fighting since he practically did nothing ever since he came to the cafeteria.

    Meanwhile Kyle after hearing Corey''s words was somewhat surprised. He looked at Corey''s facial expression and saw that he was not joking.

    Kyle was confused since he knew joining the group was the safest and probably the fastest choice of growing stronger.

    He knew Corey didn''t havebat experience unlike him, which he had since that was one of the things he gained due to his legacy.

    So he was wondering where Corey got the confidence to do something like that considering how he ended up after fighting eight level 9 revenants which one would rarely find now since the weakest revenant one would find would be level 10 and that was if somebody was extremely lucky to encounter one.

    "Do you know the average levels of the revenants outside now?"

    Although Kyle didn''t have to ask, he didn''t just want to send Corey to his death since having one more person might increase his level after his ns are aplished.

    Meanwhile Corey was confused hearing Kyle''s question. He tried to guess but since he had actually only been to two ces ever since the apocalypse started: the dormitory and the cafeteria he was in now, he truly did not know the average levels of the Smileys outside.

    "I don''t know." Corey replied after he stopped trying to guess.

    "The average level of the revenants is 30. Most of the revenants outside are level 30. Do you still want to go?" Kyle said, stunning Corey and causing Corey to exim subconsciously.

    "The fuck?"

    " It''s true. Today is the eight day after the apocalypse, so those monsters got stronger fast. You''ve not been able to level up ever since I saved you.." Kyle paused then asked " Do you still want to go alone?"

    Corey thought about it for a few seconds before he made his decision.

    "I''ll still go. Thanks for the warning."

    Although it was dangerous levelling up alone, he decided to do it because he wanted to fight and gainbat experience real life. He didn''t just want to gainbat experience in The Library Of Records.

    Also, he needed an excuse if Kyle sees that he suddenly became good at fighting while with him.

    Meanwhile Kyle looked at Corey for a few seconds, then shrugged.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Whatever, it''s your choice. But if you''re doing that and you want toe back here, you''ll have to pay." Kyle said confusing Corey.

    "Pay with what? Federation Cash?" Corey asked with a confused tone and Kyle looked at him with a confused look also before something clicked and he pped his forehead and spoke.

    "Oh yeah I forgot. You probably never killed a level 10 revenant since you''re level 5."

    "What do you mean and how did you know I was level 5?" Corey asked.

    "Oh, I know because of a skill. It can show me the levels of beings weaker than me. Also revenants that are level 10 or higher drop coins. Level 10 revenants drop bronze coins but the drop rate is pitifully low. If you kill a higher level revenant, there is a higher chance for it to drop coins." Kyle exined causing Corey to thank him.

    Although he has absorbed the soul stone of a level 10 Smiley, he had no reason to tell Kyle since it actually didn''t matter.

    "How much is the fee?" Corey asked after Kyle spoke.

    "Just one silver coin." Kyle replied and Corey nodded. He didn''t know whether it was costly or not, but he didn''t really care. He was not the boss of this ce.

    "I''ll leave tomorrow morning. Can I take some food and water with me?" Corey asked.

    Although he had canned foods, eating the delicious foods of the cafeteria made him want to take some with him.

    "You can but not much." Kyle replied and Corey thanked him once again.

    "When you''re level 50 at least, call me. There is a ce I want to take everybody and I need everybody to reach level 50 at least."

    Kyle said causing Corey to look at him with a questioning look. Kyle seeing that smiled and spoke.

    "It''s a secret but don''t worry it''s not a dangerous ce as long as you reach level 50."

    Kyle then walked towards the door after speaking.

    Corey looked at Kyle''s back and he lowered his head slightly. Just as Kyle was about to reach the door, Corey spoke.

    "Kyle."

    "Hmm?" Kyle paused and turned towards Corey.

    Corey still with his head down spoke.

    "Have you heard about the group? Harry? Set? J? Tom? Ba and the rest?n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Have you heard about anyone of them?

    Do you know if they.. if they.."

    "If they are still alive?" Kyle cut Corey off and looked at Corey who still had his head down.

    He sighed, then turned to the door.

    " Except for Harry and Ba, the rest, I think are all dead. I couldn''t contact them." Kyle said, then turned around. Walking out of the door, he spoke.

    "You should have your bath Zane, you stink."

    Corey didn''t reply even after Kyle left. He just kept on looking at the floor with Kyle''s words repeating in his ears.

    A few minutester, Corey sighed and looked at the ceiling.

    " I see."

    -------------

    [A/N: This chapter was sponsored by Znous. Thanks a lot man. I really appreciate.]

 Chapter 22 22: Coreys Improvement

    ?Rumble!

    p!

    Boom!

    In E-Academy, as the rain poured and the thunder roared, a bolt of lightning struck and spread above the academy illuminating certain ces in the academy.

    And at one of the locations illuminated by this bolt of lightning, was a teenage boy covered in a tattered ck cloak with his head covered by a hood running with a cold and sharp gaze, behind this boy were five revenants chasing after him, with each of them having various dagger cuts on their bodies.

    Despite the darkness, despite the rain and despite the heavy wind, the boy moved in the surroundings with unmatched familiarity. Taking turns here and there in between buildings, the boy moved like a ghost, his steps quiet, not making a loud sttering sound as he stepped on puddles here and there.

    After a while, the boy who was always looking straight ahead, looked upwards slightly.

    Roooaaarrrrr!!!

    A roar resounded from a building ahead of the boy and a revenant muchrger than a normal one jumped towards the boy.

    The boy with a calm gaze looked at the iing revenant and just as the revenant was a few meters close to the boy, the boy jumped and twisted in mid air.

    With a jump, agility and dexterity higher than what a normal human could aplish, the boy who had appeared on top of the revenant still in mid-air, reversing their roles, sliced at the neck of the revenant with a dagger which had a red handle, eventually cutting off the neck of the revenant.

    Bam Bam Bam Bang.

    The head which had a creepy smile rolled on the floor for quite a distance while the headless body mmed unto the floor spewing out blood from the neck, making the ground red for a few seconds before the rain swept up the blood away.

    The boy looked at the corpse for a few seconds before his body swayed and he kept on running, the five monsters behind, chased with more energy than before seeing one of their kind die.

    The boy without panic turned to the right which led to an alley, after taking approximately twenty steps into the alley, he jumped slightly and continued running for ten more steps before he stopped and turned back.

    He looked calmly at the five revenants running towards him, and just when they were ten steps away from the boy, the revenant at the front stumbled and was about to catch his bnce but like dominoes, the revenant behind stumbled also and fell on the first revenant causing it to fall.

    This continued for all five revenants and the boy seeing them all on the floor, ran towards them with a dagger in his hand, then crouched and quickly pierced the dagger into the head of the first revenant.

    The revenant tried to w at him but the boy calmly held it''s hands and made sure it was dead before moving unto the next and did the same process for all the five revenants.

    Rumble!

    p!

    Boom!

    The skies howled and a bolt of lightning struck. The winds raged fiercely than before, causing the boy''s cloak to p and the boy''s hood toe off his face, revealing the boy''s face to the world.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    With an average face, ck eyes, short ck curly hair and a caramel colored skin, the teenage boy was Corey.

    Corey after killing thest Smiley looked around to make sure there was no danger around him and that there were no inconsistencies in the alley. Finding none, he crouched and dissected the corpse in front of him.

    Using two minutes to dissect the corpse with an indifferent expression, he finally brought out a soul stone from the chest of the corpse. He removed his bag which was hidden in his cloak and opened it.

    If one were to see the inside of the bag, a shocked expression would definitely emerge on their face. Inside of the bag were numerous soul stones making the inside of the bag shine slightly.

    Corey with an indifferent expression, put the soul stone he just removed from the corpse into his bag. He moved towards the next corpse and did the same thing, repeating the same process for all the corpses all with an indifferent expression.

    After doing all of this, Corey walked towards the thin wire which was used to trip the five revenants, removed it and looked around. After confirming that he was safe, he pulled up his hood and his body swayed and left the alley, quiet like the wind.

    Corey''s steps were silent as he ran, his gaze sharp and conscious of his surroundings. Running on the roads filled with corpses, debris and even destroyed vehicles. Corey ran, went through a few twists and turns and finally stopped when he reached a tall destroyed building.

    He looked at the front door of the building, finding a pile of rubbles at the entrance. Seeing the rubbles at the entrance, he walked to the left side of the building and after taking a few steps, he found another pile of rubbles, but this time, instead of ignoring the rubble, he walked towards it and removed the stones which made up the rubble with familiarity.

    After removing the stones, a hole on the side of the wall appeared and Corey walked into the hole, then covered the hole back with the stones. Corey then removed his bag and brought out a torch from inside of it.

    With the torch on, he moved towards the stairs in the room he was in. The stairs led tost floor of the building and after reaching there, Corey moved to the window where he could see the roads below.

    This was one of the reasons Corey chose this spot as his hiding and resting spot. The building was taller than the other buildings around it and with where Corey was, he could see what was going on the roads.

    Besides if a Smiley or somebody hostile wanted to enter, they would have to remove the boulders at the entrance of the building which would alert Corey since he set up a small trap of sorts.

    As Corey looked out the window, he could make out vague figures of Smileys with their creepy smiles walking about. He didn''t encounter one on his way to the building because he knew the safest path to this building from the alley he came from and he also cleared the path of Smileys when he left the building earlier today.

    "No ck Smiley again today."

    Corey sighed then used the curtains to close the window. He walked to the firece in the room and lit it up, allowing heat and a little bit of light in the room.

    Corey removed his cloak after that, then sat on the couch in the room.

    Another reason why Corey chose this room was because this room was a room that was veryfortable and also had almost all the basic necessities he needed.

    Like for example, a bed, a bathroom, firece and so on.

    As for how Corey found this ce, it was through luck.

    As Corey sat beside the firece heating up his body which was cold from the rain, he stretched out his right hand and brought up his status screen.

    *BASIC INFORMATION*

    Name: Corey Junior Zane

    Race: Human<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Brand Level: 2

    Affiliation: None

    ss: None

    Talent: Omniscience (Unawakened)

    Language: English

    Title(s): One Of The Four Possessors Of A ***** Graded Talent On New Earth

    Tier: 0

    Level: 5 -> 30 (Unawakened)

    *ATTRIBUTES*

    Strength: 10 -> 50

    Agility: 10 -> 40

    Dexterity: 5 -> 16

    Constitution: 10 -> 40

    Intelligence: 50 -> 300

    Endurance: 10 -> 40

    Mana: 0

    Free A.P: 0

    *Hidden Attributes*

    Luck: ???/100

    Charisma: ???/100

    Wisdom: ???/???

    *SKILLS*

    Record- Talent Skill

    Silent Steps- Unranked

    Night Vision- Unranked

    Super Jump- Lv 2

    *RESISTANCES*

    Fear Resistance- Lv 1

    Pain Resistance- Lv 3

    *EQUIPMENTS*

    Ghost Reaper- Red Grade

    Ghost Cloak- Red Grade

    *PET/MOUNT*

    None

    *SYSTEM REMARK*: Although stronger, you''re still an insignificant bug in the grand scheme of things even with your high intelligence.

    -------

    This is the normal chapter for yesterday. I thought I would be able to write the entire 5 Chapters I promised yesterday, but I could not.

    Although I did a few things, I''ve basically been writing throughout today so at the moment I''m feeling sleepy.

    I''ll try not to sleep, but if I see I''m not writing properly I''ll sleep and write thest chapter after I wake up.

    Have a great day/night people.

    And also thanks to everyone that voted using power stones. I''m really happy and I really appreciate it. I''ll give the bonus chapters hopefully like today or better than today.

    Keep on voting and let''s push this novel up the power stone ranking no matter how little.

    I''ll make sure I write the bonus chapters so keep on voting with power stones. Thanks.

 Chapter 23 23: The Big Five (1)

    ?*BASIC INFORMATION*

    Name: Corey Junior Zane

    Race: Human

    Brand Level: 2

    Affiliation: None

    ss: None

    Talent: Omniscience (Unawakened)

    Language: English

    Title(s): One Of The Four Possessors Of A ***** Graded Talent On New Earth

    Tier: 0

    Level: 5 -> 30 (Unawakened)

    *ATTRIBUTES*

    Strength: 10 -> 50

    Agility: 10 -> 40

    Dexterity: 5 -> 16

    Constitution: 10 -> 40

    Intelligence: 50 -> 300

    Endurance: 10 -> 40

    Mana: 0

    Free A.P: 0

    *Hidden Attributes*

    Luck: ???/100

    Charisma: ???/100

    Wisdom: ???/???

    *SKILLS*

    Record- Talent Skill

    Danger Sense- Level 1

    Silent Steps- Level 1

    Night Vision- Unranked

    Super Jump- Lv 2

    *RESISTANCES*

    Fear Resistance- Lv 1

    Pain Resistance- Lv 3

    *EQUIPMENTS*

    Ghost Reaper- Red Grade

    Ghost Cloak- Red Grade

    *PET/MOUNT*

    None

    *SYSTEM REMARK*: Although stronger, you''re still an insignificant bug in the grand scheme of things even with your high intelligence.

    ---------

    As Corey looked at his status window which had changed ever since he left Kyle''s survivor group five days ago, his eyes moved towards his intelligence attribute points and he frowned slightly.

    The major differences on his status screen were his level which had gone up from 5 to 30, his increase in attribute points, the addition of three new skills, a new equipment and his pain resistance going from level 2 to 3 which was because of the unknown number of times he died in The Library Of Records which he did not bother to count for the sake of his mental health.

    His first day outside alone was not easy at all for Corey, he had to avoid most of the Smileys due to his extremely low level. He also had to look for a safe ce to stay and he had to be cautious and observe his surroundings properly so as not to be caught off guard by a Smiley.

    Corey used the first day to observe the ces he could stay and the Smileys he had a chance of killing through sneak attacks.

    The first Smiley he killed was a level 20 Smiley by a sneak and nned attack. Byying a few traps here and there, he lured the Smiley towards the traps and killed it from the back.

    His level increased from 5 to 9 and his attributes also increased after absorbing the soul stone, and it was from this Smiley he got the unranked passive skill, night vision which made him to see at night.

    After killing that Smiley, the next Smiley he killed was a level 30 Smiley, and he also did it using tricks and a sneak attack.

    His attributes increased, and so did his level which increased from 9 to 17 after absorbing the soul stone. He also got the skill, Super Jump and the equipment, Ghost Cloak from the Smiley.

    The ghost cloak had a small amount of defense and could also reduce his presence to some extent. The ghost cloak was a major part of what helped him in killing Smileys up and down due to it reducing his presence which enabled him to kill Smileys through sneak attacks.

    His level would be much higher than it was currently if he absorbed all the soul stones of all the Smileys he killed, but the problem was that after killing the fifth Smiley, which was a level 24 Smiley, and absorbing the soul stone, only his level increased but his attributes did not.

    He thought maybe it was because the difference in level was not much so he looked for a Smiley which was level 30 at least and he found a level 32 Smiley and killed it, but his attributes didn''t increase, only his level did.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    He had to call Kyle and ask if he knew why that was happening to him and Kyle told him that it was the same for everybody. That after killing the fourth Revenant no matter the level, they don''t get anymore attribute points, they only level up.

    Kyle told him he suspects that after killing four of the same type of monsters, one''s attributes would not increase anymore which made Corey believe to have a high probability of been correct.

    After Corey learnt this information from Kyle, he decided to level up to level 30 and find a ck Smiley to kill so as to increase his attributes even more because Kyle told him that the higher the difference between his level and the level of the monster he killed, the more attribute points he would gain from the soul stone.

    Although it was stupid and dangerous to think of fighting a ck Smiley when the one he recorded was a level 65 ck Smiley, he had his n on finding a way to kill it but it would require him to be extremely careful, vignt and alsody luck to smile upon him.

    But it seemed likedy luck was not smiling at him for the past two days since he had been looking for a ck smiley but couldn''t find one. He had been encountering normal smileys everywhere and he had been killing them and gaining money.

    Yes, another thing that Corey gained apart from an increase in strength was money and this was where his annoyance and anger at the Universal System was rekindled.

    Normally, one would expect that a Universal System would have a system inventory or storage where one could store their items and most importantly money but,

    No!

    The useless Universal System did not have an inventory where he could store items.

    And it most importantly did not have an inventory where he could store his damn money!!

    Like what kind of a system did not have an inventory where he could store his coins!

    It was absolutely inconceivable!

    Absolutely unbelievable!

    The Universal System was the epitome of uselessness in Corey''s eyes.

    He hated it''s uselessness.

    And because of the uselessness of the Universal System, he had to hide his coins underneath a part of the wooden floor in the room he was in.

    Boom!

    Bang!

    ROAR!!!

    Just as Corey was observing his status window and remembering, an explosion followed by roars resounded from outside into his room.

    Corey closed his status window and ran to the window. He looked at the roads and his mouth opened wide when he saw what was happening outside.

    Four boys like him shouting and fighting at least ten normal Smileys and¡­ three ck Smileys!

    Corey''s eyes constricted when he saw three ck Smileys with different kinds of weapons.

    One was carrying a sledgehammer, another was holding a great sword and thest only had gloves on it''s hands but it''s strength seemed greater than the other two.

    This three ck Smileys were currently fighting against a boy in a suit and hat holding two guns, a boy with a sword and shield, and two beasts: a lion and an ape.

    Not only were there three ck smileys, there were ten normal smileys which were been fought by a boy who was flying in the air while shooting arrows on the smileys below and three beasts: a leopard, snake and a kangaroo which Corey guessed was been controlled by the boy staying at least fifteen meters away from the battlefield.

    But just as Corey was watching the fight, he noticed something weird. There were times when a normal smiley would drop dead even when nothing attacked it and there were times he would see dagger shes appear on a Smiley''s body even when nothing attacked it.

    Corey squinted his eyes and observed the battlefield with scrutiny before he noticed a boy appearing close to one of the Smileys unknown to the Smiley and shed the Smiley''s thigh.

    Even after shing the smiley, the Smiley did not notice the boy and just roared in pain and anger.

    Just as Corey was watching the boy, Corey''s eyes unknowingly moved to another ce just for a second then looked back to where he was watching the boy previously, but,

    "Huh? Where is he?"

    Corey lost sight of the boy.

    He looked for the boy again before he found him behind another monster but just as he did, his eyes involuntarily moved away from the boy then just as he noticed that, his eyes moved back to where he saw the boy previously but the boy was no longer there.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "The hell?"

    Corey was baffled for a second before his eyes shined.

    ''This is my chance. I need to get closer and record this battle.''

    Corey thought then ran out of the room with his fastest speed, not wanting to miss the battle and while running, a thought kept on repeating in his mind.

    ''Free Combat Experience

    Freebat experience

    I''m gonna gain freebat experience from this battle.''

    --------

    [A/N: This bonus chapter was because y''all reached dropped up to five power stones. Thanks so much to the people that dropped.

    If y''all have been reading my notes after each chapter, y''all should be able to guess the names of the big five, but I wonder if you can guess who is who based on the abilities I showed in this chapter.

    Anyway, their characters would be introduced properly in the next chapter.

    Also, please I don''t know if there''s any female among the first five people that dropped power stones. I checked your profiles but I saw none was a female, some did not disclose their gender.

    So if one of you is a female, please tell me so that I can change the gender. Thanks.

    Once again. People DROP POWER STONES even if it''s not for the bonus chapters.

    If you''re enjoying the book, just drop power stones.

    Thank you and have a great day/night.

 Chapter 25 25: The Big Five (3)

    ?"I- WILL- KILL- YOU- ALL!!!"

    Corey looked at The Founder who was glowing golden and also had expression of rage.

    Just as Corey was wondering what the hell was going on,

    The Founder ran towards the ck Smiley with a sledgehammer.

    The ck Smiley seeing The Founder running towards it raised his hammer and mmed it down, intending to squash The Founder like a bug it was meant to squash a long time ago.

    The ck Smiley had been frustrated and angry with The Founder ever since they started fighting cause ever since they started fighting, The Founder would always move far away from it''s reach and would just keep on shooting out those annoying projectile.

    But now that the cause of it''s hatred and frustration was close to it, it would make sure it squashes the boy like a bug.

    Or at least it thought it could.

    Bam!

    Corey''s eyes widened as he saw something unbelievable.

    The Founder with his slender stature held the ck smiley''s right hand with his own left hand, stopping the hammer from hitting the ground.

    ''What the?''

    Corey thought, then he heard The Founder speak.

    "This is for making me spend my gold coin."

    BAM!

    The Founder punched the abdomen of the ck smiley while still holding it''s hand causing the ck smiley to fall on it''s knees.

    With an indifferent expression, The Founder pulled out his gun and pointed it at the ck Smiley.

    "Next time. Learn to die quickly."

    Bang Bang Bang

    Three rapid shots were fired. One to the head. The second to the chest and the third to the head again.

    Bang

    Bam

    The ck Smiley fell on the ground with a thud causing silence to reign everywhere as Corey and even all the Smileys looked at The Founder with dazed gazes.

    "Hmph"

    The Founder looked at all the Smileys with a superior gaze clearly enjoying the attention he was getting. But just as he was enjoying it, iiuminox broke his moment and shouted.

    "Hey you stingy bastard! What are you doing?! Hurry up and kill this gloved bastard! My pets will soon die!!"

    "Is that how you talk to your Founder?" The Founder clearly pissed that his moment was broken spoke with a cold and authoritative tone.

    But iiuminox having none of it looked at him back with a cold gaze.

    "If you don''t start fighting now, I''ll reduce your ie in the group and your tax would increase." iiuminox said.

    "You won''t dare?"

    The Founder threatened back but iiuminox just looked at the battlefield which had be strangely quiet and peaceful. Finding the remaining three members of the group, iiuminox shouted.

    "All in favor of the notion to reduce The Founder''s ie and increase his tax, say I!!"

    "I!"

    "I!"

    "I!"

    "I!"

    The Founder with a pale face looked at everybody.

    "You bastards! You can''t!"

    ROAR!!!

    Roarr!!!

    Roarrr!!!

    And just as he shouted, the Gloved ck Smiley roared causing the other Smileys, both ck and normal, to roar also.

    iiuminox seeing that looked at The Founder and threatened.

    "One of my pets die and you can say goodbye to your ie."

    "Shit."

    The Founder with a pale face cursed then ran to the gloved ck smiley which was trying to kill the retreating lion and ape.

    "Die you bastard!!"

    Bang Bang Bang Bang

    The Founder shot his gun at the gloved ck smiley causing it to turn towards The Founder in anger. It shot a punch and The Founder punched back.

    Corey seeing that, thought that the gloved ck smiley would be thrown back due to the immense strength The Founder showed when fighting Hammer ck Smiley, but surprisingly.

    Bang!

    "Ah!"

    The Founder was forced several steps back while the Gloved ck Smiley didn''t budge an inch.

    Corey seeing that was surprised at the immense strength of the gloved ck smiley.

    He turned to The Founder and saw blood dripping down his hand and the golden glow which was around him was reducing in it''s intensity and even flickered a few times.

    The Founder looked at his bloodied hand, then looked at the gloved ck smiley whose smile looked like it was widening, seemingly enjoying the fight.

    "Fuck!" The Founder cursed then gritted his teeth and with the most sorrowful face Corey has seen only in burials, The Founder brought out two gold coins.

    He didn''t say a word and just tightened his palm around the gold coins.

    The moment he did that, the golden light around him intensified so much that Corey had to turn his head away.

    After the intensity of the light reduced, Corey looked at The Founder and saw him have an expression of hatred, anger and sadness.

    "DIIEEE!!!"

    The Founder shouted with hatred and ran towards the Gloved ck Smiley.

    The Gloved ck Smiley stimted because of The Founder''s roar, roared back and ran up to The Founder.

    Getting close to The Founder, it shot out a punch and The Founder shot his in response.

    Katch

    A breaking sound could be heard and Corey saw the right arm of the gloved ck smiley dangling by it''s side.

    ROAR!

    It roared in pain but The Founder with eyes full of hatred ran towards it and kicked it''s leg causing it to buckle and fall unto the ground.

    ROAR!

    It roared in pain once again and The Founder kneed it''s mouth.

    "I said shut up you piece of shit!!"

    Bam Bam Bam Bang

    Kicks, punches, elbows and even head, The Finder used everything against the gloved ck smiley, unleashing all it''s rage and hatred unto it.

    "You dare make me use three gold coins!

    You deserve death!

    How dare you! You piece of shit!!"

    Continuing his barrage of punches and kicks, The Founder spoke and cursed while pummeling the gloved ck smiley.

    Corey felt a chill down his spine when he saw the ruthlessness of The Founder, he mentally made up his mind not to get on his bad side if possible.

    Corey looked at thest ck smiley which was fighting Znous and found the fight to be over. Znous stood on top of the ck smiley with his sword plunged into the head of the ck smiley.

    He got up after confirming that the ck Smiley was dead and moved towards the battlefield with the normal smileys to help.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    As Corey looked around, he realized that the group did not need any help from the beginning and he was just disturbing himself thinking they did.

    Just as Corey was about to leave since he had nothing else to do here and he had no reason to meet up with this strange group with weird names, he saw something behind iiuminox running at a fast speed towards him.

    Corey not wanting iiuminox to die since he was kind of funny to him, got up from hiding spot, ran then shouted.

    "BEHIND YOU!"

    The entire group of five were baffled hearing the shout that came from nowhere. They looked for the source and saw Corey running towards iiuminox.

    Corey seeing iiuminox standing still and none of his friends noticing the ck smiley behind him, cursed in his mind and shouted once more.

    "LOOK THE FUCK BEHIND YOU!!!"

    iiuminox and the others looked at where Corey was facing and when they saw the ck smiley running towards iiuminox with a creepy smile and it''s towering body, most were shocked.

    But iiuminox was scared and panicked as he tried to move back.

    "Fuck!"

    Iiuminox cursed and just when the ck smiley was a few meters from iiuminox, a gunshot was fired.

    Bang!

    Corey hearing the gunshot was about to stop since The Founder reacted faster than he expected, but something which nobody expected happened.

    Just as everyone expected the bullet to pierce into the head of the ck smiley, a nging sound was instead heard with the bullet falling on the ground and the ck smiley continuing on it''s path.

    "Shit!"

    Corey cursed and so did iiuminox.

    Corey increased his speed while thinking of ways to reach iiuminox on time because he knew that with his speed, he would never be able to reach and save iiuminox quickly.

    As for iiuminox beasts, he could not find a single one of them after they retreated from the gloved ck smiley, so they could not be used to buy time.

    Just as he saw the ck smiley getting closer and closer to iiuminox, Corey had an idea so he quickly shouted.

    "Hey! Catch!"

    He threw his dagger towards iiuminox frightening iiuminox out of his wits. iiuminox wanted to instinctively dodge but Corey quickly shouted.

    "Catch it if you want to live!!!"

    iiuminox having no time to think quickly caught the dagger by the handle which was possible due to his super human stats.

    Before iiuminox had time to think, he felt a dug and saw that the dagger was been pulled by a string which was attached to it.

    "Huh?" iiuminox was confused seeing that but then he heard Corey''s shout.

    "Let go. Don''t fight-" Corey said then paused as iiuminox did something thatpletely stupefied him.

    "Huh okay?" Although confused, iiuminoxplied and let the dagger go.

    The strange guy wanted to save him after all, so he had to listen to his orders.

    "¡­"

    Corey looked at the dagger which flew towards him for a short distance before falling unto the ground with the nkest of looks.

    "Why did you let the dagger go?!!!"

    Corey shouted with a frustrated tone confusing iiuminox.

    "But you told me to!" iiuminox argued back and Corey looked at him with a dead look.

    "Ah fuck it. I tried."

    Corey gave up and just stood as he saw that the smiley was now one meter close to iiuminox.

    Just when he thought this was the end for iiuminox, he heard the sound of a gun been shot.

    Corey looked and was confused since thest time The Founder shot the ck smiley, it did nothing to it, so he was wondering what would happen differently now.

    And just as he wondered, instead of a tiny bullet or projectile which was meant to be shot, he saw a streak of golden light and when it got to the head of the ck smiley.

    St!

    Bam

    "¡­"

    "Holy shit." Corey spoke with awe as he looked at the headless body of the ck smiley which had fallen on the floor.

    It''s head was destroyed like a sledgehammer been used on a watermelon.

    Just as Corey was looking at the body of the revenant, he saw The Founder walk towards it while absentmindedly muttering something, he could not hear it but he could feel a very dangerous air around him which made him have -100 thoughts of speaking with him at the moment.

    Just as Corey was watching The Founder, he heard a soft cough.

    "Hmm hmm."

    Corey turned and saw iiuminox looking at him with a slightly embarrassed expression.

    "Uhm. Thanks for the warning back there." iiuminox said while stretching his hand out for a handshake.

    Corey finding nothing wrong, shook it and gave his name.

    "I''m Corey. Besides I don''t think you would have needed my help." Corey said and looked at The Founder who was kicking the dead body of the ck smiley while still muttering something.

    iiuminox looked at where Corey was looking and when he saw The Founder kicking the dead body of the ck Smiley, he sighed.

    "Don''t mind him. He''ll get over it eventually." iiuminox said then removed his hand from the handshake.

    Corey not wanting to ask what The Founder would get over eventually just tactfully remained silent.

    "Anyway. Let me introduce you to my group. The Big Five."

    -------------

    PLEASE READ TILL THE END. IT''S VERY VERY IMPORTANT.

    [A/N: This bonus chapter is for dropping up to fifteen power stones. Thanks a lot guys

    So I have quite some things to talk about, so please read till the end.

    First: I want to say a big thank you to all the people that usually vote using power stones for my book. I really appreciate it.

    Second: I want to speak about the future of this book.

    Today and extremely shocking to me, I saw the information that WSA would start on March 1st, 2:00pm (GMT +8)

    I was extremely shocked when I saw that because I thought it always starts April 28, which was why I uploaded this book on February 20th since I could not wait till that time.

    Now, I AM NOT DROPPING THIS BOOK, please note.

    I was extremely conflicted about this, but I felt that if I didn''t give it a try, I would probably regret it, so what I''m going to do is that on MARCH 1ST,  I AM GOING TO TRANSFER THE CONTENTS OF THIS BOOK TO A NEW BOOK since this book would not be able to join WSA.

    PLEASE NOTE THAT I AM NOT GOING TO START FROM THE BEGINNING AND START UPLOADING IT ONE BY ONE.

    NO!n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    I''M GOING TO UPLOAD EVERYTHING I''VE UPLOADED HERE ON THE NEW BOOK.

    SO ASSUMING WE REACH CHAPTER 30 ON THIS BOOK, I WOULD UPLOAD THE 30 CHAPTERS ON MARCH 1ST

    ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WOULD CHANGE IN THE CONTENTS.

    IT WILL ALL BE THE SAME

    I didn''t want to do this since I really like reading yourments at times and there is a high possibility that I might be making a huge mistake I mightter regret but if I don''t do this, I''ll eventually still regret it.

    To everyone that would be disappointed or annoyed, I''ll say I''m sorry now but this is my life. I don''t write for fun, I write because of my future so I n on doing this.

    The title of the new book would be SINGLE WISH: RISE OF THE OMNISCIENT PARAGON so please on March 1 2:00pm (GMT +8) add the book to your library and continu reading it thanks.

    IMPORTANT POINTS

    1: TITLE OF NEW BOOK IS SINGLE WISH: RISE OF THE OMNISCIENT PARAGON

    2: CONTENTS OF SINGLE WISH WOULD BE TRANSFERRED TO SINGLE WISH: RISE OF THE OMNISCIENT PARAGON

    3: THE NEW BOOK, SINGLE WISH: RISE OF THE OMNISCIENT PARAGON WOULD BE RELEASED ON MARCH 1 2:00pm (GMT +8)

    4: I AM NOT DROPPING THE BOOK. JUST TRANSFERRING THE CONTENTS TO A NEW BOOK SO DON''T FORGET TO ADD TO YOUR LIBRARY ON MARCH 1ST

    Thanks everyone and have a great day/night.

 Chapter 26 26: The Big Five (4)

    ?Anyway. Let me introduce you to my group. The Big Five."

    "The Big Five?"

    Corey had a confused expression after hearing iiuminox''s words.

    Iiuminox seeing his confused expression pointed at The Founder.

    "That''s The Founder. When the apocalypse happened, he was the one that found all of us and decided to form our group and because of that, he calls himself The Founder."

    iiuminox then pointed at Znous who was walking towards them.

    "That''s Znous. He''s the Knight and Guardian of our group."

    Corey looked at Znous and the more he looked at him, the more he realized that he had a¡­ ''heroic''? expression.

    Despite what Corey thought, iiuminox continued. He pointed at Friedhellm Rochze who had stopped flying and was walking towards them.

    ""That''s Friedhellm Rochze. You can just call him Rochze, he''s our eyes in the sky and also our archer."

    Corey looked at Rochze and Rochze nodded at him causing Rochze to nod back.

    ''I wish I had the ability to fly.''

    Corey thought then heard iiuminox speak.

    "The fourth person is¡­ Huh? Where is he?"

    Corey looked at iiuminox and found him looking around with slight confusion for a few seconds before he gave up and spoke with a frustrated tone and expression.

    "Hey nk nk, where are you?!"

    Just as Corey was wondering who nk nk was, he heard a soft voice beside him that spooked the shit out of him.

    "I''m here."

    "AHHH!!"

    Corey jumped back in fright and looked to his right where he saw a short boy with white hair and dead eyes.

    He realized the boy the moment he saw him. He was the boy who he could not keep track of no matter how much he tried.

    "Where the fuck did youe from?"

    Corey asked and the boy looked at him with dead eyes and spoke softly.

    "Sorry."

    He then looked away and turned to iiuminox and spoke.

    "You called?

    iiuminox looked at him with twitching lips then looked at Corey.

    "Sorry about that. nk nk does that a lot."

    Iiuminox said and nk nk argued with a soft tone.

    "I didn''t do anything. I was always here, you didn''t just see me."

    iiuminox turned towards him but after thinking about it, he decided not to reply. He turned towards Corey and spoke.

    "This are all the members of The Big Five including me."

    After iiuminox spoke, Corey looked at the five members of the weird group once again and although he had questions to ask.

    Like why did they have weird names?

    And howe he never heard of them before in the academy?

    But knowing that whether he knew the answers to those questions or not, it would have no effect on him.

    Realizing that he had nothing else to do with this group, Corey decided to take his leave.

    "It was nice meeting you guys but I have to leave."

    Corey said and was about to leave but then he stopped after hearing iiuminox words.

    "Oh no problem. Are you going to meet the merchant?"

    Corey turned back and looked at iiuminox with a confused expression.

    "Who?" He asked.

    iiuminox seeing Corey''s confused expression had a surprised expression.

    "You don''t know the merchant?" He questioned with surprise and Corey shook his head.

    "Wow... Well, it''s possible that you don''t know him since it''s not everybody that would have met him."

    iiuminox muttered before he looked at Corey and exined, causing Corey to no longer be ignorant.

    "The merchant is a trader that stays in front of the auditorium at the center of the academy. He sells a lot of stuff and also information.

    That''s where you can get information on so many things like your status window and even the apocalypse, but you will have to pay to get those Information. Nothing is free with that bastard. Also make sure you get a contract so that he won''t cheat you.

    The Founder figured that out and always uses a contract whenever he wants to buy stuff from him. Most don''t know, it''s only cause you saved my life I''m telling you this."

    Corey looked at iiuminox with surprise. He could not believe there was a ce like that where he could get information that had been on his mind ever since the apocalypse started.

    ''Did Kyle know about the merchant?''

    Corey thought butter shrugged it off, it didn''t matter to him whether Kyle did or not since he never asked him.

    "Thank you." Corey thanked iiuminox cause he might have been ignorant about the existence of the merchant even after he left the academy.

    In fact when he thought about leaving the academy, a thought came to his mind.

    ''Why didn''t I ever think of leaving the academy immediately?''

    Corey looked at iiuminox and thought about asking him whether he knew if people have left the academy.

    "Hey iiuminox." He decided to ask.

    "Hmm?" iiuminox who thought Corey was about to leave, was surprised that Corey called him.

    "Do you know if anybody has left the academy? Or if it''s safe to leave the academy?" Corey asked and waited for iiuminox reply with his heart beating faster than normal.

    His answer determined how long or if he would be able to go back home.

    Meanwhile iiuminox gaze darkened slightly when he heard Corey''s question and despair shed in his eyes for a second before he spoke.

    "I''m not sure if anybody was able to leave the academy but leaving the academy is not safe at all. In fact the academy gate is the most dangerous ce I know of in the academy." iiuminox paused then continued.

    "All of us at one point in time tried to go to the academy gates but when we went there, we felt fear just when were at least 200m away from the gate.

    We had never felt like that before and we felt that if we moved closer to the gate, we would definitely die, so we had to run away.

    All of us has seen a tier 1 being but we were not that afraid, this one, we think is higher than tier 1.

    We asked the merchant about how strong the thing at the gate was but the price he wanted was too high for us so we could not pay for it."

    Corey shook slightly hearing that and his mind could not help but wonder what kind of fucked up situation they were in.

    He took in deep breaths to calm himself down and then looked up with determination in his eyes.

    ''No matter what, I''m going home. Nothing, absolutely nothing will stop me.''

    Corey thought, then bowed his head slightly at iiuminox.

    "Thanks for all the information you''ve given me."

    Iiuminox was surprised since to him he didn''t do much but not wanting to waste a man''s thanks he replied.

    "No problem. If you get to the merchant you can also get this information."

    Iiuminox said and Corey nodded once again. He was about to say his goodbye and leave but iiuminox stopped him once again.

    "Wait Corey. I want to give you something."

    iiuminox said then ran to the ck smiley which almost killed him.

    Corey was confused and curious about what iiuminox wanted to do especially when he saw him dissecting the body of the ck smiley.

    Although he took longer than Corey in dissecting the ck smiley, he didn''t spend too long. Running back towards Corey, he stretched out his hand which had the ck smiley''s soul stone and spoke.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Take the soul stone. I would have given you the skill crystal but I need it. It''s beneficial for me."

    Corey looked at iiuminox in surprise and slight shock.

    "Won''t the soul stone be beneficial for you?" Corey asked.

    "It would, but not that much. The level is around mine so it wouldn''t give me much stats besides if not because you warned all of us, I would be dead. So take it."

    iiuminox said then ced the soul stone in Corey''s right hand not giving him a chance to refuse.

    Corey looked at the soul stone which was in his right hand before looking at iiuminox.

    "Thanks a lot. I wouldn''t forget this favour."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Corey thanked him once again and iiuminox smiled.

    "Don''t mention it. Besides when you hear our name, The Big Five,e visit us when you''re free."

    Iiuminox said with a smile causing Corey to smile in response.

    "Later."

    Corey gave his goodbye then his body swayed and he ran opposite the building he was staying at.

    Although he didn''t sense any malicious intent from iiuminox and the remaining members of the group, he didn''t want people to know he was staying there since it was much safer for him the less people knew about his hideout.

    After running for a few minutes while taking a few twists and turns, Corey found a broken down building and jumped into it through the window.

    Landing perfectly inside the room. He checked the room to see if it was safe. Finding nothing, he sat on the floor and brought out the soul stone of the ck smiley.

    When he brought it out, he held it on his right hand and three secondster, a translucent screen hovered over his right hand and Corey looked at it to see the level of the ck smiley.

    [SOUL STONE OF A LEVEL 55 TIER 0 DARK REVENANT IDENTIFIED

    DO YOU WANT TO ABSORB?]

    "Absorb."

    Corey gave the order and an orange glow spread out from his right hand unto the soul stone. The next moment, he felt more energy rush into him than he had ever felt before.

    He also felt something different in this energy, he could not exin it but it just felt magical

    He tried to focus on it and observe this feeling in his body. He closed his eyes and just as felt that he was on the cusp on feeling that sensation better, he felt pain in his body.

    He ignored the pain since this was nothing to him considering his high level of pain resistance and also the number of times he had died painful deaths in The Library Of Records.

    But a few secondster, the pain became much and almost unbearable. He had a feeling that if he continued, he might get into an extremely bad situation which he would eventually regret so stopped.

    After he stopped, he opened his eyes and looked at his body. But the moment he did, his eyes opened wide and he eximed.

    "What the fuck happened to me?"

    He could see minute amounts of blood seeping out from different parts of his body. His mind then went to the time he was feeling the pain he wanted to ignore even though he felt that something was wrong.

    Now seeing his body, he realized that he made the right decision in not ignoring the pain.

    ''Is it because of what I was feeling?''

    Corey thought then looked at his body once again. He noticed that his body was healing, although at a slow speed, due to his superhuman constitution.

    Seeing the speed of his healing, Corey guessed that it would take him maybe two or three days to fully heal since the injury was not serious at least from what he could see.

    Corey then decided to pull up his status window and see how much stronger he had be since he felt a lot stronger.

    *BASIC INFORMATION*

    Name: Corey Junior Zane

    Race: Human

    Brand Level: 2

    Affiliation: None

    ss: None

    Talent: Omniscience (Unawakened)

    Language: English

    Title(s): One Of The Four Possessors Of A ***** Graded Talent On New Earth

    Tier: 0

    Level: 30 -> 40 (Unawakened)

    *ATTRIBUTES*

    Strength: 50 -> 92

    Agility: 40 -> 69

    Dexterity: 16 - 29

    Constitution: 40 -> 95

    Intelligence: 300

    Endurance: 40 -> 56

    Mana: 0

    Free A.P: 30

    *Hidden Attributes*

    Luck: ???/100

    Charisma: ???/100

    Wisdom: ???/???

    *SKILLS*

    Record- Talent Skill

    Danger Sense- Level 1

    Silent Steps- Level 1

    Night Vision- Unranked

    Super Jump- Lv 2

    *RESISTANCES*

    Fear Resistance- Lv 1

    Pain Resistance- Lv 3

    *EQUIPMENTS*

    Ghost Reaper- Red Grade

    Ghost Cloak- Red Grade

    *PET/MOUNT*

    None

    *SYSTEM REMARK*: You''re so weak that the mana in a tier 0 soul stone could not be absorbed by you and was instead used to strengthen your strength and constitution. Can you be anymore weaker?.

    -----------

    IMPORTANT INFO. PLEASE READ AND DON''T SKIP

    [A/N: This bonus chapter is for dropping up to twenty power stones in the previous book, Single Wish.

    Thanks a lot guys for your support on the book, I hope this one gets the same support.

    First: I want to thank every reader from my previous book, Single Wish for taking their time to add this one to their library. Thanks a lot.

    Second: Due to reasons which I would exin, I''m going to increase the number of power stones required for daily bonus chapters.

    The power stone requirement would now be: 10 POWER STONES FOR 1 BONUS CHAPTER, which means:

    10 POWER STONES = 1 BONUS CHAPTER

    20 POWER STONES = 2 BONUS CHAPTERS

    30 POWER STONES = 3 BONUS CHAPTERS

    And so on...

    The reason for me increasing the requirements is because of one of Webnovel requirements to get an exclusive contract which is:

    A novel must have at least twice the number of collections than the number of released chapters.

    I have suffered from this in my previous book and I don''t want to suffer from it again.

    So why I''m increasing the power stone requirement is so that even though I release a lot of chapters a day because you guys reach the power stones requirement, the number of power stones on this book would increase a lot which would ce the book on a higher ranking in the power stone ranking list.

    I believe if our rank is high enough, we might get Webnovel''s attention eventually and get us an exclusive contract.

    So please guys, I know you can''t vote now but when we can. PLEASE VOTE.

    You know I''ll provide the chapters.

    I''ll also keep on reminding you guys, so thanks even just for reading my book. Means a lot to me.

    Have a nice day/night.

 Chapter 27 27: The Merchant (1)

    ?*BASIC INFORMATION*

    Name: Corey Junior Zane

    Race: Human

    Brand Level: 2

    Affiliation: None

    ss: None

    Talent: Omniscience (Unawakened)

    Language: English

    Title(s): One Of The Four Possessors Of A ***** Graded Talent On New Earth

    Tier: 0

    Level: 30 -> 40 (Unawakened)

    *ATTRIBUTES*

    Strength: 50 -> 92

    Agility: 40 -> 69

    Dexterity: 16 ¨C 29

    Constitution: 40 -> 95

    Intelligence: 300

    Endurance: 40 -> 56

    Mana: 0

    Free A.P: 30

    *Hidden Attributes*

    Luck: ???/100

    Charisma: ???/100

    Wisdom: ???/???

    *SKILLS*

    Record- Talent Skill

    Danger Sense- Level 1

    Silent Steps- Level 1

    Night Vision- Unranked

    Super Jump- Lv 2

    *RESISTANCES*

    Fear Resistance- Lv 1

    Pain Resistance- Lv 3

    *EQUIPMENTS*

    Ghost Reaper- Red Grade

    Ghost Cloak- Red Grade

    *PET/MOUNT*

    None

    *SYSTEM REMARK*: You''re so weak that the mana in a tier 0 soul stone could not be absorbed by you and was instead used to strengthen your strength and constitution. Can you be anymore weaker?.

    -----------

    As Corey looked at his status window he was gobsmacked, like literally gobsmacked. He had no words to say when he saw the huge increase in his strength and constitution.

    As Corey was wondering why he had such a huge increase in his strength and constitution, he saw the system''s remark.

    Ignoring the system''s snarky remark, focused on the meaning of what the system was telling him.

    "So what I was feeling previously was mana?"

    Corey muttered as he read the system''s remark once again. Seeing that the reason he could notpletely get that feeling was because he was weak made him wonder when he would be strong enough.

    Another thing he noticed which has been bothering him for quite some time now was that his intelligence did not increase once again.

    Ever since he reached level 29 and his intelligence reached 300, it did not increase no matter what.

    He tried adding a free attribute point to it but he got a warning from the Universal System telling him should he do it, that he had a 98% chance of dying which shocked and scared the shit out of him.

    He asked the Universal System why, but since the Universal System was a useless system, it didn''t respond to him, leaving Corey to be extremely worried about his life.

    Now that he saw his stagnating intelligence even after absorbing the soul stone of a ck smiley, he was beginning to get worried that his intelligence would be forever stagnated.

    "Should my intelligence really be stagnating even though my talent is omniscience?"

    Corey muttered then remembered the merchant iiuminox told him about. He had questions he needed answers to and hopefully the merchant had answers to those questions.

    "Guess I''m going to the merchant."

    Corey stood then walked to the broken window of the room. He looked down to make sure it was safe, seeing no Smiley or danger, he jumped down and ran back to his hideout.

    Although he wanted to meet the merchant as quickly as possible, he needed to do something first.

    Gain morebat experience

    Corey did not believe that he didn''t need morebat experience just because he could fight lots and lots of A.I controlled Smileys.

    In fact he would be a total fool if he thought he didn''t need anymorebat experience with just that.

    Right now to Corey, his biggest gain in the battle between The Big Five and the group of Smileys was not the soul stone of the ck smiley but the Records of all three ck smileys and even the Records of The Big Five.

    He didn''t care how long he would spend to gain enoughbat experience but he was not going to meet the merchant until hisbat experience increased by leaps and bounds or something forced him to stop.

    Corey''s eyes shined and his heart began to beat faster thinking of the improvement he would gain, so he increased his speed, not knowing that he was slowly turning to a battle maniac or to be more specific, one that enjoys growing stronger.

    ---------

    ROARRR!!!

    Bang!

    "Shut the fuck up for fucks sake. Why do you all just like to roar every time. Can''t you speak words?"

    ROARR!!

    Bang!

    "Words. Repeat after me. W-O-R-D-S. WORDS. Speak words, don''t roar."

    ROARR!!<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Bang!

    "Oh forget it. You''re just stupid like the Universal System."

    Just as you may be wondering who would be having such a weird conversation with a monster like that?

    Who else would it be if not Corey.

    Corey in his tattered ghost cloak stood a few meters away from shockingly, a ck smiley with a battle axe.

    One would ask, howe Corey was talking while inbat?

    After promising himself that he would not talk like how those third rate viins do inbat.

    Especially when he was inbat with a monster whose stats and level were way higher than his?

    Well, it was because Corey learnt another lesson in the past three days.

    Dying one too many times, could make a person run mental.

    Especially when you died to the same thing over and over again.

    Corey in The Library Of Records, has tried to fight against the three ck smileys the group of five faced but he obviously lost since their stats were way higher than his.

    He could ept that but what he could not ept was that no matter how much he tried, no matter how many strategies he used, he could not defeat The Founder, even once.

    ONCE!!

    Whenever Corey had a chance to defeat The Founder, the annoying guy would bring out a fucking gold coin, absorb it and fucking kill him.

    If a gold coin was not enough, he would absorb two and Corey had zero chance against that.

    It was frustrating to the point that Corey legit almost died out of anger in The Library Of Records.

    After realizing he would gain nothing from fighting The Founder, Corey fought Znous and honestly, that was the fight where Corey gained a lot ofbat experience.

    Znous was extremely proficient in the sword. You would think Znous as a knight would be more like a tank but nope, Znous was more like a swordsman, a very talented swordsman.

    Corey had a hard time defeating him but he gained a lot and he believed his dagger wielding skills had certainly improved, at least to a point.

    Now after spending three days doing nothing but eating, fighting and dying in The Library Of Records, Corey started to feel like his mental health was slowly deteriorating so he decided toe out and look for the merchant instead.

    He didn''t expect to meet a ck smiley on his way to the merchant but he was happy, in fact very happy.

    He felt he could transfer a lot of his pent up anger and frustration unto the ck smiley, and let''s just say he had been doing so.

    If one looked at the ck smiley''s body, they would see dagger cuts on various parts of the body, especially the back.

    "Alright let''s finish this. I have somewhere to be.

    It was nice talking to you.

    You really helped me so thank you and goodbye."

    After Corey finished speaking his nonsensical words, he ran to the Axe ck Smiley.

    The Axe ck Smiley roared in anger and ran towards Corey while raising up it''s axe, wanting to cut the annoying ant in front of it into two.

    Corey who was running, threw Smile Reaper with frightening uracy at the eye of the ck smiley, and the ck smiley not expecting that since Corey never did that throughout their fight, was not able to react.

    ROAARRRR!!!

    The ck Smiley roared in pain as Smile Reaper pierced inside his eye causing Corey to frown.

    "Too noisy."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Corey said then flicked his wrist. Smile Reaper which was embedded in the ck smiley''s eye flew out drawing out blood.

    Corey who was still running towards the ck smiley caught Smile Reaper which had a string attached to it.

    Just as he got close to ck smiley, the ck smiley resisting the pain it was going through held it''s axe with two hands and shed it down towards the iing Corey.

    Surprise shed in Corey''s eyes seeing that but been no longer a novice inbat, he did not panic and did what he thought was best.

    He stopped and jumped back.

    Bang!!

    Stones and dust scattered all around as the ground where the axe of the ck smiley got destroyed.

    Corey seeing that realized that not trying to parry or block the attack was a very good decision on his part, but despite that, what Corey saw was a chance in his eyes.

    ''Super jump.''

    Corey used the skill Super Jump, not to it''s full extent though, and jumped towards the ck smiley.

    The ck Smiley seeing Corey jump towards it grabbed his axe and wanted to sh at Corey.

    Corey seeing that quickly threw Smile Reaper towards thest good eye of the ck smiley.

    The ck Smiley seeing the iing dagger tried to move it''s head but just as it did, Corey turned his wrist and due to his superhuman dexterity, he was able to control the string attached to Smile Reaper causing it to swerve and pierce thest good eye of the ck smiley.

    ROARRR!!!!

    The ck Smiley roared in pain and Corey still in the airnded on the shoulders of the towering ck smiley.

    Grabbing smile reaper from it''s eye, he spoke.

    "I said you''re making too much noise."

    Spurt

    Corey stabbed the head of the ck smiley causing it to fall and Corey to jump away andnd some centimeters away from it.

    Corey sighed after seeing the ck smiley not make any sudden movement, then he moved towards the ck smiley, wanting to remove it''s soul stone.

    But just as he did, he heard a sound.

    p

    p

    p

    "Wonderful. Truly magnificent fighting skills. What is your name young boy?"

    Corey turned back instantly while gripping Smile Reaper horizontally in front of his face.

    He looked for where the sound came from but he didn''t see anybody or anything.

    Just as he was wondering if he had finally gone crazy, he heard the same voice again.

    "I''m up here boy."

    Corey looked up and saw a man with white hair and neck chain sitting on the roof of a building nearby.

    "Who are you?" Corey asked with a cold and wary tone.

    "Me? I''m The Merchant." The man with white hair grinned and the blew around him causing his pendant to blow along with it.

    -----------

    [A/N: This chapter is the normal chapter I was meant to give two days ago.

    Thanks to everyone that read my novel. Really appreciate it.]

 Chapter 28 28: The Merchant (2)

    ?"Me? I''m The Merchant."

    Corey looked at the man who imed to be the merchant with suspicion.

    He could not identify whether the man was actually the merchant or not since iiuminox didn''t describe his appearance to him.

    Although Corey did not know how the merchant looked like, he had a way to figure out his identity.

    ''Record''

    Corey activated his talent skill to see the name and level of the suspicious man in front of him but when he willed for his talent skill to be activated, he saw nothing on his left eye.

    "Huh?"

    Corey eximed subconsciously making the merchant to think he had never heard about him.

    "You''ve not heard about me young boy?" The merchant asked with surprise in his tone.

    He expected Corey to have heard from him since his shop was located near this ce and most people whoe here are people who look for him.

    Meanwhile Corey still confused about the reason for his ability not working, willed for it again.

    ''Record''

    Corey tried again but he got nothing in response which caused him to frown.

    ''Is it broken?''

    Corey thought butter dismissed that absurd thought.

    Can a skill ever be broken?

    Corey then tried to think of what could be wrong or what could make Record not respond to him.

    He then turned towards the man who imed to be the merchant.

    ''Is it because of him?''

    Just as Corey had this thought, the merchant seeing Corey look at him with a confused expression became sure that the young man had never heard of him before.

    Knowing this, his eyes shined.

    ''Fresh prey.''

    He cleared his throat and mind after this thought entered his mind and then put on an amicable smile.

    "Since you''ve not heard of me. I''m The Merchant and I''m a trader. I sell different goods and also information. Anything you want, I have and as long as you pay the right price, you can get it." The merchant paused then looked at Corey who had a dazed look in his eyes.

    ''Ehn ehn. You''re shocked about my words right? All your valuables will be mine.''

    The merchant thought evilly not knowing that the reason for Corey''s dazed reaction as he looked at the merchant was not because he was stunned by the merchant''s words.

    No

    It was because Corey just remembered the description of his talent skill, Record.

    [RECORD: A passive skill which records everything in front of your eyes into your brain. You can view the recorded events anytime and the skill analyses the stats of anybody as long as the difference in tier is not greater than 1. The longer the time of record, the more detailed the statistics of the individual.]

    As Corey remembered the description down thest dot, he suddenly realized why his record ability was not working.

    It was because the man in front of him was higher than Tier 1.

    This was the main reason for Corey''s dazed expression.

    The highest being or beings he had faced were Tier 1 beings but now he was facing somebody who was probably a Tier 2 being or higher.

    Just the thought of it made Corey to gulp subconsciously.

    Meanwhile the merchant already thinking of ways to rip off Corey, spoke.

    "So young boy, will you follow me to my shop?"

    Corey looked at the merchant who invited him to his shop and nodded his head in response.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    He currently did not have any doubts that this man was the merchant because he didn''t believe that there was somebody in their academy who was already higher than tier 1.

    And if there was, the person was a cheat.

    The merchant oblivious to Corey''s thoughts smiled an amicable smile and jumped down from the building. He looked at Corey with a smile then spoke.

    "Come on then. Follow me."

    The merchant turned to walk but then stopped after Corey replied.

    "I''m not going yet. I''ve not gotten my soul stone from ck smiley."

    The merchant turned and looked at Corey with a baffled look.

    "ck Smiley?"

    Corey just pointed at ck smiley''s corpse causing the merchant to be stunned.

    "Well it is ck and also smiles." The merchant muttered then looked at Corey who walked to the corpse then started dissecting it.

    ''Is giving the monsters weird names his way of coping with the apocalypse?''<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The merchant muttered as he observed Corey cut open the ck smiley''s chest precisely and better than some people he had seen outside of this world.

    ''At least his way of coping is better than most.''

    The merchant thought then rested his back on the wall of a building as he watched Corey dissect the corpse.

    Using more than two minutes to dissect the corpse because the anatomy of the ck smiley was different from a normal one, Corey finally pulled out it''s soul stone.

    Just as Corey was about to put the soul stone inside his bag, he saw something red beside the body of the ck smiley.

    He moved closer to see what it was and then he saw the object which had a red glow on it.

    It was a pair of fingerless gloves. They were ck gloves with a design of a red creepy open smile at the palm of the fingerless gloves while the fingers of the gloves had white skeleton fingers designs at the back of the gloves.

    The gloves looked ominous in Corey''s eyes.

    But despite it looking ominous, Corey picked it up with his right hand and waited for the Universal System to tell him what it is.

    [RED GRADE GROWTH ITEM IDENTIFIED]

    [DO YOU WANT TO OBTAIN OWNERSHIP?]

    As Corey looked at the notifications on the translucent screen, he noticed a different word which he had not seen before.

    ''Growth item?''

    Corey wondered, then looked at the merchant who was still waiting for him.

    ''Guess I''ll just ask himter.''

    Corey thought then gave the order to obtain ownership.

    The moment he epted to obtain ownership of the gloves, the gloves glowed red for a few seconds before receding entirely and it became like a normal glove that just had creepy designs.

    Corey picked it up and wore the gloves then pulled up his status window.

    He looked at the equipment section then looked at the new addition.

    -------------

    [EQUIPMENTS]

    Ghost Reaper- Red Grade

    Ghost Cloak- Red Grade

    Ghost Gloves- Red Grade (Growth Item)

    ------------

    Corey tapped on ghost gloves to see the definition.

    [GHOST GLOVES: A growth item that has the ability to harm ghost like entities that are not above Tier 1 and also provides good grip on objects.]

    Corey''s eyes widened as he saw the description.

    The ghost gloves was in Corey''s eyes, better than ghost reaper.

    Ghost gloves could harm ghost like entities that were not above Tier 1 but ghost reaper could only kill ghost like entities below tier 1.

    Not only that, ghost gloves was a growth item which if Corey guessed correctly could increase in grade.

    It was an item Corey was satisfied with.

    Corey looked at Smile Reaper in his hand then frowned. He could see a few chips and nicks on it.

    ''I''ll need a weapon.''

    Although it saddened him that he would eventually stop using smile reaper since it was his first weapon, he had already decided long ago to get a different kind of weapon if possible since he was starting to see the disadvantages in using a dagger, but all of that was for the future.

    Corey pocketed Smile Reaper and put the soul stone in his bag after putting it in his mind to look for a new weapon if possible.

    He got up and looked at the merchant who was yawning.

    "I''m ready, let''s go."

    Corey said and the merchant at first startled but then pped with joy.

    "Great. Let''s go."

    The merchant said and walked with Corey following behind.

    -------------

    [A/N: This chapter is the normal chapter for February 28.

    I''m only owing you guys one more chapter which is the normal chapter for March 1 and i''ll write it after I wake up.

    It''s 12:41 A.M here and I''m so tired.

    Have a great day/night.

    And thanks for reading.

 Chapter 31 31: MC VIRGIN

    ?"Hell no Kyle! Your n is crazy!

    It''s absolutely fucking bat-shit crazy!

    There''s no way it would work!"

    Inside a room in the academy cafeteria were five people. Kyle, Mat, Mac, Corey and Mira sitting around a table.

    Currently Corey was shouting and looking at Kyle like a mad man. Kyle was calm, Mat and Mac had indifferent expressions but Mira had a frown.

    "Do not shout at the leader like that. You do not have the authority to do so." Mira said with a cold tone.

    "Who the fuck cares about authority?!" Corey said then looked at Mat, Mac and then Mira.

    "And why the fuck are you so calm?! Didn''t you hear his crazy n?!" Corey said and Mat snorted with disdain.

    "Just shut fuck the up you wuss. If you don''t want to be part of the group then beat it." Mat said with disdain clearly in his tone and gaze.

    "You shut the fuck up muscle head. What do you know? Even your brain is made out of muscles." Corey retorted and looked back at Mat with disdain.

    Bang!

    "What the fuck did you just call me?" Mat stood and mmed the table with anger, destroying the table in the process.

    "I called you a motherfucking muscle headed bastard.

    Go fuck your mother like other men while being an idiot at the same time."

    Corey said with disdain and even spat on the floor causing Mat, Mac and Mira to be stunned while Kyle just face palmed and sighed.

    "You bastard!!!!!" Mat roared and ran towards Corey while unleashing his axe with a murderous expression on his face.

    But just as he was running, a calm voice filled with authority rang out in the room.

    "Enough."

    A wind blew in the room pushing Mat back a few steps to the back despite his strength.

    Mat looked at Kyle with a murderous stare but Kyle with a calm and indifferent expression spoke.

    "I said, enough." Kyle said.

    Mat looked at Kyle for a few seconds before turning to Corey with intense killing intent. Giving a snort, he went out of the room while mming the door with force, damaging the door slightly.

    Mac looked at Corey for a few seconds before he left the room also, following his brother Mat.

    The room was silent for a few seconds with Mira looking at Corey with disdain and hostility before Kyle sighed once more then spoke.

    "Why didn''t you control yourself Corey?"

    Corey looked at Kyle with a slightly apologetic expression, he scratched his head and spoke softly.

    "I''m sorry about that. It''s just that you know how I react if people try to demean me."

    Kyle lifted up his sses and looked at Corey for a few seconds before shaking his head softly.

    ''Guess you''ve changed.'' Kyle thought.

    Kyle knew the type of person Corey was since they had been friends before they entered the academy.

    One might think that Corey was the type of person that was often bullied due to his somewhat short height and somewhat skinny physique, which was actually true.

    Corey was actually bullied and even mocked a few times but the thing was that if a bully mocked Corey, Corey would curse and mock the person back with a thousand fold intensity.

    Corey never allowed a bully to sessfully mock him even once. Although he got trashed a few times, after humiliating the bullies with words in front of the whole ss a few times, the bullies no longer tried to humiliate him ever again.

    This was the way Corey was until he entered E-Academy and started going through depression, no longer having the creativity or energy to mock, Corey became a very quiet and reserved person.

    "Leader. I don''t think we should take this boy with us." Mira said, clearly demeaning Corey by calling him boy.

    "Who are you calling boy?" Corey questioned with anger in his tone and Mira looked at him with disdain.

    "Are you not a boy?

    You''re the only one worried about the leader''s n in the entire cafeteria. Can''t you even man up?" Mira said while eyeing Corey up and down with disdain.

    "Why the fuck won''t I be worried about Kyle''s n?

    He wants to leave the academy. Alright cool.

    But he wants us to go to the security station which is most probably dangerous

    Then he wants us to awaken the securities drones and androids so that they can fight the being at the academy gate while we use the chance to escape as they fight.

    How is that not a fucking crazy n?!" Corey said with a loud tone.

    "I don''t know why you''re so scared of the n. You''re just a coward." Mira said, while looking at Corey indifferently.

    Meanwhile Corey felt like he was losing his damn mind hearing Mira''s words.

    Rubbing his forehead to calm himself down, Corey spoke.

    "How the fuck is it that I''m the only one that recognizes a major w in the n.

    We don''t know how powerful the thing that''s at the gate is.

    What if it destroys the androids and drones before we can escape?

    What do we do then?

    How do we fucking escape and survive it''s wrath or whatever emotion it would have?"

    Corey said and Mira looked at him with a confused expression.

    "Like I said. I don''t know why you''re so worried about the n.

    Don''t we have the leader?

    With him, anything is possible."

    Mira said, then looked at Kyle with an expression of adoration, worship and love.

    Corey looked at Mira, then Kyle who had his eyes closed with his arms folded.

    He looked back and forth between the two of them a few more times before he slumped and groaned.

    ''Another one taken by Mr. Handsome.'' Corey thought enviously.

    ''When will I no longer be a virgin?''<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Just as Corey thought this, Kyle opened his eyes and looked at Mira.

    "Mira you can go. Let me try and convince Zane alone." Kyle said and Mira with obedience nodded her head then left.

    Kyle looked at Corey who was still looking the way Mira left then spoke.

    "Zane."

    "Hmm?" Corey looked at Kyle with a slightly absentminded expression.

    "I have a n so you don''t have to be worried about the n.

    It would be alright.

    Will you still follow?" Kyle asked and Corey woke up from his absentmindedness and looked at Kyle with a nk look.

    "So this is your way of convincing me? It''s not very convincing at all."

    Corey said and Kyle shrugged.

    "You know I don''t like speaking too much." He paused. "So will you follow us tomorrow morning?"

    Corey scratched his head for a few seconds before he groaned and spoke.

    "Sure why not. I can''t abandon my friend especially when there''s a high chance of him dying."

    Kyle smiled and nodded.

    "Thanks." He said.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    The room was silent for a minute before Corey looked at Kyle and struggled to speak.

    "So¡­uhm¡­Kyle?"

    "Hmm." Kyle with his eyes closed, nodded, signaling that he was listening.

    "You and Mira?... Are you like a thing?" Corey asked and Kyle opened his eyes and looked at Corey for a few seconds before he closed them back.

    "You like her?" Kyle asked and Corey shook his head.

    "I don''t obviously. I just want sex that''s all. She has high sex appeal so I just want to try my luck." Corey said.

    "You can try. We''re not a thing. She likes me but I don''t like her. We''ve only had sex." Kyle said indifferently which did not surprise Corey. He knew Kyle was a fuck boy, a womanizer.

    Just as Corey stood to leave, Kyle spoke.

    "Do you need my help?

    I can tell her to sleep with you once if you want, cause there''s a high chance she won''t agree to sleep with you." Kyle offered his help and Corey shook his head.

    "Don''t worry man. I got this. Let my charm do all the work." Corey said and Kyle looked at him with his eyes opened.

    "You have charm? Howe I didn''t notice?" He asked sarcastically and Corey just gave him the middle finger before leaving the room.

    ------------

    Corey walked to the dining area of the cafeteria and looked for Mira. A few secondster Corey saw her eating alone at the far end of the cafeteria and walked towards her.

    "Hey." Corey greeted as he took his seat in front of her.

    Mira looked up, wondering who would dare disturb her when she sat alone on this table but just as she looked up and saw Corey, she hissed then looked back at her food.

    Not wanting to see his ugly face, she spoke without looking at him.

    "What do you want? Did Kyle give you a message to give me?" Mira asked then took a mouth spoon of her food.

    "No he did not. I just came here to apologize for my behavior and to tell you that I''m following you guys tomorrow." Corey said and Mira looked up at Corey for an instant before focusing back on her food.

    "You''ve apologized and I''ve heard you. Now you can go." Mira said, clearly sending Corey away but since Corey came here on a mission, he would not go empty handed.

    "Just wait alright. Let''s talk and get to know each other. We started off on the wrong foot." Corey said and Mira looked at him with raised eyebrows.

    She stopped eating, leaned back on her chair, folded her arms then spoke.

    "Alright, so what do you want to talk about?" She asked.

    "Uhm... Let''s talk about our wishes. What did you wish for? I wished for wisdom?" Corey said thinking that was a good topic to start off from but boy oh boy was he wrong.

    Mira nodded her head repeatedly for a few seconds before she spoke.

    "Well, I''m not surprised you wished for wisdom. People usually wish for what they don''t have."

    "..."

    Mira spoke, then stood. " I''m leaving. I think I''ve lost my appetite. See you tomorrow. Make sure you don''t chicken out."

    She said then left, leaving Corey who was still dazed.

    ------------

    [A/N: This is the bonus chapter for reaching the first level of the power stone target. Thanks guys.

    Also, sorry for dropping itte. I wanted to drop it earlier but when I woke up today, I got the shock of my life.

    Webnovel offered me an exclusive contract!!!!!

    I want to thank you guys so much for all that you''ve done that has made this possible.

    Without you, i probably would not have gotten the contract.

    So, THANK YOU SO MUCH!

    Now, it was mainly due to the contract I didn''t upload earlier because I was reading the contract and I had a slight problem with one of my documents which I''m still trying to resolve.

    IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: I will not go premium immediately after I get my contract.

    I n on finishing volume 1 of the book before going premium.

    I don''t know how long it''ll take but that''s when I n on going premium.

    Thank you so much once again everybody for helping me get this far. I really appreciate it.

    I n on releasing the normal chapter for today before I sleep (Hopefully I''m not disturbed)

    Have a great day/night people!

 Chapter 32 32: Focus

    ?(The next day)

    Corey and Kyle''s survivor''s group left the cafeteria very early in the morning.

    With the group having increased their number to fifty, they matched to the security station with everyone of them been an awakened(at least level 50).

    No smiley or even ck smiley dared to cross paths with them due to their immense numbers and above average levels.

    Meanwhile Corey who was in the middle of the group felt ufortable, not because of danger, no, it was because the people around him were whispering to themselves a lot and what they were talking about was Mira''s insult towards him the previous night.

    Corey didn''t know how everybody in the survivor''s group knew about it, but he had a guess on who spread the insult, and his guess was not on Mira but on Mat or Mac.

    He felt that his rtionship with Mira was not so bad that she would decide to humiliate him like that. The only person Corey felt had that much hatred towards him was Mat and probably Mac.

    As they walked towards the security station, Corey could hear the people around him talking to their fellow friends or acquaintances but none talked to him or even moved close to him.

    He felt¡­lost and ufortable, like he didn''t belong.

    This feeling made him wonder if this was what Mac wanted earlier today.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Before Corey and Kyle''s survivor''s group left the cafeteria, Corey wanted to walk with Kyle but Mac told him he could not walk with Kyle because Kyle was their leader and they had rules they had to follow whenever they went out as a group.

    Mac also told him because of the rules, he had to stay at the back or in the middle of their formation.

    Corey wanted to argue about how it sounded all bullshit to him but to his shock, Kyle took Mac''s side and told him he could not walk with him since they had rules.

    Corey sighed remembering how after Kyle took Mac''s side he chose to stay at the center of the formation instead of the back, thinking the back would be much more boring and ufortable.

    But now, it seemed like the back would be much better than where he was.

    Making his decision, Corey moved to the back of the group much to some people''s displeasure since he had to bump into a lot of people to get to the back.

    After a few bumps, curses and apologies, Corey heaved a sigh of relief the moment he reached the back.

    He looked around and was stunned when he noticed that 95% of the people at the back were females, while the remaining 5% were men who looked like they were assigned to protect the females.

    As Corey looked at the females, the females also looked back at him. They looked at him with curiosity for a few seconds before one of them whispered something and they all started giggling.

    Corey''s slight urge to start a conversation with one of them died seeing them giggle. He doesn''t know why they were giggling, but he felt that if a girl giggled at him and it was not because he said something funny, then his chances with that girl were low.

    Corey sighed then looked down at his little brother.

    "Guess we still remain virgins."

    Corey sighed once more then decided to ignore the girls and the guys who were giving him looks of contempt.

    ''Status.''

    Corey willed for his status window to pop up since he had nothing else to do.

    *BASIC INFORMATION*

    Name: Corey Junior Zane

    Race: Human

    Brand Level: 2

    Affiliation: None

    ss: None

    Talent: Omniscience (Awakened)

    Language: English

    Title(s): One Of The Four Possessors Of A ***** Graded Talent On New Earth

    Tier: 0

    Level: 40 -> 54

    *ATTRIBUTES*

    Strength: 92 -> 210

    Agility: 69 -> 140

    Dexterity: 29 -> 70

    Constitution: 95 -> 224

    Intelligence: 500

    Endurance: 56 -> 115

    Mana: 150

    Free A.P: 72

    *Hidden Attributes*

    Luck: ???/100

    Charisma: ???/100

    Wisdom: ???/???

    *SKILLS*

    Record- Talent Skill

    Danger Sense- Level 1

    Silent Steps- Level 2

    Night Vision- Unranked

    Super Jump- Lv 2

    Undercover- Level 1

    Evade- Level 2

    Lock picking- Level 1

    Iron Skin- Level 1

    Focus- Talent Skill

    *RESISTANCES*

    Fear Resistance- Lv 1

    Pain Resistance- Lv 3

    *EQUIPMENTS*

    Ghost Reaper- Red Grade

    Ghost Cloak- Red Grade

    Binocrs- Red Grade

    Ghost Gloves(Growth)- Red Grade

    *PET/MOUNT*

    None

    *SYSTEM REMARK*: Huh? Are you sure your stats are correct?

    --------

    As Corey looked at his status window, he felt satisfaction.

    The first thing that granted him satisfaction was that him deciding to level up using the soul stones of ck smileys made his attributes to increase tremendously, especially his strength and constitution.

    Another reason why his stats increased so much was that after he reached level 50, his stats were multiplied by 1.75. Not only were his stats multiplied by 1.75 after reaching level 50, he gained another talent skill, Focus.

    Focus was a talent skill that was also broken in Corey''s opinion. Looking at the skill, Corey decided to see the description once again.

    [FOCUS: An active skill that enables the holder to enter a state where his brain is in overdrive and his perception of his surroundings and time reduces by two times. The ability of this skill would increase as the user''s level increases.

    Uses: 10 mana per second after activation. If there is no mana, stamina would be used, if there is no stamina, the health of the holder would be used. (Mana requirement would increase as the ability of the skill increases).]

    As Corey read the description of Focus once again, his heart was beating with excitement. This was an overpowered skill and he knew that if he could utilize it properly, he would be a force to reckon with.

    Corey closed the description a few minutester with a satisfied expression. He was satisfied with the few uses he came up with the skill.

    Corey then looked at the other part of his status window that had another immense change, his skill section.

    The number of new skills he had on him apart from Focus was four: Undercover, Evade, Lock picking and Iron Skin.

    He tapped on the descriptions for each one of them.

    [UNDERCOVER: A passive skill that erases your presence by 10% in dark or enclosed spaces]

    [EVADE: Your evasion techniques and awareness has improved by 20%]<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    [LOCK PICKING: Your lock picking skills have improved by 10%]

    [IRON SKIN: An active skill that makes your skin hard as iron. Increases defense while decreasing agility and dexterity when activated.

    Uses: 5 mana per second]

    This were all the skills he bought from the merchant which eventually made him as broke as a pauper.

    Although he didn''t buy shy moves that used mana because he did not have the coins to buy them, he bought skills he thought he would use for quite a long time.

    He wanted to buy skills like hand to handbat skills or even the dagger wielding skills but his amount of coins was not even close to price at all.

    In fact when the merchant looked at the skills he bought, the merchant looked at him strangely but didn''t say anything in the end.

    Corey practiced evade in The Library Of Records so that it would reach level 2 and he was extremely satisfied with what he gained after reaching level 2 of the skill.

    As for why he bought the lock picking skill?

    He only had a few bronze coins left and that was the only useful coin he could spend it on.

    After Corey looked at the description of his new skills, he looked at the item that actually took 60% of his so called ''wealth''- The Binocrs.

    Just as he was about to tap on it to read the description, he heardmotion from the front and he looked up, wondering if there was danger.

    When he looked up trying to find the cause for theirmotion, he saw the reason for themotion.

    They were in front of the security station.

    Corey looked at the storey building which was in ruins and wondered if the building was actually safe.

    But no matter how Corey felt concerning the building, the group of fifty entered while having an expression of vignce and battle readiness.

    Corey looked at all this with surprise and wondered how or what Kyle did to the group to make them like this.

    Corey despite his thoughts followed the group from behind and entered the building.

    But the moment he entered, a strong stench of blood and rotten smell of corpses assaulted Corey''s nose causing him to hold his nose instinctively.

    He looked around and saw lots and lots of corpses as they kept entering the building. Corey looked at the corpses and uneasiness creeped into him causing him to shiver instinctively.

    Most of the corpses had their heads bitten off while some had bite marks on their torsos and Corey could see the fear and despair in the eyes of some corpses.

    The uneasiness in Corey increased. He looked to the front, trying to see Kyle but he could not. The number of people in front blocked his view.

    He wanted to advise him to stop but just as this thought entered his head, he turned towards the group to see their expressions and when he did, he was surprised.

    Most had fearful expressions seeing the state of the corpses but Corey could see determination in their eyes.

    ''What the hell?''

    Corey thought, wondering what the hell was wrong with everyone in this group.

    ''Why aren''t they worried about their safety for fucks sake?''

    Corey thought and just as he did, he heard a faint whisper.

    Corey stood rooted on the spot wondering if his mind was ying tricks on him.

    But just as he had that thought, he heard it more clearly this time around and Corey was shocked to the core.

    ''Fuck.''

    Corey cursed internally, then held his dagger in a battle stance while looking around with vignce.

    The main reason Corey was so worried after his danger sense got activated was because he knew what type of enemy he would have to face for his danger sense to warn him.

    Corey was strong enough to face most creatures that were below tier 1 and he knew that if he faced a creature that was even level 90, as long as the creature was not proficient inbat, he would win.

    Now if Corey could face level 90 creatures, the only thing he knew he could not face at all were¡­

    Tier 1 creatures!

    Corey knew he could absolutely not beat a tier 1 creature at all. The merchant told him that tier 1 creatures were on an absolutely different level from creatures below tier 1.

    Not only did they have higher stats, they had the ability to use magic. Those two things set Tier 1 beings above non-tier beings.

    Just as Corey kept on looking around, he noticed something odd.

    The whistling sound from his danger sense skill kept on increasing but Corey could not see anything that was causing it.

    Corey looked at the group and saw that they had stopped. He moved towards them and started walking to the front bumping into the group.

    He had to warn Kyle about the danger that this ce posed. He didn''t care if everyone looked at him with disdain, his life was important and he also cared about Kyle''s life.

    He would not be able to live with himself if he ran away and Kyle suffered or died because he decided not to warn Kyle.

    After some seconds, he was able to reach the front of the group and there he saw Kyle, Mat, Mac and Mira standing in front of a door.

    The moment Corey saw that door, the whistling from his danger sense whistled so loud that Corey groaned slightly and closed his eyes.

    A secondter he opened his eyes and looked at Kyle with an anxious expression.

    "Kyle we can''t open that door. Something''s there and it''s extremely dangerous."

    The moment Corey said those words a snort sounded out causing Corey to look at the source, which was Mira.

    "I said it that you''re just a boy and a coward. You''re not a man." Mira said then ced her hands on the handle of the door.

    "I''ll show you that there''s nothing to be afraid of. The leader said that the room is safe so why are you afraid?" She said then opened the door much to Corey''s horror.

    Corey ran towards Mira to try and close the door but when he got close to the door, he stopped and was stunned.

    Inside of the room was a creature which Corey could not describe it properly or to be precise immediately.

    The creature had a human torso and limbs with whiterge wings attached to it''s back. It''s head wasrge and was also that of a moose withrge antlers.

    Now what was creepy was that the head was mostly made out of bones with some rotten flesh here and there and that the creature was on it''s back while holding it''s neck with it''s two human hands in a choking position.

    Everywhere was silent the moment the creature was shown until Kyle spoke.

    "You don''t have to worry. The creature is dead. I killed it." Kyle said trying to ease the entire group which surprisingly worked when they saw the creature stay still like a corpse.

    Meanwhile Corey looked at Kyle after he spoke, then the monster.

    ''Dead? How is that motherfucker dead? My danger sense is ringing like crazy!''

    Corey thought as he looked at the creature, but just as he did, he noticed something which made his pupils constrict.

    The creature-

    And just as he noticed, Mira who was in front of Corey spoke.

    "What did I tell you? Be like-"

    ''Focus''

    Without waiting for Mira to finish speaking, Corey used his talent skill Focus, and the entire world slowed down in front of him.

    Mira who was speaking could not finish her words because,

    The creature''s eyes moved and in Corey''s perception, he could see the creature elongate it''s neck like a toad''s tongue and before Mira could react,

    No!

    Before she knew what was going on, her head went.

    Crunch!

    Her head bitten by the creature, Mira''s body swayed and Corey who was in focus could see the creature move towards him at lightening fast speed even in his state of focus causing Corey''s eyes to constrict.

    ''Super jump''

    Corey thought then using the front of his bottom feet, Corey jumped backwards twice but the head was still close to him, just a few meters away.

    Corey''s mind spun and afternding from his jump, he rolled forward dodging the head by a centimeter.

    The head not expecting Corey to roll underneath could not stop and mmed into some unfortunate survivors crushing them while sttering their blood and flesh, then the head mmed into a wall, leaving silence behind.

    Corey instinctively looked at Kyle but saw that he had a calm and indifferent expression, but when he looked at Mat and Mac, he saw Mat grinning with an evil smile, allowing Corey to know what was happening.

    "Oh fuck."

    Corey cursed.

    ------------

    This is the normal chapter of Mar 3. It''s actually a 2,500 word chapter and i was shocked when I saw that.

    Anyway, I promised I would drop a chapter before I slept and I''ve not slept a wink. Sorry for uploading itte, was busy with stuffs

    Time here is 2:40 A.M. so goodnight people.

    Have a great day/night and once again,thank you to everyone that voted.

    I really appreciate it

 Chapter 33 33: Hello

    ?A whole three seconds of deathly silence and confusion passed as nobody couldprehend what just happened or what was happening.

    Mira''s headless fallen corpse which dyed the ground with blood make the ground a deep red color.

    The flesh, blood and bones of the unfortunate survivors also spread out on the floor.

    The destroyed wall, the still and silent head of the terrifying creature made everyone to feel like they were in a nightmare.

    "Leader!! The monster is not dead!! Let''s get into battle positions!" A young man shouted and turned towards Kyle, thinking that the creature which had been supposedly killed by their leader was in a way back to life.

    He didn''t expect their leader to lie about the death of the monster.

    No

    It was not that he didn''t expect their leader to lie.

    He just could not fathom or see any reason why their leader would lie about the death of the monster.

    Their leader would never cause intentional harm upon them.

    He was the person who saved them numerous times and even made them stronger.

    He gave them soul stones, skill crystals and even weapons gained from killing monsters without collecting payment.

    All he asked from them in return was that they follow him in battle

    Growing stronger to the point where they could eventually leave the academy and go look for their families¡­

    If they still had one.

    Their leader was so strong to the point that his might was unfathomable.

    Numerous times had he saved them from perilous situations and this time would just be like the past.

    Although Mira, the leader''s right hand died which shocked them, they knew it was because the attack was unexpected and came at lightning fast speed that their leader could not react and save Mira.

    If not because of that, he would undoubtedly save her.

    And just like the dangerous times in the past where survival seemed bleak,

    He would definitely save them.

    These were the thoughts of not only the young man but of everyone in the survivor group.

    Their faith in Kyle was at the peak.

    The young man who shouted turned around and got into a fighting stance. The remaining survivors also regained theirposure and reformed their formation.

    Corey who was kneeling on the floor with one leg looked at the group and he was impressed by their reactions.

    He looked at Kyle, wondering what his next moves would be.

    He wanted to give him benefit of the doubt.

    He wanted to give Kyle a chance to change what was in his mind.

    He had to!

    He could not just believe that his friend from way before University would suddenly betray him.

    And he would betray him when he did no wrong to him in any way at all!

    Just as Corey was observing Kyle, everyone, all the survivors including Corey heard a voice filled mockery, amusement and disdain.

    "Hey Mac? Wanna bet how long this batch wouldst?" Mat said, causing everyone to turn towards him with confused expressions.

    Batch?

    "You know I hate betting. But if I was to choose¡­ 30 seconds." Mac said with an indifferent tone and expression.

    His eyes moved from one member of the group to another, seeing their expressions of confusion was nothing new to him.

    He had seen it all too many times from the previous batches. He knew that their expressions would change once the reality of the situation hit them.

    From confusion to denial

    From denial to either courage or pleas

    From courage or pleas to despair

    Then from despair to sometimes rage.

    All this emotions, Mac has seen in the previous two batches and seeing the group going through all this emotions gave him a sort of ecstasy.

    It filled his heart with joy and pleasure

    It felt¡­ ORGASMIC!!!

    Just as he was looking at the group''s expression, he noticed Corey who had a different expression than the others.

    He didn''t have an expression of confusion or denial like the others, he had an expression of pain and sorrow.

    To Mac, Corey felt¡­ calm.

    Mac frowned.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Meanwhile Mat, not knowing his brother''s thoughts, spoke with disdain and surprise after his brother spoke.

    "30 seconds? I choose 10. This bunch are just useless wimps." Mat said.

    The entire group of survivors had a confused expression hearing the words of the brothers.

    30 seconds?

    10 seconds?

    Batch?

    What were they talking about?

    Just as all, even Corey was thinking about those questions, Kyle who had been silent throughout, spoke calmly and with an authoritative tone.

    "What do you think you''re doing sleeping there?

    Get up, and eat."

    Everybody including Corey wondered who Kyle was talking to.

    Corey looked at the direction of Kyle''s stare and his eyes constricted.

    ''It can''t be?''

    Corey thought but just as he thought this, his guess was to his horror, proven right.

    The neck of the bizarre creature moved and from the piles of bricks and stones, the head of nightmares rose, it''s eyeball rotated a few times before it stopped and focused.

    It turned it''s head and looked at the group of survivors below.

    With a big head and extremely long neck, this creature could be regarded as a creature of horror, but,

    No!

    Not only did it have an extremely long neck and big head which frightened a lot of people, to the shock and horror of everyone including Corey, the creature... spoke.

    "Hello. Are you food?"

    With the voice of an extremely young girl, the creature spoke.

    Shock and terror permeated everybody in the room. A cold shiver spread through their entire being and soul making the room deadly silent.

    The creature a few secondster, twisted it''s neck in a 360¡ã angle and spoke with the same girly voice.

    "Hello. Are you food?"

    But just as it spoke, Kyle spoke.

    "Stop wasting my time and eat"

    Corey could swear that he perceived a smile from the creature but before he could wonder if what he saw was right or wrong, his danger sense warned him with a very loud whistle. He groaned slightly and held his head.

    A secondter, he ignored the whistling sound and looked up, and just as he looked up, the monster spoke once again but this time, it said

    Only One Word

    Before

    All

    Hell

    Broke

    Loose.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Food."

    ------------

    [A/N: This is the bonus chapter for dropping twenty power stones.

    Thanks a lot guys!

    We are just one more power stone away from getting another bonus chapter, so drop not only one power stone, BUT AS MANY POWER STONES AS YOU CAN!

    I will give out the bonus chapters.

    I have one more chapter I''m meant to write which is the normal chapter for today. (March 4)

    But first, I need to sleep, like badly sleep.

    I slept around 3:00 a.m. yesterday but I had to wake up around 6:00 a.m. for family stuffs.

    I''ve been busy and not slept after those 3 hours of sleep.

    So I need to sleep.

    I might upload the next chapter today or tomorrow, I''m not sure but it depends on how I feel.

    Soter Guys and have a great day/night!

 Chapter 34 34: Run

    ?"Food."

    The moment the creature spoke, it''s head swayed, it''s eyeball rotated and without warning, like lightning, it''s neck elongated towards a man who was the closest to the creature.

    Crunch!

    Bang

    The sound of the creature eating the man''s head and the sound of the man''s fallen corpse shook everyone and brought them back to reality.

    "Lea- Leader, wh- what''s going on?" The young man who spoke previously stuttered as he looked at their leader.

    His eyes which had confusion previously, now had denial.

    It was not only his eyes which had denial, the eyes of the remaining survivors also had denial.

    They could not just believe that their leader, their beloved leader would lead them to their deaths.

    Kyle who everyone was looking at, just leaned back on the wall behind him and folded his arms, his eyes full of indifference as he looked at all the survivors without speaking.

    His indifferent eyes and expression made it seem like responding to their confusions was just beneath him.

    Despite everyone''s thoughts, the creature did not give a damn and with renewed passion it unleashed hell.

    Striking at this time, a woman, her head went missing before she could react.

    Crunch!

    Moving towards another target, the creature unleashed it''s attack.

    Biting off heads, leaving iplete heads and sometimes going through the chest of some survivors, leaving behind a massive hole and staining the floor red with the blood and flesh of it''s victims.

    Some tried to run but to their horror, that attracted the creature''s attention and made them it''s main target.

    Corpses with headless and sometimes massive holes filled the corridor causing people to feel despair.

    "Leader please save us!!"

    "Leader please forgive us!! Save us!!!"

    "Leader whyyy?!!"

    "Leader please save me!! I''ll be your ve for life!!!"

    "I''ll be your sex ve!! You can do anything to me!! Please save me!!"

    Various shouts of pleas spread out.

    They begged

    They pleaded

    They offered up their bodies

    They even offered up their souls

    But Kyle just looked at all this with an indifferent expression, not saying a word or moving a muscle.

    Mat had an expression of disdain, mockery and entertainment. Mac had a wide smile on his face, his body trembling so slightly.

    "EVERYBODY!! GET INTO FORMATION!! DON''T GIVE UP!! ATTACK!! WE CAN SURVIVE!!

    NO!

    WE WILL SURVIVE!

    GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER AND FIGHT!

    FIGHT!!!"

    Just as everything and everyone was descending into madness, the young man from before shouted, trying to bring order to all the ongoing madness and surprisingly it worked.

    But just as everywhere was calm and everyone thought the situation could somehow be reversed, the creature turned it''s head towards the young man and before the man or any other person could respond, the creature''s neck extended and in a sh it appeared in front of the young man.

    The young man could not respond to the lightning fast attack and thest thing he saw was therge sharp teeth of the creature before his head went.

    Crunch!

    "¡­"

    "Hahahahahaha. That fool!! Hahahahaha." Matughed madly as he looked at the fallen headless corpse of the young man with disdain and mockery.

    "Why the fuck would you be so stupid and shout as loud as that in front of the monster?!

    Doesn''t the fool know he would attract it''s attention?

    And he''s so weak again!

    Hahahahaha!!"

    Matughed while wiping away his tears, Mac shook his head softly while Kyle just looked at the young man''s corpse with a raised eyebrow, looking at it with slight amusement.

    "Now from courage and pleas to despair." Mac muttered softly as he looked at the dazed expressions of the remaining survivors as they looked at the corpse of the young man.

    Their eyes were hollow and was slowly filled with despair.

    The man who they thought would be their hero in this situation was dead.

    Who would help them now?

    Who would save them?

    Would a hero arrive heroically?

    Or

    Would the gods save them and cause a miracle to happen.

    The answers to all their questions were answered the next second as they heard a sound they knew all too well.

    Crunch!

    The sounds of bones breaking reverberated throughout causing the survivors to look at their source of nightmare and despair.

    Seeing the head of another survivor in the creature''s monstrous mouth, the survivor''s knew the answer to their thoughts.

    No Hero wasing to save them

    No god was going to cause a miracle

    Nobody was going to save them<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    They were doomed

    And true, they were actually doomed.

    Corey who had been watching the entire scene for the past three minutes was currently hiding underneath a corpse.

    After Corey saw that the survivors who tried to escape attracted the monster''s attention, he thought of a n to leave this hell and run for his life.

    The n was risky, in fact very risky and mostly depended on luck and also his observation.

    Corey nned on crawling and hiding from one corpse to the other, eventually reaching thest corpse. From there he nned on activating Focus so that if the creature noticed him, he would be able to react and escape. His n also depended on another factor.

    He looked at his status window, mainly a particr attribute.

    [Mana: 100]

    His Mana had reduced by 50 points which meant that his focus could onlyst for ten seconds which he hoped would be enough.

    Corey took in a very soft breath as he looked at the carnage that was ongoing.

    He could see the survivors expressions of despair.

    He could hear them pleading, begging.

    He could hear their wails of agony and pain.

    He could hear their rage filled curses towards Kyle.

    He could hear and see everything but¡­

    Corey did not n on trying to save any of the survivors.

    In fact, he had never entertained the thought of saving any of the survivors.

    Ever since he realized the creature was a tier 1, the only thought in his mind was on how to survive.

    How to escape and make sure he lives to see his little sister, his mother and even his dad.

    Ever since he was born he had never thought of being a hero.

    In fact, to him the concept of heroes and viins was just stupid in his eyes.

    Corey did not want to be a hero nor did he want to be a viin.

    Right now, he just wanted to survive and meet up with his family.

    Just as this thoughts passed through Corey''s mind, he saw his chance.

    He noticed the creature had it''s back towards him and with that it should not be able to see him when he moves.

    Corey slowly removed the corpse on top of him and crawled on his back while looking at the creature, his eyes never leaving the creature.

    Just as Corey was watching the creature, he noticed something which bothered him.

    The number of survivors remaining were small, which meant that very soon, the creature would no longer be distracted and he would have no way to escape.

    Corey looked back and saw that he was about 20 meters away from the T- Intersection of the corridor which was far in his opinion.

    He thought about what to do in this situation and looked at the intersection once again.

    The left side of the intersection had stairs that led to the upper parts of the building and also the door where one can leave the building.

    While the right side of the intersection led underground where the carpark of the building was located.

    It did not only contain the carpark but also had a door in the carpark which led somewhere else, somewhere which he hoped would be able to save him and not fuck him up.

    Corey looked at the creature then stood slowly, getting on all fours.

    He crawled like a baby, not daring to run and attract the attention of the monster or the bastards who were behind all of this.

    "Where do you think you''re going bastard?"

    Woosh!

    Just as Corey was crawling, he heard a voice filled with hostility from behind him. And just as he heard it, he heard the sound of the air been torn apart, like something heavy and sharp wasing towards him.

    Without looking back, heid t on the ground then rolled to the left.

    And just as he did, an object whooshed past his previous position and continued forward until it mmed into the wall in front.

    Bang!

    Corey with cold sweat looked at what almost killed him and when he did, he immediately recognized what it was.

    Mat''s Giant sword!

    Corey looked back and saw Mat walking towards him while cracking his knuckles with a wide grin.

    Corey then looked at the main thing he was worried about, the terrifying creature.

    And when he looked at it, he saw it looking back at him and a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu hit him.

    "Oh fuck. Not again."

    He cursed, then did what was 100% the best choice in this situation.

    He ran.

    ------------

    [A/N: This is the bonus chapter for reaching the third level of the power stone target which is 30 power stones.

    Thanks a lot everyone.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    I still have one more chapter I''m owing you guys which is the normal chapter of March 4.

    I''ll do itter.

    But now I sleep!

    It''s 2:55 a.m. here and tomorrow is a Sunday so I''ll be busy for quite some time.

    So goodnight and have a great day/night everyone!

    Also don''t forget to DROP POWER STONES!!

    You''re only 6 Power Stones away from getting another bonus chapter!!

    So DROP THOSE POWER STONES!!

 Chapter 35 35: From Bad To Worse

    ?Getting off the floor, Corey dashed to the intersection without haste.

    Behind him Mat who was looking forward to beating the shit out of Corey had a stunned expression seeing Corey run immediately.

    "Come back here and face me like a man you bastard!

    Stop running like a coward!"

    Mat taunted Corey and chased after him with a murderous expression.

    There was no way he was going to let Corey escape after all that Corey said to him.

    He wanted to skin him alive.

    Meanwhile the head of the bizarre creature looked at Corey before it also moved like lightning towards Corey.

    Corey who was running heard Mat''s taunts but he obviously ignored them, he would be a fool if he dared to fight or even stay a second in that hell hole.

    Just as he was running with full speed towards the intersection, he felt somethinging at an extremely fast speed towards him.

    He looked back slightly and his eyes widened when he saw the head of the bizarre creature moving towards him like lightning.

    ''Shit.''

    ''Focus''

    Time slowed down in Corey''s eyes as he used Focus, he turned his head back and his mind which was in overdrive worked quickly to think of how to survive his current situation.

    He knew that he would not be able to reach the intersection before the creature''s head got to him and he had only ten seconds to think of a way to survive in his Focused state.

    A second went and his brain which was in overdrive thought of a method to lengthen his time of survival.

    "Add all free attribute points to agility."

    Corey spoke so fast that he spent half a second to finish his sentence.

    In the next half second, his agility increased from 140 to 212 while his free attribute points decreased from 72 to 0.

    "What?"

    Mat was baffled when he saw Corey''s massive increase in speed. He was not the only one that was shocked, Mac, Kyle and even the creature were baffled.

    Although they were stunned, in the next second they regained theirposure and Mat increased his speed while chasing after Corey.

    The creature also increased it''s speed that despite Corey''s increase in speed, it was rapidly closing the gap between them.

    In the next three seconds Corey was only a meter from the intersection and the head was only a meter from Corey.

    Corey could feel the sensation of death so close to him but in his focused state, he was calm.

    Noticing he was only a meter from the intersection, he swerved to the left slightly and the head followed, then just when the head thought it would get another meal, Corey abruptly swerved to the right performing a perfect feint like the best yer in ser.

    The head tried to turn to the right but since Corey''s turn was so sudden, it could not perfectly turn and eventually mmed itself into the wall once again causing rubbles to fly everywhere.

    Corey quickly ended his focused state after he temporarily immobilized the head of the bizarre creature.

    Been in his focused state was the only way he could react to the creature and if possible he didn''t want to use his stamina to enter Focus and he definitely did not want to use his health to enter Focus.

    He looked at his status window very quickly as he kept on running and saw that he only had 40 units of mana left which meant he only 4 seconds to stay in a focused state.

    Realizing that, he closed his status window and quickened his pace ignoring the shouts and taunts of Mat behind him.

    Meanwhile Mac and Kyle looked at the intersection where the head of creaturey and also where Mat and Corey had disappeared to.

    A second of silence passed before Kyle spoke.

    "Follow your brother."

    Mac had a surprised expression and his surprise even showed in his tone as he spoke.

    "Are you sure? Mat is level 67 and he''s definitely not weak. I don''t think Corey can cause any kind of harm to him."

    Kyle looked at the spot where the creature''s head was for a few seconds before he spoke.

    "Zane is stronger than we thought. Also his speed, response and intuition are high.

    He already sensed that there was something dangerous in that room before we reached the room.

    Also, Zane is faster than your brother and he must not escape. If he escapes and warns the other group of survivors or any other survivor then we would not be able to do this again."

    Kyle exined, allowing Mac to understand Kyle''s reason for telling him to go after his brother.

    Without replying Kyle, his body swayed then he ran, leaving behind afterimages as he reached the intersection and then he finally disappeared from Kyle''s view.

    Seeing Mac leave, Kyle sighed softly a few secondster then he spoke.

    "Get up ande."

    The moment Kyle said those words, the head of the creature rose up from the rubbles and swayed slightly, like it was feeling dizzy.

    A few secondster it''s neck shortened until it''s head was in front of Kyle in a submissive manner.

    "Spit them out."

    Kyle said and a few secondster the head spat out several soul stones on the floor.

    This were the soul stones of some survivors of the survivor group that was just ughtered.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Kyle looked at the soul stones and when he saw the saliva and disgusting liquid on the soul stones he frowned.

    He pointed at the soul stones and a drop of water formed from his finger tip dropping unto soul stones.

    Just as it dropped, the water increased and formed a ball of water which swallowed the soul stones and the disgusting liquid together.

    A few secondster the ball of water disappeared leaving behind clean soul stones.

    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Kyle seeing the clean soul stones no longer had a frown. He turned towards the head and spoke.

    "Go after Zane but this time, use your entire body."

    The head nodded after hearing Kyle''s words then it''s neck retracted into the room where it''s body was.

    The neck regained it''s normal length and it''s hands which were holding the lower part of his neck removed.

    It''s body turned sideways and it pressed it''s hand on the floor, using it to lift itself up and if Corey were here to see the creature standing, he would be totally shocked and stunned because the creature was extremely huge.

    It''s head almost reached the ceiling of the room and with it''s outstretched wings just made the creature more fear inducing.

    "Hihihihihi."

    One would expect the creature to roar but no it did not, it giggled with the voice of a little girl which would definitely spook Corey despite his recent experiences.

    The creature moved towards the door of the room which was a lot smaller than it since it was made for humans but the monster not caring about that just walked through the door and broke the wall on top of the door causing rubbles to fall.

    It walked towards the intersection and walked to the right side of it, wanting to aplish it''s master''s task which he gave it.

    Kyle looked at the intersection where Corey, Mat, Mac and the creature had disappeared for a few seconds before he bent and picked one of the soul stones.

    "Mat, Mac and the chimera went after Zane so he should have no chance of surviving." Kyle paused then frowned, he looked at the intersection once again and his frown deepened.

    "I hope those guys don''t mess up or I might need to take action and kill Zane myself even if I don''t want to."

    Kyle muttered as he looked at the soul stone which was turning to dust. The long lost feeling of his stats increasing made a smile to form on his face.

    "Human soul stone is really the best way to increase one''s attributes." Kyle muttered then continued to absorb the remaining soul stones.

    Meanwhile Corey''s situation had just turned from bad to worse with him having to face three deadly opponents.

    Would Corey be able to survive?

    --------------

    [A/N: IMPORTANT INFO, DON''T SKIP. IT''S LONG BUT STILL DON''T SKIP

    I''m sorry that I didn''t post yesterday but there was a reason for that.

    I fell ill yesterday.

    I had headache, body pain, cough, catarrh and cold and because of that I could not write anything yesterday.

    I took some drugs and those drugs made me sleep throughout yesterday.

    I didn''t like the fact that I did not publish a chapter yesterday and since I''m feeling better at the moment, I decided to write and also exin the reason for not writing yesterday.

    I''ll try to write another chapter but I won''t overwork myself so that I don''t be worse.

    NOW THERE ARE TWO IMPORTANT INFO I''M GOING TO DROP

    FIRST: I just signed an exclusive contract with Webnovel today, so very soon you would be able to vote using golden tickets and drop gifts for my book.

    NOW, because of that, I''m going to increase the power stone requirement for bonus chapters.

    PLEASE NOTE: I''m not increasing it because I don''t want to release bonus chapters.

    I''m increasing it because I want to start writing down the privileged chapters so that when it''s time to go privilege, I won''t waste time writing it and would release the entire privileged chapters at once.

    I n on making the number of privileged chapters 30 or at least 25 by the way.

    Now the POWER STONE TARGET IS for every 30 POWER STONES, I will RELEASE 1 BONUS CHAPTER. Which means:

    30 P.S= 1 BONUS CHAPTER

    60 P.S= 2 BONUS CHAPTERS

    90 P.S = 3 BONUS CHAPTERS

    Some of y''all might say I''m being too greedy and I increased way too much from 10 to 30 but one thing you should know is that my power stone target is low. There are some new novels that will request for a 100 power stones for one bonus chapter so you should know that I''ve actually been setting my requirements really really low.

    ANOTHER THING which I have to say is that yesterday I was TRULY DISAPPOINTED when I saw the number of power stones I received.

    The number of collections increased so much yesterday but my power stones didn''t increase that much.

    I have 85 collections now but only 8 power stones, not even up to 10... TEN!!!

    I know that at least 20 people read my book everyday but only few vote and I must say I expected more.

    All I''m asking for is power stone at this moment. Webnovel gives out free power stones and if 20 people receive at least 2 power stones then that''s 40 power stones.

    You know what I''m not going to talk too much anymore. Just drop those power stones and make it reach up to 30 and I will give you your bonus chapters.

    You guys can do it and I believe in you.

    SO DROP THOSE DAMN POWER STONES!!

 Chapter 36 36: Plan

    ?"Stop running you bastard and face me like a man!" Mat roared then jumped with his giant sword raised.

    Bang!

    "Fucking cockroach."

    Mat cursed as he saw Corey a few meters away from him running down the stairs. He picked up his giant sword and continued his chase.

    Bam!

    Bang!

    Jumping down the stairs instead of running down it, Mat caused a few cracks to form on the steps hended on, not due to his weight but due to his sword''s weight.

    After realizing that his agility was lower than Corey''s and that there was a very high chance of Corey escaping from him, he thought of using this method to shorten the distance between them on the stairs they were currently on and surprisingly it worked, shocking Corey that muscle head could think to that extent.

    In fact Corey was so shocked that he praised Mat by saying: "I thought your penis had more brain cells than your brain, guess I was wrong."

    Obviously Corey''s ''praise'' did not have the intended effect a praise was meant to have. It only increased the hatred and killing intent Mat had towards Corey.

    Mat did not rage as much as Corey expected him to rage which made Corey slightly disappointed.

    As for the reason why Mat did not rage so much was because he knew that no matter what Corey would die today. There was no escaping or surviving for Corey and he would definitely torture him to his heart''s content.

    Now as the chase continued, Corey looked back and when he saw Mat jumping from one step to another step, Corey wondered how much stamina Mat had for him to jump continuously without rest.

    ''Muscle head must have put a lot of his free attribute points into endurance.'' Corey thought then his eyes moved to Mat''s sword.

    ''And strength.''

    Removing this thoughts from his mind, Corey stopped looking at Mat and looked at the front where he could finally see the end of the stairs.

    "Finally." Corey heaved a breath of relief seeing the end of the stairs then jumped towards it.

    Bam

    Landing in an upright position, Corey looked forward and saw a metal door a few meters away from him.

    Without wasting a single second, Corey ran to the door and kicked it open with a force enough to open the door but not enough to remove the door from it''s hinges.

    Bam!

    The door flew open and Corey went through it. He could hear Mat''snding very close to the end of the stairs but with a calm expression, he held the door and mmed it shut.

    Bam!

    Turning back, he continued his run. Although the door would definitely not stop Mat, it would buy him at least a second which would help him a lot.

    Three secondster.

    Bam!

    "Bastard."

    He heard the sound of the door been mmed open and Mat''s snarl.

    Without turning back, Corey looked at his surroundings as he ran with a smile on his face.

    His n to reach where he currently was, which was the car park, was a sess.

    But as he looked around, his face darkened.

    "This ce is too damn big."

    Corey cursed seeing that the car park was asrge as half a ser pitch.

    ''Why would you make a car park this big.''<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Corey thought with frustration but he kept on running.

    Corey''s reason foring to thisrge underground car park was because other than this underground space been a carpark, it also had an underground storage room of androids and robots.

    Everybody or let''s say most knew about E-Academy having an underground storage of androids and robots which were supposed to be used in case of emergencies. The people in control of E-Academy made sure everybody knew so as to assure the parents of their children''s safety.

    Now, Corey''s n is to find this underground storage and if possible activate all or some androids to attack the monstrosity that was controlled by Kyle.

    There were so many things that could go wrong, like literally¡­ so many things, but this was what could give him his highest chance of survival.

    He could not outrun the tier 1 creature and he was not sure if he would be able to hide from it.

    He needed the creature to be upied for as long as possible so that the distance between him and it would shorten a lot.

    But first, for the creature to be upied, he needed to find the door leading to the storage area and therge car park was definitely not helping him in any way.

    Corey turned to the back and looked at Mat who was still chasing him. His eyes shed and without warning, he swerved to the right abruptly catching Mat slightly off guard.

    Although Mat was taken aback by the sudden turn, he recovered and continued his chase.

    He reached the location where Corey turned and turned to the right expecting to see Corey but the moment he did, he stopped.

    In front of him were different parked vehicles but no Corey.

    "Where are you, you bastard?!" Mat shouted and moved while holding his sword.

    "Is been a coward all you know how to do?!

    Running, dodging and now hiding?!

    Be a man ande out and face me!"

    Mat roared while looking around warily.

    Despite his roar, there was nothing else but vehicles in his surroundings, no Corey, no Smiley and not even a single monster.

    Mat got annoyed seeing nothing but vehicles.

    Bam!

    Bang!

    He kicked the car which was in front of him with so much force that the car mmed into the next two cars beside it.

    rms sounded out from the cars causing the entire ce to be noisy which also increased Mat''s annoyance.

    "Get out and face me you bastard!!" Mat roared then swung his sword at another car beside him causing the roof of the car to be dented and another rm to re to life.

    Mat walked away from the location with a scowl. He looked around once again but found no signs of Corey once again.

    The rage in his eyes increased, his teeth made grinding noises, his muscles increased slightly and his hands tightened around his sword.

    Raising his sword up, a red aura formed around his body and his sword, his eyes became red and with the voice of a guttural roar, he roared!!

    "I said,

    COMEn/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    OUT

    YOU

    BASTAAARRRRDDDDD!!!!!!!"

 Chapter 37 37: Discovered

    ?"I said,

    COME

    OUT

    YOU

    BASTAAARRRRDDDDD!!!!!!!"

    BANG!

    BOOOOOM!!!!!!

    Mat swung his great sword towards the floor and the floor caved in immediately.

    Stones and dust flew into the air destroying arge number of vehicles.

    Tremors urred in the carpark and cracks formed at least 10m around Mat.

    As the damage done by Mat to the underground car park kept on increasing, Corey who was far away looked at the damage done by Mat with envy.

    Not fear, not astonishment, not disdain, not relief but envy.

    "What kind of bullshit is this? How can a stupid guy like that have a powerful attack skill like that but I have none?"

    Crack

    Corey who had an envious and sad expression looked down and saw the floor crack just a feet away from his leg.

    "I''m at least 25m away from this idiot but his skill still affected this ce. What kind of power is that?"

    Corey muttered and the envy in his eyes increased.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    He wanted a powerful offensive skill also. Most of his skills were passives and even his dagger had disadvantages whenever he fought using it.

    A few secondster Corey turned back and started looking for what he came for.

    The entrance to the underground storage room.

    As for how Corey got far away from Mat?

    Well, that''s simple.

    After Corey turned to the right, he immediately hid underneath a minivan and just kept on crawling under any vehicle he could until he was far away from Mat.

    Corey at first wanted to kill Mat through a sneak attack but after thinking about it, he realized he didn''t have much time to waste and his chances of survival would decrease if he could not kill Mat in one move.

    He knew there was a chance that the creature woulde down here and he also knew that there even a possibility that Mac or even Mac and Kyle woulde down here to kill him and because of that, he could not waste anymore time on Mat.

    Luckily, Mat was an idiot like Corey had always been calling him and didn''t bother checking underneath the cars or even searching properly.

    Well another thing that helped Corey was the passive skill ''Undercover''.

    Because of the skill, he intuitively knew the better ces to hide and also, the skill masked his presence to a certain extent when hiding.

    Currently, Corey was crawling on all fours as he looked for the entrance to the storage room. He stood in a crouching position a few times to look around and just when Corey was getting anxious.

    He found a metal door to his right as he passed a car. He looked at the door and saw a warning sign on it, saying it was only meant for authorized personnel.

    Corey''s eyes brightened with happiness and he moved towards it.

    But just as he did, he heard a voiceing from afar.

    "Mat!"

    "Huh? What are you doing here brother?"

    "The leader sent me."

    "He said he doesn''t want the bastard to escape since he''s faster than you."

    "So? Doesn''t matter. He can''t escape from my hands."

    "So where is he?"

    "Uhmm. About that."

    Corey stopped moving towards the door hearing the two brothers speak.

    He moved towards a minivan and hid behind it while taking a peek at the brothers, Mat and Mac.

    He needed to know the positions of the brothers so as to be sure that none of them were facing the door.

    After peeking at the brothers for a few seconds, he crouched back and crawled towards the door.

    The brothers were still speaking and even almost arguing due to Mat losing sight of him.

    ''Argue more and give more time.'' Corey thought as he looked at the metal door in front of him.

    In his crouching position, he looked at the handle of the metal door to see whether the door required a key card to enter or a normal metal key.

    This was one of the things Corey was worried about the n he had.

    He knew that if the entrance required something like a key card, or DNA as a means of identification, then he was screwed.

    Though luckily for him, the door did not need any of that. It only required a normal metal key to open it.

    Corey praised Lady Luck immensely in his heart and brought out a thin wire from one of the pockets of his tattered robe.

    He inserted the wire into the key hole and used one of the skills he bought from the merchant.

    ''Lock picking''

    Thankingdy luck once again for him choosing to buy the skill, Corey focused on the key hole as he tried to unlock it using it the thin wire.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    A minuteter

    ''Fuck!'' Corey cursed internally.

    He had been trying to open the door but he had been failing which was not actually surprising considering that:

    Corey has never tried to pick a lock before today, his lock picking skill was just level 1 and Corey was anything but calm to try and pick the lock correctly.

    Just as Corey was about to try again. He heard a sound.

    Bam Bam Bam Bam

    Corey hearing the sound was curious, so he crouched a little and looked up.

    And the moment he did, he saw the tier 1 creature walk through the door to this underground parking lot.

    Corey''s eyes widened and just as he was about to bend and hide, the creature turned it''s head and looked at Corey causing Corey to freeze on the spot, not due to fear but shock.

    "¡­"

    He looked at the creature with a nk and shocked look and the creature stared back at him.

    As Corey looked into the creature''s eyes, a word kept on repeating in his mind.

    ''HOW?!!''

    --------

    IMPORTANT INFO, DON''T SKIP. IT''S ACTUALLY IMPORTANT, SO DON''T SKIP. ITS ALSO LONG. SORRY ABOUT THAT

    [A/N: Ahem Ahem.

    First, for some of y''all that might be wondering if it''s every chapter Anon22 would be having an important info, it''s not my fault you know.

    The blessings and good things just keep oning and I want to share them all with you( It''s not money by the way, so don''t think it''s money. I''m so broke at the moment. I only have around 7 dors in my ount.) :)

    Moving on from that, I have various things I want, no, HAVE TO SAY!

    First, if you''ve seen the page of my book, you''ll see that my book is now officially contracted with Webnovel. Thanks a lot for your support guys. I''m really really grateful for every single way you have supported me and my book. I appreciate it.

    Second, as I promised. I''m going to do a few things.

    Now that you can vote with golden tickets, I''m going to do what I did previously with power stones. Which is:

    For the FIRST FIVE people that drop at LEAST TWO golden tickets for my novel, I will use their NAMES in my novel and they can also request for specific wishes if they want.

    ALSO, for every FIFTEEN Golden Tickets, I will drop ONE bonus chapter.

    Now apart from using golden tickets. There''s also gift.

    I want to actually say something but I think I''ll say it on another day. Anyway back to the gifts.

    For every Gift that is worth at LEAST 5000 COINS. I will drop ONE bonus chapter and for the FIRST FIVE people that drop a gift worth at least 5000 coins, I will also use your names in my novel and you can request for specific wishes.

    So that means, there are three ways y''all can get bonus chapters:

    15 Golden tickets = 1 Bonus chapter

    30 Golden tickets= 2 Bonus Chapters

    45 Golden tickets= 3 Bonus Chapters

    5000 Coins= 1 Bonus Chapter

    10000 Coins= 2 Bonus Chapters

    150000 Coins= 3 Bonus Chapters

    30 power stones= 1 Bonus Chapters

    60 power stones= 2 Bonus Chapters

    90 power stones= 3 Bonus Chapters

    You know, when I see the numerous ways I''ve given you guys to gain bonus chapters, cold sweat literally flows down my forehead thinking of how much writing I''ll have to do.

    Most writers don''t give out bonus chapters unless it''s for gifts and it''s actually understandable because writing is very hard, especially writing every day.

    Sometimes I just want to take a day off and rx but when I think of how some of you might be waiting for a new chapter, I''m like

    "Nah man. You can''t take a break. You have to write for the readers."

    So like I''ve always been doing, I will grit my teeth and write even though I don''t feel like or I''m a little bit tired to give you guys those bonus chapters if you guys meet the requirements I set.

    I''m ready to work hard for you guys, so you guys should also do your part.

    I BELIEVE IN YOU ALL!!!!!

    Oh onest thing, it''s actually thest.

    So please guys like really PLEASE, drop gifts for me. You know I promised that until I finish the first volume, I won''t go premium and I definitely intend to keep my promise.

    But please, going premium and having privileged chapters is a very important part of how authors make their money.

    So me not going premium is not because I don''t want the money, I definitely want it, I was not joking when I said I only had around 7 dors left.

    I''m not going premium because of you guys. So please drop gifts, even if it''s a c. It''s not too small.

    Thanks Y''all and sorry for the short chapter, I''m not fully healed yet but I''m definitely better.

    Hopefully by tomorrow, I''ll be fully healed and I''ll be at my best.

    Have a great day/night.

 Chapter 38 38: Coreys New Mortal Enemy

    ?As Corey looked into the eyes of the creature, he could not help wonder how it found him so quickly.

    ''Was it just a coincidence?''

    Corey thought and the more he thought about it, the more he felt like it was actually a coincidence.

    ''My luck is absolutely shit.''

    Corey wailed internally, then quickly stood and turned towards the door.

    "Look. That''s the bastard!!"

    He heard Mat''s roar in the distance but ignoring Mat or whatever wasing after him, he quickly kicked the door with full force.

    He couldn''t be bothered to try and open the door quietly anymore when his life could be ended in seconds.

    "Fucking open!"

    Corey yelled with frustration and anger seeing the metal door not open even after he kicked it with his super human strength.

    Bam

    He kicked it once again but the door still didn''t open.

    "Fuck!"

    Crash!

    Bam!

    Corey could hear more car rms re behind him and also the sounds of lots of things been getting destroyed was louder.

    Corey looked behind him and he saw the creature walking towards him while crushing any unfortunate vehicle that was on it''s path beneath it''s feet.

    He also saw Mat and Mac running towards him with Mat having a wide grin on his face.

    Corey seeing all of this quickly turned back to the door with his heart beating faster than normal and his eyes looking at the door with hatred.

    Corey officially hates doors now.

    Apart from Smileys, doors were among the top of his dislike list.

    How many times would doors almost cause his death?

    How many fucking times!!!

    As he looked at the door with eyes full of hatred, his mind spun on how to destroy the damn door in front of him for a few seconds before he remembered a skill.

    Iron skin

    Using the skill, his skin turned slightly grey and he felt his body be heavier.

    Hoping the skill would work, he looked at the door with cold eyes.

    "You stupid door, fucking OPEN!!"

    Kicking the door while pouring all his hatred towards doors into his kick, the door as if frightened by his weird hatred towards it finally opened.

    "Finally!"

    Corey eximed with joy seeing the door finally open and he deactivated Iron Skin.

    Not wanting to waste anymore time, Corey ran into the room.

    He ran for a few meters and his expression brightened when he saw various machines and also some unfinished androids and robots.

    ''I''m in the storage room.'' Corey thought with happiness.

    Now that he was in the underground storage room, his n was almostplete and his chances of survival would increase exponentially if he couldplete it.

    Thinking of how close he was to sess, he increased his speed but after running for at least 10m, there was a turning to the right he had to take if he did not want to reach a dead end so he took it.

    And just as he did,

    "Fuck!" He cursed.

    And with a frightened expression he tried to stop but he could not due to him running with his full speed and to his horror, he got closer and closer to therge hole which was in the room.

    "Shit shit shit shit!"

    Corey cursed repeatedly and just when he thought he would fall into therge hole, he was able to stop just as the edge of the hole.

    With his hands outstretched forward, his pupils dted, his breathing extremely erratic and his heart beating so fast that it almost leaped out of his chest, Corey stood there frozen in shock and fear for a few seconds before he calmed down slightly.

    He dropped his hands and he tried to calm his erratic beating heart and breath.

    He looked down into the hole and he saw that he could see no end to the hole from where he was. The deeper Corey looked into the hole, the less he could see even with his night vision. The hole became so dark that he could see nothing.

    Corey released a breath and wanted to take a step back away from this hole.

    But just as he took a step back, he heard a sound beneath his feet.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Crack

    "Oh no."

    He wanted to jump but before he could, the ground beneath him cracked and he¡­ obviously fell.

    "Fuck me sideways!"

    Corey cursed as he fell. He then brought out Smile Reaper and stabbed it into the wall which was just a few meters away from him.

    Despite Smile Reaper been stabbed into the wall, Corey still slid down the wall for at least 15m before he stopped.

    Corey exhaled and inhaled a few times then he looked down, looking for the safest ce he could put his leg.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    After finding a ce to put his leg, he looked up and seeing that the top was not too far, he ced Smile Reaper into his robe pocket and started climbing, all the while cursing.

    "What did I expect?

    For my n to work perfectly especially when there were doors involved?

    Why would it work?

    Doors hate me

    And I hate them too

    I mean doors are my mortal enemies now

    I hate them so much

    They''re just a source of bad luck."

    Corey clicked his tongue then looked up, his speed of climbing was not fast enough for him.

    Mat, Mac and the creature would soon reach this room anytime soon and if that happened, he would have no choice but to take his chances and jump into this abyss beneath him.

    Although his chances of survival with the abyss would be slim, at least he might have a chance of survival but with him facing Mat, Mac and the creature, he would definitely not be able to survive.

    Knowing all of this, Corey stopped climbing and looked to the top, a calcting light in his eyes.

    A secondter, he brought out Smile Reaper and held it with his right hand. He looked at his feet and tapped the rock he was currently standing on a little.

    Finding it to be stable, Corey tightened his muscles on his legs and jumped.

    The rock beneath his legs got destroyed causing Corey''s jump to not reach it''s full potential but it did not matter to him because the distance he covered was way higher than when he climbed using his hands.

    Reaching the peak of his jump, he stabbed Smile Reaper firmly into the wall and after bncing himself, he found a ce he could put his foot and jumped again.

    After bncing himself from his second jump, he wanted to jump again but he heard a sounding from below.

    He could not hear it properly, so he looked down with a frown and just as he did, he felt the rock he was holding vibrate slightly and he could hear a sound, though it was faint.

    Hiiiisssssss

    Corey''s eyes widened hearing the sound and without wasting a single second, he jumped but this time, it was not a normal jump but a super jump.

    The rock beneath his feet broke apart immediately and Corey jump was way higher than his previous ones.

    He got so close to the top that he''ll only need to use his hands at most seven times to reach the top but Corey did not care about that all.

    He could hear his danger sense skill warning him that the creature or thinging towards him was dangerous to him.

    Corey not wanting to take any chances used super jump once again and flew above the top.

    A secondter, gravity took ce and Corey was brought back to the floor, though he was close to the hole.

    Corey immediately moved away from the hole and looked around quickly.

    He could see that the room he was in actually had robots and androids because he could see their remains but the room, the androids and the robots were destroyed beyond repair.

    Corey ignored all of this and looked for where to hide.

    He looked at the entrance he used to enter this ce and he saw some destroyedrge machines close to the entrance and his eyes lit up.

    He quickly ran to the machines and hid behind it the best way he learnt from his skill Undercover.

    He definitely could not leave the way he came from because he knew that Mat, Mac and the tier 1 creature coulde at any time and if he did not hide, he would definitely die if he decided to leave the room the same way he came from.

    And just as Corey expected, Mat, Mac and the creature came out of the entrance with the creature at the front.

    And the moment they entered, a creature also rose from therge hole in the room.

    A giant green snake.

    The moment it appeared, it locked eyes on the tier 1 creature and the tier 1 creature also looked at it causing the tension in the room to increase.

    Meanwhile Corey seeing the giant snake only had one thought in his mind.

    ''At least it''s a normal creature this time around.''

 Chapter 39 39: Chase

    ?As Corey looked at the stare down that was urring between the giant green snake and the bizarre creature,

    his eyes moved back and forth from the bizarre creature to the giant green snake while wishing for the two monsters to fight and if possible kill each other.

    ''Fight, fight you damn monsters.

    Fight, kill yourselves and let me find an opportunity to escape.''

    Corey thought while looking at the two monsters which were still staring at each other.

    Corey did not know why the monsters kept on looking at one another but if there was one thing he finally knew as he kept on staring at them, it was the names and tiers of the two monsters.

    The bizarre creature was called a cursed chimera ording to Record, while the giant green snake was called a demi-basilisk.

    And both of these creatures were tier 1 creatures.

    Although ording to Record they were tier 1 creatures, Corey had a feeling that the demi-basilisk was more deadly than the cursed chimera. This feeling was based on the number of simted battles he had gone through in The Library Of Records and not on actual facts.

    Corey looked away from the two tier 1 monsters and looked at Mat and Mac. He was wondering why they had not said a single word, especially the idiot Mat.

    But as he observed the brothers, he realized that Mat and Mac had solemn looks as they looked at the demi-basilisk. Corey could see that they didn''t dare to move at all and they even had sweat dripping down their faces.

    Step

    Step

    Step

    Step

    Just as Corey was wondering what the hell was going on, he heard very light footsteps that if it were any lighter, it would be as silent as his because of his passive skill, silent steps.

    Corey looked at the entrance where the source of the light footsteps was and just as he did, his eyes widened, his breath quickened slightly and he cursed internally.

    ''Fuck me sideways.''

    Walking into the room was Mr. Handsome and Perfect in all his majesty.

    Despite wearing ck sneakers, ck trousers and a ck shirt, his tall, lean and muscr physique made the clothes look better than normal.

    Normally it was the clothes that made the man but this time in a weird way, the man made the clothes.

    His cold and indifferent blue eyes first looked at the two monsters in the room before looking at the brothers.

    "Where is Zane?"

    Corey hearing that question quickly stopped looking at Kyle or anyone else and tried to hide his entire presence and being.

    Meanwhile Mat and Mac had solemn and fearful expressions hearing Kyle''s question, especially Mat.

    "I''m sorry leader, I lost track of him when I was following him down here, when-"

    "Did I ask for your apology or stories? I said, Where Is Zane?" Kyle cut off Mat who was speaking, with an indifferent expression and tone.

    "We don''t know where he is Leader. He ran and we followed him, but when we came here, all we saw was your pet, Baal." Mat gestured to the demi-basilisk as he quickly corrected himself and gave a short answer.

    Meanwhile Corey: ''Did I just jump from the frying pan into the fire?''

    Corey thought with a depressed expression as he heard Mat''s words.

    Never in his wildest dreams did he think the demi-basilisk would be Kyle''s pet.

    All his ns had been futile from the onset. It was never destined to work and he guessed the reason Kyle was calm ever since he ran was because he knew that if he chose toe here, then there was no way of escaping.

    In fact when he thought about it, why won''t Kyle guess that he woulde here since it was not a secret that there was an underground storage room that contained androids and robots.

    With him running underground, Kyle must have guessed his ns and he knew there was no way for it to work.

    As Corey realized all of this, he felt extremely stupid despite his talent and high intelligence.

    ''I guess having omniscience and high intelligence won''t give me the ability to make the best decisions at all times.

    I need to think more and utilize my talent and intelligence more.'' Corey thought.

    Despite Corey''s ''character development'', his situation which was already bad was just about to get a lot worse.

    Kyle after hearing Mat''s words looked at Baal, the demi-basilisk and the demi-basilisk also turned towards him, finally turning it''s gaze away from the cursed chimera. It swayed towards him and lowered it''s head towards him.

    "Where is Zane?"

    Kyle asked and the demi-basilisk flicked it''s tongue a few times before it raised it''s head slightly then looked at a certain direction.

    The direction?

    Exactly where Corey was hiding.

    The entire room became silent and every eyes turned towards Corey''s hiding spot.

    Sweat dripped down Corey''s head as he continuously cursed his rotten luck and was begging for the demi-basilisk to have gotten his location wrong.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    He wanted to take a peek but he could not risk it. There was a high chance that if the demi-basilisk got his location wrong, the entire group would find him.

    Just as Corey was weighing his options, he heard Kyle speak.

    "Zane, If youe out now, I promise to grant you a painless death. Don''t worry, I''ll kill you myself."

    Corey had a strange expression on his face and he wondered what kind of nonsense and stupid persuasive words Kyle was using.

    He ignored Kyle''s words and thought of how to get out of his predicament, then he heard Kyle take a step and speak.

    Step

    "Zane, Do you want me to exin why I''m doing this?"

    "..." Corey

    Step

    "Do you want me to tell you what actually happened to our friends?"

    "..." Corey

    Step

    "Do you want me to tell you the location of Ba?"

    "..." Corey

    Step

    "Do you also want me to tell you how she actually feels about you?"

    Just as Kyle said those words, Corey whose fists were clenched and his body trembling, could not take it anymore and shouted.

    "Fuck you bastard!"

    And just as he did, he saw a lightning bolt shoot towards him from Kyle who was at least 5 meters away from him.

    ''Focus''

    Using his talent skill, Corey entered his focused state and calmly dodged the lightning bolt.

    After dodging the bolt of lightning, he quickly dashed to the entrance and ran with full speed.

    Mat wasted not a single second and chased after Corey immediately. Mac followed his brother, not wanting Mat to lose Corey due to the difference in their agility.

    Meanwhile Kyle, the cursed chimera and the demi-basilisk just stood there looking at all three running.

    Kyle looked at the cursed chimera and spoke.

    "Chase after him but fly this time around."

    The cursed chimera giggled like a mischievous little girl, then pped it''s wings allowing it to float above the ground. After floating above the ground, it looked at the demi-basilisk and threw it a ''triumphant smirk'' before it flew away, chasing after Corey.

    The demi-basilisk agitated by the cursed chimera was about to chase after Corey also but Kyle raised his hand up, telling it to stop.

    "Don''t go after him on the surface, go underground and chase him."

    Kyle pointed to the hole and the demi-basilisk nodded it''s head in understanding and slid back into the hole, leaving Kyle alone in the room.

    He looked at the hole where the demi-basilisk disappeared into and various thoughts appeared in his mind.

    ''I wonder if it finally found something.''N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Kyle thought absentmindedly then sighed and rubbed his neck.

    "Zane o Zane, just die will you and stop acting like a cockroach. I have other things I have to do."

    Saying those words, Kyle finally left the room and went after Corey but with calm and unrushed steps.

    He was the next Supreme Magus.

    His destiny is to be above all and below none.

    A simple Zane could not shake his destiny in any way or form.

    -----

    [A/N: Thank you all to everyone that''s dropping power stones and also the TWO people that have dropped GOLDEN TICKETS.

    Like I said, I''ll create a character with your name and give you an ability based on what you requested.

    So PEOPLE, if you want your name and wish in the novel, drop at LEAST TWO GOLDEN TICKETS and I''ll put you.

    Only THREE people left. Don''t let this opportunity go.

 Chapter 40 40: Fast And Furious

    ?''I hate this

    If I had powerful offensive skills I would have a chance in defending myself and causing harm to those bastards, but I don''t

    If I survive, I''m getting offensive skills¡­ and a new weapon.''

    Although Corey was frustrated due to his situation, he was calm and his mind was rapidly thinking of how to survive.

    He was no longer the inexperienced boy who was running away from a low level smiley with an extremely frightened expression.

    He had gained experiences from the male dormitory, the time when he left the cafeteria and mainly from the virtual room of The Library Of Records.

    Due to all of this, he has learnt, not mastered, how to be calm in situations like this.

    He looked back and saw Mat and Mac a few meters behind him with Mac in front of the duo.

    Just as he was about to turn his head, his eyes widened when he saw the cursed chimera flying towards him. It easily surpassed the duo and zoomed towards Corey causing the hair on Corey''s body to rise in rm.

    ''Focus''

    Time slowed in Corey''s eyes and in the next three seconds, the cursed chimera got close to Corey and opened it''s mouth, wanting to devour him but Corey crouched perfectly, dodging the mouth of the chimera while looking up at the chimera with a calm expression.

    His eyes moved to the left wing of the chimera and with calm movements he pierced at the left wing of the chimera and due to the chimera moving at high speed, it''s wings which should not be injured easily by someone like Corey was injured.

    Although the injury was notrge, just 2 feet in size, the chimera screamed in pain and fell to the ground causing a loud bang.

    Corey still in his focused state ran towards the chimera which was now trying to get up, though it was struggling due to the injury from the wing.

    As soon as Corey was around 3 meters away from the chimera he jumped over the chimera, not bothering to attack it at all.

    But just as he jumped, he felt killing intent behind him and he could hear and feel the wind behind him getting disturbed due to his focused state.

    Knowing he could not turn behind him immediately, he used the only defensive skill he had, Iron Skin and tried to twist his body to the left to at least not let whatever wasing for him get his body urately.

    A second after Corey twisted his body an arrow pierced through his right chestpletely ignoring his iron body.

    Corey coughed out blood then looked at the arrow head protruding out of his chest with slight shock.

    Bam

    Bam

    Corey fell and tumbled twice on the ground causing him to groan in pain. He struggled to get up but his sight was blurry and his mind felt muddled.

    He deactivated his focused state and bit the tip of his tongue to wake himself up and after it worked to a certain point, he quickly shook his head then groaned as he got up.

    As his eyes cleared up, he saw Mat and Mac running towards him while holding their weapons.

    Knowing Mat''s weapon, he looked at Mac who was holding a beautiful blue bow as he ran.

    Corey looked at the blue bow before he looked at the arrow in his chest.

    With clenched teeth he held the arrow by the head and pulled it out of his chest in one fell swoop.

    He coughed violently but a secondter, he quickly suppressed his cough and began running while holding the arrow.

    The distance between him and the brothers had decreased so he could not waste a single second.

    After running for at least 25 seconds Corey found the door which led outside this death trap, so he clenched his teeth, resisted the pain in his right chest and sped up.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Whoosh!

    But just as he was about to reach the door, he could hear the sound of somethingrgeing at him at a very fast speed.

    He quickly dodged to the left and saw Mat''s great sword speeding past him then it went through the open door mming into a car with great force.

    Just as he was about to continuing running towards the door, two sharp objects pierced him.

    One through his nose and the other into his right shoulder.

    "Hmmmm!!!"

    Corey groaned and bent in pain. He wanted to kneel but he knew he could not waste anymore time, so he resisted which was easier due to his level 3 pain resistance.

    He held the arrow which was stuck in his nose by the head and yanked it out of his nose with full force. He groaned in pain but knowing that time was of the essence, he also removed the arrow which was stuck in his right shoulder, this time he could ignore the pain since the arrow was not in a fragile and weak ce.

    He held the two arrows with the previous arrow and ran towards the door while cursing Mac in his head so many times.

    ''Who the fuck shoots an arrow through somebody''s nose?!

    Why the fuck would you shoot an arrow through my nose?!

    My precious nose!<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    I''ll have my revenge you bastard!!''

    Meanwhile as Corey was cursing Mac, Mac and Mat were currently dumbfounded as they kept on chasing Corey.

    "What the hell?! Does that guy feel no pain?" Mat wondered as he looked at Corey who was running at full speed.

    "How do you expect me to know?! I expected him not to get up after the first arrow but he did.

    That one surprised me but now this?

    This is abnormal

    An arrow through the nose should drive an average human unimaginable pain." Mac said and wondered what magic Corey was using to resist the pain he was meant to be feeling.

    "Are we even sure the guy is human.

    There were so many times we expected him to die but he just won''t die

    He would narrowly dodge the attacks of the chimera and sometimes he would just disappear from our eyes

    Even his speed is way higher than we expected

    Something about this guy just doesn''t feel right."

    Mat said and if Corey heard Mat''s words, he would be surprised and shocked because he would never expect Mat to think that much.

    Mac looked at Mat for a second before facing the front, he passed through the door which led outside followed by Mat.

    Mac looked around for Corey but then he frowned, with all the vehicles around, finding Corey would be difficult if he decided to hide.

    Well, at least that''s for him and Mat.

    If Corey thought that hiding could save him, when The Leaderes, he would definitely be in for a big surprise.

    Vroom! Vroom!

    Just as Mac was thinking that Corey decided to hide, the sound of a bike sounded in his ears.

    He looked at the source and saw Corey on one of the fastest bikes in their city driving towards the exit of the underground car park.

    Mac had a look of shock before he ran and shouted.

    "Stop worrying about Corey and let''s go!

    He probably just put most of his free attribute points into agility and must have a lot of luck!

    Let''s go! He must not escape!"

    Mac said hurriedly then ran to the fastest car he could see and entered the passenger''s seat.

    Mat who had already retrieved his great sword put it into his inventory then ran to the driver''s seat of the car.

    Pressing a button to start the ignition, the car roared to life and Mat drove off, continuing the chase after Corey.

    Ten secondster, the entrance to the storage room was sted open and the cursed chimera flew in Corey''s direction but this time, it had an angry expression on it''s face¡­ or skull.

    --------

    [A/N: I need to ask an important question rted to the females that read my book.

    If you could be granted a wish, what would it be?

    After some chapters, a few female characters would be introduced and I''m not sure what abilities to give them.

    I have some ideas but I would appreciate it if you guys could also tell me yours.

    And if none replies, I''ll just use mine.

    Also, to the two people that dropped golden tickets, I n on bringing in your characters in volume 2.

    I''m saying it so that when you don''t see your character in volume 1, you won''t say I''ve forgotten or I lied.

    Thanks to the people that voted using power stones.

    Don''t forget to vote y''all.

    This is thest chapter I''m owing you guys by the way.

    Have a great day/night.

 Chapter 41 41: Monster

    ?"I should have just ran away with this bike a long time ago"

    Corey muttered as he swerved the bike to the right, dodging the outstretched hands of a Smiley.

    Woosh

    Just as he dodged the Smiley an arrow shot past his face.

    "The fuck!"

    Corey turned back and saw Mac in a car nocking another arrow while aiming at him.

    Corey quickly faced the front and cursed.

    "Motherfuckers. Can''t you just leave me alone!"

    Vroom!

    Corey sped up his bike and dodged whatever was on his way.

    Whether Smileys, cars or even ck Smileys.

    Just as he was moving, he saw a pile of cars smashed together. His eyes lit up seeing the cars and he sped towards it.

    Using it as an inclination, he drove on the cars and flew into the air, gaining height and distance.

    "Woohoooo!!!!"

    Corey shouted with excitement despite his dangerous situation. He had only done this a few times with his friends when he just entered the academy, so doing this again gave him a sort of excitement he just could not supress.

    Just as Corey was reveling in his excitement, he felt his skin tingle and his danger sense warned him of danger.

    He turned back and his eyes widened.

    "Not again."

    Corey said with a frustrated expression as he saw the cursed chimera flying towards him. He gulped as he felt the killing intent of the monster.

    ''Focus''

    As time slowed in Corey''s eyes, Corey quickly removed a string from his robe and spun it round the right handle of the bike.

    After doing that, he turned and faced the cursed chimera which was already close to Corey and for the first time, it used it''s hands and swiped at Corey. It''s sharp ws dangerously close to Corey.

    Corey saw the wsing towards him and with a calm expression, he jumped up, dodging the ws and leaving the bike which continued to fall to the ground.

    Up in the air, without thefort of the ground, Corey looked at the cursed chimera which was also looking at him from below.

    The cursed chimera lunged at Corey and swiped his ws at him once again but Corey twisted in mid air trying to dodge the ws, but just as he thought he dodged the ws sessfully, his left arm was grazed by one of the ws causing blood to spill out.

    He clicked his tongue in annoyance seeing his wound.

    ''Now I definitely need a new cloth or robe again.''

    Just as Corey had this thought, the cursed chimera got annoyed that the cockroach in front of him just refused to die, so it swiped it''s other ws at Corey.

    Corey not wanting to take his chances dodging the attack looked at the bike which was still moving.

    Corey spun his right hand and just as he did, his body suddenly jerked in the direction of the bike, narrowly dodging the chimera''s w.

    The chimera not wanting Corey to escape flew towards Corey with a fast speed and once again wed at Corey.

    ng

    Bang!

    "Cough"

    Corey coughed out saliva as he was mmed unto the ground after trying to block the ws of the chimera with his smile reaper.

    The difference in strength between him and the chimera felt like it was world''s apart.

    He tried to get up from the floor but when he looked up, his eyes widened and he cursed.

    "Shit."

    He quickly jumped to the right then,

    Bang!

    Stones and dust flew into the air as the chimera flew down and mmed it''s foot on Corey''s previous spot.

    Corey picked up Smile Reaper which was beside him and was also the main reason Corey jumped to the right.

    He quickly stood and started running towards the bike which had fallen ever since he shed with the ws of the chimera.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    While running, he resisted the pain he was feeling throughout his entire body. Curious about the chimera he looked back and saw that the chimera was not chasing him. He guessed that due to the dust, it could not see him.

    Corey no longer focused on the chimera and focused on the bike which was in front of him.

    He deactivated his focused state and just as did, he realized that he was beginning to consume his stamina to maintain his focused state.

    ''I don''t have enough mana for focus again.''

    Corey thought grimly as he picked up the bike, jumped on it and started it''s ignition. He ced Smile Reaper in his inventory this time around instead of his pocket in his robe.

    Vroooom!!!

    Not wanting to waste a single second, he drove off.

    Three secondster Corey looked to the back wondering if the chimera was chasing after him since he expected it to chase after him any second from now.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    When he looked at the back he saw that the chimera was still in the same spot with dusts all around it.

    Corey raised an eyebrow seeing that the chimera had not moved even after at least five seconds. Corey seeing that he would not be able to find an answer to the question immediately stopped looking at the chimera and faced the front.

    ''Come to think of it. Where are the bastard brothers.''

    Corey thought and just as he had this thought,

    CRASH!!!

    TUMBLE!!

    BANG!!

    "Hahaha!! Finally caught that bastard!"

    Matughed with a gleeful smile as he looked at Corey who just tumbled uncontrobly after they crashed into him and his bike with their car.

    "Let''s go. We need to make sure he doesn''t escape this time around." Mac said as he got down from their destroyed car and walked towards Corey who was on the floor motionless.

    Mat followed but then he stopped and so did Mac.

    A look of shock and also slight fear appeared on their faces as they saw Corey who they assumed to at least be dead or unconscious struggle to stand.

    "Monster." Mat muttered with slight fear in his tone seeing Corey still alive and conscious.

    Mac remained silent but he felt the same way his brother was feeling.

    "Fuck."

    A curse escaped the mouth of the monster before them as he struggled to stand firmly.

    He swayed slightly and coughed out blood a few times before his eyes and mind became slightly clear.

    He looked at the shocked duo and then looked at his right arm which was clearly dislocated from his shoulder.

    He held his right arm with his left hand and popped it back into his shoulder. Not a whimper came out from his mouth, just his eyes had be colder.

    He clenched and unclenched his fists a few times before nodding with satisfaction.

    He looked at the duo who were still frozen in shock, then he inhaled and exhaled before¡­

    He turned around and ran.

    -------

    [A/N: Sorry for posting this chapter sote.

    When I was writing this chapter earlier today, I wanted to make it a car chase or something like fast and furious (The Movie) but I realized that writing a car chase wouldn''t work.

    Another reason for me beente is because I was thinking of how to make this chapter thest chapter of the chase ongoing between Corey and Kyle''s group.

    I''ll try to make it end by the next chapter because even I''m getting tired of writing this chase.

    I don''t know if you guys are also getting tired, if you guys are, don''t worry I''ll try to end it in the next chapter even if the chapter would not be very interesting.

    This is thest chapter I''m owing you guys by the way.

    I''m going to be releasing one chapter per day now unless you guys meet the requirements for a bonus chapter.

    I''m writing one chapter per day because I want to have more time to write the privilege chapters.

    Later guys

    Have a great day/night.

 Chapter 42 42: Cockroach

    ?As Corey ran, the brothers were brought out of their shocked state and Mat cursed.

    "Shit! He''s running again!

    He must not escape!"

    Mat chased after Corey and Mac also followed, overtaking Mat immediately.

    Despite the fact that the brothers were the chasers, they were feeling slight fear and anxiety because they were chasing a monster that just refused to die no matter what they did.

    They just not imagine how Corey survived a crash of that magnitude even if he was stronger than an average human.

    Just the thought of Corey been immortal made a chill run through their spines.

    If Corey could listen to their thoughts, he would definitely find it amusing and he would also be envious.

    If Corey was immortal, there was no way he would be in the situation he was currently in.

    He would have killed the brothers and also the cursed chimera even if he had to sacrifice parts of his body.

    As for how he survived the crash?

    When the car was close to him and he realized he had no way to dodge, he quickly used the only defensive skill he had, iron skin and braced himself for impact.

    The iron skin obviously could not fully protect him but at least it preserved his life.

    His body was obviously in a lot of pain but how many times has his body been wrecked, destroyed and broken down beyond recovery in the virtual space of The Library Of Records.

    It was painful, yes.

    In fact, very painful, but Corey could not allow himself to lose consciousness because of the pain.

    He did not want to die yet, especially when he has not seen his family.

    Especially after all he had gone through.

    He refused to die, especially at the hands of bastards like the duo behind him and Kyle.

    With cold eyes and determination, Corey forced his bloodied and pain filled body to run.

    To run and live.

    Corey looked around as he ran, then he saw an alley to his right and his eyes shed. He abruptly turned to the right causing the brother''s faces to darken slightly.

    Mac who was the closest to Corey sped up immediately then turned to the alley also, but the moment he did, a frustrated expression appeared on his face.

    Three secondster, Mat also turned to the alley and when he saw his brother looking around, his face also darkened.

    "The bastard escaped again didn''t he?"

    Although he was not the smartest, he was not stupid. Seeing his brother looking around while Corey was nowhere to be found made him realize the frustrating fact that Corey had escaped from their sight.

    Again!

    What kind of magic trick was this!

    Mat thought frustratingly as he walked up to Mac.

    "Do you have an idea where he might be?" Mat asked Mac and also looked around but the more he looked, the more frustrated he became.

    There was nothing but two garbage bins in the alley. There was nothing else somebody could use to hide.

    "Destroy those garbage bins. I didn''t check the garbage bins in case he''s trying to hide and sneak attack me."

    Mac gestured to the garbage bins and Mat frowned as he looked at them.

    "Stay behind me." Mat warned and Mac''s body swayed before it disappeared and reappeared five meters behind Mat.

    Mat seeing that his brother was far enough brought his giant sword from his inventory and held it with two hands.

    A red aura appeared on his great sword and the air around it became violent.

    "Berserk sh!"

    Mat roared then shed out horizontally, releasing a horizontal crimson light that was so wide that it cut into the walls of the buildings of the alley.

    The crimson light kept on moving forward for at least ten meters before it disappeared, cutting everything that was in it''s path.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "He''s not here."

    Mat had a frown on his face as he looked at the fallen halves of the garbage bins which was devoid of a Corey.

    Mac walked up to Mat and also had a frown on his face. He looked around, wondering if he missed anything but he could not find a ce where Corey could have disappeared to.

    Unless¡­

    Mac looked up and there he saw a window on both buildings of the alley. A smile appeared on his face.

    "I''ve-"

    Just as he was about to speak, he paused and a strange expression appeared on his face. His eyes moved away from the window and looked up in the sky.

    "What happened? Do you know where he is?" Mat noticing his brother''s strange state also looked up in the sky and a strange expression appeared on his face also.

    Three secondster, Mac exhaled then spoke quietly, for only Mat to hear.

    "Leader said we should leave."

    Mat instantlyplied and turned around with Mac, leaving the alley.

    Meanwhile Corey who was watching the duo leave from the window of the left building had a confused expression.

    He looked at the sky from the window but he could not see a thing nor could he hear what the Mac told Mat.

    "The hell is going on?" Corey muttered then sighed as his body slumped against the wall tiredly.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    He took in deep breaths and then closed his eyes.

    ''I want to sleep.''

    Corey thought then opened his eyes and looked at the door of the room he was in.

    He doesn''t know what the ns of the brothers were but he knew that if they dared to enter the room through the door, one of them would definitely be sent to the afterlife.

    Meanwhile up in the air, a man wearing all ck clothes and shoes stood calmly while gazing down at the building Corey was in with an annoyed gaze.

    "You step on a cockroach, ites back to life

    You smash a cockroach with something heavy, it can stille back to life

    The only way to kill a cockroach, is to burn it down, then tear it into pieces."

    Kyle muttered then opened up his palm, a small tornado of fire hovered above his hand slowly growing bigger by the second.

    Three secondster, Kyle then turned his hands upside down, letting the tornado of fire fall unto the building Corey was in.

    Looking at the tornado of fire dropping at the location of his past friend with cold eyes, he spoke.

    "Agrandir."

    Woosh!!!

    The wind became turbulent and within the three seconds, the fire tornado expanded and engulfed the building Corey was in.

    But the moment it did,

    Crash!

    A figure jumped out of the window of the building trying to reach the other building.

    Kyle seeing the figure had a small smile.

    "A cockroach indeed."

    "That''s why you must cut it up into pieces to make sure it doesn''t survive."

    Kyle muttered and looked as the figure climbed to the roof of the building and started running on the roof.

    -------

    [A/N: I know I said that this would be thest chase chapter, but well some things happened and the next chapter is actually thest chase chapter.]

 Chapter 43 43: Back To The Dormitory

    ?Meanwhile Corey,

    "Hot! Hot! Hot! That''s fucking hot damn it!"

    Corey cursed as he patted various parts of his clothes and body that were currently on fire.

    "Fucking bastard." Corey growled while running, ignoring the zing heat behind him.

    He didn''t need to look for the person that attacked him. He knew the person and he knew his location.

    "This is so fucking unfair.

    Why does the bastard have so many abilities

    Isn''t that cheating

    I knew my talent would not be able to protect me at all

    This was why I wanted a fucking new talent!"

    Just as Corey wasmenting and was about to jump to another building, he heard a whistling sound and his expression changed drastically.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Shit."

    BANG!!

    The building beneath him got destroyed and a giant head with tworge fangs appeared beneath Corey with it''s mouth opened.

    "Fuck!"

    Corey tried to jump to the next building but the appearance of the demi-basilisk was too sudden, so he failed and fell.

    "Fucking beast!"

    Corey quickly brought out Smile Reaper from his inventory and tried to stab it into the body of the demi-basilisk, expecting it pierce through since he was inside it''s body and the inside was always weaker than the outside, but,

    ng!

    Crack

    "¡­"

    Corey looked at the broken Smile Reaper in his hand with a dazed expression.

    "My Smile Reaper."

    Corey said with a depressed tone and expression.

    He gave it a second of silence then ced the broken Smile Reaper in his inventory. He then focused and looked up, where he could see the rapidly closing mouth of the demi-basilisk.

    ''Focus''

    Despite the fact that Focus would drain his stamina, he entered his focused state knowing he would need it.

    As Corey''s brain worked on overdrive, in less than a second he already thought of a way to escape dying inside the body of the beast.

    He looked to the front then ced both of his legs on the throat of the snake and used it to push himself backwards.

    Bam

    His back mmed against the opposite part of the throat, reducing his descent drastically.

    Not wanting to waste such an opportunity, he ced both his legs and hands on the body of the demi-basilisk and jumped to the opposite side of the throat.

    ''Super jump''

    He jumped again but this time, he used super jump increasing the distance he covered and he continued this three more times.

    He jumped from one side of the throat to the other using super jump before he got close to the mouth of the demi-basilisk where he could see the fangs of the creature clearly.

    Seeing that he only had a very tight opening to pass through before the mouth fully closed, he jumped once again with all his might using super jump and¡­

    He obviously passed through the tight opening.

    Getting out of the insides of the demi-basilisk, Corey was still in the air and had a smile on his face, happy that he survived.

    But his joy was short-lived when he looked down and noticed that he was far above the ground.

    "Shit."

    Corey cursed then instinctively tried to use Iron Skin but,

    "Shit!

    My mana has finished."

    Corey cursed then decided to brace himself for impact by turning to the side, hoping to reduce the damage his body would take.

    BANG!

    Coreynded on a car, destroying the already destroyed car.

    "Ohhh. Fuck me."

    Corey groaned and cursed as he struggled to get up. He got up and took in deep breaths as he looked around, trying to figure out his situation.

    First of all, he was lucky that hended on a car which reduced the damage he would have taken and thankfully, he was no longer a normal human or he would definitely be dead.

    Second of all, as luck would have it, he was close to his destination, in fact very close to his destination.

    The male dormitory

    That was the only ce he knew that would allow him to lose the two tier 1 creatures controlled by Kyle. If he could lose the tier 1 creatures, he would definitely have a chance to fight back.

    Corey looked around to make sure he was not going to be sneak attacked and after finding that there was nobody around him, which was strange, he took in a deep breath, resisted the pain and exhaustion he was going through and ran towards the male dormitory which was around 20m away from him.

    Just as Corey was ten meters away from the door, he felt his skin tingle and without hesitation, he jumped to the side.

    Bang

    The ground where Corey was got charred as a bolt of lightning struck it from above.

    "You just refuse to die don''t you?"

    A cold voice rang out causing Corey to look back and when he did, he gulped.

    Behind him was Mr. Perfect and Handsome dropping from the air in slow motion, looking like a cool superhero or viin to be precise, with his two pets right behind him.

    As for Mat and Mac?<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Corey didn''t know nor did he care.

    "I didn''t want to-"

    Just as Kyle was speaking, Corey did not bother listening to him and dashed towards the door of the dormitory.

    ''Focus''

    Corey entered his focused state and just as he did, he felt somethinging towards him like lightning.

    He dodged to the right but just as he did, his instincts sent warning bells to him and he rolled once again dodging the ws of the cursed chimera.

    He got up and continued his run and just as he did, he felt the ground shake beneath him.

    Corey jumped using super jump and just as he did, the demi-basilisk appeared beneath him. Not from underneath the ground though, from behind him.

    Coreynded on the body of the demi-basilisk and ran on it, greatly annoying the demi-basilisk. Just as the demi-basilisk was about to coil around itself, Corey quickly jumped using super jump andnded at the door of the dormitory.

    And just as he did, he abruptly swerved to the right dodging a bolt of lightning causing it to destroy the nk Corey had ced on the door handles previously.

    A stunned look appeared on his face and he turned towards Kyle and gave him a thumbs up.

    "Thanks for the assist. Always knew you were a good friend."

    Without waiting for Kyle''s reply, Corey opened the door, ran inside then closed the door.

    The tier 1 creatures moved towards the door wanting to break it down but Kyle spoke, his tone containing anger, frustration and annoyance.

    "Stop!"

    The tier 1 creatures stopped and just as they did. Two voices sounded out.

    "Leader!"

    "Leader!"

    Mat and Mac shouted out loud from afar causing Kyle to look at them, a hint of dissatisfaction appeared in his eyes.

    "Leader did you get the bastard?" Mat been ignorant about Kyle''s expression asked and looked around, expecting to see Corey''s corpse.

    "He escaped." Kyle replied nonchntly then turned back and walked towards the door.

    Meanwhile Mat and Mac were shocked hearing Kyle''s words.

    Although Mac knew that Corey was alive when his brother asked due to him noticing the leader''s dissatisfied expression, he was still shocked.

    He just could not believe that Corey escaped their leader.

    Not only was he shocked, Mat was also.

    Mat and Mac saw Kyle stand in front of the door while pouring a purple liquid on the ground.

    Mat and Mac''s expression changed seeing the purple liquid.

    "Won''t that thing attract a lot of revenants?" Mat asked.

    "That''s the goal." Kyle replied indifferently.

    "But why don''t we enter the building and kill the bastard. Since we''re all together, he should not be able to escape."

    Mac suggested and Kyle who had just finished pouring out all the liquid threw the empty bottle away and formed a ball of water above his hands, using it to clean his hands.

    After cleaning his hands, he spoke.

    "This building is a dungeon."

    Mat and Mac''s eyes widened as they looked at the building with a different light.

    They had gone to a few dungeons before and they knew that if a monster entered the dungeon, it would not be able toe out.

    Which means if the cursed chimera and the demi-basilisk entered the dungeon, they would not be able to leave which would ruin their goals since the two creatures were the key to aplishing their goals.

    Knowing this, they no longer had the idea of attacking Corey in the dungeon.

    Meanwhile Kyle looked at the dungeon with a strange expression.

    ''This is the dungeon where I''m meant to get the divine blood.

    Is it possible for Zane to take it away?

    No!

    It''s not possible!

    It''s my destiny to be great and having that divine blood would make me great

    Zane can never steal my destiny

    It''s impossible

    I''m the supreme magus

    I''m above all.''

    With this thought in Kyle''s head, Kyle walked away from the building and Mat, Mac and the two tier 1 creatures followed.

    ------

    [A/N: And we''re finally done with the chase!!!!

    Fucking Finally!!!!

    There were so many times I just wanted to write, the bad guy attacked and Corey blocked, dodged or got lucky.

    I was damn tired of writing the chase because I want the story to advance.

    I so much want to reach volume 2 or at least the ending of volume 1.

    So right now, our boy Corey is going to gain some power ups but it would not be mad power ups cause the mad power upses when he bes Tier 1.

    Also, please drop power stones, golden tickets and gifts.

    Especially gifts, I''m not making a single cent cause of my promise to y''all, so please even if it''s a c, I appreciate it.

    Have a great day/night people.

 Chapter 44 44: Smile Reaper 2.0

    ?As Kyle and his group walked away from the dormitory, looking for their next set of victims. Corey who was in the dormitory currently had an ted expression as he held a ck spear in his hands.

    "Finally a new weapon."

    Corey spoke with relief then looked at the corpse of the first ever ck smiley he encountered.

    "Thanks for the weapon."

    Corey bowed, then walked towards the storage room on the first floor of the dormitory.

    Behind him were the corpses of the smileys that entered the dormitory with the ck smiley.

    Killing all the normal smileys was not a problem for Corey after entering the dormitory. What gave Corey a slight challenge was the ck smiley which was level 65, 11 levels higher than him.

    On a normal day, Corey would have faced no challenge killing the ck smiley but right now Corey''s body was not in a good shape, at all.

    If Corey did not have a high constitution and also level 3 pain resistance, he would definitely not be able to move.

    In fact he would be dead.

    Due to all the damage Corey''s body had taken, Corey had to use his stamina to enter his focused state so as to kill the ck smiley quickly.

    After killing the ck smiley, Corey took it''s soul stone then took the ck spear which was the weapon of the ck smiley.

    Right now Corey was too weak and tired to bother checking the description of the spear, he just wanted to find a ce to sleep and heal.

    He was happy that he didn''t have to continue running or fighting Kyle and his group anymore so he really, really just wanted to sleep and rest.

    "Please God Of All Doors, let the room behind this door be normal."

    Corey pleaded as he stood in front of the door which lead to the storage room of the first floor.

    He ced his hands on the door handle then he opened the door while gripping his spear tightly, ready to defend against any attack.

    Corey with slight anxiousness looked at the room which was now wide open with cautiousness, expecting the room to have a terrible monster inside like his past experiences with doors.

    But when he saw no monster and only a room that had brooms, buckets, mops and various other stuffs he released a breath of relief.

    He loosened the grip on his spear and walked inside.

    He closed the door, locked it with the lock of the door then moved various stuffs to the front of the door so as to reduce the chances of somebody or something opening the door.

    After doing all of that, Corey cleared a space for himself, groaned as he crouched, then slept on the hard floor while hugging his spear.

    The moment his mind and body rxed, he fell into a deep sleep the next second not knowing the chaos he was going to wake up to.

    (16 hourster)

    Corey moaned softly as his eyes opened, finally bringing him back from the dream world.

    He sat up and yawned, then he looked around.

    He sighed softly realizing that he was not in immediate danger. He moved closer to the wall of the storage room then rested his back on it, his head nted backwards and he closed his eyes for a few seconds, enjoying the silence.

    As his eyes were closed, memories of the past days rushed into his head.

    He remembered everything that happened ever since the apocalypse, how he was constantly in dangerous situations that could end his life once and for all.

    How he had always been running, been escaping.

    First from the Smileys, then from Kyle and his group.

    Remembering Kyle, a slight pain which could not be described in words appeared in his heart.

    He was not extremely hurt by Kyle''s betrayal despite Kyle been one of his closest friends.

    It was not that he did not see Kyle as a friend, it was just that, ever since he got his gift, his talent, at the back of his mind, he knew, he just knew that betrayals would ur a lot in the type of world they were currently living in.

    He just did not expect Kyle to betray him and want to kill him.

    The funniest part?

    He doesn''t even know why Kyle was doing all that he did.

    What was his n? What did he want to achieve?

    Corey did not know.

    The one thing Corey knew was that, he needed something badly.

    Strength

    Power

    He needed to be stronger, much stronger so as to not run away every single time from monsters or people stronger than him.

    He needed strength to avoid been used and killed by people like Kyle.

    Corey was not stupid.

    Ever since Corey left the cafeteria, he was always bothered about something.

    Howe the number of survivors he met was small?

    Howe he rarely met new survivors?

    Corey didn''t know what happened to most of the students but he had a feeling, that it was connected to Kyle.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    This was another reason he needed strength, to avoid a Fate where he would be killed easily just because he was not powerful enough to defend himself.

    Corey was tired of running all the time

    He needed strength to not run all the time.

    Corey did not want to be caught off guard and not have the ability to defend himself.

    He needed strength for that.

    Also, Corey definitely did not want his sister to be stronger than him forever

    So he definitely needed more strength for that.

    "To be stronger

    Much stronger

    There are a few things I must do."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Corey muttered as he looked at his clenched fists. His mind rapidly spun and a look of determination appeared in his eyes.

    His n was crazy, in fact downright crazy. It could cost him his life, but if he could do it, if he could aplish his n, then he would definitelye out stronger than before.

    And to be stronger, he needed three things.

    First, this dungeon or to be more specific, the tier 1 monsters of this dungeon.

    His n was to kill all the tier 1 monsters and absorb their soul stones while at a lower level than the monsters. Doing that would allow his basic attributes to increase a lot while he might also gain skill crystals or even items from the tier 1 creatures.

    It was ambitious and foolish for Corey to have such thoughts on fighting tier 1 monsters when he was literally running from tier 1 creatures not too long ago.

    Which led to the second thing Corey needed for his n to work.

    Corey opened his status window, then willed for the item he bought from the merchant before meeting up Kyle to appear on his hand.

    A ck binocr appeared from nowhere on Corey''s hand.

    This ck binocr was the most important thing he needed to get stronger.

    The binocr was an object that had the properties of a normal binocr, but it was also a binocr that could allow somebody to see through walls, doors and even some barriers.

    With this binocr, he could stay safely behind the door which sealed the tier 1 monsters and he could use it to observe the tier 1 creatures with his Record ability analyzing the monsters.

    If he could record the monsters fully, he could fight the monsters in the virtual space of The Library Of Records.

    He would keep on fighting the tier 1 monsters until he learns every single thing about them and he''s able to kill them in The Library Of Records.

    After knowing all their abilities and also been able to kill them, he would then fight and kill them real life, gaining their soul stones and whatever item or skill they drop.

    It was an idea Corey had ever since he realized the full potential of Record. Corey had ideas on how to utilize Record so well that if all goes well, he would never have to risk his life in battles anymore.

    Thest thing Corey knew he needed a long time ago, was a new weapon.

    Corey had gotten tired of using a dagger due to it''s extremely short reach. It''s short reach was a major disadvantage in his eyes and was the main reason he decided to tie a string to the handle of Smile Reaper.

    Now that Corey got a spear, he felt ted because a spear or a normal sword was the ideal weapon in Corey''s eyes.

    Now that Corey had this spear, he decided to check it out.

    But as he looked at it, he noticed something weird.

    Even when he held it with his right hand the Universal System did not ask him if he wanted to obtain ownership which made him wonder if it was because the spear did not appear from thin air but was the weapon of the ck smiley.

    He didn''t know what the difference was but he didn''t care.

    He looked at the equipment section of his status window and there he saw a change.

    *EQUIPMENTS*

    Broken Ghost Reaper- Red Grade

    Binocrs- Red Grade

    ck Spear- Red Grade

    There were three changes, first there was broken in front of ghost reaper, second, the ghost cloak had disappeared from the equipment section which made sense since Corey knew the cloak had taken so much damage that he was basically wearing rag.

    The third was the addition of the ck spear.

    He checked for the information of the ck spear.

    [BLACK SPEAR: A spear which has high durable properties for a weapon of it''s grade. Can induce fear in non-awakened ghost like entities and has a possibility of inducing slight fear in awakened ghost like entities. Has the ability to hurt and kill ghost like entities that are below Tier 2.]

    Although the spear did not have amazing abilities, Corey was just satisfied he had a new weapon and ording to the Universal System, it was durable.

    Corey stood after checking out the weapon and observed his body.

    He checked out the right side of his chest which had a hole in it previously and was shocked to see that the hole had reduced a lot. The hole was now the size of a pencil.

    Although the hole was there and would definitely cause pain to an average human, he could ignore the pain.

    He rotated his right arm, finding it to be much better than before.

    "I guess having a high constitution helps more than I expected." Corey muttered then looked at the door.

    He took in a deep breath and walked to the door, wanting to go to the rooms which had the tier 1 creatures.

    Expecting no danger, he removed the things he blocked the door with and opened it, but the moment he did,

    "¡­"

    Corey had a stunned expression the moment he saw what was outside the room.

    Lots and lots of Smileys.

    Normal Smileys

    ck Smileys

    They were everywhere, Corey could not count just how many were in front of him.

    The smileys also looked at Corey the moment he opened the door.

    "Well, I guess you guys would be training dummies on how to use Smile Reaper 2.0."

    "Let''s go Smile Reaper 2.0."

    Corey said, a smile appearing on his face.

    A massacre was going to begin.

    -------

    [A/N: By the way, I''m not writing the details of the battle in the next chapter.

    I''ll skip it.

    Don''t forget to vote using golden tickets, power stones and also give gifts.

    Every single one motivates me.

    Thanks Y''all.]

 Chapter 46 46: This Shit Hard

    ?"Cakie?"

    Corey spoke subconsciously as he saw the huge chocte cake monster in front of him.

    Just as he was wondering whether he smoked some pot recently but he had forgotten, Cakie attacked, bringing Corey out of his stunned state.

    A chocte tentacle popped out of Cakie and whipped towards Corey.

    Corey jumped to the side not wanting to take his chances by blocking the attack.

    Bang!

    His decision was proven right when he saw the hole in the floor which was caused by the tentacle.

    Corey looked away from the hole then looked at Cakie which now had more chocte tentaclesing out from it.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Seeing the wiggling chocte tentacles made Corey to shiver in disgust, his love for chocte cakes was dwindling by a lot.

    Cake was never meant to have tentacles growing out of it.

    Especially chocte cake which was his favorite!!

    He was not sure if he could eat a chocte cake properly anymore!!

    Corey thought as he looked at the monstrosity that looked like a cake.

    Just as Corey was looking at Cakie, Cakie attacked him by whipping it''s chocte tentacles at him.

    ''Focus''

    Corey entered his focused state seeing the iing tentacles. The tentacles that were extremely fast and epassed him like an inescapable became slower in his eyes.

    Taking a deep breath he moved slightly to the right, dodging the first tentacle.

    He took a step forward and dodged another.

    Corey continued like that, moving closer to Cakie''s body as he dodged one tentacle after the other.

    When he was close to the Cakie''s body, the monster lunged at Corey, trying to swallow him but Corey quickly rolled to the side, dodging the attack.

    Bam

    Cakie fell after missing Corey and Corey seeing such an opportunity ran towards Cakie.

    Holding Smile Reaper 2.0, he stabbed it into Cakie''s body which was wayrger than him. Not bothered by the fact that his attack was like a toothpick attack, he gripped Smile Reaper 2.0 tightly then he ran round Cakie with Smile Reaper 2.0 inside of it.

    Bam

    "Cakie, Cakie next time don''t try to make me dislike chocte cakes." Corey clicked his tongue with disgust as he looked at the split body of Cakie.

    Looking at the body of Cakie, Corey wondered why his Record did not record it throughout the time he was observing the room.

    ''Was it because it was a cake?''

    Corey thought but he dismissed it immediately. His Record ability could record and give a detailed analysis on any living thing.

    Although Cakie was a cake, he felt it should qualify as a living thing.

    ''Was it because I didn''t recognize it as a living thing?''

    The more Corey thought about it, the more he felt it might be the actual reason for Record not recording Cakie.

    It was either that or it was because the monster could hide from Record using some special ability.

    "Argghh, I''ll find out the reason eventually." Corey ruffled his hair in frustration.

    He was about to walk to one of the four monsters to get his loot but just as he took a step, his eyes widened with shock.

    "No way."

    Corey looked at the split Cakie which was squirming and gluing itself back together.

    "No you don''t."

    Corey ran to the squirming body of Cakie then stabbed it once again with Smile Reaper 2.0. He ran round the body twice this time around. Not only did he run twice, he shed at the Cake so many times cutting huge parts of it into small pieces.

    He could definitely not allow Cakie to regenerate fully. He didn''t know how he was meant to fully kill Cakie but he hoped that if he cut it into tiny pieces, it would not be able to regenerate.

    Just as he was shing at the body of Cakie, rm bells rang out in Corey''s mind.

    ''Iron Skin.''

    Without hesitation he used the only defensive skill he had, turned around then ced Smile Reaper 2.0 horizontally in front of him.

    Bam!

    Bang!

    Cough Cough

    Corey coughed after getting mmed into a wall.

    He groaned and shook his head to rid himself of the dizziness. After doing that, he looked to his front, wanting to know what the hell attacked him.

    And just as he did, his eyes widened with disbelief.

    "What the fuck!"

    He cursed out loud seeing the absurdity in front of him.

    The monster he had killed by sticking Smile Reaper 2.0 into his asshole was fucking alive!

    It was the monster that attacked Corey by punching him.

    Despite blocking the punch with Smile Reaper 2.0, he was still sent flying which showed how much strength the monster he had.

    As Corey was wondering what the actual fuck was going on, his heart skipped a beat and he looked away from the giant monster.

    ''Please don''t tell me.''

    Corey hoped but his hopes were dashed when he saw his worst fearse to pass.

    The monster with a treelike body was also revived and to his horror he could see it crouch, wanting to touch the floor.

    Fear gripped his heart seeing the monster''s hand almost touching the floor.

    He quickly stood while grabbing Smile Reaper 2.0 and he threw it with so much force that it reached the treelike monster in a second, impaling it on the wall.

    Seeing the treelike monster getting impaled on the wall without moving or getting revived, Corey released a huge breath of relief.

    "That was close."

    Click

    His expression changed when he heard that familiar clicking sound and without hesitation he closed his eyes.

    The moment he did the room was filled with a white light for a second before it receded.

    Corey opened his eyes and he looked at the source of the clicking sound and white light with disbelief.

    "Why is this bastard also alive!"

    He cursed as he saw a monster holding an antique camera. The monster was the first monster he killed when he entered the room and the antique camera was the item that could cause illusions!

    Bam Bam

    Corey was jolted out of his thoughts as he felt the ground shake beneath his feet.

    "Shit."

    He cursed and looked at the giant monster running towards him.

    Click

    Just as he was about to move out of the way, he heard a clicking sound and his expression changed to one of frustration and he closed his eyes while still rolling away.

    A white sh covered the room for an instant before it dissipated.

    Corey quickly opened his eyes and the moment he did he saw the giant monster throwing a punch at him.

    Not surprised at this, he rolled away from the punch, dodging the punch.

    Click

    The clicking sound resounded in the room once again causing Corey to click his tongue in annoyance and frustration. He closed his eyes once again but this time he dared not to stay in one ce and moved around.

    A white sh appeared in the room once again for a second and after it disappeared Corey opened his eyes and seeing the giant monstering at him, he calmly dodged the attack of the monster once again.

    Click

    The click resounded once again causing Corey''s mouth to twitch.

    This was the reason he killed the monster immediately when he entered the room. He knew just how frustrating and annoying fighting with the camera monster around was.

    If he left his eyes opened when the sh from the camera appeared, he would be in an illusion for a short period of time and that short period of time was exceedingly dangerous because the giant monster could kill him while he was stuck in the illusion.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Corey was frustrated to the core whenever he fought the four monsters in The Library Of Records because of this monster.

    The number of times he died just because he had to close his eyes was uncountable.

    Although the monster was alive right now, Corey knew he could kill it easily. He just had to get Smile Reaper 2.0.

    Corey looked in the direction of his spear, wanting to see how far he was from it but when he did, he noticed something strange.

    A me was graduallying out from the body of the treelike monster.

    Click

    He closed his eyes then rolled once again.

    Not wanting to lose sight of that me he looked at it, then he saw a wisp of me fly out from the treelike monster.

    Corey followed the direction of the me and he saw it move to Cakie which was regenerating much slower now for some reason.

    Click

    Corey closed his eyes once again then rolled.

    He looked at Cakie wanting to see what happened to the me, but he could not find it.

    Not wanting to give up, he observed the body of Cakie until he noticed something different.

    Click

    Closing his eyes once again, he rolled.

    He looked at the oddity he noticed on Cakie which was the candles on top of it.

    He ignored the candles on top of Cakie previously but now he could see a difference.

    There were three candles on top of Cakie but only one was lighted, the other two were dead.

    ''A coincidence?''

    Corey thought then looked-

    Click

    "Tch."

    Closing his eyes, he rolled once more, dodging the attack of the giant monster much to the monster''s frustration.

    Corey couldn''t be bothered with the giant monster so he looked around, trying to confirm if his guess and theory was right.

    He noticed that only three out of the four monsters were revived and Cakie had only three candles.

    He killed one of the revived three monsters and only one candle was lighted.

    ''Hope it works.''

    Corey thought then he grabbed Smile Reaper 2.0 which was near him after all the rolling he did.

    Click

    Closing his eyes for thest time, he waited for the sh to disappear.

    After it disappeared, he jumped far away to the left and with cold calm eyes, he released Smile Reaper 2.0.

    Whoosh

    "Sayonara bitch."

    Bang!

    Smile Reaper 2.0 pierced through it''s head leaving it deader than dead.

    Corey skipped backwards repeatedly after throwing Smile Reaper 2.0 so as to keep on moving away from the giant monster.

    His eyes never left the camera monster, waiting to see if his guess would be proven right.

    And a few secondster, it was.

    Another wisp of me escaped from the camera monster, then it flew to one of the dead candles, lighting it.

    Seeing that, a smile appeared on his face.

    He ran to his spear, ignoring the giant monster behind him.

    Since he was faster than the giant monster he reached his spear while widening the distance between them.

    He ran to Cakie which was still trying to regenerate. Corey could see that it''s regeneration was faster than when it only had one candle lighted.

    He jumped on top of Cakie where the candles were located but tentacles popped out from it''s head wanting to attack Corey.

    ''Focus''

    Entering his focused state, he could dodge the tentacles which had not fully formed and to Cakie''s horror, Corey got close to one of the lighted candles.

    He stabbed Smile Reaper 2.0 into Cakie since he could not just drop his precious weapon.

    He looked at the me on the candle and with a calm coldness, he ced his hand on both sides on the me then pped with full force.

    ROAR!

    A roar of pain resounded in the room from Cakie but Corey could not care less about that.

    He removed Smile Reaper 2.0 then ran to the next lighted candle.

    As he was running, he felt his legs was beginning to sink like he was in quick sand. He looked down and noticed that Cakie''s head was trying to suck him and swallow him up.

    Realizing this and without panic, he jumped using super jump and he sessfully got out of the trap.

    Continuously using super jump, Corey finally reached thest lighted candle then pped with full force, extinguishing the candle.

    ROOOAARR!!!!

    A much louder roar of pain was released from Cakie and it''s body started to shake and melt slightly.

    Corey jumped off Cakie and saw the giant monster which had an expression of anger.

    "Sorry buddy but it seems like you''re gonna die an embarrassing death again."

    Corey said with an ''apologetic'' expression while rotating his spear.

    The monster felt a chill run down it''s spine but it ignored all of it and ran to Corey, wanting to destroy him for all it had done to it and it''s family.

    (2 Minutes Later)

    Corey removed Smile Reaper 2.0 from the asshole from the giant monster with a disgusted expression.

    He looked at Cakie and was surprised that it had melted and was now like a liquid. He extinguished the me from the giant monster before it could reach Cakie which killed it.

    He shrugged then looked around, hoping that no other surprises would happen once again.

    After waiting for a minute and seeing nothing happen, he exhaled then sat with his back against the wall.

    He looked up for a few seconds and said.

    "This shit hard."

    ------

    [A/N: Yeahhhh, so when I re-read this chapter I realized it was weird.

    If you found it weird and boring, sorry for that.

    I''ll try not to write chapters like this again.

    Please don''t forget to vote using power stones and also drop gifts.

    By the way, I want to say a big THANK YOU to Joseph_Wooten for dropping six golden tickets.

    I really appreciate it man. Thanks so much.

    Also a big thank you to y''all that vote using power stones also.

    You know what, a big thank you to all of you that read my book everyday. I really appreciate it.

    So like I said previously, Joseph_Wooten is the THIRD person to drop at least two golden tickets and for that, your name would be in my novel.

    You can tell me what wish you want and I''ll use it or if you want, I can give you the wish instead.

    Once again, a big thank you to all of you.

    Goodbye and have a nice day/night.

    Don''t forget to VOTE and drop GIFTS.

 Chapter 47 47: Am I Tripping?

    ?"Now let''s see what good things you four, wait five monstrosities have for me."

    Corey rubbed his hands in anticipation as he looked at the pile of shiny crystals and items in front of him.

    He had already dissected the bodies of the four dead monsters and removed their soul stones, and also picked up the skill crystals and items that was dropped by the monsters.

    As for Cakie?

    Since it had already turned to liquid, it''s soul stone was out in the open and he did not need to dissect Cakie.

    "Which one should I absorb first?" Corey muttered as he looked at the soul stones of the five monsters.

    After thinking about it for a few seconds, he took the soul stone of the level 75 monster, the annoying monster that had the antique camera.

    He was tempted to absorb the soul stone of Cakie or the treelike monster first since their levels were the highest but after thinking about it, he decided not to.

    He remembered the games he used to y and he knew that the higher your level, the more difficult it would be to level up, and the fastest way to level up would be by killing higher leveled monsters.

    Although absorbing the treelike monster and Cakie''s soul stone first might give him more attributes and more levels, if he absorbed those two first, the lower leveled soul stones would not give him much attributes points.

    Realizing all of this, Corey held the level 75 soul stone in his right hand.

    A pop up window appeared asking if Corey wanted to absorb the soul stone.

    "Absorb."

    Corey gave his consent and an orange light appeared on his right hand, engulfing the soul stone, eventually turning it to dust.

    The same sensation Corey felt whenever he leveled up, he felt it again. He looked at his right hand trying to understand the energy that was transferred into his body and was making him stronger.

    Despite Corey''s attempts, he failed to understand the energy but he was not disappointed nor disheartened by his failure.

    "The energy feels like mana but at the same it does not feel like mana."

    Corey rubbed his beardless chin for a few seconds before he shrugged.

    He was just curious about the energy and how the Universal System could make him as strong as he was right now, he didn''t really care if he could understand the energy or not.

    He took the next soul stone, which was the soul stone that belonged to the level 80 monster that had six eyes and could use mental attacks.

    Another pop up happened and he absorbed it. After absorbing it, he absorbed the soul stones of the level 90 giant monster and the level 95 treelike monster.

    He picked up thest soul stone which was the soul stone of Cakie.

    After the fight, Corey was curious about the level of Cakie and when he checked his Book Of Recorded Beings, he was confused when he saw the level of Cakie.

    Cakie was a level 100 Tier 0 Mimicry Monster.

    Corey was confused because from what the merchant told him, when one reached level 100, they can advance to Tier 1.

    After thinking about it, Corey guessed that Cakie was level 100 but had not advanced to Tier 1.

    He eventually became curious on how monsters even advanced.

    Throwing his curiosity aside, Corey held the soul stone of Cakie and absorbed it.

    The moment he did, Corey felt like something in him had changed.

    He could not exin it properly but it was like he had broken some kind of barrier.

    As the energy from the soul stone flowed through Corey, Corey felt like he was floating on clouds.

    The feeling was¡­ addictive.

    Three secondster, the feeling ended and Corey clenched his fists.

    He felt way stronger than before.

    He was curious about what changed so he pulled up his status window.

    ----

    *BASIC INFORMATION*

    Name: Corey Junior Zane

    Race: Human

    Brand Level: 2

    Affiliation: None

    ss: Nonen/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Talent: Omniscience (Awakened)

    Language: English

    Title(s): One Of The Four Possessors Of A ***** Graded Talent On New Earth

    Tier: 0

    Level: 54 -> 86<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Coins: 5 Bronze Coins

    *ATTRIBUTES*

    Strength: 210 -> 340

    Agility: 212 -> 310

    Dexterity: 70 -> 180

    Constitution: 224 -> 360

    Intelligence: 500

    Endurance: 115 -> 300

    Mana: 150 -> 300

    Free A.P: 96

    *Hidden Attributes*

    Luck: ???/100

    Charisma: ???/100

    Wisdom: ???/???

    *SKILLS*

    Record- Talent Skill

    Danger Sense- Level 1

    Silent Steps- Level 2

    Night Vision- Unranked

    Super Jump- Lv 2

    Undercover- Level 1

    Evade- Level 2

    Lock picking- Level 1

    Iron Skin- Level 1

    Focus- Talent Skill

    *RESISTANCES*

    Fear Resistance- Lv 1

    Pain Resistance- Lv 3 -> Lv 4

    *EQUIPMENTS*

    Broken Ghost Reaper- Red Grade

    Binocrs- Red Grade

    ck Spear- Red Grade

    *PET/MOUNT*

    None

    *SYSTEM REMARK*

    Congrattions, you achieved something which only the lowliest of the lowliest and the most useless among humans in the universe could not achieve, you broke past the stat limit of a normal human which is 300.

    At least you should be proud of yourself, your potential among normal humans is no longer amongst the lowest.

    You want to increase your potential?

    Well then, reach the true limit of normal humans and achieve stat maximization by making your attributes reach 500.

    Heh. Where''s the popcorn? A good show is about to happen.

    -----

    "¡­"

    "Am I tripping?"

    ----

    [A/N: Please don''t forget to vote using power stones, golden tickets and also drop gifts.

    Any amount is appreciated.]

 Chapter 48 48: Orange Grade Items

    ?As Corey looked at his status window, well to be specific, the system remark, he could not help but wonder if he was seeing things or he had finally run crazy.

    He re-read the system remark once again to make sure he was seeing right.

    "Why does the system like abusing me and making fun of me?

    Is it because I call it a useless Universal System every time?

    In fact, why the hell does the system feel sentient?

    Am I in trouble?"

    Corey thought with slight fear as he looked at the system remark.

    "Do I need to ask for forgiveness from the system?"

    "¡­"

    "Nope, I''m never gon ask the useless system to forgive me. It''s still useless."

    Deciding to be stubborn, Corey ignored the snarkyments of the system remark and observed his stats.

    His strength, agility and constitution had crossed the 300 mark which was some sort of limit for normal humans ording to what the useless Universal System was saying.

    He didn''t know what benefits were there in breaking past the limit but he felt that it would definitely be beneficial to him.

    Another thing he noticed was that his intelligence stat was stuck on the 500 mark which was the highest stat a normal human could achieve.

    His endurance and mana were exactly on the 300 mark, not breaking past the limit.

    As for his dexterity?

    "¡­ It is what it is." Corey shrugged.

    Right now he had a goal, he wanted to make all his stats reach 500.

    Although he would not be able to reach tier 1 even after his stats reached the maximum, he believed that his chances of survival against the tier 2 creature at the academy gates would increase if he maximized his stats.

    Corey looked at his status window once again and he noticed another thing that was different.

    His pain resistance had increased by one level. It was no longer level 3 but level 4 which was not surprising to Corey considering how much pain and suffering he had gone through.

    After making sure there was nothing else that changed, Corey looked at the skill crystals and items on the floor.

    He decided to start with the skill crystals first.

    He picked up the skill crystal which came from the monster with six eyes with his right hand then a translucent screen popped up from his right hand.

    He looked at it with curiosity.

    [MENTAL MANIPULATION RESISTANCE SKILL CRYSTAL DETECTED

    ABSORB?

    YES OR NO?] (A/N: I decided to put the names of the skills in the crystals since I realized it wouldn''t make sense if I didn''t.)

    Corey''s eyes lit up when he saw the name of the skill in the skill crystal and without hesitation, he absorbed it.

    The skill crystal turned to dust and Corey felt something different flow into his body then it reached his brain.

    A few secondster, the sensation ended and Corey pulled up his status window.

    He checked the resistance section.

    *RESISTANCES*

    Fear Resistance- Lv 1

    Pain Resistance- Lv 4

    Mental Maniption Resistance- Lv 1

    He tapped on the new addition to the resistance section causing the screen to change.

    [MENTAL MANIPULATION RESISTANCE (LV 1): Grants the holder the ability to resist mental attacks that are from tier 1 creatures and below.]

    "Well that was self exnatory."

    Corey muttered then looked at the second skill crystal which was from the giant monster he killed by impaling Smile Reaper 2.0 inside his asshole.

    He picked it up then a translucent screen popped up.

    [BRONZE BONES SKILL CRYSTAL DETECTED

    ABSORB?

    YES OR NO?]

    "Absorb."

    Corey gave themand and the crystal was absorbed into his body.

    Corey not expecting anything different waited for the entire procedure to be over but when the skill crystal was getting absorbed into his body, his face changed and he cursed.

    "Son of a-"

    "Hmmmm."

    A groan escaped from Corey''s lips as he felt so much pain that if not for his high pain resistance, he would be screaming and shouting in agony at this moment.

    Corey wed at the ground as he felt his bones change. It was like molten magma was been poured directly unto his bones.

    Steam rose out of his body and sweat and blood poured out of his body also. Corey clenched his teeth tightly, not making a single sound as he waited for the entire process to be over.

    A minuteter, Corey released a breath of relief as the pain and the procedure was over.

    He sprawled on the floor which was covered in his sweat and blood but he didn''t care, he was mentally exhausted. Not releasing a single sound of pain during the procedure was not easy.

    "This is why I said the system was useless."

    Corey muttered softly and closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening them.

    He sighed once again then he decided to get up.

    He pressed his hand on the floor but just as he did,

    Crack

    "Huh?"

    Corey looked at where his hand was and he could see a small crack on the floor.

    "What the hell."

    Corey cursed and he stood causing more cracks to form on the ground.

    "This is why I said the Universal System is useless.

    Why couldn''t it warn me that the skill would make me heavier."

    Corey gritted his teeth in frustration before he sighed and sat down on the floor once again.

    "I guess now I know that some skills can cause the body to change by a lot."

    Corey rubbed the middle of his eyebrows then he decided to just move on.

    What was done was done.

    He would be careful with the skills he chose next time.

    "Let me see¡­"

    Corey decided to check for the description of the skill and the moment he did, he wanted to curse once again. No he cursed once again.

    [BRONZE BONES (Lv 1): A passive skill that turns the user''s skin to bronze. It grants additional strength, additional defense, additional weight and also reduces the agility and dexterity of the user.

    Effects: +10 Strength, +10 Constitution, -20 Agility and -10 Dexterity.]

    "Son of a bitch."

    Corey cursed then opened his attributes panel, he quickly added the lost 20 agility and 10 dexterity back to his stats and after doing that, he calmed down.

    "Thank God I decided to check my status window."

    Corey said then looked at thest set of loot from the five monsters.

    There were three items.

    The camera which was owned by the camera monster.

    A ring which came from the treelike monster.

    And a ring which came from Cakie.

    Since he already knew what the camera could do, he took the ring that came from Cakie and waited for the useless Universal System to do it''s thing.

    [ORANGE GRADE ITEM, RING OF MIMICRY (REPLICA) DETECTED?

    DO YOU WANT TO OBTAIN OWNERSHIP?

    YES OR NO?]

    As Corey looked at the name of the ring, a strange thought appeared in his mind.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    ''Will the ring turn me to a cake?''

    Corey looked at the ring then he looked at Cakie, or at least what was left of Cakie.

    "Surely the Universal System isn''t that petty right?"

    Corey muttered then prayed to the Goddess of Luck to not let him turn to a cake.

    "Oh beautiful and sexy Goddess of Luck

    Please o please grant me luck and don''t let this ring turn me into a cake

    You are the greatest, most beautiful, sexiest and fairest goddess of them all

    Please grant me luck.

    L¨¢tom."

    Corey released a breath after praying then he twisted his neck slightly, causing a crack to sound.

    "Here goes nothing.

    If the ring turns me into a cake, the Universal System is officially my number 1 enemy."

    "I want to obtain ownership."

    After Corey spoke, the ring glowed orange for a second before it receded and Corey felt a connection between him and the ring.

    He opened his status window and checked for the description of the ring while praying to the Goddess of Luck.

    [RING OF MIMICRY (REPLICA): A failed product formed after the cksmith ***** tried to replicate the mythical Ring of Mimicry.

    Grants the holder the ability to mimic most inanimate objects for fifteen minutes once every 24 hours.]

    "What the hell?

    Isn''t this ring too useful and cool?"

    Corey''s mouth was wide open when he saw the ability of the ring.

    The system called it a failed product but the ring was still very cool and useful in Corey''s eyes.

    He could use it to enter thedies bathroom and act as a dustbin, toilet or something, then he would¡­

    "Cough Cough.

    No dirty thoughts Corey. No dirty thoughts.

    I am not a pervert. I am just a young man who just wants to get rid of his virginity.

    I am not a pervert. I am a pure soul with not a single dirty thought.

    Girls? Women?

    What are they?

    Are they eatable?"

    Corey paused then with a strange expression he remembered something.

    "I just remembered there''s a part of girls that loves to be eaten."

    Sigh

    "My life is sad."

    Corey muttered depressingly as he looked at his boner with a depressed look.

    Pa

    "Alright Corey, back to business. Focus."

    pping himself, Corey tried to rid himself of every dirty thought.

    He was a pure soul and a pure soul had zero dirty thoughts.

    Well, he just wanted his boner to go down that was it.

    Anyway, moving away from Corey''s sad and lonely sexual life.

    Corey took the second ring that came from the treelike monster.

    A pop up window appeared on top of his right hand and he read it.

    [ORANGE GRADE ITEM, CURSED DRYAD''S RING DETECTED

    DO YOU WANT TO OBTAIN OWNERSHIP?

    YES OR NO?]

    "¡­"

    "Okay that name sounds ominous."

    Corey looked at the dark green ring in his hands and was conflicted on whether he should obtain ownership of the ring.

    He was mainly worried that the ring could cause harm to him but after thinking about how he needed all the power he could get, he decided to obtain ownership of the ring.

    He needed power and the ring could grant him power. The ring was also an orange grade item and the only other orange grade item he had was the Ring of Mimicry.

    "Obtain ownership."

    An orange color shed on the ring for a second before it disappearedpletely.

    Corey felt a connection to the ring and he opened his status window, wanting to see the description of the ring.

    [CURSED DRYAD''S RING:  The beloved ring of a lesser dryad which became cursed after the lesser dryad became corrupted by dark forces. The ring has the ability to produce magical tree roots and branches which can absorb the life force of any being below tier 1, transferring a percentage of the life force to the holder.

    Side Effect: The holder would be attacked mentally at any time, even when they are asleep.]

    "Well, it''s not as bad as I thought."

    Corey spoke as he looked at the description of the cursed dryad''s ring. He didn''t know how powerful the mental attacks would be but he was not too worried since he had gotten Mental Maniption Resistance.

    Corey looked at thest item, the camera.

    He picked it up but decided to check it outter, right now he wanted to leave this room and get a good night''s sleep. (A/N: Cough, cough. Was referring to myself there. I''m notzy, notzy  at all.)

    He put the two rings on his fingers, then he put the camera inside his inventory.

    He looked around, making sure he didn''t miss anything. After finding nothing, he walked out of the room.

    His next destination?

    To find a room to sleep.

    After that?

    To challenge another room.

    ------

    [A/N: Hey YOU! YES YOU!

    DON''T YOU DARE SKIP THIS MESSAGE!!

    You know what you''re gonna do?

    You''re gonna click on that vote button and vote using power stones or golden tickets.

    Where is the vote button?

    I don''t know, find it yourself!!

    What am I? Your parent?

    Don''t you dare close this book without voting or dropping gifts.

    If you don''t, The Smile Reaper woulde for you.

    Hehehehehe

    You don''t believe me?

    Look behind you.

    I said look behind you!

    LOOK BEHIND YOOUUUU!!!!

    VOTE!!!

    AND DROP GIFTS!!!

    Adios. Muah!!

    Oh, this chapter is the bonus chapter for reaching 30 power stones.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Once again, Adios and Muah!!.

 Chapter 49 49: Tentacle?

    ?(One weekter)

    Corey stood in front of another door with Smile Reaper 2.0 in his hand while wearing nothing but boxers and also a headset on his neck.

    He looked away from the door and looked at the door opposite it, a look of reluctance shed in his eyes before he turned away from the door and faced the door in front of him with determination.

    "Here goes nothing."

    Corey said softly then brought out two small rolled pieces of cotton fabric which he was holding in his free left hand. He ced one piece of the rolled cotton fabric in one ear then put the other in another ear.

    After doing that, he ced the headphones properly on his head, making sure it covered his ears properly.

    "Come on Corey, you can do this. You''ve done this a thousand times."

    Pa!

    pping himself, he shook his head and jumped a few times trying to shake off the nervousness he was feeling.

    He released a breath then walked to the door, opening it and a world full of dark water appeared before Corey.

    The water looked ominous like there was a terrifying beast lurking in it but Corey knew there was nothing in it except for two mermaid like creatures.

    Corey decided to challenge the room that was filled with water and had two mermaid like monsters in it.

    Honestly, it was not like he wanted to challenge this room, it was that he had no choice.

    He wanted to challenge the monster with a goat skull as it''s head but that monster was frightening to say the least.

    Corey could not defeat the monster no matter what.

    The monster was smart, fast, powerful and very, very experienced inbat.

    No amount of trickery worked against that monster and all of Corey''s gainedbat experience were like child''s y in front of the monster.

    Corey spent three days fighting the monster but he could not defeat it no matter what.

    His stats were lower and well, basically, he just could not defeat the damn annoying goat.

    After realizing that he might have to spend half a month or even a month fighting the monster, Corey decided to face another monster.

    Corey wanted to face and type monster if possible but the only othernd type monster he could face was the half-snake monster or the multiple hands monster.

    Corey felt like the multiple hands monster or monsters was too powerful so he tried the snake-like monster but let''s just say, it didn''t end well for Corey at all.

    Snakey was so powerful that Corey had no chance against it even in his focused state. In fact, Corey had no way of damaging the skin of the monster, it was as harder than diamonds.

    Realizing that he wouldn''t be able to kill Snakey unless he gets stronger, he had no choice but to go for the mermaid like monsters.

    If possible, he would not want to fight the mermaid monsters because they were going to fight inside water and humans were definitely not aquatic creatures.

    Although he knew that fighting in an aquatic environment would be difficult, Corey was stubborn and learnt how to fight in water to a certain extent or to be more precise, he didn''t actually learn how to fight in water.

    He just found a way to kill the mermaid like creatures in the ocean.

    He just hoped everything would go well.

    Taking in a deep breath, Corey observed the water in front of him, making sure that the two mermaid like monsters were not close.

    After seeing that that the coast was clear, he took in a deep breath, held his breath then walked into the water, bypassing the barrier that was keeping the water from flowing outside.

    As he stepped inside the water, all he could see was darkness for a moment before his eyes glowed and his night vision skill was activated, granting him the ability to see.

    Just as he was waiting for the monsters to appear, he remembered something.

    He turned back and quickly closed the door behind him.

    ''Can''t have any of the monsters escape.''

    Corey thought and just as this thought passed through his head, he felt the water behind him getting disturbed.

    He turned and low and behold, two identical mermaid like monsters appeared before him with the only difference between them and a mermaid was that they had tentacles instead of arge fish fin as their feet.

    The moment Corey saw the tentacle mermaids he didn''t want to waste anytime since well, his breath was limited.

    He willed for the camera he got from the camera monster to appear from his inventory.

    In the next second, it appeared and Corey quickly pressed the sh button of the camera.

    Click

    sh

    A white light shed in the surroundings, illuminating the dark water for an instant.

    The moment the white light disappeared, Corey whose eyes were opened throughout observed the tentacles mermaids.

    He noticed that the tentacle mermaids had dazed and confused expressions which did not surprise Corey since he knew how powerful the camera was.

    The camera was an object that could cause illusions if one looked at the white light that shes whenever it was used.

    Although it could cause illusions, the duration of the illusions and whether the illusions would work depended on how powerful the mental strength and defense of the enemy and the user were.

    Yes, you read it right.

    User.

    The camera also affects the user and if the user''s mental strength or defense was weak, then he or she would also be affected by the illusions.

    But that did not apply to Corey since his intelligence was almost high enough to ignore the camera and he also had the mental maniption resistance attribute even if it was level 1

    Corey was not sure whether the camera would work on the tentacle mermaids because the tentacle mermaids were level 110 tier 1 creatures.

    Although Corey was worried, after Corey tried it in The Library Of Records, all his worries were for naught because the camera worked, but it only worked for three seconds.

    And those three seconds were extremely vital to Corey.

    Corey stretched out his right hand and activated the Cursed Dryad''s Ring.

    Some amount of mana was expended from his body and a magical dark grey root appeared in the water.

    Corey controlling it with his mind quickly sent it to one of the tentacle mermaids which was still dazed.

    He wrapped the tree root around the tentacles of the mermaid and quickly controlled the root, bringing it back to him with the mermaid attached.

    A second was left before the dazed expressions of the tentacle mermaids ended and just as the second was over, the tentacle mermaid was at arm''s length.

    The tentacle mermaid having recovered from the illusion had a look of confusion as it noticed it''s situation.

    It looked around and just as it did, it noticed a pointy objecting straight at it''s head.

    It tilted it''s head in confusion, wondering what it was but that was it''sst thought and sight.

    Puchi!

    Blood spilled, dyeing the dark water red as the life from the tentacle monster slipped away.

    Corey removed Smile Reaper 2.0 from the head of the tentacle mermaid, put it''s corpse inside his inventory so that it would not float away, then looked at thest tentacle mermaid which had an expression of shock.

    ''Here ites.''

    Corey thought then returned the camera into his inventory. He then used his left hand to press the left part of the headphone to his ear tightly.

    SCRRREEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

    A scream louder than a bashee shook the waters immensely. Intense ripples formed across the water and Corey groaned as his body vibrated due to the intense scream.

    As Corey was enduring the pain his ear and body was going through, he could not help but thank his tiny luck that his bones were now bronze, because if his bones were normal, he was sure his bones might develop some fractures or be damaged in some way.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Five secondster, the scream ended and Corey''s right ear bled and his hands trembled slightly. His body was in pain but he ignored it and looked at the tentacle mermaid which was now exhausted.

    This was his chance, he could not waste it.

    He activated the Cursed Dryad''s Ring once again and brought out another dark grey root.

    The tentacle mermaid seeing the root tried to flee but Corey knowing he could definitely not allow that to happen summoned the camera and just as the tentacle mermaid was about to flee, he clicked the sh button.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    A white sh illuminated the surroundings causing the tentacle mermaid to fall into an illusion once again.

    Knowing his time was limited, Corey quickly controlled the root to wrap around the tentacle mermaid and pulled it towards himself.

    Just as the monster was close to Corey, it woke up, breaking the illusion early due to the anger and hatred it had towards Corey for killing it''s sister.

    Not that Corey would care.

    Corey was slightly surprised seeing the tentacle mermaid break the illusion early.

    Although he was surprised, he was undeterred. He gripped Smile Reaper 2.0 tightly, ready to plunge it into the tentacle mermaid, killing it like it''s sister.

    But just as the tentacle mermaid was close, it screamed once again causing Corey to grimace.

    His body shook and his ears bled the more but he was so close to killing the monster so he withstood the pain and waited for the monster to get close.

    A secondter, it got close enough and Corey stabbed it, piercing it''s head with Smile Reaper 2.0.

    "Phe- Hmm."

    Corey tried to release a breath of air but he stopped, temporarily forgetting that he was not onnd and he was currently holding his breath.

    He spent a few seconds to calm himself down since his body was still in slight pain. He looked at the corpse of the tentacle mermaid which was slowly sinking.

    Not wanting to lose his loot, he quickly caught it and put it in his inventory.

    He looked around, making sure he didn''t miss anything and after a few seconds, he noticed that the water was calm and empty.

    ''Well that was easy.''

    Corey thought and just as he did, he felt something wrap around his ankle.

    ''Huh?''

    He looked down and noticed a¡­ tentacle? wrapped round his right ankle.

    Just as he was wondering what the thing around his feet was, an irresistible force pulled him, down to the bottom of the ocean.

    Corey''s eyes widened with shock and fear.

    He tried to resist but the force was so strong that he was helpless against it.

    ''Fuck me and my stupid thoughts!!''

    --------

    [A/N: IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT, PLEASE DON''T SKIP. ALSO READ TILL THE END

    So you guys, currently I''m shedding tears of joy.

    So much tears of so much joy.

    Y''all are the best, truly truly the best.

    Do you know why y''all are the best?

    Now, yesterday, I had four extra chapters which I nned on using for privileged chapters.

    But, you see, y''all reached the 30 power stones target which made me really happy.

    So I released two chapters yesterday ( One bonus and normal chapter.) which means I had two extra chapters left.

    Now, I honestly thought that was all the bonus chapter I was going to release yesterday but imagine the shock I had when I was about to sleep yesterday and I saw that Michael Copnd dropped 4 golden tickets yesterday.

    I was happy, extremely happy but then I realized that the golden ticket target was also reached and I was like: ''Another bonus chapter?''

    ''Alright, no problem. I''ll release it when I wake up tomorrow since I''m extremely tired.''

    So that means I have only one extra chapter left.

    It has reduced but there''s no problem, people are voting for my book which means that they like my book which also makes me happy.

    Now, I slept and when I woke up, I checked the app and I was absolutely, totally gobsmaked when I saw that you guys reached the 60 power stone target.

    ''Am I tripping?''

    That was honestly what I asked myself.

    Like no jokes, I asked myself that.

    So because of that, myst extra chapter was *poof*, gone, disappeared.

    I had to quickly write the normal chapter for today because of that.

    So now, after everything I''ve said, I have a few things to say.

    They''re very important, so please don''t skip.

    FIRST AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, THANK YOU ALL for voting, like I really, really, really mean it.

    Thank you so much.

    You might think with what I wrote before I was maybe depressed, angry or frustrated that you guys voted.

    No, no, no. I''M NOT. I was really really happy.

    So a big thank you from me to everybody that read my book, dropments, vote using power stones, vote using Golden Tickets and also thank you to make_out09 for dropping gifts, really appreciate it man.

    SECOND: A big thank you to Wentthereinwinter for dropping I think 6 golden tickets?

    I was surprised man, thanks a lot.

    Like I promised, your name would be in my book. Also if you have an ability or wish you specifically want, tell me and we can talk about it. If you don''t, don''t worry, I''ll think of one for you.

    So people, Wentthereinwinter is the FOURTH PERSON to drop at LEAST TWO Golden Tickets.

    Only one spot left, if you want your names in the novel, you can drop two or more golden tickets, OR be among the first FIVE people to drop gifts worth at least 5,000 coins.

    Now, THIRD: I am once again increasing the power stone requirement for a bonus chapter.

    The number of collections have increased and I really, really want to finish writing most of the privilege chapters before March 20 because that''s when I resume school and I won''t have time to write so much in school.

    So now the power stone requirement is: 100 Power Stones for 1 Bonus Chapter.

    Which means:

    100 P.S = 1 BONUS CHAPTER

    200 P.S= 2 BONUS CHAPTERS

    300 P.S= 3 BONUS CHAPTERS

    400 P.S. = 4 BONUS CHAPTERS

    And so on.

    Right now I have 61 power stones. So when it reaches 100 power stones, I''ll drop a new bonus chapter. Then the next requirement would be 200 and following that would be 300 and so on.

    Yes I know that the increase is much, like a lot but I want to write the privilege chapters down.

    Please know that it''s not like I don''t want to give you guys bonus chapters and it''s not that I don''t want you guys to vote for me.

    I really do, I really want you guys to vote for me. I don''t know how to put it into words, so you know what, just vote using power stones, golden tickets and drop gifts.

    I appreciate every single one of them, no matter how small.

    The Golden Ticket requirement is still the same by the way.

    Later people.

    And Have a nice day/night.

 Chapter 50 50: Lost

    ?''Shit, Shit, Shit.

    Not again!

    Why does this keep on happening to me?!''

    Corey wailed internally as he was pulled to the bottom of the water.

    He removed Smile Reaper 2.0 and shed at the tentacles, hoping it would cut it off but,

    ng!

    The sound of metal hitting metal resounded in the water as Corey looked at the tentacle with disbelief.

    ''Why?!

    Why in the world are you hard like metal?!''

    Corey had to urge to curse out loud, but knowing that doing that would be stupid and cause his situation to be worse, he kept his mouth shut.

    He put Smile Reaper 2.0 in his inventory and bent, trying to reach the tentacle that was wrapped round his ankle tightly.

    It was difficult but he finally reached it.

    "Hmmm."

    A muffled groan escaped Corey''s lips as he tried to pry the tentacle open, no matter how small, so as to have a chance of escaping.

    But despite trying so hard, he could not pry the tentacle open at all.

    He tried and tried again but it was like him trying to bend metal with his pre-apocalyptic strength.

    It was impossible.

    He stopped and looked down.

    ''What the fuck is pulling me down?

    Is it the mother of those mermaids?

    An octopus?

    Am I going to be-''

    Corey dared notplete his bone chilling thought. The mere thought of himpleting that thought sent shivers down his spine.

    The gears in his mind worked at full speed, trying to think for a way out of his dangerous situation.

    Three secondster, he looked at his right ankle with a conflicted expression.

    ''Should I?''

    Corey thought and his face contorted with an extremely conflicted and painful expression.

    The only method he thought of which could help him in this situation was to cut off his right feet and ankle.

    Doing that would grant him freedom but it would cripple him.

    Probably for life!

    If it was his hand or something else, he might not be so conflicted in sacrificing it but his leg?

    He would not be able to walk again!

    If he could not walk, he would not be able to fight!

    And if he could not fight, he would not be able to meet his family and grow stronger!

    ''No!

    I have to think of another way!''

    Corey thought with a slightly crazed expression.

    ''Focus''

    Entering his focused state which would enable to think much faster, his mind worked extremely fast and within a second, he thought of something.

    Deactivating his focused state, he looked at the ring of mimicry on his right finger, a hint of hope and anxiousness in his eyes.

    ''Please work.''

    He activated the ring and closed his eyes.

    His mind forming an image of what he wanted from the ring.

    ording to the useless Universal System, the ring of mimicry gave the user of the ring the ability to mimic most inanimate objects.

    What the useless Universal System did not say was how the user would mimic objects.

    Would he/she turn into the objects?<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Was it just an illusion?

    Or would the desired inanimate object appear from thin air?

    Corey was curious about this when he wanted to test the ring in The Library Of Records and when he did, he was shocked by what the ring of mimicry actually did to the user.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    When Corey decided to use the ring of mimicry in The Library Of Records, he decided to use it to mimic a steel pole.

    He didn''t have any idea what to turn into so he just tried to turn into that.

    When he activated the ring to mimic a steel pole, he was shocked that his body became tougher and tighter like a steel pole. He tried to move in that state but when he did, he felt his body go back to normal and the ring got deactivated.

    Corey was surprised by the ability of the ring after his body was back to normal. When he felt like a steel pole, he noticed that his body did not turn into a steel pole, it just felt like a steel pole.

    Corey did some experiments after that by turning into various inanimate objects, and from his experiments, he realized a few things.

    First, the user would feel like the inanimate object the user desires to turn into.

    Second, if the user moves when in his/her inanimate form, the ability of the ring would be cancelled and the ring would need to be ''recharged'' in 24hours. Though the user can make move his/her head but not rapid/fast movements.

    Third, the user would not only feel like the animate object, he/she might gain the properties of that inanimate object while in that form.

    It was this third observation from using the ring that Corey was currently depending on.

    He activated the ring and formed the image of a balloon.

    The moment he did, he felt ufortable when it felt like his body suddenly expanded, he opened his eyes and looked down at his body.

    His body definitely did not get bigger or expand, it just felt bigger to him.

    Just as Corey was trying to get used to this new sensation, he felt the tentacle holding his ankle slip off him.

    He moved his head downwards slightly, trying to see the tentacle but when he did, his eyes widened and his heartbeat quickened. His body almost shot upwards, instinctively trying to escape.

    Beneath him, probably around 200m or more, was arge octopus with multiple eyes and tentacles on it''s body.

    The tentacle that was like a leash which was pulling him down was currently moving around erratically, probably trying to find the target which it lost.

    The giant octopus beneath Corey, although it obviously had no expression, Corey felt it was also confused since it lost it''s prey.

    Meanwhile Corey who was now floating upwards, due to him having the characteristics of a balloon dared not to move a single muscle for two reasons.

    One, if he moved, the ability of the ring would be deactivated.

    Two, he just found out something extremely frightening.

    His record ability was not recording the giant octopus beneath him at all. Which meant that the giant octopus was above tier 1.

    Just that thought sent chills down Corey''s spine and he could not help but curse his luck.

    ''Goddess of Luck why have you abandoned me?!''

    Wailing internally, Corey truly became an inanimate object and did not move at all. His eyes were glued to the giant octopus which was now beginning to lose interest since it could not find it''s prey anymore.

    Ten secondster, Corey could no longer see the giant octopus due to him floating upwards.

    He still remained motionless despite the giant octopus been out of his sight. It wasn''t until one minuteter, that he moved but not so much that he would deactivate the ring''s ability.

    He sighed softly then looked around.

    ''This ce is actually so dangerous.

    Is a dungeon like this meant to be so dangerous?''

    Corey pondered but just as he was pondering, he realized something and his face became as white as snow.

    ''Where is the door?''

    Corey thought but could not find the door which was the only exit to this dangerous water.

    He looked around but he found nothing but water around him.

    The door was lost

    Or to be more specific,

    Corey was lost.

    -----

    [A/N: For those of you that skipped the important info in the previous chapter.

    100 Power Stones is now required for one bonus chapter.

    You want to know the reason?

    Go to the previous chapter and read it.]

 Chapter 51 51: Struggle

    ?Ever wondered what it felt like to be alone?

    Likepletely alone?

    Not the alone where people ignore you and you don''t have any friends or anybody to talk to.

    Non/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    The alone where you are actually alone.

    Nobody and I mean nobody is around you.

    Nothing is around you.

    Well, except two things.

    Lots and lots of water and a terrifying octopus beast.

    Ignoring the octopus beast,

    Now imagine been alone with nothing but water all around you.

    Nothing else, just water.

    Now if you were staying on a ship or floating on top of the water,

    It would be scary, Yeah.

    But not so scary since you would at least be able to see the sky.

    There would be day and there would be nights filled with stars.

    There might even be rain and who knows,

    There might even be snow.

    Now imagine,

    Just imagine been so deep inside a body of water that the sky was no longer visible to you.

    That even if it rained, you would not know.

    That even if the brightest and warmest sun rays flooded the, you would still not be able to see it nor feel it.

    How would you feel?

    You don''t know how it feels?

    You don''t know how you would feel?

    Well, it''s not only you, I don''t know also.

    Let''s ask Corey, shall we.

    ----

    ''Am I going to die?''

    This thought which had been recurring so much that Corey lost count after fifty, unleashed it''s deadly fangs once again at Corey, making him to feel like the scythe of the grim reaper was round his neck, waiting, just waiting for him to gasp for air and die due tock of oxygen.

    Corey looked all around him, hoping to find something, anything that would grant him a ray of hope, but the more he looked, the more his hope shattered into multiple pieces.

    He looked up, trying to keep thest piece, thest shred of hope he had left, foolishly hoping for something to grant him hope, to renew his shattered hope.

    But the moment he looked up, thest piece, thest shred of hope broke and tore into many micro particles.

    An absent expression hung on his face as he looked up.

    Never had he missed the sky so much.

    Never had he missed the hard ground so much.

    Never had he missed light so much.

    And never, absolutely never had he valued air as much as he did right now.

    As he looked up, he wondered just how long he had been floating upwards.

    5 minutes?

    10?

    15?

    Maybe a year?

    Or even years?

    Okay he knew those twost thoughts were absolutely impossible since he definitely could not hold his breath for that long.

    He knew how long he could hold his breath which was 1 hour 33 minutes.

    He had tested himself in The Library Of Records previously to see how long he could hold his breath, and honestly, he was surprised when hested for more than hour.

    But when he thought of how he was no longer a normal human, it didn''t surprise him that much anymore.

    Although Corey could hold his breath for more than an hour in water, that was when he was still and was not attacking or trying to remove a damn tentacle from his ankle.

    Corey had expended his stamina and definitely more oxygen during the time he was fighting the tentacle mermaids and trying to remove the tentacle from his ankle.

    Right now, Corey did not know how long he had left before he would need to gasp for air.

    But he knew, he just knew, that his time was not much at all.

    ''How deep am I?''

    ''Does this ocean, sea, whatever it is, have an end?''

    ''Does it have a surface?''

    ''And if it does, can I reach the surface on time and get out of this abominable water?''

    ''In fact, if I''m so deep, why his my body not getting crushed due to intense pressure I''m meant to be feeling?''

    ''Or is my body that strong?''

    ''¡­''

    ''Why is this happening to me?''

    ''Why is my luck so bad?''

    ''I just want to be strong.''

    ''Sure it''s hard but is it meant to be this hard?''

    ''Am I cursed?''

    Various thoughts appeared in his head as Corey had an expression of¡­ eptance?

    But just as he was about to ept the fact that he was about to die, he remembered something.

    ''If I die, what would happen to my family?''

    ''They would be worried their entire lives if they don''t hear from me.''

    ''If they don''t find my body, they might have this vain hope that I''m alive somewhere.''

    ''My sister¡­ My adorable little sister would be sad and might do something stupid like those anime characters.''

    ''Also what of my virginity?''

    ''Am I going to die a virgin?''

    ''I''ve never kissed a girl before.''

    ''What of Ba?''

    ''I- I want to see her.''

    ''I can''t die yet.''

    ''I can''t die and make my family sad.''

    ''I can''t die and make my sister sad.''

    ''I can''t die without seeing Ba one more time.''

    ''And I definitely can''t die without losing my damn VIRGINITY!!!''

    Finding reasons to stay alive, although one was just in sad, Corey eyes sharpened and determination appeared in his eyes.

    He could not die yet!

    He did not want to die yet!

    Although Corey had motivation, something definitely did not care about Corey''s motivation.

    ''Huh?''

    Corey eximed internally as he felt his body be different, it became¡­ normal.

    The duration of the ring of mimicry had ended, not caring if the time when Corey found his motivation was a few seconds before it ended.

    ''You sly!''

    Corey cursed the ring internally as he felt his body sink.

    He started using treading techniques so as to continue floating upwards.

    He paddled, waggled and did every treading techniques to make sure he kept floating. (A/N: Waggling is not a treading technique by the way, it just rhymes so I used it).

    He kept on doing this for who knows how long.

    Seconds?

    Minutes?<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Maybe even hours?

    Who knows, maybe Corey''s determination made him go past his limits.

    But despite Corey''s determination, Corey''s desire, Corey''s fire to live, to get rid of his virginity, his body didn''t care.

    He could feel himself losing consciousness,

    He could feel his brain bing sluggish,

    He could feel his body bing sluggish.

    His body was giving up on him.

    He wanted to keep on going, he wanted to keep on moving upwards.

    He wanted to live, but his body didn''t give two fucks about his desire.

    His body also desired something, also needed something.

    Oxygen.

    But Corey did not have that.

    Corey tried to think of a solution but his sluggish and slipping consciousness made it very difficult for him to think properly.

    ''Focus.''

    Using the one skill which had helped him immensely, Corey''s mind sharpened and his slipping consciousness was jolted awake.

    Corey knowing that his focused state was limited, utilized it to it''s fullest in his current situation.

    He kept on trying to reach the surface while also thinking of ways to solve the problem of his oxygen deficiency.

    Three secondster, his eyes shone.

    ''Add all free attribute points to constitution.''

    The moment he ordered the Universal System to do that, he felt his body change and be stronger.

    His constitution which was 370 increased by 66 points, which meant that his constitution was now 436, 64 points from reaching the maximum stat a normal human could reach.

    He was surprised that the useless Universal System listened to what he said since he knew that normally he had to speak out loud to add free attribute points to any of his attributes.

    Although he was curious why the useless Universal System listened to him, he didn''t have time to focus on something as inconsequential as that at the moment.

    Deactivating his focused state, Corey continued treading upwards, desperate and determined to reach the surface.

    Although his constitution was now high, almost reaching the 500 mark, he did not have unlimited oxygen and time to waste.

    In fact he felt that he only had 10 or 15mins left before he ran out of oxygen once again.

    And by that time, he would truly be dead since he had no other method to prolong his survival.

    5 Minutes passed, Corey was still treading.

    He looked up, he could not find a source of light showing that he was close to the surface.

    10 Minutes passed, No difference. Corey was getting anxious.

    13 Minutes, Corey could feel it.

    His body was going to need oxygen very soon.

    14 minutes, his movement had slowed down.

    His eyes felt droopy, his body felt weak and tired.

    A short sleep would be nice.

    15 minutes, Corey tried to motivate himself to not give up, to surpass his limits.

    15 minutes 5 seconds, bubbles starteding out of Corey''s nose.

    He tried to hold it in but then he coughed, instinctively trying to gasp for air, but he knew that was a mistake on his part.

    He tried to stop himself from gasping for air but it was a reflex reaction performed by his body due to it''s need for oxygen.

    He covered his mouth and his nose, trying to stop himself from swallowing water but it was toote.

    The deed had already been done.

    His body began to sink due to him no longer performing the required movements to float.

    ''Is this the end?''

    He looked up, wondering if all his hard work and motivation were all for naught.

    But like as if the heavens finally decided to reward him, like the smile of a beautiful woman who loves you on the darkest of days, like the smile of a loving mother, rays of light shined upon him as he looked up.

    ''Is it real?''

    Corey wondered then began swimming upwards with newfound energy.

    He was close to leaving this ocean of death.

    He was close to life.

    No!

    He was close to the breath of life.

    He was close to oxygen.

    He was close to survival.

    He swam upwards, he was no longer breathing air but water but he didn''t care.

    To survive, he needed to reach the top.

    He needed to reach the surface.

    And he was going to make sure he damn reached it.

    But like as if the hands of death didn''t want him to leave, didn''t want him to escape.

    He slowed down.

    His body was giving up on him once again.

    His mind was bing sluggish.

    His muscles were bing heavy.

    He tried to go beyond his limits.

    He tried to do it.

    He really tried to do it,

    But s he failed.

    His bodycking the fuel it needed was about to shut down.

    ''I- I- I can''t die yet.''

    ''I don''t want to die.''

    Corey thought, then he ced hisst hopes on the skill which had saved his life one too many times.

    ''Focus.''

    Entering his focused state once again, Corey''s sluggish mind and dwindling consciousness instantly disappeared.

    His mind and consciousness instantly became active, granting Corey more time to live, to struggle.

    Corey knowing this was hisst chance, struggled, he swam and treaded like his life depended on it.

    Oh wait, it did.

    Anyway, he treaded so fast that it was a miracle he was even able to float.

    Five secondster,

    Ssh!

    "Cough! Cough!"

    "Cough! Cough!"

    "Haa, haa, haa, haa."

    Gasping for air with his head above the water, Corey looked around, a dazed expression on his face for a few seconds before it disappeared and a roar of happiness, joy, relief and a whole lot of emotions erupted from Corey''s lips.

    "AAHHHHH!!!"

    "I SURVIIIVVEEEEEDDDDD!!!!!!!!!"

    ------

    [A/N: People, people, people. I''m so happy to tell you all that the five spots for the chance to have your name and wish in my book through golden tickets has finally been taken.

    A big thank you to Ezana_Demere for dropping two golden tickets and also for dropping gifts.

    I really appreciate it. Thank you so much.

    So like I''ve said before. If you have a wish or an ability you want your character to have, tell me and let us talk about it.

    If you don''t, don''t worry about it. I''ll think of one for you.

    Later guys.

    Have a nice day/night.]

 Chapter 52 52: Hut

    ?"Haaa."

    Corey exhaled heavily after releasing all his emotions in his roar.

    He spent at least thirty seconds to calm his body and emotions down before he decided to take a look around.

    He needed to know where he was and what his current situation was.

    Was he in the middle of an ocean with nond in sight?

    Was he in another world or worse, another universe?

    Was a terrifying monster nearby?

    Was he truly alone in this world, space or whatever it was?

    Corey was prepared for a lot of things, even things that might cause him to despair but when he looked around, he had a dazed expression on his face.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    He could see an ind at least a thousand meters away from him.

    He blinked repeatedly as he looked at it for a few seconds.

    "It can''t be that simple right?

    My luck would definitely not just make it easy for me to survive?

    Where is the terrifying monster that''s meant to attack me?

    Where is the death trap?

    Is it on the ind?

    Is the ind a death trap?"

    Various thoughts appeared in Corey''s mind as he looked at the lone ind in the distance.

    He looked away from the ind and looked around, wondering if there was something else but he saw only water.

    He turned back to the ind and sighed.

    "To the ind it is then."

    Corey spoke then started swimming.

    (10 minutester.)

    Corey stood on the shore of the ind with water dripping down his body.

    He looked at the ind, observing the extremely tall trees just some meters away from him.

    Seeing that no monster or beast came out from the ''forest'' in front of him and there was no danger at the moment, Corey looked down at his body which was half-naked with only his boxers covering his little brother.

    He spread out his palm and a towel appeared from his inventory.

    Since he knew he was going to enter the dungeon which was filled with water, he looked for a clean towel in one of the rooms of the dormitory.

    After using the towel to clean himself he looked at his soaked boxers with a frown.

    He sighed softly then he removed the boxers, throwing them away.

    He brought out a clean set of clothes and a pair of shoes which he also found in one of the rooms in the dormitory and wore them.

    He then brought out Smile Reaper 2.0, gripping it tightly, he looked at the forest in front of him with cautious and cold eyes.

    "Let''s go."

    Corey muttered then walked into the forest.

    Entering the forest, Corey looked around, his cold and cautious eyes scanning his surroundings, his body ready to react the moment he sensed danger.

    He kept on walking and walking, not knowing the right direction to take, he just decided to walk straight.

    Ten minutester, Corey noticed something weird, something disturbing.

    The only living things he had seen apart from the trees were insects, he had not seen a single animal, whether small, tiny orrge.

    The forest was also quiet with the only sound been emitted was the swaying of the leaves on the trees.

    The forest felt ominous in Corey''s eyes.

    Corey became more cautious and gripped Smile Reaper 2.0 tightly.

    He kept on walking and walking for who knows how long until he reached a clearing.

    The clearing was approximately 50 meters wide and at the center of this clearing was a wooden hut.

    Corey looked at the hut for a few seconds before he looked around.

    He did not walk straight to the hut but walked at the edge of the clearing, observing every single detail he could see.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    After walking round the clearing twice, Corey came back to his previous position and looked at the hut at the center of the clearing.

    He picked up a stone and threw it in the clearing, checking to see if there was a trap or something but nothing happened.

    He then walked behind a tree with a stone in his hand and after hiding behind the tree, he threw the rock at the hut, not with so much force that it would damage the wooden hut.

    He was expecting something to happen but after the stone hit the hut, nothing happened.

    He waited for a few seconds, nothing happened.

    He waited for a few minutes, nothing still happened.

    Seeing that nothing was happening, he walked out from behind the tree and decided to check out the hut.

    If possible, he would not want to check out the hut but not knowing where he was and the forest been rtively empty with the hut been the only thing that was different in the forest, he had no choice but to check it out.

    Walking to the door, he exhaled before he opened it a little to get a peek at what was inside the hut.

    He hid behind the door and peeked inside, expecting to see something strange, something weird, something disturbing or something dangerous since that''s what always happens to him in situations like this whenever he opens doors.

    But as he looked inside the hut, he was stunned seeing a normal looking room.

    It had a wooden chair, a wooden table, a fire ce, a shelf filled with books and various other stuffs.

    He frowned and thought.

    ''Can''t be that easy right?''

    He hid behind the door, not moving from his spot.

    He observed the room for anything strange and dangerous, he even observed the door he was holding.

    He had almost lost his life one too many times that right now, he knew he had to be calm and careful in situations like this.

    He observed the room for a minute before he stopped and decided to enter the hut.

    He didn''t find anything weird in it, everything seemed normal which just made it more weird and ominous in Corey''s eyes.

    Corey stepped into the hut gripping Smile Reaper 2.0 tightly.

    Stepping into the hut, he looked around once again. He even looked back, wondering if the ''danger'' he was expecting would suddenly appear behind him.

    But as if to show that his worries were all for naught, nothing happened, the door was left open, no monster, no ghost, nothing was behind him or in this room.

    ''Am I just overthinking things?''

    He thought as he walked to the door and closed it gently.

    Although it felt like the hut was safe, he was not going to let his guard down until he was 100% sure it was safe.

    Tap

    "How did you get here?"

    "FUCK!! WHO?!!"

    Corey shouted and turned back with extreme shock and fear hearing a voice so close to him.

    Just as he looked back, his pupils dted as he saw a man with a long white beard, long white hair and golden eyes standing behind him with one of his hands on his shoulder.

    Corey tried to shrug off the hand but like as if the hand was glued to his body, he could not shrug it off at all.

    Knowing that he was in a dangerous situation, he stabbed with Smile Reaper 2.0 towards the man''s neck as fast as he could.

    He expected the man to dodge or at least remove his hand from his shoulder but what he saw next was forever etched into Corey''s memories.

    Just as Smile Reaper 2.0 was just a centimeter close to the man''s neck, two fingers suddenly appeared out of nowhere in Corey''s eyes and held Smile Reaper 2.0 by the tip.

    Before Corey could react, Corey saw the man pinch Smile Reaper 2.0 and in the next instant, a crack formed on the spear head.

    The crack spread from the spear head and reached the entire body of the spear, causing cracks to appear all over Smile Reaper 2.0.

    Just when Corey thought that was the end, Smile Reaper 2.0 turned to dust, causing Corey''s mind to nk out for a second.

    He looked down at his hand which was holding the remains of Smile Reaper 2.0.

    Just as he was about to look at the man which killed Smile Reaper 2.0, his vision went dark and he went unconscious.

    He fell towards the floor but the man caught him with one hand, he looked at Corey with a strange light in his eyes before he spoke.

    "I''ve not had a good barbecue in a while now. Seems I can have one now."

    ------

    [A/N: Don''t forget to vote and also drop gifts y''all. Thanks.]

 Chapter 53 53: Strange Life & Death Situation

    ?In front of the wooden hut, a very strange scene could be seen.

    The man with white hair, beard and golden eyes sat on a rock, an open fire made from wood was just a meter away from him.

    On the left and right side of this fire was a stick as thick as a man''s thigh and as high as three grown men joined together vertically.

    The whole setting looked like a spit where one roasts on in the wilderness, the only difference been that instead of a stick and animal meat been ced horizontally on top of the vertical sticks, it was a human that was tied horizontally on the vertical sticks, his body above the fire. [A/N: If you don''t know what a spit is, check Google then you''ll understand the illustration better.]

    This human was Corey.

    "So this is what would happen.

    I''ll remove the cloth around your mouth and I''ll ask you some questions.

    Depending on your answer, your situation might get better or worse.

    Do you understand?"

    The man with white hair asked with a calm and indifferent expression. In his hands was a knife and a fork which gleamed as the fire shined upon it.

    Meanwhile Corey whose face was in the direction of the fire looked at the man with an expression of dread, anger and nervousness.

    "Hmm, hmm, hmmm." He tried to say something but his mouth was covered.

    The man raised an eyebrow seeing him trying to speak, he just moved his forefinger slightly and the cloth around Corey''s mouth was sliced apart.

    Corey''s eyes widened slightly seeing that, he wanted to curse at the old man at first but seeing the man cut apart the cloth by just moving his finger caused all the curses in his mind to go, *poof*, disappear.

    "I asked if you understood?"

    The man asked bringing Corey out of his absentminded state.

    Corey quickly nodded, showing that he understood.

    "Good." The man nodded in eptance.

    He threw the fork and knife on the floor, then he leaned forward, ced his elbows on his knees then put his hands on his chin, a serious expression in his eyes and face.

    Corey gulped, thinking hard on what the man could ask him.

    "Now, the first question."

    The man said, bringing Corey out of his thoughts.

    "Which do you prefer?"

    "Breast or Ass?"

    "¡­"

    The man asked and Corey''s mind nked out for a second before he looked at the man, wondering if he heard right or if the man was just toying with him.

    "Are you-"

    Drop

    Corey tried to ask if the man was serious with his question but the moment he spoke, the two vertical sticks reduced in length and was absorbed into the ground causing Corey to curse.

    "SHIT!"

    Corey''s heart palpitated with fear as the distance between him and the fire beneath him was reduced.

    "Just answer my questions, don''t say anything else.

    If you say something other than the answer, the sticks would shorten and well, let''s just say you would have a fiery end."

    The man said and Corey looked at him, seeing a small smile on the man''s face made the fear Corey had for the man to increase.

    "Now answer my question."

    "Which do you prefer?

    Breast or Ass?"

    The man spoke and Corey''s face contorted into a frown.

    His mind spun, thinking of the right answer to this question.

    He didn''t dare to believe that he could just give any answer and he would be safe.

    There was definitely a right answer.

    But the more he thought about the right answer, the more he realized there was no way for him to know the right answer.

    His frown deepened.

    "Excuse me Sir-" He tried to speak after a few seconds passed but,

    Drop

    "Fuck! Just listen to what I have to-" Corey cursed as the sticks dropped once again, bringing him closer to the fire. He tried to speak again but,

    Drop

    "Thighs! I prefer thighs!"

    Corey quickly answered, fearing that he would truly have a fiery end.

    Meanwhile the man had a frown mixed with confusion as he heard Corey''s answer.

    No one had ever given him such an answer when he asked that question.

    It was either they said ass or breast, and well like Corey feared, if one gave a wrong answer, his end would be a hundred times closer.

    As for the right answer?

    That did not matter.

    The man looked at Corey with a strange light in his eyes.

    ''Does he truly prefer thighs?

    Or is he trying to be smart?'' The man thought as he looked at Corey.

    ''Or maybe his sexual life is just that sad?'' The man thought once again.

    "You prefer thighs over breast and ass?" The man asked.

    "Yes, yes, I prefer thighs." Corey repeatedly nodded his head in approval.

    "So what type of thighs do you prefer?

    Thick or lean thighs?"

    The man asked and Corey blinked a few times.

    "¡­ uhmm. Anime thighs?"

    Drop

    "Fuck you old man! I gave my answer!" Corey cursed with indignation in his tone.

    "What the hell is anime thighs?!

    Don''t toy with me boy.

    And besides who''s old?

    Your ancestors are the ones that are old!" The man shamelessly argued back despite the fact that he was at least five thousand years old.

    "If you don''t know anime thighs then just say it!

    Don''t bloody drop me into the fire!" Corey cursed but,

    Drop

    "Shit! Old man!" Corey cursed once again.

    Drop

    "¡­" Corey kept his mouth shut.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "That''s good. Now you''re using your brain." The old man, *cough*, the man rubbed his beard with satisfaction seeing Corey not saying a single word.

    "Now you better answer me properly.

    Which do you prefer?

    Thick or lean thighs?"

    The man asked and Corey had an expression of frustration.

    "Thick thighs damn it. Bloody thick thighs!"

    A smile appeared on the man''s face hearing Corey''s answer. Rubbing his long beard, he spoke.

    "So that means you prefer fat girls?"

    "What? How would I-"

    Drop

    "No! I don''t prefer fat girls!

    I don''t fucking prefer them you mad man!"

    Corey replied with a tone containing frustration, despair and tiredness.

    ''I knew doors were truly bad luck for me. Anytime I open suspicious doors I always suffer.'' Corey thought with tears threatening to spill out of his eyes.

    Had he offended the god of doors in his past life?

    Never in his life would he imagine himself been in this type of situation.

    Meanwhile the man not caring about the thoughts of Corey had a smile on his face seeing the despair and frustration on Corey''s face, he rubbed his beard with glee.

    "Another question.

    Since you don''t prefer fat girls, which ones do you prefer?

    Slim girls, busty girls, short girls, tall girls?

    Oh by the way, if it''s guys you like, don''t be shy to say it.

    I won''t judge you."

    The man said and Corey looked at him with a nk expression.

    "Old man-"

    Drop

    "You bastard!"

    Drop

    "Shit! Shit! Hot! Hot! That''s fucking hot! That''s fucking hot!!"

    Corey cursed as he felt his body getting cooked. He turned towards the fire and started blowing at it. Foolishly hoping that the fire would be extinguished.

    The man had a strange expression on his face seeing Corey''s actions.

    ''So he''s an idiot?''

    The man thought before he decided to speak.

    "Answer the question young boy."

    Corey turned towards the man with anger in his eyes.

    "Fuck you old man!"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Drop

    "FUCK! I don''t have preferences old man!

    It''s all about the vibe I feel from the girl.

    If the vibe is good I don''t care whether she''s short, slim, busty or tall.

    As long as she''s not ugly, I don''t care alright.

    I don''t give a damn!"

    "Now let me go old man!

    Fucking let me go you crazy old man!"

    Corey cursed and wiggled, trying to escape the extremely tight ropes which bound him.

    Meanwhile the old man''s smile widened before it erupted into a full blownugh.

    "Hahahahahaha!!!"

    Afterughing he waved his hand causing a soft wind to blow towards the fire and pile of wood. The fire was extinguished while the pile of wood were blown away.

    He moved his forefinger in a swiping motion and the two vertical sticks were sliced apart.

    Bam

    "Hmm. Shit."

    Corey cursed as he fell face t unto the floor.

    The man swiped his finger horizontally once again and the ropes binding Corey was cut off.

    Corey rubbed his sore wrists as he mumbled a few curses under his breath.

    Step Step

    He looked up and saw the old man walking towards him.

    "Now was that so difficult?

    You only had to answer my questions but you just made it difficult for yourself."

    The man said and Corey muttered.

    "When you were asking extremely weird questions."

    "Hahahahaha!!" The manughed for a few seconds before he stopped.

    He wiped a few tears off his eyes as he looked at Corey.

    "What''s the fun in asking extremely serious questions from the start? Hmm?"

    The man said and Corey was about to reply but his words were forced back to his throat when he saw the man''s eyes and expression be serious and cold.

    "Now, you better answer me honestly or your end would not be so pleasant."

    "How did you get to this ce?"

    ------

    [A/N: Bonus chapter for reaching 100 power stones. Thanks guys.

    The next target is 200 power stones. We currently have 102 power stones.

    98 power stones to go.

    It seems much but y''all can do it.

    I believe in you guys.

    Don''t forget the golden tickets also by the way, only 8 more golden tickets to go for another bonus chapter.

    Let''s goooo

    Oh wait, I forgot the gifts, very, very important. Drop gifts, even if it''s a c. I appreciate it.

    Now, LESSSS GOOOOOO!!!!]

 Chapter 54 54: The Wandering Paragon

    ?(Inside the hut)

    Corey sat on a wooden chair with a cup of tea in his hands. In front of Corey was the old man who was sitting on a rocking wooden chair with a frown on his face as he was seemingly in deep thoughts.

    Corey sipped on his tea which was given to him by the old man and as he drank his tea, he observed the old man.

    This time, as he observed the old man he noticed a few things.

    First of all, he noticed something strange about the old man''s eyes.

    He had noticed before that the man''s eyes were golden, but when he looked at the man''s eyes once again, he realized that the old man''s eyes we''re strange.

    The man had three golden triangles in his eyes, the three golden triangles were connected to each other by their bases leaving a silver circr opening in the middle.

    Corey was somewhat fascinated by the cool looking eyes and a thought appeared in his mind.

    ''Can I also have cool looking eyes?''

    Corey eventually stopped looking at the old man''s eyes and continued his observation of the old man.

    But just as he was about to continue his observation, the old man spoke, causing Corey to stop his observation.

    The old man looked at Corey, not bothered about the fact that Corey was observing him.

    "So you''re telling me that you got to this ce through a dungeon?"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    The man asked and Corey nodded his head in response.

    "Hmm." The man stroked his beard a few times as he looked at Corey.

    "I''ll need to look at your memories."

    The man said and Corey frowned.

    The man seeing Corey''s frown had a small smile on his face.

    "We can do it the easy way or the hard way.

    Just know the hard way would be painful for you."

    The man spoke with an indifferent tone and expression causing Corey''s frown to deepen.

    "I have secrets." Corey replied calmly after been silent for a few seconds.

    He knew there was no way for him to defeat or even escape from the old man due to his absurd strength.

    He was helpless before the old man and was at the mercy of the old man. Knowing he could not stop the old man from forcefully going through his memories, he was hoping he could reason with him.

    Meanwhile the old man rolled his eyes hearing Corey''s words.

    "Everybody has secrets boy, even I do."

    "Also, if the secret you''re talking about is your talent which is omniscience, then that ''secret'' was exposed a long time ago."

    Corey''s pupils constricted hearing the words of the old man. His heart beat increased slightly and sweat dripped off his forehead.

    "How did you-?"

    "How did I know?

    Well it''s not like you''re actually hiding your talent boy.

    As long as somebody is strong enough or has the right equipment or skill, then they can view everything on your status window."

    The man said with amusement in his tone and a half smile formed on his lips as he saw more sweat forming on Corey''s forehead.

    "I don''t know how you''ve kept your talent a secret from powerful people but if I was to guess,

    I would say you''ve just been lucky."

    "Now, are we doing this the hard way or easy way?

    Personally?

    I prefer the hard way."

    Corey looked at the old man who had a sadistic grin on his face.

    ''This old man is definitely crazy.''

    Corey thought then sighed. Heid back on his chair and sipped from his mug of tea.

    "Do it the easy way. It''s not like I had a choice in the first ce."

    The old man chuckled and before Corey''s eyes, he disappeared and reappeared in front of him in an instant, not a single second was gone in that instant.

    "What-"

    Corey tried to speak but in the next instant, Corey saw the old man''s finger move towards his forehead.

    It looked slow in Corey''s eyes but Corey knew that it was anything but slow.

    He didn''t try to dodge the finger or do anything since that would be stupid on his part.

    Just as he was expecting the procedure to be painful or even traumatizing, he was stunned when he saw the man walk away from him a second after his finger touched his head.

    A nk and dazed expression appeared on his face for a few seconds since he was unable toprehend what just happened.

    Meanwhile the old man who was walking back to his rocking wooden chair had a deep frown on his face.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    ''How can the blood essence of a Supreme be in the boy''s?

    And from his memories, it''s most likely the blood essence of their ancestor, the All-Father.

    Does my ancestor know about this?

    Is this also part of their ns?''

    ...

    "Haaa. This is so frustrating." The old man rubbed his forehead in frustration causing Corey to look at him with a strange look.

    Corey decided to keep quiet and waited for the old man to speak.

    A few secondster, the man sighed once again then looked at Corey, a serious expression could be seen on his face.

    "I''ve gone through your memories and let''s just say there were some things that I saw that were disturbing to me."

    "First of all, let me just say you''re extremely lucky to be alive after encountering a baby kraken, if you had done any harm to it, no matter how little, you would be dead by now."

    The man said with an indifferent tone while Corey''s mouth twitched hearing the words of the old man.

    ''If I''m so lucky why did I meet you?''

    Keeping his thought to himself, he asked a question which was the most important on his mind.

    "Let''s leave stuffs about the baby kraken and speak about things which are actually important."

    "First of all, where am I and can I go back to my?"

    Corey asked with his heart beating faster than normal.

    The answer to this question was very, very important to him.

    "You''re on another and yes, you can go back home.

    I can send you back to your."

    The old man said causing Corey to exhale a deep breath of relief.

    "Since you''re now more rxed, we need to speak about something very important, the golden drop of blood that the merchant told you about."

    Corey raised an eyebrow hearing this. He remembered the merchant telling him to sell him a golden drop of blood if he finds one in a dungeon.

    He put the words of the merchant at the back of his mind since it was basically unimportant to him at the moment.

    But from what he could see, it seems the golden drop of blood is much more important than he thought.

    "Wait."

    Just as the old man was about to continue speaking, he stopped him, causing the old man to raise an eyebrow.

    "What?" The old man asked.

    "What should I call you? I can''t keep on calling you old man."

    Corey said and an expression of anger appeared on his face.

    "Call me an old man again and you will find yourself much, much deeper in the sea."

    The man threatened and Corey kept his mouth shut.

    His previous experience with the old man made him believe that the old man would truly do as he says.

    ''Next time don''t have such long white hair and beard. You look like a damn old wizard with your look. The only thing missing is your pointy hat.''

    Corey thought but dared not say his words out loud.

    The previous actions of the old man had traumatized him.

    Meanwhile the old man oblivious to Corey''s thoughts had a smug expression seeing Corey''s sealed lips.

    "You''re not worthy to know my real name but you can call me what others call me."

    The old man took a pause, trying to build up suspense, expecting Corey to have an anticipating expression but Corey just rolled his eyes inwardly.

    "They call me...The Wandering Paragon."

    The old man spoke with pride and Corey tilted his head with a stunned and slightly dazed expression.

    "..."

    ''Never in my life will I call you The Wandering Paragon.''

    ''I''m still gon call you old man, old man.''

    He thought but dared not say his words out loud.

    ------

    [A/N: Next chapter gives some hints on a few abilities Corey would get in the future. It''s basically the tip of the iceberg.

    Don''t forget to vote by the way, 81 more power stones for another bonus chapter.

    Also, it''s remaining 8 golden tickets for another bonus chapter.

    Don''t forget the gifts also, I give bonus chapters for every Gift worth at least 5,000 coins.]

 Chapter 55 55: Paragons & Supremes

    ?The old man who was oblivious to Corey''s thoughts had an expression of satisfaction as he looked at Corey''s dazed and stunned expression.

    Just as he was reveling in his satisfaction, Corey spoke.

    "Uhm¡­ Sorry but I think it would be weird calling you The Wandering Paragon.

    I feel it would be disrespectful for a man of your stature to be called directly like that by someone as insignificant as me.

    I feel calling you old man would be the best or I can call you something else, something more respectful.

    You''ve gone through my memories so you should know that calling a man old man is not been disrespectful, it''s a sign of respect."

    Corey who had just finished speaking looked at the old man who now had a thoughtful expression on his face.

    ''No matter what, I''ll never call you The Wandering Paragon.

    What kind of cringe title is that? How do people even call you that?''

    Corey thought while keeping a straight and serious expression, not allowing any of his thoughts to show on his face.

    Even if he had to bootlick the crazy old man, he would do it!

    He definitely did not want to call him by that cringe title.

    Meanwhile the old man who was in deep thoughts finally spoke.

    "When I think about it, it''s true that you''re extremely insignificant and not worthy to even call me by my title, so I will allow you to call me old man."

    The old man said and Corey smiled internally, but his smile became slightly stiff when he heard the old man''s next words.

    "But, it''s only when we''re alone you can call me old man. In public, you call me Sir Wandering Paragon."

    ''Well it''s not like we''ll see each other again after I leave this ce.''

    Corey thought but still nodded his head, showing that he understood the words of the old man.

    The old man smiled then stroked his long beard a few times with a serious expression before he spoke.

    "Like I said before, when I went through your memories I saw a few disturbing things. The most important been the golden drop of blood that the merchant told you about."

    The old man paused and aplex emotion shed through his eyes, his hands clenched around the armrest of his rocking wooden chair.

    "What''s so important about the golden drop of blood. Is it an important treasure or what?"

    Corey asked and a smirk of slight ridicule appeared on the old man''s face.

    "Yes, it''s a treasure but only the ignorant, greedy and desperate ones would see it as a treasure. The wise and knowledgeable ones would definitely not see it as a treasure."

    The old man paused, then looked to the side, a reminiscent expression appeared on his face.

    "I can''t tell you much since you would not understand and there would be consequences if I do, but there are two things I can tell you."

    "First, never, ever, absorb the golden drop of blood if you see it. If you do, you will regret it.

    Second, if the Universal System ever tells you it wants to give you a reward and the reward would change your brand color from orange or whatever color to golden, never ept the reward. No matter how powerful, how useful, how tempting the reward is."

    The old man spoke with intense seriousness in his tone. Corey who thought that the old man could never be serious was stunned and curious on the reason behind the old man''s seriousness.

    "What is that golden drop of blood that you keep on telling me to be wary of. Is it that dangerous or important?" Corey asked.

    "The golden drop of blood is not dangerous and it''s also dangerous. To some people, the consequences after absorbing or using the golden drop of blood doesn''t matter while to some, it matters.

    As for what the golden drop of blood is, it''s most likely the blood essence of the ancestor and Progenitor of a race called The Supreme Race, they call him The All-Father."

    Corey''s eyes widened the moment he heard the name, ''All-Father'', he remembered the first time the system appeared where it said, ''Glory To The All-Father'' and also after it gave him his gift and it said, ''Universal System Wees The All-Father''.

    It was a name Corey had been curious about ever since the apocalypse started but knowing there was no way for him to get answers, he didn''t bother searching for the answers.

    He also didn''t bother asking the merchant about it since he guessed or should he say, knew, that if the merchant had information concerning the All-Father, he would definitely not be able to afford it.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "So¡­. Is the All-Father a bad person? What of the Supreme Race? Are they also evil?" Corey questioned and the old man smiled.

    "I can''t answer that question for your own good unless you want to die after knowing the answers?" The old man asked with a small smile.

    "Nope. Don''t worry. Keep the answers to yourself, I still love my life thank you very much." Corey replied and took a sip of his tea but after taking it, he frowned.

    The tea was cold. He looked at it for a few seconds before he shrugged and drank everything in one gulp.

    ''Can''t waste good tea.'' Corey thought

    The old man raised an eyebrow seeing Corey''s actions but didn''t bothermenting on it.

    He stroked his beard and looked sideways, a thoughtful and conflicting expression appeared on his face before he sighed softly after a few seconds passed.

    "Brat." He called out Corey without looking at him.

    "Hmm?" Corey replied.

    "Although I can''t tell you the answers to your questions and more because I''m not strong enough to protect you, there is someone who can¡­" The old man paused for a second before he asked with a solemn expression

    "Do you want power?

    Do you want power that most could only dream of obtaining?''

    Do you want power that defies a lot of things?"

    The man asked and Corey heart skipped a beat.

    Does he want power?

    Wasn''t that what he had been looking for ever since he realized there was a tier 2 creature at the academy gates?

    Wasn''t that the main reason he entered such a dangerous dungeon despite his low level?

    Wasn''t that what he needed so that his younger sister would not be stronger than him forever?

    "What type of power is it? Is it dangerous?" Although he wanted and needed power, he wasn''t blinded by his desire and need for power.

    The old man never told him what exactly the power he wanted to give him was.

    If the power would harm him or worse, his family and ''eventual friends'', there was no point in attaining this power. He''d rather gain this power himself.

    Meanwhile, the old man seeing Corey''s cautious nature had a small smile on his face.

    "The power is not dangerous in a sense.

    As long as you''re strong enough, you should be able to handle the consequences of the power I want to give you." The old man said and Corey had furrowed brows.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "What are the consequences?" He asked.

    "Well, the power I want to give you would make you have some enemies with the Supreme race been your number one enemy.

    Also, the power can sometimes put you in difficult situations, but as long as you''re strong enough, you should be able to find a way out."

    The man said and Corey''s frown deepened, he rested his back and a thoughtful expression appeared on his face for some seconds before he stopped and looked at the old man with a suspicious gaze.

    "Tell me why I must ept this power you want to give me and also why are you giving it to me?" Corey asked.

    "If you don''t want the power, just say so, I''m not forcing you to ept the power." The old man shrugged.

    "As for why I''m giving it to you?

    It''s because of your potential. Your talent is so high that if you make the right decisions and don''t die, you would be someone great in life."

    "So are you going to take this power?" The old man asked and Corey shrugged.

    "Sure why not, as long as it wouldn''t harm my family." Corey said.

    "Great." The smile on the old man''s face widened.

    He spread out his right palm and two objects appeared from thin air and hovered over his palm.

    Corey looked at the two objects with curiosity.

    The first object his eyes were drawn to was a vial which contained a dark reddish grey drop of blood. The blood pulsed a few times like a heartbeat.

    The moment Corey''s eyesnded on the dark reddish gray drop of blood, he could not peel his eyes away from it.

    His body, his soul, his entire being wanted that blood, it wanted to absorb it, to drink it, it was screaming out to him.

    If not because Corey knew how powerful the old man was, Corey would have tried to snatch the drop of blood from the old man immediately.

    "What''s that drop of blood?" Corey asked as he licked his dry lips, reigning in the desire he had towards the drop of blood.

    The old man did not reply Corey as he also looked at the drop of blood with a hint of desire and regret.

    A few seconds passed before he reigned in his emotions and sighed.

    "This is the blood essence of my ancestor, The Progenitor of my race, The Paragon Race. People that know him call him, The Defying Paragon."

    The old man said solemnly, a hint of pride, respect, worship, desire and so many other emotions appeared in his expression and tone.

    Meanwhile Corey looked at the drop of blood with a confused, curious and thoughtful expression.

    ''Paragons?''

    ''Supremes?''

    Corey became lost in thought as he looked at the dark reddish grey blood.

    A few secondster, he spoke.

    "What are Paragons?"

    The old man who was observing Corey stroked his beard a few times hearing the question.

    "Once again, I can''t tell you everything but I can satisfy your curiosity and exin a few things between Paragons and Supremes.

    We Paragons and Supremes are enemies, eternal enemies to be exact.

    From what I know, we''re both the top two races of the entire multiverse.

    Not even the dragons, phoenixes, demons and devils canpare to us.

    The reason why we are the top two races is because of our ancestors, The All-Father and my ancestor, The Defying Paragon.

    It is said that only those two have reached the peak of power and only those two can fight against each other.

    Funny enough, the abilities of us two races are pr opposites.

    The Supremes are masters of the elements while we Paragons are, how should I put it, we are opposers of the elements.

    Don''t think our only ability is been opposers of the elements, we are capable of much more. Just been opposers of the elements is not enough to defeat a Supreme.

    This is all I can tell you, if I tell you more, you would most likely die."

    The old man said and Corey sat there with a slightly dazed expression. He rubbed the middle of his brows for a few seconds before he spoke up once more.

    "I don''t understand everything you said but I understand the gist of it."

    He paused then looked at the second object which was a metallic box with red symbols on it.

    He didn''t know what this symbol was but he felt it should be special.

    "What of that? What''s in it?" He asked.

    The old man looked at the box with a little bit of fear in his expression.

    "This is something that if possible I won''t give you at all, I would much rather use it myself but with my present condition, if I do that, I would just be courting death."

    The old man said then stroked the box with a mncholic gaze for a few seconds, then he spoke.

    "This box contains something which is exceedingly dangerous. A poison infinity crystal."

    ----

    [A/N: People, People, people what''s going on here.

    Why is is that the number of power stones I received yesterday was just 21, 21!!!

    Click that vote button and vote using power stones and golden tickets

    NOW!!!!

    We only need 60 more power stones and 8 more golden tickets for a bonus chapter.

    So VOTE VOTE VOTE!!!!

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    Love Y''all.

    Kisses, MUAH!!!

 Chapter 56 56: Infinity Crystals

    ?"Poison Infinity Crystal?"

    Corey had a confused expression hearing the name of the item inside the box.

    It sounded cool, ominous and evil.

    ''Does the old man want me to learn a poison skill or does he want me to be somebody that uses poisons?''

    Corey wondered as he looked at the box.

    "An infinity crystal is a very priceless treasure that any knowledgeable and powerful being would fight for.

    Terrible wars would be waged by powerful forces if they ever get a sniff of where an infinity crystal is.

    I can''t tell you everything about an infinity crystal because you are not ready, not strong enough nor knowledgeable enough to understand, even if I exin it to you.

    Just know that an infinity crystal is something that grants great power to anybody that possesses it."

    " Also, know that there are various types of infinity crystals.

    There is fire infinity crystal, lightning infinity crystal, earth infinity crystal, saber infinity crystal, spear infinity crystal, sword infinity crystal, chain infinity crystal, blood infinity crystal and so much more.

    There are so many types of infinity crystals that experts believe that there are actually infinite types of infinity crystals."

    The man said and took a pause, he stroked the box with an expression of longing.

    "If there are so many infinity crystals then doesn''t that mean it''s not so rare?

    Doesn''t that mean a lot of people have infinity crystals?"

    Corey asked with furrowed brows as he realized that something was not right.

    "You''re right to ask those questions but the problem with your thinking is that you don''t know how vast the universe is.

    Although there are so many infinity crystals, to find one of them would require luck and determination.

    The universe is so vast that even though there are different types of infinity crystals, it is still extremely, extremely rare to find one.

    Only the top powers would have more than one infinity crystal in their possession." The old man rified and Corey had a slightly dazed expression on his face.

    ''Does that mean if I get extremely powerful one day I''ll be able to see outside of the, I''ll be able to explore the universe?''

    Corey thought but he immediately pushed down this thought and decided to focus on the present.

    The old man who still had an expression of longing finally looked away from the box and looked at Corey.

    "Although infinity crystals are treasures to every being, infinity crystals are extremely important to us Paragons.

    They are one of the main reasons we Paragons can stand toe to toe against Supremes.

    You probably don''t understand all that I''ve said but when you meet the ancestor, he''ll exin everything to you."

    "The Ancestor of Paragons?

    Why would I meet him?

    Don''t I need to be strong enough before I meet the ancestor?"

    Corey questioned with a confused expression.

    Wasn''t meeting powerful figures meant to be difficult?

    Who was he for him to meet a being who the old man said had reached the peak of power?

    Meanwhile the old man looked at Corey with a strange expression.

    "Of course you need to meet him.

    How else do you think you''ll be able to absorb the ancestor''s blood and the poison infinity crystal?

    I dare not try and help you absorb the ancestor''s blood since you''ll die if I do that.

    It''s the same for the All-Father''s blood essence, why do you think the merchant told you not to absorb the blood, you''ll definitely die."

    The old man warned and Corey became confused.

    "So how do I now meet the ancestor to absorb his blood? Is he around here?" Corey asked while wondering when meeting high level figures became so easy.

    "Of course he''s not here. He''s in the Realm Of Paragons which he created in the universe he was born in. The universe is far away from ours.

    Also, the Realm Of Paragons is where the strongest and most talented Paragons stay, it''s also the dream of most Paragons to go there." The old man said with an expression of pride, desire, ambition and regret mixed in his tone.

    Meanwhile Corey''s face and mind became nk hearing the words of the old man. He shook his head then rubbed the middle of his brows with a confused and frustrated expression.

    "So right now you''re confusing me.

    First, I don''t know what a realm is and I don''t want to know right now. I have a feeling that I''ll just get more confused.

    Second, if the Realm Of Paragons is where the strongest and most talented Paragons stay, why are you here?

    Are you not strong enough to go there?

    Third and most importantly, if the ancestor is in another universe, how the hell do I meet him?" Corey asked and the old man sighed.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    He leaned back and looked at the ceiling.

    "For your second question, it''splicated but let''s just say I''m not strong enough to go the Realm Of Paragons, besides I don''t think I can ever go there in my lifetime." A bitter smile appeared on the old man''s face as he spoke.

    "Why?" Corey was confused.

    ''Was the old man dying?'' Corey thought

    "Do you know why I''m here? Why I''m in this ce alone, with nothing but water around me?"

    The old man asked and Corey rolled his eyes.

    "You know I don''t old man. You literally went through my memories." Corey spoke causing the old man to chuckle softly.

    "I''m dying young boy, and the reason for that is because of a Supreme I fought. I sealed the bastard beneath this ind and I n on guarding this ce till myst breath or until the bastard is truly dead."

    The old man said with extremely cold eyes, and a little bit of his aura spilled out causing the hut and Corey to tremble.

    Corey looked at the old man with trembling hands and with sweat dripping down his forehead.

    Although he knew the old man was strong and he absolutely had no chance whatsoever in defeating him, the tiny bit of aura released by the old man made Corey to feel like he was facing a terrifying beast he would never be able to defeat, he felt like a mountain was about to fall on him and crush him into pieces.

    Just as he thought he was going to die, the aura vanished like it never appeared and Corey exhaled and inhaled deeply for a few seconds before he regained his calm.

    The old man who had also regained his calm cleared his throat then spoke.

    "Sorry about that." He apologized then continued:

    "For your third question on how to meet the ancestor, it''s when you''re taking advancement test you''ll be able to meet the ancestor."

    Corey became confused and it showed in his tone.

    "I thought I would be able to gain the power before I reach Tier 1.

    Also, how would I reach tier 1? You must have read my memories so you know there''s no evolution center in the academy.

    Or is there one here?"

    Corey questioned and the old man tilted his head slightly and spoke.

    "Of course there''s no evolution center in this ce. If there was, I would have taken you there right away."

    Corey''s mouth twitched as he heard the tone in the old man''s words. It was a tone telling him that the answer was so obvious that he should have known already.

    Rubbing his eyebrows in frustration, he spoke.

    "Alright old man, the issue is this. If you want me to absorb the blood by meeting your ancestor, I''ll need to reach Tier 1 and to reach Tier 1, I need an evolution center.

    There''s no evolution center in the academy and there''s also a Tier 2 creature at the gates of the academy.

    I need power to either escape from the tier 2 creature or to kill it. Currently, I don''t have the power or the ability, so can you help me with that?"

    "Hmm." The old man rubbed his beard with a thoughtful expression on his face.

    "You can never kill the tier 2 creature even with the help I can give you."

    The old man said and Corey''s eyes dimmed slightly.

    "Although I said you can''t kill it, I meant you can''t kill it on your own. You''ll need to work together with others."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Corey''s eyes brightened hearing the word''s of the old man.

    It was true.

    He had never thought of attacking the tier 2 creatures with other people, and in a way, it was not his fault.

    Ever since the apocalypse happened, Corey always worked alone. The number of survivors he had seen were not much since he had not actively looked for survivors.

    Corey was also usually not the type of person to work with people, in a sense, he was a loner.

    "Thank you old man"

    Corey bowed his head, thanking him for reminding that he was not alone.

    The old man smiled then spoke:

    "Don''t thank me yet, although I can''t give you items that can kill the tier 2 creature nor can I make you so strong to the point that you would be able to kill the Tier 2 creature, I can make you stronger and solve a major problem that you don''t even know about?"

    Corey tilted his head with a confused expression.

    "What problem?" He asked.

    "Your body is severely limiting your talent and I intend to solve that problem for you."

    ----

    [A/N: Don''t forget to vote with Power Stones and Golden Tickets y''all. We''re so close to getting another bonus chapter. Good job everyone.

    Gifts are also appreciated, no matter how little.

    Have a great day/night.]

 Chapter 57 57: The True Nature Of Corey

    ?"What do you mean by my body is limiting my talent?"

    Corey hearing the words of the old man asked with a confused expression on his face.

    "What I mean is that your body is too weak to unleash the full potential of your talent. Do you know the exact reason your intelligence attribute doesn''t increase after it reaches a particr number?"

    Corey furrowed his brows for a second then he spoke:

    "Isn''t it because my intelligence stat has reached the limit for my tier? The Universal System told me that 500 is the highest limit for us humans."

    The old man shook his head slightly and rested his back on the wooden chair, afortable expression appeared on his face for an instant.

    "The Universal System is right but it''s not telling you the exact reason. I''m not going to delve into the reasons or we''ll spend forever here, so I''ll use you as an example.

    The main reason your intelligence stagnates after it reaches a particr number is because if it continues to increase, you will eventually die. Your body would not be strong enough to withstand the mental energy your mind produces.

    If you were born as one of the top races in the universe, first, your limit would be much higher than it currently is and also, your intelligence stat would not be so limited.

    Also, due to your weak body, the amount of mana your body can contain is limited. Your talent which grants you a lot of intelligence allows you to perceive mana much easier than a normal human would.

    Right now, I want to make your body stronger. I want to break the limit your body has and make your future limit much higher than the limit of a normal human."

    The entire hut became silent after the old man spoke, Corey had a thoughtful expression as he looked at his hand. He clenched and unclenched it a few times then he looked at the old man.

    "When do we start?"

    He asked with a calm expression on his face and the old man smirked.

    "Follow me."

    The old man got up from his chair and went into the only other room that was in the hut apart from the room they were in.

    Corey got up from his chair and followed the old man.

    As soon as he entered the room, a stunned expression appeared on his face when he saw the inside of the room.

    The room which was meant to be small was currently asrge as the bedroom of a mighty king. It had numerous shelves filled with books, vials, boxes, weapons and a lot of other things.

    It was like he entered into a new world.

    "How-?" He was about to ask but,

    "Spatial expansion." The old man replied indifferently before he could even finish his sentence.

    Corey decided not to ask any further questions knowing it was something that was out of his league.

    He looked at the old man who walked to the center of the room where a grey cauldron was located.

    "You''ll need to wait for some time, I need to concoct the potion that will remove the limit on your body."

    The old man said then without waiting for Corey''s reply, he sat cross-legged in front of the cauldron and a me appeared beneath it.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Corey seeing the old man concoct looked around for a ce to sit.

    Although he was curious about everything in this room, it was not his room and the old man did not give him permission to start touching or observing anything.

    Corey found a chair in the room then sat down.

    His eyes looked at the old man for a few seconds before he turned to the shelves, slowly, the conversation with the old man resurfaced in his mind causing Corey to be lost in thoughts.

    To be sincere, Corey did not feel too good about how things were evolving so fast after he met the old man.

    Sure he was going to be more powerful and he wanted power but he felt like he was been dragged into something big, something huge, something that could affect the entire universe.

    When he said he wanted power, he mainly wanted it so as to be able to go home and protect his family.

    Although the power the old man wants to grant him was something a lot of people craved for, Corey did not crave for it so much.

    Just a few weeks ago, Corey was a normal teenage boy with school problems. Corey''s mind was always on how to have a good future for himself, how to make money, how to not be a failure in life.

    Corey never had grand ambitions like ruling the world, gaining power or even been somebody important in the future.

    Before the apocalypse, he just wanted to have a life where he could provide food and shelter for himself, his current family and his future family.

    Corey right now, only wanted to live and survive, he wanted to live and survive with his sister, mom and dad.

    Making enemies of extremely powerful people?

    Corey never had that in mind.

    Corey did not even want to make any enemy if possible since he knew it would put him and those he cared about in danger.

    If possible, Corey would not want to take the Paragon''s Ancestor''s blood since it would eventually put him in the spotlight.

    Corey did not particrly hate been in the spotlight, it''s just that never in his life had he been in the spotlight.

    He was always the type of person that just existed. He did not even know what been in the spotlight felt like.

    He had friends but even among his friends, he was more like the person you would asionally forget, he was more like the less ''valuable'' person in the group.

    This was also one of the reasons Kyle''s betrayal did not hurt him as much it should hurt a true friend.

    It was also one of the reasons he was able to bounce back quickly after hearing about his other friends deaths from Kyle.

    It was not that Corey didn''t care about his friends, it was just that the feelings he had for them was¡­ just there¡­ If they were in trouble, he would save them but if it would put him in arms way, he would absolutely not save them.

    Most that know Corey don''t know that Corey had something deep inside him which even he was scared of, it was something he made sure to try and eradicate but it was always there.

    Corey, deep inside was an extremely apathetic person.

    Corey is so apathetic to the point that there was a day he asked himself a question, a very important question.

    If his mom, dad and sister died one day.

    Would he cry?

    Would he be sad?

    The answer he got when he asked himself those questions scared Corey that day and made him feel like he was a monster, a monster with no emotions.

    He realized that he truly wouldn''t care if his family died. He wouldn''t shed a tear nor would he be sad or depressed.

    After he realized the emotionless monster he truly was, he decided to change no matter what.

    He didn''t want to be an emotionless person who didn''t even care about the people who loved him.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Where was the joy in living if he became an emotionless person. What would he gain?

    After that day, Corey forced himself tough more, joke around more, interact more and be interested in things. He tried to care about the people around him more and he even tried to love.

    It was not easy at first but after a year or so of constant trying, he was beginning to change and the apathetic monster in him was slowly getting eradicated.

    He began to care for his family and he began to care for his sister the most.

    His yful sister was the main person who constantly made him smile andugh before he started struggling with his exams.

    She was the one who was the light that was slowly destroying the monster in him.

    But just as the monster in him was getting destroyed, he started having problems with his exams and worse, the apocalypse happened.

    Corey felt nothing whenever he saw the corpses of other students, teachers and workers in the academy.

    In fact, if Kyle did not encounter Corey, Corey would probably never look for him or any of his other friends.

    Why?

    He truly didn''t care that much

    When Corey realized this, he knew that the monster in him wasing back to life and it worried him deeply.

    Why was Corey constantly doing stupid things?

    Why was he constantly shouting?

    Why did he always have immature thoughts?

    Why was he always behaving immature?

    It was all because he was afraid that if he became a serious person, he would be the monster in him much faster than before.

    ¡­

    Who is Corey?

    Corey is a human wearing a fake mask over his true self.

    He is a human who behaves like somebody he''s not.

    That''s the current Corey and that''s the Corey, Corey would rather be than him bing an emotionless monster.

    This was also one of the reasons he felt ufortable been dragged into all the mess between Paragons and Supremes.

    He knew it was going to be dangerous and he knew that if it was dangerous, there was a chance it could harm his family.

    And if any harm came upon his family...He didn''t know what would happen to him.

    Although he was ufortable getting into the conflict between the Supremes and the Paragons, he also knew that to keep his family safe, he would need to be extremely strong and the blood of the ancestor of the Paragons could grant him that strength.

    He just hoped... that he wouldn''t regret it.

    "Hey brat, snap out of your daydreaming ande here. It''s time you be stronger."

    Corey snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the old man who was holding a vial containing a red liquid.

    Pa Pa

    "Snap out of it Corey. Everything''s fine right now. Enjoy the present and worry about the futureter."

    After whispering to himself while also pping himself to snap himself out of his depressing thoughts, he walked to the old man, ready to be stronger.

    Unknowingly to Corey, this step was his rise to bing The Omniscient Paragon.

    -----

    [A/N: Hello everybody, it''s your boy Anon22 here.

    So right now, I''m here to talk about some things... again.

    So first of all, I want to say that when I was writing this chapter, I did not n it to turn out the way it did in the end. I mean me exining Corey''s true nature.

    So when I was writing this chapter, Juwade, one of the very loyal fans who constantly sends me power stones and thank youments wrote ament telling me that he wishes Corey bes more mature quickly.

    Not only that, I''ve been gettingments asking if Corey would remain dumb like he was in the previous chapters.

    Now, Corey would DEFINITELY NOT remain the way he is. He would change and I assure you of that.

    I wanted to write about Corey''s true nature in volume 2 when he would change but I figured I should write it now so that y''all can see one of the reasons he acts the way he does even with him having high intelligence and Omniscience.

    Like I wrote in the chapter, Corey is wearing a ''mask'' because he''s afraid of his true self, he wants to change.

    You can basically say, Corey is a mess, mentally.

    If you read chapter 2 where he was praying to Lord Ogun, you might see some clues which showed that Corey was not only praying about his problems with school at that point in time.

    Now, please don''t think Corey would be an emotionless being at the end of the day, no, he would not.

    There would be a lot of character development for Corey and I hope I would be able to aplish that properly since I''m still a newbie author.(This is the second book I''ve ever written in my life. My first, was extremely poor.)

    Second, I want to say a big thank you to y''all that vote with power stones and also golden tickets.

    A very big thank you.

    I checked my power ranking today and I was honestly surprised when I saw it in the 400s, sincest week''s power ranking was like 700 or so.

    So, a very big thank you to y''all that vote. I''m very, very, very happy that we''re improving step by step.

    Thank you once again.

    Also, if, if, just if we can reach at least 200 in the power ranking or who knows the golden ticket ranking before the end of Sunday, I will drop three bonus chapters for both of them if we can achieve that.

    So people drop your power stones, drop your golden tickets and drop your gifts!!!!

    Cause I actually need it, the gifts I mean, your boy is broke.

    Anyway, have a great day/night.

    Later people.

    Kisses. Muah!! (This is to the females by the way. I don''t swing that way you dirty minded people.)

 Chapter 58 58: Breaking Past The Limit

    ?"So how do I use this limit breaker potion? Do I drink it, use it to have my bath or what?"

    In Corey''s hands was the vial containing a red liquid. It was called a limit breaker potion and much to Corey''s shock, it was a tier 7 potion.

    Corey could not just imagine how priceless a tier 7 potion was since for him, even tier 2 seemed far fetched for him.

    "Just drink the potion." The old man replied as he sat in front of the cauldron.

    "The process might be a little bit painful."

    The old man warned but Corey said nothing in response. He sat in a cross-legged position and without hesitation, he drank the red liquid.

    He ced the vial gently on the floor and waited for the pain the old man told him was toe.

    Three secondster, Corey felt a searing pain in his entire body.

    His body trembled and a muffled groan escaped his tight lips.

    His bones and body felt like it was getting melted. His stomach churned and he felt dizzy. Sweat, steam, blood, and ck grime oozed out from his body.

    His body bent and he began coughing out violently. Blood mixed with something ck came out from his mouth. His eyes, nose and ears began to bleed violently.

    He tried to hold in the scream that was threatening to erupt from his lips and he did that sessfully, but there was one thing he could not do sessfully, that was resisting the pain erupting from his head, from his brain specifically.

    "Argh."

    A small shout of pain was released from his lips as he clutched his head tightly.

    His head felt like it was going to split open, it felt like something was trying to break down a barrier and release a flood of heavy substances into his mind.

    Clenching his teeth, he forcefully resisted the pain. If there was one thing Corey was undeniably good at it for somebody who was just experiencing the apocalypse, it was the ability to endure pain. His pain tolerance was unimaginably high for somebody at Corey''s level.

    The painful procedure continued for like five more minutes but Corey found it easier to endure after he crossed the three minute mark.

    Meanwhile the old man who was watching Corey had a strange light in his eyes watching Corey.

    ''The brat''s pain resistance broke through to level 5. But even if he has level 5 pain resistance his pain tolerance is much higher than an average level 5 pain resistance.

    Is it because he died so many times or is it because of something else?

    I worry about this brat''s future.''

    "Haa Haa Haa."

    The old man came out of his thoughts when he saw the panting Corey.

    A smile broke out on his lips and with glee, he spoke.

    "How you doing kid?"

    Corey looked up at the old man weakly but did not say a single word.

    He was too, too weak to speak.

    Bam

    "And he''s fallen unconscious."

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    The old man muttered as he looked at the unconscious Corey on the bloodied and dirty floor. He frowned in disgust then waved his hand.

    A gust of wind blew towards Corey, cleaning up the bloody and dirty floor without cleaning Corey.

    "This is for calling me old. Did you think you were so wise? When you wake up, you can clean yourself."

    Muttering to himself, the old man ignored the bloodied and dirty Corey and meditated in a cross-legged position.

    (2 dayster)

    Corey sat on the floor in front of the old man in a cross-legged position.

    He had woken up two hours ago much to his immense disgust.

    He thought he woke up in the sewers or at a garbage dump but after realizing it was him, he quickly asked the old man where he could wash himself and much to his shock, the old man told him to wash himself in the sea, that there was no way he would use his bathroom while smelling and looking like that.

    Corey tried to argue back but the old man just waved his hand and the next thing Corey knew, he found himself at the shore of the sea.

    Having no other choice, he washed himself in the sea worried that whatever monstrosity was in the sea would not see him as food.

    Right now, Corey was looking at his status window with a dazed expression.

    ----

    *BASIC INFORMATION*

    Name: Corey Junior Zane

    Race: Human

    Brand Level: 2

    Affiliation: None

    ss: None

    Talent: Omniscience (Awakened)

    Language: English

    Title(s): One Of The Four Possessors Of A ***** Graded Talent On New Earth

    Tier: 0

    Level: 54 -> 86

    Coins: 5 Bronze Coins

    *ATTRIBUTES*

    Strength: 350 -> 1,000

    Agility: 310 -> 1,000

    Dexterity: 180 -> 1,000

    Constitution: 436 -> 1,000

    Intelligence: 1,500

    Endurance: 300 -> 1,000

    Mana: 300 -> 1,000

    Free A.P: 0

    *Hidden Attributes*

    Luck: ???/100<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Charisma: ???/100

    Wisdom: ???/???

    *SKILLS*

    Record- Talent Skill

    Danger Sense- Level 1

    Silent Steps- Level 2

    Night Vision- Unranked

    Super Jump- Lv 2

    Undercover- Level 1

    Evade- Level 2

    Lock picking- Level 1

    Iron Skin- Level 1

    Focus- Talent Skill

    *RESISTANCES*

    Fear Resistance- Lv 1

    Pain Resistance- Lv 4 -> Lv 5

    Mental Maniption Resistance- Lv1

    *EQUIPMENTS*

    Broken Ghost Reaper- Red Grade

    Binocrs- Red Grade

    Ghost Gloves (Growth)- Red Grade

    *PET/MOUNT*

    None

    *SYSTEM REMARK*: Huh? What''s happening? This is not how things should have gone. Howe a loser like you is treading on the path of a defiant?

    Are you sure you didn''t marry the goddess of luck in your past life?

    ----

    Corey''s mouth was wide open seeing the absurd increase in his stats. His stats had more than doubled and passed the 500 limit mark by two times.

    He clenched his fists and he felt like as if he could do anything, he felt boundless power running through his veins and muscles.

    He knew it was just a feeling and he was definitely not that strong but the strength he could feel in him made him feel like he would be able to trash all the tier 1 creatures he had fought previously.

    He felt like he would be able kill the tier 1 pets that Kyle had easily, this feeling made him wonder if he had a chance against the tier 2 creature at the academy gates.

    Though he hasn''t seen it, he felt like a tier 2 creature should not be that strong, right?

    "Old man, with this power, are you saying I cannot defeat a tier 2 creature?"

    Clenching his fists repeatedly, he asked.

    Rolling his eyes inwardly, the old man spoke.

    "Obviously not. You might think that you''re extremely strong for your tier but know that the limit of the top races surpass 1,000. For example, the limit of dragons and phoenixes is 1,500 while the limit of high humans is 1,300."

    "High humans?"

    Corey looked at the old man with a confused expression.

    "Yes, high humans. There''s a reason why the Universal System kept on calling you a normal human. Also, because you''re a normal human, your limit could not surpass 1,000. To surpass 1,000 you''ll have to either be a high human or change your racepletely."

    Hearing the old man''s words, Corey looked down with a pondering expression.

    "What''s the limit of Paragons?"

    Corey asked and the old man smiled.

    "The limit of Paragons is 2,000 but crossing the 1,999 mark is so difficult that very few actually aplish it. There are only a few Paragons that were able to cross the 1,999 mark."

    The old man replied with pride in his tone and Corey rubbed his beardless chin.

    "So, you''re telling me that unless I work together with other people, I cannot defeat a Tier 2 being?" Corey asked, just to be sure.

    "Unless you have an extremely high level skill which would require you to sacrifice your life or you have a high level item which would cause mutual destruction, you''re wee to try." The old spoke with heavy sarcasm evident in his tone.

    "Even for us Paragons, fighting a tier 2 being as a tier 0 is extremely difficult and there''s a high chance we''ll die. Only if the tier 2 is extremely dumb or weak is when you might have a chance."

    The old man eventually decided to warn Corey since he had seen some hot blooded youth decide to take on more than they can chew.

    Meanwhile Corey was curious about something.

    "Can you tell me why the difference between tier 1 and tier 2 is so vast?"

    He asked and the brows of the old man furrowed. He was silent for a few seconds before he spoke

    " You''ll understand the reason for that when you take the tier advancement test. But one thing you should know that it''s not like tier 2 has a major difference from tier 1, it''s just that when you advance to tier 1, you gain a ss and you gain ss specific skills.

    You''re tier 0, you don''t have a ss, you have no special skill. Defeating a tier 1 as a tier 0 is amendable feat but the only reason you''ve been able to kill a lot of tier 1 creatures is because they are mindless and they''re weak."

    "Just don''t fight a tier 2 being on your own. There''s a 98% chance you''ll die."

    Corey nodded his head, showing he understood. Now that the old man exined to him how dangerous tier 2 creatures were to some extent, all ns of him trying to solo the creature died.

    "Thank you."

    Corey bowed to the old man and thanked him from the bottom of his heart.

    Although getting into the conflict between the Supremes and the Paragons made him ufortable, the old man granted him power. The old man did not force him to ept the power he offered, he gave him a choice and Corey epted it.

    "Like I said before, don''t thank me yet. I can''t just let you go into the outside world the way you are. I''m going to give you two priceless treasures and I can''t have you dying so soon after you leave."

    With a smile the old man spoke then waved his hand.

    Five objects appeared on the floor between them.

    "Apart from the ancestor''s blood and the poison infinity crystal, I''m giving you this things."

    -----

    [A/N: Don''t forget to vote y''all.]

 Chapter 59 59: Getting Stronger

    ?Corey looked at the five objects which the old man gestured to. They were three skill crystals, a ck spear with purple lines and symbols on it and thest was a light grey crystal Corey had never seen before.

    Without waiting for Corey to speak or ask questions, the old man spoke:

    "One skill crystal has a skill called Foundation Spear Techniques. When I went through your memories, I realized that you were terrible with the spear. Your foundations in using the spear is absolutely terrible. This skill crystal would help you be a better spearman."

    Corey hearing the old man''s words knew it was true. In using the spear, dagger or even fighting, nobody ever taught Corey how to fight. He was self-taught.

    Also, although he had no particr weapon he preferred, he knew he needed a skill crystal like this so as to be better in fighting.

    "The second skill crystal has a movement art called Lightning Movement Art. It''s a very high level skill so you would need to practice it a lot to master it. It has five sub-skills in them so take your time to master them. Don''t rush yourself or overdo it, there are some skills where you''ll need to be at a higher tier to learn."

    "The third skill crystal has the skill Vibration Maniption. The skill has potential so make sure you value it. I would love to learn the skill but the skill crystal would just be a waste on the current me."

    "The light grey crystal is called a skill evolution crystal. It can be used to make any one of your skills evolve to a better skill."

    "As for thest item, well it''s a spear as you can see. I found it on a deste along with the Foundation Spear Techniques skill crystal and the vibration maniption skill crystal.

    The spear should have belonged to somebody that was at least as strong as me. I don''t use a spear so it''s not useful to me.

    For you, it shouldst a very long time as long as you don''t misce it."

    Corey looked at the beautiful ck spear for a few seconds before he spoke:

    "How strong are you by the way?"

    Corey knew the old man was strong but he didn''t know how strong.

    Was he Tier 5? Tier 6? Or higher?

    The old man smiled hearing Corey''s question then he chuckled.

    "I''m a tier 8 being brat, a tier 8."

    Corey''s looked at the old man with slight shock. He did not know how powerful a tier 8 was but internally he was sighing a breath of relief.

    ''Thank God the old man is not so cruel.''

    Corey thought not knowing that the main reason he was alive was due to him been so weak and also him having a very high talent.

    If he did not have a high enough talent, the old man might have trapped him here or killed him to not let word of him been here reach the outside world.

    "How many tiers are there? You''re tier 8 and you said you''re not strong enough to go the Realm Of Paragons, so how many tiers are there? How strong must you be?"

    Corey was curious. Normally he wouldn''t be curious about things like this but he felt like he should at least know some things about the powers of the universe.

    "I can''t start exining everything, just know that I''m not strong enough to reach the Realm Of Paragons. As for how many tiers there are? I know that it''s more than 8."

    Corey looked at the old man who had a smile with a dead gaze.

    ''If you don''t want to say it or can''t say it just say so.'' He thought but didn''t speak.

    The old man chuckled then waved his hand and the ck spear flew into his hands.

    He performed a series of hand seals which produced ck symbols in the air.

    ''What are those ck symbols?''

    Corey thought but didn''t disturb the old man, he could see the old man was fully concentrated on what he was doing.

    A few minutester, the ck symbols which was almost filling up the entire room began to move into the spear.

    Thissted for a few seconds before all the ck symbols was absorbed by the spear.

    Corey looked at the spear wondering what the old man did to it when he noticed that the purple symbols and lines had disappeared making the spear look just like a normal ck spear.

    Just as he was confused about what happened, the old man spoke.

    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "I ced seals on the spear. If I didn''t, experts and those with discerning eyes would know the spear is a treasure and would kill you for it. Whenever your strength reaches a certain level, you can try to break the seals. It all depends on your ability and strength to break the seals, if you''re not strong enough then you''ll not be able to destroy the seals."

    The old man who looked a little out of breath as he spoke stretched out the spear towards Corey.

    Corey didn''t know if what the old man did was taxing to him but he hoped he was okay.

    Seeing the outstretched spear, Corey took the spear but when he did, he realized that the spear was slightly heavy even with his new strength.

    Just as he was trying to adjust to the new spear, he heard the old man speak:

    "There''s one more thing I have to give you."

    The old man opened up his right palm and a grey ring appeared.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "You don''t have any concealment methods or techniques to hide your talent and status window, so take this."

    The old man stretched out his hand, gesturing for Corey to take the ring and Corey did.

    The old man seeing Corey put on the ring continued speaking.

    "The ring is a spatial storage ring that can conceal your status window from beings that are up to tier 8. It can also be invisible after you bind it by dropping a drop of your blood on it. When it''s invisible, even tier 7 beings won''t be able to see it but tier 8 and higher would."

    The old man said and Corey quickly brought out the broken Smile Reaper 1.0 from his inventory, pricked his finger and let a drop of blood fall on the ring.

    Corey was surprised the next moment when he saw the ring be invisible even to him. Although he could not see it, he could feel it.

    The old man seeing Corey''s actions continued speaking.

    "Also, an advice, don''t put the spear or anything you treasure or value in your inventory. The Ancestor''s blood and the poison infinity crystal is inside the ring. Never, ever bring out both of them unless you''re in an evolution center. Also, make sure you put the All-Father''s blood in the spatial ring, never put it in your inventory."

    The old man spoke with a serious tone causing Corey to be confused.

    "What''s wrong with the inventory?" He asked.

    "I can''t tell you about that. You''ll have to ask the ancestor."

    Hearing the words of the old man, Corey heaved a tired sigh. He mumbled some inaudible words with a tired expression.

    Ignoring Corey''s grumbling, the old man spoke once again:

    "There''s also a million gold coins inside the ring. It''s not much but it''s what I can give you since I don''t have much left."

    Corey became stunned hearing the words of the old man.

    ''A million gold coins?''

    ''And the old man said it''s not much?''

    Although Corey did not know if a million gold coins was truly not much but he felt that for somebody like him, it was a lot.

    "I didn''t give you any high offensive skill because the ones I have, you cannot use them. You''re not strong enough and i don''t have any weaker one that works for a human."

    Corey looked at the old man for a second then he shook his head and spoke:

    "I don''t know why you''re apologizing. You''ve given me a lot without me paying you anything in return so I can''t be ungrateful and start asking for an offensive skill. I''ll make do with what I have."

    The old man just smiled but didn''t reply. A few secondster, he continued:

    "Before I send you off, I need to give you another advice."

    Corey looked at the old man, a questioning look on his face.

    "The growth type item you have, if you want it to be stronger, feed it the soul stones of the revenants and dark revenants you have. You can also feed it soul stones of any ghost like entity, the better the quality of the soul stone, the faster your ghost gloves would upgrade."

    Corey looked at his ghost gloves which he forgot to ask the merchant for information concerning it.

    If the old man did not remind him about it, there was a high chance he would have totally forgotten about it since he was not the type to use his hands inbat.

    "Thank you so much once again." Bowing his head, Corey thanked the old man once again.

    "Just don''t die, I''m investing in you alright. If not because of your talent I wouldn''t give you such good things."

    Although it sounded like the old man did not care, Corey could see a satisfied smile on the old man''s face as he stroked his beard.

    The old man seeing Corey stare coughed with an embarrassed expression and stopped stroking his beard.

    "What are you looking at brat? Absorb the skill crystals and do whatever you need to do and leave this ce. I''ve never been as tired as I am right now ever since I stepped into this."

    Corey smiled a little seeing the embarrassed expression on the old man then he started absorbing the skill crystals.

    -----

    [A/N: This is the Bonus Chapter for reaching the power stone target which is 100 power stones.

    Thank you guys!

    The next power stone target is 200 and I know we can do it!

    Also, we only need four golden tickets for another bonus chapter, so people drop your power stones, drop your golden tickets and drop your gifts!!!

    Have a great day/night y''all.]

 Chapter 60 60: One Month

    ?(One Month Later)

    *BASIC INFORMATION*

    Name: Corey Junior Zane

    Race: Human

    Brand Level: 2

    Affiliation: None

    ss: None

    Talent: Omniscience (Awakened)

    Language: English

    Title(s): One Of The Four Possessors Of A ***** Graded Talent On New Earth

    Tier: 0

    Level: 86 -> 100

    Coins: 5 Bronze Coins

    *ATTRIBUTES*

    Strength: 1,000

    Agility: 1,000

    Dexterity: 1,000

    Constitution: 1,000

    Intelligence: 1,500

    Endurance: 1,000

    Mana: 1,000

    Free A.P: 42

    *Hidden Attributes*

    Luck: ???/100

    Charisma: ???/100

    Wisdom: ???/???

    *SKILLS*

    Record(Talent Skill), Danger Sense(Lv 1), Silent Steps(Lv 2 ->3), Night Vision(Passive, Unranked), Super Jump(Lv 2 -> 4), Undercover(Lv 1 -> 2), Evade(Lv 2 -> 4), Lock picking(Lv 1->3), Iron Skin(Lv 1-> 2), Focus(Talent Skill), Bronze Bones(Lv 1), Foundation Spear Techniques (Lv 5), Lightning Movement Art (Ancient,Lv1), Vibration Maniption (Lv2), Full Counter (Legendary, Lv2), Average Regeneration (Lv5)) (Passive), Fog Maniption (Lv 2)

    *RESISTANCES*

    Fear Resistance- Lv 1

    Pain Resistance- Lv 4 -> Lv 6

    *EQUIPMENTS*

    Broken Ghost Reaper- Red Grade

    Binocrs- Red Grade

    Ghost Gloves (Growth)- Yellow Grade

    Camera of Illusions- Orange Grade

    Cursed Dryad''s Ring- Orange Grade

    Ring Of Mimicry (Replica)- Orange Grade

    Twin Fog Swords- Yellow Grade

    Ancient Spear- ???? Grade

    Devourer''s Armor (Growth)- Orange Grade

    *PET/MOUNT*

    None

    *SYSTEM REMARK*: Well this is surprising, you''ve reached level 100 and now you''re ready for an evolution.

    Numerous paths have been opened to you, which would you take?

    But seriously, you sure you didn''t marry the goddess of luck in your past life?

    ----

    As Corey sat on a bed in a room in the male dormitory, he looked at his status window which had changed immensely ever since he left the where the old man was located.

    His past self could not bepared to his current self at all. He was much stronger, faster, had more skills and better weapons.

    In fact, he was so strong to the point that if he faced Kyle and his pets this time around, he would absolutely floor them. Well, that''s if Kyle and his pets have not gotten much stronger like him.

    Looking at his status window, he could not help but reminisce on how he got the several new skills and items he had.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    The three skills the old man gave him, although were not offensive skills, they were skills that helped him defeat all the tier 1 monsters in the dungeon.

    The skill, Foundation Spear Techniques helped him to understand the basics on how to use a spear properly. How to thrust properly, how to hold a spear properly, the best stance to use when using a spear, how to swipe using a spear properly and also how to throw a spear to produce the maximum speed and force.

    The skill was a skill that did not make him a professional spearman immediately but it certainly made him to no longer be a novice.

    Since he knew that the skill was very important to him, he spent most of his time in The Library Of Records training ording to what he learnt from the skill and he was able to make the skill reach level 5.

    After reaching level 5, it was harder for him to make it reach level 6 so he stopped training the skill. He guessed he might need an opportunity to break through.

    The second skill which the old man gave him was the Lightning Movement Art and this skill was an Ancient grade skill.

    When Corey heard the grade of the skill, he had to ask the old man how skills were graded since he knew from the merchant that the Universal System disdained to grade skills below a certain level.

    At first the old man was annoyed when he asked him since he was tired and the answer to Corey''s question was not really a secret but when he remembered the fact that Corey was entirely ignorant about things like this, he sighed then told him.

    The skills which the Universal System graded were skills that were either legendary grade, mythic grade, immortal grade, ancient grade then divine grade skills.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The old man told him that for him to use the Lightning Movement Art to it''s full potential, he would need to be strong and also practice a lot.

    The old man also told him that the lightning movement art is a skill that had five levels to it, instead of most skills which had a maximum of ten. Anytime Corey reaches the next level, he would gain a sub-skill which is more powerful than the previous sub-skill.

    Corey was at the moment, only in the first level of the Lightning Movement Art and the first sub-skill he got was called Thunder Step.

    Thunder Step was a step that increased Corey''s speed by half and also releases sounds of thunder for every step he takes. This means that Corey''s agility stat which was 1,000 would increase to 1,500 whenever he uses the skill which was a major increase.

    The part that made Corey realize how powerful the ancient skill was when he realized that if his agility stat was let''s say 100,000, the skill would increase his speed by half which meant his speed would now be 150,000.

    The skill was the definition of powerful in Corey''s eyes and it made him wonder what the remaining four sub-skills would be like.

    Now, although the Lightning Movement Art was powerful, the Mana usage was something that made this skill to only be used once in a while.

    The Mana usage was 100 Mana for every second the skill was kept active and with Corey''s 1,000 Mana stat, it meant that Corey could only use the skill for 10 seconds.

    Corey was a little bit disheartened when he realized that but he knew that as long as he got stronger in the future, he would be able to maintain the skill for a long time.

    Thest skill the old man gave him was Vibration Maniption.

    Before Corey absorbed the skill crystal, he thought the skill would give him the ability to manipte vibrations like the name of the skill and well¡­ it did in a way.

    The skill actually taught Corey how to use vibrations to cause damage to living and non-living things after he makes physical contact with the being or thing.

    For example, when Corey practiced the skill on a rock which was his height in The Library Of Records, he was able to cause a lot of cracks after punching it.

    Corey then tried it on the recorded monster which he killed by putting the Late Smile Reaper 2.0 into his asshole.

    ''May the soul of Smile Reaper 2.0 rest in peace.'' Corey thought then continued his reminiscence.

    After trying the skill Vibration Maniption on the giant monster, it trembled immensely and even coughed out blood.

    Corey was shocked at that point in time because he did not use his full strength on the monster since if he did, it would die straight away.

    Corey seeing the effects of the skill knew that the skill truly had potential as the old man said, so he trained using it.

    He wanted to make it that he could apply the skill even when using it on a weapon and surprisingly, it worked after practicing it repeatedly with the ancient spear.

    But when he was practicing, he realized that if the weapon was not strong enough to handle the vibrations he released, it would get destroyed and luckily for him the ancient spear was a spear that was very hard and in fact almost indestructible, not only was it almost indestructible, it could heal itself overtime.

    It was also after he was able to aplish that, that the skill upgraded to level 2 granting him more finesse and control when using the skill.

    Apart from the three skills which were given to him by the old man, the old man also gave him another crystal, a skill evolution crystal.

    When he wanted to use the skill evolution crystal, he was conflicted between using it on Record and Focus.

    This two skills were honestly his most important skills and were the skills which had saved his life more than once and made him reach where he was today.

    After much deliberation, Corey decided to use it on Record.

    Record was his main way of him gainingbat experience without risking his life. Not only did it grant himbat experience, it also had various other uses which he could think of.

    After Corey used the skill evolution crystal on Record, he expected it to be painful but surprisingly it was not, it was even pleasurable and moan inducing.

    Corey remembering how he groaned in pleasure and even had a boner during the process covered his face in shame. Luckily for him, he had already left the old man''s ce and was back in New Earth.

    Anyway, after recovering from his embarrassing situation, he checked the new description of the skill and he was absolutely gobsmacked and delighted with what he saw.

    Record previously was a skill that could analyze the abilities of any living being as long the difference in tier between him and the living being was not greater than 1.

    But now, Record could analyze the abilities of any living being as long as the difference in tier is not greater than 2!!

    Which meant that Corey right now could use Record on Tier 2 creatures!!

    Which also meant that Corey could use it on the Tier 2 creature at the academy gates!!

    Corey was so ecstatic to the point that he started dancing a very embarrassing dance when he realized that.

    Though after he calmed down his excitement, he thought about it and still did not n on facing the Tier 2 creature alone since the old man warned him that he would definitely not be able to defeat alone.

    Although he was not nning on fighting the tier 2 creature, he still had other ns with his Record skill.

    Corey at first thought that the increase in tier difference was the only result of the skill evolution crystal on Record but after going through the description, he realized there were two more changes and one really made Corey speechless.

    The first change was that the speed of the analysis of Record had increased, not only that, to record a being or beings who were lower in tier than him, he only needed to look at the being or beings once and they would be fully analyzed by Record.

    Although this change lookedcklusterpared to the first change he noticed, Corey still appreciated the ability.

    Now thest change was what really made Corey speechless and stunned especially after he experienced it.

    Thest change of Record enabled Corey to fight the best version of himself.

    The Recorded Corey or let''s say Corey 2.0 would have all his skills, current levels of his skills, items and abilities, the only thing it wouldck was emotions.

    Corey at first did not understand how powerful the best version of himself was. He thought since the level of their skills was the same and they were practically the same, he should not be far from the best version of himself.

    Right?

    Wrong!

    Corey onlysted five seconds against himself.

    FIVE SECONDS!!

    Corey was utterly defeated and humiliated in the first match. In fact, he was so stunned that when he got out from The Library Of Records, he was rooted on the spot for at least ten minutes.

    Corey realized that he was no where near the best version of himself and because of that he spent a few days training and fighting Corey 2.0 increasing the time hested to seven seconds without himnding a single hit on Corey 2.0.

    Corey was utterly depressed and knowing that although training with Corey 2.0 would improve hisbat experience if he persisted, it was not worth it at the moment since he onlysted for seven seconds.

    What was he meant to learn in seven seconds.

    He was just defending, defending, defending and defending.

    Did he want to be a defender?

    Because of that, Corey stopped fighting Corey 2.0 and decided to fight against the remaining tier 1 monsters of the dungeon which was where he encountered some weird and dangerous situations and also got more skills and items which made him stronger.

    -----

    [A/N: Don''t forget to vote and drop gifts y''all.

    Also, thanks to everyone that voted with power stones and golden tickets.

    I really appreciate it.

    Have a great day/night everyone.]

 Chapter 61 61: Goatie & Quasi-Supreme Nagi

    ?Fighting the tier 1 creatures of the dungeon was a very valuable experience for Corey and it made him appreciate the help the old man gave him the more.

    Corey at first thought fighting the tier 1 creatures would be much easier due to him having better skills, items and also higher stats but he could not be more wrong.

    Although he was stronger, he did what he did for the previous tier 1 creatures and tried to fully record all the tier 1 creatures.

    After he did that, he also did something he almost forgot to do once again, upgrade his ghost gloves.

    He fed it all the soul stones of every Smiley and ck Smiley he had, which was a lot considering the massacre of Smileys and ck Smileys he did on the first floor of the dormitory.

    After using all the soul stones on the ghost gloves, it evolved to yellow grade and it had shocking changes.

    When it was just a red grade item it only had the ability to hurt ghost like entities but after it became a yellow grade item, it gave Corey the ability to make his hands incorporeal making it to pass through living and non living things that were Tier 3 and below. He could even grab ghost like entities that were tier 3 and below now.

    The abilities shocked Corey to his core since he never expected the ghost gloves to have such powerful abilities and it made him wonder how such a powerful item could drop from a ck Smiley.

    ''Maybe I really married the goddess of luck in my past life.''

    Influenced by the Universal System, Corey had this weird thought now and then, after he upgraded the ghost gloves.

    After Corey tested the ghost gloves in The Library Of Records, he entered the next room.

    The next room was filled with fog and in this fog was the monster with a goat''s skull and two swords as it''s weapon. The monster was a level 120 tier 1 creature.

    The first time Corey faced the goat skull monster in The Library Of Records he lost badly since he was not strong enough, fast enough and did not have as much fighting experience as the goat skull monster which Corey decided to call Goatie.

    Goatie was a monster which was as smart as a human being in terms ofbat, the only thing itcked was the ability to speak. Not only was it proficient inbat, it also had the ability to hide it''s presence in the fog which was always present in the room.

    Despite Corey''s improved abilities and stats, he still had to face Goatie countless times before he could kill it.

    After killing it in The Library Of Records, he faced it in real life and was able to kill it. After killing it, it dropped a skill crystal and when Corey picked up the skill crystal, he was shocked when he saw the name and grade of the skill in the crystal.

    The name of the skill was Full Counter and it was a legendary grade skill. It could return a magical attack sent towards him back to the caster or anywhere he wishes with twice the power!

    His eyes went wide when he got this OP skill and he at first wondered why Goatie did not use the skill on him but when he remembered that he actually had no magical attack skill he realized that it was either due to that, Goatie did not use the skill or it actually didn''t have the skill.

    After learning the skill he used the incorporeal ability of the ghost gloves and removed the soul stone of Goatie and absorbed it since he needed it to increase his level. His level increased to 90 and he looked at the weapons of Goatie.

    He walked towards the weapons then took the two swords which were called Twin Fog Swords. The swords were yellow grade items that had the ability to produce a domain of thick fog which could be controlled by him and it also had the ability to send out horizontal  energy shes.

    Corey was satisfied with the swords despite him having the ancient spear since the fog ability was useful in his opinion, though it used 10 mana for every second it was activated.

    He then looked at the corpse of Goatie and decided to store it in his spatial ring since who knows, the corpse might be usefulter in the future.

    After making sure he took everything he could take from the room, he left.

    He practiced the Full Counter skill until it reached level 2 which made him able to deflect magical attacks that were Tier 2 and below, though the stronger the attack, the more difficult it would be to deflect it.

    After doing all of that, he then challenged the next monster in The Library Of Records, the half-snake monster.

    The half-snake monster was called a Quasi-Supreme Nagi.

    When Corey saw the word ''Supreme'' in the name of the monster he had a feeling that maybe the blood of the All-Father was located in that room and it actually was.

    The Quasi-Supreme Nagi was a level 150 tier 1 monster and it was extremely powerful and frustrating to fight.

    The Quasi-Supreme Nagi was like a weapon fire mage with absurd regenerative abilities making it a terrifying and frustrating monster to fight.

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    The Quasi-Supreme Nagi could produce fire and control it to a certain extent.

    It could turn the fire into a fireball or a fire whip. Not only could it control and produce fire, it also used four weapons and a shield due to it having six arms.

    One for using magic and the others for holding it''s weapons.

    Corey spent a long time fighting the monster and despite his increased stats, he was actually not a match for the monster in stats at all.

    The monster was at least twice as fast as him and also twice as strong as him. Corey had to be in his focused state and also use full counter so many times to repel the magical fire attacks from the Nagi.

    In fact, Corey''s stamina was sometimes heavily drained because of how long the battle wouldst.

    There were times when Corey would inflict a serious injury on the monster but it would just regenerate after some seconds passed causing Corey to grow frustrated.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    After dying many, many, many times, he was finally able to defeat the monster in The Library Of Records and also in real life.

    After killing it, just one skill crystal dropped from it and when Corey took it, he was so happy that heughed madly for a few minutes.

    The skill crystal that dropped contained the skill called Low Regeneration which healed Corey''s injuries passively and also gave Corey the ability to actively increase the speed of healing his injuries by using mana.

    Although with Corey''s constitution, his injuries would heal over time, Corey realized something which bothered him.

    The injuries he received from tier 1 creatures healed much slower than the injuries he received from Smileys, ck Smileys or from the environment and beings below tier 1.

    Corey did not understand the exact reason for this but he felt that if beings higher than tier 1 injured him then it might take an extremely long time before his injuries heal or it might not even heal at all causing him to sumb to his injuries.

    But when he got the Low Regeneration skill, he noticed that some injuries which did not fully heal healedpletely, although the speed was slow.

    When Corey noticed the speed of his regenerative ability, his mind went to how fast the Quasi-Supreme Nagi healed it''s injuries and he became unsatisfied with the speed.

    So he thought of a crazy and masochistic way to improve the skill which was by him repeatedly injuring himself.

    He thought he could take advantage of The Library Of Records and injure himself there without him actually injuring himself in real life but well, The Universal System was definitelyughing it''s ass out when he realized he couldn''t cheat his way around the skill after repeatedly injuring himself in The Library Of Records.

    Knowing he could not cheat his way into improving the skill without actually harming himself, he started causing harm to himself in the real world.

    Causing deep cuts on his arm, hand, body and wherever possible. Smashing his hands and feet with the his ancient spear. Piercing a hole into his body also with his ancient spear. Every time he injured himself, he would use mana to actively heal himself which increased his proficiency with the skill and also increased the level of the skill.

    Corey did so many things to his body to make the skill increase that if one were to see the things he did to himself, people would call Corey mad.

    In fact they would call Corey a demon and a devil when they realize that Corey did not actually make a single sound during the entire process.

    Throughout the entire time he stabbed, cut and smashed himself Corey felt pain but he could ignore it because of his pain resistance which was level 5.

    Although Corey could ignore the pain, he did not like causing harm to himself since he felt a little bit different every time he did it, he felt more¡­ indifferent.

    Though he was worried, he was happy when he saw his low regenerative skill increase from level 1 and it finally reached level 10¡­ but at what cost?.

    And it was after reaching level 10 that the skill underwent an evolution and became average regeneration.

    After the low regeneration skill increased to average regeneration, Corey stopped all the self-harm since the speed of his regenerative ability was now high¡­ in his opinion that is.

    Corey did all of this outside the room where the Quasi-Supreme Nagi was located.

    Before he started injuring himself, he had absorbed the soul stone of the Nagi which increased his level from 90 to 100, directly taking him to the peak of Tier 0.

    He stored the body of the Nagi in his spatial ring then he also stored the Nagi''s four weapons and shield in his inventory since they were not that special in his opinion and having the ancient spear and the twin fog swords was enough for him, at least for now.

    After storing the weapons and shield, he decided to walk round the room or let''s say therge forest where the Quasi-Supreme Nagi was located.

    He left signs wherever he walked so as to not get lost and after walking around for at least an hour, he was surprised when he didn''t encounter one beast or monster.

    He eventually encountered somewhere strange where he saw an altar and on that altar was a floating bottle which had a drop of golden blood.

    When Corey looked at it, his body had the same desire it had when he saw the blood of the ancestor of Paragons and Corey almost gave in to the desire but having experienced it once with the blood of the Paragon''s Ancestor, he could control himself.

    Just as he was about to store the bottle in the spatial ring given to him by the old man, the Universal System gave him a series of notifications asking him if he wants to absorb the blood right there and if he did, he would immediately be a Tier 1 being.

    He told the Universal System no but it then told him that if he absorbs it, his brand level would be upgrade to the gold level and he''ll receive immense benefits, not only that, he would receive increase in stats get new skills and will receive a unique physique.

    Corey was stunned by the luxurious rewards proposed to him by the Universal System but when he remembered the warning given to him by the old man concerning golden brands, he knew he could not ept it.

    Besides, the Universal System sounded too ''eager'' for him to absorb the blood which made it suspicious in Corey''s eyes.

    After rejecting the Universal System once again, it kept quiet and didn''t bother asking him again. Corey then ced the bottle in his spatial ring.

    After doing that, he left the room and prepared to fight against thest monster in the dungeon, the multiple hands monster.

    ----

    [A/N: Don''t forget to vote with Power Stones and Golden Tickets, also don''t forget to drop gifts. Any amount is appreciated. Thanks]

 Chapter 62 62: Demi-Cosmic Fog Devourer

    ?Fighting the next monster which was the monster with multiple hands was something that confused Corey till now, not only did it confuse Corey, it was honestly the most dangerous fight Corey had ever fought.

    Why?

    Because he was caught in an unexpected situation where he was unable to utilize the virtual space of The Library Of Records like he did for the previous monsters.

    When he used the binocrs to try and record the multiple hands monster while staying behind the door, he was shocked and spooked when he saw the body which was producing and controlling the multiple hands.

    It was a little girl which had ck hollow eyes and a small creepy smile. The multiple hands were protruding from her back causing anyone to grimace in disgust.

    Corey got the chills when he saw the monster and what spooked him the more was when the little girl abruptly turned it''s head towards him, almost like it could sense and see him.

    Corey was extremely shocked when he thought it could see him or sense him but when it turned it''s head away a few secondster and started walking round the room with multiple hands protruding from it''s tiny back, Corey felt disgusted seeing the protruding multiple hands.

    After pushing back his disgust, Corey sat and started recording the monster which he decided to call to Little Freak.

    He spent a few days fighting Little Freak in The Library Of Records which was in a way difficult and not difficult in Corey''s opinion.

    The only ability Little Freak had was the multiple hands which was honestly dangerous for somebody that was not fast, strong and skilled enough to handle the hands.

    Corey died quite a few times, okay not a few, a lot, he died a lot of times since the number of hands Little Freak could produce and control was 50.

    Corey had to enter his focused state to be able to keep up with the hands since they were faster, stronger and had extremely high defense.

    Aside from Focus, Corey had to rely on four skills to kill Little Freak.

    The Foundation Spear Techniques, Vibration Maniption, Average Regeneration and Lightning Movement Art.

    The Foundation Spear Techniques helped him not to make unnecessary movements when using the spear to destroy the hands.

    Vibration Maniption helped him to cause more damage to the hands whenever he struck with them with the Ancient Spear.

    Average Regeneration helped him in healing the injuries he sustained from Little Freak.

    And Thunder Step from the Lightning Movement Art increased his speed when he moved to kill Little Freak after reducing the number of hands.

    At this point, after killing Little Freak, Corey moved towards Little Freak wanting to take his loot but when he moved towards Little Freak, he saw the body of Little Freak turn to ashes leaving behind nothing.

    He was stunned and just before he could get out of that stunned state, another shocking thing happened to him.

    The floor around him cracked then broke into many pieces causing Corey to fall much to his shock and fear.

    Corey was afraid what happened the time when he fought the tentacle mermaids where he got lost and could not find the door which led back dormitory would happen again.

    He did not want to think that he would find somebody like the old man this time around, he did not want to depend on luck.

    At that point in time, when Corey was about to turn and check if he was falling into a bottomless abyss, he actually hit something hard causing him to curse since it was so abrupt and he was not prepared for the hardnding.

    After he regained his bearing, he looked around expecting the worst but he was stunned when he saw that he was in another room which looked like the parlor of a house.

    He looked up and saw the room he fell from with some parts of the floor dropping in the parlor he was in.

    Corey looked around wondering where the fuck he was and if there was danger but he saw no sign of danger after carefully observing the room.

    He even jumped into the room he fell from and walked on the parts of the floor which did not get destroyed.

    After carefully navigating the floor, he reached the door which led back to the dormitory and much to his relief, he could go back to the dormitory but just as he was about to walk back through the door, he stopped.

    He was curious about what was outside the house and if there was maybe a treasure outside or something that would make him stronger.

    He knew that there might be something dangerous outside but his curiosity got the better of him and he jumped back down to the parlor of the house.

    Corey was not greedy for the supposed treasure, no he was truly just curious.

    If there was one thing Corey did not have at all, it was greed.

    In fact, he could not understand the concept of greed and why people would be greedy for something they already have.

    But who was to say that curiosity was not as dangerous as greed.

    What was the saying?

    Curiosity killed the cat?

    And yes, Corey''s curiosity almost killed him.

    In fact, if not because of his skill, average regeneration, he would definitely be a corpse right now.

    Corey remembering what happened to him after he left the house made him shiver subconsciously, it was something he never wanted to experience ever again.

    Now back to the memories.

    After Corey jumped back down to the parlor of the house, he stood in front of the door which led outside with furrowed brows.

    He just had a feeling, just that feeling that something bad was going to happen to him after he opens the door.

    Why did he have that feeling?

    Was it because of his danger sense skill or just one of those inexplicable feelings of something just not been right?

    No!

    It was because of Corey''s past experiences with doors that he was suspicious.

    Doors definitely hated him and he hated them also.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    He decided to listen to his gut so he brought out the binocrs and used to see what was outside.

    He didn''t really know what he was expecting to be outside but the moment he looked outside and saw what was outside, he was stunned.

    What was outside the house?

    Fog.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Extremely thick fog.

    Corey could not see past a meter from the house due to the fog. As he looked at the fog which looked extremely ominous, he was wondering if he should still go outside the house so as to satiate his curiosity.

    After watching and observing outside through the window for an hour, Corey decided to go out since he didn''t notice anything dangerous outside.

    Corey then walked towards the door and after taking a deep breath while bringing out the ancient spear from his spatial ring, he opened the door a little and peeked outside, just to be sure there were no surprises and luckily or unluckily for him, there were no surprises.

    Seeing nothing but fog outside, he frowned but still decided to go outside. But just as he was about to walk away from the door, he stopped then looked at the door, wondering how he would find his way back to this house in case he got lost.

    He didn''t want to experience what he experienced in the where the old man was located, so he thought on what he could do to not get lost.

    A few minutester, his eyes lit up as he remembered his talent skill, Record.

    If he ever got lost, he could check The Library Of Records and look at the path he took after he left the house or if something went wrong and he had to escape, he could use it to trace back his steps.

    He didn''t realize it previously but Record was a very good backtracking skill.

    Knowing he had a way to locate the house in case he got lost again, he walked outside while holding the ancient spear in a way that would enable him to react the moment he sensed danger.

    He kept on walking for at least fifteen minutes with nothing but fog and other buildings all around him, making Corey to think he was probably in some kind of olden days settlement because of the designs of the buildings.

    As Corey was looking at the buildings wondering where he was, he noticed something strange.

    He looked at his hand and he saw his hand sizzle slightly, like it was getting burned by acid but just as his hand got injured slightly, it healed.

    He looked at his other arm and saw the same thing ur. He touched his neck and also felt it sizzle slightly before getting healed. He looked at his clothes and saw it getting corroded slightly.

    He was confused for a few seconds wondering what was causing his body to sizzle, then his eyesnded on the fog.

    Just as he was thinking of returning since it seemed there was nothing and the fog actually had corrosive properties, a crack resounded in the surroundings and Corey looked down.

    Beneath his feet was a skull which he had unknowingly crushed.

    As Corey looked at the skull with surprise and shock, he saw the remaining body which was just bones.

    Corey was stunned just for a second seeing the skeleton before he looked around in caution in case there was danger, but when he did, his eyes widened.

    So many human skeletons were around him. As he looked at the skeletons he noticed three things.

    First, the clothes of the skeletons seemed like it was corroded.

    Second, he could see that the buildings around him and the skeletons were in ruins, even the ground was in ruin withrge and small pits on various parts of the road. There were also sword marks on the ground.

    The third and most shocking thing he discovered was that some of the skeletons had two swords beside them and the swords were extremely familiar to him since it looked like The Twin Fog Swords he had.

    Despite some looking corroded, he could not mistake the Twin Fog Swords since he had used it an uncountable number of times in The Library Of Records.

    Just as he was wondering what the hell was going on, he heard a sound and he looked up, and once again his eyes widened but this time, not only with shock, it widened with fear.

    With his heart beating way faster than a horse on steroids, as Corey looked up, he could see a thing he could not even begin to properly describe with words.

    It was a monstrosity among monstrosities, an abomination among abominations, the most ursed creature among all ursed creatures.

    Floating in the sky above him was something like a titanic centipede spraying something a dark fog opposite where he was, but this centipede looked nothing like a normal centipede.

    This titanic centipede was so huge that Corey was like an ant to it. It also had numerous human arms and hands as it''s legs, and on this creature''s back were pulsing tumors but this tumors were also not normal tumors, it had faces of beasts, humans and various other races he had never seen before on the tumors.

    This faces were all groaning and crying in agony and Corey at first wondered why he could not hear the cries and groans but the more he looked at the faces, the louder the groans and cries of the faces appeared in his mind.

    He groaned then blocked his ears but he could still hear it. It was like it was transmitted to his mind directly, so he quickly looked away from the monster and it got slightly better.

    After he got used to the sounds after a few seconds passed, his left eye changed as numerous rapidly changing symbols, numbers and letters appeared in it.

    Corey looked at the name of the abomination on top of him and when he did, his mouth twitched.

    [Tier 1, Level 199 Demi-Cosmic Fog Devourer]

    And just as he looked at it, he heard extremely loud whistling sounds in his mind and he looked up.

    When he did, his mouth twitched once again.

    "Fuck doors and the god of doors."

    ming his current situation on the god of doors and all doors, he cursed as he looked at the Demi-Cosmic Fog Devourer which was also looking back at him.

    -----

    [A/N: This is the bonus chapter for reaching 200 power stones. Thanks a lot for dropping power stones guys.

    Also, I just remembered something which I had actually forgotten and I decided to remind you guys.

    Don''t forget that the first five people to drop gifts worth at least 5,000 coins would get a character in the novel and the wish they want.

    Not only that, I''ll also drop bonus chapters for every 5,000 coins.]

 Chapter 63 63: Surprise

    ?After Corey realized that the titanic abomination above his head had noticed him, he ran at his fastest speed towards the house which led back to the dormitory.

    But just as he was running, he felt an intense sensation of danger and he looked up.

    His eyes widened uncontrobly when he saw a ck fog been emitted at the head of the abomination. Not wanting to test whether the ck fog was dangerous or not, he cursed then ran to the closest building which was not totally destroyed.

    Shutting the door as he entered the house, he quickly ran to a room which was nearby and luckily for him, the room was what he wanted, a bedroom. He looked around and noticed a wardrobe, he quickly ran towards it and entered.

    Just as he did, he saw a ck mist enter the room at an extremely fast speed from the open windows. He shut the wardrobe doors, hoping that it would be able to keep the ck mist from entering the wardrobe.

    He just had a bad feeling about the ck mist and didn''t want to take his chances with it.

    Holding the ancient spear tightly since it brought a degree of safety to him, he looked at the wardrobe door, waiting to see if the ck mist would seep in.

    And surprisingly, after waiting for a few seconds, he was surprised and relieved when no ck mist entered the wardrobe.

    He rxed slightly, thinking he had some time to think of what to do but just as he did, the wardrobe tumbled violently causing Corey to m into the door, opening it in the process.

    A sshing sound resounded and Corey shook his head to rid himself of his dazed state. He looked around and when he did, he was stunned and his mouth twitched multiple times before he just heaved a tired sigh.

    He stood and the sshing sounds resounded once again, he looked down and saw his leg almost knee deep inside a blue liquid which he guessed was the stomach acid of the abomination.

    Yes

    Corey was inside the stomach of the Demi-Cosmic Fog Devourer.

    It was absurd thinking about it but he was swallowed by the monster, but would he panic?

    No!

    He had been in way too many dangerous situations for him to panic just because of this.

    As long as he was alive and he was not facing a being like the old man or a tier 2 creature, he would not give up.

    He looked around trying to figure out his environment before he acted.

    As he looked around, he saw various rubbles of broken and destroyed buildings and other materials. He even saw the house and wardrobe he hid in which was now broken into numerous pieces.

    Not only did he see debris of buildings and various other things, he also saw many bones and corpses of humans, different types of beasts and also races he had never seen before.

    As he was observing the houses, bones and corpses, he noticed that the houses, bones and corpses were sizzling and melting at a slow rate which confused him since he didn''t feel like his legs which was in the stomach acid was melting, but when he looked at his legs, his heart skipped several beats.

    His legs were actually melting but as it was melting, it was also healing but as Corey kept on looking at it, he felt that if he kept on staying in the stomach acid, his average regeneration would eventually not be able to keep up and his legs would suffer terrible damage.

    He looked around then jumped unto the nearest debris which wasrge enough for him to stand on and also high enough so that he would not touch the liquid anymore.

    His mind spun as he kept on looking around and a few seconds he looked up and saw an opening.

    He sighed softly then jumped from one debris to the other before he got close to the inner skin of the centipede.

    He climbed up till he reached the opening and after reaching the opening, hended on a t surface and continued climbing up.

    What was his reason for climbing?

    He wanted to kill the monster.

    Corey did not have ns on escaping through the mouth or asshole of the monster, if it had one, since in a way, this was an opportunity for him to kill the monster.

    There was no way he could fight this monstrosity outside. The Demi-Cosmic Fog Devourer was so huge that Corey was literally an ant before it.

    If he tried to attack the monster with his spear, the damage caused would not even be up to an injury caused by stabbing a toothpick into the skin of a human.

    So Corey knowing this was his chance, did not want to waste this opportunity and so he decided to kill the monster by looking for it''s heart.

    He was not sure if the heart was located in the upper part of the monster or the lower part, so he nned on checking the upper part first before checking the lower part, if he didn''t find the heart.

    A few minutester, Corey who was hanging like a monkey on a muscle like ''material'' of the Demi-Cosmic Fog Devourer had a deep frown as he looked at the front.

    In front of him was the same ck fog which the Demi-Cosmic Fog Devourer released from it''s mouth, but there was something different in the ck fog.

    Corey could see so many ghost like entities in the ck fog. They looked like the souls of numerous beings that have been devoured by the abomination.

    Now, the problem Corey was facing was that, he could see in the distance, at least 100m away from him, a pulsing ck heart with purple lines on it, emitting the ck fog.

    Corey''s frown deepened and he wondered if he should continue with his n of destroying the heart since, well, it seemed impossible with the amount of ghost monsters in front of him.

    He looked at the heart then the ghost monsters in front of him for a few seconds before he sighed and gripped the ancient spear tightly.

    He jumped down from the ''branch'' holding him and the moment he did, the ghost monsters noticed him. They roared then charged at him.

    Corey cranked his neck to the left and right, then ran to the ghost monsters with the ancient spear in his right hand.

    He decided to fight the ghost monsters because he was worried that if he eventually found a way to escape from the insides of the Demi-Cosmic Fog Devourer, it might notice him and attack him once again, leaving him helpless since Corey truly did not know, if there was a way to kill this thing from the outside, in fact, he felt that the only way to kill it was through the inside.

    Not wanting to depend on luck that the abomination wouldn''t notice him if he''s able to leave, he decided to attack the heart.

    So with determination and cold eyes, Corey ran towards the ghost monsters and when they were within the ancient spear''s reach, he performed a sweeping motion which cut the ghost monsters in front of him in half.

    Corey moved, wanting to kill the next set of ghost monsters but, he stopped, his eyes widened and, he cursed.

    The ghost monsters he shed in half became fully healed in a span of three seconds, like nothing ever happened to them, like Corey''s attack was just an illusion.

    It was then, Corey remembered that the ancient spear did not have ghost killing abilities. Maybe it was part of the abilities the old man sealed, he didn''t know and it didn''t matter at the moment since he definitely can''t unseal or break one of the seals.

    What mattered now was that, Corey only had one weapon that could kill ghost like entities and that was the Ghost Gloves, but the problem was that Corey was not proficient in hand to handbat.

    It''s not that he never trained in it, it''s just that he never focused so much on it since his first weapon was a dagger and his second, a spear. He also had The Foundation Spear Techniques which he had to train in repeatedly.

    Just as he was conflicted on whether he should run back or continue fighting, he realized something troubling and something which he somewhat expected.

    The ck fog was corroding his body much faster than the stomach acid. His average regeneration was trying to keep up with the corrosion but anyone who could see it would know it could not.

    Corey''s skin was melting and it was melting fast.

    Not only that, as Corey looked at the horde of hundreds of ghost monstersing for him, he noticed there were at least 30 Tier 1 creatures in the army.

    He exhaled softly then he returned the ancient spear into his inventory and ran to the iing horde of ghost monsters.

    His reason for making this foolish decision?

    It was the same as before. He did not want to pin his hopes on luck.

    So, he fought as he entered his focused state which could onlyst for 100 seconds.

    Ten seconds passed, Corey had killed tens of ghost monsters but the bones of his flesh and arm were visible.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    20 seconds passed, his clothes now looked like rag. The bones on his chest and back were visible, his fingers were also nothing but bones. Luckily his bones were made out of bronze so it could not be corroded easily.

    30 seconds passed, a part of Corey''s skull could be seen. Around him were hundreds of ghost monsters.

    The distance between him and the heart?

    At least 50m.

    Corey whose eyes were bing dim looked at the distant ck heart. He looked around and saw the still numerous ghost monstersing at him with a frenzied expression.

    His eyes flickered slightly and he brought out the ancient spear.

    Getting into a throwing stance, he threw the spear with so much force that it left holes inside the bodies of ghost monsters in it''s path.

    The spear whistled through the air, leaving behind hole ridden ghost monsters in it''s path and it eventually reached the heart.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Corey seeing the spear reach the heart wanted to breathed a sigh of relief but then his face stiffened as a loud ng resounded in the surroundings.

    His mouth was wide open as he looked at the spear which had fallen cause it could not pierce the abomination''s heart. He could not help but wonder what the hell the heart was made out of.

    Gritting his teeth he ran towards the heart, ignoring and dodging the ghost monsters.

    After running for about 5m, the muscles in his legs tightened, tiny arcs of lightning appeared on his legs for an instant before it disappeared, then,

    CLAP!!

    A loud thunderp resounded everywhere and Corey''s step increased greatly.

    ''First Step Of The Lightning Movement Art- Thunder Step''

    Using the first step of the lightning movement art, Corey''s speed soared and the distance between him and the heart reduced greatly.

    But just as he got closer to the heart, the corrosion of the ck fog increased in it''s intensity and the number of tier 1 creatures in the surroundings increased.

    Corey with cold and calm eyes looked at the tier 1 creatures which wereing towards him.

    ''Super jump''

    When the distance between him and the iing creatures reduced, he jumped using the skill, Super jump, going over most of the iing creatures, but just as he was in the air, a bird type creature swooped in, the ws on it''s legs looking like the ws of death.

    With calm and indifferent eyes, he brought out the Twin Fog Swords from his inventory and threw at it the wings of the bird causing it to cry out in pain and fall.

    After killing the bird, Coreynded and dodged or killed the remaining monsters which remained between him and the heart.

    A few secondster, he stood in front of the heart with a calm expression.

    The ck mist exuding directly from the ck heart with purple lines on it was so strong that Corey looked more like a skeleton with barely any flesh on his body. Even his head had little flesh left.

    Not only was his condition bad, no, terrible, the ghost monsters behind him which he didn''t and couldn''t kill were running towards him.

    But despite his situation, Corey was still calm.

    He looked around and found the ancient spear not far away from him, so he picked it up and returned it to his spatial ring.

    He then looked at the ck heart in front of him then he exhaled and inhaled. He raised his right hand activated the incorporeal ability of the ghost gloves making his right hand to be translucent and well, incorporeal.

    With a calm expression, he moved his right hand towards the heart and to his relief, his hands went through the heart.

    He then deactivated the corporeal ability and brought out the ancient spear from his spatial ring which was on his right hand, which was in the heart of the Demi-Cosmic Fog Devourer.

    The moment the ancient spear appeared in the heart of the abomination, Corey''s surroundings shook intensely so much that Corey stumbled and almost fell, if not because his hand was inside the heart, he would have fallen.

    He then heard an intense shriek of pain from outside as the surroundings continued to tremble intensely.

    He looked behind him and saw that the ghost monsters were dissipating.

    He looked back at the heart and he frowned slightly. With the ancient spear in his right hand, he pulled out his right hand causing lots of blood to gush out and also eliciting an intense shriek of pain from the abomination before it''s scream disappeared entirely and everywhere became silent.

    ----

    (Present Time)

    Corey sighed as he remembered that particr fight against the Demi-Cosmic Fog Devourer. He had almost died and that was his most dangerous life and death experience ever since the apocalypse started.

    Although it was dangerous and he almost died, like they say, with dangeres opportunity.

    Right? (A/N: Nah, that''s most likely wrong. Right?)

    Apart from the soul stone and body of the Demi-Cosmic Fog Devourer, he got two things.

    A skill crystal and an item.

    The skill crystal contained the skill, Fog Maniption which at level 1 made him control fog that was not controlled by any being or material.

    After repeatedly training it to level 2, he was able to produce his own fog which he could control. He tried to increase it to level 3 but it was more difficult than he expected, so he could not.

    The second thing he got was an item called The Devourer''s Armor which was a growth item and also an orange grade item.

    The Devourer''s Armor was something that intrigued Corey.

    When he found the item, it was not an armor but a crystal with a centipede inside.

    At first he was confused on what it could be, so when he picked up the crystal, you could imagine the surprise he had when the Universal System told him it was an armor and asked him if he wanted to fuse with it, not only that, it was a defensive item, an armor.

    Since he was curious, he fused with it and then he saw the crystal turn into ashes along with the centipede and a few secondster, he felt his chest be itchy and when he looked at his chest, he saw a tattoo of a centipede on his chest.

    After he saw the tattoo, he instinctively knew that the centipede tattoo was the armor and if he wanted to activate it, he had to use mana to activate it.

    Corey activated it and let''s just say he was speechless when he saw the actual armor on his body, not only that, when he checked what the armor could actually do through his status window, he was more speechless and stunned.

    "Haaa."

    Sighing once again, Corey stood and walked out of the room which was directly above the ground floor of the dormitory. He walked down the stairs, ignoring the corpses of Smileys and students on the stairs.

    After walking for some seconds he reached the ground floor of the dormitory and walked to the door. He looked at the numerous corpses of Smileys and ck Smileys with a frown.

    "I''m guessing that bastard had something to do with this."

    Clicking his tongue, he continued walking to the door and when he reached the door, he spoke once more.

    "Well, it doesn''t matter now. Things would be different this time around if I meet him again."

    After muttering to himself while looking down, he opened the door, but the moment he did, he heard voices.

    "Corey?"

    "Zane?"

    "The fuck?"

    Corey looked up and the moment he did, a stunned expression appeared on his face.

    In front of him was a group of people and in this group were Kyle, Mat, Mac and Kyle''s two pets.

    "Huh?"

    -----

    [A/N: Important Information people, very important.

    I want to say that there would be no more Bonus Chapters until next month due to me bing more busy.

    I''m hoping I''ll not be so busy next month but if I am, well, it is what it is.

    Another thing, volume 1 is almosting to an end. At most 20 more chapters before ites to an end and we go premium.

    So get your Webnovel coins ready cause volume 2 is going to be really something else, trust me when I say this.

    Also, I want to thank all of you that have been supporting my book by voting,menting, leaving reviews and even gifts.

    Thank you so much.

    Have a great day/night y''all.]

 Chapter 65 65: Prove It?

    ?"What do you mean by that?"

    Mrs. Ashley asked with furrowed brows and Corey shrugged with an indifferent expression.

    "What I mean is that, my very good friend there, Kyle, wanted to kill me so he chased me and I had to escape into this dungeon."

    Corey spoke with nonchnt tone while gesturing towards Kyle, making some to doubt the validity of his words, Mrs. Ashley and Ba been one of them.

    "What are you saying Corey? Why would Kyle want to kill you? He''s your closest friend."

    Ba questioned with a tone showing she absolutely didn''t believe Corey''s words.

    "What Ba said is true young man. You can''t just say words like that concerning one of my most important and strongest fighters, there would be consequences."

    Even Mrs. Ashley defended Kyle and threatened Corey.

    Corey undeterred by the fact that most if not all did not believe him since he expected this sort of response, though he was surprised by the words of Mrs. Ashley.

    ''If what she said is true then that means she''s the leader of the group and Kyle is her subordinate?''

    Corey thought then looked at Kyle to see a change in his expression or if he had anything to say in response to Mrs. Ashley''s words but he was slightly surprised when he saw none.

    Dismissing his thoughts, he looked at Ba first, a slightly pained smile appeared on his face for an instant before it disappeared, then he looked at Mrs. Ashley who had a calm expression as he looked at her.

    "Mrs. Ashley."

    "Hmm?"

    Corey called out and Mrs. Ashley hummed in response.

    "Was it Kyle that told you about this dungeon?"

    Corey asked while keeping his eyes on Kyle who still had a calm and indifferent expression.

    Meanwhile Mrs. Ashley''s brows furrowed once again for a few seconds before she nodded then spoke:

    "Yes, he was the one. But that doesn''t prove anything."

    "Just chill and calm down, I''m not done."

    Corey shook his head slightly and shed a smile towards the heavenly fairy but the heavenly fairy just had an indifferent expression causing Corey''s mouth to twitch.

    ''It must be because I''m not handsome enough. I need to be more handsome. There should be an item that can increase handsomeness right?''

    After adding, ''Find items or objects that can increase handsomeness'' to his to-do list, he continued speaking.

    "When he told you about the dungeon, did he say that the dungeon was a way to kill the tier 2 creature at the academy gate?" He asked.

    "He didn''t say those exact words. What he said was that there was an item in the dungeon that could kill the monster at the gate."

    Mrs. Ashley spoke then turned towards Kyle, a hint of doubt slowly appeared in her eyes.

    "Oh, he used an item this time around."

    Corey muttered not so quietly as he rubbed his chin, meanwhile Mrs. Ashley noticing Corey''s choice of words turned towards Corey.

    "What do you mean by ''this time around''?"

    She asked and a small smile appeared on Corey''s lips since that was the question he was expecting to be asked.

    He looked at Kyle who still had a calm expression on his face. Corey then looked at the Cursed Chimera and the Demi-basilisk which were behind the entire group.

    A secondter, he looked away then looked at Mrs. Ashley.

    "Kyle was once the leader of a survivor group and there was a day he told everybody including me, that we should go to the security station and use the androids and robots in the security station as a distraction when fighting the tier 2 monster."

    He paused and a smile appeared on his face.

    "Do you know what eventually happened?"

    Corey asked then cranked his neck and pressed his fingers causing a soft crack to resound in the now silent surroundings.

    ''Haaa. That felt good. My fingers were stiff as fuck.''

    Corey thought as he shook his hands slightly.

    Meanwhile Mrs. Ashley whose face was now a bit dark after thinking for a few seconds spoke:

    "They''re dead right?"

    Corey looked at her with slight surprise then he nodded.

    "Yeah, you''re right. They''re all dead. Kyle''s two pets there did it."

    Corey spoke then pointed, but,

    "Who are you calling a pet you fucker!"

    Corey turned towards the source of the voice then looked at his pointed finger.

    "Oops. A mistake."

    He said with an ''apologetic'' expression as he looked Mat and Mac which his finger was still pointing at.

    Muffled chuckles escaped from the group seeing that since anybody with discerning eyes could see that Corey was anything but apologetic and did that on purpose.

    "*Cough* *Cough*. So I actually meant those two monsters."

    Coughing to garner everyone''s attention, he pointed at the cursed chimera and demi-basilisk.

    Everyone turned towards the demi-basilisk and the cursed chimera with suspicious and cautious eyes.

    Previously, the two monsters were everyone''s source of confidence in conquering the extremely dangerous dungeon in front of them but now, they seemed like the grim reaper brothers.

    "Kyle, do you have anything to say? Are Corey''s words true?"

    Mrs. Ashley seeing Kyle not denying any of Corey''s words asked with slightly cold eyes causing everybody to look at Kyle with varying expressions.

    "Hehh."

    "Hahahahaha."

    A soft chuckle escaped Kyle''s lips before it erupted into a full blownughter.

    "Lord o Lord, you''re so good at been a clown Zane."

    With a cold and indifferent tone and expression, Kyle spoke causing everybody to think that maybe all of Corey''s words were lies.

    "Oh shut up Kyle. Do you want to say I was lying?"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Corey spoke as he rolled his eyes with a nonchnt expression.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Meanwhile a small smile formed on Kyle''s lips hearing Corey''s words. He pushed up his sses then spoke:

    "Well, of course you''re right Zane. I killed all of them. All the survivors I gathered, I killed all of them."

    Murmurs rang out from everybody hearing Kyle admit to Corey''s words. Some had disbelieving expressions, some had cold expressions and some brought out their weapons.

    Meanwhile Corey was not surprised hearing Kyle admit the truth.

    Ever since the apocalypse started, Kyle had be more arrogant, in fact, he had be so arrogant to the point that he made some foolish decisions in Corey''s eyes.

    "Why?"

    Corey turned towards Mrs. Ashley who spoke and had a slightly regretful expression.

    Kyle turned towards her and with an indifferent expression, he spoke:

    "Do I need to exin myself to a dead person?"

    Mrs. Ashley''s eyes became frigid cold and Corey could see heat waves around her.

    ''An. The heavenly fairy is mad.''

    Corey thought with a sad expression then he looked at Kyle, the perpetrator with cold eyes.

    "I''m curious about something Kyle."

    Corey spoke and Kyle tilted his head.

    "Why didn''t you try to defend yourself?"

    Corey asked since he was truly curious. He actually expected Kyle to defend himself no matter how little but surprisingly, he did not.

    ''Is he so prideful to the point that he sees it beneath him to defend himself?''

    Corey thought with furrowed brows.

    Meanwhile Kyle had a confused expression on his face hearing Corey''s question.

    "Why do I need to defend myself?" He asked.

    "Huh?" Corey was confused.

    "You all are weak. Why do I need to defend myself?"

    Kyle said and everybody''s eyes became cold and the tension in the air rose to the point that the air became hot.

    ''Wait.''

    Corey thought then turned towards Mrs. Ashley who now had mes on her body.

    ''Oh, it''s not the tension that made the air to be hot. It''s the heavenly fairy.''

    Corey thought then he heard Kyle speak with a calm expression.

    "Well, if you want a ''valid'' reason on why I didn''t try to defend myself. It''s because there''s no point."

    Kyle paused then gestured towards the group before gesturing at the ming heavenly fairy at the end.

    "All of them would be suspicious of me even if I defended myself sessfully and they ''believed'' me. No matter how little their suspicions may be, they would still be suspicious of me and that''s not what I want.

    So instead of wasting my time having to watch my back. I''d rather kill them now."

    Kyle thought and Corey had a slightly stunned expression.

    "That''s actually¡­ sensible?"

    He spoke with a surprised and confused tone.

    ''Howe I didn''t think of that.''

    Despite Corey''s thoughts, Kyle spoke once more:

    "You know you''re really a bastard Zane. This is the second time you''ve almost stopped my n."

    Corey hearing Kyle''s words looked at him, he saw Kyle raise his right hand.

    "This time, I''ll make sure I kill you."

    Kyle said, then snapped his fingers.

    Hissss!!

    The moment he did, the demi-basilisk hissed and struck at the nearest group of people close to it.

    "Shit!"

    "No!"

    "Fucker!"

    Exmations and shouts of curses resounded among the entire group seeing the monster attacking theirrades at an extremely fast speed.

    Mrs. Ashley seeing the demi-basilisk move was about to unleash a fire attack on it, but before she could move, she paused and her eyes widened with shock as she saw something unbelievable happen in front of her eyes.

    BANG!!

    "No Kyle, this time around. I''m stopping your n and¡­ I''ll make sure I kill you."

    As everybody looked at the fallen demi-basilisk which had a ck spear in it''s head with shock, widened eyes and open mouths, a calm voice filled with coldness resounded everywhere causing everybody to look at the source of the voice and the spear.

    And when they did, everybody had various expressions but the majority was shock.

    Mrs. Ashley''s eyes flickered as she looked at the slightly short average teenage boy wearing a yellow hoodie and ck track pants.

    This teenage boy was Corey.

    -----

    [A/N: Time for Corey vs Kyle!!!!

    Let''s goooo!!!

    Also, don''t forget to vote using power stones and golden tickets.

    Drop gifts also.

    Thanks.]

 Chapter 66 66: Shock

    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    ?In front of the dormitory, a strange scene could be seen.

    A group of around 20 people stood with their mouths agape as they looked at an unbelievable scene, a scene which they never expected to happen, at least to never happen until they leave their prison and be tier 1 beings.

    "H-How?"

    Two seconds passed and the silence which was bing stifling was broken by a voice from an extremely shocked blonde male, Luke.

    His mouth was wide open and numerous questions appeared in his mind as he looked at the fallen spear impaled demi-basilisk.

    His mind could not fathom how somebody like Corey could kill the demi-basilisk with one spear throw.

    He turned and looked at Corey who had a somewhat small and lean stature. The guy he had made fun and sometimes bullied now looked iprehensible to him.

    He was not the only one who had this thought, everybody including Kyle had shocked expressions especially when they saw his ''small'' stature.

    Ba''s eyes had a strange light in them as she looked at Corey who now seemed much different from the Corey she knew, he seemed¡­ dependable?

    Just as this thought passed through her mind, she looked at Luke then she shook her head.

    "I threw it dumbass."

    Corey replied to Luke''s question with a tone of contempt but Luke was too stunned to make aeback reply or get angry.

    Corey looked away from the stunned Luke and looked at the stunned Kyle with a calm expression, his left eye changed and rapidly changing numbers, letters and symbols appeared in his pupil.

    "How were you able to kill Baal?

    How were you able to pierce through Baal''s skin?

    What weapon is that?"

    Kyle who always had a calm expression had an expression of shock for the first time. Never in his life did he expect Baal to die by the hands of Zane, especially by a spear throw.

    ''How could he pierce through Baal''s scales as a tier 0 especially after she was close to maxing out her stats?

    Is it a skill or the weapon?''

    This thought passed through Kyle''s mind as he felt ufortable by the way things were progressing.

    He who always felt like everything was always in his grasp, now felt like things were spiraling out of control.

    Meanwhile, Corey hearing Kyle''s question looked at Kyle for a second before he looked at the ancient spear.

    A frown appeared on his face for a few seconds when he remembered he had not given the ancient spear a name.

    He could not just keep on calling it ''ancient spear''s right?

    He was a silent for a second before his eyes lit up.

    "The weapon is called Smile Reaper."

    Corey said, causing everybody to be stunned especially Mat, Mac and Kyle.

    "Didn''t you have a dagger you called Smile Reaper?"

    Kyle asked and Corey nodded.

    "May it and Smile Reaper 2.0 rest in peace. L¨¢tom."

    Corey bowed after speaking and everybody had strange expressions on their faces hearing Corey''s words.

    In fact, Mrs. Ashley and her subordinates were beginning to wonder if the two of them were actually enemies and not friends since the two of them had been talking and had not fought at all.

    Weren''t enemies supposed to fight and not talk!

    This thought went through everybody''s mind but Corey was unbothered by this thought since he wanted to know how powerful Kyle was and just after he spoke the word ''L¨¢tom'', the long awaited result he was waiting for finally showed up.

    Rows and Columns of words and numbers appeared at the left side of Corey''s vision as the fully analyzed data of Kyle waspiled by Record which was always active.

    ----

    [Name: Kyle Riggs

    Talent: Supreme Magus

    Level: 100

    Basic Attributes:

    Strength: 500

    Agility: 500

    Dexterity: 500

    Constitution: 500

    Intelligence: 800

    Endurance: 500

    Mana: 1,500

    ---

    ''Supreme Magus?

    Supreme?

    A coincidence?''

    Corey frowned as he looked at Kyle''s talent. He then looked at Kyle''s basic attributes and his frown deepened the more.

    ''Now I guess I know why he would see all of us as weaklings.''

    Corey muttered internally seeing Kyle''s intelligence and mana which had surpassed the stat limit of normal humans.

    He was even more surprised seeing Kyle''s mana stat which was the same as his intelligence stat. He could not help but wonder how Kyle''s talent increased his mana to such an absurd stat for a tier 0 normal human.

    Rumble! Rumble!

    Rumbling sounds urred and the sky darkened. Corey looked up and a stunned expression appeared on Corey''s face.

    "What kind of overpowered talent does this bastard have?"

    Corey cursed as he saw streaks of lightning shing in the dark sky.

    Rumble!

    Corey brought out the twin fog swords then got into a battle stance.

    Just as he did, he heard the Kyle speak, causing him to look at him. He was slightly surprised for a moment seeing that the distance between him and Kyle had widened.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    ''He moved so fast.'' Corey thought with a frown.

    "Thank you for allowing me to prepare by talking for so long. You can die now."

    Kyle spoke while raising his right hand and a secondter, he shed it down slowly while speaking in anguage Corey had never heard but somehow knew what it meant.

    "Aki."

    ''Focus.''

    The moment Corey heard that word which meant ''fall'', he entered his focused state then looked up and when he did, his eyes widened slightly as he saw a bolt of lightning just a meter away from him, moving at a fast speed in his focused state.

    ''Full Counter.''

    Raising one of the twin fog swords up, he used the skill, Full Counter and shed at the bolt of lightning, sending it back to the sky, shocking everybody in the surroundings especially Kyle.

    "What the fuck?!"

    "What the fuck?!"

    Double exmations from both Mat and Luke resounded in the area as they both spoke what was exactly on everybody''s mind.

    Although, despite everybody''s shock, they all dispersed and moved at least 30m away from Corey and Kyle, not wanting to be coteral damage in the uing battle.

    "How did you do that?!

    What abominable skill is that?!"

    Kyle shouted with an expression containing frustration, anger, shock and¡­ desire?

    "Do I need to exin myself to a dead person?"

    Returning Kyle''s words back to himself, Corey felt a sense of satisfaction as a smile crept up on his face.

    Meanwhile Kyle had a stunned expression on his face for a second before it became entirely indifferent.

    "Tremor."

    Not bothering to reply Corey''s words, Kyle unleashed another skill of his and stomped on the floor causing the ground that was 50m around to tremble intensely.

    "Shit."

    Corey cursed as he struggled to keep his footing and not fall.

    "Fireball."

    "Lightning Bolt."

    Corey eyes widened when he saw three fireballs and two lightning boltsing towards him.

    He forcefully regained his bnce seeing the attacksing towards him and the moment he did, two fireballs came towards him.

    ''Full Counter.''

    Using full counter once again, he swung both of the twin fog swords sending back the two fireballs to Kyle but he saw a wall rise up from the ground, blocking the attacks.

    He clicked his tongue then used full counter once again on the third fireball.

    The two lightning bolts came towards him after he sent back the fireballs and he swung both his swords while using Full Counter, sending one of the lightning bolt back at Kyle.

    Wait!

    One?!!

    Corey''s eyes widened with shock when he saw the second bolt of lightning he shed at dissipate like mist.

    ''An illusion?''

    Corey thought with widened eyes then he saw another bolt of lightning appear at the exact spot where he just shed at the fake lightning bolt. There was no way he could use full counter on it, he had lost his bnce.

    "Shi-"

    Corey cursed but,

    Bang!

    The bolt of lightning struck Corey causing everybody that was watching to think Corey was done for, but,

    "Fucking bastard you ruined my hoodie."

    Everybody looked at the spot Corey was in with surprise. The smoke caused between the two teenagers fight ''magically disappeared'' the instant everybody looked at Corey''s position.

    But when they did, everybody had various expressions with the majority been curiosity.

    Corey coughed once more while dusting off the dust on his body. As he dusted his body, he could not help but sigh.

    "This was why I didn''t want to use thing every time, it''s too cool."

    Corey muttered as he looked at the Devourer''s Armor which had automatically appeared on his body after it sensed that he was about to get hurt.

    "This thing actually reduced the damage I took by half."

    Corey muttered as he looked at the Devourer''s Armor which looked like white ribs of a human covering his entire chest and back. It had a face with two closed eyes and a mouth at the center of the ribs which was at Corey''s sr plexus.

    The Devourer''s Armor at it''s current level could reduce the damage taken by tier 0 attacks whether physical or magical by 50%, while for tier 1 attacks, 25% and for tier 2 attacks, 10%.

    Corey was surprised and pleased when he saw the abilities of the Devourer''s Armor, the abilities might seem weak in some people''s eyes but one should not forget that Corey was just a tier 0 human and if he was an average or even below average tier 0 human and he had this armor, he would be invincible in tier 0 and if he was smart, he could cause problems for tier 1 individuals.

    "I just knew that you would survive that attack one way or the other. You''re just a cockroach."

    "Hmm?"

    Corey looked up with a confused expression and just when he did,

    "Ahhh!"

    A familiar feminine scream reached his ears and he turned his head abruptly.

    His eyes widened and his heart raced, with his hands outstretched, he could only look as the floor beneath Ba shook and cracked causing her to lose her bnce, not only that, three bolts of lightning shot out towards her.

    "No."

    -----

    [A/N: Thank you so much for everybody that votes with power stones and golden tickets. Thank you to all of you that give me gifts, and thank you to all of you that leavements.

    I really appreciate it.

    Thank you so much.]

 Chapter 67 67: Monster

    ?With immense panic in his heart, Corey ran, no, he did a mad dash seeing the three lightning bolts zip towards Ba. [A/N: I know this contradicts thest paragraph in the previous chapter so just ignore it and continue. I''m too tired to change it.]

    ''Move.''

    ''Move.''

    ''Please Move.''

    ''Please fucking move faster!!!''

    Screaming internally while urging his body to move faster, Corey could only look as he saw the distance between Ba and the three lightning bolts reduce to at least a meter.

    Just a second was all it would take for the three lightning bolts to reach Ba and turn her to burnt meat.

    ''No.''

    Corey''s heart sped up rapidly and his pupils dted as he could do nothing but watch the end of one of the few people he truly cared about.

    Ba who had just regained her bnce was able to see the lightning boltsing for her life. Surprisingly she was calm and was not panicking or fearful.

    Why?

    She doesn''t know.

    Maybe it''s cause she knows there was nothing she could do to save her life. She was just a healer who did not have any powerful offensive nor defensive skill.

    Ever since she joined the survivor group she had never been in a precarious situation such as this.

    ''Is this the end for me?

    Do I regret asking for the ability to heal people as my wish?''

    This were Ba''sst thoughts as the three bolts of lightning were now mere centimeters away from her.

    But just as she had epted her fate and just when everybody including Corey thought Ba''s end was in the next second, like a shining knighting to the rescue of a damsel in distress, Luke stood in front of Ba, a shield in his hands.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    Three loud bangs resounded as everyone had wide open eyes as they looked at the scene with various expressions.

    "L-Luke?"

    Ba stuttered as she recognized the back of the ''knight'' in front of her.

    The ''knight'' turned towards her and when Ba saw the bloodied and broken arm of the ''knight'' holding the destroyed shield which saved her life, she quickly ced her hands on top of his injured arm and a yellow light spread out from her hand unto the arm, healing the injuries little by little.

    "Are you okay?"

    The ''knight'' asked in a caring tone causing the damsel who was in distress to look up, seeing the handsome face of the knight, she was slightly dazed for a second before she recovered and she nodded, showing she was alright.

    "Good."

    The ''knight'' nodded then looked at his healing arm for a second before he looked at Kyle, an expression of anger appeared on his face.

    ''How dare you target my main source of stress relief. I''ve not gotten Ashley yet so how dare you bloody target her. I''ll kill you in the worst possible way you bastard.''

    Just as Luke had this thought, his eyes widened before it turned into a smirk when he saw what Kyle was doing.

    ''Heh. Before I kill you, you should at least kill that bastard first.''

    (Meanwhile Corey)

    Corey whose eyes had dimmed thinking he was going to lose somebody he genuinely cared about was rooted on the spot seeing Ba survive.

    He didn''t care if it was Luke that saved her.

    He didn''t care why he saved her.

    All that mattered to him was that Ba was safe, Ba was alive, somebody he cared about didn''t die.

    And that the monster in him did not have a chance to fully revive in him.

    He could keep on suppressing and destroying the monster in him slowly.

    He exhaled then inhaled heavily as he tried to calm his emotions, his body and his heart, but the next second he felt his skin tingle in danger, but he was too stunned and not ready to dodge the iing danger.

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    Numerous fireballs and lightning bolts hit Corey causing smoke to rise at the spot he was in.

    Kyle who was the perpetrator of all this attacks raised his right palm up and then he mmed it down on the floor.

    Knowing that Corey was a cockroach, he just had a feeling that Corey would survive his previous attacks so he used another offensive magical attack.

    "Ortus, zing Inferno."

    The moment he spoke both in a foreign and knownnguage, an intense fire rose up from where Corey was located, reaching at least 20m high.

    "Corey!"

    "Shit!"

    "What the fuck!"

    Numerous exmations of shock, fear and anxiety rang out from the crowd watching Kyle''s frightening magical attacks.

    Kyle stood and without pause he pointed a finger at the sky.

    "Descent Of The Lightning Sword."

    The skies rumbled and darkened as the only source of light were the numerous streaks of lightning shing round in the skies before it formed a giant sword made out of lightning.

    Shock, despair and fear appeared on everybody''s face as they felt a huge amount of pressure bearing down upon from the sword.

    Even Mrs. Ashley felt the pressure since never in her life did she think Kyle was this powerful as a tier 0 human.

    "How can he unleash such an attack like this without bacsh. This is almost a tier 2 attack."

    Mrs. Ashley muttered as she looked at the lightning sword in the air with immense shock.

    While everybody had fear in their eyes, she did not. In her right hand was a palm sized circr object with lines and symbols on it.

    She rubbed it a few times, a conflicted expression on her face as she looked at the attack then at Corey.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Meanwhile Kyle seeing the lightning sword fully form three seconds after he unleashed the skill, swiped his hand down.

    "Aki."

    BOOM!

    All who were looking at the lightning sword only saw a sh of light before the sword disappeared from their vision and a loud p of thunder resounded in the sky and the earth, causing the dark clouds in the sky to dissipate.

    "FULL COUNTER!!!"

    Just when everybody thought Corey''s end was near, a shout full of rage shook everybody as to their immense shock they saw a bloodied, burnt and bony Corey holding two swords in a cross-like manner on top of his head.

    The sword of lightning was at the de of the swords, trying to destroy the swords but a strange force from the sword was trying to repel it.

    The twin fog swords and the sword of lightning trembled intensely as both fought to destroy each other.

    "RAARRRGGHH!!!"

    Corey shouted and with extreme adrenaline, he pushed past his limits causing his already damaged body to be more damaged.

    "FUCK OFFFF!!!!"

    And with a roar, he unleashed his all and sent back the sword made out of lightning back to the sky.

    Silence

    Pin drop silence permeated the surroundings as everybody including Kyle and Mrs. Ashley had expressions of disbelief as they looked at the panting bloody, charred and bony figure called Corey.

    Although he had a somewhat short and lean figure, in their eyes, he was no longer a human but a monster.

    They did not know how a human could remain standing and breathing with Corey''s condition.

    Various parts of his body were burnt and at some ces, one could see the exposed bones of Corey.

    "Stop! Where do you think you''re going?"

    A shout filled with anger and slight fear resounded in everybody''s ears drawing their attention away from Corey to the arguing duo, Luke and Ba.

    "Of course I''m going to save him!"

    Ba shouted back with a tone filled with anger, worry and fear. She looked at Corey and saw him standing still, the only sign that he was alive was the sound of his heavy panting.

    She tried to run towards him again but Luke stopped her much to her annoyance and anger.

    "Stop!"

    "What do you mean stop!

    Can''t you see he''s dying?

    Do you want to see him die?!

    Stop wasting my time and let me go!"

    Ba shouted back, this time, her tone was filled with immense anger seeing Luke still holding her arm. She tried to wrestle her arm away from his grip but she could not.

    How could a healer like her be stronger than Luke who invested more in his strength bepared to her, not to mention that her physique was weaker than his.

    "Don''t you value your life?! What do you think would happen if you join their fight?!"

    Luke who was already annoyed and frustrated by the fact that Corey was still alive albeit barely, was more annoyed seeing Ba repeatedly rushing to help Corey. It made him want to grit his teeth in anger.

    He could not just tell her that the main reason he didn''t want her to help Corey was because he didn''t want to see him survive, so he tried to convince her by giving her sensible reasons.

    After speaking, he looked at Ba and saw that she still had that desire to help Corey which just made Luke grit his teeth in frustration.

    ''You bitch, you''ll suffer for this!''

    Luke viciously thought internally, then he pointed at Corey.

    "Look at them! Do you want to die? They''re both monsters! If you go, you''ll- Huh?"

    Just as Luke was speaking he turned and looked at Corey, wanting to gesture more but the moment he did, his eyes bulged with extreme shock as he saw a scene which could only be described as absurd.

    Ba who was already very angry at Luke had a confused expression seeing his shocked expression and when she looked in his line of vision, her expression was not much different, though there was a little bit of relief deep in her eyes.

    It was not only Ba and Luke who had shocked expressions, everyone including Kyle and Mrs. Ashley had extremely shocked expressions as they all saw Corey''s injury healing at a pace visible to the human eye.

    Meanwhile Corey who was actively using mana to speed up his regeneration, looked at the broken twin fog swords in his hands with an indifferent expression, then he dropped it on the ground.

    He clenched his fists repeatedly and as he was doing that, he heard a voice.

    "What are you?"

    Kyle who was extremely tired and was absorbing mana from the surroundings to refill his almost empty mana core had an expression of extreme shock as he saw Corey, no, the monster in front of him heal from the extreme injuries he caused.

    "First, your reaction time is extremely fast for somebody at your level.

    Your pain tolerance is extremely high.

    You have an absurd skill which can deflect magical attacks.

    Now you have extremely fast regenerative abilities?

    What the fuck are you?!"

    Kyle asked with an expression bordering madness, frustration and anger.

    Meanwhile Corey just looked at him with an indifferent expression before he looked at his fist which he clenched then unclenched.

    He then looked away from his fist and looked at Kyle, a person whom he almost truly cared for.

    He closed his eyes for two seconds before he opened them back, the indifferent expression was gone and a cold expression was what appeared on his face.

    "I''m the person that''s going to kill you."

    -----

    [A/N: For those that have a problem with the fight scene between Corey and Kyle, I''ll exin it tomorrow.

    I''ll also say a few things concerning Corey and Ba.]

 Chapter 68 68: Cruelty

    ?"I''m the person that''s going to kill you."

    After speaking those words, Corey dashed towards Kyle with an extremely cold expression.

    "What are you idiots doing?!!

    ATTACK HIM!!

    KILL HIM!!"

    Kyle with an expression of madness and anger roared at Mat, Mac and the cursed chimera.

    Mat and Mac who were shocked by the fact that their boss was more powerful than they expected and also by the fact that Corey was still alive after all the attacks their boss used on him.

    Getting out of their dazed state, they immediately ran towards Corey following Kyle''s orders, but this time, they felt a little bit apprehensive as they moved towards Corey.

    Corey''s previous actions had formed an image of Corey been an immortal monster in their mind.

    Mat unleashed his great sword as he ran towards Corey, meanwhile Mac stayed back after running for at least ten meters.

    Meanwhile the cursed chimera which was the slowest to react immediately took to the air and flew towards Corey, overtaking Mat immediately.

    Corey who was running saw the cursed chimeraing towards him.

    With a calm expression he spread out his right hand and two secondster, the camera of illusions appeared in his right hand and a secondter, he pressed the sh button on the camera causing a sh of white light to illuminate the surroundings for an instant.

    Meanwhile the cursed chimera which was at the forefront of the group of 3 bore the brunt of the attack and fell under the illusion of the camera of illusions.

    It''s speed reduced and it''s altitude which was already close to the ground became much closer.

    Corey eyes shed seeing the falling chimera, without reducing his speed, he stretched out his right hand and activated the Cursed Dryad''s Ring.

    A tree root appeared in front of him and he controlled the tree root to move and wrap round the body of the chimera.

    He increased his speed and also controlled the root to bring the chimera towards him.

    As soon as it was at arm''s reach, he grabbed the long root and with a grunt he mmed his left foot on the ground causing it to crack then he swung the chimera in a semi-circle before he released it with the root.

    BANG!!

    The cursed chimera crashed into a building and it stopped moving.

    Corey seeing that the cursed chimera was now far away from him, turned, wanting to take care of the remaining bastards who had almost taken his life on numerous asions.

    But just as he turned, his eyes constricted slightly when he saw that Mat was extremely close to him with his sword which had a crimson aura raised above his head.

    "Crimson-"

    Mat tried to call out the attack but his eyes constricted to needles when he saw Corey disappear before his eyes.

    Just as his brain was trying toprehend what was going on, a felt an extremely powerful force on his stomach and his eyes bulged out as his body shook intensely.

    "You''re too slow. Also, next time try not to shout out your move unless it needs voice activation before it works. Alright?"

    Leaning close to Mat''s ears, Corey spoke with an indifferent tone and expression as a slightly vibrating fist was on Mat''s stomach while his other hand was on his back, holding him in ce.

    Mat struggled to look at Corey and he tried to speak but he coughed out blood.

    "There, there. You want to beg for mercy?"

    Stroking his hair softly, Corey asked with a soothing expression and Mat looked at Corey, his lips were bloodied but the pleading expression in his eyes was intense and extremely visible.

    He nodded his head repeatedly to try and convey his answer properly but anyone watching this could see the intense struggling and pain he went through as he did.

    Meanwhile Corey, still stroking his head nodded his head.

    "No problem. I''ll show you mercy."

    He spoke softly and Mat had a hopeful expression but it turned to one of horror when the insides of his body vibrated so much that he trembled violently. If not for Corey holding him in ce, he would be thrashing around at the moment.

    A muffled groan escaped his mouth but Corey just kept on stroking his head softly with an indifferent expression.

    Three secondster, Mat stopped trembling but everyone who was watching had various expressions as they saw Mat''s condition.

    Blood was dripping from Mat''s mouth, nose, eyes and ears. An expression of despair and intense pain was frozen on his face.

    "BROTHER!!!!"

    A scream filled with extreme shock, pain, rage and hatred shook the entire surroundings causing everybody except Corey and Kyle to look at the source, Mac.

    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

    Mat who had an expression of madness, pain and regret continuously shot arrows made out of mana at Corey.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Corey just calmly carried Mat''s body in front of the iing mana arrows causing Mat to look like a porcupine causing the madness and hatred in Mac''s eyes to increase greatly.

    "YOU BASTARD!!!"

    Mac continuously shot more arrows made out of mana, not bothering about the expenditure of his mana and Corey just ced Mat''s body in front of the arrows with an indifferent expression.

    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    A few secondster, Corey''s expression changed and he threw the body forward and dodged to the side.

    BOOM

    The moment Mat''s body touched a specific iing mana arrow, it exploded causing smoke to form in the surroundings.

    Corey''s eyes shed and he dashed into the smoke causing a part of the smoke to dissipate.

    Mac''s eyes widened with shock seeing Corey''s extreme speed.

    "Why are you that fast?!"

    He screamed then shot another mana arrow towards Corey but Corey dodged it calmly with an indifferent expression.

    Mac tried to form another mana arrow but his face contorted in pain the moment he did.

    "No."

    His eyes widened with fear when he realized that he had expended all his mana.

    His heart raced and an extreme deadly sensation of crisis surged through his entire being when he saw Coreying towards with an indifferent expression.

    ''If I knew I should have shot the explosive arrows when he was torturing brother. I shouldn''t have hesitated.'' Mac thought with regret as he looked at the iing god of death with fear.

    He looked back and seeing Kyle, their leader, sitting in a cross-legged position, the fear in his heart increased.

    "Help me boss!

    Please help me!!

    I don''t want to die!!!"

    With each sentence he spoke, his voice rose showing the extreme fear he was feeling at the moment but Kyle just looked at Corey with a cold expression, his eyes not even bothering to look at Mac.

    "Boss!!!"

    Mac shrieked and a secondter, he coughed out blood.

    He looked down and saw a hand protruding out of the right side of his chest.

    "This is for the hole you gave me in my chest."

    Leaning his head against Mac''s ear, Corey whispered and those were thest words Mac heard before the light in his eyes dimmed.

    Corey reactivated the incorporeal ability of the ghost gloves then pulled out his bloodied hands from Mac''s chest causing Mac''s corpse to fall with a bam.

    Corey ignored the corpse then looked at Kyle who was still sitting in a cross-legged position.

    His brows furrowed slightly when he felt the huge amount of mana around Kyle.

    ''What is he doing?''

    Deciding to be careful, Corey decided to observe for a few seconds instead of rushing towards Kyle where the mana concentration was extremely high.

    Who knows if it was a trap set up by Kyle.

    "Now it''s your turn."

    He spoke with an indifferent tone and expression and walked step by step towards Kyle.

    Meanwhile Kyle with a cold expression threw his sses away then he formed a hand sign.

    "No, this time, it''s your time to die Zane."

    " Supreme Art: First Stage Supreme Transformation."

    -----

    [A/N: The next is thest chapter for the fight between Kyle and Corey.

    Also, the info concerning the fight between Kyle and Corey is in the auxiliary section.

    For those who have a problem with the fight, go check it out.

    For those who don''t, you don''t have to but you can still check it out.]

 Chapter 69 69: Why?

    ?" Supreme Art: First Stage Supreme Transformation."

    The moment Kyle spoke, the wind blew intensely as the mana in the surroundings stirred and flowed towards Kyle.

    Corey covered his eyes so as to prevent the blowing dust and sand from entering his eyes. When he eventually opened his eyes, his eyes widened when he saw Kyle.

    Streaks of purple electricity shed around Kyle''s entire body which had weird lines on it, not only that, there was a closed vertical eye in his forehead.

    "This form is actually as powerful as the Universal System says¡­ and surprisingly, it''s just the first stage."

    Kyle muttered as he clenched his fists repeatedly, then he looked at his bare chested body and a frown appeared on his face.

    "If possible I need stronger clothes that can withstand the influx and emission of mana from the skill."

    Kyle muttered but a secondter, he felt the wind in front of his face stir slightly, he frowned then looked up but just as he did.

    BAM!

    A fistnded on his face which sent him flying and tumbling for at least ten meters before he came to a stop.

    "Why would you look away from your opponent just because you went Super Saiyan?"

    Corey who had finally satisfied his long time itch of wanting to punch the face of Kyle spoke while shaking his head softly and just as he did, the sky darkened then rumbled.

    "Not again."

    He clicked his tongue then looked up, seeing the numerous streaks of lightning up in the sky made him frown.

    "I hope you''re satisfied with the punch cause that would be thest time you hit me."

    Corey who was observing the sky heard Kyle''s voice up in the air, and he turned towards him.

    Seeing Kyle float in the air with numerous streaks of electricity around him and up in the air made him to look like the god of lightning which was cool.

    Corey clicked his tongue seeing the floating Kyle. He was not surprised seeing Kyle float since he clearly remembered that Kyle floated the time he chased him.

    He brought out a great sword which was one of the weapons of the Quasi-Supreme Nagi and he rubbed the Cursed Dryad''s Ring softly with a glint in his eyes.

    "Aki."

    A second after he brought out the great sword, Kyle spoke and a bolt of lightning fell upon Corey.

    Corey entered his focused state and used true counter but this time he sent the lightning bolt towards Kyle.

    Kyle with an indifferent expression just raised his hands up and a wall of earth rose up from the earth as fast as lightning, blocking the iing bolt of lightning.

    Corey''s eyes twitched seeing the absurd speed the wall of earth rose up from the ground.

    ''What absurd talent does this guy have? He''s fucking overpowered.''

    Just as Corey had this thought, the sky rumbled once more and another bolt of lightning attacked Corey, he sent it towards Kyle once again but this time he saw that the wall of earth crumbled but it was still blocked by Kyle who raised his hand and a translucent barrier appeared in front of him, blocking the strengthened lightning bolt.

    Corey''s mouth twitched repeatedly and once again, the sky rumbled and another lightning bolt struck, he sent it towards Kyle again but his eyes widened when he saw another one just behind the lightning bolt he just sent towards Kyle.

    "Shit."

    Corey cursed then tried his best to ce the great sword on top of his head.

    Bang!

    Corey shook violently as lightning ravaged his body. The great sword which barely blocked the lightning broke into pieces and Corey coughed out smoking ck blood.

    Rumble!

    "Come on, give me a fucking break."

    Wiping off the blood from his lips, Corey actively used mana to heal his internal injuries. He looked at his dominant right arm which was badly injured with a frown.

    Rumble!

    His face changed as soon as he heard the rumbling in the skies and without hesitation, he rolled to the side.

    Bang!

    A bolt of lightning struck his previous spot but Corey did not wait to check it out. He ran around with the fastest speed he could muster, dodging the multiple lightning strikes that threatened to take his life.

    Kyle seeing Corey dodging the lightning attacks frowned.

    ''I don''t have much time left.''

    Kyle thought then spread out his arms and spoke.

    "Lightning Field."

    The sky shook and darkened the more. Thunder pped intensely causing most watching this fight to tremble slightly while also covering their ears with fear, horror and shock in their eyes.

    "This type of power cannot be performed by a tier 0 human. How?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Mrs. Ashley spoke with shock seeing the sky brightening with multiple bolts of lightning streaking in the dark clouds.

    Not only was Mrs. Ashley shocked, Corey was absolutely gobsmacked. With wide eyes and open mouth, he stopped running then a secondter, he took in a deep breath, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart.

    Corey looked at Kyle who was still spreading his hands up in the air, looking like a god above mortals.

    "Now I know why he was always proud and thought of everybody as weak. He truly had the right to say so."

    Corey muttered as he looked at Kyle. He then looked behind Kyle with a glint in his eye.

    ''It should be ready.''

    (Meanwhile Kyle)

    "This attack should be able to kill him. If it doesn''t, then I''ll have to retreat. My lightning core is almost empty and the cracks on it is almost irreversible."

    Kyle muttered as he looked at the raging lightning field with a frown.

    When he remembered how Corey forced him to use the Supreme art which should not be used until he reached at least Tier 1 his hatred towards Corey increased, especially when there was a high possibility he could be a cripple if he doesn''t deactivate the Supreme Art.

    Taking a deep breath, Kyle looked at the lightning field with a solemn expression and just as he was about to unleash the lightning bolts unto Corey, he felt something around his waist.

    He looked down and a frown appeared on his face when he saw a tree root wrapped around his waist.

    "What-?"

    His sentence was disrupted when the tree root pulled him with a great force and his eyes widened when he saw the direction he was been pulled to... Corey.

    "Fuck!"

    He cursed when he remembered Corey using this same skill on the cursed chimera.

    He raised his hand and tried to cut off the root but just as he did, he heard Corey''s voice.

    "Say cheese!"

    "What?"

    He looked at Corey with a confused expression but just as he did, his face changed.

    Corey who was holding the camera of illusions had a smile on his face seeing Kyle look at him and without wasting a single second, he pressed the sh button and the surroundings was illuminated by a white light for an instant before it receded.

    Corey quickly brought a spear which was also one of the weapons of the Quasi-Supreme Nagi and without hesitation, he threw it at Kyle.

    Two secondster, Kyle broke out from the illusions and just as he did, his pupils constricted.

    Puchi!

    Cough!

    A red spear protruded from the right side of Kyle''s chest making him to cough out blood.

    With his head hung low and the supreme art deactivated, Kyle was brought before Corey.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    The raging thunder and lightning had dissipated, the dark sky was gone causing the light from the sun to brighten and warm up the environment, but Corey''s eyes were anything but bright and warm.

    It was cold and dark.

    And with a cold tone, he spoke:

    "Why?"

    ----

    [A/N: So some readersmented on what I wrote in the auxiliary chapter and let''s just they''ve convinced me on some things and I''ve learnt.

    I could not reply to everybody''sments because I was tired and still tired right now.

    School be killing me.

    Sigh

    Anyhow, thanks to everybody that votes with power stones, golden tickets,ments and so on.

    I really appreciate it.

    Sometimes I might not reply thements because I''m busy, so none should take offense.

    Thanks once again and don''t forget to vote.

    Have a great day/night everyone.

    I think it''s like 11 chapters more before we reach volume 2 since I''m not done with volume 1 in my stockpiled chapters.]

 Chapter 70 70: You Dont Know Anything

    ?"Why?"

    Kyle hearing Corey''s question repeated the same word but his tone contained amusement then a chuckle escaped his lips.

    He raised his head and with a calm and indifferent expression stered all over his face, he looked at Corey''s cold eyes.

    "Are you asking why I did what I did or Are you asking why I killed our ''friends''?"

    With an indifferent tone and expression Kyle questioned but Corey had no change in his expression.

    "Both."

    Corey replied coldly and a small smile appeared on Kyle''s lips. It was a smile containing amusement, pity and disdain.

    "I did all I that I did so as to gain power to kill the tier 2 monster at the academy gates."

    Kyle replied and Corey''s brows furrowed.

    "That doesn''t make any sense. There''s no evolution center here so you can''t reach tier 1 no matter how much you try."

    Corey said and Kyle looked in a particr direction causing Corey to raise an eyebrow.

    "If you think you can distract me by trying to look away, then just stop. It won''t work."

    "Do you know why I had those two monsters as my pets despite me been as strong as I am?"

    Kyle asked while still looking in the distance, ignoring Corey''s words.

    "How do you expect me to know?"

    Corey replied causing Kyle to look at him for a second before he sighed softly then he spoke:

    "I had those two so that I could kill the tier 2 creature. They were level 101 when I got them so I made them eat the bodies of everybody that I used so that they could level up meanwhile I used the soul stones to level up and increase my stats."

    "A lot of the things you said don''t make any sense. First, where did you even get two tier 1 monsters as pets?

    Second, how do you expect the two tier 1 creatures to kill the tier 2 creature at the gate? They''re not even that strong, I mean I was able to defeat them easily and if I can do that, doesn''t that mean I can kill the tier 2 creature?

    Also, shouldn''t it be that after absorbing the fourth soul stone you can''t gain anymore stats?"

    Corey asked and Kyle raised an eyebrow, a surprised expression appeared on his face causing Corey to be confused.

    "You don''t know?" He asked.

    "Know what?" Corey asked.

    "I see."

    Kyle did not reply but looked down and muttered. Two secondster he looked up.

    "A human can gain stats even after absorbing more than four soul stones of other humans. It''s the same thing for other races."

    Corey''s pupils constricted hearing Kyle''s words and with a disbelieving expression, he spoke:

    "You mean?"

    "A human can decide to continuously kill other humans so that they can continuously increase their stats by absorbing the soul stones. As long as the difference in the level between the soul stone and the human is not greater than 20, then the person would gain at least 1 stat point to one of their attributes."

    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Kyle said much to Corey''s shock. Kyle saw Corey''s shocked expression but he ignored it and continued to speak with a calm and indifferent expression:

    "Why did you think I decided to increase my strength by killing people?

    Was I a murderer before the apocalypse?"

    Although it sounded like Kyle was defending himself, not a single sign of regret could be seen on his face or even heard in his tone.

    "Couldn''t you have found a better way to increase your stats or to gain more power?"

    Corey asked and Kyle looked at him strangely before chuckling.

    "Are you an idiot Zane?"

    "Tell me, how else do I increase my stats?"

    "When we were weak we could only absorb four soul stones of Revenants which were below level 50. There were also Dark Revenants but those were below tier 2 and we could only absorb 4.

    Also, although there are five dungeons in the academy with the dungeon you just came out from being the most dangerous, do you know how dangerous it is to go solo in a dungeon?

    If you now decide to go with a group to kill the monsters in a dungeon, how many soul stones will you be able to absorb to increase your stats and level?

    Not only that, it''s also very difficult for an average person to fight above their levels so that they can increase their stats by a lot after absorbing the soul stone of higher leveled creatures."

    "If somebody decides not to do all that I did, please tell me how do you expect the person to reach their stat limit so that the person can have a higher chance in killing or escaping the tier 2 creature?"

    "To survive and leave this academy, no, the prison that we are in. Doing what I did is the only way to leave and survive this prison."

    After Kyle spoke, he coughed out blood and his expression became a little bit weaker.

    Meanwhile Corey was shaken by all he heard from Kyle. He wanted to refute his words and say there was another way but he could not.

    All that Kyle said was true.

    When the apocalypse happened, the monsters they could fight and kill for their levels were the low leveled Smileys and it was in fact dangerous for normal students, teachers and staffs of the academy to kill the low leveled Smileys since they didn''t have priorbat experience.

    Not only that, they could only gain additional stats from the first four soul stones of the Smileys they absorbed.

    The only way for people to now increase their stats is by using the free attribute points from each level up.

    If people depended on that, then there was no way they would be able kill monsters at a higher level than them without much difficulty.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Eventually there would be no way for them to defeat the tier 2 creature at the academy gate.

    "Zane."

    Just as Corey was lost in thoughts, he heard Kyle call out to him. He looked up and saw Kyle with a pale face, he looked at his left chest which still had the spear he threw in it.

    He frowned slightly when he saw that the injury was not healing despite Kyle having maxed out his constitution stat.

    "You don''t know what''s going outside Corey. The outside is extremely dangerous. You think what I did was inhumane? You think that me killing our friends and almost everybody in the academy for power was inhumane?"

    Kyle asked and Corey nodded seriously.

    "Yes. Yes it was."

    *Cough* *Cough*

    Kyle chuckled softly then just as he did, he coughed out more blood.

    "Maybe you''re right and maybe you''re wrong. You''ll knowter in the future. Just know this Corey, you don''t know anything about the outside world. It''s much more dangerous than you think."

    Kyle spoke with a solemn tone and expression but Corey didn''t say anything in reply.

    Kyle sighed softly then looked down at his chest where a spear was impaled into.

    ''I shouldn''t have used the Supreme Art. Because of my cracked lightning core my body can''t heal easily.''

    Kyle thought with a solemn expression then he looked at Corey.

    "You asked me two questions previously. The question on how I nned on using those two tier 1 monsters to fight the Tier 2 monster.

    Well, I nned on taking them into the dungeon you came out from and after they both kill the monsters in the dungeon, their stats would have increased a lot.

    But, because of you, that''s no longer possible."

    Kyle paused then exhaled and inhaled painfully. A few seconds passed before he looked at Corey.

    "As for where I got the two pets from, I got it from- fro-"

    Corey frowned as he looked at Kyle who had a dazed and nk expression.

    "Kyle?"

    Corey called out to him but there was no answer.

    "Kyle?"

    Corey called out once again but this time, he shook Kyle lightly but Kyle did not wake up.

    He was dead.

    Corey stood still for some seconds before he sighed.

    He looked up to the sky which was beginning to darken showing that nighttime was near.

    "This is messed up."

    Corey murmured softly a few seconds after he looked at the sky.

    Today was the first day he killed a human but not only that, he killed three humans today.

    He killed one in a brutal manner, he killed the second one with less brutality and thest person he killed was once his friend.

    And the worst part of all of this was that Corey felt nothing at the moment.

    He did not feel sadness, joy, anger or depression after Kyle died. He just felt indifferent to the events that happened today.

    "Haaa."

    He sighed once again then looked at Kyle''s body which he had ced on the ground.

    "I''m not sure if you truly died by my hands or by something else but it doesn''t really matter at the moment. I''m going to leave the academy and I''ll show you that it''s possible to kill the tier 2 monster even if I don''t do what you said."

    Corey muttered then he touched the Kyle''s corpse and put it inside his spatial ring.

    Despite them been enemies at the end, they were once friends and Corey felt he should not just live his corpse out in the open since he could carry it with him.

    Step Step Step

    He heard sounds of footsteps and he looked up.

    "We need to talk."

    Mrs. Ashley stood before him with her hands folded.

    His eyes went to her breasts for a second before he looked away.

    He got up from his crouching position, dusted his hand then spoke:

    "Yes. I believe we do."

    ----

    [A/N: It''s official now. Chapter 79 marks the end of volume 1, so 9 more chapters until we go premium and shit gets real.

    Anticipate!!!]

 Chapter 72 72: They Never Change

    ?"What do you want to talk about?"

    Corey hearing that question licked his dry lips and gulped subconsciously.

    His heart, lips and entire being wanted to speak three words, just three words which had been in his mind and heart for a very long time.

    Those three words could either make him or break him.

    It could either bring him immense joy or immense sadness.

    He inhaled then exhaled a few times before he forcibly calmed himself down.

    ''Come on man, you''ve fought terrifying monsters before and you''re too scared to tell a girl you love her?

    Man up motherfucker, it''s just saying three words. What''s the worst that can happen?''

    Motivating himself internally, Corey suddenly gained the courage and he looked at Ba who was still waiting though Corey could see that she had a slightly worried and nervous expression.

    "Ba I have something I want, no, need to tell you."

    He said then exhaled softly and opened his lips to speak his heart but just as he was about to speak, he was interrupted by Ba.

    "Are you going to tell me you love me?"

    She asked and Corey froze, not expecting her to say those words.

    His mind was nk for a few seconds before he nodded softly.

    The previous courage he had to confess his love was gone, only nervousness remained in his rapidly beating heart as he waited for the one word answer from Ba.

    Meanwhile Ba seeing Corey nod had aplicated expression on her face. She then looked away from Corey and kept quiet for a few seconds causing the hope in Corey''s heart to diminish by the second.

    "I¡­ I''m sorry Corey but nothing can be between us. I don''t love you, I just see you as a friend, a very close friend. I''m sorry but just let us be friends."

    Hearing Ba''s reply, something shattered in  Corey''s heart.

    Her words did not contain malice nor did it contain disdain, it was even slightly nervous, but it hurt Corey more than anything.

    "Why? With the way we used to chat and talk over the phone, I thought there was something between us?"

    With his head hung low, he asked.

    His voice sounded desperate, almost pleading in fact.

    He needed to know why?

    They had talked so many times over the phone and even in real life.

    Their conversations most of the times were filled withughter, jokes, speaking extensively about their days and even their future.

    They had talked so much about their lives that Corey was almost tempted to tell her about his true self.

    It was just his fear of how she would view him that stopped him from telling her.

    "There was a time I liked you, but¡­ you didn''t ask me on time."

    Ba sighed after speaking and Corey''s pupils shook slightly.

    "I thought you said you didn''t love me? You said you only see me as a friend?"

    Corey asked with a confused expression while his heart was filled regret.

    If he only he knew¡­

    Meanwhile Ba had a conflicting expression on her face for some seconds before she spoke once more:

    "I was interested in you at some point in time and I gave you signals but you ignored them. It was like you were not interested in me at all at that time so my interest in you reduced."

    Corey hearing Ba''s words had the urge to just curse or do something to release his pent up frustration in his heart and body. He rubbed his forehead then his face and he just shook while heaving a regretful and frustrating sigh.

    If only he knew¡­

    Just as this thought passed through his mind and his heart was filled with regret, he became extremely stunned, no, immensely, in fact, any word that could quantify somethingrger than immensely should be used the moment he heard Ba''s next words.

    "Also, Luke came back to me and apologized for everything he had done to him. I didn''t want to ept him back at first, but he promised he wouldn''t do all that he did to me again and I still love him so I epted him back and now we''re dating again.

    That''s the main reason we can''t date. I don''t want to cheat on Luke."

    As soon as Ba finished speaking, the room became silent as Corey was stunned for a few seconds before he asked with a very confused expression and tone.

    "Which Luke are you talking about?"

    "What do you mean by that? How many Luke''s do you know?"

    Ba was confused and asked curiously, not knowing why Corey would ask such a question.

    "You mean the blonde tall bastard that broke your heart not once, not twice but three fucking times?"

    Corey asked as the confusion on his face deepened.

    He was truly, and I mean truly confused if the Luke Ba was talking about was the same bastard he hated.

    "Watch your tone Corey. Although I value you as a very close friend, that does not mean you can demean my boyfriend like that. If you were my boyfriend also, I''ll not allow anybody to speak about you like that."

    Ba spoke with a threatening tone causing Corey to raise his brows, shoulders and hands in a shrugging gesture as he spoke:

    "But I''m not your boyfriend so don''t tell me that."

    Corey spoke with a snarky tone startling Ba slightly.

    Not caring about her reaction or feelings, he continued speaking:

    "Are you alright by the way? How can you agree to go back to him after all he did to you?"

    "How dare you ask me that Corey?!"

    Ba stood with an expression which she would never show Corey on a normal day, it was an expression Corey had never seen before and one which shook his heart slightly.

    Ba was crying.

    She had an expression of anger on her face but with this anger was sadness and a look of betrayal. With the tears streaming down her face, Corey felt an inexplicable feeling in his heart.

    The feeling was not fake, it was not a mask. It was as real as it got.

    He felt¡­ regret.

    "The reason I even bothered telling you about Luke and I is because I thought you would offer me your support! I thought you were a friend!

    My other friends ridiculed me when I told them and I wanted, no, expected you to support me!

    What kind of a friend are you?!"

    "How the hell do you expect me to support you?! To give you my blessings?!

    Are you dumb?!"

    Despite the fact that he felt bad making Ba cry, the words she spoke were so anger-inducing that it was almost driving Corey mad.

    He literally, like literally just told her he loved her but she still wanted him to support her rtionship with Luke as a good friend?<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    What was he?

    A cuck?

    A fool?

    Just remembering her words made his blood boil in anger and when he remembered her past rtionships with Luke, his anger reached the peak.

    "You know what?

    You''re stupid. Very stupid."

    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Corey said and Ba was stunned to stupor. Three secondster, she stuttered as she spoke:

    "Wh- What did you just call me?"

    "I called you a fool. A fucking big fool!"

    With his blood boiling in rage, Corey stood up from the bed and pointed at Ba.

    "On your first rtionship with Luke, you guys broke up because your friends found out he cheated on you with somebody else. You didn''t want to believe it at first, but when you caught him cheating on you with another girl, you finally believed and broke up with him."

    "Your second rtionship. I don''t know what made you to go back to him but you broke up with him because he fucking beat you at one point in time because he was angry.

    He fucking beat you!"

    "The second time should have made you to realize he was in no way good for you but you still ended up dating him¡­ again!!

    And the third time, the reason you broke up was because you caught him cheating on you with one of your fucking friends!!"

    "So fucking tell me if you''re not stupid for agreeing to date him again. What the fuck is all of this?!

    Are you sure you''re mentally alright?!

    Why the fuck do you like toxic rtionships?!"

    Corey shouted as he poured out all the things in his heart that made him to have so much anger.

    He was angry.

    Extremely angry.

    He cared for Ba and he definitely did not want to see her get hurt again especially due to the bastard Luke but her words, her decisions were so baffling that it caused Corey''s rage to reach an extremely high level.

    Meanwhile Ba was stunned and slightly scared seeing the anger on Corey''s expression and tone.

    She never expected Corey to raise his voice at her like this since he was always gentle towards her.

    With a quivering and soft tone, she replied to Corey''s words though her words were not filled with confidence.

    "He- He- He said he''ll change. He said he won''t hurt me again. He promised me."

    "HE''LL NEVER CHANGE!!

    PEOPLE LIKE HIM NEVER FUCKING CHANGE!!

    HOW DO YOU EXPECT DEVILS TO CHANGE!!

    JUST STOP BEEN FUCKING STUPID AND USE YOUR DAMN HEAD!!"

    Corey''s rage had surpassed his limits as he roared at the top of his voice hearing the stupid excuse Ba was giving him.

    He felt like pulling, no, tearing his hair out.

    If he could knock some sense into her damn head, he would surely give her the biggest, loudest and hardest knock he could give and he will sure as hell give her some more, just to be sure she never loses her sense.

    He exhaled then inhaled for some seconds trying to cool his anger.

    He looked at Ba and saw her trembling with tears streaming down her face.

    Corey felt a little bit of guilt and regret seeing her expression and he wondered if he had gone too far.

    "Ba. I''m-"

    He moved towards her and stretched out his hands, wanting to touch her and apologize but,

    Pa!

    His hand was pped away forcefully.

    Ba wiped her tears and looked at Corey with a face filled anger, betrayal, fear, regret and a whole lot of other expressions which could not be put into words.

    The room was ufortably silent as both of them just stared at each other. Corey who was beginning to feel more ufortable decided to break the silence, but just as he opened his mouth to speak, Ba spoke:

    "The reason for me doing all that I did is because of love. I love Luke, I care for him.

    If I tried to exin it in words you wouldn''t understand because you''ve truly never fallen in love with somebody."

    Corey opened his mouth to speak but Ba just pushed him aside and walked to the door, she opened it and mmed the door shut causing a loud bang.

    Just as she was about to continue walking away, she was startled when she saw somebody in front of her. She looked up and she spoke up subconsciously.

    "Mrs. Ashley?"

    Mrs. Ashley looked at Ba who had her eyes down. She could see she was trying to keep her tears in.

    "Go. I''lle and meet youter so that we''ll talk. Don''t meet anybody else."

    She said then moved away, creating a path for Ba to pass through.

    Ba looked at her for a second then she bowed her head slightly before walking away, not saying a word.

    Mrs. Ashley looked at her retreating back for a few seconds before she sighed then walked to Corey''s room and opened the door.

    She looked around finding the floor to be littered with some destroyed objects.

    "What do you want?"

    She heard Corey''s grumpy voice and saw him sitting on the edge of the bed while covering his face with both hands.

    "I came here because I heard noises and I also wanted to ask when you n on going to check out the tier 2 monster at the gate?"

    She asked and Corey without looking at her or removing his hands from his head replied:

    "I''ll go when I want to go. Just leave me alone and let me get my shit together."

    Mrs. Ashley did not reply for a few seconds as she looked at Corey, a contemtive light appeared in her eyes before she shook her head and walked towards the door.

    "You should apologize to her when she has calmed down." She advised then walked out of the room.

    A few secondster Corey removed his hands from his face and looked up.

    "Why is my life so shitty?"

    -----

    [A/N: 7 Chapters to go!!]

 Chapter 73 73: Reaching The Gate

    ?Around 300meters to the academy gate, a group of around 20 people stood. As they looked at the gate which was not too far and not too close, they all had solemn and nervous expressions.

    Mrs. Ashley who was also among the group had a solemn expression as she looked at the academy gate.

    "Corey, you''re sure your n would work right?"

    She looked at Corey who was dressed in all ck clothes and shoes.

    "Yeah. As long as we all do our parts right, it should work."

    He replied without looking at her, his eyes were on the academy gates, an extremely solemn expression could be seen on his face.

    "Alright. The worst that could happen is that we all die."

    Mrs. Ashley shrugged causing Corey to nce at her.

    "What?"

    She asked perceiving Corey''s nce.

    "I never expected you to be so carefree and say those words."

    His words made a small smile to appear on her lips.

    "Well, let''s just say, I believe that one should try to calm their nerves when going into a battle. I was tense and worried before but then I remembered that, so I''m trying to calm my nerves.

    You should too."

    She advised and Corey just nodded then tried to calm his nerves but no matter how much he tried, he could not.

    Not when so many people''s lives depended on him.

    When what was just stopping him from reaching his home was a very powerful tier 2 creature at the academy gate.

    p p

    A p resounded in the surroundings causing Corey and everybody to look at the source which was Mrs. Ashley.

    "Alright people, listen up."

    "As you can see we''re extremely close to leaving this prison but what is stopping us from leaving is a tier 2 monster, which is actually very powerful.

    Now we all know about the n we''ve set up with Corey''s help, so people!

    Follow the n if you want to leave this ce alive!

    Follow the n if you want to kill that monster!

    Follow the n if you want to see those you care about!

    Some of your friends, family members and those you care about are outside

    Even if you don''t have anybody you care about outside the academy, you must want to leave this ce

    So make sure you follow the damn n and do your best!

    Also, make sure you don''t die."

    "Now, let''s go!"

    "YEAHH!!!"

    Corey looked at everybody who was riled up, the previous nervousness on their faces had disappeared, only determination could be seen in their eyes as they matched towards the gate.

    ''She''s good at been a leader.''

    Corey thought as he looked at Mrs. Ashley.

    ''But.''

    His eyes then moved to the members in the group and a slight frown filled with worry appeared on his face.

    ''I hope nothing goes wrong.''

    He thought as he looked at the members of the group which consisted of mainly females.

    Corey''s main problem in their uing fight was the fact that in their group of 28 people, 20 were females while the rest were males, including him.

    Corey was definitely not a misogynist, it was just that most of the women did not wish for things that would give them fighting ability, for example, Ba. And because of that, the n was more dangerous.

    Although the ones that didn''t wish for fighting abilities were somewhat weak, some got skills due to the number of monsters they had killed with the group.

    As for why most of them were females?<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    It was mainly because of the way their school was constructed.

    The male dormitory was far away from the female dormitory and Mrs. Ashley''s hideout was the female''s dormitory which was not a dungeon.

    So with the way the school was constructed, there were more females in the ''female'' part of the school.

    Just as Corey was lost in thoughts as he was walking, he felt a re full of anger, hate and even killing intent.

    He looked back and saw Luke ring at him with eyes full of anger and hatred.

    Corey looked at him for a few seconds before he ignored him and looked at Ba who was not too close and not too far away from Luke, aplicated expression in his eyes before he sighed and looked away.

    He wanted to apologize to Ba but at the moment, she did not want to meet him at all.

    Despite the fact that she rejected him, he still cared about her.

    He didn''t love her anymore, he just cared about her like a true friend since throughout his university life, she was always there for him.

    She never caused him any harm whether physically or mentally, okay maybe except a broken heart.

    But still, she was a good person that let''s just say fell in love with the absolutely wrong person.

    He just wished the bastard won''t cause her anymore harm.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "Focus on more important things Corey. Now''s not the time for that."

    He turned towards Mrs. Ashley who spoke and nodded his head in response, dispelling all unnecessary thoughts.

    A few minutester, the entire group arrived in front of the academy gate which was now in ruins.

    An aura that sent shivers down everybody in the group including Corey permeated the entire air causing collective gulps to resound in the surrounding.

    Corey with his heart pounding louder than normal looked at the monster they were meant to fight.

    A dark grey bird which was at first sleeping peacefully until it''s eyes fluttered open and it''s eyes gazed upon the group causing the heart''s of a few to skip a beat.

    A spark of annoyance, anger and disdain appeared in it''s eyes seeing the group.

    It slowly stood, allowing the group to see the monster''s entire body.

    Despite Corey having seen it before, his heart still couldn''t help but pound intensely seeing the creature.

    Having a height of at least 10m, it towered above every member of the survivor group causing everybody to look up at the creature with sweat dripping from their foreheads.

    ''How are we meant to fight that?''

    ''We''re meant to fight that?''

    ''Shit.''

    Thoughts like this appeared in each of the member''s mind as they looked at the creature which was a bird with dark grey skin, the bird had three heads with each head having different colors of pupils.

    The left head had fiery red eyes, the right head had bright green eyes and the central head had extremely ck eyes causing anyone that looked into it''s eyes to feel a chill from the depths of their souls.

    Corey''s left eyes changed and rapidly changing numbers, letters and symbols appeared.

    [Bird of Oblivion- Tier 2 Level 250 (Extremely Weakened)]

    Taking in a deep breath, Corey''s left eyes changed back to normal.

    Ignoring the questions he had several days ago when he saw the information on the Bird of Oblivion, he steeled his mind and looked at the bird with battle intent visible in his eyes.

    He was close.

    Close to been able to leave the academy and finally reach his home, reach his family.

    Nothing, nobody, not even this damn tier 2 bird was going to stop him from going home.

    He worked hard so as to finally reach his father, mother and sister.

    And there was no damn way he was going to die.

    He took in a deep breath and with calm, cold eyes, he spoke.

    "Let''s go."

    -----

    [A/N: 6 more chapters to go!!!]

 Chapter 74 74: Bird Of Oblivion

    ?Seconds passed as the stare down between the survivor group and the bird of oblivion urred.

    Two secondster, the central head of the bird of oblivion tilted it''s head slightly, an expression of intrigue and amusement could be seen in it''s eyes.

    ''Come on, do it. Do it.''

    Gripping the ancient spear tightly, Corey thought as he looked at the left head of the bird, and just as he did, the left head had an expression of irritation and impatience, and in the next second, it spat out arge fireball towards the group causing Corey''s eyes to lit up.

    "Corey."

    Mrs. Ashley spoke with a slightly worried expression and tone as soon as she saw the immense fireball that would definitely decimate her people if itnds on them or anywhere them and explodes.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "I got it."

    Corey replied with a calm expression and tone. His body swayed and he ran towards the iing fireball.

    The moment the fireball was close to him, a glint appeared in his eyes and he tightened his grip around the ancient spear.

    His muscles tightened causing the veins in his lean arms to be exposed and with a roar he swung the ancient spear like a baseball bat.

    "FULL COUNTERRR!!!"

    With his teeth clenched, he used all his strength to push back the fireball which was causing him to feel immense heat and his clothes to catch fire.

    A battle between him and the fireball urred and two secondster, Corey was forced to take a step back causing the hearts of Mrs. Ashley and the remaining members to tighten in anxiety.

    The magical attack from a tier 2 creature was just too powerful for a tier 0 human like him to send back despite his full counter been level 2. [A/N: Level 2 full counter can send back tier 2 magical attacks and below. I forgot to mention that in the previous chapters.]

    Although it looked like Corey was losing, Corey had a calm look in his eyes.

    ''Vibration Maniption''

    Using the skill vibration maniption, therge fireball trembled, reducing the pushing force. Corey with a heavy grunt nted his right leg forcefully on the ground and shouted.

    "Back to sender!"

    The fireball flew back towards the bird of oblivion with full force.

    The speed of the fireball and the fact that something iprehensible happened in front of their eyes caused the bird to be stunned and unable to react.

    BOOM!!!

    The fireball which was now two times more powerful than before exploded as it came in contact with the bird stirring up extremely hot winds and smoke.

    Corey panted without keeping his eyes off the bird which was not visible due to the heavy smoke around it.

    His injuries healed passively as time passed and while it was healing, his eyes moved to the slightly destroyed bird statue which was in front of the gate and was an important symbol to the university.

    His eyes moved to the top of the statue and there he could see a nest, in this nest was a ck egg that was at least twice the size of an ostrich egg.

    ''I wonder what monster is inside that egg for this tier 2 monster to be protecting it.''

    KREEEEEEEE!!!!!!!

    Just as Corey had this thought, a loud scream filled with anger and hatred shook the surroundings, then a strong gust of wind blew towards the survivors causing everyone to cover their eyes.

    A secondter, Corey looked up ignoring the wind and when he did, his eyes had a strange glint in it.

    The bird of oblivion which was high up in the air had expression of anger and hatred as it looked at the group of survivors or to be more specific, Corey. It''s body was full of injuries and Corey could see the bare flesh of the bird.

    ''First step, injure and anger the big three-headed chicken,plete.

    Now unto the second step.''

    Just as Corey had this thought, he saw the left head which had the highest expression of hate and anger in it''s eyes put his head up and a reddish ck glow could be seen in it''s throat.

    Corey seeing the actions of the red head quickly turned to the group behind him.

    "iiuminox now!"

    "Got it!

    Go! Ciera!"

    He shouted and iiuminox replied back, he waved his hand towards the bird of oblivion and the cursed chimera flew from behind the group towards the bird.

    Thest two heads looked at the cursed chimera with disdain. The green eyes of the right head glowed in a green light and the wind around it stirred. The bird moved, it''s motion showing that it wanted to p it''s wings at the iing cursed chimera.

    "Now Mrs. Ashley, fire!"

    Corey seeing the movement of the bird shouted with urgency and Mrs. Ashley without dy, responded.

    "Archers! Mages! Fire!"

    She shouted and the five archers and ten mages in the group released their arrows and magical attacks towards the bird of oblivion.

    Mrs. Ashley herself spread both of her palms towards the bird and mes erupted from her palms, reaching the bird. Funny enough, the mes didn''t burn the arrows going towards the bird of oblivion.

    KREEEEEEEE!!!!!

    The right and central head of the bird screamed in anger and looked at the group of survivors down below.

    It''s eyes contained annoyance and immense anger.

    Meanwhile Corey ignored the two heads of the bird, his eyes observed the left head whose throat was now had a brighter reddish ck glow in it.

    "Shit."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    He cursed then turned to the group once again.

    "Buffers! Buff the chimera! Fast!!"

    Five people ced their palms together and spoke different words. Different colors of light appeared on the chimera causing it''s speed to drastically increase.

    In three seconds it reached the bird of oblivion and in that same span of three seconds, the left head of the bird looked down and released a breath full of ck mes.

    And just as the mes were released, the chimera reached the left wing of the bird.

    The bird seeing the chimera go for the left wing tried to move but the chimera''s speed was too fast and the main controller of the left wing, the left head, was spewing out mes of it''s mouth.

    Spurt!

    KREEEEEEEE!!!!!

    An intense scream of pain from the bird spread out in the surroundings.

    A hole could be seen in the left wing of the bird and the cause of this hole was the cursed chimera. It''s left hand had pierced into the left wing of the bird causing extreme pain to the bird of oblivion.

    With the chimera''s left hand inside the left wing of the bird, they both fell from the sky.

    Despite the fact that the major part of Corey''s n which was to disable the wings of the bird was sessful, Corey and the group of survivors could not relish in that joy due to the mesing at theming at them from the sky.

    "Use every defensive and evasive skills you have!!! NOW!!!!"

    Corey roared at the top of his voice seeing the ck mesing at the group.

    Using the only defensive move he had, Iron Skin, along with the Devourer''s Armor, Corey looked at the iing ck fire with a slightly nervous expression.

    Just as the ck fire was a few meters above the group, numerous lights that were barriers, earth walls, mud walls, fire wall, water wall e.t.c.

    With apprehensions in their hearts, everybody watched as the elemental walls they all set up get destroyed by the ck fire, barelysting three seconds.

    The fear in their hearts increased and just as the ck mes was about tond on the barriers made out of different skills, it swerved to the left abruptly causing it to sway from the barriers.

    Although the direction of the mes were no longer at the barriers, a part of it touched some of the barriers causing those barriers to copse.

    Corey released a breath of relief seeing that his n was working.

    Although it was a close call since the chimera didn''t reach the bird of oblivion on time making them to have to defend against it''s powerful tier 2 attack.

    ''Now for the next pa-''

    Whoosh!

    Bang!

    A loud bang resounded in the surroundings disrupting Corey''s thoughts.

    He looked at the source of the loud bang and he when he saw that it was the cursed chimera which had mmed into a building, he was not surprised since he somewhat expected it.

    His eyes quickly moved away from the chimera and he looked at the central head of the bird of oblivion with a slightly expectant and nervous eyes.

    KREEEEEEEE!!!

    The three heads screamed at the same time, extreme hate was visible in it''s eyes especially the left head, it''s red eyes were literally spewing out fire.

    The bird on it''s two legs stood and looked at every single person in the group, it''s 6 eyessted much longer on Corey and Mrs. Ashley, especially Corey.

    ''Come on, do it quickly.''

    Corey thought while tightening his grip around the spear.

    And just as he was getting worried, his eyes lit up when he saw the next actions of the bird.

    The eyes of the central head shone in an eerily dark light and right in front of the bird, a small ck dot appeared, growingrger by the second.

    Five secondster, an extremely ck circr portal appeared in front of the bird.

    ''Yes, this is good. With this, the n is almostplete.''

    Corey with shining eyes thought as he looked at the ck swirling portal.

    He turned back wanting to give out instructions but just as he did, an aura that shook him and everyone permeated the surroundings.

    "What?"

    Corey eximed then turned around.

    The aura shook him to his core and with extreme shock and with a rapidly beating heart, he looked, as the source of the aura stepped out of the portal.

    With an aura that was notparable to the bird of oblivion''s but was definitely not far from it, everybody had expressions of dread and shock seeing a tier 2 creature step out of the portal.

    The creature had an extremely wide smile on it''s face as it looked at the group of survivors.

    Meanwhile Corey was stunned to stupor seeing the familiar wide smile.

    A Tier 2 Smiley had emerged from the portal!!!

    ------

    [A/N: 5 more chapters to go!!!!]

 Chapter 75 75: Plan

    ?Silence

    Not a single sound could be heard from the battlefield as everybody stood in shock and fear seeing another tier 2 creature before them.

    They had already felt how powerful the mes of the bird of oblivion were and just the thought of it sent shivers down their spines.

    Battling the bird of oblivion was already so difficult in the sense that if their response was slow, there would definitely be casualties.

    But now, there was another tier 2 monster and the worst part of it?

    The abilities of the tier 2 Smiley were unknown to them!

    "Corey!

    What the hell is going on?!!"

    Mrs. Ashley shouted with an extremely worried expression.

    Her previous words of being calm in battle werepletely forgotten by her and it was not her fault since Corey''s n regarding the bird of oblivion and the things he told her were working perfectly.

    She was already 95% sure they would be able to kill the bird of oblivion since everything was going ording to n but now much to her shock and horror, another tier 2 monster appeared from the portal the bird of oblivion conjured.

    This was not ording to the n at all!!

    "Fuck I don''t know!!

    I''m the most confused out of y''all!!!

    Fuck!!!"

    Corey cursed endlessly as his mind was in endless turmoil seeing the appearance of the tier 2 Smiley.

    This was not meant to happen at all.

    A tier 2 monster was never meant to appear from the portal.

    Lots of Tier 0 and Tier 1 Smileys were meant to appear from the portal, and after they appeared from the portal, Mrs. Ashley and her subordinates would defend against the attacks of the Smileys, while he would attack the bird of the oblivion because the bird would be more weakened after conjuring the portal.

    It was mainly because the bird would be weakened after conjuring the portal he allowed it to fully conjure the portal.

    All of this was what he found out after the uncountable deaths he experienced against the bird of oblivion in The Library Of Records and it was because of his confidence in Record that he did not expect any surprises during this fight.

    ''What is happening?

    Why is it that in The Library Of Records it was tier 1 and tier 0 Smileys that came out of the portal but now it''s a tier 2 Smiley?''

    The gears in Corey''s mind spun rapidly as he tried to figure out why there was such a huge error in Record and three secondster, something clicked in his mind as he looked at the tier 2 Smiley.

    ''Is it because I''ve never recorded a tier 2 Smiley before that Record could not summon a tier 2 Smiley during my fight with the three-headed chicken?''

    The more Corey had this thought, the more he realized that there was a very high chance that he was right.

    Though the fact that he was right did not grant him relief or happiness, instead it caused a frown to appear on his face, because if he was 100% right, then that means he had just figured out a major issue with Record and he could not be 100% confident in it anymore.

    "Corey! What do we do?!"

    Mrs. Ashley who rarely lost her cool was feeling nervous seeing Corey standing still without saying anything.

    ''If you don''t have a way to handle this situation then I''ll be forced to leave this ce without all of you.''

    She thought with a conflicted expression while rubbing the same palm sized circr object she held during Corey''s battle with Kyle.

    Meanwhile Corey was brought out of his thoughts hearing Mrs. Ashley shout. He  looked at the tier 2 Smiley which was much, much bigger than a ck Smiley.

    Assuming the only difference between it and a ck Smiley was the physique, then maybe Corey might not be so apprehensive. But when he saw the chest armor and the giant sword the tier 2 Smiley was holding in his right hand, his apprehension increased slightly.

    As he was observing the tier 2 Smiley which had the most disgusting smile he had ever seen, he noticed the tier 2 Smiley look at the bird of oblivion and Corey could see a change in it''s expression, it was fearful.

    Meanwhile the bird of oblivion just nced at it coldly and gestured with it''s right wing towards Corey and the group, no words or sounds were spoken but what it wanted was as clear as day.

    The tier 2 creature nced at Corey''s group before it turned back to the bird of oblivion and nodded.

    Corey seeing that squinted his eyes slightly then he spoke loudly:

    "The n will still be the same as usual!

    You guys will need to hold off against the tier 2 monster on your own while I try to defeat the bird of oblivion!"

    "What do you mean hold off against that thing?!

    That''s a tier 2 monster you bastard!!"

    Corey looked at Luke who just spoke and his eyes became cold.

    He ignored him then looked at Mrs. Ashley wanting to speak, but just as his lips parted, he was disturbed.

    ROAARRRR!!!!

    An extremely loud roar reverberated throughout the surroundings, even reaching deep into the academy causing everybody to cover their ears.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    A few seconds passed and the roar ended.

    Corey looked at the tier 2 Smiley wondering why it just roared but two secondster, he found his answer.

    ROARR!!

    ROARRRR!!

    ROAR!!!

    A cacophony of roars resounded throughout the entire academy causing the faces of the entire group and Corey to be extremely pale.

    "What the fuck?!"

    Corey turned back and eximed as he felt the ground beneath him tremor and the cacophony of roars, grunts and various other sounds from the academy behind them.

    "Corey?! What should we do now?!"

    Mrs. Ashley asked as she tightened her palm around the circr object in her right hand.

    "Fuck!"

    Corey cursed as his danger sense whistled endlessly in his ears.

    The tremors he could feel beneath him was increasing by the second making him wonder just how many monsters or probably Smileys wasing at them from the academy.

    "We go with the same n!"

    Corey shouted with his eyes fixated on the bird of oblivion which had a look of exhaustion.

    "Can you at leastst one minute?!"

    He asked with a loud voice, drastically reducing the time he had to defeat the bird of oblivion.

    Normally he would need at least five minutes to kill the bird of oblivion without harming himself, so him reducing it to one minute was him putting a lot of pressure on his shoulders.

    "One minute is too much!"

    Mrs. Ashley unaware of how much time Corey actually needed to kill the weakened bird of oblivion, replied without hesitation and with confidence in her tone.

    "The difference in stats between a tier 0 and tier 2 is immense. There''s no way we canst up to one minute."

    Corey''s brows furrowed hearing the words of Mrs. Ashley.

    If they could notst up to one minute then he didn''t know what else to do. There was no way he could face the tier 2 Smiley on his own and allow Mrs. Ashley and her subordinates to face the bird of oblivion.

    He would definitely notst up to one minute facing the tier 2 Smiley alone because he would definitely not be able to keep up with the tier 2 Smiley even in his focused state due to the immense difference in stats.

    It was after he fought the three-headed chicken countless times in The Library Of Records that he eventually realized the main reason why the old man told him he had zero chance in defeating a tier 2 being.

    Just as Corey was racking his brain on what to do, he heard a familiar voice.

    "I should be able to hold on for a minute against the tier 2 monster."

    Corey looked back towards the source of the voice and when he did, his eyes widened in surprise.

    "The Founder?"

    The shock was visible in his tone, but a secondter his eyes lit up when he remembered the overpowered ability of The Founder.

    "It would strain my body but if I don''t do it, we''ll die."

    The Founder with a calm expression spoke. He then pointed at the bird of oblivion.

    "If you kill it, that smiling freak should disappear right?"

    He asked and Corey nodded but then a familiar voice spoke out loud:

    "But what if the tier 2 monster doesn''t disappear after killing the bird?"

    Corey was stunned then he looked at Ba who spoke but her eyes were not on him but The Founder.

    Meanwhile The Founder felt ufortable under the stare of Ba since he had gotten some gist of what happened between Ba and Corey, but luckily Mrs. Ashley came to his rescue.

    "If that''s true, what are we going to do Corey?"

    Hearing Mrs. Ashley''s question, Corey''s mind spun on what to do if that was the case.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    A few secondster, something clicked in his mind and with a strange glint in his eyes, his eyes moved to the egg in the nest on top of the bird statue.

    "If what Ba said is indeed the case, then I''ll force the damn three-headed chicken to do something about the tier 2 Smiley."

    ----

    [A/N: 4 more chapters to go!!!]

 Chapter 76 76: Holding Two Chicken Brains

    ?"If what Ba said is indeed the case, then I''ll force the damn three-headed chicken to do something about the tier 2 Smiley."

    "Three-headed chicken?"

    "Smiley?"

    Exmations of confusion spread out from the group hearing Corey''s choice of words but Corey did not bother to reply nor exin.

    "The Founder!"

    "Don''t worry."

    Corey shouted and The Founder replied calmly. He snapped his fingers and with a very pained expression, his body glowed golden.

    ''My gold coins! My beautiful gold coins!!''

    Lamenting inwardly, The Founder forced back the extreme emotional and physical pain he was feeling.

    Gripping his gun tightly, he looked at the tier 2 Smiley with hatred in his eyes and with a cold tone, he spoke then shot:

    "Go Corey."

    Bang!

    Corey who had been waiting for the signal from The Founder saw a golden beam of light shoot out from the muzzle of The Founder''s gun towards the tier 2 Smiley.

    The tier 2 Smiley which did not attack the group despite the order given from the bird of oblivion was stunned seeing an attacking from the group of puny ants.

    It could not believe that the group of ants in front of him would dare attack it.

    Seeing the iing attack which was faster than expected, it decided to ignore it since it wasing from a group of puny ants.

    It looked behind the group and waited for the army of revenants and dark revenants to arrive, it would rather use the army he called forth with his roar than attack the group of puny ants before it.

    Puchi!

    Just as it was looking behind the group, he felt pain in it''s right shoulder and with a stunned expression, it looked at it''s right shoulder which had a bullet sized hole in it.

    Two secondster

    ROOOARRRRR!!!!!!

    A roar of anger resounded in the surroundings causing a few to gulp in fear but Corey''s eyes lit up when he saw the limp right arm of the tier 2 Smiley.

    ''Smart. He made the right arm of the Smiley useless.''

    Corey praised internally then his eyes moved towards the bird of oblivion which was behind the tier 2 Smiley.

    ''Thunder Step.''

    His body swayed, then a loud thunder p resounded everywhere causing everybody to look at Corey but he was long gone.

    With every step Corey took, a loud thunder p spread out in the surroundings.

    He passed by the tier 2 Smiley which ignored him and instead ran towards the group, it''s anger filled eyes were on The Founder.

    With cold eyes, Corey looked at the bird of oblivion and when he was around 50m from the bird, his eyes moved towards the right wing of the bird of oblivion and two secondster, with his left leg ced forward, his right leg ced behind and the ancient spear in a throwing position.

    ''Vibration Maniption''

    The ancient spear vibrated intensely after Corey activated Vibration Maniption and a secondter,

    Whoosh!

    The spear whistled through the air moving towards the bird of oblivion at an extremely fast speed.

    Seeing the iing spear, disdain appeared in the six eyes of the bird of oblivion.

    The green eyes of the right head glowed and it swung it''s right wing. A heavy gust of wind blew at the ancient spear blowing it away.

    Corey was not surprised seeing this, since he expected that to happen.

    Three secondster, the wind reduced and Corey dashed into wind. His speed reduced as he struggled slightly against the gust of wind despite it having reduced in intensity.

    The main reason he threw the ancient spear was to make the right head use it''s ability which was to control wind to a certain extent.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    A few things he learnt after fighting the bird of oblivion in The Library Of Records countless times were:

    1: After an attack was released from either the right head or left head, the head which released the attack would need to wait for five seconds before it can release another attack.

    2: The head mainly responsible for attacks was the left head which released fire attacks.

    3: The only ability the central head had was conjuring a portal and after it did, it became extremely weak to the point that it bes mostly useless in a battle. The physical strength and agility of the body of the bird also decreases due to the weakness.

    Although these three were not the only things he learnt in The Library Of Records, they were the main, and the third point was the main reason he threw his spear since he needed the right head to use it''s wind powers on the ancient spear instead of him.

    As for why he didn''t use the other weapons he had in his inventory instead?

    You''ll find out soon enough.

    Kreeee!!!

    Just as Corey was getting closer to the bird, the left head seeing Coreying towards it screamed with rage, it opened it''s mouth and spat out a breath of reddish ck mes at Corey instead of a fireball, learning from it''s previous mistake where Corey sent back it''s fireball at it.

    Corey seeing the iing fire breath stopped running, then he stretched out his right hand.

    One of the weapons of the Quasi-Supreme Nagi appeared in his hand and without hesitation he threw it at the iing fire breath.

    Without looking at the result, he brought out another weapon of the Quasi-Supreme Nagi and threw it in the same direction he threw the previous weapon.

    He continued doing this until he finished throwing all the offensive weapons of the Quasi-Supreme Nagi in the same direction.

    With the shield of the Quasi-Supreme Nagi in his hands, he dashed into the fire which had reduced in intensity due to him throwing all the weapons into the fire.[A/N: I honestly don''t know if this makes sense.]

    Two secondster, he dashed out of the fire with a reddened shield and ck burnt skin on some parts of his body.

    With cold eyes, he kept on running towards the bird while actively healing his body.

    As he was running towards the bird, he noticed the green eyes of the right head glow and without hesitation he flung the shield at the right head.

    Bam!

    The shield hit the right head with frightening uracy and it became stunned.

    Corey got to the body of the bird of oblivion and just as he got to the body, he saw the giant legs of the bird been raised and without hesitation he entered his focused state.

    Bang!

    He rolled to the right dodging the leg of the bird of oblivion. He stood then looked up and saw the left head and the central head wanting to peck at him with their beaks like chickens.

    ''Thunder Step.''

    p!

    Using thunder step, his speed increased and he was able to dodge the attacks.

    ''Super Jump''

    Using super jump, he jumped unto the body of the bird and he ran towards the central and left head with thunder steps.

    The heads tried to turn back but Corey held both their heads and activated the incorporeal ability of the ghost gloves.

    With his incorporeal hands around their brains and with a cold voice, he spoke:

    "Now listen you three-headed chicken, we can do this the easy way or the hard way."

    "Kill the tier 2 Smiley or I''ll kill you then I''ll eventually kill that egg you''re protecting."

    "Which would it be?"

    -----

    [A/N: 3 Chapters to go!!!

    So I have catarrh and cough again, thanks to my goat of a roommate and it''s affecting my writing.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    AHHHHHHHH!!!!

    F*CK YOUUUUU ******!!!!!!]

 Chapter 77 77: Blackmail

    ?ckmailing the bird of oblivion could go wrong in so many ways and in a way, it could be regarded as doing something extremely stupid.

    The main problem with his n was the bird understanding his words and intent.

    Corey had no sure way to make the bird understand his words, so the only thing he could do was make the bird look at the egg while speaking with a cold tone, he just hoped the bird would understand his intent.

    And if it didn''t?

    Then he would kill it and then find a way to kill the tier 2 Smiley.

    Meanwhile the bird of oblivion which was at first angry at Corey for calling it a three-headed chicken became stunned when Corey threatened to kill the egg if it doesn''t kill the tier 2 Revenant.

    Surprisingly, it could understand Corey.

    "Kree."

    It released a sound, trying to say something and Corey frowned, how did the bird expect him to understand.

    He was about to tell the bird to just kill the tier 2 Smiley but just as his lips parted open, a surprised expression appeared on his face when he realized he could understand what the bird was trying to say.

    It was not clear but it was like he understood the intent of the bird.

    ''Is it because of my talent?''

    Corey thought and his mind went to the wish he made which was ''Unlimited Wisdom, Knowledge and Understanding''.

    ''Is this part of the understanding aspect of Omniscience?''

    Corey thought and felt he was probably right.

    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    A secondter, he shook his head and looked at the bird.

    "You don''t believe that I''ll allow you to live after you kill the tier 2 Smiley and after I kill you, I''ll kill the egg?" He asked.

    "Kree."

    The bird replied while nodding it''s right head.

    Corey frowned as he looked at the right head of the bird which had recovered from it''s stunned state.

    He didn''t say anything but the coldness and warning in his eyes showed that if the head tried anything funny, it would be a normal one-headed chicken.

    "It seems you don''t understand, you don''t have any choice other than to kill the tier 2 Smiley. If you don''t, the egg to dies. If you kill the tier 2 Smiley, I won''t kill you and the egg.

    It''s either you believe me or you don''t.

    You have three seconds to choose, I don''t have all day."

    Corey spoke in a cold tone while giving an extremely tight deadline.

    His goal was to pressure the three-headed chicken by not giving it much time to think.

    If possible, he would prefer it if the three-headed chicken killed or did something about the tier 2 Smiley because Ba''s words could not be taken for granted.

    Assuming he killed the three-headed chicken and the tier 2 Smiley did not disappear and could still stay here and fight them, that would be disastrous for him and the group because they would have no choice but to escape and that was even if they could escape from the tier 2 Smiley.

    He looked at the group which was battling the tier 2 Smiley and he saw that their situation was getting worse.

    The Founder was the main person attracting aggro from the Tier 2 Smiley while the others and Mrs. Ashley were supporting The Founder.

    Although there were no deaths and it looked like they would be able tost for a long period of time, Corey knew they had at most ten seconds before there would be casualties, especially with the rising dust he could see in the distance behind the gates which signified the massive horde of monstersing for them.

    Knowing he could not waste anymore time, he spoke or to be more urate, he counted, increasing the pressure on the three-headed chicken.

    "One."

    "Kree!" The bird pleaded for more time but with cold eyes, Corey continued.

    "Two."

    "Kree!" The bird pleaded once again and it''s eyes moved towards the egg.

    Meanwhile Corey seeing the bird not acting, made sure his incorporeal hands were around the brain and he continued:

    "Thr-"

    Kreeee!

    Woosh!

    The bird screamed in frustration just as Corey was about to finish saying the word, ''Three''.

    The green eyes of the right head glowed and the bird swung it''s right wing at the tier 2 Smiley sending it flying away from the group.

    Kree!

    With a frustrated expression, the left head spat out a fire breath at the tier 2 Smiley which was extremely stunned by the attack from the bird of oblivion which summoned it.

    A few secondster, the tier 2 Smiley died and Corey exhaled softly seeing the burnt corpse of the tier 2 Smiley but then his eyes looked behind the gates and he could see that the monsters were stilling towards them even after the death of the tier 2 Smiley.

    "Do something about the monsters that areing."

    He ordered with a cold tone and expression. The bird wanted to argue but when he saw Corey''s expression, it reluctantly acquiesced.

    "KREEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!"

    A loud scream erupted from the three heads causing Corey to instinctively want to remove his hands from the heads of the bird and cover his ears, but him knowing that it would lead to undesirable consequences at the end of the day, he groaned as he tried his best to ignore the pain he was feeling in his ears.

    Five secondster, the sound stopped and Corey with bleeding and ringing ears exhaled softly. He actively used the regeneration skill and the injury his ear received was gone in three seconds.

    He looked behind the gates wanting to see the effects of the bird''s scream and a surprised expression appeared on his face when he saw that the dust which was previouslying towards the survivor group was rapidly retreating into the distance.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Kree!"

    Hearing the sound made by the bird of oblivion, he looked at the right head and saw it looking at him with wary and cold eyes.

    "Don''t worry. I''m a man of my word. I keep my promises."

    He said but didn''t remove his hands from the two heads.

    He turned towards the survivor group which had relieved expressions seeing that their lives were no longer in danger.

    "Mrs. Ashley!"

    Corey called out and everybody including Mrs. Ashley and the bird were stunned and confused.

    "What?!"

    Mrs. Ashley asked in a loud voice due to the distance between her and Corey.

    "Pleasee!"

    Corey said and Mrs. Ashley had a confused expression. Although she was confused and curious as to why Corey was calling her, she walked towards Corey.

    Corey seeing Mrs. Ashley walking towards him looked at the bird with cold eyes.

    "Don''t you dare harm her and you better allow her to climb you."

    "Kree."

    His words made the bird frustrated and angry. It wanted to disagree but when it saw the coldness in Corey''s eyes, it knew it would die if it did not agree so it reluctantly kept quiet and acquiesced.

    Meanwhile Mrs. Ashley who was now standing in front of the bird of oblivion was slightly worried and nervous since there was no way she would be able to survive an attack from this distance even with the object in her palm.

    "Let her up."

    She heard a cold voice from Corey and when she looked up, she saw the bird drop it''s right wing in front of her.

    "Climb up Mrs. Ashley."

    Hearing the words of Corey, she exhaled softly then climbed the wing and she eventually reached Corey, though when she saw Corey''s hands inside the heads of the bird of oblivion, a baffled expression appeared on her face.

    "How is it not dead?"

    She questioned with a curious tone.

    "It''s a skill of mine."

    Corey replied but did not bother to give a detailed exnation and Mrs. Ashley did not mind.

    "Mrs. Ashley, I called you to ask how to make this three-headed chicken my pet?"

    Corey asked with a serious expression and tone causing Mrs. Ashley and the bird of oblivion to be stunned.

    Since he could definitely not just let the bird of oblivion go scot-free, he had to make it that it could never act against him and the best way to do that, would be to make the bird of oblivion his pet.

    Besides, having a tier 2 pet for his level was something that would help him a lot now and in the future.

    "Three-headed chicken?"

    "Kree?"

    Ashley and the bird of oblivion spoke at the same time and Corey nodded with a serious expression.

    "Hmm."

    "Kree!"

    Mrs. Ashley chuckled softly, meanwhile the bird of oblivion screamed in anger and a murderous expression appeared in it''s eyes, but when Corey looked at it with a cold expression, the murderous expression receded but the anger in it''s eyes was all too clear for anybody too see.

    "If you want it to be your pet, you just have to tell the Universal System that you want it to be your pet but the bird would have to agree."

    After she spoke, she looked at the right head of the bird which had anger in it''s eyes, then she looked at Corey with a strange expression.

    Corey seeing her expression was not worried and spoke:

    "Don''t worry, there''s no way it won''t ept, unless it wants to deal with the consequences."

    As he spoke, he made sure he nced in the direction of the egg and the bird seeing that felt it''s anger rise.

    Meanwhile the strange expression Mrs. Ashley had, increased seeing the ''conversation'' between the Corey and the bird of oblivion, but a secondter, she shrugged then spoke:

    "Well, if you want it to be your pet, just know you can only have one pet unless you''re a beast tamer."

    "What? Only one pet?"

    Corey eximed hearing the words of Mrs. Ashley.

    "Yes, only one pet." She said and Corey frowned.

    ''If what she said is true, then¡­''

    The frown on his face increased, then he nced at Mrs. Ashley, then the egg in the distance.

    "What of that egg? Is it possible to make the thing inside my pet?"

    -----

    [A/N: 2 more chapters to go!]

 Chapter 78 78: Spirit Devouring Bird

    ?Kreeee!!!!

    The moment those words left Corey''s mouth, a shrill sound escaped the beaks of the bird and intense killing intent spread out from it causing cold sweat to appear on Corey and Mrs. Ashley''s forehead.

    Mrs. Ashley was about to instinctively infuse mana into the object in her palm but just as she was about to do infuse mana into the object, Corey spoke:

    "What do you think you''re doing?"

    Corey''s voice and expression was extremely cold after he calmed himself down from the scare and shock he had when the bird of oblivion abruptly released it''s killing intent.

    "Kreeee!!"

    The bird of oblivion consumed by rage after hearing that a puny ant, a puny mortal human wanted it''s queen, it''s master to be his pet, momentarily forgot about it''s situation.

    Does he know who it''s queen was?

    Does he know the power and authority she possessed?

    Does he know of her origins?

    Even immortals had to be wary of her and would not dare make her their pet.

    Just because she was weakened and decided toe to this low level, this mortal thought making it''s master his pet was alright?

    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Insolence!!!

    "Kreeeee!!!!"

    The thought of it increased the rage it felt and just as the bird was about to attack Corey in rage, it shrieked in pain and an indifferent voice could be heard.

    "I said, what do you think you''re doing?"

    Corey with an indifferent expression spoke.

    The tip of his fingers which were at first incorporeal were now corporeal and with an indifferent expression, he squeezed the brains of the two heads causing it to scream in pain once more.

    "It seems you don''t understand."

    With his fingers still squeezing the brains, he spoke indifferently.

    "I can kill two of your heads anytime I want which would weaken you immensely and there''s no way I won''t be able to kill thest head.

    Once I kill you for real, you won''t be able to stop me from making that egg my pet or even killing it.

    So if you know what''s good for you, you better keep quiet and don''t try anything stupid."

    The bird shivered hearing and seeing Corey''s tone and expression.

    As it looked into Corey''s indifferent eyes, it shivered the more and wisely kept quiet but sadness could be seen in it''s eyes.

    "Wise choice."

    Not caring about it''s sad expression, Corey spoke indifferently then he looked at Mrs. Ashley.

    She shivered slightly seeing his indifferent eyes whichcked emotions and Corey seeing that blinked repeatedly before his indifferent eyes disappeared.

    He exhaled then shook his head softly before he looked at Mrs. Ashley with an apologetic expression.

    "Sorry for scaring you. I was getting annoyed by this three-headed chicken since I''ve been repeating the same thing to it ever since I got here.

    But I guess that''s why it''s a chicken, it can''t understand things properly until you threaten it and beat it several times."

    Hearing the words of Corey, Mrs. Ashley had a strange expression before she just decided not to say anything for the sake of her mental health.

    "You asked if the thing inside the egg can be your pet right?"

    She asked and Corey nodded.

    "Well, I don''t know much but from what I know, making baby monsters or beasts your pets is much easier than matured ones, so making the being inside that egg should be simple I believe.

    You just need to touch it and a system notification will pop up in front of you."

    Disdain appeared in the eyes of the bird of oblivion when it heard the puny mortal human saying that it would be easy for the scary human to make it''s master into his pet.

    The more it thought about the consequences of what would happen when the scary human tried to form a soul link with it''s Queen, the more anticipation it had and the more obedient it became.

    Neither Corey nor Mrs. Ashley noticed any of the expressions the bird of oblivion had since both of their eyes were on the egg in the distance.

    A calcting light appeared in Corey''s eyes for a few seconds before it disappeared.

    Without looking at Mrs. Ashley, he spoke:

    "Mrs. Ashley, would you like to make this bird of oblivion your pet?"

    "What?"

    A baffled expression could be seen on her face and she was extremely stunned hearing Corey''s question.

    A few secondster she woke up from her stunned state and looked at Corey with a suspicious expression.

    "Are you joking?"

    She asked and Corey shook his head.

    "I''m not."

    He replied but his words caused the confusion on Mrs. Ashley''s face to increase.

    "You know this is a tier 2 creature and it''s extremely powerful. If it''s nurtured properly it could help somebody in the long run.

    It can be somebody''s invaluable helper and you''re giving it to me?

    Shouldn''t you give it to somebody you trust?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    She questioned and Corey had a wry smile on his lips.

    "If not because of what happened between Ba and me, I would have given it to her.

    Also, the reason I''m giving you is because without you and your group, there''s no way I''d have been able to defeat this three-headed chicken, so just take this chicken and make it your pet.

    The mana I''m using for this skill isn''t negligible by the way, so please make this chicken your pet."

    Corey urged and a small smile appeared on Mrs. Ashley''s lips.

    "You know, if you''re doing this so that you can get in my pants, you''ve earned yourself some points."

    Hearing Mrs. Ashley''s words, Corey was at first stunned before he just shrugged.

    "That was not my main intention but I won''t deny that it wasn''t one of my reasons for giving you the bird."

    Mrs. Ashley had a smile hearing Corey''s words.

    She was satisfied that Corey did not deny the fact that one of the reasons he gave her the bird of oblivion was too impress her.

    She was not a young girl or a maiden whose heart would flutter just because the opposite sex did something nice or gave her a gift.

    She preferred guys who knew what they wanted and did not deny it.

    "I''m not sure if I''ll ever be able to repay this gift you''ve given me so we''ll be friends from now on and you can call me Ashley instead of Mrs. Ashley, my friends call me Ashley."

    She said then walked to the right head of the bird of oblivion.

    Corey seeing her walk towards the right head had a confused expression after he realized something.

    "When did I be so confident in speaking with women?"

    He muttered but a secondter, he shrugged and dismissed the thought since it was not a bad thing for him and he guessed it was probably because of all the experiences he had ever since the apocalypse started.

    Half a minuteter, Ashley walked back with a smile on her lips.

    "You can remove your hands now, I was able to convince it to be my pet."

    She said and Corey raised both eyebrows.

    "So fast? Howe I didn''t notice anything?"

    The suspicion and confusion in his tone could clearly be heard and Ashley had a confused expression perceiving the suspicion in his words.

    "What did you expect to happen?

    Fireworks? An announcement? Lightning to strike? Or the whole to tremble?"

    The sarcasm in her voice was clear causing Corey to have an embarrassed expression.

    "Alright, alright, I''ve heard you.

    Sheesh. Did you have to take my words that way?"

    He said while removing his hands from the heads of the bird of oblivion, though he had a cautious and wary expression.

    Kreeee!!

    A cry of freedom and happiness rang out from the bird of oblivion the moment Corey removed his hands.

    Ashley chuckled feeling the happiness that was radiating from her pet.

    "We need to get down."

    She spoke and without waiting for Corey to say anything, she jumped off the bird of oblivion.

    Corey raised an eyebrow seeing Ashley jump down and after thinking about for a second, he also jumped down.

    As soon as hended, he looked at Ashley and Ashley feeling his stare spoke:

    "I want to keep it. It needs to recuperate."

    She said and Corey had a confused expression but he didn''t ask any questions and waited for her to do her thing which was not much at all actually.

    She just snapped her fingers and much to Corey''s shock, the three-headed chicken turned into ck lights and disappeared.

    "What?"

    He spoke out loud subconsciously and Ashley exined with a smile.

    "You can decide to keep your pet in a different space when you don''t want to use it. When it is in that separate space, a tattoo of the pet would form on a certain part of your body."

    She showed Corey her left shoulder which had a ck tattoo of the bird of oblivion.

    "By the way, you should check out the egg now."

    Ashley said and Corey nodded.

    He walked to the statue and after using Super Jump, he stood in front of the extremely ck egg which was twice the size of an ostrich''s egg.

    After making sure there was no danger, he ced his right hand on the egg and a translucent screen appeared in front of him.

    [SPIRIT DEVOURING BIRD DISCOVERED]

    [DO YOU WANT TO MAKE IT YOUR PET?]

    -----

    [A/N: 1 more chapter to go!!!]

 Chapter 79 79: Lets Go Home

    ?[SPIRIT DEVOURING BIRD DISCOVERED]

    [DO YOU WANT TO MAKE IT YOUR PET?]

    Seeing the name of the beast in the egg on the translucent screen caused Corey to raise an eyebrow, it sounded cool and ominous and the thought of him having such a bird as his pet caused him to be excited.

    "Yes, make it my pet."

    With anticipation in his heart, he replied.

    Though, the moment he gave his consent, something which he never expected to happen, happened.

    The egg trembled and just as Corey was beginning to worry, his eyes went nk and the surroundings in his vision changed.

    "What?"

    Corey eximed with a baffled expression as the change in environment was so abrupt and when he looked around, his bafflement increased.

    He was floating in a dark space and he could see somerge round objects in the distance. The more he looked at the round objects, the more he realized that they looked likes and even burning stars.

    "Holy shit. Am I in space?"

    He eximed with a shocked expression when he came to the conclusion that there were stars ands all around him.

    "How the hell did I get here?"

    "And if I''m in space then where is the sun?"

    Corey muttered since he couldn''t find the sun in front of him. He looked behind him but what he saw stunned him.

    He found the ''sun'' of this ce but this ''sun'' was not fiery red like how a normal sun was meant to be.

    Instead it was like an extremelyrge ball of whiteness and there were thick chains all around it.

    The ''sun'' in front of him was strange to Corey but what truly stunned Corey was the thing in front of the ''sun''.

    A titanic ck bird with six wings and an eerie white mist around it''s wings floated in front of the ''sun'' while pping it''s wings.

    Just as Corey was observing the bird, the bird turned it''s head and looked at him.

    The moment it''s gazended on Corey, he trembled and when he blinked, his surroundings changed and he was back in the academy.

    "Huh. I''m back."

    Corey mumbled then he looked at the ck egg in front of him with a confused expression.

    "Did I just make a mistake?"

    Corey mumbled and just as he did,

    Crack

    A crack appeared on the egg causing Corey to be stunned.

    Crack Crack Crack

    More cracks formed on the egg and Corey took a step back, the image of the gigantic six winged ck bird appeared in his eyes for a second and he took another step back involuntarily.

    With slight apprehension, he waited and even got ready for a battle, but when the egg fully cracked and the bird inside appeared in front of him, he was stunned to stupor.

    "Why was I now afraid?"

    Corey muttered when he saw a normal sized bird appear in front of his eyes. The bird was extremely ck and looked like a Crow.

    As he looked at the crow-like bird, it also looked at him and Corey could see intelligence in it''s eyes. Not only that, Corey could feel a certain connection between him and the bird.

    He took a step forward but just as he did, the bird pped it''s wings and much to Corey''s shock, it flew away.

    "Hey! Where do you think you''re going?!"

    Corey shouted and jumped at the bird wanting to catch it but as if the bird had eyes at the back of it''s head, it dodged Corey''s hands causing Corey to fall while cursing.

    Bam

    "Fuck!"

    Corey cursed as hended and he quickly looked for the bird and chased it.

    "Come here damn it!"

    Corey cursed as he chased after the bird.

    There was no way he was going to let the spirit devouring bird leave after he gave the bird of oblivion to Ashley.

    That would be a major loss for him!

    "There''s no way you''re escaping!"

    Corey shouted and just as he did, a baffled expression appeared on his face when he saw the destination of the bird.

    The bird flew towards the burnt tier 2 Smiley and much to Corey''s surprise, it cawed then pped it''s wings and a white mist flowed out of the corpse into the mouth of the bird.

    It cawed once again and this time it flew towards Corey.

    Corey seeing the birding towards him had an expression of relief. He stretched out his right arm, expecting the bird to stay on it but much to his shock, it flew to his head and perched there.

    "¡­"

    "What do you think you''re doing there? Come down here you damn bird."

    Corey with an expression of anger tried to grab the bird and remove it from it''s head but the bird pecked his hand with it''s sharp beak.

    "Shit."

    Corey cursed, then he tried to remove the bird again but the bird pecked his hand again.

    "You damn bird."

    Corey cursed while gritting his teeth. He was about to try again even if it meant he was going to use force, but just as he was about to move his hand, he heard a voice.

    "It seems you guys are closer than I expected."

    Corey looked at Ashley who spoke with a smile of amusement.

    "Howe your own bird went to that different space you talked about, but mine is perching on top of my head. I didn''t do anything to it."

    With annoyance in his tone, he spoke and Ashley just shrugged and was about to speak, but the moment she opened her lips to speak, the tattoo on her left shoulder shined and the bird of oblivion appeared.

    Ashley was stunned and so was Corey.

    The bird of oblivion didn''t bother with any of the two mortal humans.

    It had an expression of shock and fear as it looked at the spirit devouring bird on top of Corey''s head.

    Kree

    It nced at Corey for a few seconds before it bowed it''s head at the spirit devouring bird and made a sound.

    Caw

    The spirit devouring bird replied with an indifferent expression and the bird of oblivion trembled slightly before it turned into ck lights and formed a tattoo on Ashley''s left shoulder.

    Corey had question marks all over his head because he could understand the conversation between the two birds to a certain extent and he knew that the bird of oblivion was apologizing to the damn bird on top of his head but the bird on top of his head just replied that it was fine.

    "You should give your bird a name."

    He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard the voice of Ashley and it took him a few seconds to register what she said before his eyes lit up and a name automatically popped into his head.

    "ckie."

    Caw!

    Peck

    "Ouch! What was that for!"

    Corey rubbed his forehead which had a slight bump on it due to the bird pecking it with anger.

    "She obviously doesn''t like it, so change it."

    Ashley giggled seeing the aggrieved expression on Corey''s face as he rubbed his forehead.

    "Why won''t she-"

    "Wait, She?"

    Corey who was at first mumbling had a look of confusion hearing the gender Ashley gave the bird.

    "The bird is a she. Mia told me that she''s a she and that you must treat her well."

    Ashley said causing Corey''s confusion to increase.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Your pet is a female and you named her Mia? Why didn''t you name her Three-headed Chicken or just chicken?"

    He asked and Ashley''s lips twitched repeatedly. She consoled Mia repeatedly who wanted toe out and st a fire breath at Corey, making sure he turned to ashes.

    "Just find a better name for your pet."

    Ashley said and Corey rubbed his chin for a few seconds before his eyes lit up.

    "ck!"

    Caw!

    Peck!

    "Ouch!"

    "Damn it!"

    "Alright, Wingie!"

    Caw!

    Peck!

    "Fuck! my head!"

    "What''s wrong with those names?!

    Alright your name is pest!"

    Caw!!

    Peck! Peck! Peck! Peck!...

    "Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!"

    "Stop it damn it!"

    Mrs. Ashley mouth repeatedly twitched seeing Corey repeatedly suffer from the spirit devouring bird.

    "Why don''t you just name it Rhea?"

    Although she was tempted to not help Corey since it was funny watching him suffer from his pet, she decided to help since she wanted to truly leave the academy and go back to her family.

    Meanwhile Corey and the spirit devouring bird hearing the words of Ashley stopped fighting and arguing.

    They looked at each other and Corey spoke.

    "Do you like Rhea?"

    He asked but the bird did not reply. She just flew to his head and perched on top of his head causing Corey''s lips to twitch.

    "Rhea it is then."

    He said then looked around and a relieved light could be seen in his eyes.

    "I can finally go home." He muttered.

    "No, we can finally go to our homes."

    Ashley appeared beside him and spoke softly. Corey looked at her and she gestured to her subordinates in the distance who were celebrating and discussing happily with each other.

    Relieved, Happy and Joyous expressions could be seen on the faces of most.

    As he was looking at the expressions of the survivors, his eyesnded on Ba who although had a relieved expression, still had a hint of sadness in her eyes.

    He looked for Luke and saw him talking andughing with some other guys.

    He sighed softly then looked at Ashley.

    "I have to apologize to Ba. I''ll be back."

    He said and Ashley nodded without saying a word.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Corey exhaled softly then walked towards Ba.

    A few secondster, he stood a few meters away from Ba with his heart beating a little bit faster than normal.

    "Ba."

    He called out and Ba who was speaking with another female turned back and when she did, her pupils shook slightly and her expression changed.

    She turned back and was about to walk away but Corey quickly grabbed her by the arm.

    "Wait. I want to apologize."

    Corey said and Ba stopped struggling but didn''t face Corey.

    "Look... I''m sorry for all the things I said back then. It''s just that I was really worried for you and with all the things Luke has done to you, I was worried he would hurt you again and I didn''t want that."

    "You were there for me in my darkest times and I''m really grateful for that. Even when I avoided everybody and didn''t speak to anybody, you called me and always checked up on me."

    "I care about you Ba. Since you didn''t choose me, I won''t say I love you but I still care for you. You''re like my best friend so I''ll always care for you and I''m truly, truly sorry for all that I said back then."

    "I just want you to be happy, please forgive me."

    With his hand no longer holding her arm, Corey spoke softly and he could see Ba tremble slightly.

    "Ba. If you don''t want to forgive me, just walk away and if you forgive me,e and hug me."

    Corey spoke softly with his arms outstretched and with his heart beating faster than normal, he waited and much to his surprise, relief and joy, Ba turned back and hugged him with tears streaming down her face.

    "I''m sorry also. I''m sorry."

    With a muffled voice, Ba spoke and Corey just rubbed her head with a smile.

    "It''s okay Ba. You don''t have to apologize."

    He spoke in a soothing voice while rubbing Ba''s head softly.

    "I missed you. I really did. Ever since the apocalypse started, I was worried about you."

    Hearing the words spoken by Ba, a smile broke out from Corey''s lips and just as he open his lips to speak,

    Ring Ring

    Ring Ring

    A sound disrupted him and with a stunned, confused and surprised expression, his phone rang.

    He brought out his phone from his pocket, wondering who would be calling him by this time exactly, ruining the perfect moment he had with Ba.

    He looked at the caller ID and the moment he saw the name, his eyes lit up and an expression filled with happiness appeared on his face.

    "Anna, I was just about to call-"

    He spoke but his next words were stuck in his throat when he heard the words spoken on the phone.

    "Brother¡­ Brother¡­ Please help.

    Mom... Dad... Everybody¡­ They''re all dead.

    I could not defeat them¡­ I could not defeat him¡­ He''s too powerful.

    Please... Help."

    With a strained voice and a voice filled with tears and pain, his sister spoke and Corey''s world came crashing down.

    -----

    ///END OF VOLUME 1///

    -----

    [A/N: And Volume 1 is done and dusted.

    I want to say a big thank you to all of you that supported this novel during volume 1 with power stones, golden tickets, gifts,ments and reviews.

    Volume 2 would have dark scenes, emotional rollercoasters, a different side to Corey, lots of madness and so much more.

    I don''t want to say too much, so I wee all of you to VOLUME 2 titled... WELCOME TO THE UNDERWORLD.

    I hope you guys enjoy it.

    Also, please know that I might not be able to upload tomorrow, I''m not sure, it depends.

    Sorry for the inconvenience.]

 Chapter 80 80: Fear

    ?Corey stood, frozen in confusion and shock, unable toprehend what he just heard.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    A few seconds passed and Ba who was still in his arms stopped hugging him and shook him slightly with a worried expression on her face.

    She heard all that Anna said since she was extremely close to Corey and to say she was shocked would be an understatement.

    "Corey."

    She spoke softly trying to bring Corey back to reality and it worked¡­ fortunately or unfortunately.

    Corey nced at Ba for a fraction of a second before his mind recalled the words of his sister and hepletely forgot the existence of Ba.

    "Anna? Are you still there?

    Tell me this is all a joke right?

    It''s one of your jokes right?

    Mom and Dad are not dead right?

    They''re probably in the background, ying along with this prank right?"

    With each sentence spoken, Corey''s heart pounded intensely, his pupils shook uncontrobly, his breathing became unstable and his mind was an utter mess.

    Although he asked those questions, he knew from the tone of his sister''s earlier words and the fact that she called him ''brother'' instead of ''onii chan'' meant she was not joking, it meant she was not kidding and their parents were truly dead.

    "I''m not joking brother. Everybody is dead¡­

    They''re all dead.

    They killed them, he killed them, all of them."

    Corey''s heart squeezed hearing the pain filled voice from his sister, he could hear her sob with heart wrenching pain.

    "Anna."

    "Who killed them?"

    He asked with a broken and slightly hoarse voice.

    "I don''t know who they are.

    They were wearing dark red robes that had designs of two ck axes diagonally joined together all over the robes.

    They were also wearing in ck masks.

    They just came out of nowhere and attacked all of us.

    Corey please help."

    ''ck axes joined together like a cross?''

    Hearing his sister''s words, something clicked in Corey''s mind as he tried to remember where he had seen something that was familiar with what his sister just described.

    "Anna, where are you? Tell me where you are and what is your condition. Are you badly injured?"

    Putting aside the description his sister told him, he asked about her condition and location.

    He needed to know where she was and if she was okay physically.

    "I''m injured but not too injured. I''m hiding in a building that''s not too far from our house."

    Hearing the words of his sister, he breathed a soft sigh of relief and spoke:

    "Just stay where you are and hide. I''ming alright. I''ming."

    "Hmm. I''ll wait and-"

    BOOM!!!

    "¡­"

    "Anna?"

    "Sis?"

    "ANNA!"

    Corey screamed and clutched his head with an expression filled with so many emotions when he saw that the call was cut off forcefully.

    "FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, FUUUCCCKKK!!!"

    He cursed endlessly while clutching his head.

    The biggest problem he was facing was how to reach his sister in the fastest time possible.

    The distance between the academy and the city where his family lived was so far that when using a super fast train, it takes three hours to get to City M which was where their family lived.

    Now if using a super fast train took three hours, one could imagine how long it would take Corey to reach his sister if he ran there.

    He could not run as fast as the train and there was no vehicle he knew that could move as fast as the train.

    In fact, even if there was a vehicle that could move that fast, could his sisterst that long?

    "God damn it!"

    As all this thoughts ran through his mind, he cursed and the fear he had in his heart increased exponentially.

    ''Is there no way to get there on time?''<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    With despair, sadness and various other emotions in his eyes, he had this thought, but just as he had this thought, he heard a voice.

    "Is your family in danger?"

    He looked at the source and he was slightly surprised when he realized it was Ashley that spoke.

    "Yes but they''re in City M and I need to reach my sister quickly."

    He replied and without saying anything, Ashley stretched out her hands which contained two items.

    His ancient spear and a palm sized circr object.

    He took both of them but he had an expression of confusion when he held the palm sized circr object.

    Without waiting for Corey to ask, Ashley spoke:

    "That is a teleportation item. Just crush it and imagine where you want to go. It should be able to take you to City M."

    Hearing her words, Corey''s eyes widened and his breathing became hurried.

    "Thank you."

    He said and without waiting for her response, he crushed it and his body became blurry before it disappeared entirely.

    "I hope you''ll be alright."

    Ashley muttered as she looked at Corey''s previous position. She then turned to look at her subordinates which had various expressions.

    "We''ll be going to City M so everyone gear up and look for vehicles that are working.

    Anybody that has a family on our way to City M can meet their families. Also, if your family is in immediate danger, you can leave anytime."

    "So, chop chop people and let''s go!"

    ----

    (Meanwhile Corey)

    As Corey''s form materialized, he felt slightly dizzy due to it been his first time teleporting. Three secondster, his dizziness disappeared and he looked around.

    At first he didn''t recognize where he was due to the environment been so much different than what he remembered, a few secondster, he realized that he was two streets away from his home.

    He nced at the once familiar streets which was now in ruins.

    Destroyed houses and vehicles, burning houses and vehicles, corpses of both humans and even monsters littered the ground. There were even a few weak monsters walking around.

    Using two seconds to look around, he found the way to his home and without a second''s dy, he sprinted in that direction.

    ''Thunder Step''

    ''Please be alive Anna. Please be alive.''

    Without hesitation, he used thunder step, all the while praying for his sister to still be alive.

    A minute and some secondster, Corey reached the street where his home was located.

    His expression became grim when he saw so many human corpses on the ground and signs of a recent battle everywhere.

    ''Shit.''

    He cursed internally and ran to where his home was located.

    Some secondster, he reached the location and when he did, a stunned expression appeared on his face.

    "What the?"

    In front of him was an extremely huge and beautiful mansion. Corey had only seen mansions like this on the inte and T.V shows. Never in his life did he think he would see a beautiful mansion like those in real life.

    Two secondster, Corey got out of his stunned expression and looked around.

    "Where is she?"

    BOOM!

    He mumbled and just as he was about to take a step so as to look around, he heard a loud sound from afar and without hesitation, he ran towards the sound.

    A few minutester, he got closer to the source of the sound but when his eyesnded on the source, he stopped running, his pupils shook and his heart pounded intensely.

    With fear and shock in his tone, he screamed.

    "ANNA!!!"

    ----

    [A/N: So people, sorry for not posting yesterday.

    Was very tired and it even showed in my sleep since I slept for twelve hours straight and I''m not actually joking. It surprised me also, I didn''t even know I was that tired.

    I guess school and writing really took a toll on me.

    Anyway, what I wanted to say is that, the number of privilege chapters would just be 10.

    I know I promised like 20 or so but honestly, I could only make it ten since school is more stressful than I thought.

    So for those that expected 20 or so, I apologize.]

 Chapter 82 82: No Hope

    ?With abated breath, Corey in his focused state gripped his spear tighter as he focused intensely on the Right Guardian walking calmly towards him.

    A drop of sweat dropped unto the floor from Corey''s forehead, showing the extreme level of focus he was exerting.

    He dared not to blink as he watched the Right Guardian take calm and steady steps towards him and with every step the Right Guardian took, the pressure on Corey increased.

    As the Right Guardian got closer and closer to Corey, he felt an urge at the back of his mind to flee, to just run away and abandon his sister, that there was no way he could defeat the person in front of him.

    This urge, this feeling, was fear.

    Fear started to creep into Corey''s heart causing his focus to waver slightly but the instant it wavered, a fire which rarely appeared, appeared in Corey''s eyes and heart, dispelling the rising fear in him.

    His breathing became calmer and his eyes became slightly sharper.

    "Hmm. He was able to resist the Right Guardian''s aura and not flee?

    Does he have fear resistance? And did it just increase to level 3?

    Interesting."

    The leader mumbled with a small smile on his lips as he saw Corey standing with a determined expression on his face.

    "Well, it doesn''t matter anyway. Just fear resistance can''t save him. This clone of The Right Guardian is tier 3 and the kid is just tier 0. There''s no way he can win."

    With an amused tone and smile, the leader spoke, and just as he spoke, the Right Guardian moved.

    Corey''s pupils constricted greatly when he saw the Right Guardian vanish before his eyes even in his focused state.

    In less than a fraction of a second, he instinctively ced the ancient spear in front of his head.

    BAM!

    WOOSH!

    A muchrger force than the previous one erupted from the impact between The Right Guardian''s fist and Corey''s ancient spear, sending him flying back at a much faster speed and to a muchrger distance.

    BANG!

    Cough!

    Corey coughed out a mouthful of blood as his body mmed into the wall of a building, destroying it in the process.

    Corey''s entire body trembled and his eyes were hazy.

    Despite him been in his focused state, his eyes could not keep track of The Right Guardian''s movement, not only that, it seemed the Right Guardian utilized his full strength or a lot more of his strength than the previous time he punched him.

    Because, if he did not ce the ancient spear in front of his head, he would definitely be a headless corpse by now.

    Corey groaned slightly as he forcefully dispelled the fogginess in his mind and stood, gripping the ancient spear tightly in his hands while still in his focused state, but just as he stood, his skin tingled and without hesitation he jumped to the side but despite him trying his best to avoid the danger, he could not avoid it.

    BAM!

    The Right Guardian appeared from seemingly nowhere, giving a roundhouse kick towards the chest of the dodging Corey, sending him flying once again.

    The Right Guardian frowned slightly behind the mask when he saw a white rib like armor on the chest of Corey, reducing the damage Corey received by an extremely small amount despite it breaking in the end.

    Clicking his tongue, the muscles in the legs of the Right Guardian bulged and with a bang, he lifted his feet and ran towards the flying Corey, destroying the floor in the process.

    With a huge burst of speed, he reached Corey who was about to hit the ground.

    He grabbed the legs of Corey and much to Corey''s fear, a grunt escaped his lips and he swung Corey at a building nearby, but due to the immense force used by The Right Guardian, Corey''s body broke through the walls of the building without stopping.

    BANG!

    BANG!

    BANG!

    After mming through two buildings, Corey''s body mmed into the wall of the third building, finally stopping it''s flight.

    Once again, Corey coughed out blood and his eyes became hazy.

    He forcibly tried to stand, to rid his mind of the weakness and emotion that was building up in him, but he could not.

    His body was wrecked, in fact, beyond wrecked, he had been beaten and thrown around so much that if not because of luck and the average regeneration skill, he would definitely be dead.

    Although the average regeneration skill was what had kept his life for this long, his mana was beginning to run out.

    ''Is this the end?''<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    ''Is there no way for me to save Anna?''

    ''I lost dad, I lost mom, now I''m going to lose Anna?''

    As the thought of him losing his sister entered his mind, he clenched his fists tighter and tried to get up, but it was all in vain.

    Although his mind and heart wanted to get up, his body was unresponsive.

    His mana was empty.

    His stamina was also empty.

    And the injuries his body sustained were serious.

    ''Get up.''

    ''Get up.''

    ''I have to save Anna.''

    ''Anna.''N?v(el)B\\jnn

    ''Anna.''

    ''Ann-''

    ''A-''

    This words repeatedly rang out in Corey''s mind as he struggled to get up, until Corey stopped thinking entirely and his breathingpletely stopped.

    The moment Corey stopped breathing and thinking, the Right Guardian appeared in front of Corey and picked him up by the neck.

    He gripped Corey''s neck tightly, wanting to snap his neck but then he saw that Corey''s eyes were closed and he was no longer breathing.

    "Did the cockroach finally die."

    The Right Guardian spoke with a deep indifferent tone and was about to drop Corey like a ragdoll on the floor, but just as he was about to do that, Corey''s eyes opened and the moment The Right Guardian looked at Corey''s eyes, an extremely baffled expression instantly appeared on his face.

    "What the-"

    As the lips of the Right Guardian moved, expressing the bafflement he was feeling, his pupils constricted and in a fraction of a second, he threw Corey far away from him.

    With a dark expression, he looked at the left side of chest which had a slight cut on it.

    He then looked at Corey who was on his feet while holding the ck ancient spear with utmost seriousness.

    "Who are you?"

    The Right Guardian asked with a solemn expression and tone as he looked at Corey who had an emotionless expression and in white eyes.

    Corey''s ck pupils had disappeared, leaving only the extremely white iris of his eye causing those who look at it to feel extremely strange and ufortable, as if they were naked before his extremely white eyes, which was exactly the case.

    As Corey looked at the Right Guardian with an emotionless expression, what he saw was extremely different from what he had been seeing.

    He could see the internal structure of the Right Guardian before him. He could see the muscr system, skeletal system and even the mana veins of the Right Guardian.

    He could see almost everything that was inside the body of The Right Guardian and assuming Corey was in his ''normal'' state, he would be baffled and shocked by this ability of his.

    But right now, Corey was not in his ''normal'' state, it can even be said that he was in an extremely dangerous state and if he was normal, he would be seeing notifications from the Universal System, warning him about his current state.

    Meanwhile the leader of the group who had been watching the fight with interest despite it urring far away had a change in expression for the first time since he had been watching the fight.

    "This aura? Isn''t it simr to the aura from the martial n?"

    ----

    [A/N: You guys, I want to apologize.

    I made a mistake.

    I thought i would be able to post the ten privilege chapters after going premium but I didn''t know that the first month that I go premium, I would not be able to set the tiers of privilege which means I can''t post more than two chapters for privilege.

    I also didn''t know that I would need to post two chapters immediately after going premium.

    Anyway, I apologize to y''all that might have been expecting the ten privilege chapters.]

 Chapter 83 83: Side Effect

    As the leader felt the aura exuding from Corey, his brows furrowed and a slight frown appeared on his face.

    "Although it''s simr to the aura of the martial n, it''s different."

    The leader mumbled, and just as he did, one of the ten around him spoke with a young male voice:

    "What do you mean Sir? Is he truly part of the martial n?"

    "Can you sense his aura?"

    Without looking at the young man who spoke, the leader asked calmly while looking in the direction of the ongoing battle between Corey and the Right Guardian.

    Meanwhile the young man who spoke shook his head hearing the leader''s question. He and the remaining nine were not strong enough and neither did they have the ability to sense Corey''s aura from where they were.

    "No I cannot Sir." The young male replied.

    "Tell me why the martial n is one of the feared ns in the universe?"

    The leader asked and the young man replied in a heartbeat:

    "It''s because of their two most important abilities, The transparent world and the selfless state Sir."

    "Exin them."

    The leader said calmly and the young man replied once again:

    "Anybody from the martial n that''s able to enter the realm of the transparent world would be able to see the internal structure of living beings and because of that, when the opponent is about to use a skill or do anything, the person in the realm of the transparent world would be able to see the muscle movement, bone movement and every other thing, granting them to opportunity to react before the opponent attacks or moves."

    "As for the selfless state, it''s a state that removes all emotions and sensations from the person in this state. The main goal of the person in this state is to win the battle and it also increases the physical prowess of the user."

    "Not all in the martial n have the ability to enter the realm of the transparent world and the selfless state, but it''s said that those who can achieve both, would have theirbat prowess spike to an unreasonable level."

    Hearing the words of the young man, the leader went silent for a while and ced his right hand on his right cheek as he watched the ongoing battle between Corey and The Right Guardian.

    ''The Right Guardian is going to lose.''

    The leader thought with a slight frown before he heaved a tired sigh.

    He stood then asked another question towards the young man.

    "Do you know the side effects of both skills?"

    Hearing the question asked by the leader, the young man had a baffled expression behind his mask for a few seconds before he replied:

    "I don''t know Sir."

    "Hmm. That''s not surprising since it''s not publicly known."

    The leader spoke then started walking towards Corey and The Right Guardian with calm, steady steps. The young man and the remaining nine followed immediately without the leader ordering them to.

    "Although the Transparent World and the Selfless State are good abilities, there''s a major side effect in my opinion for those who have not mastered the skill."

    As the young man followed the leader who was walking in front of him with calm steps, he waited for the next words of the leader but a few seconds passed but the leader still didn''t speak, prompting him to speak:

    "Sir, you didn''t say what the side effects are."

    "You''ll find out soon enough."

    The leader spoke calmly with his eyes still on the battle between Corey and The Right Guardian.

    -----

    (A few minutes back)

    After Corey ignored the words of the Right Guardian, he stared at the Right Guardian with an emotionless gaze, with the tip of the ancient spear in his right hand barely touching the floor.

    The winds blew softly and the crickets and insects dared not to make a sound as Corey and The Right Guardian just stared at each other for at least five seconds.

    As Corey observed the Right Guardian emotionlessly, his pure white eyes caught sight of the muscles in the legs and arms twitch causing Corey to adjust his body slightly.

    Bam!

    The Right Guardian moved with intense speed towards Corey reaching Corey in three steps, and with his right hand behind him, he clenched his fist and threw a punch at Corey but Corey with an emotionless expression thrust his spear at the fist causing the pupils of the Right Guardian to constrict.

    Puchi!

    The spear pierced into the fist but the moment it did, the Right Guardian ignored the spear and threw a punch with his left fist towards Corey''s face.

    Corey who had seen the muscle and skeletal movement before the movement of the punch was even made, moved to the left, dodging the fist and with the same emotionless gaze he looked at the elbow of the left arm of the Right Guardian.

    He raised his right hand calmly and activated the incorporeal ability of the ghost gloves using the little mana he had passively regenerated.

    With his right hand been incorporeal, he moved his right hand into the left elbow of the Right Guardian and pushed the bone of the elbow upwards with his full strength after making his hand corporeal.

    Crack

    A loud crack resounded as the elbow of the Right Guardian got disjointed shocking the Right Guardian immensely.

    "What sort of sorcery is this?!"

    The Right Guardian shouted with an extremely shocked tone as he looked at his broken left arm.

    Just as the Right Guardian shouted, he felt an intense sensation of danger and when he looked down, he saw Corey''s spear moving towards the left side of his chest, exactly where his heart was located.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    With haste, he threw a palm at the spear, wanting to m it away from his heart.

    But just as his palm was about to touch the spear, the spear moved and instead pierced into his stomach, stunning the Right Guardian once again.

    Corey was about to remove his spear from the stomach of the Right Guardian, but just as his hand tightened round the shaft of the spear, the Right Guardian spoke.

    "Don''t get too cocky."

    With a deep voice filled with annoyance and anger, the Right Guardian spoke and kicked Corey with the base of his foot.

    Bam Bam Bam

    Corey tumbled a few times before he used his spear to impale the ground, forcefully stopping his tumbling.

    Despite the fact that the Right Guardian kicked him with full force, he refused to let go of the ancient spear in his hand.

    He looked up, wanting to keep his eyes on the Right Guardian, but just as he looked up, a fist mmed into his face, sending him flying.

    Bam!

    Bang!

    The Right Guardian nced at Corey who had mmed into a wall of a building with a slight frown. He then looked at his gaping stomach and his frown deepened.

    "Although the inability of this clone to feel pain is good, it having no weapon and magical abilities is really annoying."

    He muttered with a tone of frustration and with a soft grunt he walked towards Corey, but just as he took a step, his face changed drastically and he coughed out a mouthful of ck blood.

    "What the?"

    An expression of shock appeared on his face as he looked at the ck blood on the floor, his eyes then moved to his stomach which had darkened and the shock on his face increased.

    He looked at his right hand which had also darkened at some point unknown to him.

    "How-?"

    As the lips of the Right Guardian moved, the world in his eyes spun and his body became hot.

    Bam

    With a heavy thud, he knelt and panted heavily.

    ''What sort of poison is this?''

    The Right Guardian thought and just as he had that thought, he saw bare feet in front of him causing him to look up.

    Seeing the pure white eyes and emotionless expression of Corey, he forced himself to speak despite the intense pain and dizziness he was feeling.

    "Who- Who are you?"

    He asked but Corey with the same emotionless expression just looked at him and without saying a single word or having a change in his expression, he thrust the ancient spear and stabbed it straight into the forehead of the Right Guardian.

    Thest thing the clone of the Right Guardian saw was the pure white eyes of Corey that had zero emotions.

    Thud

    Removing the ancient spear from the head of the Right Guardian, the body fell and assuming Corey was in his normal state of mind, he would be shocked by what happened next to the body of the clone of the Right Guardian.

    Instead of the corpse of the clone of the Right Guardian staying as a corpse, it turned to particles of light and disappeared, leaving behind the in ck mask and dark red robes.

    Normally, Corey would have been stunned seeing that but in his current state, he just had the same emotionless expression seeing the corpse of the Right Guardian turn to numerous particles of lights.

    "Well this is surprising. I didn''t know your poison was that strong."

    A voice filled with intrigue and calmness rang out causing Corey to turn to the source.

    As he turned, he saw the group of eleven and his eyesnded on the leader who spoke.

    As he looked at the group that was around 20m away from him, his eyes nced at Anna who was in the arms of one of the members of the group.

    He took a small step forward, but just as he did, his face drastically changed and in an instant, he fell unto his knees.

    COUGH! COUGH!

    COUGH! COUGH!

    He coughed violently and as he coughed, his mouth released a huge amount of blood.

    Numerous veins appeared on his forehead and he panted heavily, trying to draw in huge amounts of air.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Thud

    While coughing and panting, he fell face t unto the floor, unable to move and his body wracked with immense pain.

    Step Step Step

    Calm footsteps rang out in the surroundings and in front of Corey were a pair of shoes.

    "Like, I said, there''s a major side effect for those who have not mastered the Transparent World and Selfless State."

    With a calm tone, the leader spoke as he looked down at Corey who was in immense pain despite his high pain resistance.

 Chapter 84 84: Shock

    As Corey''s body was wrecked in serious pain, the state he was in automatically deactivated and he reverted back to his normal state, his eyes and expression also reverted back to their normal states.

    "Arghh."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    He grunted while gritting his teeth, forcefully trying to endure the immense pain he was feeling.

    "Oh, so you survived the side effects?

    You must be lucky."

    Just as he was trying to endure the pain he was going through, he heard a familiar voice and he forced himself to look up.

    Though when he looked up, he was slightly startled when he saw the in ck mask of the leader just a few centimeters from his face.

    "Sir, can you tell us what the side effects of the Transparent World and the Selfless State is?"

    The same young man who asked their leader the previous questions concerning the Martial n spoke once more.

    Corey nced at him before he removed his gaze and looked at Anna who was in the man''s arms.

    ''Anna.''

    He tried to speak but he realized that he didn''t have the energy to do so, he didn''t have any mana left, his stamina was beyond empty and his body and mind felt extremely weak.

    The only thing that was keeping him awake was his will to save his sister, to just do something but s, sometimes, will was not just enough for a miracle to happen.

    "You still can''t see what the side effects of the two abilities are?"

    Despite the fact that Corey''s intense desire to save his sister was showing on his face, the leader ignored it and looked at the young man with a disappointed gaze behind the mask, his tone also showing the disappointment he was feeling.

    "Forgive me for my ipetence Sir."

    The young man bowed while apologizing and the leader just turned back, his eyes observing Corey through his mask.

    "When somebody who has not mastered the selfless state enters the selfless state, the person stops breathing and the main problem with it, is that, most of the times, the person in the selfless state would not be able to willingly deactivate ore out of the selfless state, and because of that, death due tock of breath is not umon for those who were in the selfless state, though, some get lucky, like this young man here."

    The leader gestured towards Corey whose breathing was slightly heavier than normal.

    "As for the side effect of the transparent world, the user''s eyesight would deteriorate the longer he or she stays in that state."

    The young man and the remaining nine nced at Corey''s eyes but they couldn''t see any difference in his eyes.

    "Should I kill him Sir?"

    The young man asked with a calm tone and Corey nced at the young man for a second before he looked at the unconscious Anna in his arms, an expression of sadness appeared in his eyes when he realized that he had failed to save Anna.

    At the moment, he was not afraid of death.

    No!

    He was extremely worried about Anna''s well being after he died.

    What did this people want with Anna?

    Why did they attack her and kill their parents and every other person in their neighborhood?

    What was their goal?

    Numerous thoughts appeared in his mind as he readily epted his inevitable death.

    "Don''t kill him. I''ve already lost the clone of the Right Guardian, losing one of you would affect my future ns."

    Much to the shock of Corey, the leader did not give the death sentence.

    "Who- Who are you guys?"

    Corey asked one of the questions that had been bugging him ever since his sister told him about the group.

    The best option might have been for him to remain silent and listen to the words of the group while getting information from the group in the process.

    But the problem was that, Corey''s could feel his consciousness rapidly fading and he needed to at least know what this group was.

    He wasn''t sure if the group would reveal who they were, but he wanted to at least try.

    "Oh yeah, you can''t recognize me, my voice changed ever since mana was awakened in your world."

    The leader spoke while rubbing his chin and surprisingly he removed the mask on his face and as soon as Corey saw the face behind the mask, his heart and mind shook, and his eyes widened with immense shock and confusion.

    "P-Po-Pope?"

    Corey stuttered and just as he did, something clicked in his mind.

    He now remembered why the crossed ck metal axes seemed familiar to him.

    It was because he had seen it as the pendant of the neck chain of the Pope, the ten people who were there the time he was invited to scriptural study when he went to the Temple of mes, and thest person he remembered having this pendant... was the merchant.

    ''What is happening?''

    Just as Corey had this thought, a smile formed on the lips of the Pope of the Temple of mes due to his previous words.

    "Oh, so you still recognize me. I guess the difference was not as much as I expected."

    The pope spoke while rubbing his face softly with a smile.

    As Corey looked at the Pope in front of him with his heart and mind shaken, numerous questions appeared in his mind.

    The first and most important was why?

    Why did the Pope attack his family?

    Why did he capture his sister?<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The second question which normally would have been the most important question assuming he met the Pope in a much better situation, was how?

    Howe the Pope looked much younger than the first time he met him?

    The first time he met the Pope, the Pope looked like somebody in his sixties, but now?

    He looked like somebody in histe twenties with pure white hair.

    "You know, I''m surprised you''re still alive and i''m curious on what your wish was."

    "I wish I could just check out your status window but unfortunately, I can''t, unless I want to suffer."

    The Pope spoke causing Corey to look at him with confusion clear in his eyes.

    "Why?"

    With an extremely low and deep voice filled with confusion, rage and slight madness, Corey asked causing the Pope to nce at Corey.

    He tilted his head slightly and with a voice filled with confusion and slight disdain, the Pope spoke.

    "And why should I tell you?"

    Without asking what exactly Corey meant by ''why?'', the Pope replied, knowing full well what exactly Corey meant, by ''Why?''.

    Meanwhile, Corey hearing the words of the Pope gritted his teeth in anger and clenched his fists.

    "Why?

    Why the fuck did you kill my parents?

    Why the fuck did you attack my sister?

    What do you want with her?

    Did me or anybody in my family offend you?

    Why the fuck are you doing all of this?!"

    With eyes full of madness and rage, Corey spoke with a low guttural voice, but the Pope just looked at Corey calmly and indifferently.

    "I don''t know if you''re deaf or stupid, but like I said before.

    Why should I tell you?

    Do I gain anything from telling you?"

    With a calm tone, the Pope spoke and Corey''s anger spiked, he opened his mouth to shout, to scream in rage, but as his lips opened, what came out were not words, but a mouthful of blood.

    Cough!

    Thud

    The world spun in Corey''s eyes and with a thud his head hit the ground.

    His mind felt heavy and his consciousness was fading, making his eyes to close slightly.

    "Oh, he''s finally bing unconscious. Took him long enough."

    The Pope spoke with a calm tone and just as he spoke, the young man who was carrying Anna spoke:

    "Sir Pope, are you sure showing him your face was the best decision?"

    The Pope looked at the young man who currently had his head bowed low after speaking.

    With a soft wave of is hand, the Pope signaled for the young man''s head to be raised.

    "I agree that it''s not the best decision, but what can somebody like him do or aplish?"

    The Pope paused then gestured towards Corey who was still fighting to stay awake and due to that, he could hear the words spoken by the young man and the Pope.

    Meanwhile the young man nced at Corey and a slight frown appeared on his face behind the mask.

    "I''m just worried that he might be a cmity to the Temple in the future."

    The young man spoke and a smile of ridicule appeared on the Pope''s face.

    "He''s got the mentality of a child and doesn''t know anything about the world or how dark the world is. He has zero experience and it''s most likely he''d die very soon.

    Somebody like him can never be a threat."

    Hearing the words of the Pope, something snapped in Corey''s mind and he went unconscious immediately.

    But just before he did, the words of the emotionless Corey he previously encountered rang out in his ears.

    ''You can''t escape me.

    You can''t run away from me.

    I''ll be back.''

    ----

    [A/N: So you guys, I just realized something and I need to tell you guys.

    I can''t set the prices of locked chapters and unfortunately, I don''t even know how many Webnovel coins you guys have to use to unlock a locked chapter.

    So can somebody tell me how much this chapter is and if possible, how much the previous chapters were, so that I''ll see what I can do about it, that''s if too expensive.]

 Chapter 85 85: Hit List & The Clown

    "What do we do with him Sir?"

    Seconds after Corey truly went unconscious, the young man carrying Anna questioned and the Pope stroked his chin.

    "Hmm. If it wasn''t for the contract we signed with the Universal System, I''d have killed him or taken him with his sister, but unfortunately, we can only take his sister."

    The Pope muttered and when he remembered the contents of the contract he signed with the Universal System, he clicked his tongue then looked at Corey.

    "It''s frustrating that we''re not near the main temple and I can''t even touch him or do anything to him."

    The Pope spoke with slight frustration in his tone. He turned to the young man carrying Anna and spoke:

    "Put him on the Temple''s hit list."

    "The hit list?" The young man spoke with slight shock in his tone.

    "Didn''t you tell me to do something about him?"

    With raised eyebrows, the Pope spoke and the young hurriedly nodded his head slightly and spoke:

    "I just didn''t expect you to put him on the Temple''s hit list."

    "How else do you now expect me to deal with him? We can''t touch him, talk less of even killing him. Just put him on the hit list and let others kill him."

    The Pope spoke then walked away. The young man and the other nine followed.

    "What number should I give him?"

    The young man asked without stopping, the Pope replied and waved his right hand nonchntly.

    "Just give him any number."

    Hearing the words and tone of the Pope the lips of the young man twitched slightly behind his mask.

    He pulled therge sleeve of his robe up his right arm, showing off a slender arm which had something simr to a wristwatch on the wrist.

    He moved his arms and ced his watch close to his lips, then he spoke:

    "Permission to ce-"

    Just as he was speaking, he stopped when he realized something.

    He looked away from the watch and looked at the pope.

    "Sorry Sir, but what''s his name?"

    He asked and the pope stopped walking. He put his hand on his forehead and for a few seconds, a pondering expression was on his face before he mmed a fist unto his palm.

    "Corey. He said his name is Corey."

    The pope said then he continued walking, without waiting for a reply.

    The young man hearing the Pope''s words, brought his watch to his mouth and spoke:

    "Permission to ce Corey, a native of New Earth on the hit list."

    A few seconds passed before a robotic female voice rang out from the watch.

    [CHECKING CLEARANCE LEVEL¡­]

    [CLEARANCE LEVEL IS HIGH ENOUGH]

    [PERMISSION GRANTED]

    [NATIVE OF PLANET NEW EARTH, COREY, HAS BEEN PLACED ON THE TEMPLE''S HIT LIST]

    [PLEASE GIVE FURTHER DETAILS REGARDING THE SUBJECT]

    Hearing the words spoken by the A.I from his watch, the young man spoke and said everything he knew about Corey.

    His abilities, personality,bat experience, background, height, physique, tier, level etc.

    He said everything he knew about Corey and just as he finished speaking, something strange happened.

    Around the group of eleven were skyscrapers and very high storey buildings. On one of this skyscrapers was a 3d billboard which was at first off and was not showing anything, but much to everyone''s surprise, the 3d billboard flickered to life and an image was shown.

    "Cough, Cough.

    Testing, testing. Is it working? Can everybody in the world see me?"

    "Oh, everybody can see me? That''s good, you get to keep your life."

    Bang

    "Oh sorry, I forgot to add in heaven or hell, my bad."

    The group of eleven had strange expressions as they looked at the 3d billboard which was showing a video of a man sitting on a chair while holding a gun in front of his face which was covered by an extremely strange clown''s mask.

    p!<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Alright. Now that the fraudster is dead, let''s get right to business."

    The man with the clown mask pped then spoke with a weird excitement while rubbing his palms together.

    "Now, my name is The Clown.

    I wanted to name myself The Joker, but there''s already a guy named that and let''s just say, he''s a legend and I''m not sure if I would ever be great like him.

    So, unfortunately, I''m The Clown and you''re stuck with me. It''s a pleasure meeting y''all."

    The Clown said then bowed his head for a second before he raised it up and rubbed his hands once again.

    "Alright, now that we''re done with the introductions, let''s get to the real, real business."

    "First, I want to express my condolences towards themoners and the majority on the.

    A lot of us have lost those dear to us, those we consider as family, lovers and close friends.

    Although, I don''t know how it feels since I''ve never had somebody who cared for me, I still want to express my condolences as a native of New Earth.

    So let us all take a one minute silence for the dead.

    Stop your fighting, stop whatever you''re doing and just be silent for one minute.

    Do it for the dead."

    Hearing the words of The Clown, everybody on the entire who was watching the broadcast had strange expressions, but what was more strange was that, those who were either in a battle, argument or doing something became silent.

    It was strange because they were not doing it on purpose. It was just that the words, the personality, the tone and the way The Clown behaved enraptured everybody''s attention, subconsciously making them to stop whatever it is they were doing.

    Though, while some became silent because of their curiosity towards The Clown, a lot were silent so as to actually give a one minute silence for the dead and with their eyes closed and palms ced together, they kept quiet.

    Two secondstern/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "Okay, one minute has passed and the dead should be happy and d. May their souls rest in peace."

    What?!

    What do you mean by a minute?!

    Only like two seconds passed!

    This were some of the thoughts of many as they looked at The Clown with baffled expressions.

    "So, Natives of New Earth, I havee to realize something and I''m here to help all of you in regards to what I''ve discovered."

    Disregarding the fact that he gave the dead only two seconds of silence, The Clown spoke.

    "Now, I know that a lot of you have had problems with killing monsters because some are too strong for you.

    And you know, if you can''t kill monsters, you can''t be stronger and if you can''t be stronger, you will eventually die because you are weak.

    But fret not, for I have a solution to this problem.

    You guys know that you can only absorb four soul stones of a specific race before you stop gaining stats.

    Now, did you know that if you absorb more than four soul stones of a human, you''ll still gain stats, even if it''s just +1.

    Some of you might be shocked right now, but no, no, no, that''s not the best part.

    The best part is that as long as the difference in level is not higher than twenty, you will still gain some stats.

    What do I mean?

    What I mean is that a level 20 human can decide to kill hundreds of level 1 humans and after absorbing a soul stone, his or her stats would increase with ease."

    "Now, what am I saying people.

    I''m saying, instead of stressing and endangering yourself by fighting monsters, you can fight weak humans.

    If you have weak friends, kill them!

    If you have a weak child or children, kill them!

    Gather weak people, rear them as animals and kill them!

    Just kill, kill and kill each other.

    I mean it''s safer, easier and the rewards are worth it.

    So, you know what¡­ Let there be chaos!

    Hahahahaha."

    A loud and strangeugh escaped from the lips of The Clown and just as he wasughing, the 3d billboard went ck and the Pope looked at it with a strange glint in his eyes.

 Chapter 86 86: Greed & Anger

    (Two Days Later)

    In a room at the top floor of a duplex building, a ck bird stood on a bedside table, her eyes staring at a young man who was sleeping with bandages on various parts of his body.

    This ck bird was Rhea, Corey''s pet.

    With eyes full of intelligence, Rhea stared at Corey who was sleeping.

    Some secondster, her head moved towards the window in the room they were in and in the next moment, her wings pped and she moved towards the window and looked at the ground through the window.

    There she could see two humans, a male and a female, seemingly in an argument.

    Her head tilted slightly and some secondster, she nced at Corey for a few seconds before she pped her wings and flew to the door of the room.

    Just as it seemed like she was going to m into the door, her body became incorporeal the moment she was about to m into the door and she went through the door, leaving the room.

    -----

    (Some minutes ago)

    "Why did you call me out here Luke?"

    Ba asked as she looked around, trying to figure out the reason Luke called her out of the building her and the survivors were staying in.

    Meanwhile Luke did not reply Ba''s question immediately but instead looked around in caution.

    Ba seeing Luke''s reaction became slightly nervous and cautious.

    "What''s happening Luke?"

    She asked and Luke finally looked at her.

    "You saw the notification from the Universal System about that bastard been on the Temple of mes hit list right?"

    Luke said and Ba looked at him with a suspicious and cautious expression.

    "Yes I did. Why are you asking?"

    She asked and an expression of greed and slight anger appeared in his eyes.

    "We''ve already figured out that the merchant is part of the Temple of mes, so let us go to him and tell him where Corey is. We can then work together with the merchant and-"

    "Stop, stop, stop."

    As Ba heard the words of Luke, she could not help but interrupt him with an expression of shock.

    "How can you think of doing this to Corey?"

    She asked with a shocked tone and the greed and anger in the eyes of Luke increased.

    "Didn''t you see the rewards we could get for doing this? We would be able to join the Temple of mes, we''ll get 1,000 gold coins and we''ll be able to choose a legendary graded skill from their treasury!"

    "Think of how our lives would change. We would have the backing of the Temple of mes, 1,000 gold coins and a legendary graded skill!

    We would be much stronger, richer and safer!"

    Looking at the expression of intense greed in Luke''s eyes, Ba''s eyes shook since she could not believe the wordsing out from Luke''s mouth.

    "Luke, Corey just lost his entire family. His parents are dead and we don''t even know what happened to his sister.

    We''re Corey''s friends and we''re meant to help and support him at times like this!"

    As she spoke, she could not help but raise her voice, but the consequence of her words and tone was that her words and tone made the anger in Luke''s heart to rise.

    "Who is that bastard''s friend?

    Why would I want to be friends with somebody that tried to steal my woman?"

    With a tone filled with hatred, he spoke and Ba felt a chill down her spine when she looked into Luke''s eyes that was filled with anger.

    "Luke-"

    "Shut up!

    Make your choice now.

    Me or that bastard?"

    As Ba tried to calm Luke down, she was interrupted. And when she heard the words of Luke, she was extremely bbergasted.

    "Why are you doing this Luke?

    This is wrong

    We-"

    p!

    "Shut the fuck up bitch!

    Stop spouting nonsense and choose!"

    As Luke shouted with a rageful expression, Ba with shaky pupils and a stunned expression held her reddened left cheek.

    She looked at Luke who still had a rageful expression and with an extremely stunned expression, she spoke:

    "You pped me Luke?"

    "Why won''t I p you when I know you''ll want to choose Corey."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Luke replied with a condescending expression stunning Ba the more.

    "What do you mean?"

    She asked and the anger in Luke increased when the answer to Ba''s question surfaced in his mind.

    "You''re still asking me such a stupid question?"

    "After you and that bastard had that argument, I consoled you but whenever I wanted to have sex with you, you''ll say no!

    In fact, you started staying away from me after that day!"

    Hearing the words of Luke, Ba shook and with anger in her tone, she shouted:

    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "That was because I needed some time alone!

    I needed to think!

    I needed to get my head and emotions straight!

    Besides when Corey asked me out, I didn''t choose him, I chose YOU!

    I LOVED YOU!

    And one of the reasons was because you promised not to harm me anymore!

    You promised not to hit me anymore!"

    SLAP!

    A much louder p resounded in the surroundings after Ba spoke, and Luke with extremely cold eyes looked at Ba who was kneeling on the floor while spitting out blood along with a few broken teeth, her sses had flown away from the immense p given to her by Luke.

    Although he did not use all his strength, he definitely used most of it.

    "And why did you think I won''t hit you ever again just because of a promise?

    You''re just a bitch, my bitch, so don''t talk to me about love.

    You''re not in love, you just love been treated like the bitch that you are.

    And I''ll make sure to treat you like one right now."

    With an extremely cold and disdainful tone and expression, Luke spoke, then he walked towards Ba with malicious intent.

    "Luke stop."

    Ba pleaded but her plead fell on deaf ears. She crawled back in fear but Luke grabbed her left leg.

    "Where do you think you''re going?"

    "Luke please."

    He said and Ba pleaded once again, but Luke ignored it and raised his right fist, wanting to swing it unto her face, but just as he raised his fist, something unexpected happened.

    Something extremely hot mmed on Luke and before Luke or Ba could react, mes erupted on Luke''s body and an ear screeching scream of pain erupted from the lips of Luke.

    "ARRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

    Ba was at first stunned but then on instinct, she scrambled back in fear of getting burned by the mes.

    Step Step

    Just as she scrambled back, she heard footsteps and when she looked at the source, her eyes widened in shock.

    "Mrs- Mrs. Ashley."

    She stammered when she saw Ashley walking towards her location while looking at the burning Luke with an extremely cold expression.

    On her right shoulder was a ck bird, Rhea.

    "HELP ME! PLEAAASSEEE!!!"

    A painful scream of pain erupted from Luke once again causing Ba to look away from Ashley and look at Luke.

    "Scum like you should be ridden from this world."

    Hearing the words of Luke, Ashley spoke with a tone filled with soul chilling coldness.

    And with cold eyes, she just watched Luke burn and wail in extreme pain.

    A few minutester, Luke''s screams died and so did his life.

    The surroundings which was slightly dark became extremely quiet and slightly eerie as Ba and Ashley just looked at the burnt corpse of Luke.

    "Do you know what I feel for you?"

    The silence was broken by Ashley''s words causing Ba to look away from Luke''s corpse and to look at Ashley.

    "I feel pity."

    Without waiting for Ba to reply, Ashley continued speaking.

    "I feel pity for you and people like you, because in a way, I understand what you were feeling and going through while you were with this scum and because I know what you were feeling, I hope that you''ll be able to save yourself from that feeling and I hope that you eventually find true happiness in life."

    After speaking those words, Ashley walked away leaving Ba who just stood there with a nk expression.

 Chapter 87 87: A Different Corey

    (A few hours after the death of Luke)

    Corey''s eyes opened with a flutter and a confused expression appeared on his face for an instant as he looked at the unfamiliar ceiling on top of his head, but a secondter, memories rushed into his mind and heid on the bed and stared at the ceiling with a nk expression.

    At first no thought went through Corey''s mind since the fact that he had lost everything that he truly cared for felt surreal to him.

    His dad was gone.

    His mom was gone.

    And his sister''s status was unknown.

    He had lost everything dear to him and the only thing that was barely keeping him from running insane was that the probability of his sister been alive was high but the probability of her undergoing immense suffering was also high.

    Just the thought of it made him to subconsciously tighten his fists.

    He had to save Anna no matter what.

    And he must also have his revenge no matter what.

    The Pope, The Temple of mes, he would kill and destroy them both.

    Caw

    Just as he was lost in thoughts, the sound of a bird caw resounded in the room causing Corey to turn his head.

    "Rhea."

    Corey muttered as he saw a ck crow-like bird standing on the bedside table, then with a soft grunt he sat up on the bed.

    "Hmm?"

    A frown crept up his face when he realized something different as he looked around.

    His eyesight was slightly blurry and when he tried to read the contents of a particr torn poster that was on the wall beside the door of the room, he couldn''t read it.

    Normally, he would have been able to read the contents of the poster easily since his eyesight became much better after multiple leveling up and increase in stats.

    But now?

    His eyesight was now slightly worse than the normal eyesight he had when he was still a normal human.

    He spent a few seconds trying to adjust to his new eyesight, then he looked at his body, but when he did, an extremely stunned expression appeared on his face.

    "What the hell?"

    Corey mumbled as he looked at his body which had be noticeably skinnier. His physique which was already lean and small was now much leaner and smaller.

    "I''m guessing this should be the side-effect the Pope was talking about."

    Corey sighed then ced his fingers on his forehead.

    "How did I even get into that state?"

    Corey mumbled then he remembered that during his fight with the Right Guardian, numerous notifications from the Universal System popped up in front of him so he pulled up his status window.

    [WARNING: MANA AND STAMINA IS AT 0%]

    [WARNING: TALENT SKILL, FOCUS IS STILL ACTIVE]

    [WARNING: TALENT SKILL, FOCUS IS ABSORBING THE HEALTH OF THE USER]

    [WARNING: TALENT SKILL, FOCUS HAS TEMPORARILY ACTIVATED THE SKILL, ****]

    [WARNING: USER HAS NOT MET THE REQUIREMENTS TO ACTIVATE THE SKILL, ****]

    [WARNING: THERE WOULD BE NEGATIVE SIDE-EFFECTS]

    [WARNING: MENTAL STATE OF THE USER HAS BEEN TEMPORARILY ALTERED]

    [WARNING: AIRFLOW INTO THE USER''S BODY HAS BEEN STOPPED]

    "So it was because of Focus."

    Corey spoke calmly as he read the contents of the notifications given to him by the Universal System.

    "Though I wonder what that skill the Universal System blurred is?"

    Corey spoke once again before he sighed then stood and stretched.

    p p

    Just as he finished stretching, Rhea pped her wings and flew towards Corey''s left shoulder.

    Seeing Rhea on his shoulder, he could not help but chuckle softly.

    "What made you to stop staying on my head?"

    After speaking, he moved his hand towards Rhea, wanting to rub her head but Rhea pped his hand away softly with her right wing.

    Corey didn''t say anything nor try to rub her head again, but instead, he chuckled softly once more, and just as he did, the door to his room opened.

    "Oh, you''re finally awake. I was worried you''ll sleep for a longer period of time."

    Corey looked up and saw Ashley standing at the door while wearing a red long sleeved t-shirt and a ck trouser.

    "Thank you for everything you''ve done for me."

    Corey bowed as he spoke.

    He was not surprised seeing Ashley since ever since he woke up in an environment that was safe, he guessed it must have been her or her group that brought him here.

    The only group he had good rtions with was Ashley''s group and he didn''t believe that a random person would choose to take him to a safe ce after seeing him unconscious for no reason, unless the person was truly a saint.

    "Don''t thank me for something so trivial, we''re friends."

    Ashley waved her hands and spoke nonchntly.

    ''Friends huh?''<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Corey thought and just as he had this thought, Ashley spoke once again.

    "By the way, I''m sorry for your loss." She paused and with a slightly conflicted expression, she continued:

    "Can you tell me what actually happened."

    "When we got to the city, Ba guided us to your house and we were extremely shocked when we found your parents corpses inside your house.

    We looked for you, thinking you would be nearby but it was not until we spent thirty minutes searching that we found you and let''s just say, I was surprised by the damage that was done to the surroundings.

    But just as we found you, Ba asked if we found Anna, your sister but no matter how hard we searched, we couldn''t find her."

    "Can you¡­ tell me what happened Corey? A lot of things don''t make sense."

    She said and Corey with a calm expression just walked to the window of the room and looked outside, remainingpletely silent for at least five seconds.

    Ashley did not mind but instead waited.

    Since Corey did not say he did not want to speak about what happened, that meant she could still stay.

    "The pope of the temple of mes, ten people rted to the temple of mes and somebody they call the Right Guardian of the temple of mes were the ones that attacked my family. They killed my parents and took my sister."

    With a calm tone, Corey spoke and Ashley was stunned hearing the words Corey spoke.

    "The temple of mes? Why would they attack your family? And why would they kidnap your sister?"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "I wish I knew¡­ but it doesn''t matter because no matter what, I''ll destroy the temple of mes and kill the pope."

    With a calm and indifferent tone, Corey spoke and Ashley felt a chill run down her spine when she heard the tone of his voice.

    A few seconds of silence passed before Ashley fully recovered and when she did, she spoke:

    "By the way, you have a problem."

    "What?"

    With a frown, Corey turned towards her.

    "Do you know about you been on the temple of mes'' hit list?"

    She asked and the frown on Corey''s face deepened.

    "Looking at your expression, I can guess that you don''t know about it."

    Ashley said and Corey nodded.

    "Just like the name says, you''re on the temple of mes hit list and the reward for your head is¡­ very mouth watering to a lot of people."

    Hearing the words of Ashley, Corey had a confused expression.

    "Please exin." Corey spoke.

    "I''m guessing the pope or somebody from the temple of mes decided to put you on their hit list and the reward on your head is 1,000 gold coins, a legendary graded skill and a chance to join the temple of mes.

    Normally only people rted to the temple of mes should know about you been on their hit list, but everybody in the region controlled by the temple of mes got a notification telling us that you''re on their hit list and the rewards mentioned would be given to anybody that can bring your head to the temple of mes or give your location to somebody rted to the temple of mes.

    Though if somebody only brings your location, their rewards would be drastically reduced."

    Corey hearing the words spoken by Ashley was not stunned, afraid nor worried, he was just calm and indifferent about it.

    "So basically, it means that lots of people in the region controlled by the temple of mes woulde after my head."

    He spoke with a calm and indifferent tone stunning Ashley slightly but she decided not toment on Corey''s calm and indifferent attitude towards the information.

    "Yes, what you said is true. Lots of people wille for you."

    She paused and a conflicted expression appeared on her face for a few seconds before she decided to speak:

    "Luke wanted to give out your location to the merchant but Rhea warned me about it."

    Corey turned to Rhea on his left shoulder who didn''t bother looking back at him.

    "What happened to Luke?"

    He looked away from Rhea and asked with an indifferent tone and expression.

    "He''s dead, I killed him."

    Ashley replied and Corey''s brows furrowed slightly.

    "What of Ba?"

    He asked and a wisp of pity emerged in her eyes before it receded.

    "She''s still here but her mental state is definitely not good."

    She said and without waiting for Corey to speak, she continued:

    "Luke tried to rope her into betraying you with him but she didn''t want to, and because she didn''t want to, he pped her twice and was about to hit her the more but fortunately, I got there on time before the situation could get worse."

    Hearing Ashley''s words, Corey looked down for a few seconds, his expression unseen to neither Ashley nor Rhea.

    A few secondster, he raised his head, looked at Ashley and spoke:

    "Where exactly is she?"

    "I can take you to where she is."

    Ashley replied and when she did, Corey walked past her and started walking towards the door.

    "Why do you want to meet her by the way?"

    Out of curiosity, she asked as she walked towards Corey and just as Corey reached the door, he replied:

    "I''m going to kill her."

 Chapter 88 88: Its Love

    As soon as Corey spoke those words, Ashley became extremely stunned and rooted on the spot.

    "You''re kidding right?"

    She asked when she saw Corey wanting to open the door.

    She 100% percent felt that Corey was joking because although she didn''t know Corey that well, she knew Corey cared deeply for Ba and there was no way the words she just heard would not be a joke.

    "No, I''m not."

    Without an ounce of emotion in his voice, Corey spoke and ced his hand on the door knob, but just as he was about to open the door, he felt something on his right shoulder, then he heard Ashley''s voice.

    "Wait."

    With her right hand on Corey''s right shoulder, Ashley spoke out loud subconsciously.

    "What?"

    Without looking back, Corey questioned.

    "What do you mean what?"

    With a tone filled with shock, confusion and slight rage, Ashley questioned.

    "How can you say you want to kill Ba?

    Why would you want to kill Ba?"

    Silence reigned in the room for a few seconds after Ashley spoke and just when Ashley was bing irritated by Corey''sck of reply, Corey spoke.

    "I''m killing her so that she wouldn''t be a future threat."

    "What?"

    Hearing the words of Corey, a confused expression appeared on Ashley''s face and the tone in her words showed how confused she was.

    Meanwhile Corey sighed softly hearing her question:

    "You killed Luke and Ba loves or let''s say, ''loved'' Luke. There''s a probability that Ba might harbor ill intent towards me or you, especially you, since you killed him."

    A bbergasted expression appeared on Ashley''s face hearing the absurd words of Corey.

    "What you''re saying makes zero sense.

    Why would Ba harbor ill intents towards anyone of us?

    She chose not to betray you, besides, Luke pped her twice and he definitely didn''t hit her softly.

    Not only that, he wanted to beat her and even possibly rape her.

    Why would she now harbor ill intent towards us after I saved her from experiencing something terrible?"

    With a tone clearly showing that she did not approve of Corey''s reasoning, Ashley spoke then removed her hand from Corey''s shoulder.

    "Ashley, Luke cheated on Ba twice and hit her once, months before what just happened.

    Despite all that Luke did, she always went back to him.

    That should show you that whenever ites to Luke, Ba never thinks straight and there''s still a probability of her harboring ill intent towards us."

    Corey said calmly and Ashley rubbed the middle of her brows.

    "Look at me Corey."

    She spoke but Corey did not respond.

    "Look at me Corey."

    She said once again and this time Corey sighed, then turned towards her.

    Ashley looked into Corey''s eyes and when she saw his eyes which barely had any emotions, she felt slightly ufortable.

    "Do you also believe that Ba loves been in a toxic rtionship?"

    She asked and Corey''s lips parted open, but just as words were about to flow from his lips, Ashley interrupted him.

    "You know that Ba does not actually enjoy been in a toxic rtionship right?<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The main reason Ba did not leave Luke was because she loved that scum and because of her past.

    You know that most girls that enjoy been in a toxic rtionship don''t actually enjoy the beatings.

    Most would leave the rtionship if it''s too toxic and enter a new toxic rtionship, but Ba never entered a new rtionship and she has never had sex with any other person other than Luke.

    Ba did not stay with Luke because she enjoyed been beaten, cheated and treated like shit.

    It was because she loved Luke and was also afraid of been left alone."

    Hearing Ashley''s voice that was filled with mild anger, Corey kept quiet for a few seconds before he spoke.

    "It''s because of that ''love'' that I want to kill Ba."

    With slight sarcasm in his tone as he said the word ''love'', Corey paused then continued:

    "Since Ba can decide to go back to Luke even after all that he did to her because of the ''love'' she had for him, there''s a chance she would harbor ill intent towards us because of this ''love''."

    As soon as Ashley heard Corey''s words, a strange expression appeared on her face:

    "Do you know what love is Corey? Have you ever been in love?"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    She asked with an extremely curious tone.

    "I was once in love with Ba."

    "No.... You were never truly in love with her. If you were, you''ll never be so calm saying you want to kill her just because of your fear and insecurity."

    Ashley shook her head while speaking in a tone that contained slight pity after hearing Corey''s reply.

    "This conversation is going nowhere, I''m leaving and you better don''t stop me."

    Corey turned back and ced his hands on the doorknob wanting to leave, but just as he ced his hand on the doorknob, Ashley spoke:

    "Will your conscience be clear after you kill Ba who has not harmed you in any way, after all she has done for you?

    Wasn''t she your friend? And weren''t you her friend?"

    Corey paused hearing Ashley''s words but a few secondster, he turned the knob and opened the door slightly, but just as he opened it slightly, Ashley spoke once again:

    "If you go out of that door, I''ll be forced to fight you and my subordinates will also join in the fight."

    Hearing Ashley''s threat, Corey finally stopped and stood there for a few seconds without saying a single word.

    "I hate threats."

    Five seconds passed and Corey finally spoke with a calm tone.

    "You think I like threatening you? You forced me."

    Ashley spoke while shifting her body stance slightly, getting ready for a battle.

    Around ten seconds passed and the air between them got hotter, then,

    Sigh

    "Fine, whatever, I won''t kill her."

    Corey heaved a tired sigh then closed the door stunning Ashley.

    "I thought you weren''t going to change your mind."

    Ashley said and Corey shrugged then walked past her, towards the bed.

    "Making enemies of you and your subordinates just because of my ''insecurity'' towards Ba isn''t worth it.

    Also, if you or somebody from your group survives and escapes, that would spell more trouble for me.

    And I need information from you."

    As Corey sat on the bed in the room with Rhea on his left shoulder, he patted the bed then spoke:

    "Come, sit. We have a lot to talk about."

    "You''ll tell me everything you know about our current world, what is happening to it and most especially, everything you know about the temple of mes and the pope."

 Chapter 89 89: Status Of Planet New Earth

    After Corey spoke, the room became silent for a few seconds before Ashley sat on the bed, not too far and not too close to Corey.

    "What exactly do you want to know?"

    Ashley asked and Corey rested his back on the headrest of the bed then replied:

    "Everything you know regarding our current world and the top powers of the world.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    I know you know a lot or at least more than most, so tell me what you know and also about you if you want to."

    Hearing Corey''s reply, Ashley''s brows furrowed slightly before she sighed softly then muttered to herself:

    "Now where do I start from."

    "How about you start from you. Tell me about yourself, your background¡­ That''s if you want to. I''m not forcing you."

    Corey replied calmly hearing her muttered words.

    Ashley looked at Corey for a few seconds before her lips parted open and she spoke:

    "Before the apocalypse happened, the people in power knew beforehand that it would happen.

    Some humans outside the came into our and met with world leaders unknown to everybody, even me.

    The humans told the world leaders about the iing apocalypse but didn''t tell them about the wish screen. At first the world leaders didn''t believe them but eventually they did, though I don''t know what they did to convince them.

    After convincing the world leaders, the humans decided to integrate with the us, the natives of the by bringing their religions and forces here.

    That''s why we have the Temple of mes which serves their god, Ogun, The Temple of Water which worships their goddess, Oshimiri, The Temple of Earth which worships their goddess, Gaea and The Temple of Darkness which worships their god, Lucifer.

    The people that brought those religions were the actual Popes of their religions which is strange whenever I think about it."

    As Ashley muttered herst words, Corey replied with a calm tone:

    "Yes it is strange but don''t go off track and continue the story."

    Ashley nced at Corey and when Corey saw a hint of displeasure in her expression, his lips twitched and he spoke:

    "Please."

    The moment he said ''please'', the hint of displeasure disappeared from Ashley''s face causing Corey''s lips to twitch once again.

    ''Women.''

    He thought and just as he had this thought Ashley continued speaking:

    "Although I mentioned only the popes and the temples, there are more human foreign forces that came before the apocalypse.

    It''s mainly due to this foreign forces that the world leaders were able to do a few things, for example, if you noticed, even if the apocalypse happened, you were still able to receive calls and messages. Communication through mobile phones is still possible.

    I don''t know what else they did, but that''s one."

    "When did this foreign forcese to the?"

    Corey asked with a slightly confused expression, since a thought had been bothering him ever since Ashley spoke about the world''s history.

    "About 10 years ago."

    Anna replied and Corey''s confusion increased.

    "So they had ten years to prepare but the world still became like this?"

    Corey''s words contained a hint of mockery, disdain and disappointment.

    "I''m not entirely sure what happened but when I called my father, he told me that the apocalypse was much worse than he expected and that the Universal System cheated lots of people."

    Ashley sighed after speaking and Corey had raised eyebrows hearing her words.

    "What do you mean?"

    Ashley nced at him before fidgeting with her fingers subconsciously, a worried expression could be seen on her face.

    "In most movies and novels, whenever there''s an apocalypse, it''s either a zombie, parasite, disease or mindless monster rted apocalypse at the beginning.

    But this time, the apocalypse that happened was much worse.

    New Earth is currently split apart and wars are been waged as we speak."

    Hearing the anxiety in her voice, Corey kept quiet and waited for her to continue her words.

    "When the apocalypse happened, you saw the face with twelve eyes that appeared in the sky and released twelve beams of light to different parts of the world?"

    Ashley asked and Corey nodded.

    "ording to my father, the ces where those twelve beams of lightnded have be inhabitable to humans

    The ces have changed so much, for example, one of such ces has be a ce that''s always burning, fire rages non stop in that ce and it has literally be hell.

    Another ce has lightning that continuously strikes the ground.

    While at another ce, an extremely huge and tall mountain appeared from the beam of light, killing everybody that was in that location.

    There were so many changes at the twelve ces that it has be forbiddennds on the."

    Hearing the words of Ashley, Corey was at first intrigued but then he became confused.

    "Is it because of these twelve ces that you said the apocalypse was much worse and that wars were been waged?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    He asked and Ashley shook her head.

    "It''s not because of that."

    She took a pause, then continued:

    "After the twelve beams of light were released, portals emerged in different parts of the world and different races appeared.

    Races like vampires, werewolves, undead, titans etc. appeared in different parts of the world, and if the foreign or native forces in those ces were not strong enough to defend their territory ornd, then the new races would take over that territory.

    So currently wars are been waged, both by the foreign and native forces of New Earth."

    "I see."

    Hearing the words of Ashley, Corey mumbled while stroking his chin.

    "But howe there''s no war here? In this territory controlled by the Temple of mes?"

    He asked but then he remembered something and spoke:

    "We''re in the territory of the temple of mes right?"

    "Yes we are."

    Ashley nodded her head then continued:

    "As for why there''s no war, my father is not sure but the strange thing is that, in the ces controlled by the four temples, the only thing people faced were revenant species and they are rtively weak and are like mobs."

    "Also, I think those foreign races are even afraid to go the territory of the four religions."

    Hearing Ashley''s words, Corey''s eyes glinted in a contemtive light before he spoke:

    "You said something about the Universal System cheating lots of people, what did you mean?"

    Ashley sighed as soon as Corey finished speaking then a chuckle filled with slight mockery and amusement escaped her lips.

    "I don''t know if I should say that the Universal System cheated them since honestly, nothing is ever for free."

    "What do you mean."

    Corey''s brows furrowed hearing the ominous words spoken by Ashley.

    "You know that there are some people that wished to be gods, the strongest human, strongest devil etc.?"

    Ashley asked, her tone containing slight mockery and pity as she spoke:

    Meanwhile Corey nodded and Ashley seeing him nod, continued to speak:

    "Well, the thing is that their wishes were granted but the Universal System yed them."

    "Those that wished to be gods became ''gods'', the Universal System made them tier 4 beings, they became gods... but they were merely gods amongst men.

    As for those that wished to be the strongest human.

    Have you ever heard of a high human before?"

    Ashley asked and Corey nodded shocking Ashley.

    "You have? Where?"

    She asked in a shocked tone and Corey replied nonchntly:

    "I met one crazy old man like this and he told me a few things. High humans was amongst them."

    "Oh¡­ That old man was probably from a foreign force."

    Ashley said and Corey shrugged nonchntly, not bothering to clear up the misconception.

    "Anyway, those that wished to be the strongest humans, were made to be the strongest normal humans on New Earth and their power was barely on par with tier 3 beings.

    The worst part of it was that, those that made all those wishes were temporarily unable to tier up, but the duration of the inability to tier up was not mentioned."

    "Hmm."

    As soon as Ashley finished speaking, Corey''s brows furrowed and various thoughts passed through his mind.

    At first he found the situation of those who wished to be extremely powerful immediately amusing,ter, the words, ''Nothing is ever for free'' spoken by Ashley made him frown with an ufortable feeling.

    ''What she said is true, nothing everes for free.

    Unless the Universal System is genuinely a saint and I 100% doubt that.''

    Corey thought and decided to put this thought at the back of his mind since at the moment, there was nothing he could do concerning whatever consequences or payment, the Universal System would give or want from him.

    He looked at Ashley for a few seconds then he spoke:

    "Thank you for all the information you''ve given me."

    "It''s nothing really. You would have learnt about it eventually."

    Ashley waved her hands slightly and replied in a nonchnt tone.

    "Now that you''ve told me about the world, tell me everything you know about the temple of mes and their pope."

 Chapter 91 91: Lending A Hand

    (Two dayster)

    Corey woke up after a long sleep and stood up from the bed in the room.

    After having his bath and brushing his teeth, he looked at himself in the mirror in the room with just a towel wrapped his waist.

    He touched his chest and arms which still had a few scars and bruises despite him healing himself with average regeneration.

    Also, his body which was skinny the first time he woke up was noticeably better after sleeping and eating lots of food.

    "Haa."

    He sighed softly then walked to the bed where a ck hoodie, ck shorts, boxers and a pair of cool ck sneakersy.

    He picked up the boxers which was given to him by Ashley along with the remaining clothes. Although he was curious as to where she got the clothes, he didn''t bother asking since it was clean.

    As his mind thought about Ashley, he could not help but remember the events that happened after Ashley left after kissing him.

    At first he was extremely confused as to why Ashley kissed him because never in his life did he think that Ashley would kiss him or even find him attractive in any way.

    Anyway, despite the thoughts or feelings Ashley had towards him, he couldn''t reciprocate nor did he have time to bother with it.

    His main goal at the moment was revenge and him saving his sister.

    He didn''t have time for feelings which he definitely could not feel nor reciprocate.

    After ridding his mind of unnecessary thoughts after the kissing escapade, Corey instead of how best he could preserve his life in the ck sea.

    Although it seemed like he was nonchnt when Ashley spoke out her concerns regarding his decision, Corey definitely did not want to throw his life away.

    He very much wanted to avenge his family and destroy the temple of mes, so why would he want to throw his life away.

    So Corey started thinking of a n that could enable him to survive in the ck sea, and it was during the time he was formting this n that he remembered the two tentacle mermaid corpses he had in his inventory.

    He brought them out and after dissecting them, he found their soul stones and a skill crystal.

    The skill crystal contained the passive skill, Underwater Breathing much to Corey''s relief.

    Although the skill granted him the ability to breath under water, he could only breath for two hours under water with the skill.

    With the skill, Corey had a much better chance of surviving.

    So after thinking about his n for a few hours, Corey went back to sleep and surprisingly Ashley came to his room the next day.

    Although when she entered his room, the atmosphere was slightly awkward for a few seconds, then Ashley spoke and told him her reason foring.

    She told him she forgot to tell him about the clown and the words he spoke.

    Corey was surprised and slightly stunned hearing the words spoken by the clown and he could not help but wonder what sort of effect the clown''s words must have had on people.

    Although he was curious on the reason as to why the clown wanted chaos and did what he did, he didn''t dwell too much since he had other things to focus on.

    After Ashley told him about the clown''s words, she gave him two item, his ancient spear and a soul stone.

    Corey was at first confused when Ashley gave him a soul stone, but when he held the soul stone with his right hand and a notification popped up from the Universal System, he was stunned when he realized that the soul stone was the soul stone of the tier 2 Smiley.

    After he took it, she told him that apart from the soul stone, the tier 2 Smiley dropped a staff which was meant for mages, so she took it and gave him the soul stone.

    Although Corey was at first confused when he heard that the tier 2 Smiley dropped a magical staff, he eventually shrugged it off and kept the soul stone.

    Since at the moment, he was not a mage nor did he have magical attacks, he left the magic staff with Ashley, knowing full well that it was more suitable for her.

    After he kept both the ancient spear and the soul stone in his storage ring, he thought that was all Ashley wanted to tell and give him, but then she asked him a question which shook him slightly.

    She asked him if he wanted to see his parents.

    Corey was not able to reply for a few seconds before he told her that he would see them tomorrow, which was now today.

    Corey sighed softly once again as he just finished tying his shoeces. He inhaled then exhaled softly and a secondter, he stood and walked to the door.

    He opened it, walked out of the room, then closed the door.

    He walked towards Ashley''s room which was also on the top floor of the duplex they were in.

    As soon as he reached the door to Ashley''s room, he saw two people, a male and a female, standing outside the door as guards.

    They both nced at him and after seeing him, they opened the door without saying a word, seemingly expecting him.

    Corey walked into the room which resembled a study and there he found Ashley sitting behind a desk with her left hand on her cheek and a small frown on her face as she looked at a bunch of papers on her desk.

    Corey nced at her and seeing her huge amount of paper on her desk, he spoke:

    "What happened to you?

    Why are you frowning?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Ashley looked at Corey with a slightly surprised expression hearing his words.

    Although she knew when Corey entered the room and she was just about to greet him, she was surprised when she heard Corey asking those questions.

    "Uhm, it''s just a slight issue that I already expected."

    Regaining herposure, she tried to brush off the topic while resting her back on her chair and rubbing the middle of her brows.

    "What is the problem?"

    Despite the fact that Ashley tried to brush off his question, Corey still asked confusing Ashley the more. She looked at Corey and saw that he had an indifferent expression and her confusion increased once more.

    "I want to start my force, my own organization but I need various things. People, resources, money, clearance of the monsters around, and so on.

    I''m just thinking of how to solve those problems."

    Even though she was confused as to why Corey was still insisting on knowing what her current issues were, she decided not to ask and just tell him.

    Meanwhile Corey walked to the chair in front of Ashley and just as he took his seat, he spoke:

    "How much money do you need?"

    "Like 5,000 gold coins."

    With raised eyebrows, Ashley replied, wondering why Corey was asking.

    She did not believe that Corey had up to 5,000 gold coins since it was not exactly a small amount.

    "Stretch out your right hand."

    Corey spoke calmly, confusing Ashley.

    Though she was confused, sheplied and stretched out her right hand.

    Corey also stretched out his right hand and held Ashley''s outstretched right hand.

    "Transfer 5,000 gold coins."

    He spoke indifferently and a secondter, Ashley''s eyes widened when she saw a notification pop up in front of her, asking her if she wanted to ept 5,000 gold coins.

    "Wh- What?"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    She stuttered and Corey replied calmly:

    "ept it."

    Ashley looked away from the translucent screen in front of her and looked at Corey:

    "Why are you giving me 5,000 gold coins?"

    She asked with a confused tone, not bothering to ask how Corey had 5,000 gold coins instead since she knew that he definitely had his secrets such as her.

    Corey was slightly surprised hearing her question since he expected her to ask him how and where he got 5,000 gold coins from.

    "You helped me bring my parent''s corpses to this ce and I''m grateful for that, because if you didn''t, there''s a very high possibility that their corpses would be possessed by revenants."

    Corey spoke calmly and Ashley became slightly stunned hearing his reason for giving her 5,000 gold coins.

    "Yes, I brought your parents to the building so that revenants would not take over their body but isn''t this amount too much?"

    Ashley spoke with a suspicious tone and Corey heaved a tired sigh.

    "Do you want the money or not?"

    "If you don''t want it, reject it and take me to where my parent''s corpses are.

    If you want it, ept it and please let''s go to where my parent''s corpses are.

    I want to leave this ce as fast as possible, the longer I stay here, the more dangerous it is for me here."

    Corey spoke with a slightly annoyed tone and Ashley quickly epted the 5,000 gold coins.

    "Thank you."

    She spoke softly since the money Corey gave her would help her a lot with her ns.

    "No problem, let''s go to where you kept my parents."

    Corey replied nonchntly and stood up from his chair.

    "Alright, let''s go."

    Ashley replied and stood up also.

 Chapter 92 92: She Knows

    "They''re in front of this door.

    Do you want to go in alone?"

    Ashley''s voice resounded as she stood in front a door with Corey by her side.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Corey looked at the door with his heart beating slightly faster than usual and without replying Ashley, he walked towards the door, opened the door then entered.

    Ashley''s lips twitched slightly and without saying a word, she walked to the wall beside the door and stood with her back against the wall and her arms crossed.

    Meanwhile Corey after entering the room which was like a storage room saw two bodies which were in open body bags.

    "Mom, Dad."

    Corey mumbled seeing the two body bags.

    He stayed rooted in the same spot for at least ten seconds without making a single sound.

    He just kept on looking and after some seconds passed, he finally walked to the body bags.

    He looked at the closed eyes and peaceful faces of both his mom and dad for a few seconds before his eyes moved down to the other parts of their body.

    But just as his eyes moved down, his eyesnded on their necks and he stopped.

    He narrowed his eyes and his eyes became slightly colder when he saw the crushed necks of his parents.

    He clenched fists subconsciously as he could imagine the painful and traumatic way his parents died, and the worst part of it was that there was a high chance that Anna probably saw the way they died.

    Just the thought of it made his blood boil and his clenched fists to tighten.

    "I''m sorry Mom and Dad for been weak.

    I''m sorry for failing to protect Anna.

    I''ve sorry for been a failure of a child.

    No matter what, I''ll bring back Anna and let her watch the temple of mes burn in mes.

    There would be no temple of mes in the future.

    So please, forgive me for my weakness and I pray your souls rest in peace."

    Corey spoke with a low and soft voice, then he released a soft sigh after speaking.

    He crouched and then he touched the bodies of his parents, and a secondter, he poured mana into the spatial ring on his finger and ced the bodies in his ring.

    After the bodies disappeared, Corey crouched while looking at the previous spot of their bodies with a vacant expression in his eyes.

    A few secondster, he sighed once again then stood and walked out of the room.

    "Are you okay?"

    Just as he walked out of the room, he heard Ashley''s voice and he turned towards her.

    "I''m okay, thanks for asking."

    He replied with an indifferent tone and Ashley unfolded her arms. A conflicted expression appeared in her eyes for a few seconds before she sighed then spoke:

    "I need to tell you something."

    Corey raised both eyebrows hearing Ashley''s words and seeing her conflicted expression.

    "What is it?"

    He asked calmly and Ashley had a slightly nervous expression.

    "Alright, so don''t do anything irrational and don''t be angry when I tell you."

    She spoke with a slightly worried tone and expression, meanwhile Corey was beginning to get irritated and annoyed.

    "Just say it, we don''t have all day."

    His irritation and annoyance could clearly be heard in his tone causing Ashley to tighten her lips slightly.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Ba heard all that we said in the room."

    "Hmm? I don''t get."

    Hearing her words, Corey was confused and his confusion showed in his tone.

    "Ba was at the door when we had that argument about you killing her.

    When I left the room, I saw her sitting on the door with her hands and face on her knees."

    "..."

    Corey''s head tilted to the right hearing the words of Ashley and a ''wtf'' expression on could be seen on his face for three seconds.

    "What did you do to her?"

    He asked with a calm tone and an ufortable expression appeared on Ashley''s face.

    "We just talked, but don''t worry, I have everything under control."

    Ashley at first started with a soft and slightly unconfident tone but as she said herst words, the confidence in her tone increased.

    "I don''t care what your n is, just make sure she doesn''t know where I''m going.

    Just know that if she dares to harm me in the future, she''s dead.

    Right now, she''s your problem, not mine."

    Corey spoke nonchntly, and after speaking, he walked away.

    But just as he took a few steps, Ashley spoke softly:

    "Are you leaving now?"

    Corey paused and two secondster, he replied:

    "Yes, I''m finally leaving."

    Ashley bit her lip softly and then she spoke:

    "Make sure you stay safe and you don''t die."

    She said and Corey without saying anything continued walking but after taking a few steps, he stopped.

    "Oh yeah. If any strangeres and asks you for my location, don''t fight them and tell them my location."

    Without looking back and with a calm tone, Corey spoke, but his words confused Ashley.

    "Why?"

    She asked because, although, her doing that would make it safer for her and her group in case somebody strong or a group came to her ce looking for Corey, it would definitely make it more dangerous for Corey.

    "I need bird food and I hope I can get a lot before I reach the ck sea."

    Corey spoke with an indifferent tone, meanwhile Ashley was confused by his words.

    "What do you mean?"

    She asked but Corey did not bother exining and just walked away.

    Ashley seeing Corey''s disappearing back had aplex emotion in her eyes before she sighed wistfully and then walked to her room.

    ----

    (Some Hours Later)

    With his ck hood covering his head and Rhea on his left shoulder, Corey who was at first looking at the ground, looked up and a strange glint appeared in his eyes as he looked at a building which was extremely unfamiliar but in an extremely familiar ce.

    Withplicated expression, Corey exhaled softly then walked towards the mansion which was his family''s home due to his mother''s wish.

 Chapter 93 93: Disbelief

    As Corey walked towards his family''s mansion, his heart could not help but beat a little bit louder and faster than usual.

    He got to the door of the mansion and with a soft exhale, he opened the door of the mansion.

    A stunned expression appeared on his face the moment he saw the interior of the mansion.

    He didn''t know how to properly describe it, he didn''t know what words to use.

    The interior of the mansion just screamed of opulence and Corey was slightly bedazzled by what he was seeing.

    A few secondster, Corey inhaled then exhaled. He took a step forward, then walked to the direction his room was located in their previous home.

    Although, he wasn''t sure if his room was still in that direction, he just decided to go there since he knew nothing about this house.

    A few minutester, after opening the wrong doors multiple times, Corey appeared in a room which he guessed was his.

    The room looked much better, finer and more beautiful than an even top ss hotel rooms.

    Corey observed the room for a few seconds before he walked towards what he guessed should be a wardrobe.

    He opened it and when he did, a stunned expression appeared on his face when he saw so many expensive looking clothes in his wardrobe.

    "Howe?"

    Corey had raised eyebrows but after thinking about it, he shrugged when decided that it didn''t matter.

    "This shouldst me for a while."

    He spoke and with a calm expression, he touched the wardrobe and a secondter, it disappeared into his spatial ring.

    After the wardrobe disappeared, he looked around once again and after thinking about it, he decided to also take the bed in the room with him.

    Some secondster, he walked out of the room and walked to his next destination which was the kitchen.

    His goal was to see if what Anna said about their new house having a refrigerator that had unlimited foodstuffs was true.

    If it was and she was not joking, he nned on keeping the refrigerator since he would probably never have to worry about food again.

    But the problem he was currently facing was how to locate the kitchen.

    "I hope it''s this door."

    Corey sighed after speaking as he stood before a door with a slightly frustrated expression.

    Ever since he started looking for the kitchen, he had opened two doors, but those three doors only had empty rooms which slightly frustrated him.

    Without further ado, he opened the door and when he did, he stood rooted on the spot after seeing what was inside.

    There was nothing bad or abnormal inside the room, no, it was just a normalrge and beautiful room, but just by looking at the room, Corey knew it was his parents'' room.

    A few secondster, he took a step inside and walked into the room.

    He looked around withplex emotions in his eyes and just as he was looking around, a confused expression appeared on his face when he saw something on one of the bedside tables in the room.

    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    He walked to the bedside table and with an extremely confused expression, he picked up a in white mug.

    He turned it over and when he saw five letters beneath the mug, his confusion increased exponentially.

    "How is this possible?"

    Corey muttered while looking at his name which was on the underside of the in white mug in his hands.

    This in white mug in Corey''s hands was something Corey would always recognize as long as his memories was still intact and he was still mentally alright.

    This in white mug was Corey''s favorite mug which his dad mistakenly fell when he was berating him after showing him his poor result.

    Before the apocalypse, Corey did not know why, he just loved this mug so much that he did not allow any other person, even his sister to use it.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    He used the mug to drink water, tea, coffee, beverages, anything that was drinkable and he never got tired of the mug.

    It was strange, yes, but that was how much Corey loved the mug.

    The mug was a gift from his father when he was young and when his father asked him if he wanted his name to be ced on the mug, he said yes.

    But he told his father to put his name underneath the mug because he loved the in whiteness of the mug and he didn''t want to ruin it.

    When his father broke the mug, it actually pained him more than he showed it on his face, but since he was too tired and depressed at that point in time, he just pushed it aside since he was more worried about more important things.

    But now, as he held his favorite mug which was in one piece, did not have a single crack on it and looked even newer and better than before, Corey could not help but be extremely confused.

    Just as he was confused, his eyesnded on a familiar nylon on the floor beside the bedside table.

    He crouched and opened it, but when he did, he stopped moving and his pupils shook.

    A soft chuckle escaped his lips and he covered his eyes with his right hand.

    "Why dad? Just why?"

    He mumbled while chuckling with pain in his voice.

    Inside the nylon bag were the broken pieces of his favorite mug which he picked up after his father ordered him to.

    Seeing the broken pieces of his favorite mug and another replica of his favorite mug, Corey instantly knew why there were two of his favorite mugs.

    His father used his wish for a perfect copy of his favorite mug.

    When Anna told him that he would be shocked and surprised by his father''s wish, she could not be more right.

    "Although I really cared about my mug, did you have to use your wish on my mug?

    Did breaking my mug really affect you that much?"

    Corey who did not shed a single tear even when he saw the corpses of his parents, had little bit of tears dripping from his hands despite him covering his eyes.

    His father using his wish for a replica of his favorite mug would be considered extremely stupid decision by most.

    In fact, it was even stupid to Corey, but despite him finding the decision of his father stupid, his decision hurt him more than he expected and wanted.

    Never in a million years did he think his father would use his wish on his favorite mug.

    Never did he think his father would be so bothered by something that was ''insignificant''.

    But the more he thought about it, the more he could visualize the events that happened when his father was probably making his wish.

    His father did not believe in the wish screen at all and he said that the main reason he made his wish was because he was annoyed by the fact that the screen did not get out of his face, so he probably just made any random wish, and this random wish was about his favorite mug.

    "Ah."

    A low, painful and tearful moan escaped Corey''s lips as he knelt on the floor, his hands tightly clenched around the mug in his hands, but surprisingly, it didn''t break despite the fact that Corey''s strength was definitely above that of a normal human.

    Though, Corey did not notice any of this due to his erratic mental state.

    A few secondster, Corey sniffed then wiped off the tears from his eyes and a secondter, with frigid cold reddened eyes, he spoke:

    "If I don''t destroy the temple of mes and kill the pope, then my name isn''t Corey Zane."

    After he spoke, Corey''s pupils became white for an instant before it receded and became normal.

    He stood with his favorite mug in his hands but a secondter, it disappeared after Corey sent it to his spatial ring.

    He released a soft sigh with his eyes closed after the mug disappeared, then he walked towards the door with Rhea who had not made a single sound on his left shoulder.

 Chapter 95 95: The Black Sea

    (14 dayster)

    In the middle of the ck sea, a white speed boat could be seen moving at an extremely fast speed on the surface of the ck sea.

    If one looked behind the boat, they would find that at a distance of approximately 100 meters, the sea behind was been disturbed and the disturbance was rapidly approaching the speed boat at an extremely fast speed.

    Corey who was at the steering wheel of the speed boat, looked at the disturbance behind him with a slight frown.

    "I guess I''m going to lose my fifth boat." He muttered then released a soft sigh.

    After sighing, he looked up and his eyesnded on a ck bird which was Rhea that was around 30m away from him.

    He looked at Rhea for a few seconds before he looked behind him once again. Seeing the monster which was the cause of the disturbance in the ocean rapidly closing the distance between him and it, his eyes became slightly colder.

    With a calm expression, he activated the auto pilot of the speed boat, making sure the speed boat continued to move forward in a straight line and at a fast speed.

    He then moved to the back of the speed boat where a closed cylindrical container that was more than half of his height could be seen.

    With a calm expression, Corey opened the container and the moment he did, a bloody smell permeated the surroundings and if one looked inside the container, one would see the source of the bloody smell which was unsurprisingly, blood. Blood which had filled more than half of the container.

    Ignoring the bloody smell which he was already used to, he ced the container at the rear of the boat in such a way that the blood in the container poured into the sea at a moderate rate.

    After doing that, he walked back to the steering wheel with a calm expression, he deactivated the auto pilot, turned the steering wheel fully to the left, reactivated the auto pilot, then walked to the edge of the boat and took a step back.

    ''Super Jump''

    Bang

    The speed boat shook after using the skill super jump, and like an eagle, Corey soared into the air far away from the speed boat which was moving in the opposite direction at a fast speed with the monster in the sea still chasing after the speed boat.

    With a calm expression, Corey had his eyes on the ck sea beneath and with his legs together and straightened, he ced the swimming goggles on his head on his eyes and waited.

    Four secondster,

    Thud

    Ssh

    Corey fell into the water and for two seconds, his body kept on going deeper into the ocean before he swam upwards.

    Ssh

    Five secondster, Corey''s head emerged unto the surface of the ck sea and without hesitation, he stretched out his right hand and interacted with the spatial ring on his hand.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    A secondter, another speed boat materialized on the surface of the sea and with the unique ability of the ghost gloves which provides a good grip on objects, Corey was able to climb unto the swaying speed boat.

    He then walked to the steering wheel, started the ignition, looked up and when he saw Rhea who was up in the air, around 50m away from him, he drove towards her.

    After driving for at around 30 minutes, he activated the auto pilot, rubbed his neck then released a soft sigh while resting his back on the chair of the speed boat.

    His eyes moved towards Rhea who was up in the air, doing the task which he gave her when he was still with Ashley and her group.

    Corey had thought of several ways, methods and ns to survive in the ck sea and one of them was him making Rhea to scout ahead while she was up in the air.

    One of the things he learnt after Rhea became his pet was that she couldmunicate with him. Although themunication was not precise like how humansmunicate, Rhea could warn him of the dangers ahead and guide him on the safest path towards the temple of water.

    As for how Rhea could locate the temple of water, it was due to the map which he could ess from his status window, ever since he reached level 100.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The map could not really be called a map since it didn''t show anything other than two different colored dots which represented his location and the location of nearby evolution centers.

    Right now, on the map, it just had two different colored dots with a in ck background at the back.

    The dot representing the evolution center was a golden color which was also where the temple of water was located, ording to Ashley.

    Meanwhile, the dot representing him had an orange color.

    With him knowing the way to the temple of water and Rhea as a scout for danger, he would guide her on the direction to the temple of water, while she would warn him of any danger.

    Asides from using Rhea as a scout, Corey also decided to take more than one boat after he reached the port of the ck sea since he knew there was a high chance of him encountering danger that would need him to abandon the boat.

    An example was what happened some minutes ago.

    Assuming he didn''t have an extra boat, he would be in deep trouble since the monster that was chasing him was a tier 2 monster.

    Maybe, he could have killed it, but Corey would as much as possible, prefer not to fight in the dangerous ck sea and elicit a response from the terrifying creatures deep below the ck sea.

    He had a few encounters with some terrifying creatures which were definitely stronger than the Right Guardian.

    There was a time when he was driving the speed boat, he saw an extremely huge creature pass underneath his speed boat and at that point in time, he genuinely thought his life was over, but luckily, it seemed that the meat on his body would probably not fill the gaps in the monster''s teeth so the monster probably left him.

    There was another time, Rhea was the one who was in danger.

    In the past, whenever Rhea flew, she didn''t fly so high up in the sky, she was always around 40m above the sea water, but on a particr day, just as she was flying, numerous tentacles erupted from beneath the ocean, wanting to grab her and pull her into the ocean.

    Corey''s was worried at that point in time because if Rhea died, his journey on the ck sea would be extremely dangerous, but surprisingly, Rhea was able to dodge the tentacles and flew higher up into the sky, making it that the tentacles could not reach her, much to the tentacles frustration, anger and... unfortunately for Corey.

    After the tentacles could not capture Rhea, it went after him, and let''s just say, he was praising the Goddess of Luck that he decided to bring more than one boat and that he had the underwater skill and the oxygen tank.

    Corey did not know how far the temple of water was and how long it would take him to reach there, but he was determined to reach there no matter what so that he could tier up and be stronger.

    The urge to be much stronger had been etched into Corey after he lost Anna and his parents.

    Caw!

    Just as Corey was a little bit lost in his thoughts, he heard a loud caw from Rhea causing him to look at her.

    p p

    "What happened?"

    Corey asked in a surprised tone when he saw Rhea flying back to him, something she never did during their journey, unless she was tired, and he knew that she was definitely not tired because she just rested yesterday.

    Caw!

    Rhea cawed then pointed her right wing to his right with a worried and nervous expression on her face.

    Corey seeing her nervous and worried expression frowned and looked, but when he looked, he had to squint his eyes to see due to his eyesight bing slightly poor.

    And as soon as he saw what was worrying Rhea, his eyes widened and his mouth opened.

    "What the-?"

 Chapter 96 96: Titan Carrying Coffin

    Although Corey could not see the source of Rhea''s anxiety clearly, what he saw made him move towards the steering wheel immediately and without hesitation, he pressed the leg throttle and drove forward at full speed.

    A few secondster he looked behind him and his eyes widened slightly when he saw the source of Rhea''s anxiety clearly.

    Previously, he could only see a dark fog, dark clouds and ck lightning striking repeatedly in the distance with numerous waves stirring up in the distance.

    But now, the dark fog, dark clouds, ck lightning and waves were closer to him and he could finally see what was inside the dark fog.

    And let''s just say, he somewhat wished he didn''t see what was in the dark fog because never in his life did he think a monster like what he was seeing could exist.

    In the dark fog was a creature which could only be described as titanic, it was so tall that Corey had to strain his neck to see it''s head despite the distance between him and the creature. It was also humanoid but it''s appearance was definitely and absolutely far from resembling a human.

    The titanic creature had a single head but definitely not a single face, at least from Corey''s point of view.

    Corey could see three faces on the creature''s head. One at the front and two at both sides.

    Although Corey could not see the faces on the sides of the creature clearly, he could see the face at the front clearly and he wasn''t sure why or if he was lucky, the face at the front had it''s eyes closed.

    Apart from the multiple faces of the creature which was extremely absurd and somewhat disturbing, there was something more disturbing which was the stomach of the monster and it''s right hand.

    At the stomach of the monster was a wide open mouth which was continuously releasing the ck fog that was surrounding the titanic creature.

    Also, at the right hand of the creature was something creepy and outright disgusting.

    Instead of fingers at the creature''s right hand, the creature had wiggling tentacles that dripped a ck liquid into the already ck sea, making the ck sea sizzle and produce mist.

    The creature also had thick, big, ck chains around it''s chest which extended deep into the ck sea.

    With it''s waist above the surface of the sea, the titanic creature took steady steps that caused waves upon waves on the ck sea.

    Rumble!

    Rumble!

    Boom!

    The darkened skies rumbled and lightning struck the titanic creature repeatedly as the creature closed the distance between Corey and it.

    "It''s speed is too fast."

    Corey spoke with narrowed eyes and in the next second, he swerved the speed boat to the right, hoping to move away from the iing creature. Meanwhile Rhea had already entered her pet space.

    But it seemed like his luck had run out.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    A few secondster, Corey who was desperately trying to go far, far away from the titanic creature could hear the loud rumbling and ps of thunder, the churning waves and the sounds of the titanic creature''s footsteps on the ocean bed.

    Corey looked behind him and when he saw that the titanic creature was just moving in a straight line while ignoring his existence, he was slightly relieved, but that relief was short-lived when he realized a very big problem.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The huge waves stirred up by the titanic creature was definitely going to affect him, not only that, he was extremely worried about the lightning strikes.

    A few secondster,

    "Oh shit."

    Corey spoke with a frustrated and worried expression as he saw a huge wave which looked like the wall of Chinaing towards him.

    Without hesitation, he covered his eyes with the goggles, ced the nose mask of the oxygen tank on his nose and jumped into the ck sea, leaving behind the speed boat.

    He swam deep into the ocean, hoping that the force from the wave would lessen in intensity the deeper he goes.

    A few secondster, the water around him churned due to the wave and Corey tumbled.

    He lost his bnce for a few seconds before he regained it, but despite him regaining his bnce, the water around him was disturbed immensely and Corey wanted to leave no matter what.

    But just as Corey was about to turn, his eyesnded behind the immense legs of the titanic creature.

    Corey could see the chainsing from behind the upper back of the creature reach the sea bed of the ck sea.

    As Corey looked at the chains, he noticed a few things.

    First, the chains which were on the upper back of the creature were extremely big and thick, but as the chains stretched deep into the ocean bed, it''s size began to reduce to almost the size of a normal sized chain.

    Another abnormality that Corey noticed was that, normally, Corey could not see the depths of the ck sea but right now, as he looked at the legs of the creature, he could see clearly.

    And due to the fact that he could see clearly, he could see where the chains on the titanic creature were connected to.

    With every step the titanic creature took, it dragged a ck coffin which was bigger than a human sized one.

    Around the coffin were the ck chains which came from the titanic creature.

    Just as Corey was looking at the ck coffin, three ck lightning bolts struck the coffin repeatedly causing Corey to close his eyes.

    And just as he did, huge waves rose from the ck sea once again causing Corey to tumble in the ck sea for some seconds before he stopped.

    When he stopped, he swam up without hesitation, wanting to move far away from the titanic monstrosity.

    After around 10 seconds passed and Corey finally reached the surface, but when he did, his eyes widened once again when he saw a white mist from afar that epassed at least a hundred metersing towards his direction, or to be more specific, going towards the direction of the titanic creature.

    "Not again with this bad luck."

    Corey spoke with a frustrated tone and expression, and just as he did, a voice rang out in the surroundings, reaching his ears.

    "Do you need help young man?"

 Chapter 97 97: Decision

    "Do you need help young man."

    A calm voice spread out unto the environment, reaching Corey''s ears, causing him to turn the source of the voice.

    "Do you need help young man?"

    The voice spoke out once more and with a surprised, confused and suspicious expression.

    In front of him was a ship made out metal and at the edge of the ship, was a middle aged man in ck shorts and tees.

    This middle aged man was the person who spoke and was currently looking at him. Apart from the middle aged man, Corey could see other people moving around in the ship, some shouting orders while others were busy working.

    "If you''re done looking, do you want help young man?"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    The middle aged man asked once again causing Corey to look at him, and when he did, he noticed that the man had a face filled with sincerity.

    "I hope you know that the approaching mist in the distance is extremely dangerous. The mist is not actually a mist, it''s a bunch of vengeful spirits that would attack anything that has life around them.

    Also, know that their range of perception is actually high.

    So, unless you have something that can defend against powerful spirits or hide your presence, just know that you can''t survive with your strength."

    The middle aged man spoke and exined with a sincere expression after seeing the cautious expression on Corey''s face.

    He expected the cautious expression on Corey''s face to decrease but to his surprise, Corey''s cautious expression did not decrease.

    "That mist of vengeful spirits are actually going for that titanic abomination."

    The middle aged man gestured towards the titanic creature which was already extremely far away from them, but the mist of vengeful spirits, although not fast and not slow, were reducing the distance between them.

    "If you''re wondering how we n on surviving the mist of vengeful spirits, this ship has a function which can mask our life force, thereby not allowing the vengeful spirits to notice us.

    You''ll be safer with us... that is if you don''t have your own way of surviving the mist of vengeful spirits."

    The middle aged man then nced at the mist of vengeful spirits with a slight frown on his face.

    "What are you doing here?... In the ck sea?"

    Corey asked with a calm expression and the middle aged man turned towards Corey, a slightly confused expression on his face.

    "We''re fishermen of the ck sea. Some of this monster''s sell for a high price and sometimes we find treasures which can be sold for lots of money.

    But unfortunately, today was such a bad day for us to fish."

    The man spoke and Corey had raised brows.

    "Why?"

    "We encountered one of the forbidden, the true dangers of the ck sea, the titanic abomination."

    The middle aged exined while gesturing towards the titanic creature which they could still see despite the distance between them.

    "So do you need help or what?"

    The middle aged asked and Corey nced at the mist of vengeful spirits which were about 500m away from them.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    ''Record''

    Corey activated his talent skill, Record on the mist of vengeful spirits and his left eye changed to rapidly changing numbers, symbols and letters.

    A few secondster, his eyes changed back to normal.

    ording to Record, the ''mist'' in the distance was a bunch of vengeful spirits just like the man said, and some of those spirits were tier 3 or higher since Record could not record some.

    He looked at the middle aged man with a calm expression, though he was slightly surprised internally that the man was not lying.

    ''Record''

    He activated Record once again, but to his surprise, his talent skill did not get activated.

    A frown crept up on his face when he realized that and he nced at one of the men that was giving orders on the ship.

    He activated Record once again, and this time, it worked but he was shocked when he realized that the man was tier 2.

    "Answer me young man. Are youing with us?"

    Just as he was lost in his thoughts, the middle aged man spoke with a frustrated tone.

    Corey nced at him and for two seconds, he kept quiet before he spoke:

    "Thank you for your offer, but I would have to decline that offer. I''ll be fine on my own."

    Although the mist of vengeful spirits were dangerous and would probably kill him, Corey would rather face them than enter a ship filled with powerful humans that mysteriously appeared around him and were also ''fishermen'' of the ck sea.

    Humans were much more dangerous creatures because of their ability to think deeply, cunningness and sometimes cruel nature.

    Corey did not entirely believe that this group were ''fishermen'' that just encountered him then decided to help him.

    For all he knew, this group might even be part of the Temple of mes or they might want him for the reward given by the temple of mes.

    It would not be the first time that Corey would encounter a group that would want attempt to help him but truly, they meant him harm cause of the rewards given by the Temple of mes.

    The group that he killed before he entered the ck sea was such a group.

    When he first encountered them, they saw him when he was walking and offered him a ride despite him not telling them where he was going.

    When he realized that the group were not as strong as he was, he decided to use them and go somewhere near the ck sea port, but the moment he reached near the location, they attacked him and the battle that ended their lives ured.

    Despite all that had happened to Corey, Corey is not the type of person that would say he wouldn''t trust any human just because of everything that happened to him.

    He''s also not the type of person that would say that all humans were evil and would cause him harm, so he was not going to trust anybody.

    It''s just that this ship, this group in front of him was extremely shady and suspicious to him despite the sincerity the middle aged man who he assumed to be the captain of the ship/group showed.

    And unfortunately, it seemed that his worries were not unfounded.

    "Oh. That''s too bad, but you can''t leave."

 Chapter 98 98: Fishers Of Men

    "Oh. That''s too bad, but you can''t leave."

    The middle aged man spoke and when Corey looked at him with a calm expression, he spotted a slight grin on the man''s lips.

    "I mean, you''re the fish we have to catch which will rake in lots of money for us."

    Just as the middle aged man spoke, a surprised expression appeared on his face when he saw Corey dive into the water without hesitation, not even waiting for him to act or continue his words.

    "And where do you think you''re going?"

    The middle aged man spoke and after he spoke, he waved his left hand and arge ck appeared in the air.

    He waved his left hand and in the next instant, therge ck dived into the water and chased after Corey.

    Meanwhile Corey who was trying to go far away from the middle aged man had a calm expression as he tried to think of a way or ways he could use to escape and survive.

    At first, he had the idea of him bringing out another speed boat to escape, but the time required for the speed boat to start the ignition would be a major problem for him and would definitely not allow him to escape.

    So dismissing that idea, he decided to dive deep into the ck sea while thinking of ways to escape and survive.

    And a few secondster, an idea came to Corey''s head and after thinking about it, he decided to implement the idea.

    With an image of an anchor in his mind, Corey activated the ring of mimicry and a secondter, part of his mana depleted and his body felt extremely heavy.

    Another second passed and the speed of Corey''s descent increased drastically.

    A few seconds passed and just when Corey was thinking he was probably deep enough, his eyes caught sight of something unusual in the dark water, but before he could react, the unusual object appeared in front of him and to his shock, he saw arge ck appear around him.

    He stretched out his right hand, wanting to bring out the ancient spear from his spatial ring, but just as he stretched out his right hand, the ck shrinked and reduced the distance between them at an extremely fast speed.

    In the blink of an eye, the ck appeared a few centimeters away from his flesh and in the next instant, it wrapped around Corey, not granting Corey any room to move.

    "Shit."

    Corey cursed with a frustrated expression and just as he cursed, he was pulled upwards at a fast speed.

    ''Even when I came to the ck sea to avoid humans, I still met them.''

    Corey sighed inwardly and some secondster, he appeared on the ship and in front of him was the middle aged man with a slight grin on his lips.

    "I don''t know how you expected to escape me after I ced a tracking spell on you."

    The middle aged man spoke with slight amusement in his tone and Corey frowned slightly.

    "Are you guys part-"

    With a calm expression, Corey spoke but just as he was speaking, he stopped and his pupils constricted when he saw the middle aged man in front of him disappear in front of his eyes.

    ''What?''

    Just as this thought passed through Corey''s mind, the world in front of Corey spun and with a this, Corey fell unto the floor unconscious.

    "Fishes like you are the most troublesome.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    They''ll have one scheme or n to make sure they escape and survive.

    I''ve experienced it one too many times to make sure that doesn''t happen again."

    The middle aged man spoke with a calm expression and his right hand in a chopping manner.

    Using his extremely high speed, he was able to disappear from Corey''s vision. He went behind Corey and gave him a chop to his neck, effectively knocking him out.

    After speaking, the middle aged man brought out a pipe for smoking from his inventory.

    "Captain."

    After the middle aged man blew a puff of his smoke from his lips, a voice reached his ears causing him to turn his head towards the source.

    "What is it?"

    The captain asked, looking at his second inmand and if Corey was awake, he would be slightly surprised because the second inmand was the same man he tried Record on but didn''t work.

    The second inmand was although short, even shorter than Corey, he was way bigger, more buff and had a bald head with tattoos on his face and arms.

    He was wearing only a white singlet with ck shorts and no footwear.

    "I think this fish is wanted by the temple of mes.

    Should we give him to the temple of mes, or we should give him to the Underworld?"

    Hearing the words of his second inmand, the middle aged man frowned as he looked at the unconscious Corey on the floor.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    A pondering expression appeared on his face for some seconds before he replied:

    "We take him to the Underworld.

    We''re behind our quota because of that titanic abomination and the consequences would be dire if we don''t deliver to the Underworld."

    The old man spoke and a slightly nervous expression appeared on his face when he thought of the consequences due to not satisfying the Underworld.

    The second inmand also shuddered slightly thinking of the consequences.

    He looked at the unconscious Corey on the floor and an expression filled with disdain appeared on his face.

    "Although you were smart and wise in not trusting us,you''re just took weak to ever be of a threat.

    From the moment we saw you, your were destined to be a fish we would catch.

    I mean, we''re fishers of men, not fishers of fish or monsters.

    From now on, your life is going to be like never before."

    With a soft chuckle filled with mockery, amusement and disdain, the second inmand left leaving Corey who was wrapped up in a while been unconscious.

    And just like the second inmand said, Corey''s life was never going to be the same after he goes to the Underworld.

 Chapter 99 99: A New Place

    (In an Unknown ce)

    "So you''re telling me that we can''t see his stats, nor can we remove the gloves on his hands?"

    A handsome middle aged man in a white suit who was seated on a chair spoke as he looked at a translucent screen that was hovering on top of a watch on his right wrist.

    The translucent screen was divided into two sections. One side of the section had letters, symbols and numbers, while on the other side was a rotating picture of Corey.

    "Yes sir. We suspect that he has an item that can hide his stats. Not only that, the appraisers suspect the gloves to be a growth type item."I

    In front of the man in white suit was a kneeling middle aged man in a ck armor who spoke.

    The man in white suit nced at the middle aged man in ck armor and with his head resting on his left fist, he spoke:

    "It''s not the first time that something like this has happened.

    So tell me what the real problem is."

    With his head still bowed low, the man in armor replied:

    "The problem is that, no matter how hard we searched for the item which hides his stats, we can''t find it on his body.

    We''ve even performed an internal scan on his body but we still can''t find it."

    "Hmm¡­ That is something¡­ new."

    The brows of the man in white suit furrowed slightly and he spoke with a slightly surprised tone.

    He stroked his chin for a few seconds with his left hand and his eyes moved towards the image of Corey on the translucent screen.

    "Don''t worry too much about it. He''s still a tier 0 human and there''s no saying if he would be able to survive here.

    Weaklings can never survive in the Underworld."

    The man spoke with an indifferent tone, then he looked at the kneeling man in armor and spoke:

    "Were you able to remove everything he had in his inventory?"

    "Yes we removed everything in his inventory, though he didn''t really have anything that was significant or interesting.

    He also had two rings on his right hand, but one was just a normal ring and the other was called the Cursed Dryad''s Ring, we removed the Cursed Dryad''s Ring and left the other ring since it was just a normal ring."

    The kneeling man in armor spoke with a deep voice and the man in white suit raised an eyebrow.

    "You''re sure that ring isn''t the item that''s concealing his status window?

    And you''re also sure it''s just a normal item?"

    The man in white suit asked calmly and the man in armor nodded slightly.

    "It isn''t Sir.

    We removed the ring and even isted it, but we still could not see his stats.

    Even the best appraisals couldn''t find anything special about the ring. They said it''s just a normal ring."

    The man in armor replied with a drop of sweat falling unto the floor.

    "Hmm¡­ Since he''s just tier 0, I guess there''s no cause for rm.

    But just know that if you were wrong and that ring is actually a treasure and causes damage or harm to the Underworld¡­ You''re dead."

    With a calm, indifferent tone and expression, the man in white suit spoke and the man in armor trembled slightly.

    "Yes Sir."

    He replied and the man in white suit waved his hand softly.

    "You may leave."

    He said and the man in armor stood, bowed and without saying a single word, he left.

    The man in white suit looked at the back of the man in ck armor, then his eyes moved towards the image of Corey.

    "If he causes any waves in the Underworld, I guess I''ll just have to watch him the more¡­

    That is, if he even survives at the beginning of the Underworld."

    The man in white suit spoke softly and with a tap on the wrist watch, the translucent screen disappeared.

    ----

    "Wake up you cunt."

    A cold and deep voice filled with disdain, mockery, amusement and excitement rang out into the ears of an unconscious Corey who was on a ck floor that was stained with blood on various parts.

    "I said wake up you cunt!"

    Ssh

    The voice rang out once again, but this time, his voice had a pinch of annoyance and anger in it.

    Meanwhile Corey who was at first unconscious, immediately became conscious when a bucket filled with a smelly dark liquid was poured unto his face.

    Cough Cough

    He coughed violently due to the vile smell that entered his nose and throat.

    "Oh, now you''re awake."

    The voice rang out once again and Corey with a confused and disgusted expression looked at the source of the voice.

    And when he did, he saw a bald huge man with a long scar on his right cheek, one permanently closed eye and a sadistic grin on his face.

    "Why do the newbies always want to bath with animal urine before they wake up."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The bald man spoke once again, but this time, he turned to his right and when Corey looked, he noticed an tall lean man without a nose a few meters away from the bald man.

    "Stop wasting my time and take him to the arena."

    The tall lean noselese man spoke with a voice that was extremely soft.

    "Sure, sure."

    The bald man shrugged then turned towards Corey with a sadistic grin.

    He walked towards Corey and when Corey tried to move, he realized he could not move.

    He looked at his hands and feet, and when he did, he noticed shackles and chains on his wrists and ankles.

    "Let''s go cunt."

    With the same sadistic grin, the bald man spoke and with a soft chuckle, he pulled Corey up then pushed him to the front.

    "Walk cunt."

    The bald man spoke and when Corey looked at the front, he noticed a huge ck gate some meters away from him.

    p!

    "I said walk cunt."

    With a hard p to the back of Corey''s head, the bald man spoke with a threatening growl.

    Corey nced at him with a calm expression for a few seconds and just as he did, the bald man spoke:

    "What are you looking at?

    Are you deaf? I said move cunt."

    Without an ounce of emotion on his face and without saying anything, Corey turned and walked forward with the ufortable shackles and chains on his wrists and ankles.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Just as Corey got closer to the gate, he heard loud sounds and he felt the floor beneath his feet tremble slightly.

    His brows furrowed slightly and a few secondster, he reached the ck gates, making him to hear the sound much more clearly.

    ''That sounds like¡­ drums?

    "Alright cunt, make sure youst long enough for the entertainment."

    Just as Corey had that thought, the bald man spoke and with a rough yank by Corey''s shoulders, he turned Corey towards him and brought out a key from out of nowhere.

    He brought the key closer to the shackles and just as he did, a keyhole appeared on the shackles.

    A few secondster, the shackles and chains fell off from Corey''s wrists and ankles, giving him freedom.

    Corey rubbed his sore wrists and looked at the two men with a calm expression.

    ''Record''

    He activated Record and his left eyes changed rapidly and three secondster, his eyes changed back to normal.

    ''They''re both tier 2.''

    Corey thought and just as he had this thought, the bald man spoke with a tone filled with frustration.

    "Do you want to do something stupid cunt?"

    Hearing the words spoken by the bald man, Corey ignored him and with a calm and indifferent expression, Corey walked towards the gate much to the bald man''s displeasure.

    He harrumphed and the tall lean man walked to the wall on his left and ced his hand on the wall.

    The moment he did, the gates were pulled up, bringing light into the slightly dark tunnel he was in.

    The moment the gates were fully opened up, extremely loud sounds exploded into Corey''s ears causing him to squint his eyes.

    BAM!

    BOOM!

    BAM!

    BOOM!

    BOOM!

    BAM!

    BAM!

    BOOM!

    BAM!

    "ARE YOU READY PEOPLE FOR THE FIRST MATCH OF THE DAY PEOPLEEEE?!!"

    "YAAAAAAAA!!!"

    "THEN WITHOUT FURTHER ADO!!

    LET''S FUCKING GOOOOO!!!"

    BAM!

    BOOM!

    BOOM!

    BAM!

 Chapter 101 101: The Underworld

    "You know I''m surprised that you survived cunt."

    The bald man with a long scar on his cheek spoke with a slightly surprised tone as he looked at the skinny figure of Corey in chains.

    Meanwhile Corey remained silent despite the words of the bald man. Ever since he appeared in this ce he had not a single word, much to the displeasure of the bald man.

    "So you won''t say anything?"

    The bald man spoke with a threatening tone and expression, but just as he spoke, a soft voice rang out in the dim tunnel they were in.

    "Enough. He''s not the first person to act like this.

    If he wants to remain silent, let him remain silent.

    It''s his choice."

    The tall lean man without a nose spoke and to Corey''s slight surprise, the bald scarred man stopped speaking.

    Although he was surprised, he didn''t say anything nor did his expression change.

    With an indifferent expression, he continued walking ahead of the duo.

    Some minutester, Corey had a frown on his face and wondered where they were going since for at least ten minutes, they had just been walking in a straight line.

    He looked back and saw the duo looking at him with a calm and indifferent expression.

    "Stop looking back and face the front cunt."

    The bald scarred man spoke and without a change in his expression, Corey turned his head back.

    A few minutester, Corey raised an eyebrow when he saw a dead end ahead, but since the duo behind him didn''t say anything, he continued walking.

    When he reached the dead end which was actually an extremely smooth wall, the tall lean man without a nose walked to the smooth wall, then ced his hand on it.

    A second after he ced his hand on it, the smooth wall parted open and a small cubicle appeared behind the walls.

    ''An elevator?''

    With raised eyebrows, Corey thought and just as he had this thought, a nudge to his back pushed him forward.

    "Move cunt."

    The bald scarred man spoke with contempt.

    Corey nced at him and the bald man perceiving his nce spoke once again:

    "You''re not the first person to have that eyes when looking at me, so stop looking at me with those eyes and look at me with respect cunt."

    Hearing the words of the bald scarred man, Corey paused for a second then he continued walking to the totally white cubicle.

    "Stop ying around Scar and let''s get on with this. We have other work to do."

    The bald scarred man clicked his tongue in regret hearing the words of the tall lean man and with a slightly regretful expression, he followed the tall lean man into the in white cubicle.

    As soon as all three of them entered the cubicle, the entrance to the cubicle closed and just as Corey suspected, the moment the entrance closed, Corey felt the floor beneath his feet shift and just like an elevator, he felt himself going down.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    He tried to ascertain the speed at which they were going but he could not since the cubicle he was in felt normal.

    He looked around trying to see if he would find something that might be helpful to him in the future but to his disappointment, he found nothing and only saw a four cornered white colored cubicle.

    Ignoring his disappointment, he looked at the shackles on his wrist with a slight frown.

    ''I can''t use mana because of this chains.''

    Corey thought with furrowed brows and a few secondster, he sighed internally and waited once again.

    ''Maybe I should have stayed with Ashley and her group.''

    Corey thought and just as he had this thought, he remembered something and decided to check it out.

    ''Please tell me one is here.''

    Corey hoped internally, and with a thought, he willed for the map which showed the position of the nearest evolution center.

    A translucent map which the two people working for Underworld could not see appeared in front of Corey.

    Corey looked at the map and when he saw a golden dot that was not too far from him, a relieved expression appeared on his face.

    ''At least an evolution center is around here.''

    ''I guess I have to find a way to use it... or at least get there.''

    Corey thought with a calm expression then he dismissed the map.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    A few seconds after he dismissed the map, he felt the elevatore to a stop and a secondter, the door in front of him slid open to the left.

    As soon as the door opened, a cacophony of sounds, voices,ughter and moans flowed into Corey''s ears causing Corey to look outside the elevator and what he saw stunned him.

    Outside the elevator were so many humans sitting,ughing, arguing, fucking, eating or doing one thing or the other.

    At first the humans were doing their own things, but as soon as the door to the elevator opened, all of them became silent and looked at Corey with various expressions.

    Corey felt his scalp tingle when he felt all those stares.

    But a few secondster, Corey saw disappointment, indifference and disdain in the expression of some and most returned to their activities and ignored him.

    "Well I guess your luck must be very high.

    It''s meal time already."

    With sarcasm in his tone, the bald scarred man spoke and when Corey looked at him, he was surprised when he saw the shackles which were on his ankles and wrists, in the hands of the bald scarred man.

    "Move cunt and try to survive for as long as possible."

    With augh full of mockery and contempt, the bald scarred man pushed him outside the elevator and in the next second, the door closed, leaving behind a smooth ck wall.

    Corey looked at the wall behind him for a few seconds before he released a sigh.

    ''What does my terrible luck have in store for me now?''

 Chapter 102 102: Welcome To The Underworld

    ( Beware, this chapter might be too dark for some)

    As Corey looked at the smooth wall in front of him with furrowed brows, he released a soft sigh then turned back.

    With calm, indifferent eyes, he looked around, trying to figure out his current situation.

    The first thing he noticed was that, the number of humans were more than he expected.

    They were probably in thousands, maybe even tens of thousands.

    Another thing which he had noticed before was that everybody was doing their own thing, maybeughing, arguing, fucking, eating and even bullying.

    Another thing that Corey noticed was that there was a queue at a particr spot, and from what he could see, they were serving food at that spot, though Corey could not see what type of food they were serving, nor did he care, at least at the moment since he was definitely not hungry.

    It had not been long since hest ate and with him no longer been a normal human, he didn''t need to eat as frequently as before.

    After looking around, Corey walked towards a secluded corner in the extremelyrge room he was in.

    He sat on the floor and when he did, he noticed a few nces at his direction but he ignored them.

    He looked up and saw an opaque ss ceiling with some parts emitting light.

    Corey tried to look for the source of those lights but no matter how hard he tried, he could not find them.

    He looked away from the ceiling, then looked at his hand, specifically his right hand which had the Ring of Mimicry on one of his fingers.

    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    He opened his status window and when he checked the items section, his brows furrowed slightly.

    ''So they took everything in my inventory.''

    He looked at his right hand, then his left hand.

    ''But why didn''t they take the ring of mimicry and my ghost gloves?''

    He tried to think of a reason but he couldn''t figure it out since he was not so knowledgeable regarding stuffs rted to the ''magical'' word.

    ''I''m lucky the old man gave me the storage ring or I''d be in serious trouble.''

    Corey thought and just as he had this thought, he frowned once again when he realized another problem.

    The storage ring could also hide his stats and assuming this Underworld could remove his stuffs from his inventory which was shocking when he thought of it, it was definitely not impossible for them to check out his stats¡­ but if for some reason, they could not.

    ''That''s a big problem.''

    Corey thought, then he released a soft sigh.

    He rubbed the middle of his brows and just as he did, he frowned slightly when he noticed something.

    The surroundings¡­ had be quiet.

    He looked up with a frown and when he looked at some people, he noticed them looking at a particr direction with a respectful and fearful expression.

    He looked in that direction and when he did, his eyes widened slightly when he saw a 6''9 bare chested giant walk towards the queue where they were serving food.

    The 6''9 giant was extremely muscr and his bare chest and arms were filled with so many tattoos making his white skin to look ck. He was only wearing shorts which looked tight on him.

    Corey looked at his face and saw a full beard on a face which could be considered handsome.

    ''Record''

    Corey used record but his left eyes didn''t change causing his expression to change slightly.

    He continued watching the giant and unsurprisingly, he saw the people move away for him, but surprisingly, when the giant was extremely close to the counter where he could collect his food, a group of three did not move.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Corey looked at the group of three and a confused expression appeared on his face when he realized that the group of three were tier 0.

    The giant looked at the group of three in front of him with an indifferent expression, waiting for the group to move but when he saw that they were not moving, his brows were raised.

    "I''m sorry Sir, we''re new here and we''re very hungry, we''ve not eaten for days. Please we''ve finally reached the counter, so please let us just take our food and we''ll leave."

    A young male voice spoke out and as Corey looked at him, he guessed he should be around his age.

    Behind this boy were two girls which should also be in their early twenties.

    One of them was pulling the hands of the boy with a slightly nervous expression, signaling for them to leave, while the other just stood behind the boy with a fearful expression.

    The giant just looked at the boy with a raised brows and after a few seconds passed, the boy thinking his pleas were heard bowed his head and spoke:

    "Thank you-"

    Before he could finish his words, he felt a hand on his head and the next scene made Corey to raise his brows.

    With one hand on the boy''s head, the giant made the boy to stand upright and in the next instant, the giant ced his other hand on the boy''s shoulder and with a slow yank, he pulled the boy''s head off his neck much to the shock and horror of the two girls behind the boy.

    "Kyaaa!!!"

    The girl with a fearful expression released a shriek, meanwhile the girl who was pulling on the arms of the boy stumbled backwards with a fearful expression.

    The giant looked at the shrieking girl and with a step, he moved closer to her, grabbed her by the throat and bent her over.

    Using his free hand, he lowered his shorts then pulled the girl up.

    "No, no, no. Please No!!!"

    The girl begged with an extremely fearful expression as she looked at the gigantic erect penis of the giant but the giant with an indifferent expression lifted her up and in the next moment, he prated her forcefully and Corey could see bloode out from the girl.

    "Stop, stop, please stop!!"

    The girl pleaded with a scream but the giant just continued moving back and forth with an indifferent expression.

    Some minutester, he dropped the girl who had fainted due to the intense pain she was feeling.

    The giant looked at the other girl and just like the previous girl, he raped her but this time, even when the girl passed out, he continued until he blew his load into her.

    After finishing with both girls, a lean man wearing a long robe walked up to the giant.

    "Boss, can we have the two of them?"

    The lean man asked and the giant with an indifferent expression waved his hand, then pulled up his shorts and walked to the counter, collected his food from the respectful server.

    Meanwhile the lean man had a joyful expression seeing the response from his boss.

    The lean man turned and shouted towards a certain group that had both men and women.

    "You hear that guys, new toys!"

    "Fuck yeah!!"

    Both the males and females in the group shouted with excited expression and they walked to the unconscious females and another round of disgusting grunts and sounds erupted from the group as they had an orgy amongst themselves as they raped the two girls.

    Just as Corey was looking at all of this with a frown, he felt something on his shoulder and a voice reached his ears.

    "Wee to the Underworld kid, the ce of madness and sins. How about we talk?"

 Chapter 103 103: Welcome To The Underworld 101

    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "Wee to the Underworld kid, the ce of madness and sins. How about we talk?"

    As soon as those the words flowed into Corey''s ears, his pupils constricted and in the next instant he grabbed the arm on his shoulder, kicked his right leg backwards in an attempt to trip the source of the voice.

    As soon as he felt his right leg hit the leg of the person behind him, he instantly tightened his grip around the arm and tried to fling the other person over his shoulders.

    But,

    "Calm down kid. I''m not here to hurt you, if I wanted, you''d be dead by now."

    The person spoke with a calm tone filled slight amusement as he tightened his grip on Corey''s right shoulder.

    Corey could feel an iron griping from the hand on his shoulder and from the grip, he knew he could not defeat the person behind him in terms of strength.

    "What do you want?"

    Corey asked with a calm voice and as soon as he asked, the person behind him removed his arm from his shoulder.

    "Like I said, I just want us to talk."

    The person said and Corey turned back, wanting to see the person behind him, and when he did, he was slightly confused when he saw the person.

    "Why the confused expression kid?"

    The person in front of him asked and Corey raised an eyebrow, but he didn''t reply.

    Though, in his thoughts,

    ''You don''t look much older than me, so why are you calling me a kid?''

    Corey had this thought as he looked at the person in front of him which looked around his age.

    The young man in front of him was what everybody would call handsome. He had a devilishly handsome face and his hair and eyes had two colors, blue and red.

    Most of his hair was red while the tip of his hair was blue. Meanwhile his left eye was blue and right eye was red.

    He was wearing ck trouser and a pale blue long sleeved t-shirt, on his feet were white sneakers.

    "What do you want?"

    After taking in the young man''s appearance, he asked once again causing the young man to chuckle.

    "I guess you''re not much of a speaker."

    He said and Corey replied with an indifferent tone.

    "Towards strangers? Yes."

    Hearing Corey''s words, the young man lifted one of his brows, then spoke:

    "Well let me introduce myself then."

    He paused, then continued.

    "I''m Divine but in this ce, people call me Fireboy, WizKid or KidIce. Though my people call me Captain or Captain Divine."

    With a proud expression and tone, the young man, no, Divine spoke and Corey for an instant did not know why, but he just had the urge to punch his face and knock off that proud expression on his face.

    Reeling in his urge, Corey just had an indifferent expression as he looked at Divine.

    Cough

    Divine coughed with a slightly embarrassed expression and a secondter, he spoke:

    "Whatever, you don''t have to speak."

    Divine spoke and Corey spoke once again:

    "What do you want?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Hearing and seeing Corey''s indifferent tone and expression, Divine sighed internally.

    ''What''s with this kid? He''s just a neer so why is he so indifferent and calm?''

    Divine thought with a frustrated expression, then he sighed and spoke:

    "I was watching you when you first arrived here and after watching you for some time, I was impressed by your demeanor and the decisions that you made."

    Divine said, praising Corey but Corey still had an indifferent expression hearing the praise and did not say a word.

    Divine expected Corey to say something but much to his frustration, Corey didn''t say a single word.

    "Anyway, I''m here to invite you to my group and I can also give you information regarding the Underworld."

    Divine said and Corey raised both of his brows.

    "You want to give me information for free?"

    Corey asked with a suspicious tone which showed that he clearly did not believe Divine words.

    In a psychotic ce like this, there was no way he would believe that somebody would decide to help him for free or for no reason.

    "Of course it''s not for free. I want you to join my group."

    "Not interested."

    Hearing Divine''s words, Corey did not hesitate to reject his offer and was about to turn around.

    In this sort of ce where he knew nothing and nobody, there was no way he was going to join a group he had zero information about.

    But just as Corey was about to walk away, Divine spoke:

    "Rx man. Why are you so cautious about everything."

    Hearing Divine words, Corey raised an eyebrow then looked at the group which were still taking turns raping the two girls and having an orgy.

    Divine seeing his silent gesture had an awkward expression then coughed silently.

    "Okay, good point."

    He said and Corey was about to walk away without saying anything, but Divine spoke once again and his words caused Corey to stop:

    "I''ll give you the information for free, you don''t need to join my group.

    You know as well as I do that you need info and let me just say that you will not get it easily in this ce at all."

    Corey stopped then turned towards Divine, a suspicious expression appeared on his face and he spoke:

    "Why do you want to help me?"

    Hearing Corey''s question, Divine shrugged and spoke nonchntly:

    "Cause I want to. I just feel like helping you that''s all."

    Corey raised a brow hearing Divine''s answer and he knew that Divine knew he didn''t believe his reason for helping him at all.

    He just wanted to help him, a stranger, in a ce like this, for no reason?

    If that was not bullshit, then he didn''t know what was.

    "So let''s just say that I believe you, what can you tell me?"

    Corey asked with folded arms and a grin formed on the lips of Divine.

    "Lots of things kid, lots of things.

    It''s time I give you a lecture on the course, Wee to the Underworld 101."

 Chapter 104 104: Dos And Donts: The Five

    With the deadest of gaze Corey could muster, Corey mustered as he looked at Divine with an indifferent expression while not saying anything in response.

    Divine somewhat expecting Corey''s reaction, ignored it and rubbed his chin with a pondering expression:

    "What to start with. Hmm."

    He muttered then he pped softly.

    "I''ll start with the dos and don''ts."

    He said then looked at Corey with a small grin.

    "So let me first tell you about what to do and what not to do in the Underworld."

    Divine said, then with a grin, he moved closer to Corey and moved his left arm, wanting to ce it around Corey''s shoulder.

    Corey moved back, wanting to dodge the arm but like a snake striking at an extremely fast speed, Divine moved closer to Corey, stretched out his arm fully and grabbed Corey''s shoulder, fully cing his left arm around Corey''s shoulder, making it seem like they were close buddies, very much to Corey''s difort.

    "Leave me alone."

    Corey said but Divine ignoring Corey entirely, continued speaking, frustrating Corey the more.

    "So the first don''t is that there are five groups you should never antagonize or be enemies with if you''re not strong enough or if you don''t have a strong enough background."

    Divine said and despite Corey been ufortable with Divine arm around him, he decided not to do anything since Divine was stubborn and stronger than he was.

    "The first group is the group called The Legion of Nightmare. Their leader is called Savage, that guy."

    As Divine spoke, he gestured towards the giant who previously raped the two females but was now eating with an indifferent expression.

    Though as Corey looked at him, he noticed a woman giving him a blowjob beneath the table as he ate.

    "Everybody in the Underworld try not to make enemies with the group because they have one of the highest number of powerful people. Not only that, they have Savage who is actually the most powerful person in the Underworld¡­ sorry, I meant prisoner.

    We''re all prisoners of the Underworld."

    Corey nced at Divine hearing his words and he saw a calm expression on his face.

    He had the urge to ask his own questions, but he decided not to ask and instead wait for Divine to finish.

    "The problem with this group is that if you be their enemy or you''re at odds with them, they''ll never forgive you no matter what.

    Even if it seems like they''ve forgiven you, it''s all a lie.

    There was a time that somebody was at odds with them cause he refused to give somebody from the group a woman he was in love with.

    At first it was just between the two of them but there was a time the man who was protecting the woman fought the person from the Legion of Nightmare and badly injured the person, after that, it got personal between the Legion of Nightmare and the man, and let''s just say, it didn''t end well foe the man at all.

    The man had to continuously fight the ''weaklings'' from Legion for quite some time and eventually, he got tired from all the fighting and gave the woman to the man from Legion.

    Like the man, people thought the feud between the two of them would end, but after the man gave the woman to the guy from Legion, the guy had sex with her in front of the man and everybody, and after using her to an extremely terrible state, he killed her in front of the man and shockingly, the guy and other people from Legion attacked the man and brutally tortured him in front of everybody, eventually killing him.

    That''s an example of the cruel nature of the Legion of Nightmare, besides, you''ve seen the action of Savage, so you should know just how dangerous this group is.

    If you want to know the people that are in this group, it''s easy. They have a ck devilish skull tattoo on the left side of their necks."

    Corey nced at the group which were still having an orgy with a strange light in his eyes.

    Divine also nced at Corey but with a strange glint in his eyes.

    A secondter, he looked away from Corey then continued speaking:

    "Apart from the Legion of Nightmare, there is another group called The Embodiment of Lust."

    Divine gestured towards another group and when Corey looked at this group, his brows furrowed in disgust.

    Just from the name of the group, one could imagine what this group would be about.

    Sex.

    Lots and lots of sex.

    The group were just having sex with reckless abandon amongst themselves.

    Man on woman, men on woman, women on man, man on man, men on man, women on woman and women on woman and so on.

    If it was only that, maybe he would not be so disgusted, but the thing was that, this group did not look normal at all.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Some did not even look human and some just had extra ''parts''

    There were some that had tentacles growing from the back, front or one part of their body.

    Some males had extra dicks that were inhumanly long while some males even had breasts and looked feminine.

    Some females had dicks, yes dicks, not dick.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Some had animal features that were ''sexy'' or would bring about ''lust'' in depraved individuals.

    There were even some females that had small bodies, making them look like kids and Corey just hoped they were Lolis and not actually kids or else this ce would just be something else in his eyes.

    There was so much more but Corey just decided not to describe it anymore since it was actually disgusting for him to just watch.

    "Just like you can see. This group are sex freaks and the worst part of it is that they have the highest number of members and they''re actually more dangerous than you think.

    Everybody in the group are sex freaks and they''re even rapists. They even rape both men and women.

    Their leader, Asmodeus, although is not here, is somebody that all men and women try to avoid."

    "Why?"

    Hearing Divine words, Corey asked and a grin formed on the lips of Divine.

    "Meet him and you''ll find out yourself."

    Corey turned his head away and decided not to say anything in response.

    Divine clicked his tongue with a disappointed expression before he spoke:

    "The third group you should watch out for are called The Devourers."

    Once again, Divine gestured and when Corey looked in the direction of the gesture, a confused expression appeared on his face when he saw the group.

    Most of the group were sitting on the floor and there was arge pot in between the group and as he looked at the group, he noticed that the group were just eating whileughing, arguing and doing other stuffs.

    Though, when Corey looked at the food of some members, he noticed that their foods and mouth were bloodied which was the main cause of his confusion.

    "They are cannibals. In fact, they''re not cannibals, those guys would eat any living thing, whether human, beast or another humanoid specie.

    They are more savage than the other groups and their leader, Prince, is more savage than the other members of the group."

    Divine said and he gestured towards a muscr man that was sitting on a bench while wearing a blood stained apron as he ate using a fork and knife like somebody with manners.

    As Corey looked at him, the leader, Prince, looked back at him and shed him a grin and Corey looked back at him calmly and indifferently for a second, before he turned away.

    Just as he looked away, Divine spoke once more:

    "The fourth group call themselves Assassins and let''s just say that in terms of numbers, although they''re small, they are truly a fearsome group since people don''t know all the members of the Assassins group."

    "Which means, anybody can be an assassin from the Assassins group."

    With a low and ominous voice, Divine spoke into Corey''s ears and Corey looked at him with an indifferent gaze.

    "Is that your group?"

    Corey asked and Divine coughed with an embarrassed expression.

    "No it''s not. We''re still trying to work on the name of our group and although the group isn''t part of the top five groups, it would definitely surpass it in the future and if you miss this opportunity, just know that joining the group in the future would be very difficult for you."

    With a confident expression and tone, Divine spoke but Corey just looked at him with an indifferent expression causing Divine to click his tongue in annoyance and frustration.

    "Talking to you is so difficult."

    He muttered and Corey heard it and he resisted the urge to speak.

    Divine sighed then he continued speaking:

    "Thest group you should watch out for is should I say the most ''normal'' group among the top five."

    With a strange expression, Divine spoke, though Corey did not notice his expression and waited for Divine to continue his words.

    "Thest group is called The Destroyers of Darkness or Darkness Destroyers."

    Divine said then gestured towards a certain group, and when Corey looked at the group, he raised an eyebrow.

    "The group only consists of women. No men is allowed to join their group. Their group is at odds with the Embodiment of Lusts, though, at the moment, their leader, Pam, is unavable."

    Corey raised an eyebrow hearing that and asked:

    "What happened to her?"

    "She''s currently in solitary confinement because she killed an official of the Underworld."

    Divine shrugged nonchntly and after he did, he remove his arm from Corey''s shoulder much to Corey''s relief since it was ufortable for him having a stranger''s arm around his shoulder.

    "An official of the Underworld?"

    Corey asked and a smile formed on the lips of Divine hearing Corey''s question.

    "I guess it''s time for me to tell you what the Underworld is about kid."

 Chapter 105 105: Value Points

    Once again, Divine who did not look much older than Corey called Corey a kid, causing him to furrow his brows.

    He looked at Divine with a dead gaze and when he saw the small grin on his face, he so much had the urge to punch it.

    Resisting the urge, he just looked at with an indifferent expression, not speaking a word to Divine, frustrating Divine once again.

    "Come on man. Speak or at least change your expression.

    It feels like I''m talking to a doll or a dead man at times.

    Do you know how frustrating it is."

    Divine spoke with a frustrated expression and tone, and Corey had the urge to smile but he resisted the urge and just looked at him indifferently.

    Divine sighed seeing Corey''s indifferent expression and with a defeated expression, he spoke:

    "The Underworld is basically a prison which nobody can escape from."

    Corey looked at Divine and when he did, he saw that Divine had a calm expression and Corey had the feeling that he was not bothered by what information, or to be more specific, he felt that Divine was indifferent towards what he just said about the Underworld.

    ''Strange.''

    Corey thought and just as he had this thought, Divine perceiving his stare looked at him and cracked a grin.

    "I know that I''m handsome but I don''t swing that way."

    Corey''s lips twitched hearing Divine''s words and once again, the urge to punch Divine''s face emerged in his heart.

    Divine chuckled softly when he finally saw Corey''s change in expression and with a satisfied expression and tone, he spoke:

    "Although the Underworld is a prison, it''s more like a nurturing center for the top powers on New Earth."

    Divine spoke and this time around, Corey had a confused and curious expression.

    "How did you get here?"

    Divine asked, not continuing his previous words and as soon as he asked, Corey''s eyes became a little bit colder.

    "I was captured by a group which call themselves Fishermen."

    Corey spoke and Divine nodded.

    "Not surprised, that''s how most are brought here."

    Divine paused, then continued:

    "The Fishermen are like ve traders. They capture unfortunate souls, bring them to the Underworld, then take the rewards given to them by Underworld."

    "Like I said before, the Underworld is like a nurturing center for the top powers of the world.

    There are times when somebody might fight somebody from the top powers of the world in the Amphitheatre.

    Also, if somebody is strong enough or has a high number of value points, there is a chance that the person might be able to leave the Underworld and work for one of the top powers¡­ That is if a top power is interested."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Divine took a pause, then snapped his fingers and from out nowhere, a stic bottle appeared in his hands and in the next instant, he drank the liquid in the bottle then he released a satisfied sigh after drinking to his content.

    Corey tilted his head slightly as he looked at the stic bottle with a slightly confused expression.

    "Where did you get that bottle from?"

    He asked and Divine snapped his fingers once again, sending the stic bottle back to his inventory.

    "There are item shops in the Underworld and you get weapons, armors, consumables and stuffs like this there¡­ Though they cost value points."

    "Value points?"

    Corey asked and Divine nodded.

    "Value points represent how valuable you are to the Underworld."

    As Kyle spoke, Corey noticed him ncing at his wrist and when he looked at Kyle''s wrist, he noticed a silver watch on his left wrist.

    "This is the watch of the Underworld. I can''t say much regarding it but just know that you''ll get one when you reach tier 1¡­ It''s inevitable."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Divine spoke with a nonchnt tone and just as Corey opened his lips to ask, Divine cut him off:

    "I told you I can''t say much regarding it."

    Hearing his words, Corey reeled in his question and didn''t say anything.

    "Now let me talk about the value points."

    "Like I said before, value points represent your value to the Underworld and it can be used to purchase stuffs, in fact, almost anything.

    You''re just a tier 0 human at the moment, so your value points is null, zero."

    "You have to be a tier 1 being to gain value points.

    Value points is basically the currency of us prisoners of the Underworld.

    Not only can it be used to buy stuffs, it also represents your status in the Underworld.

    If your value points is high enough, you''ll have leeway in a doing a lot of stuffs cause the top powers would also be interested in you."

    ''This ce is actually not as barbaric as I thought.''

    Corey had this thought as soon as Divine finished speaking.

    "How do you increase your value points?"

    Corey asked and a grin formed on the lips of Divine, and he spoke only two words:

    "Entertainment and Madness."

    "What?"

    Corey''s brows furrowed and a confused expression appeared on his face hearing Divine''s words.

    Meanwhile, Divine with the same grin spoke once more:

    "Although the Underworld is like a nurturing center for the top powers of the world, it''s also a source of entertainment for them.

    The more entertaining you are, the more madness you have, the more the audience would like you, and the more the audience likes you, the more value points you gain, and the more value points you have, the more respect, money and freedom you gain.

    In the Underworld, there is no room for sanity, only madness reigns here.

    Madness and Entertainment."

    With a strange light in his eyes, Divine spoke in a tone that was louder than normal with his arms spread out.

    Meanwhile Corey had a pondering expression after Divine spoke and some secondster, he looked at Divine and spoke:

    "How do I get to use the evolution center in the Underworld?"

    "Since you''re just tier 0 and you don''t have value points, you must defeat five tier 0 humans."

    Corey raised an eyebrow hearing Divine''s words and with a disbelieving tone, he spoke:

    "Just five tier 0 humans?"

    His tone contained suspicion and disbelief since he expected to hear five tier 1 humans or something much more unbelievable.

    "What do you mean just five tier 0 humans.

    They are maxed out tier 0 humans.

    And you''ll have to fight one every five days."

    Divine said with raised brows, his tone containing amusement.

    Meanwhile Corey had a strange expression hearing Divine''s words and he resisted the urge toment.

    ''I guess it won''t be long until I finally be a tier 1 being.''

 Chapter 106 106: Three Places

    (Four Days Later)

    Coreyid on his bed which was way to soft and old, showing it''s low quality.

    With closed eyes and his headid upon his crossed arms, Corey looked at the ceiling of his room with various thoughts going through his mind.

    First of all, the room he was in was his room in the Underworld.

    It was not too big and not too small, it also had a bathroom which was surprisingly clean.

    Asides from having a bathroom, two beds, a chair and a table. It had nothing else.

    And yes, it had two beds.

    He had a roommate and when he asked Divine if he knew his roommate, Divine had a strange expression before he told him that his roommate used his value points to apply for a short break.

    Corey did not know why Divine had such a strange expression and when he asked, Divine just told him that it was nothing too dangerous, though he might be surprised.

    As he remembered Divine, he could

    not help but have a strange and confused expression.

    "This ce is... strange."

    Corey opened his eyes and mumbled when he thought about something which didn''t add up in the Underworld.

    "Divine is higher than tier 2, and it''s not only Divine, there are so many people that are higher than tier 2 here.

    Ashley told me that the people that wished to be gods and the strongest humans were cheated and became only tier 4 or tier 3 humans.

    So if the strongest powers amongst humans on New Earth are tier 4 or 3 humans, how can this guys here be tier 4 or 3?

    Something doesn''t add up. It''s either Ashley''s dad lied to her or didn''t tell her the full truth.

    Or maybe there''s another reason entirely."

    Corey sighed while rubbing the middle of his brows.

    "But this ce is actually much, much bigger than I expected."

    Corey mumbled once again when he remembered what he saw and what Divine told him.

    ording to Divine, the Underworld was divided into three ces.

    The Dining Room

    The Amphitheatre

    And The City of Sin

    The Dining room was where everybody ate and after Divine exined what the dining room and meal time was to him, Corey now knew why Scar said he was ''lucky'' he arrived at meal time.

    Meal time, just like the name, was when meals were ready for the residents of the Underworld.

    One would think that during meal time, the Underworld would provide food for everybody, but this was where one would realize the cruelty of the Underworld.

    The number of Underworld resident''s was at least 10,000, in fact more than 10,000 and despite this immense number, the Underworld only provided enough food that was only enough for 2,500 people.

    When Corey heard this from Divine, he was stunned and he asked how people survived.

    Divine shrugged nonchntly while telling him that people would have to buy food using Value points and if they don''t have enough value points, they steal food, kill, eat other humans or join a powerful group that could get enough food for their members.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    When Corey heard that, he could imagine the number of hungry and starving people in the Underworld and that just made the danger of this ce to increase in his mind.

    Divine also told him that the reason nobody harmed him was because a neer had 10 days of protection, which meant that as long as the neer did not harm or provoke a non-neer, nobody could harm the neer, except other neers.

    The boy who had his head ripped off his body and the two girls who were brutally raped were neers, but since they ''provoked'' Savage who had very high value points, Savage could harm and kill them.

    The Amphitheatre was the ce where official battles took ce and was also the ce where the audience watched and enjoyed fights.

    The Amphitheatre had a barrier that protected the audience from stray attacks.

    Meanwhile the City of Sin was where Corey was and where everybody went to after meal time.

    The City of Sin was just like the name, a city where everybody lived.

    It was divided into three areas: The outer area, which is basically the Slums and where Corey was.

    The Inner Area and The Central Area.

    To move from a lesser area to a better area, one would need to spend value points which was definitely not cheap.

    Also, every resident of the Underworld had a house or to be more exact, something like a boy''s quarters. People in the outer area and some in the inner area had roommates.

    If one did not want a roommate, he or she would have to pay with value points.

    Another thing which was... unique, about where they lived was that where they lived was actually a safe house for the residents of the Underworld.

    When somebody was inside their house, they must not be harmed and they had the authority to decide if somebody could enter their houses.

    ording to Divine, the doors and the houses were indestructible, making it to be a safe ce from attacks, though, Divine told him to not fully believe the fact that he had full authority on the decision on who could enter his house.

    "With the right price, the rules can be bent."

    Those were Divine''s words and Corey was 100% sure that his words did not only apply to the houses.

    Sigh

    Corey released a sigh then touched the left side of his chest.

    "Having a smart pet like Rhea is extremely useful.".

    Corey mumbled as he moved his index finger around the tattoo of Rhea on his chest absentmindedly.

    The main reason he was grateful he had a pet like Rhea was that she could decide to go to her pet space without his permission or him ordering her to.

    She knew when to enter her pet space and an example was when she entered the pet space the moment the titanic creature in the ck sea got close to them.

    Another thing that Corey did not know Rhea had was the ability to make her tattoo vanish temporarily.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    In the past four days, Corey wondered why the officials of the Underworld did not do something about Rhea, but Rheater showed him the ability to make the tattoo vanish.

    "Tomorrow is the day I fight and after that, I''ll finally be tier 1."

    Corey muttered as he looked at the ceiling with the desire to be stronger in his heart.

    He was in a ce where he needed strength more than anything and he would definitely get it.

    A few secondster, his eyes closed and he decided to get some sleep so as to be in the best possible condition for tomorrow''s battle.

 Chapter 107 107: The Fifth Day

    (The next day)

    Corey who was on his bed had a small frown on his face as he slept. He turned and mumbled some words in his sleep with his frown deepening slightly.

    Bam

    Bam

    Just as Corey turned once more, loud bangs resounded from the door of his residence.

    Corey frowned slightly and a few secondster, he opened his eyes.

    ''When did I start having nightmares about the night that I lost my sister?''

    Corey frowned slightly as he had this thought, and just as he had this thought,

    Bam!

    Bam!

    Bam!

    Three heavy knocks resounded from his door.

    Corey looked at his door with a frown, and just as he was about to stand so as to open the door, the door which did not have a door handle slid to the left, allowing those or the person that disturbed his sleep to enter Corey''s abode.

    "Couldn''t you hear us knock you piece of shit?"

    A man wearing ck trousers and a ck short sleeved t-shirt with a design of a hand holding a on the ck t-shirt spoke with a tone containing anger.

    Beside this man was another man who was also wearing the same cloth as this man. This man also had an expression that contained anger, annoyance and impatience.

    Corey nced at the men before his eyes moved to the design on their t-shirts which symbolized the Underworld.

    Every person working for the Underworld wore this t-shirt and ording to Divine, if there''s a star or more than one star on the t-shirt, then it signifies the level of importance of the official.

    ording to Divine, the highest number of stars he knew of were 9. Though, Divine has never seen somebody with a nine star or even eight star.

    Corey seeing no star on the t-shirts of the two men also knew what that meant,

    ''Former tier 1 or tier 0 residents of the Underworld who decided to work for the Underworld, at the cost of their freedom.''

    Corey thought and just as he had this thought, the man who had not spoken, spoke with anger in his tone:

    "We asked you a question you piece of shit.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Didn''t you hear us knock?"

    Corey looked at the man and with a nonchnt expression and tone, he replied:

    "I was sleeping."

    Hearing the nonchnce in Corey''s tone, the anger in the hearts of the two men increased and Corey could see it clearly on their faces but he didn''t care.

    He stood up, looked around then walked towards the two men.

    "Can we go. I don''t have all day."

    With an indifferent expression, Corey spoke and the two men looked at him with anger.

    His indifferent expression, behavior and disrespect angered them, and what angered them the more was that they could not harm Corey unless Corey harmed them first.

    Corey knowing this had no fear towards the two starless officials of the Underworld.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    With a grunt, the two men turned and walked outside Corey''s abode.

    Corey followed and as soon as he did, the door to his house slid to the right, closing.

    The two men walked towards a ck vehicle with the design of the Underworld on the body.

    The vehicle looked like a car but instead of tires, the car hovered above the ground.

    The two starless officials entered the vehicle along with Corey and some secondster, the car came to life and a secondter, it moved.

    Corey who was at the back seat looked outside the window of the car where he could also other residents of the Underworld performing their own businesses.

    Some nced at the vehicle since vehicles in the outer area were rare but when they saw the design of the Underworld, they scurried away in fear.

    The outer area of the Underworld was a ce that was akin but not really like the slums.

    The reason why it was called the slums was because the quality of living here was terrible.

    Divine told him that the outer area could definitely not bepared to real slums in the outside world, butpared to the inner and central area, it was definitely like the slums.

    Corey wasn''t exactly sure why Divine said that since he had not stepped out of his abode ever since the Underworld officials took him to his house.

    But when Corey thought about Divine''s words, a thought appeared in his mind.

    ''The Underworld keeps us as prisoners but with the way they''ve created the ce, it''s like they want some to forget the outside world and to just keep living here.

    This ce¡­ might be a paradise, a heaven for some, but hell and a cmity for others.

    This ce¡­ is actually much more dangerous than I thought.''

    With an indifferent expression, Corey had his right cheek on his right hand as he looked at the changing scenery outside.

    An hour and some minutes passed before the vehicle came to a stop.

    The door beside Corey opened up and with an expression full of dislike, one of them spoke:

    "Get out and walk to the elevator that leads to the Amphitheatre."

    Without responding, Corey got out of the vehicle and when he turned, he saw an extremely tall structure which had no end.

    This tall structure was the elevator that led the residents of the Underworld to either the meal room or the Amphitheatre.

    This was not the only ce that housed the elevators of the Underworld. There were many in the city of sin and one could definitely see them from afar.

    Corey looked at the tall structure with a thoughtful expression for a few seconds, then he walked to the door of the elevator, with the two starless officials at his back.

    He entered the elevator with the two starless officials and the moment they did, the elevator door closed.

    "Take us to the Amphitheatre."

    One of the two men spoke and after he spoke, a beep resounded and a robotic female voice spoke out loud.

    [CHECKING PERMISSION]

    ¡­

    [PERMISSION GRANTED]

    The moment those words were spoken by the robotic female voice, Corey felt the elevator shift, then it moved upwards.

    Corey looked up but all he saw was a white ceiling. He released a soft sigh and waited for the uing battle.

 Chapter 109 109: 5 On 1

    ?

    "What do you think you''re trying to do?"

    Corey''s opponent who previously had an expression of disdain and mockery, now had an expression that was filled with anger.

    Meanwhile Corey hearing the words of his opponent turned towards him and with his head tilted slightly, he asked with raised brows and a questioning expression:

    "What do you mean?"

    "What do you mean by ''What do you mean'' you piece of shit?

    Are you toying with me?

    Are you looking down on me?"

    Corey''s opponent asked with a voice louder than usual due to his rage increasing.

    Meanwhile Corey''s confused expression disappeared the moment his opponent spoke, and with an indifferent expression, Corey spoke:

    "If you''re just going to keep on asking me questions without replying mine, then just keepquiet and let''s wait for your teammates.

    I don''t have time to y with kids."

    "Oooouuuuu!!!"

    Hearing the words spoken by Corey, the crowd in the Amphitheatre made an ''Oouuu'' sound, causing the anger in Corey''s opponent to increase exponentially.

    "You bastard."

    With gritted teeth, his opponent spoke, then brought out a green wooden spear from out of nowhere.

    He took a step forward and just as he was about to attack, the announcer spoke in a cold and threatening tone:

    "You better stop where you are and not take another step forward or the match up would be Five on One without you."

    Corey''s opponent looked at the announcer with a look that was still filled with rage and just as he was about to speak, the announcer spoke once more:

    "The audience want a 5 vs 1 and we will give them a five on 1 fight, not a four on one fight.

    Take another step and I kill you myself.

    We can just bring in five people instead of the four we''re bringing in for this fight.

    You''re just a red star resident, know your ce."

    As soon as the announcer spoke with a deep, cold tone, Corey saw his opponent release a dissatisfied grunt, but he took a step back while giving Corey extremely deadly stares.

    Corey looked back at him indifferently and a few secondster, he sat down on the floor and waited for his remaining four opponents to appear.

    Three minutester, four people appeared and the announcer introduced them all.

    Corey with a calm expression, looked at the four people who appeared and he noticed that the four had expressions that contained slight anger.

    "Is this the newbie runt that thinks he can gain some fame on his first official match?"

    One of them asked and just as Corey''s original opponent was about to reply, the announcer loud voice reverberated throughout the Amphitheatre.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "THE FIVE CONTESTANTS ARE HERE¡­

    SO ARE YOU GUYS READY FOR THE BATTLE?!!"

    "YAAAHHHH!!!"

    "THEN LET THE MATCH¡­ BEGIN."

    "WHOOOOO!!!"

    The crowd erupted in cheers and just as the crowd were cheering, Corey''s original opponent spoke with a threatening tone.

    "I''ll make you eat your words."

    "Sure¡­"

    Corey spoke indifferently and a second after he spoke,

    Woosh

    "What-?"

    The eyes of Corey''s opponent constricted to the limits when he saw the insane speed of Corey''s run.

    All it too was three seconds for Corey to close the 30m gap between him and his original opponent.

    One second was wasted by his opponent due to shock.

    Another second was used by his opponent toe out of his shocked state.

    The third second was used by his opponent to lift his spear.

    The fourth andst second was thest second Corey''s opponent, which he never bothered to ask of his name, spent in this life.

    sh<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    sh

    shing with both axes in just one second, the spear holding arm and the head of the man before him, flew up in the air and for a second, the entire Amphitheatre went silent before it erupted into a full blown cacophony of sounds.

    "OH MY GOD!!!

    DID YOU FUCKING SEE THAT PEOPLE!!!

    WHAT IN THE NINE BLAZES OF HELL WAS THAT SPEED PEOPLE!!!

    Oh... Holy shit wait, he just killed two more red star residents people.

    Am I seeing things people?

    They couldn''t even react!!"

    Just like the announcer mentioned, after killing his original opponent, Corey, not wanting to take any chances, entered his focused state which just made it overkill.

    Without any surprises, Corey cut off the head of two other contestants which were close to each other.

    One was a male, the other, a female.

    After killing the two contestants, he spun around and without hesitation, he flung his dual axes at the direction of thest two contestants at a speed which even Corey would probably not be able to dodge unless he was in his focused state.

    Thud

    Thud

    With a thud, the two corpses of thest two contestants fell with an axe stuck in their heads.

    Silence

    Once again, the Amphitheatre went silent and a secondter, a much louder cacophony of sounds erupted around the entire Amphitheatre.

    "Wow¡­ Just wow¡­ I''m definitely speechless right here.

    I honestly enjoyed that so much and I definitely don''t know what to say, except¡­

    DID YOU FUCKING ENJOY THAT PEOPLLEEE?!!!!!"

    "YAAAHHHH!!!"

    "I SAID¡­ DID¡­ YOU¡­ FUCKING¡­ ENJOY¡­ THAT¡­ PEOPLEEEE!!!!!"

    "YAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

    "SO LET''S GIVE IT UP FOR THE SILENT KNEE BREAKEEERRR!!!!!"

    "SILENT KNEE BREAKER!"

    "SILENT KNEE BREAKER!"

    "SILENT KNEE BREAKER!"

    "SILENT KNEE BREAKER!"

    The audience cheered and Corey looked around the Amphitheatre with slightly furrowed brows.

    He looked at the mic in the announcer''s hand and a secondter, he walked towards the announcer calmly.

    "What is it?"

    The announcer seeing Corey just a few meters below him, asked as he looked at Corey who was beneath him due to him been in the air.

    Corey looked up at him calmly, then replied:

    "I want the mic."

    The announcer raised a brow hearing Corey''s request, and with a slight shrug, he dropped the mic towards Corey.

    Thud

    With the mic in his right hand, Corey looked at the announcer first and he saw a slight smile on his lips.

    He then looked at the audience and he saw smiles on the faces of most of the audience.

    He remembered clearly, the smile of ridicule and disdain the Pope of the Temple of mes gave him while he was lying on the ground powerlessly.

    He closed his eyes for a few seconds and before he opened his eyes, he released a soft sigh, then spoke:

    "I don''t like the name you gave me, Mr. Announcer."

    Corey paused as he looked at the announcer up in the air calmly, and without waiting for the Announcer to reply, Corey continued:

    "Call me Smile Reaper. The person that would reap the smiles off the faces of my enemies."

    And so, the legend of the Smile Reaper which would spread throughout the entire Universe began.

 Chapter 112 112: Impossible To Defeat

    ?

    (Inside the Simtion Room)

    After Corey chose to fight the avatar of the third generation Paragon, he made the environment exactly like the environment in the trial.

    So with the ancient spear in his hands and his footing ced in a fighting stance, Corey waited with slight anticipation for the manifestation of the Paragon by his talent skill, Record.

    A few secondster, Corey saw the perfect face of the Paragon with his eyes closed a few meters before him, and without hesitation, he entered his focused state.

    With his grip tightening on the ancient spear, his heart beating slightly faster and a calm and focused expression on his face, Corey looked at the Paragon who was holding two sabers in his two hands.

    A secondter, the Paragon opened his eyes and when he did, Corey noticed a golden glow erupt from his eyes.

    Just as he noticed that glow, his pupils constricted to the limit when he saw the Paragon disappear before his very eyes.

    Corey quickly ced his ancient spear in front of him in a defensive position, thinking the Paragon''s speed was just too fast for him to see even in his focused state, but¡­

    Stab

    Puchi

    sh

    Puchi

    ''Huh?''

    With a confused expression and thought, Corey wondered what was happening as the world spun in front of his eyes for a few seconds.

    Thud

    A loud thud resounded and with a confused and painful expression, Corey had his eyes wide open when he saw his body a few meters away from him.

    ''Isn''t that my body?''

    Corey thought as he saw his headless body which had a saber in his left chest and another saber on top of his neck.

    His eyes moved behind the body and he saw the third generation Paragon withdraw his sabers with an indifferent expression.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    ''I died?... So easily?... Without a fight?... Against another tier 0 being?''

    Corey thought, and just as he had this thought, the light in his eyes went off and Corey died.

    ----

    (Some secondster)

    "Haaa."

    Corey released a deep breath as soon as he woke up in the real world.

    He looked at the Paragon who was just sitting in a cross-legged position with a deep frown.

    "How in the world did he get behind me so fast?

    Is it just speed?... Or a skill?"

    Corey spoke with a deep frown on his face as he thought of how the third generation Paragon instantly appeared at his back.

    He didn''t even have the chance to defend himself or to react.

    "I highly doubt it''s speed, it has to be a skill¡­

    But if it''s just speed¡­"

    Corey paused then looked at the third generation Paragon.

    "Then that would be truly absurd."

    A few seconds passed and Corey sighed.

    "Time to die again."

    ----

    (In the Simtion Room of The Library Of Records)

    With the ancient spear in his hand, Corey stood in a battle stance as he waited for the third generation Paragon to manifest before him.

    A few seconds passed and the third generation Paragon was formed.

    Seeing the third generation Paragon, Corey quickly entered his focused state and a secondter, the third generation Paragon opened his eyes and once again, a golden glow appeared in his eyes for an instant and in that moment that the golden glow appeared, he once again disappeared.

    But this time around, Corey turned around and tried to block the attack, but before he could fully turn, the world spun in Corey''s eyes and once again, his headnded with a thud and Corey saw his headless body with the Paragon removing his sabers from his body with an indifferent expression.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    ----

    (Back in the Real World)

    "Now this is bing annoying."

    Corey spoke with a frustrated expression and without hesitation, he went into The Library Of Records once again, but this time, he didn''t go to the simtion room immediately.

    "I thought I might be able to see or figure out how the third generation Paragon was appearing behind me in an instant while fighting him, but I can''t survive long enough."

    Corey spoke then he looked around.

    "Show me a video of my first battle with the third generation Paragon."

    Corey spoke and in the next instant, a book appeared before Corey and the pages of the book rapidly moved to the next page at a fast speed until it stopped and a holographic image hovered on top of the book.

    With his arms folded, Corey watched the first fight between him and the third generation Paragon in a third person view which onlysted for seven seconds.

    As he was watching the video, Corey squinted his eyes when he noticed something.

    "Start from the beginning again."

    Corey said and the video reyed from the beginning once again and the moment the third generation Paragon disappeared from his vision in the video, Corey ordered for the video to be paused.

    "Is that a stone."

    Corey spoke with a confused expression and tone seeing a stone appear in the spot where the third generation Paragon disappeared from.

    "Restart the video."

    Corey ordered once again and the video reyed from the beginning once again.

    "Stop."

    "Restart."

    "Stop."

    "Restart."

    After pausing and reying the video repeatedly, Corey finally stopped and a slightly shocked expression appeared on his face when he realized how the third generation Paragon was instantly appearing behind his back.

    "So whenever his eyes glow golden, he swaps ces with an object?

    Just like how he was swapping ces with the stone behind me."

    Corey mumbled underneath his breath and after some seconds, he willed for the book showing the holographic video to disappear and then he walked to the door leading to the simtion room.

    ---

    (A few minutester)

    Once again, Corey stood with the ancient spear in his hand as he waited for the manifestation of the third generation Paragon.

    A few seconds passed and the manifestation appeared, and the instant it appeared, Corey entered his focused state and in the next instant, he entered his focused state, he shifted his stance so as to turn at a much faster speed.

    A second after he entered his focused state, the eyes of the third generation Paragon glowed golden and without much surprise, he disappeared from his position.

    ng

    "Urgh."

    A loud ng along with Corey''s soft groan resounded as Corey used his ancient spear to block the two sabers with trembling hands.

    ''Such physical strength for a tier 0.''

    Corey thought with a cold glint and just as he had this thought, his feet moved slightly, wanting tomence his next attack, but¡­

    Just as Corey wanted to attack, he saw the mouth of the Paragon open and to Corey''s immense shock, a breath full of dark grey fire that had a tint of red in it, sted unto Corey''s face and body, burning him to a crisp.

    ----

    (Back in the Real World)

    "..."

    With a nk expression, Corey looked at the cross-legged third generation Paragon for some seconds, then he spoke:

    "This¡­ is going to take a while."

 Chapter 113 113: Fighting The Third Generation Paragon

    ?

    (A few dayster)

    With his eyes closed and his sitting posture in a cross-legged position, Corey inhaled then exhaled for a few seconds before he opened his eyes with a determined expression.

    Corey looked at the cross-legged third generation Paragon and with a soft exhale, he stood and turned around.

    He put every single movable object that was around him inside his spatial ring, whether it was a pebble, stone, rock, metal or even a feather. (There was no feather)

    After removing every single movable object, Corey brought out his ancient spear and with a calm, determined expression, he spoke:

    "Start the battle."

    [SURE]

    The moment Corey spoke the female voice which Corey had not heard for what seemed like a long time to him, spoke out with slight interest in her tone, though Corey did not notice.

    After the female voice spoke, Corey saw a white light appear from thin air thennd on the seating Paragon.

    After itnded on the Paragon, he opened his eyes and at first he looked around with a slightly confused expression before recognition appeared in his eyes and with a soft sigh he stood.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Meanwhile, Corey seeing the third generation Paragon stand clicked his tongue with regret.

    ''I thought I''d be able to take advantage of the fact that he''ll still be sitting.''

    ''Anyway it doesn''t matter. I guessed this might happen.''

    After this thought passed through Corey''s mind, the barriers that prevented both Corey and the third generation Paragon from encountering each other, disappeared.

    ''Focus''

    ''Thunder Step''

    The moment the barriers disappeared, without wasting a single second, Corey entered his focused state then used thunder step.

    p! p!

    Loud thunderps resounded in the environment for every step Corey took as he ran towards the third generation Paragon.

    The third generation Paragon seeing Corey run towards him had a calm expression. His eyes moved to Corey''s back but when he didn''t find a single object, a confused and stunned expression appeared on his face.

    Although he was confused, he didn''t have time to remain confused.

    ng

    With a calm expression, he raised his saber, blocking the spear attack of Corey.

    He opened his mouth and a dark grey fire breath that had a tint of red in it was released from his mouth.

    Expecting the fire breath to kill the normal human before him like how it had done to his previous opponents, the third generation Paragon became slightly rxed.

    But in the next second, a stunned expression appeared on his face when he saw Corey bend backwards at an unreal level.

    Seeing Corey in an unfavorable position, he came out from his stunned state and used one of his sabers to stab at Corey but a secondter, a confused expression appeared on his face when he felt something hit his leg.

    "Huh?"

    A surprised sound appeared on his face as he felt himself fall.

    As he was falling, he looked up and he saw the spear of the human stabbing towards him with a fast speed.

    With a calm expression, he ced one hand on the floor, then used his other hand that was holding one of his sabers to parry the spear.

    ng

    The instant he parried the spear, he used one of his legs to swipe at Corey, forcing Corey to dodge.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The third generation Paragon stood and with a calm expression, he spoke:

    "I''m surprised. This is the first time somebody could predict my next moves.

    Is it a skill or do you know the abilities of a Paragon?"

    The third generation Paragon asked but Corey did not reply and instead ran towards the third generation Paragon with thunder steps.

    "Interesting."

    The third generation Paragon mumbled and with a calm expression, he waved his hand and in the next instant, numerous knives which resembled a kunai were thrown at Corey.

    ''Shit¡­ That''s new.''

    Corey''s pupils constricted as he saw a new attack move by the third generation Paragon.

    ''Fog Maniption''

    Knowing the consequences of the kunais, he quickly used fog maniption, generating a thick fog 30m around his body.

    The third generation Paragon frowned seeing the fog. His n was to exchange ces with one of the kunais using his eyes but the fog was too thick for his eyes to see through.

    ''Just because this avatar is tier 0, I can''t see through the fog.''

    The avatar thought with a slight frown and a secondter, he swung his two sabers in a diagonal manner.

    ''Saber intent.''

    Shiiinnggg!!

    Two translucent cross-like shes appeared after he swung his sabers. The shes moved at a fast speed towards Corey and Corey who could see clearly in th fog had his pupils constrict heavily.

    ''Again?!... A new skill?!''

    Corey eximed with shock in his mind.

    Without hesitation, he stopped, then with a grunt, he mustered as much strength as he could, then threw the ancient spear at the third generation Paragon.

    Woosh!

    After throwing it, Coreyid t on the ground since that was the best way he could dodge the shes.

    Meanwhile the third generation Paragon seeing the spearing at him, moved to the side, dodging the spear with a calm expression.

    The spear stabbed into the ground a few meters away from the Paragon while trembling slightly before stopping and the moment it stopped, a pattern appeared on the ck spear.

    This pattern or to be more exact drawing, was a ck bird with it''s eyes opened.

    The third generation Paragon looked at the fog which was still surrounding Corey with a small frown.

    "That''s a very troublesome skill."

    The third generation Paragon mumbled and with a sigh, his face changed slightly.

    Around two seconds passed and in the next instant, dark grey wings made out of feathers appeared from his back with dark grey blood dripping from it.

    "First times are always the worst."

    The third generation Paragon mumbled with his brows furrowed and in the next second, he pped his wings, then flew up.

    Corey seeing the third generation Paragon up in the air had his brows furrowed slightly.

    "Why do I always fight people that fly?"

 Chapter 114 114: Killing The Third Generation Paragon

    ?

    Seconds passed as Corey looked at the flying third generation Paragon and just when Corey was bing slightly impatient and anxious, he saw the third generation Paragon raise his head as his throat started to swell.

    A glint passed through Corey''s eyes and without hesitation, heid on the floor with his back touching the ground.

    He waved his right hand and six differently sized boats which were ced inside one another causing it to look like a pile of boats appeared on top of him, covering him.

    ''I hope this works in real life.''

    Corey thought with a slightly anxious expression and just as he did, he felt the fog which he had a connection with, disappear and in the next instant, he felt the boats on top of him be slightly warm, before the temperature increased and sweat started dripping from his entire body.

    With a determined expression, Corey looked at the reddened boat which was on top of him and a secondter, a thought appeared in his mind.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    ''Do your thing Rhea.''

    Just as he gave hismand, Corey''s ancient spear trembled slightly and a secondter, the eyes of the drawing of the ck bird blinked twice before the drawing disappeared and the ck bird appeared a few meters from the ancient spear.

    Rhea nced at Corey for a second before she looked at the flying avatar of the third generation Paragon who was still releasing a breath filled with dark grey fire.

    With a p of her wings, she flew to the back of the third generation Paragon and when she was a few meters away from the third generation Paragon, she opened her mouth and in the next instant, a murky white mist appeared from her mouth and went towards the left wing of the third generation Paragon whose mind was upied on Corey.

    If one looked closely at the white mist that was released by Rhea, one would notice that the mist was not actually a mist. The mist had numerous ghost faces in it and this ghost faces had painful expressions.

    As this ghost mist or to be more exact, Rhea''s ghost breath, moved towards the wing of the third generation Paragon, the Paragon had a feeling that something was wrong, but just as he was about to turn around, Rhea''s ghost breath reached his dark grey wing.

    The dark grey wings of the third generation Paragon which looked dull now became much duller. It looked like all the vitality in the wing was sucked away causing the third generation Paragon to fall, much to his shock.

    As the third generation Paragon fell, he looked for the source of his destroyed wing, and when he saw a flying ck bird with an indifferent expression, a confused expression appeared on his face.

    ''What kind of pet is that?''

    Meanwhile, after Corey received Rhea''s transmission that her mission was done, with a relieved expression, Corey kicked the boats on top of him with full force, sessfully removing the reddened boats.

    Without ncing at the boats, Corey looked at the falling third generation Paragon and without hesitation, he dashed towards him and used thunder step.

    p!

    Loud thunder ps resounded with every step Corey took and as Corey got closer to the Paragon who was closer to the ground, he brought out the dual battle axes.

    Two seconds passed and just as Corey was around 15m away from him and the third generation Paragon was around 5m away from the ground, the sabers in the hands of the third generation Paragon disappeared and the moment they disappeared, the third generation Paragon waved his right hand first before waving his left.

    But after waving it¡­ Nothing appeared from his hand or to be more exact, Corey could not see anything appear from the actions of the third generation Paragon causing him to be confused.

    ''Focus.''

    Corey entered his focused state and just as he did, he noticed something strangeing towards him, but¡­ it was toote.

    sh sh sh

    ''Urgh.''

    A slightly muffled groan escaped Corey''s lips as numerous cuts and shes appeared all over his body, including his neck.

    Cough

    Corey coughed out blood and with a dizzy expression, his hands which had reflexively ced both of his dual axes in front of his face fell due to weakness.

    ''What happened?''

    Corey thought as he shook his head, trying to rid himself of his dizziness.

    ''Poison?'' Corey thought.

    Caw

    Rhea cawed with shock and in the next moment, she opened her mouth, wanting to release another ghost breath but just as she opened her beak, the third generation Paragon who hadnded on the floor spoke with a cold tone

    "No you don''t."

    The moment he spoke, his right hand tightened into a fist and he pointed it at Rhea.

    The moment he pointed it at Rhea, a thick web shot out of his wrist and in the blink of an eye, it urately reached Rhea and with a yank, he flung his arm towards a destroyed building, sending Rhea smashing into the building.

    "Hmm."

    Woosh!

    The third generation Paragon made a ''hmm'' sound after disconnecting the web from his wrist.

    He turned towards Corey, and just as he did, he abruptly moved to the right, dodging Corey''s thrown axe which was about to cut him.

    ng

    A loud ng resounded as the third generation Paragon blocked Corey''s axe sh with his saber and just as he did, he felt his saber vibrate intensely.

    "Vibration?"

    The third generation Paragon spoke with furrowed brows and he looked at Corey who was gritting his teeth with an extremely cold gaze.

    "It''s surprising that you, a normal human could force me this far despite this avatar been a tier 0."

    "Imend you for that, but¡­"

    The avatar of the third generation Paragon spoke calmly and just as Corey was about tounch another attack, he saw the third generation Paragon form a fist with his free left hand and at extremely fast speed, he punched at Corey''s sr plexus.

    Puchi<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "What the-"

    Cough!

    With an extremely baffled expression, Corey looked at his sr plexus where the third generation Paragon had ''punched'', but instead of the punch that Corey was expecting, he saw three metal ws elongate from the fist of the Paragon which the third generation Paragon used to stab into his body.

    ''How many unknown skills does this bastard have?''

    Cough

    Corey coughed out blood once again due to the Paragon pushing his wolverine like ws into his body.

    "Like I said, Imend you for pushing me this far as a normal human, but your Fate was sealed when I cut you with my void webs.

    Just like my ws, my void webs contain poison that your regeneration skill cannot deal with."

    With his ws inside Corey''s body, the third generation Paragon spoke into Corey''s ears calmly.

    Corey whose vision was bing hazy looked at the Paragon''s neck which was beside him and with a cold, calm tone, he spoke:

    "Go to hell you bastard."

    After he spoke, he lunged at the third generation Paragon''s neck and with all the force he could muster, he sunk his teeth deeply into the Paragon''s neck much to the Paragon''s immense shock.

    Tear!

    Corey tore as much of the Paragon''s neck as he could and just as he did, the Paragon quickly pushed him away while holding his profusely bleeding neck.

    "What sort of a barbarian are you?!"

    The third generation Paragon shouted with a shocked tone and just as he asked, he knelt while breathing heavily.

    Meanwhile Corey who wasying on his stomach in pain, looked at the avatar of the third generation Paragon with a calm and slightly hopeful expression.

    ''I don''t know if Paragons have a carotid artery, but I know that they must have a blood vessel in their neck that sends blood to their brain.''

    Corey thought as he looked at the Paragon who was breathing heavily.

    "I can''t- I can''t believe I''m going to lose like this."

    Corey heard the third generation Paragon speak but Corey did not say anything in response.

    "Never have I lost a battle by somebody biting off a huge chunk of my neck."

    A self-depreciating chuckle escaped the lips of the Paragon.

    "There was no rule that said I couldn''t win like that."

    Corey replied calmly and the third generation Paragon chuckled the more.

    "I guess we learn new things everyday."

    After this words were spoken by the third generation Paragon, he fell face t on the floor and a few secondster, Corey saw the Paragon''s body disappear into numerous lights.

    Sigh

    Corey released a sigh seeing the Paragon disappear. He ced his face unto the floor with a tired expression.

    "Am I going to die after such a long and arduous battle."

    Corey mumbled as he felt his regenerative ability fail to dispel the poison in his body just like the third generation Paragon said it would.

    Corey release another sigh and just as he did, a female voice reverberated everywhere.

    [CONGRATULATIONS YOUNG CHALLENGER ON YOUR VICTORY]

    [EAT THE PILL TO YOUR RIGHT IF YOU WANT TO CURE YOUR INJURIES AND BE BACK TO FULL HEALTH]

    ''Pill?''

    Corey raised a brow then turned to his right just as the female voice told him to and to his surprise, he saw a white pill.

    He stretched out his hand, took the pill and without hesitation, swallowed the pill.

    The moment Corey swallowed the pill, he felt his injuries, pain and the poison in his body heal at an extremely fast space.

    ''What pill is this?''

    Corey thought but didn''t ask, and a secondter, the female voice spoke out once again.

    [NOW THAT YOU''RE HEALED, DO YOU WANT YOUR IMMEDIATE REWARDS?]

    [OR DO YOU WANT TO CONTINUE UNTO THE SECOND STAGE OF THE TRIAL?]

    [IF YOU FAIL THE SECOND STAGE, THE REWARDS FOR THE FIRST STAGE WOULD BE REDUCED]

    Hearing the words spoken by the female voice, a pondering expression appeared on his face for a few seconds and the faces of the pope, Underworld Officials, his parents and his sister appeared in his mind and in an instant, a determined expression appeared on his face.

    "I need power so of course I''m going to continue unto the next stage."

    [SO BE IT]

 Chapter 115 115: Second Generation Paragon

    ?

    (Six Days Later)

    Just like when Corey faced the third generation Paragon, Corey sat in a cross-legged position with his eyes closed.

    A few seconds passed and Corey opened his eyes with his brows furrowed. His eyes moved, thennded on his opponent, the second generation Paragon who was also seating in a cross-legged position.

    When he agreed to battle the second generation Paragon, all he had in his mind was on how he could defeat the second generation Paragon, but when he saw the appearance of the second generation Paragon, he was extremely stunned and baffled.

    He looked at the second generation Paragon who was a girl that had the appearance of a ten year old who was wearing a in silver dress.

    Even with her eyes closed, Corey had never seen a female that was as beautiful as this ten year old girl.

    But this young girl which looked beautiful and innocent, was definitely the most dangerous and powerful young girl he had ever encountered.

    "I might actually lose this time around."

    "Normal humans should definitely not face Paragons."

    Corey muttered underneath his breath, then he released a soft sigh. He touched the left side of his chest where Rhea''s tattoo was located and he spoke.

    "I''m lucky that healing pills are given to both the challenger and their pets after passing each trial."

    After speaking, he looked at his left chest and spoke:

    "Are you ready Rhea?

    Corey spoke and a small smile formed on his face when he received a positive mental response from Rhea.

    "It''s all or nothing now."

    Corey sighed then with a determined expression, he got up and brought out the ancient spear from his spatial ring.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    He looked at the second generation Paragon for a second then he spoke:

    "I want to change the environment before I start the battle."

    [TO WHAT?]

    With intrigue in her tone, the female voice asked and this time, Corey noticed the intrigue in her tone but he didn''t think too deeply concerning it and instead, gave his request.

    "I want the environment to be that of a dead forest with tall, big trees. The trees should not have a single leaf and they should not be able to get burnt. Also, the branches should not be easily breakable."

    After Corey spoke, the female voice did not respond for at least five seconds causing Corey to frown slightly.

    [ALTHOUGH IT''S A STRANGE ENVIRONMENT TO CHOOSE FROM, YOUR REQUEST SHALL BE GRANTED]

    The female voice said with an interested tone and in the next instant, Corey''s environment changed to what he requested for.

    His surroundings which previously looked like that of a battle-ridden city, now looked like a forest, but this forest was dead just like he wished, in fact it was better than he wanted.

    The grasses at his feet were all brown and dead, the trees around him looked old and withered. The trees did not have leaves just like he wanted, thereby making the trees have leafless branches.

    [IS IT TO YOUR LIKING?]

    The female voice asked and Corey finally stopped looking around. He looked at the cross-legged sitting second generation Paragon and with a nod, he spoke:

    "It''s better than I wanted. You can start the battle now."

    [AS YOU WISH]

    The moment the female voice spoke, a fist sized white ball of light floated above the head of the second generation Paragon and a secondter, it entered into the body of the second generation Paragon.

    After the fist sized white ball of light entered the body of the second generation Paragon, her eyes fluttered open, and just like the third generation Paragon, she had a confused expression at first before it receded and an expression of recognition appeared in her eyes.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    She stood then looked around, but just as she did, a baffled expression appeared on her face when she saw her surroundings.

    She spent a few seconds to look at her surroundings before her gazended on Corey, and just as it did, the barrier which was around Corey and the second generation Paragon disappeared.

    "So you''re my opponent this time around."

    With the cute tone of a cute ten year old, the second generation Paragon spoke with folded arms causing anybody that heard her voice to think the second generation Paragon was just cute and harmless, but Corey knew how dangerous this ''cute'' and ''harmless'' little girl was.

    "I''m curious, what made you to choose this environment?"

    The second generation Paragon asked, expecting a reply from her opponent, but to her immense shock, her opponent did something she never expected him to do.

    Her opponent turned around¡­ and ran.

    "¡­"

    An extremely baffled expression appeared on her face for two seconds before she came out of her stunned state and with a dissatisfied expression, she stretched out her hand and a chain appeared from thin air.

    "Where do you think you''re going?"

    The young girl spoke and with a wave of her hand, she flung her chain towards Corey.

    Normally, if one looked at the length of the chain, one would never expect the chain to reach Corey but as the chain moved towards Corey, the chain lengthened at an extremely fast rate.

    Corey who already expected such an attack was not bothered and instead waited until he got close to a tree then turned to the side of the tree in a quick and finesse manner.

    Bang

    "Damn it."

    The young girl cursed as her chain mmed into the tree, though her tone and expression were extremely cute.

    "Don''t think you can run away from me."

    The young girl spoke and with a bang, she dashed towards Corey at an extremely fast speed, destroying the ground in the process.

    Meanwhile Corey who was busy running in a haphazard manner while touching various trees had a calm expression.

    ''Fog Maniption.''

    With a thought, Corey produced a thick fog around his body and without bothering about his mana expenditure, he increased the range of the fog while making sure it remained thick.

    ''Vibration Maniption''

    As the thick fog around Corey was produced, Corey used vibration maniption through his feet causing the ground to vibrate with every step Corey took.

    After doing that, Corey slowed down a little and he touched a tree.

    ''You know what to do Rhea.''

    Corey thought and just as he had this thought, an incorporeal Rhea appeared from his chest and with a p of her wings, she flew into the tree and an image of Rhea appeared on the tree for an instant before it receded.

    Seeing Rhea use one of her skills, Possession which could only be used on non-living objects, Corey continued running while producing thick fog.

    Around five seconds passed and just as Corey was running, he stopped, turned around and looked up with a slight frown.

    In the distance, up in the air, Corey could feel an immense amount of mana that made him shiver slightly.

    ''This is going to be dangerous.''

 Chapter 116 116: New Plan

    ?

    The second generation Paragon who was floating up in the air without wings had a deep frown on her face as she looked at the extremely thick fog beneath her.

    "This is so strange, how does this kid know some of my abilities?"

    The young girl muttered with a deep frown and for a few seconds, she had a pondering expression.

    "Well, it doesn''t matter. I must not disappoint Father and Mother."

    The young girl muttered, then with her right hand stroking her chin, a pondering expression appeared on her face.

    "Now what should I use?

    Fire? Water? Ice? Wind? Or Lightning?"

    The young girl muttered and with a small smile on her cute face, she looked at the thick fog then she snapped her fingers and spoke:

    "How about abination of wind, lightning and fire?"

    The moment she spoke with a mischievous tone, the winds surrounding her increased at a rapid rate.

    The young girl spread out her arms and she looked up into the sky.

    "Although this body is tier 0 and can''t do much, I''m the daughter of The Defying Paragon and The Nova Queen.

    The Father of all Paragons and The Queen of all Novas.

    I surpass my limits!"

    With an excited expression, the young girl spoke, and just as she spoke, the sky above her darkened and rumbled.

    RUMBLE!!

    Lightning shes appeared in the sky and the winds increased tremendously, blowing away part of the fog.

    The young girl looked at the fog for a few seconds before she raised her palms towards the sky and with a slightly pained expression, her golden eyes glowed red for an instant and a change urred in the darkened sky.

    Previously, the only source of light in the sky were the white shes of lightning bolts but now, a tint of red appeared in the darkened sky.

    "Hehehehe. Let''s see how you survive this.

    I''m going all out."

    With an evil giggle, the little girl spoke as she looked at the sky which had a more pronounced red colour.

    Meanwhile Corey:

    "Ah fuck. Not again."

    With a tired and frustrated expression, Corey spoke then released a sigh.

    "Despite all that I did, this devil starts with an unknown skill."

    "I guess it''s time for a change of ns."

    ¦Ñ¦Á§ád¦Á---n?¦Ía| §ãom Corey sighed and in the next instant, a determined expression appeared on his face and without hesitation, he turned to the back and ran towards the tree where Rhea was located while replenishing the fog which was blown away by the intense wind produced by the little girl up in the air.

    Not only was he continuously using Fog Maniption as he ran, he also used Vibration Maniption with every step he took.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    As for why he was using Vibration Maniption with every step he took?

    It was because of the ability of the little girl up in the air.

    The little girl or to be exact, the second generation Paragon was honestly, a being that Corey, a normal human should never have a chance of defeating because she was a monster in terms of her abilities.

    From what his talent skill, Record could analyze, the little girl had some of the abilities the third generation Paragon had.

    She had the eyes which had the ability to swap ces, the void webs, the ws, the wings, the dark grey fire breath, extremely high physical capabilities and was very proficient in martial arts.

    All those abilities were extremely dangerous and powerful abilities if one knew how to use them properly.

    Now, not only did the little girl have those powerful abilities, she also had the ability of control fire, water, ice, wind, lightning, earth and to some extent, nts.

    The reason Corey always used Vibration Maniption, along with Fog Maniption was due to the ability of the little girl which could be used to figure out his location.

    When Corey started fighting the little girl in the simtion room of The Library Of Records, the little girl always found his location even when he was hiding in a spot which was extremely difficult for people to find out.

    It was not until Corey spent hours trying to figure out how the little girl was always locating him that he understood how the girl always found him.

    The girl had the ability to use the wind, the earth and nts to locate her enemies.

    So whenever Corey ran, he caused a disturbance to the wind and the earth allowing the little girl to figure out his location.

    Not only that, Corey guessed that the girl couldmunicate with nts in a certain way and the nts could also give out his location to the little girl.

    All in all, the little girl had three terrifying methods of reconnaissance.

    With his limited abilities, Corey had to find a way to counter those three abilities and after thinking about it for some time, three methods came to his mind.

    The first was him using Fog Maniption to counter the reconnaissance through wind.

    The second was him using Vibration Maniption with every step he took so that the little girl would be unable to pinpoint his position.

    The third method was him deciding to change the environment to that of a dead forest.

    As for what made him decide to change the environment to that of a dead forest?

    It was just out of curiosity and surprisingly, it worked.

    The little girl could notmunicate with the nts in this sort of environment cause they were dead and although Corey did not fully understand what that meant, Corey could not be bothered to dwell too much on that since his main goal was to defeat the little girl, the second generation Paragon.

    But unfortunately, the little girl spoilt Corey''s ns by using a powerful unknown skill and because of this, Corey had to formte a n on the spot, much to his difort.

    A few seconds passed and Corey finally reached where Rhea was.

    An image of Rhea appeared on the trunk of the tree Corey was on. The image blinked and had a confused expression seeing Corey.

    "There would be a change of ns. I''ll exin it to youter, but now¡­"

    Corey paused then looked at the sky which now looked like a mixture of red and ck with white shes of lightning appearing once in a while.

    "I have to stop that little devil from unleashing that attack on us."N?v(el)B\\jnn

 Chapter 117 117: An Unexpected End

    ?

    "I have to stop that little devil from unleashing that attack on us."

    With a determined expression, Corey spoke and a second after he spoke, he ran to a tree that was nearby and as he ran, he told Rhea about the new change in ns.

    A second passed and Corey got to the tree that was not too big. The sky above him rumbled as thunder pped loudly and shes of lightning appeared in the sky.

    Woosh

    Woosh

    The winds blew with so much intensity that the grass beneath Corey''s feet and Corey''s cloth pped wildly.

    ''Funny how I always battle people that can summon lightning from the sky.

    Luckily, from experience, skills like this take time for tier 0 beings to use.

    If not because they''re always in the sky, I''d have killed them.''

    Corey thought as he ced his hand on the trunk of the tree before him.

    ''Let''s hope I''m strong enough.''

    Corey thought and after this thought passed through Corey''s mind, he moved closer to the tree and hugged it.

    "Hmm."

    A soft muffled groan escaped Corey''s lips as he used all his strength to pull up the tree from it''s roots.

    "Come on."

    Corey spoke with a groan, mustering up more strength and after he spoke, the tree got uprooted.

    Bam

    With a soft *Bam*, the tree fell unto the floor and not wanting to waste time, Corey ran towards another tree and just like the previous one, he uprooted the tree, though at a faster speed.

    CLAP!!

    He continued doing this for six trees until a loud thunder p resounded from the sky causing him to look up and when he did, he noticed the sky had be entirely red and the number of lightning bolts in the sky had increased.

    ''Can''t waste anymore time.''

    Corey thought and he looked at one of the trees which had an image of a ck bird for a second before it receded.

    ''Let''s hope this works.''

    Corey thought and in the next instant he grabbed one of the trees that wasn''t possessed by Rhea with his two hands.

    With a grunt, he spun in a 360¡ã then he released the tree towards the location where he could feel a huge amount of mana.

    He looked at the flying tree for a second before he picked up another tree and threw it at the same location.

    After doing this for all the six trees, he looked around and when he found the nearest tallest tree, he ran towards it.

    Meanwhile the little girl who was up in the air:

    "Hehehehe. Going all out is too fun."

    With an excited smirk she spoke and a second after she spoke, she frowned when she felt an immense disturbance in the wind beneath her.

    She looked down and when she did, her eyes widened.

    "Huh?"

    She eximed with a confused expression and tone when she saw numerous trees flying towards her from below.

    ''Does he expect this to stop me?''

    The little girl thought with raised brows and with a calm expression she waited for the trees toe close to her and when they did, she calmly dodged every single one of them.

    Not wanting to be taken by surprise, she looked at the trees, waiting to see if something would happen but after a few seconds passed and nothing happened, she furrowed her brows.

    ''Did he really expect the trees to harm me?''

    "Hmm."

    The little girl thought and just as she had that thought, she released a ''hmm'' sound when she felt another disturbance from the wind beneath her.

    Woosh!

    She looked in the direction of the disturbance and when she did, her pupils constricted slightly when she saw a ck spearing towards her at an extremely fast speed.

    With her lightning fast reflexes, she dodged the ck spear, though a part of her dress had a small cut causing her to frown slightly.

    Once again, she felt a disturbance beneath her and she looked down. When she did, she noticed her opponent whose name she didn''t know,ing towards her from below.

    With a raised brow, the little girl looked at Corey with a slightly confused expression.

    ''Even though the spell is notplete¡­''

    The girl thought and with an indifferent expression, she raised her left hand up.

    ''I can still use part of it to attack you.''<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Fall."

    As soon as those words left her lips, the sky rumbled and a bolt of lightning struck towards her opponent.

    Meanwhile, Corey who used his skill Super Jump after climbing the tallest tree he went to, had a calm expression when he saw the bolt of lightninging towards him.

    Having expected such an attack, Corey had entered his focused state earlier on, causing him to be able to see the iing attack.

    With a calm expression, he waited for the bolt of lightning and as soon as it reached a favorable position, he swung the axe in his right hand towards the lightning bolt.

    ''Full Counter.''

    Using the skill which was the bane of all mages, Corey shed at the lightning bolt and in the next second and much to the little girl''s extreme shock, her lightning bolt went back towards her at twice the speed and power.

    Despite Corey sending back the lightning bolt towards the little girl, Corey did not lower down his guard and instead waited for the second attack which he expected once again.

    ''Just like d¨¦j¨¤ vu.''

    Corey thought as he saw arge fireballing towards him and with a calm expression, he swung the axe in his left hand while using Full Counter, sending it back towards the little girl.

    After doing that, he looked at the little girl who had an extremely shocked expression seeing the attacking back towards her.

    But just as the attacks were about to reach her, she came out from her shocked expression then raised her right hand towards the attack.

    ''What is she going to do?''

    This thought came into Corey''s mind as he fell due to him losing the force which he used to jump so high.

    With a calm expression, Corey watched the two attacks reach the little girl who just raised her right palm towards the attacks.

    A secondter,

    Bam!

    A loud explosive sound resounded as soon as the two attacks reached the little girl causing smoke to appear for an instant.

    With furrowed brows, Corey looked at the smoke and just as he was wondering about the status of the little girl, the smoke cleared up and Corey''s pupils constricted when he saw a long chaine towards him.

    ''Shit.''

    Corey cursed internally and didn''t try to dodge the chain since he knew it would be pointless due to the absurd control the little girl had over her chain.

    Without much surprise, the chain wrapped around Corey and in the next instant, it pulled Corey upwards at a fast speed.

    With a calm expression, Corey waited and a two secondster, he appeared before the girl with the chain holding him up in the air, surprising him slightly.

    He looked at the girl and when he did, his pupils constricted heavily when he noticed not a single injury on the body of the little girl.

    ''How?''

    Corey thought and just as he had this thought, the little girl spoke in a cold tone:

    "Who are you and what sort of skill is that?"

    Unbothered by the tone of the little girl, Corey ignored it and instead asked his own question:

    "Howe you don''t have any injury from that attack?"

    Hearing the question asked by her opponent, the girl raised her brows and replied with a confused tone:

    "I''m a Paragon, what did you expect?

    The main ability of Paragons is their high resistance to elemental attacks.

    Howe you don''t know that but you knew about my other abilities?"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Hearing the question asked by the little girl, Corey did not speak and kept quiet much to the irk of the little girl.

    "Fine. If you don''t want to speak, don''t speak, but you must tell me about that ability that you used at the end.

    If you tell me, I''ll tell Aunt to not reduce your rewards even if you lost against me."

    As soon as the girl finished speaking, Corey tilted his head and with a confused expression and tone, Corey spoke.

    "Who said I lost?"

    "Huh, what do you mean? Of course you''ve ¨C"

    As the girl was speaking, her pupils constricted and without hesitation, she tried to turn around and when Corey saw that, a small smile appeared on his lips.

    ''Toote little girl.''

    Corey thought but in the next instant, his pupils constricted to the limit when he saw something which he never expected to happen.

    "I always tell you pumpkin, stop using attacks that take too much time and don''t let your guard down even if your opponent is down and is as weak as an ant."

    A calm, masculine and gentle voice filled with love and concern reverberated into the surroundings and with an expression of shock, the little girl turned around and eximed:

    "Father?!"

 Chapter 118 118: The Defying Paragon

    ?

    "Father?!"

    With an expression and tone of immense shock, the little girl eximed as she turned around and around 50cm behind her, was her father.

    One would think that this little girl''s father would be an old man or at least a middle aged man, but to Corey and possibly every ignorant individual, the little girl''s father looked like a man in his middle twenties.

    This young looking father had a face which was heaven defying. Corey in his entire life, had never seen a face or a being with such a handsome face.

    The young looking father had a small goatee on his chin with a teddy that only stopped halfway by the sides of his face.

    He also had ponytail dreadlocks as his hairstyle. The dreadlocks were colored ck but at the tip, it was colored white.

    The man was wearing a silver colored t-shirt, ck trousers and white sneakers. Also, on the neck on the little girl''s father was something which Corey definitely did not expect to see.

    Wireless headphones!

    Corey''s eyes widened with shock as he saw the headphones and for like two seconds, Corey was stunned with numerous question marks appearing all over his head.

    But a few secondster, he quickly remembered something and with a quick turn of his head, he looked to the man''s right where a ck bird was floating in the air in a seemingly paralyzed state.

    ''Rhea? Are you alright?''

    Seeing Rhea not moving at all while floating calmly in the air, Corey spoke to her though the mental link between the two of them.

    ''Caw.''

    A secondter, Rhea mentally responded with a ''caw'' sound, telling Corey that she was okay but as Corey heard her response, Corey could feel slight fear from Rhea, which was not surprising if Corey''s guess as to who the little girl''s father truly is, was right.

    ''But isn''t this a trial?''

    Why did he interrupt when Rhea was about to kill the little girl through a sneak attack?

    Was all my nning all for nothing?''

    Just as this thought passed through Corey''s mind who was frowning, the little girl spoke one more time but this time, there was a little bit of anger in her tone.

    "I asked what are you doing here dad?"

    The little girl''s father sighed hearing the anger in his daughter''s tone.

    "I just couldn''t bear to see you hurt pumpkin."

    The ''young'' father said with a soothing tone filled with affection and love, but the little girl still had an expression of anger.

    "This is an avatar dad. An avatar of when I was ten years old. It''s not the real me, so why would you interrupt my battle?!

    Who knows, I might have won!"

    With a childish tone that had a tint of rage in it, the little girl spoke in a slightly loud tone.

    "You know it''s cause I care about you so much little pumpkin. Even if this is just an avatar, watching you die would be painful for me."N?v(el)B\\jnn

    The ''young'' father spoke with a tone that was still gentle, soothing and filled with love and affection.

    He moved closer to the little girl, wanting to pat her head but with a harrumph, the little girl dodged her father''s hand and moved farther away.

    The father sighed and in the next instant, he disappeared from where he was and appeared behind the little girl and with a small smile, he patted her head a few times much to the displeasure of the little girl.

    "Daaaaddd!"

    The little girl stomped her feet as she shouted but the father just chuckled with a soft smile.

    "I can''t help it, you''re just so cute at this age."

    Hearing her father''s words, the little girl made another harrumph then she turned around and faced the sky with her arms raised towards the sky.

    "Fall."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    As soon as that word was spoken by the little girl, the sky rumbled and in the next instant the winds became very turbulent.

    A few secondster, lightning shes appeared in the sky and in the next instant, numerous lightning bolts fell unto the dead forest beneath the group of three that were up in the sky.

    "Fall."

    Seeing the lightning bolts fall unto the dead forest beneath her, the little girl spoke once again as she looked at the reddened sky.

    A second after she spoke, the sky became more red and a few secondster, numerous fireballs broke through the ck clouds and Corey felt his scalp tingle seeing the absurd amount of fireballs falling unto the dead forest.

    A few secondster,

    Bang Bang Bang

    Boom Boom Boom

    A cacophony of numerous explosive sounds resounded loudly, causing Corey squint his eyes.

    "Hmm. Now I feel much better."

    After everywhere became quiet, the little girl spoke with a satisfied nod and with a humming sound, she skipped for some meters before she stopped and sat in a cross-legged position in the very air.

    Corey looked at her with a curious and confused expression and just as he was looking at her, the voice of the little girl''s father reached into his ears.

    "A lesson from me young man, if you ever have a daughter, know that they would definitely give you headaches."

    Corey turned towards the father and he saw him release a soft sigh. Corey''s eyes moved towards Rhea who could still not move and the father noticing his line of sight, eximed.

    "Oh, sorry about that. I forgot to give you back your pet."

    The father spoke and with a snap of his fingers, whatever it was that prevented Rhea from moving, was dispelled.

    Rhea released a caw and with a p of her wings, she flew towards Corey andnded on his left shoulder.

    The little girl''s father looked at Rhea, then he looked at the chains that was still around Corey''s body. He snapped his finger a secondter and the chains disappeared.

    Surprisingly, Corey who thought he was going to fall, did not fall but instead, he felt like he was standing on a solid ground.

    Corey raised his eyebrows and looked down reflexively, and just as he did, the little girl''s father spoke, causing Corey to look up.

    "Throughout the time I watched your battles, only two things which you had, interested me."

    The father paused as he spoke with a calm expression and Corey hearing the words spoken by the father also had a calm expression.

    "I was interested in your pet and your skill, Full Counter.

    I''ve never heard of a Spirit Devouring Bird and neither have I heard of a skill that can send back magical attacks with two times the power.

    They''re both interesting."

    With his right hand stroking his chin, the father spoke and Corey once again had a calm expression, though internally, he was beginning to get worried.

    A few seconds of silence passed until the little girl''s father spoke with a shrug.

    "So I just remembered that I''ve not introduced myself."

    After the little girl''s father spoke, his demeanor changed.

    No longer was he the yful, kind, caring and loving father.

    No!

    e¦Áglesn?¦Íel As Corey looked at him, Corey saw a king, a god and a being above all.

    "You can call me The Defying Paragon or The Defying Star, the Ancestor of All Paragons."

 Chapter 119 119: Killing Intent

    ?

    ''So this is the Ancestor of the old man, one of the two strongest beings of the Multiverse.''

    This thought went through Corey''s mind as he looked at the Defying Paragon with a calm gaze, though internally, he was struggling to not kneel due to aura that was subconsciously released by the Paragon Ancestor.

    As he looked at the eyes of the Paragon Ancestor with a calm gaze, he noticed that the eyes of the Paragon Ancestor was just like that of the old man''s.

    The Paragon Ancestor had three golden triangles in his eyes with the base of the triangles facing each other, making it to seem like the three triangles had formed a circle.

    The sclera of the Paragon Ancestor''s eyes were not white like that of humans, they were silver.

    As Corey was staring into the eyes of the Paragon Ancestor, he saw the three triangles in the Paragon Ancestor''s eyes rotate for a second.

    ''Huh?''

    A curious expression appeared on his face seeing the triangle movement and just as various thoughts were about to appear in Corey''s mind, he heard the Paragon Ancestor murmur:

    "Well this is interesting."

    Hearing those words, a confused expression appeared on Corey''s face but before Corey could respond in any way, the Paragon Ancestor continued speaking:

    "Normally, if a challenger of the Paragon trials could defeat my little pumpkin, which is an extremely difficult feat and normally, should never happen, he or she would face me and have to defeat me for the next stage of the trial."

    The Paragon Ancestor paused his words and although Corey found a slight fault in his words, he decided not to speak out and wait for the Ancestor of the Paragons to finish his words.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "Actually, the part about defeating me, this tier 0 avatar, to pass the trial is actually not entirely true."

    Corey tilted his head slightly hearing the words spoken by the Paragon Ancestor.

    "What do you mean?"

    Corey asked and the Paragon Ancestor had a small smile on his lips hearing Corey''s question.

    "If we fought, I''ll be the one to determine if you passed the third stage of the trial because you can never defeat me."

    With a calm expression and a tone that showed immense confidence and pride, the Ancestor of Paragons replied, causing Corey to frown slightly.

    "What do you mean by, I can never defeat you?"

    Corey asked with a slightly displeased tone and raised brows.

    Despite the fact that Corey was more indifferent towards almost everything, he still had his pride, and the words spoken by the Paragon Ancestor displeased him due to his pride.

    Meanwhile the Paragon Ancestor raised his brows with an amusing smile.

    "I''m saying you can never defeat me, now and even in the future.

    If you think that your talent skill, Record can help you to defeat me, now, or in the future, then you''d be sorely disappointed."

    Hearing the words spoken by the Paragon Ancestor, Corey was shaken, then rooted to the spot with his eyes widening slightly in shock.

    Although the Paragon Ancestor noticed Corey''s state, he ignored it and continued his speaking:

    "Even if this body is tier 0¡­"

    He paused then tightened his right fist and pulled his fist backwards slightly.

    Corey who was looking at the Paragon Ancestor''s right fist with a confused and curious expression, felt something around his neck and just as he was about to touch his neck, the thing around his neck tightened and Corey''s eyes bulged out and in reflex, he tried to remove the object which was restricting the airflow around his neck.

    This struggle continued for a few seconds and much to Corey''s frustration and anger, whenever he tried to reach the Paragon Ancestor who was obviously at arms reach, Corey could not reach him, no matter how much he tried.

    Just when Corey was thinking that the Paragon Ancestor was truly going to kill him, he felt the object around his neck loosen then it disappeared.

    Cough! Cough!

    For at least seven seconds, Corey coughed out violently as he tried to regain his breath.

    A few more seconds passed and just as Corey''s breathing had stabilized slightly, the Paragon Ancestor''s voice reached his ears.

    "One of the reasons you were able to defeat my little pumpkin and the third generation Paragon you faced, was because I forbid them from putting their void webs around any challenger''s neck at the beginning or throughout their battles.

    One of the teachings I try to instill into Paragons is that whenever they meet an individual they don''t fully trust, they should wrap their void webs around their necks.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    As you can see, if they did that, you''d have died at the beginning of the match."

    With a calm expression and folded arms, the Paragon Ancestor spoke and Corey who was still on his knees had a deep frown due to him realizing that the Paragon Ancestor''s words were mostly true.

    His talent skill, Record could not analyze the ''Void Web'' ability of the third generation Paragon and it almost killed him.

    If the third or the second generation Paragon used the void webs just like the Paragon Ancestor said, then he would most likely have lost the trial before he could even put up a fight.

    But despite the Paragon Ancestor''s words which were true, Corey was still not fully convinced about the Paragon Ancestor saying that he could never defeat him.

    "You still don''t fully believe me when I say that you can never defeat me?"

    The Ancestor of Paragons guessing correctly what Corey''s thoughts were, asked as he crouched and looked at Corey at the same level.

    Corey looked at him but didn''t say anything in response.

    The Paragon Ancestor sighed softly then with a soft grunt, he stood.

    "I''ll show you one of the reasons why you could and can never defeat me in this trial."

    As the Paragon Ancestor spoke, Corey felt his heartbeat increasing in intensity and pace slightly.

    A drop of sweat appeared on his forehead and just as Corey was wondering what was causing this reaction, his pupils constricted just a secondter when he saw the immense change that urred in his surroundings.

    "What the?"

    Corey eximed as he saw numerous flowing saber lights all around him.

    He looked to his left, to his right, up and even down.

    All around him, no matter where he looked, he just saw numerous flowing saber lights!

    "You don''t even know what an intent is so how do you expect to defeat me?"

    With an indifferent tone and expression, the Ancestor of all Paragons spoke and just as Corey turned to look at him, the Paragon Ancestor waved his right hand softly and before Corey could react, the world spun in Corey''s eyes.

    ''Huh? Did he just kill me?''

    Corey thought with an extremely baffled mental tone.

    Just as Corey was wondering why in the world the Paragon Ancestor would kill him, the world spun in front of Corey''s eyes and to his confusion, he found himself in the same position he was in when he was looking at the golden triangr pupils of the Paragon Ancestor.

    "Huh?"

    Corey looked around with a slightly disoriented and baffled expression.

    Meanwhile the Paragon Ancestor who had his arms folded, spoke with a light grin.

    "Although everything that happened after I spoke the words, ''Well this is interesting'' was an illusion, they also happened, but at the same time, did not happen."

    "Hmm?"

    With an extremely confused expression, Corey made a ''Hmm'' sound but the Paragon Ancestor waved his hand softly and spoke with a dismissive tone:

    "Exining it would take too much time, besides, we have to continue with the trial."

    "The trial?"

    Corey muttered subconsciously while looking down, then he looked at the Paragon Ancestor with slightly furrowed brows and spoke:

    "Just like you said, I can''t defeat you, so what sort of test are you nning on giving me?"

    Although Corey felt ufortable admitting that he could not defeat the proud Ancestor of Paragons before him, he knew his limits and right now, he definitely could not defeat him.

    Meanwhile, the Paragon Ancestor after hearing Corey''s question, unfolded his arms and a slightly cold and serious expression appeared in his eyes.

    "Just survive a fraction of my killing intent and you pass."

 Chapter 120 120: Ten Steps

    ?

    "Survive a fraction of your killing intent?"

    With slightly furrowed brows, Corey muttered as he looked at the Ancestor of Paragons with pondering expression on his face.

    "Yes, survive a fraction of my killing intent and you pass."

    With his arms folded, the Paragon Ancestor spoke and Corey replied after a few seconds passed.

    "What do you mean by survive?

    How do I know when I''ve survived?

    What do I do to ''survive''?"

    Corey asked with a calm expression and a smile formed on the lips of the Paragon Ancestor.

    He snapped his fingers and in the next instant, Corey found himself slightly farther away from the Paragon Ancestor.

    Corey frowned slightly when he realized that he had been moved or teleported with a method he had no idea of.

    ''Been weak truly sucks.''

    Corey thought and just as he had this thought, the Paragon Ancestor spoke:

    "There are thirteen steps between us. You must take at least ten steps towards me to pass my test and receive my rewards. The higher the number of steps you take, the better the reward I''ll give you."

    With a small smile on his lips, the Paragon Ancestor paused for a second before he continued:n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "The highest any challenger has ever reached was twelve steps, I wonder if you can reach there."

    "So¡­ Do you want to take the test now? Or you don''t want to take it at all?"

    Corey nced at the Paragon Ancestor for a second before he looked down with a pondering expression.

    Some might feel or think that the test given by the Paragon Ancestor was easier than battling the Paragon Ancestor.

    Not only that, they would think or feel that passing the test should be breeze.

    And honestly, Corey knew that the test was much, much easier than battling the Ancestor of all Paragons.

    The past minutes where he almost died and also died, were reasons enough for him to know that battling and defeating the Paragon was definitely the Paragon of impossibility.

    Despite the fact that the test was definitely much easier than battling the Paragon Ancestor, Corey did not think the test would be a breeze.

    In fact, he felt that the test would definitely be dangerous.

    Although he did not fully know what and how dangerous killing intent was, but for the Paragon Ancestor to make his test about surviving his killing intent, Corey knew the test was definitely not a breeze.

    After all this thoughts went through Corey''s mind, he looked up, then looked at the Paragon Ancestor, and with a calm expression, he gave his answer.

    "We can start now."

    Hearing Corey''s words, the smile on the lips of the Paragon Ancestor widened slightly.

    A soft chuckle escaped his lips, then he removed his folded arms and ced his hands inside the pockets of his trouser¡­ And as soon as he did that,

    WOOSH!

    The very air changed color before Corey''s very eyes which widened in shock and his heart started beating faster and louder than normal as he saw his surroundings change to something that was akin to a nightmare of kids and adults alike.

    Ssh

    Ssh

    Sshing sounds resounded into Corey''s ears and with a confused expression, he looked down and when he did, his confusion turned to a bbergasted expression as he saw the ground filled with a blood red liquid that reached his ankles.

    As he looked at the red liquid at his feet, he instantly knew what the liquid was.

    ''Blood.''

    Corey thought with squinted eyes and with a slightly trembling heart, he removed his gaze from the blood at his feet and he looked around, and as he did, his eyes squinted the more and his heart and mind shook.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    ''So much blood, so much corpses, so much bones, so much hatred, so much negativity, so much death.''

    Corey thought with his hands trembling as he looked at his surroundings which had so much blood that Corey decided to call it a ''Blood Sea''.

    Apart from the blood sea which Corey could not see the end of, there were numerous hills and piles of corpses and bones of various beings.

    There were some corpses and bones that were gigantic, while some looked humanoid and some looked like beasts.

    As Corey looked at some of these corpse and bone hills, he noticed that the faces of some anger had varying emotions, some had anger, some had regret, some had so much hatred in their facial expressions that Corey could imagine and feel just how much hatred this person, this being had, before it''s death.

    Not only did the corpses have varying expressions, in the mouths, eyes, nose and ears of every corpse, blood flowed out continuously into the blood sea.

    ''Is killing intent meant to be like this?

    Isn''t this too much?''

    Corey thought as he tried to calm his body which was still trembling even after some seconds had passed.

    "Ten steps, take at least ten steps towards me and you''ve passed the test."

    A deep voice filled with authority, calmness, pride and coldness reverberated throughout this death filled environment causing Corey to look at the source, and when he did, he saw The Ancestor of Paragons sitting on a throne that was made out of various kinds of bones.

    This throne was on a corpse hill that was not too high and not too low, it''s height was such that Corey could look up and he could see the Paragon Ancestor clearly.

    Just as Corey was looking at the Paragon Ancestor, a part of his eyes caught a glimpse of the corpse hill the throne of the Paragon Ancestor was on.

    Due to curiosity, he looked at the corpse hill and when he did, his eyes widened when he saw the faces of the corpses.

    ''Isn''t that?''

    With a baffled expression, Corey thought as he looked at the faces of the corpses which had more than two pairs of eyes. The faces did not have a nose and neither did they have a mouth.

    Their skin was as dark as night and the colors of their wide opened eyes varied.

    ''Don''t they look like the face with numerous eyes that appeared when the apocalypse started?

    The All-Father?

    Are those¡­ Supremes?''

    Corey thought with a baffled expression and after a few seconds passed, he looked at the sitting Ancestor of Paragons with a deep gaze.

    Meanwhile, the Paragon Ancestor who had crossed his legs and was cing one of his fist on his face, looked at Corey for a few seconds, then he spoke:

    "You want power... You want revenge... You don''t want to be weak.

    But let me ask you, do you have what it takes to be a Paragon?

    A Paragon suffers, they fight, they kill, we are not liked by most and most would definitely choose to hunt you if you remain weak as a Paragon.

    Just because we are one of the top two races in the entire multiverse, doesn''t mean we have it easy.

    We surpass limits, we break limits.

    Show me that you deserve to be a Paragon and take at least ten steps.

    Just ten steps."

    With every sentence spoken by the Paragon Ancestor, Corey felt his heartbeat and brain activity increasing slightly. He felt like dopamine was introduced into his body.

    Corey nced at his hands which were trembling slightly for a few seconds, then he released a soft sigh and without hesitation, he took the first step.

    ---

    [A/N: Sorry for uploadingte. Today had to be one of the most busiest days of my life. I''ve not even had a wink of sleep sincest night.

    I might also uploadte tomorrow by the way. Sorry for the inconvenience.]

 Chapter 121 121: Voices

    ?

    As Corey took his first step towards the Ancestor of Paragons, he had a calm expression and waited, wanting to see what was going to happen to him.

    He didn''t want to rush towards the Paragon Ancestor since he didn''t know what to expect from the environment he was in.

    The effect of the Paragon Ancestor releasing a fraction of his killing intent was already so shocking, so it wouldn''t be a surprise if the horror-like environment he was in, did something shocking and surprising.

    Around two seconds passed after Corey took the first step, and just when Corey was wondering if something was actually going to happen, Corey felt his skin tingle slightly and he also felt his body getting a little bit heavier, his heart rate also increased slightly.

    ''Is this killing intent?''

    Corey thought and for a few seconds, he stood rooted on the spot without moving with various thoughts running through his mind.

    It was not until around six seconds passed that Corey finally moved.

    He took the second step, and when he did, he felt the previous sensations when he took the first step, but this time around, it felt a little bit more pronounced.

    Corey spent a few seconds not moving, trying to get his mind and body used to the killing intent.

    A few seconds passed, then Corey took the third step.

    He paused once again and after getting used to the killing intent, he took the fourth step.

    Corey continued doing this for the fourth, fifth and sixth step.

    For every step he took, he would pause, trying to get used to the killing intent that had be much stronger. Due to the killing intent that had be much stronger, the length of his pauses had increased.

    Although the length of his pauses had increased, he had a calm expression throughout, with various thoughts running through his mind as he paused on the sixth step.

    ''Although I don''t fully know what killing intent is, from the name, it should mean when one has the intent to kill.

    But if killing intent is just one''s desire to kill, shouldn''t that apply only when one has the intent to kill a person or a group?

    How can the Paragon Ancestor have this much killing intent?

    Is it because he has killed so many people that his killing intent is this much?

    Does the number of murders one hasmitted affect one''s killing intent?''

    Corey thought with a calm expression for a few seconds before he released a soft breath.

    He looked around for a few seconds, then he took another step forward, the seventh step.

    As soon as Corey took this step, his expression changed slightly.

    The gravity surrounding his body increased so much that Corey had to use 75% of his entire strength just to keep himself upright.

    The air in front of him became more red, the blood beneath his feet rippled endlessly, the faces of the corpses on the corpse and bone hills around him looked in his direction causing his skin to tingle.

    As soon as the faces turned towards Corey, a cacophony of mumbles reached Corey''s ears causing him to frown.

    Corey looked at the faces of the corpse and bone hills which had varying expressions as they looked at him.

    Some had anger, some had hatred, some had regret, some had expressions of madness and some even had infatuated expressions causing Corey to be slightly confused.

    The mumbles, the blood red air and the heavy feeling that was surrounding him made Corey to feel extremely ufortable.

    He inhaled then exhaled a few times and just like before, he waited so as to get used to this level of killing intent.

    He sat down in a cross-legged position, not minding the blood he was sitting on.

    He inhaled and exhaled repeatedly, expecting to get used to the killing intent but as the seconds ticked by, Corey noticed something strange.

    The mumbling in his ears were bing louder for every second that went. Not only that, the heavy feeling around him was also increasing.

    ''The killing intent is also increasing.''

    Corey thought with a frown and he looked at the Paragon Ancestor who was looking at him with an indifferent expression as he ced his head on his clenched fist.

    "Don''t look at me, what did you expect?"

    Corey raised both of his brows hearing the Paragon Ancestor''s words, a confused expression also appeared on his face at the same time.

    "If somebody has killing intent towards you and that person''s killing intent is extremely powerful, do you think the person would allow you to sit and get used to his or her killing intent?

    Although what you''re doing now is ''wise''.

    Adapt.

    Adapt faster.

    Adapt while moving.

    Your enemies and death will not wait for you.

    So adapt faster."

    Hearing the Paragon Ancestor''s words which were spoken with an indifferent tone, Corey realized that the Paragon Ancestor''s words were true.

    Realizing this, Corey stood up without hesitation and he took the next step, the eighth step.

    Woosh

    Ssh<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Ssh

    As soon as Corey took the eight step, a cold wind which had cold killing intent blew around.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    The blood sea at Corey''s ankle increased at a visible speed as the seconds passed.

    The expressions of the faces of the corpses on the Corpse and Bone hills changed slightly.

    Their expressions of hatred, anger, regret, madness and infatuation had increased.

    Not only that, the mumbles which were resounding in Corey''s ears were no longer mumbles, they could be heard more clearly and they were louder and much more disturbing.

    ''Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!''

    The voices said repeatedly and Corey held the side of his head with an annoyed and frustrated expression.

    As Corey was dealing with the voices in his head, the blood sea increased, the wind also brought a certain coldness that made Corey shiver.

    Not only that, the heavy feeling around Corey had increased so much that Corey had to use 95% of his entire strength to stand.

    "Hmm."

    Corey groaned slightly then he shook his head softly. After shaking his head, with a determined expression, he took another step, the ninth step.

    Woosh!

    Ssh!

    Ssh!

    Ssh!

    After taking the ninth step, the heavy feeling surrounding Corey increased so much that Corey was forced to kneel.

    Ssh!

    The blood sea which was now at Corey''s knee level made a sshing sound as Corey knelt.

    The cold wind became much colder, making Corey shiver.

    Corey''s expression became more twisted as the seconds passed. Not only that, the voices in Corey''s mind were now so loud to the point that they became a cacophony of roars.

    ''KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL!''

    Corey clenched his fists tightly as he tried to control his mind from obeying the voices in his mind.

    Corey inhaled and exhaled repeatedly for some seconds, and just as Corey was about to stand, the words spoken by the voices started changing repeatedly.

    ''I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!''

    ''I WANT TO KILL YOU! I''LL KILL YOU!''

    ''I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU!''

    ''KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL!''

    The voices repeatedly changed in a random manner and Corey gritted his teeth so as to not keep himself from running mad.

    A low guttural groan escaped his lips and with a determined light in his eyes, he pushed himself up and took another step forward, the tenth step.

    As soon as Corey took the tenth step,

    Ssh!

    Cough

    Corey fell face t unto the blood sea which was still increasing. A sshing sound resounded from the blood sea and at the same time, Corey coughed out saliva.

    The wind became much colder, the heavy feeling around him increased, the blood sea increased, but the voices¡­the voices, they stopped.

    Corey could no longer hear the voices.

    Not even a mumble reached his ears.

    ''What''s going on?''

    Corey thought with gritted teeth as he tried to lift himself up but the pressure, the heavy feeling was just too much.

    Just as Corey was trying to lift himself up, a familiar voice, a voice which he would never forget reached Corey''s ears.

    "Funny enough that every time we meet, you''re always lying on the ground, in the same position."

    With a shocked expression and constricted pupils, Corey whose head was previously down, raised his head up, the pressure surrounding his head disappeared at that instant.

    "You- what are you doing here?"

    With eyes filled with immense coldness and hatred, Corey questioned as he saw the familiar face of the Pope with his white hair.

    Meanwhile the Pope just grinned and spoke:

    "D¨¦j¨¤ vu ain''t it?"

 Chapter 122 DONT UNLOCK AT ALL!!! INCOMPLETE CHAPTER!!

    122 DON''T UNLOCK AT ALL!!! INCOMPLETE CHAPTER!!

    [DON''T UNLOCK!!! DON''T UNLOCK!!! DON''T UNLOCK!!! INCOMPLETE CHAPTER!!]

    As Corey saw the face of the Pope before him, Corey gritted his teeth and clenched his fists so hard that soft popping sounds resounded from his fists.

    A red color appeared in the sclera of Corey''s eyes and his expression twisted little by little as the seconds passed.

    "You''re not going to say anything?

    No response? No action?"

    The Pope said with raised brows as he looked at Corey with raised brows and a light grin.

    The Pope''s eyes then moved to Corey''s struggling expression and a light of realization appeared in his eyes.

    "Oh, the reason you''re not moving is cause you''re weak.

    I mean, you were too weak to save your sister, and right now, you''re still too weak to act.

    How do you think your sister and parents would feel about you failing them¡­ twice."

    With a mocking smile, the Pope moved to the side and gestured.

    With half of his sclera bing red, Corey who now had a more pronounced twisted expression, looked at where the Pope gestured to, and when he did, his pupils constricted way past it''s limits.

    Around 20m away from him were three people which he cared the most for in his heart.

    Anna, his mom and his dad.

    His sister and parents were some meters away from him, but the three of them had chains around their wrists, causing them to be lifted up into the air.

    The source of the chains were some open mouths of the corpses on the corpse and bone hills.

    Not only were Corey''s sister and parents chained, on their bodies were numerous spikes that passed through their bodies.

    Corey looked at his ''family'' with his sclera which had be 85% red. A few seconds passed and Corey finally stopped looking down and a soft chuckle escaped his lips.

    Corey shook his head while chuckling for a few seconds, causing the Pope and the Paragon Ancestor to raise his brows.

    "I know this is not real and it''s most likely an illusion, but¡­"

    Corey who was speaking, paused, then he looked not at the Pope, but the Paragon Ancestor.

    "Fuck you for showing me this."

    Corey said with a frigid cold expression and tone as he looked at the Paragon Ancestor.

    At that moment, he didn''t care if the person he was cursing was one of the strongest beings in the multiverse. Nor did he care that the person could most likely end his life in an instant.

    At that moment, Corey did not give a damn because he was pissed, extremely pissed off and even angry that the Paragon Ancestor would show him his family in such terrible conditions.

    Assuming it was only an illusion of the Pope Corey saw, Corey would not be as pissed and angry as he currently was.

    ''I can feel my consciousness fading away due to the killing intent that''s affecting my mind.''

    Corey thought with a frown as he struggled to remain sane. He decided not to look at the Pope, is the Paragon Ancestor and his family.

    Numerous thoughts went through Corey''s mind as he tried to think of a way to pass the tenth step, to ovee his limits and reach the thirteenth step.

    ''Eh¡­ So you''re telling me that I won''t pass the tenth step, that I won''t gain more power?''

    A soft chuckle escaped Corey''s lips once again as he had this thought.

    ''Because I''m weak I can''t stand due to this high gravity-like feeling around me.''

    Corey had this thought as he tried to get up, but he could not due to the heavy feeling around him.

    Corey''s frown deepened when he realized this. He knew that if he wanted to have enough strength to break free from the heavy pressure around him, he needed to do something, to give in to the killing intent that was continuously increasing with every passing second.

    Although he had this desire, this mad desire to give in to this killing intent and attack the Pope who was looking at him with an amused smile, Corey knew that or to be more exact, he felt that if he gave in to this killing intent, something which he would definitely not like would ur and he would lose the Paragon Ancestor''s test.

    Realizing this, Corey''s frown deepened.

    ''I hate been weak.

    I hate losing things, people I consider precious.

    I shall not remain weak¡­ No matter what.''

    With an expression containing madness and determination, Corey did the or to be more exact, used the only method, the only skill he could think of that would help him in this situation.

    ''Focus!'' n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    As soon as Corey used his talent skill, Focus, his eyes changed to that pure white and his expression became emotionless.

    This was not the normal Focus which used Corey''s mana and stamina,

    No!

    This was the Focus which used Corey''s health.

    This was the stage of Focus that Corey unknowingly used in the fight against the second guardian.

    Apart from the negative side effects that happened to Corey when he used this stage of Focus in his fight against the second guardian, there was just one positive side effect after Corey used Focus in that stage.

    Corey could now decide what type of energy he wanted to use to activate Focus.

    He didn''t need to start with mana, then stamina, then health.

    He could decide to start with stamina, or start with mana or start with health.

    And this time, Corey started with health without hesitation.

    The determination, the desire to surpass his limits and be stronger was so high in Corey''s heart that Corey did not care if he had to injure himself.

    Meanwhile the Paragon Ancestor who had an indifferent expression throughout the test, had a change in his expression and his brows furrowed slightly.

    ----

    Corey clenched his fists tightly as he tried to control his mind from obeying the voices in his mind.

    Corey inhaled and exhaled repeatedly for some seconds, and just as Corey was about to stand, the words spoken by the voices started changing repeatedly.

    ''I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!''

    ''I WANT TO KILL YOU! I''LL KILL YOU!''

    ''I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU!''

    ''KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL!''

    The voices repeatedly changed in a random manner and Corey gritted his teeth so as to not keep himself from running mad.

    A low guttural groan escaped his lips and with a determined light in his eyes, he pushed himself up and took another step forward, the tenth step.

    As soon as Corey took the tenth step,

    Ssh!

    Cough

    Corey fell face t unto the blood sea which was still increasing. A sshing sound resounded from the blood sea and at the same time, Corey coughed out saliva.

    The wind became much colder, the heavy feeling around him increased, the blood sea increased, but the voices¡­the voices, they stopped.

    Corey could no longer hear the voices.

    Not even a mumble reached his ears.

    ''What''s going on?''

    Corey thought with gritted teeth as he tried to lift himself up but the pressure, the heavy feeling was just too much.

    Just as Corey was trying to lift himself up, a familiar voice, a voice which he would never forget reached Corey''s ears.

    "Funny enough that every time we meet, you''re always lying on the ground, in the same position."

    With a shocked expression and constricted pupils, Corey whose head was previously down, raised his head up, the pressure surrounding his head disappeared at that instant.

    "You- what are you doing here?"

    With eyes filled with immense coldness and hatred, Corey questioned as he saw the familiar face of the Pope with his white hair.

    Meanwhile the Pope just grinned and spoke:

    "D¨¦j¨¤ vu ain''t it?"

    Around two seconds passed after Corey took the first step, and just when Corey was wondering if something was actually going to happen, Corey felt his skin tingle slightly and he also felt his body getting a little bit heavier, his heart rate also increased slightly.

    ''Is this killing intent?''

    Corey thought and for a few seconds, he stood rooted on the spot without moving with various thoughts running through his mind.

    It was not until around six seconds passed that Corey finally moved.

    He took the second step, and when he did, he felt the previous sensations when he took the first step, but this time around, it felt a little bit more pronounced.

    Corey spent a few seconds not moving, trying to get his mind and body used to the killing intent.

    A few seconds passed, then Corey took the third step.

    He paused once again and after getting used to the killing intent, he took the fourth step.

    Corey continued doing this for the fourth, fifth and sixth step.

    For every step he took, he would pause, trying to get used to the killing intent that had be much stronger. Due to the killing intent that had be much stronger, the length of his pauses had increased.

    Although the length of his pauses had increased, he had a calm expression throughout, with various thoughts running through his mind as he paused on the sixth step.

    ''Although I don''t fully know what killing intent is, from the name, it should mean when one has the intent to kill.

    But if killing intent is just one''s desire to kill, shouldn''t that apply only when one has the intent to kill the corpses on the corpse and bone hills around him looked in his direction causing his skin to 09:23

    tingle.

    a person or a group?

    How can the Paragon Ancestor have this much killing intent?

    Is it because he has killed so many people that his killing intent is this much?

    Does the number of murders one hasmitted affect one''s killing intent?''

    Corey thought with a calm expression for a few seconds before he released a soft breath.

    He looked around for a few seconds, then he took another step forward, the seventh step.

    As soon as Corey took this step, his expression changed slightly.

    The gravity surrounding his body increased so much that Corey had to use 75% of his entire strength just to keep himself upright.

    The air in front of him became more red, the blood beneath his feet rippled endlessly, the faces of the corpses on the corpse and bone hills around him looked in his direction causing his skin to tingle.

    As soon as the faces turned towards Corey, a cacophony of mumbles reached Corey''s ears causing him to frown.

    Corey looked at the faces of the corpse and bone hills which had varying expressions as they looked at him.

    Some had anger, some had hatred, some had regret, some had expressions of madness and some even had infatuated expressions causing Corey to be slightly confused.

    The mumbles, the blood red air and the heavy feeling that was surrounding him made Corey to feel extremely ufortable.

    He inhaled then exhaled a few times and just like before, he waited so as to get used to this level of killing intent.

    He sat down in a cross-legged position, not minding the blood he was sitting on.

    He inhaled and exhaled repeatedly, expecting to get used to the killing intent but as the seconds ticked by, Corey noticed something strange.

    The mumbling in his ears were bing louder for every second that went. Not only that, the heavy feeling around him was also increasing.

    ''The killing intent is also increasing.''

    Corey thought with a frown and he looked at the Paragon Ancestor who was looking at him with an indifferent expression as he ced his head on his clenched fi

 Chapter 125 124: Conquerors

    ?

    "So I guess I''ll start from the history between Paragons and Supremes, why we are fighting and so on."

    With a slightly solemn expression, the Paragon Ancestor spoke as he sat on the grass-like ground in a cross-legged seating position.

    Corey who was sitting in front of him, waited to hear information which most would definitely not know or would be dying to know.

    Though, Corey was not sure if the information would be a 100% true but any information was better no information at all.

    "The Supremes are what I call Conquerors.

    They like to conquer ces.

    Their Ancestor, the bastard that calls himself the All-Father, is a multiverse conqueror.

    He has conquered and is still conquering so many universes, and whenever he conquers a universe, he bes more powerful, though it''s not by a huge amount."

    "Wait¡­ Please wait."

    As the Paragon Ancestor was speaking, Corey interrupted as he ced both his arms in a stopping sign.

    The Paragon Ancestor raised an eyebrow, his expression asking the reason for Corey''s interruption, and Corey who had furrowed brows and a deep thoughtful expression, spoke after a few seconds passed.

    "You said that the All-Father has conquered so many universes and is still conquering many Universes right?"

    Corey spoke in a questioning tone and the Paragon Ancestor nodded slightly.

    Corey took a slightly long pause, then he spoke:

    "The universe I''m currently in¡­ Has it been conquered by the All-Father?"

    As soon as Corey asked that question, a slightly surprised expression appeared on the Paragon Ancestor''s face and with raised brows, he replied:

    "Yes, you''re right.

    And from your tone, I can guess that you already knew or guessed that that was the case.

    Though, I''m curious as to how you knew the answer to that question."

    The Paragon Ancestor asked and a light of remembrance appeared in Corey''s eyes.

    "When the apocalypse started, the Universal System said: ''The Universal System Wees The All-Father''.

    Not only that, there''s an image of the All-Father on the Evolution Center.

    There are more but this are the main ones that made me to realize that the Universe I''m living in, is being controlled by the All-Father."

    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    With a calm tone and expression, Corey exined and the Paragon Ancestor nodded after he finished speaking.

    "Just like I said before, your Universe has been conquered by the All-Father and he was the one that created the Universal System to control your Universe.

    The reason why the young Paragon that you met said you should not keep your treasures in your inventory, but instead you should keep them in your spatial ring, is because the inventory of the Universal System is actually one of the treasuries of the Supreme.

    Assuming you kept my blood essence and the poison infinity crystal in your inventory, you will definitely not find them again and you would most likely face problems in the future."

    "What?"

    Corey eximed with a surprised expression since he never expected such a reason as to why the old man repeatedly told him to not keep his treasures in his inventory.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Despite Corey''s shock and surprised state, the Paragon Ancestor did not care and continued speaking:

    "Although the Universal System was created by the All-Father, let''s just say that, right now, a few things are not going the way the All-Father wants them to."

    "What do you mean?"

    Corey asked with a confused expression but the Paragon Ancestor just waved his hand softly as he spoke:

    "Don''t worry about that. Even if I tell you, you won''t understand¡­ yet."

    "Anyway, as I was saying.

    The reason why I''m at odds with the All-Father is because when the bastard wanted to conquer my universe, he attacked the Paragon Realm, my home in my universe and that''s something I can never forgive."

    With a cold tone and expression, the Paragon Ancestor spoke, subconsciously releasing a little bit of his killing intent but a secondter, it receded and the Paragon Ancestor released a soft sigh.

    "Anyway, the reason the All-Father doesn''t like me is because he couldn''t defeat me and conquer my universe, even till this day.

    Not only that, my race is the only race that canbat the Supremes and defeat them, and that hurt the pride of the Supremes.

    So currently, I can''t defeat the bastard and the bastard also can''t defeat me. We''re currently at a stalemate, though there are little battles here and there between my race and the bastard''s race."

    With a slightly deep gaze in his eyes, the Paragon Ancestor spoke as he looked at Corey.

    The three triangles in his eyes rotated once as he looked at Corey, though Corey didn''t notice it.

    Meanwhile Corey had a pondering expression for a few seconds after hearing the words of the Paragon Ancestor. A few seconds passed, then he spoke:

    "What makes Paragons and Supremes so special?

    I have seen some of your skills and the abilities of the second and third generation Paragons, but what makes the Paragons and Supremes to stand out as one of the top two races?"

    The Paragon Ancestor ced his right hand on his chin and stroked it softly for a few seconds before he spoke:

    "Paragons¡­ Don''t have a special ability that would make them the strongest from birth.

    If a Paragon doesn''t work hard, he or she would never go far."

    The Paragon Ancestor paused and his brows furrowed slightly as he scratched his head with a slightly frustrated expression for a few seconds before he continued speaking:

    "My main problem is that you don''t know a lot of things so exining the powers of a Paragon might, sorry, would definitely make you confused.

    When I created myself to be a Paragon, I added a lot of things to my body, but the main ability that''s actually feared and hated by the Supremes is our extremely high resistance to the elements."

    "Elements?"

    Corey asked and the Paragon Ancestor released a soft sigh.

    ''Why couldn''t this kid be born in a cultivation world.''

    The Paragon Ancestor released another internal sigh before he looked at Corey once again.

    ''Well, I was also like him when I was young. A spatial crack pulled me and teleported me to a world of cultivation.''

 Chapter 126 125: Infinity Crystals

    ?

    ''Well, I was also like him when I was young. A spatial crack pulled me and teleported me to a world of cultivation.''

    The Paragon Ancestor thought then he continued speaking:n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "There are nine elements. Fire, water, wind, earth, ice, lightning, metal, wood and magma.

    A Supreme can have an affinity for one or more elements, and if a Supreme has an affinity for that element, that Supreme can control it better than any other being, even if the person is said to have an extremely high affinity towards that element.

    If there''s a genius of let''s say, the dragons and that dragon genius is said to have the highest level of affinity towards the lightning element, his affinity can nevere close to a Supreme that also has an affinity towards the lightning element, unless under some conditions which I would not exin or we would spend forever here.

    You can find them out on your own in the future, right now I''ve told you about the basic ability of a Supreme, and you''ve also seen how Supremes look like."

    The Paragon Ancestor spoke and Corey nodded slightly causing the Paragon Ancestor to nod back slightly while stroking his chin for a few seconds before he spoke:

    "Now, the ability which I passed unto every Paragon descendant is having a high resistance corresponding to the type of elemental infinity crystal they possess."

    "Please stop.I don''t understand.

    You said there are only nine elements and poison is not one of them. So why do you say elemental infinity crystals when I have a poison infinity crystal in my sr plexus?"

    Corey asked with a confused expression and the Paragon Ancestor sighed.

    "This is why I hate teaching. You know I feel like just giving you your rewards without exining a single thing to you then I''ll just send you back.

    This is so stressful."

    The Paragon Ancestor sighed and Corey remained silent, not saying anything in response.

    "Infinity crystals is actually quite difficult to exin to you.

    Just know that there are numerous types of infinity crystals like the fire infinity crystal, water infinity crystal, lightning infinity crystal, saber infinity crystal, spear infinity crystal, chain infinity crystal and so on.

    There are also levels to infinity crystals.

    The first level is mortal infinity crystal which is actually for tier 0 individuals, the second level is called astral infinity crystal which is for tier 1-3, the third level is called mystic infinity crystal for tier 4-6 and the fourth level is called immortal infinity crystal for tier 7-9 individuals. There''s one more level but for your own good, it''s better you don''t know."

    The Paragon Ancestor said but Corey had a confused expression and was about to speak but the Paragon Ancestor seeing that, quickly put a zipping motion on his lips, signaling Corey to zip whatever questions he had.

    "Yes, I know you have questions and you will get the answers in the future when you leave this ce.

    You''re not getting it from me because from there you''ll ask more questions and this would be a never ending question and answer session."

    The Paragon Ancestor exined but Corey felt slightly unhappy about the implications of his words, and with him wanting more information, he tried to speak but just as he was about to speak, the Paragon Ancestor snapped his fingers and Corey realized that the words he spoke could not be heard.

    His brows furrowed in slight anger and frustration but the Paragon Ancestor ignored it and continued speaking:

    "Now what I meant by a Paragon having a high resistance corresponding to the elemental infinity crystal or crystals they possess was this.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    If one of my descendants has a fire infinity crystal, they would develop fire resistance which would keep on increasing as they keep on getting stronger.

    I don''t want to start exining how the resistance works, so you''ll find out that on your own."

    The Paragon Ancestor spoke as he looked at Corey who had an indifferent expression with his arms folded.

    Not caring about Corey''s expression, the Paragon Ancestor continued speaking:

    "Now that I''ve given you a brief exnation of the history between Paragons and Supremes, infinity crystals and the abilities of Paragons and Supremes, I want to tell you how you would progress in the future."

    The Paragon Ancestor paused then with aplicated light in his eyes which was not noticed by Corey, the Paragon Ancestor sighed then spoke:

    "Now, Paragons cannot progress the way other races progress. It''s more¡­ dangerous."

    Corey tilted his head slightly to the left, his expression showing a confused but calm expression.

    "If you remember, I said that your Universal System wouldn''t recognize you as a tier 1 being because I''m going to tweak a few things without that bastard noticing."

    The Paragon Ancestor said and Corey had raised brows.

    "I''m tweaking it so that you wouldn''t be found out by the Universal System that you''re a weak half-Paragon."

    The Paragon Ancestor said and Corey''s lips twitched.

    "Anyway, the thing is that when your Universal System doesn''t recognize you as a tier 1 being, it would give you a list of sses to choose from, so in a way, it''s more power for you.

    Just take it as this, the Paragon trial was a trial to change your race and the Universal System wouldter give you a list of suitable sses you can choose from."

    The Paragon Ancestor said and Corey raised his brows slightly in surprise.

    He was happy.

    More power for him was good.

    The Paragon Ancestor knowing what was going on through Corey''s mind, shook his head softly but continued speaking:

    "So, like I said before, the way you progress as a Paragon, you tier up is more¡­ dangerous."

    The Paragon paused then sighed:

    "If you want to reach the next tier, you need an infinity crystal to reach the next tier, but since infinity crystals are not cheap cabbages that can be found everywhere, there''s another method for Paragons to progress.

    You''ll have to take the tribtions of hell every time you want to tier up."

 Chapter 127 126: Rewards

    ?

    "You''ll have to take the tribtions of hell to tier up. That is if you don''t have an infinity crystal to use."

    The Paragon Ancestor spoke and Corey had an extremely confused expression.

    Without releasing the bindings on Corey''s ability to speak, the Paragon Ancestor continued speaking.

    "I''m not going to exin what the tribtions of hell are, and neither am I going to tell you what the tribtions are because you won''t understand them even if I do tell you."

    With a calm tone, the Paragon Ancestor spoke but Corey''s brows furrowed deeply.

    "The tribtions of hell should actually not be taken by any being that''s below tier 7. It''s too dangerous and almost impossible for somebody below tier 7 to pass the tribtions of hell."

    Hearing the words spoken by the Paragon Ancestor, Corey blinked and looked at the Paragon Ancestor with a dead gaze.

    His gaze, expressed the feelings he felt and the words he so wanted to speak.

    The Paragon Ancestor, although saw Corey''s gaze and expression, ignored it and with a nonchnt expression, he continued speaking:

    "Normally, I''d have given you a map which can direct you to where the closest infinity crystals are, there are fragments of some elemental infinity crystals on your."

    The Paragon Ancestor spoke and Corey was not joyful, hopeful nor relieved¡­ No, he frowned deeply.

    "The fragments of the elemental infinity crystals are the locations where that bastard called the All-Father, gazed at with his eyes opened."

    "You just have to bring the fragments of the infinity crystals to an evolution center, and I''ll make the fragments whole."

    The Paragon Ancestor said with calm tone but Corey, at the moment, felt like truly shouting the words,

    ''How do you expect me to find and get the fragments if I''m in an unknown ce that is said to be a prison!''

    Although Corey wanted to shout out those words, he calmed himself down and just released a sigh.

    ''So I''ll have to face something that only people like the old man should face?''

    ''Why is nothing ever easy for me?''

    Corey released another sigh, and just as he did, the Paragon Ancestor spoke once more:

    "If you pass the tribtions of hell, you would be promoted to the next tier and you can still bring a fragment or a whole infinity crystal to me and I''ll fuse the infinity crystal with you."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    The Paragon Ancestor took a slightly long pause and Corey just waited with an indifferent expression.

    "Since I''ve told you all that I wanted to tell you, it''s time I give you your rewards for passing my test."

    The Paragon Ancestor snapped his fingers and six objects appeared in between Corey and the Paragon Ancestor.

    Although all the objects brought about Corey''s curiosity, there was one particr strange object which made Corey to stare at it first.

    The reason why Corey called the object strange was because the object was constantly changing it''s state.

    Sometimes, the object would be a ck round solid object, a few secondster, it would be a ck viscous liquid and another few secondster, it would be something akin to dust and float calmly in the air before changing back to either a round solid object or a viscous liquid.

    Corey was curious about this object and the Paragon Ancestor noticing his stare, spoke:

    "I wasn''t sure about giving you this, but my wife said I should give you."

    Corey looked at the Paragon Ancestor with raised brows, wondering who the Paragon Ancestor''s wife was.

    The Paragon Ancestor understanding what his gaze meant, spoke:

    "My wife is the unknown female voice that you heard when you came here."

    A slightly surprised expression appeared on Corey''s face hearing the Paragon Ancestor''s words.

    Although he was curious about the female voice when he first entered the Paragon Trial Space, he had pushed it to the back of his mind since it was not important, but never did he think that the female voice would be the wife of the Paragon Ancestor.

    "Anyway, that object is something created by my wife. If you touch it, it would transform to a cloth which you can modify to your own personal preferences anytime you want.

    The cloth can repair itself passively but it doesn''t have defensive abilities since you already have a defensive equipment.

    It can do other things and you''ll find them out after leaving this ce."

    "Those are the words my wife said I should tell you."

    With slightly raised brows, Corey looked at the Paragon Ancestor who had an indifferent expression as he spoke.

    Seeing the Paragon Ancestor''s expression, Corey decided to keep the words he wanted to say.

    It was not like he could even speak at the moment.

    Pushing his thoughts away, Corey looked at the second object which intrigued him slightly.

    The second object was a pair of axes. ck Dual Battle Axes.

    The Dual Battle Axes had crimson lines running through it from the bottom handle to the tip of the axes.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "I decided to give you this because the axe you''re using is too weak and would be useless very soon."

    The Paragon Ancestor said and he gestured towards the dual battle axes for Corey to pick, and Corey did as he was told and picked it up.

    "The dual battle axes are tier 1 and they are also growth items. Every time you kill an enemy with the axes, they get stronger by absorbing a part of their blood."

    Hearing the Paragon Ancestor''s words, Corey nodded softly as he repeatedly swung the dual axes before sending it into his storage ring.

    The Paragon Ancestor looked at Corey''s spatial ring with a slight frown and just for a fraction of a second, which was unnoticeable by Corey, the Paragon Ancestor''s expression changed before it receded back to normal.

    The Paragon Ancestor then picked up two objects which were books.

    "I already know one major issue you''ll face in the future so I''m giving you this book which would give you the skill, Elemental Breathing Technique."

    The Paragon Ancestor said as he threw a white covered book towards Corey.

    Corey caught it and looked at the Paragon Ancestor with a confused expression.

    "The Elemental Breathing Technique is a technique that would give you the ability to use elemental energies from elemental stones and crystals to increase your stats.

    The ce where you''re at, the ''Underworld'', sells elemental stones and crystals. When you get back to your world, ask around for what elemental stones and crystals are."

    With a nonchnt tone and soft wave of his hand, the Paragon Ancestor spoke then he threw the second book, a green covered book towards Corey.

    Corey caught it and ced both of the books in his storage ring, then waited for the Paragon Ancestor to speak.

    "That book is an alchemy catalogue."

    "Another thing which we Paragons are extremely talented at, is alchemy."

    The Paragon Ancestor said and Corey''s brows furrowed.

    "To be sincere, I''m not entirely sure if I should give you this book, but since I''m not losing anything, I decided to give you."

    The Paragon Ancestor said with a soft shrug, then he took another object.

    This object was a silver crystal with golden lines running all over it.

    "This crystal is a skill crystal, and it has the skill, Paragon Martial Arts."

    The Paragon Ancestor said with a tone filled with pride.

    He threw the crystal towards Corey then spoke:

    "Absorb it now."

    Although Corey was confused as to why the Paragon Ancestor would tell him to absorb it now, he did as he was told and absorbed it.

    Seconds after he absorbed it, Corey trembled as he felt a surge of information flow into his head.

    For a few seconds, Corey stood with a dazed expression before he came out of it.

    "Just like the name, the skill, Paragon Martial Arts is a martial arts.

    It teaches you how to fight better and as long as you practice it regrly, you''ll be extremely proficient in it."

    The Paragon Ancestor said then he took thest object which looked like a brown seed.

    "This is called a nk seed intent.

    With this, you can form an intent that you want and you can evolve it to to higher levels."

    The Paragon Ancestor said and Corey frowned, he signaled to his mouth, expressing his desire to speak but the Paragon Ancestor ignored him and spoke:

    "My wife said you''ll understand what an intent is after you leave this trial space, so don''t worry."

    Hearing the Paragon Ancestor''s words, Corey rxed slightly and though he still had the desire to ask more questions, the Paragon Ancestor did not want to hear any of it.

    "When you''re ready to leave, just will for it and you can leave and choose your ss which would be given to you by your Universal System."

    "You can choose any ss that you want."

    The Paragon Ancestor said and just as he stopped speaking, a thought came to his mind and he frowned slightly then he released a soft sigh.

    "As for that bastard''s blood that you have, keep it."

    "Also, put this in your spatial ring and give the young Paragon you call old man when you can."

    The Paragon Ancestor spoke as he threw a vial containing a blood red liquid towards Corey.

    Corey caught it, then he looked in the direction of the Paragon Ancestor¡­ but he had disappeared.

    Corey looked around then he sighed and sat down on the ground softly with a pondering expression on his face.

 Chapter 128 127: Class

    ?

    [ARE YOU SURE GIVING HIM THE ALL-FATHER''S BLOOD WAS A WISE CHOICE?]

    The female voice which was as actually the wife of the Paragon Ancestor spoke with a calm tone.

    The Paragon Ancestor who was sitting on a chair in a room filled with bookshelves had a slightly serious expression as he looked at a book on the table in front of him.

    He flipped the page of the book calmly and with a nonchnt expression, he spoke:

    "The child needs the bastard''s blood for the future."

    A few seconds of silence passed then the Female voice spoke:N?v(el)B\\jnn

    [WHAT DID YOU SEE?]

    "A lot of things."

    The Paragon Ancestor spoke calmly while flipping another page of the book. But just as he flipped the page,

    Whoosh

    A whooshing sound was generated as the book the Paragon Ancestor was reading flew and hit the wall of the room the Paragon Ancestor was in.

    The book fell, producing a light thud and with its pages opened, one could see the contents of the book which was that of drawings in various motions.

    It looked like¡­ aic.

    The Paragon Ancestor''s lips twitched as he held the torn page of the book, and with a sigh, he spoke:

    "The child''s future has a few simrities to mine."

    The Paragon Ancestor paused and a reminiscent light shed in his eyes then he continued speaking:

    "Just like me, he would face a lot of difficulties in his life and the bastard''s blood would be needed for his own good, at some point in time."

    "Although he might be angry at some point, it would help him reach a higher level."

    The Paragon Ancestor said and a few secondster, his wife spoke:

    [YOU''RE BEEN VAGUE ONCE AGAIN.]

    [WHY DO YOU LIKE TO BE VAGUE WHENEVER IT COMES TO THINGS RELATED TO THE FUTURE?]

    [YOU''RE ALREADY ABOVE THE CAUSE AND EFFECT OF TIME, SO SPEAKING ABOUT THE FUTURE SHOULD NOT AFFECT YOU.]

    The Wife of the Paragon Ancestor said and the Paragon Ancestor shrugged.

    "It''s more fun that way."

    Hearing the nonchnt tone of her husband, the Paragon Ancestor''s wife released a tired sigh then she spoke once again:

    [IT SEEMS IT''S ALSO HIS FATE TO SURPASS YOU]

    Hearing his wife''s words which was slightly serious, the Paragon Ancestor raised a brow and with a soft chuckle, he spoke:

    "You know that I don''t believe in things such as Fate.

    I already killed the former person who was controlling Fate, so you should know that one of the things I don''t believe in is Fate."

    With a tone containing slight coldness in it, the Paragon spoke then paused for about two seconds before he continued.

    "Also, having only that bastard to be as strong as me is boring, having another person as strong as the two of us should finally spice things up."

    With a small smile, the Paragon Ancestor spoke and after speaking, he snapped his fingers and the book and the torn paper which was in his hands, disappeared and appeared on the table in front of him, wholly intact.

    The Paragon Ancestor had a satisfied expression on his face seeing the wholly intact book and just before he was about to read, he spoke:

    "Just watch him and tell me if anything important happens to him."

    [SURE]

    The Paragon Ancestor''s wife replied and silence reigned in the room the Paragon Ancestor was in, as the Paragon Ancestor read theic like book in front of him.

    -----

    (In the Evolution Center)

    Corey stood a few meters away from the portal in the evolution center and with a slight frown, he stood with his right hand on his chin as he looked at the translucent screen in front of him.

    After Corey did a few things in the Paragon trial space, he willed for himself to leave the trial space and after he did, he found himself back in the evolution center.

    After he appeared in the evolution center, a translucent screen appeared in front of his face, asking him to wait since the Universal System was still checking his records so as to give him suitable sses for his tier up.

    Corey waited while wondering how much time had gone ever since he appeared in the Paragon Trial Space. He just hoped that he didn''t spend too much time in the Paragon trial space so as to not arouse suspicion or interest from the Underworld.

    Those were one of the few questions he wanted to ask the Paragon Ancestor but due to the Paragon Ancestor not giving him the opportunity to ask him questions, he could not.

    Around thirty seconds passed and the Universal System finally finished checking his records and provided a list of sses to Corey based on his physique, past achievements and various other things which Corey did not know.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    It was due to the list of sses that Corey currently had a frown as he looked at the translucent screen.

    The Universal System provided him five sses which were:

    [Heir of the Ancient Spear God]

    [Night Assassin]

    [Arcane Mage]

    [Poison Warlock]

    [Heir of the Ghost King]

    These five sses were the sses given to him by the Universal System and the five sses were all special on their own.

    The first ss, Heir of the Ancient Spear God was a ss that ording to the system, was rted to the ancient spear in his possession.

    The ss would give him a very high talent in using spears, and not only that, it would also provide him some spear rted skills from the system and would also unlock one of the seals which the old man ced on the spear.

    The second ss, Night Assassin was just like it''s name, an assassin based ss. The ss would give him more knowledge regarding assassination and would also give him assassination rted skills.

    ording to the Universal System, the ss would also make him more powerful in the night and would also make him more unrecognizable during the night in terms of stealth.

    Meanwhile, the third ss, Arcane Mage was a ss that ording to the Universal System, would give him basic magic rted knowledge.

    ording to the Universal System, the ss was a ss where Corey would have to learn about magic, mana and the elements himself.

    Unlike other basic mage rted sses like Darkness Mage, Fire Mage, Water Mage and so on where the sses would provide the person with knowledge rted to the particr element, Arcane Mage doesn''t provide knowledge regarding those elements.

    It would only provide basic magic rted knowledge to Corey and Corey would have to find out more regarding magic, elements and so on.

    Also, although it had a big disadvantage, the Universal System said that the ss had a lot of potential because if he could utilize the ss properly, he could create his own spells and even perform lots of feats which a lot of mage rted sses could not perform.

    It just depends on how far his imagination could go with the ss.

    The fourth ss, Poison Warlock was a ss which Corey did not have an idea of what it could do just from it''s name.

    ording to the Universal System, Warlocks were extremely talented beings in terms ofbat, mana, war and so many other things.

    There were other types of warlocks, for example Blood Warlock, Fate Warlock, Elemental Warlock and so on, and all those warlock sses had extremely high potential.

    Now, the Universal System said that all Warlocks had extremely high potential, the Poison Warlock was a path of the Warlock ss which was not known to the public.

    The Poison Warlock was a ss which was frowned upon by people who knew the ss and was also a ss which people feared.

    It was a ss where one did not use elements, but poison and at the same time, it was a ss that also provides physical rted abilities to the person.

    This was what Corey understood from the description.

    Meanwhile, the fifth ss, Heir of the Ghost King, was a ss that was rted to the ghost gloves.

    The description which the Universal System gave him was not much, the Universal System told him that the ss would give him ghost rted abilities and it also has the potential to give him the ability to control ghosts.

    Presently, Corey read and pondered over the description of the sses since he knew that choosing one of the sses right now would definitely affect his future path.

    Heir of the Ancient Spear God, Night Assassin, Arcane Mage, Poison Warlock and Heir of the Ghost King.

    Which ss would Corey choose?

    ----

    [A/N: So people, right now, i want to do something.

    Although, I have already chosen a ss for Corey, I want your opinions on this.

    Tell me what ss you think Corey should go for.

    Heir of the Ancient Spear God?

    Night Assassin?

    Arcane Mage?

    Poison Warlock?

    Or Heir of the Ghost King?

    Leave your replies as ament and who knows, if your reply can convince me enough, I might change my mind and choose another ss.

    If you guys don''t reply, I''ll just go with what I want so leave a reply.

    I would really love it if you guys do.

    Thanks and have a great day/night.]

 Chapter 129 128: Choosing

    ?

    Heir of the Ancient Spear God, Night Assassin, Arcane Mage, Poison Warlock and Heir of the Ghost King.

    Corey ruminated over these five sses as he tried to think of the pros and cons of each of the five sses which were actually extremely good sses.

    The first ss, Heir of the Ancient Spear God, ording to Corey''s guess, was mainly a physical based ss.

    Although the idea of having an extremely high talent in using spears was appealing, Corey knew that he was severelycking when it came to non-physical attacks and he definitely needed to have non-physical based attacks.

    Although the ss might give non-physical based attacks in the future, Corey was not sure.

    Besides, the old man told him that when he bes strong enough or when he has the ability, he could unlock some of the seals on the ancient spear, so who knows, he might gain some non-physical based attacks from the spear.

    The second ss, Night Assassin was a ss which had lots of potential and honestly, Corey could think of ways to utilize the ss to make him a dangerous and feared person to his future enemies.

    Although Corey had ideas on how to utilize the ss, he also knew that the ss would definitely not be suitable in frontal confrontations and this had a chance of affecting Corey in the future.

    "The ss might eventually give me the ability to fight my enemies in frontal confrontations in the future, but as of now, I''ll probably be disadvantaged whenever I fight people in frontal confrontations."

    Corey spoke as he ced one hand on his chin with his brows slightly furrowed.

    Being disadvantaged in fights was something that urred on a regrly basis towards Corey and although, he was used to it, he was tired of it.

    Corey''s eyes moved away from the ss, then he looked at the third ss.

    "Arcane Mage."

    Corey muttered with his brows furrowed deeply.

    The Arcane Mage ss was one of the sses he was more inclined to choose because the ss would fix a major problem he currently had, hisck of non-physical based skills.

    Although he wasn''t sure what the ss would give him if he chose it, what he knew was that he would gain magical knowledge and from that magical knowledge, he could create his own spells.

    Not only that, Corey could decide to test and create his own spells in The Library Of Records where he would not have to worry about harming himself.

    All in all, the pros of the Arcane Mage ss was a lot and it definitely had a lot of potential, but although it had potential, there was one thing Corey was worried about.

    Most mage skills had to deal with elements.

    The abilities of most mages used the elements and ording to the old man and the Paragon Ancestor, the Supremes were like the masters of the elements and although, he had not encountered a Supreme before, he would most likely be at odds with them since he was now a Paragon.

    "There should be other types of magic apart from elemental magic.

    Maybe illusion magic, summoning magic, dream magic?"

    Corey mumbled with a tone which contained uncertainty as he looked at the Arcane Mage ss written on the translucent screen.

    "Let''s just say there are other types of magic that are not elemental magic, would I gain knowledge that''s different from elemental magic from my first tier up?

    Even if I do get, would the type of magic be useful for me now?

    Can it help me in the Underworld?

    Can it protect my life?"

    Corey released a sigh as he rubbed his forehead while shaking his head for a few seconds.

    After a few seconds, he decided to move away from the Arcane Mage ss and focus on the next ss, Poison Warlock.

    Poison Warlock was a ss which ording to Corey''s guess, was given to him because of his change in physique and the poison infinity crystal in his body.

    ording to the Universal System, warlocks were talented beings in terms ofbat, mana, war and so on.

    Corey guessed that the reason he was given that ss was because of his new physique which was no longer human.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Although Warlocks were extremely talented individuals and had very high potential, Corey was apprehensive about one thing, that was the poison aspect of the ss.

    Corey was not the type of person that liked to deal with things rted to nts.

    That was one of the reasons he frowned when the Paragon Ancestor gave him the Alchemy Catalogue.

    Although, right now, Corey knew he should have no problem in understanding things about nts, nts just didn''t fascinate him that much.

    But despite the fact that nts did not fascinate him, Corey knew that the Poison Warlock was one of the best sses among the five sses provided to him.

    Thest ss, Heir of The Ghost King was also a ss that piqued Corey''s interest because if the ss gave Corey the ability to be incorporeal, Corey could most definitely use it to escape from the Underworld.

    Not only that, the ss could give him the ability to control ghosts which was literally him having an army at his beck and call¡­ He believed.

    Now, although the ss had it''s pros which the other sses definitely did not have, the ss also had a few things which made Corey to look at the ss less.

    In terms of having the ability to be corporeal, he had Rhea for that and not only that, the title of the ss was something that made Corey to hesitate when it came to the ss.

    Corey was not worried about been a ghost, no, what he was worried about was the ''Heir'' title of the ss.

    Just like the first ss, ''Heir of the Ancient Spear God'' and this ss, ''Heir of the Ghost King'', Corey had apprehensions choosing the two sses because the ss might limit him in the future.

    The sses were titled heir and just from that name, it meant taking over the ''Ancient Spear God'' and the ''Ghost King'' who were definitely not as strong as the Paragon Ancestor or the All-Father.

    It wouldn''t be a surprise if he encountered a brick wall when he tried to reach higher levels just because he was the heir of either the ''Ancient Spear God'' or the ''Ghost King''.

    So mainly due to that, Corey did not n on choosing either the ''Heir of the Ancient Spear God'' or the ''Heir of the Ghost King''.

    Also, neither did he n on choosing the Night Assassin ss because he wanted a ss that would give him skills that were not purely physical.

    "So I guess it''s between Arcane Mage and Poison Warlock."

    Corey mumbled and had deeply furrowed brows as he looked at the two sses.

    His eyes lingered more on the Arcane Mage ss as it seemed more appealing to him since he would have more freedom and would also be able to create his own spells.

    Not only that, although the ss was purely a mage based ss, Corey had the elemental breathing technique which the Paragon Ancestor gave to him and the breathing technique could be used to physically strengthen his body.

    And he also had the Paragon Martial Arts skill which would help him inbat.

    The more Corey thought about the Arcane Mage ss, the more inclined he was towards it.

    His lips parted open, wanting to choose the ss, but just as he was about to speak, a thought came to his mind and he frowned.

    "If I choose the Arcane Mage ss, I''ll have to create my spells while learning more about magic, but¡­ Can''t I do that without the ss?

    Can''t I learn more about magic and also create my own spells without the ss?

    I just need to find books or ces which exin about magic and I can definitely learn them. I don''t need the Universal System or the ss to help me with that right?"

    Corey mumbled as he looked at the Arcane Mage ss with an intense pondering expression.

    The more he thought about what he just said, the more he felt that he was right.

    "It would just be more time consuming for me."

    Corey once again thought about the poison infinity crystal which he had in his body and he felt that if he doesn''t utilize the poison infinity crystal and ignores it, it would be wasteful since it would definitely take some time before he gets another infinity crystal.

    Corey sighed a few secondster, then he spoke:

    "Let''s just hope I don''t regret this."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "I choose the Poison Warlock ss."

    As soon as Corey spoke, the words on the translucent screen changed.

    [THE CLASS, POISON WARLOCK HAS BEEN CHOSEN]

    [COMMENCING TRIAL FOR THE CLASS, POISON WARLOCK]

    [PLEASE ENTER THE PORTAL AND¡­]

    [ERROR¡­ ERROR]

    [TRIAL HAS BEEN PASSED]

    [PROMOTION TO TIER 1 SHALL BEGIN]

    [PRODUCTION OF TIER 1 ASTRAL MANA CORE SHALL BEGIN]

    [PLEASE WAIT¡­]

    [ERROR¡­ ERROR]

    [PLAYER HAS AN UNKNOWN TIER 1 ASTRAL MANA CORE]

    [BEGINNING INSPECTION OF UNKNOWN ASTRAL MANA CORE]

    [ERROR¡­ ERROR]

    [INSPECTION CANCELLED]

    [IMPROVEMENT OF PHYSIQUE TO BETTER SUIT THE CLASS, POISON WARLOCK]

    [ERROR¡­ ERROR]

    [PLAYER POSSESSES AN UNKNOWN SUPERIOR PHYSIQUE]

    [BEGINNING INSPECTION OF UNKNOWN SUPERIOR PHYSIQUE]

    [ERROR¡­ ERROR]

    [INSPECTION CANCELLED]

    [PROCEEDING TO GIVE OUT REWARDS FOR SUCCESSFULLY PASSING THE TIER 1 CLASS TRIAL]

    [THE SKILL, SUPER SOLDIER MARTIAL ARTS HAS BEEN REWARDED]

    [ERROR¡­ ERROR]

    [AN UNKNOWN SUPERIOR MARTIAL ARTS SKILL HAS BEEN DETECTED AMONG THE PLAYER''S RECORDS]

    [BEGINNING INSPECTION OF UNKNOWN SUPERIOR MARTIAL ARTS]

    [ERROR¡­ ERROR]

    [INSPECTION CANCELLED]

    [¡­]

    [THE SKILLS: HERBAL KNOWLEDGE AND ANATOMICAL KNOWLEDGE HAVE BEEN GIVEN]

    [ALL REWARDS HAVE BEEN GIVEN]

    "¡­"

    "The hell?"

    Corey spoke with a baffled expression and tone as he looked at the disappearing translucent screen.

    Although the continuous error and cancelling of the inspection confused Corey at first, Corey remembered that the Paragon Ancestor said that he tweaked a few things so that the Universal System would not know he was a Paragon.

    But despite knowing that the errors and cancelling of the inspection was the work of the Paragon Ancestor, it was still kind of funny and interesting whenever it happened.

    But what was not funny was the two skills Corey got as a reward from the Universal System.

    Although a part of him somewhat expected that, another part of him hoped that he would get offensive skills that he could use immediately.

    But it seemed that his luck for an easy life was as terrible as always.

    Corey sighed and just as he sighed, the translucent screen which disappeared previously, appeared once again and this time, the words on it were different.

    Corey with a curious expression, looked at the translucent screen and read the contents.

    [DUE TO THE PLAYER, COREY ZANE JUNIOR BECOMING A TIER 1 BEING, YOUR TALENT, OMNISCIENCE HAS LEVELED UP]

    [PLEASE CHOOSE ONE SKILL AMONG THE SKILLS¡­]

    [EYES OF OMNISCIENCE]

    [EARS OF OMNISCIENCE]

    [TONGUE OF OMNISCIENCE]

    [HEART OF OMNISCIENCE]

    [BREATH OF OMNISCIENCE]

    "Another list of choices?"

    Corey spoke with an extremely baffled expression seeing the list before him.

    Before he had to choose his ss, now¡­ he has to choose a skill that was rted to his Omniscience talent.

    "I didn''t expect this."

    Corey mumbled as he saw the list of choices before him.

    He tapped on one of the skill, ''Eyes of Omniscience'', wanting to read it''s description but when he tapped on the skill, nothing happened.

    He tapped it again, but nothing happened.

    He tapped the next skill and once again, nothing happened.

    He did it for all the skills but no description of the skills appeared before him.

    "So I don''t get a description this time around?"

    Corey frowned as he realized that, then he sighed as he looked at the list once again.

    "Eyes of Omniscience, Ears of Omniscience, Tongue of Omniscience, Heart of Omniscience and Breath of Omniscience."

    "Which shall I choose this time around."

    Corey mumbled as he stroked his chin with a pondering expression once again.

 Chapter 130 130: Nina

    ?

    [A/N: Due to technical difficulties, chapter 129 is after this chapter. Sorry for the inconvenience.]

    "Nano Machine?"

    "Queen Mother?"

    Corey frowned hearing the female voice in his mind.

    [Yes Corey Zane, I''m a Nano Machine created by Queen Mother to help you with things rted to Paragons, Supremes and any other thing that I deem needs my help.]

    "Help me?"

    Corey raised an eyebrow and with his arms folded, he asked:

    "How?"

    He did not need to ask who the Queen Mother was since the Paragon Ancestor already told him that the ck substance was a reward from his wife so the Queen Mother should be the Paragon Ancestor''s wife.

    [Queen Mother told me that you''ll encounter a problem very soon, and that problem has to do with your hidden stats]

    [You''ll be forced to show your stats to an Underworld Official after you leave this ce and if you don''t, you''ll die]

    Corey frowned heavily hearing the words of Nina, the Nano Machine.

    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "So how do you n on helping me?"

    [I can conceal the important and secretive parts of your status window]

    [People would be able to see your status window but they won''t see the important parts of it]

    Corey raised one of his brows in slight surprise hearing Nina''s words.

    "That''s... actually good."

    Corey said with slight surprise, but Nina wasn''t done.

    [Also, you''ll have to choose which ability of a Paragon you want to unlock]

    "Choose? Again?"

    Corey frowned once again.

    There was one thing Corey was worried about after leaving the Paragon trial space. It was concerning his status window.

    When he checked his status window, he found out that he didn''t have any of the abilities which the Third Generation Paragon and The Second Generation Paragon used.

    Skills like fire breath, swapping with his eyes, void webs and the ws.

    Corey didn''t know what was wrong and what pissed him off the most was that the Paragon Ancestor had disappeared, so he could not ask him why his status window wasn''t showing his skills.

    But now, it seemed that he had to choose once again.

    Corey released a tired sigh then spoke:

    "Let me see the list."

    [Sure]

    After Nina replied, a translucent screen appeared in front of Corey, showing him a list of his options.

    [Void Phoenix Heart: A Paragon has the heart of a void phoenix and the heart gives the Paragon many unique abilities, for example- The Paragon would have an extremely high talent in abilities rted to space and time. The Paragon would also have the ability to unleash a Void Breath and also have Void Wings]

    [Tri-Pupil Eyes- The eyes of a Paragon has the ability to swap ces with objects in their line of sight. Not only that, the three triangles in the eyes of a Paragon have the ability to see the Past, Present and Future.]

    [Devourer''s Stomach- The Devourer''s Stomach gives the Paragon the ability to absorb energies from the surroundings at an extremely fast rate. It also has other abilities.]

    [Void Webs- It has the ability to produce webs that can use a portion of the abilities rted to the void and also poison. It also has other abilities which you can figure out on your own.]

    [Paragon ws- A hidden weapon of the Paragon. It''s durability is extremely high and it has the ability to reform itself if it ever gets broken.]

    [Celestial Mana Veins- This gives a Paragon the ability to have a higher affinity towards mana and also control mana better. It also has other abilities.]

    "Hmm."

    Seeing the list before him, Corey stroked his chin as he looked at the six choices before him.

    "Which one should I choose."

    Corey mumbled as he looked at the six choices.

    If it was possible, Corey would choose to have all the abilities at the same time, but for some reason or reasons unknown to him, he had to choose one.

    Just as Corey was pondering on the decision he should make, Nina''s voice resounded in his ears.

    [I would advise you to choose the Tri-Pupil Eyes.]

    "Why?"

    Corey asked with raised brows.

    [Because the Ancestor of Paragons always advises people to choose the Tri-Pupil Eyes first. Also, it has more abilities than I exined. You''ll experience them in the future.]

    Nina exined and Corey''s brows furrowed.

    "I was nning on choosing the Void Phoenix Heart since I already have an eye-rted ability."

    "Also, will I gain the ability to see the past and future immediately? I mean, if I choose the Tri-Pupil Eyes, do I gain the ability to see the past and the future immediately?"

    Corey asked and Nina replied:

    [No you won''t. You''ll need to understand more about space and time for you to reach that level with your Tri-Pupil Eyes.]

    "Guessed as much."

    Corey sighed hearing Nina''s reply and he pinched the middle of his brows for a few seconds, then he spoke:

    "Give me the Tri-Pupil Eyes."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Corey said with a sigh.

    [Sure]

    [The process might be painful, so endure]

    Corey''s lips twitched hearing Nina''s words.

    ''That''s what they all say.''

    Corey thought and waited with a calm expression and around three secondster, the pain Nina warned him about came.

    Corey felt an itching sensation in his eyes for the first three seconds, then he felt a searing heat in both his eyes.

    ''This isn''t that painful.''

    Corey thought and a second after he had this thought, the pain increased but it was not enough to make Corey groan.

    Blood dripped from Corey''s eyes as his pupils changed to a golden triangle and his sclera changed to silver.

    The pain and process continued for ten more seconds before it stopped and Corey''s eyes changed back to normal.

    ''It wasn''t even that painful.''

    Corey thought as he brought out a tissue from his spatial ring and used it to wipe the blood away from his eyes.

    Just as Corey was wiping the blood from his eyes, Nina spoke.

    [You can now keep your items in the storage space in your eyes.]

    "Hmm."

    Corey made a confused ''Hmm'' sound and he stopped wiping the blood from his eyes.

    [It''s an ability of the Tri-Pupil Eyes. A Paragon can store objects in their eyes.]

    [Just will for your eyes to store the objects and it would do the rest.]

    Hearing Nina''s words, Corey nodded softly then he continued cleaning the blood on his face.

    After cleaning all the blood, he brought out every single object from his spatial ring.

    When he brought them out, he closed his eyes and he willed for his Tri-Pupil Eyes to ce all the objects in the storage space in his eyes.

    A second after he did, Corey felt arge amount of mana in his body disappear.

    ''My mana feels different.''

    Corey frowned but then he ignored it and looked at the objects in front of him, and when he did, a stunned expression appeared in front of him.

    He saw a whirling ck pool engulf all the objects and a few secondster, the whirling ck pool and the objects disappeared.

    Corey winced slightly when he had the sensation that something which had weight hit his head.

    At first he was confused but then a light of realization appeared in his eyes when he realized that it was because of all the objects which abruptly appeared in the storage space of his Tri-Pupil Eyes which was connected to his mind.

    [Now that you''ve done all of that, you need to choose again.]

    "¡­"

    Corey who was trying to get used to this new feeling had an extremely confused expression hearing Nina''s words.

    "Choose what again?"

    Corey asked with a confused tone.

    [The nk seed intent the Ancestor of Paragons gave you.]

    [I advise you to use it now]

    [Choose the type of intent you want to form]

    "Oh good Lord."

    Corey released a deep frustrated sigh as he pinched the middle of his brows deeply.

    "You know what, what type of intent do you suggest I form."

    [Axe intent for now. It can be changedter in the future and you can also learn more intents in the future.]

    Hearing Nina''s words, a relieved expression appeared on Corey''s face and without hesitation, he spoke:

    "Give me axe intent then."

    [Sure.]

    [After I give you, I''ll be going into a state simr to sleep mode and I won''te back unless I deem it worth my time.]

    Nina said and Corey shrugged but then a thought appeared in his mind.

    "Give me all the information you have about intents before you go to sleep. I mean, transfer it directly to my brain."

    [Sure]

    Nina said and a few secondster, Corey felt a stream of information and a different sort of power which was new to him appear in his mind and body.

    [The transfer has been done.]

    [Sleep mode would now be activated.]

    Nina''s voice resounded in his ears then the entire evolution center became quiet.

    Corey released a tired and relieved sigh then he walked towards the door of the evolution center with a calm expression.

 Chapter 131 129: A Familiar Place

    ?

    "Which one should I choose?"

    Corey mumbled while stroking his chin as he looked at the list of choices before him.

    "Although the description of the skills are not given, I can make my own guesses on the abilities of the skills."

    "Eyes of Omniscience should also mean all-knowing eyes, I think.

    If I choose it, does it mean that I would be understand the things I see?"

    Corey scratched his head with a slightly frustrated expression since he could not put his hypothesis of the ''Eyes of Omniscience'' skill into words properly.

    "Ears of Omniscience should mean that I would be able to understand whatever I hear?"

    Corey mumbled while still scratching his head with an unsure expression and tone.

    "Tongue of Omniscience should mean that people would understand whatever I say?

    Possibly when or if I''m teaching somebody?"

    Corey had an extremely perplexed expression as he looked at the skill for a few seconds. His eyes then moved to the next skill, Heart of Omniscience, and he became more confused as he read the name of the skill.

    "I don''t even have an idea of what this skill could do."

    Corey muttered but then an idea came to his mind.

    "Would I be able to understand people''s hearts or would I have a heart that can understand people?"

    Corey scratched his head once again then he released a sigh and looked at the next skill, Breath of Omniscience.

    "Now for this skill, I truly don''t have an idea of what it could do."

    "Would I be able to unleash a breath of knowledge, wisdom or understanding to people?"

    "This is so confusing. I wish the Universal System provided me with the descriptions of the skills."

    Corey scratched his head with a frustrated expression then he released a sigh and his brows furrowed deeply for a few seconds.

    "I should probably go with something that I have an idea of what it could do."

    Corey paused then he spoke once more.

    "I choose Eyes of Omniscience."

    A second after Corey spoke, the words on the translucent screen changed.

    [EYES OF OMNISCIENCE HAS BEEN CHOSEN]

    [PLEASE NOTE THAT IN THE FUTURE, YOU WOULD NOT BE GIVEN THE ABILITY TO CHOOSE ONE OF THE SKILLS AGAIN]

    [THE SKILLS WOULD BE RANDOMLY GIVEN TO YOU]

    [BEGINNING THE PROCESS OF INFUSION OF THE SKILL, EYES OF OMNISCIENCE]

    [PLEASE WAIT AND ENDURE]

    "I can''t choose in the future again?

    It would be randomly given to me?"

    Corey frowned deeply as he read the sentences on the translucent screen.

    ''Could it be that the Universal System wants to punish me for all the times I cursed at it?''

    Corey thought with a slight furrow of his brows then he released a sigh.

    "My stupid fake self."

    Corey mumbled and just as he did, his vision spun and in less than a fraction of a second, he found himself in a ce he had been to.

    The space-like environment where he saw the titanic ck bird with three pairs of wings after making Rhea his pet.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    With his brows furrowed slightly, he looked at the numerous star like and like objects in the distance.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    He turned around, wanting to see if the titanic ck bird was still here but when he did, all he saw was the extremelyrge white star with thick chains all around it.

    Just as Corey nced at the white star, one of the chains broke and in the next instant, it transformed into white particles of light and flew towards Corey.

    Corey frowned slightly and he wanted to move, dodging this unknown light but when he tried to move, he realized he could not.

    He could not move a single muscle.

    Corey frowned deeply and just as he did, his pupils constricted when he noticed that the white particles were just a meter away from him.

    In a fraction of a second, the white particles of light appeared before Corey and flew towards his eyes.

    A second after it flew into his eyes, Corey felt his body be calm and he felt a soothing feeling emerge from his eyes.

    Unknown to Corey, his eyes started to change.

    His pupils were disappearing and only his white sclera was left.

    His eyes were bing pure white just like whenever he entered his Focused State while using his health as the energy source.

    It was like all the dirty, all the impurities in Corey''s eyes were disappearing as the seconds went by.

    Around fifteen seconds went by and the soothing feeling that Corey felt disappeared.

    Not only that, Corey''s pure white eyes went back to his normal looking eyes.

    Corey blinked and just as he did, his environment changed back to that of the evolution center.

    Corey looked around, wondering what just happened and where that ce was.

    "So many things I don''t understand."

    Corey sighed then looked at the door of the evolution center.

    ''Time to find a way to survive and escape this godforsaken ce.''

    Corey thought, then he took a step towards the door of the evolution center, but just as he took that step, something strange happened.

    The ever-changing ck substance that the Paragon Ancestor gave him which Corey ced in his spatial ring, appeared in front of him.

    Corey frowned as he looked at the ck substance, wondering what it wanted to do.

    The reason why he had not used it yet was because he nned on observing it since the substance intrigued him.

    He didn''t believe that it was dangerous since if the Paragon Ancestor wanted to kill him, he could definitely do that in a heartbeat and if the Paragon Ancestor wanted to observe him, Corey knew he could not stop him.

    As Corey was observing the ever-changing ck substance, it moved towards Corey at a moderate speed.

    Corey looked at the ck substance, wondering what the ck substance wanted to do.

    He saw the ck substance move towards the right side of his chest and when it touched him, the ck substance became a thick viscous liquid and it covered Corey''s body from his neck up till his feet.

    Corey had an expression of intrigue as he looked at the liquid ck substance. Just as he was wondering what the ck substance wanted to do, a stream of information appeared in his mind.

    Corey raised his brows and a few secondster, the ck substance changed and on Corey''s feet were a pair of ck and white sneakers.

    On his legs were ck baggy trousers and on his upper body was a short sleeved slim fitted ck t-shirt that showed Corey''s muscles.

    ''I used to make fun of Mat that he was just made out of muscles.

    Now look at me, I''m also muscr.''

    Corey thought, and just as he had this thought, a female voice resounded in his mind.

    [Hello Corey Zane, I''m Nina. A Nano Machine created by Queen Mother]

 Chapter 132 131: Bluff

    "Hmm?"

    The Guardian of the evolution center who was sitting on the floor with his eyes closed, opened his eyes and looked at the opening doors of the evolution center with raised brows.

    He stood and with his arms crossed, he waited.

    A few secondster, he felt his body tremble for a picosecond as he saw an unknown man walk out of the evolution center with a calm gaze.

    The Guardian had a deep frown when he saw this unknown man. His posture changed slightly and with a cold tone, he spoke:

    "Who are you and how did you enter the evolution center without me knowing?"

    Corey tilted his head slightly and his brows were raised in confusion for a second before he remembered that his physique and even his face had changed.

    He was no longer the slightly short, slim and average looking kid.

    He was taller, bigger and had an extremely handsome face. Even his voice had changed slightly, bing a little bit deeper.

    "I''m Smile Reaper, the kid who entered the evolution center a while back."

    Deciding to use the name Smile Reaper since that was the name he gave in hisst fight, Corey spoke and the Guardian frowned.

    "Smile Reaper?"

    The Guardian muttered then an image of a weak looking lean kid with an indifferent expression appeared in his mind and the Guardian looked at Corey before him with a surprised expression.

    "You''re that thin kid that looked like a stick?"

    The Guardian asked with a surprised tone but he received not a single response from Corey, only an indifferent expression was stered all over Corey''s face.

    The Guardian frowned slightly as he studied Corey''s face.

    ''There are simrities between him and the skinny looking kid, so he''s probably not lying.''

    ''Also...This would not be the first time that this would happen.''

    The Guardian thought but then his brows furrowed deeply.

    ''His aura is definitely tier 1 but he seems stronger than most tier 1, and his astral mana is also different.''

    The Guardian''s frown deepened as he had this thought and his eyes became slightly cold when he remembered how his body trembled when the kid before him came out from the evolution center.

    He tried to use an inspection skill but he was blocked and his eyes became much colder while also having a glint of confusion in them.

    "Show me your status screen or you die."

    With an extremely cold tone and a fraction of his killing intent being released, the Guardian spoke but Corey just raised his brows with an expression asking the question- ''What are you trying to do?''

    Despite Corey finding the Guardian''s killing intent amusing, Corey did not mock him but instead, deactivated the concealing ability of the ring the old man gave.

    ''I hope Nina wasn''t deceiving me.''

    Corey thought with a calm expression, then he spoke:

    "You can check my status window now."

    The Guardian''s brows furrowed slightly then he used the inspection skill and his brows became more furrowed.

    ''Poison Warlock? What sort of ss is that?''

    The Guardian thought as he looked at the only thing of interest in Corey''s status screen.

    He nced at Corey once again with a strange glint in his eyes.

    "How were you able to hide your status window from me? That should be impossible for an Underworld Prisoner."

    Hearing the Guardian''s question, Corey brows furrowed slightly but he didn''t speak.

    The Guardian seeing that squinted his eyes with a cold look and his killing intent surged once again.

    Corey''s frown deepened slightly and a secondter, he released a soft sigh.

    He raised his right hand and with a soft shake of his head, he removed the ring on his finger and a second after he did, the invisible ring became visible and he threw it at the Guardian.

    The Guardian seeing the ringing towards him, caught it with a slightly surprised expression. He tried to inspect the ring but nothing came up.

    ''It''s too high leveled for me to inspect?''

    The Guardian thought with shock and greed.

    He looked around a few times and with a greedy expression, he kept the ring in his inventory.

    He looked at Corey and a fraction of his killing intent subconsciously spilled out, causing Corey to frown.

    "You better not do anything stupid."

    Corey warned with a calm and indifferent expression and the Guardian frowned slightly.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Corey seeing that, spoke once again without waiting for the Guardian to speak or react.

    "Do you think the top powers of the Underworld wouldn''t know that my status screen could not be seen?"

    "Do you think you''re the first person to know this?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Corey questioned with a calm and indifferent expression while folding his arms.

    Without waiting for the Guardian''s response once again, Corey continued speaking:

    "The top powers of the Underworld are most likely watching my every move, wondering what is my secret and how I could hide my stats, so do you think killing me is a very wise move?"

    "What if one of the top powers is interested in me? Can you bear the consequences or the wrath of the person if you kill me?"

    Hearing Corey''s words, the Guardian started sweating and looked around with an anxious expression.

    Corey seeing the Guardian''s anxious expression sighed then he took a step, wanting to leave.

    But just as he was about to pass the Guardian, the Guardian held his shoulder and spoke with a slightly cold and slightly anxious tone.

    "Where do you think you''re going?"

    Corey frowned as he looked at the Guardian''s hand on his shoulder and with a tone that contained slight coldness, he spoke.

    "I thought I told you the consequences of killing me."

    The Guardian trembled slightly as Corey''s aura which was now extremely different was released, but then his eyes became cold a secondter.

    "Do you think you can escape your Fate of not wearing the Watch of the Underworld?"

    Hearing the Guardian''s words, Corey frowned then he remembered when Divine told him that he could not escape wearing the Watch of the Underworld no matter what.

    Corey nced at the Guardian and tried to use Record but his eyes didn''t change.

    ''As expected.''

    Corey thought then with a calm expression, he removed the Guardian''s hand from his shoulder and spoke:

    "Give me."

    The Guardian frowned hearing Corey''s extremely calm and authoritative tone as Corey removed his hand from Corey''s shoulder.

    Without saying anything, he spread out his palm and a silver watch appeared on his palm.

    He stretched out his hand, gesturing for Corey to pick the silver watch which was the Watch of the Underworld.

    Corey looked at it for a few seconds, then he took it and just as he did, the Guardian spoke with a cold tone:

    "Wear it."

    Corey nced at the Guardian then without saying anything, he wore it and when he did, he frowned.

    "Only authorized Underworld Officials can remove the watch. You can never remove it."

    The Guardian exined with a cold tone and without waiting for Corey to respond, he walked to the evolution center and sat in a cross-legged position with his eyes closed.

    Corey looked at the Guardian for a few seconds before he also left without saying anything.

    A few seconds after Corey left, the Guardian opened his eyes and looked at the departing figure of Corey with cold eyes.

    "What an arrogant bastard."

    The Guardian muttered then he brought out Corey''s spatial ring and looked at it with eyes filled with greed and anxiety.

    "I should give this to the higher-ups. I can''t take chances with what the bastard said. There''s a possibility of him been right."

    The Guardian muttered then he tapped on the Watch of the Underworld and spoke some words for some seconds. Later, he closed his eyes and the surroundings around the evolution center became entirely quite.

    (Meanwhile Corey)

    After walking for around twenty minutes, Corey stood in front of his house or to be exact, his residence which just looked like a small bungalow building that had a dirty brown color.

    Corey looked around for a few seconds, making sure that everything was alright and there was no trap or ambush, then he walked to the door of his house and just as he did, the door slid open to the left.

    But just as it was opening, something strange happened.

    Corey squinted his eyes and his brows were deeply furrowed as he heard grunts and moansing from inside his house.

    He brought out his ck dual battle axes and with cold eyes, he walked into his house, fully on guard for any unexpected situation.

    But just as Corey entered, an extremely stunned and baffled expression appeared on Corey''s face as he stood rooted on the spot and saw the source of the grunts and moans in his house.

    On a bed that was opposite his, were two naked men having sex.

    One was on his stomach, with his buttocks raised as the other man who had a lean physique but had extremely well defined muscles roughly pounded the other man who looked thin and malnourished.

    The man who was moving his waist repeatedly stopped and frowned slightly.

    He looked at the door and when he saw Corey, his eyes became cold and with a cold tone, he spoke:

    "Who are you?"

    ----

    [A/N: Corey isn''t going to be gay people, so for those of you that are worried. Don''t be.]

 Chapter 133 132: Roommate

    ?

    "Who am I?"

    Corey raised a brow hearing the words of the naked unknown gay man before him.

    "That''s the question I should be asking you."

    "Who are you and how did you enter my house?"

    Corey asked while cing his dual battle axes in a battle-ready stance.

    Meanwhile the naked gay man had a baffled expression for a few seconds before an expression of realization hit him and his eyes widened in shock.

    "You''re my roommate? The Smile Reaper?"

    The naked gay man asked and Corey frowned.

    ''He''s my roommate?''

    Corey thought with his brows furrowed slightly and just as he had this thought, he noticed a wide smile form on the lips of his naked gay roommate.

    "You know¡­"

    Corey''s naked gay roommate paused and with an elegant movement, he moved backwards, withdrawing his slightly long penis from the behind of the tired looking male.

    Corey''s roommate nced at the male for a second with slight disgust then he looked at Corey with a glint of desire in his eyes but he reigned it in and continued speaking while taking slow, calm and elegant steps towards Corey.

    "When they told me that I would be having a new male roommate that looked like a small kid with a small and skinny stature, I was d since skinny, scrawny looking males are my type. But¡­"

    Corey''s roommate paused and with the distance between Corey and him been around two meters, the roommate licked his lips and he trembled slightly with an ecstatic expression.

    "For a fine, beautiful, handsome and sexy male like you, I can make exceptions."

    "Your face, your build, your aura, everything about you just gives me an orgasmic feeling. I so just want to touch you."

    Corey''s roommate spoke as he trembled with an expression of ecstasy.

    He released a soft moan and he took a step towards Corey, wanting to raise his arm so as to touch Corey, but just before he could raise his arm, Corey ced his axe in front of his face with just a few centimeters between the de of the axe from his nose.

    "Touch me, get closer to me and you die, right here, right now."

    With an extremely cold tone and eyes, Corey spoke and his roommate trembled once again.

    "Ola, so feisty, I like."

    Corey''s roommate said with twinkling eyes and a bedroom voice. He then blew a kiss towards Corey causing Corey to have a deep frown.

    "My name''s Justin by the way."

    Corey''s Roommate, Justin stretched out his hand for a handshake but Corey ignored it and just looked at Justin with an indifferent expression.

    A few seconds passed and just as Justin was about to speak and Corey was about to turn around so as to walk to his bed, something strange happened.

    A translucent screen appeared in front of Corey, Justin and thest male in the room.

    Corey had a confused expression seeing the translucent screen in front of him, he looked at Justin and he saw him having a confused expression also.

    Corey frowned then he read the contents of the translucent screen.

    [A NOTICE TO ALL BRANDED INDIVIDUALS OF THE UNIVERSAL SYSTEM]

    [THE UNIVERSAL SYSTEM HAS UNDERGONE A SLIGHT UPGRADE WHICH RESULTED IN A FEW MODIFICATIONS]

    [THE SKILL PROFICIENCY AND THE STATS OF ALL INDIVIDUALS HAVE UNDERGONE SOME MODIFICATIONS]n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    [THE SECTION, ''COINS'' HAS BEEN REMOVED]

    [TO ANY INDIVIDUAL THAT IS CONFUSED, THERE IS A HELP GUIDE AT THE TOP LEFT CORNER OF YOUR STATUS SCREEN. JUST TAP IT TO READ]

    ''Modification? Upgrade?''

    Corey raised both his brows after reading the notice from the Universal System.

    He looked at Justin who had deeply furrowed brows and without waiting for Justin toe out of his confused state, Corey turned and walked towards his bed.

    Justin nced at Corey''s back for a second, before his eyes moved to Corey''s dual battle axes in Corey''s hands.

    A strange glint shed in Justin''s eyes for a second as he looked at the axes, then without saying anything, he walked back to his bed and sat on it with the other scrawny looking man sitting beside him.

    Justin frowned slightly, then without ncing at the scrawny looking man, he spoke one word in a cold and authoritative tone:

    "Leave."

    The scrawny looking man trembled and without saying a word, he gathered his clothes and left the house naked.

    Justin looked at the back of the departing scrawny looking man for a second before his eyes moved towards the translucent screen before him.

    Meanwhile Corey watched all of this with an indifferent expression and the dual battle axes on hisps. He looked at the translucent screen once again for a few seconds, then he dismissed it.

    ''Status.''

    Corey thought and a different translucent screen appeared before Corey.

    *BASIC INFORMATION*<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Name: Corey Junior Zane

    Race: Demi-Paragon

    Brand Level: 3

    Affiliation: Paragons

    ss: Poison Warlock

    Talent: Omniscience (Level 1)

    Language: English

    Title(s): One Of The Four Possessors Of A ***** Graded Talent On New Earth

    Tier: 1

    Level: 100

    *ATTRIBUTES*

    Strength: Orange Star [50%]

    Agility: Orange Star [50%]

    Dexterity: Orange Star [50%]

    Constitution: Yellow Star [70%]

    Intelligence: Green Star [50%]

    Endurance: Orange Star [50%]

    Astral Mana: Blue Star [25%]

    Free A.P: 0%

    *Hidden Attributes*

    Luck: ???/100

    Charisma: ???/100

    Wisdom: ???/???

    *SKILLS*

    Record(Talent Skill), Silent Steps(Novice), Super Jump(Intermediate), Undercover(Novice), Lock picking(Novice), Focus(Talent Skill), Foundation Spear Techniques (Intermediate), Lightning Movement Art (Ancient, Lv 1, Basic), Vibration Maniption (Novice), Full Counter (Legendary, Novice), Average Regeneration (Lv 5, Intermediate, Passive), Fog Maniption (Novice), Paragon Body, Axe Intent (Basic), Paragon Martial Arts (Basic), Eyes of Omniscience (Talent Skill), Killing Intent (Basic), Herbal Knowledge (Basic), Anatomical Knowledge (Basic)

    *RESISTANCES*

    Fear Resistance- Lv 5

    Pain Resistance- Lv 5

    Mental Maniption Resistance- Lv 1

    Poison Resistance- Lv 3

    *IMMUNITIES*

    Curse Immunity

    Fate Immunity

    *EQUIPMENTS*

    Ghost Gloves (Growth)- Yellow Grade

    Ancient Spear- ???? Grade

    Devourer''s Armor (Growth)- Orange Grade

    Dual Battle Axes (Growth) ¨C Orange Grade

    Ring of Mimicry (Replica)- Orange Grade

    *PET/MOUNT*

    Rhea- Spirit Devouring Bird

    *SYSTEM REMARK*: Something is definitely wrong somewhere but I just can''t find it.

    "¡­" Corey

    Corey had a nk expression seeing the numerous and confusing changes on his status window and with a tired sigh, he spoke:

    "Why can''t things just be simple."

 Chapter 134 133: Changes

    ?

    *BASIC INFORMATION*

    Name: Corey Junior Zane

    Race: Demi-Paragon

    Brand Level: 3

    Affiliation: Paragons

    ss: Poison Warlock

    Talent: Omniscience (Level 1)

    Language: English

    Title(s): One Of The Four Possessors Of A ***** Graded Talent On New Earth

    Tier: 1

    Level: 100

    *ATTRIBUTES*

    Strength: Orange Star [50%]

    Agility: Orange Star [50%]

    Dexterity: Orange Star [50%]

    Constitution: Yellow Star [70%]

    Intelligence: Green Star [50%]

    Endurance: Orange Star [50%]

    Astral Mana: Blue Star [25%]

    Free A.P: 0%

    *Hidden Attributes*

    Luck: ???/100

    Charisma: ???/100

    Wisdom: ???/???

    *SKILLS*

    Record(Talent Skill), Silent Steps(Novice), Super Jump(Intermediate), Undercover(Novice), Lock picking(Novice), Focus(Talent Skill), Foundation Spear Techniques (Intermediate), Lightning Movement Art (Ancient, Lv 1, Basic), Vibration Maniption (Novice), Full Counter (Legendary, Novice), Average Regeneration (Lv 5, Intermediate, Passive), Fog Maniption (Novice), Paragon Body, Axe Intent (Basic), Paragon Martial Arts (Basic), Eyes of Omniscience (Talent Skill), Killing Intent (Basic), Herbal Knowledge (Basic), Anatomical Knowledge (Basic)

    *RESISTANCES*

    Fear Resistance- Lv 5

    Pain Resistance- Lv 5

    Mental Maniption Resistance-Lv 1

    Poison Resistance- Lv 3

    *IMMUNITIES*

    Curse Immunity

    Fate Immunity

    *EQUIPMENTS*

    Ghost Gloves (Growth)- Yellow Grade

    Ancient Spear- ???? Grade

    Devourer''s Armor (Growth)- Orange Grade

    Dual Battle Axes (Growth) ¨C Orange Grade

    Ring of Mimicry (Replica)- Orange Grade

    *PET/MOUNT*

    Rhea- Spirit Devouring Bird

    *SYSTEM REMARK*: Something is definitely wrong somewhere but I just can''t find it.

    Corey released a sigh as he looked at the numerous confusing changes on his status screen.

    Deciding to start from the very beginning, Corey looked at the top of his status screen.

    ''My race changed from Human to Demi-Paragon, not Paragon?''

    Corey thought with a slight frown as he looked at his race on the status screen.

    Due to the presence of Justin, Corey decided not to speak out loud in case Justin heard his words, eventually causing him unfavorable problems.

    ''Maybe as I tier up I would eventually be a full Paragon?''

    Corey thought then he eventually decided to put it at the back of his mind since it was not bothering him so much at the moment.

    He looked at the subsequent changes on his status screen and his frown deepened slightly.

    ''My Brand level increased to level 3.''

    Corey looked at his left hand where the brand of the Universal System was, but was covered by his ghost gloves.

    He had the urge to check how his brand changed but knowing that he was not alone, he resisted the urge and looked at the next change.

    ''My affiliation changed to Paragons and my talent, Omniscience is now level 1.''

    Corey stroked his chin slightly as he had this thought.

    ''I wonder how many levels of my talent are there.''

    Just as Corey had this thought, he remembered the space-like environment which had objects that resembleds and the whiterge star that had chains around it.

    ''The white star must be very important to me¡­ I wonder what it is.''

    Corey thought with a slight furrow of his brows, then a few secondster, he put the thought at the back of his mind.

    He looked at the next change which was extremely confusing to him, his attributes panel.

    Remembering the words of the Universal System, he looked at the top left corner of his status screen and there he saw a question mark on it which was the help guide.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    He clicked it and his status screen changed.

    [THE ATTRIBUTES PANEL WOULD NO LONGER USE NUMBERS BUT WOULD NOW USE THE COLOR SPECTRUM]

    [THERE ARE NOW SEVEN LEVELS TO DETERMINE AN INDIVIDUAL''S ATTRIBUTES]

    [THE SEVEN LEVELS FOR THOSE IN THE ASTRAL REALM ARE RED STAR, ORANGE STAR, YELLOW STAR, GREEN STAR, BLUE STAR, INDIGO STAR AND VIOLET STAR]

    [YOU CAN SEE A PERCENTAGE BESIDE THE LEVELS. THE HIGHER YOUR PERCENTAGE, THE STRONGER YOU ARE AND THE CLOSER YOU GET TO THE NEXT LEVEL]

    [ONCE ONE OF YOUR ATTRIBUTES REACHES 100%, YOUR ATTRIBUTE WOULD BE PROMOTED TO THE NEXT LEVEL]

    [FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOUR STRENGTH ATTRIBUTE IS RED STAR [95%] AND IT REACHES RED STAR [100%], YOUR STRENGTH WOULD BECOME ORANGE STAR [0%]]

    [ALSO, DON''T FORGET ABOUT YOUR BODY LIMITATIONS, EVERY INDIVIDUAL HAS A LIMIT THAT''S MOST OF THE TIMES ATTRIBUTED TO THEIR RACE]

    [THE FREE ATTRIBUTE POINTS WOULD NOW BE GIVEN IN PERCENTAGE WHICH CAN BE ADDED TO YOUR ATTRIBUTE OF CHOICE]

    "Hmm."

    Corey rubbed his chin as he read the help guide on the new attributes panel of his status screen.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "So that means¡­"

    Corey paused then he looked at his attribute panel once again.

    Strength: Orange Star [50%]

    Agility: Orange Star [50%]

    Dexterity: Orange Star [50%]

    Constitution: Yellow Star [70%]

    Intelligence: Green Star [50%]

    Endurance: Orange Star [50%]

    Astral Mana: Blue Star [25%]

    Free A.P: 0%

    ''Maximizing my stats when I was tier 0 and also progressing to tier 1 as a Demi-Paragon really boosted my stats.''

    Corey thought with an expression of satisfaction, but then a confused expression appeared on his face as he looked at his attribute panel.

    ''What is this astral mana and astral realm? Even the Paragon Ancestor said something about the poison infinity crystal been an astral infinity crystal.''

    Corey thought with a frown.

    ''I''ll need to check if there''s a library in the Underworld.''

    Corey released a soft sigh then he looked at the next change which was his skill section that had a lot of changes.

    ''I have new skills and some skills also left.''

    Corey frowned as he noticed that skills like Danger Sense, Evade, Iron Skin and Bronze Bones had disappeared from his list of skills.

    ''I can understand if Evade left due to the Paragon Martial Arts. I can also understand if Iron Skin and Bronze Bones left because of Paragon Body.

    But what I can''t understand is Danger Sense disappearing. Why would danger sense disappear from my list of skills?''

    Corey frowned as he tried to think of a reason for his skill, Danger Sense to disappear, but no matter how much he tried to think of the reason, he could not find an answer so he just gave up and epted it as it was.

    ''Although some skills left, I have new skills.''

    Corey thought as he looked at the skills:

    ''Paragon Body'', ''Axe Intent'', ''Paragon Martial Arts'', ''Eyes of Omniscience'', ''Killing Intent'', ''Herbal Knowledge'' and ''Anatomical Knowledge''.

    He decided to focus on another change which was rted to his skill section.

    Seeing the words, ''Basic'', ''Novice'' and ''Intermediate'' in front of his skills, Corey had a confused expression for a second then he tapped on the help guide on his status screen.

    [THE PROFICIENCY LEVELS OF MOST SKILLS WOULD NO LONGER USE NUMBERS FOR THE LEVELS]

    [THE PROFICIENCY LEVELS WOULD NOW BE: BASIC, NOVICE, INTERMEDIATE, ADVANCED, EXPERT, MASTER, UNPARALLELED, TRANSCENDENT, ORIGIN & CREATION]

    [SKILLS THAT PREVIOUSLY HAD LEVEL 1 PROFICIENCY WOULD NOW BECOME BASIC PROFICIENCY]

    [LEVEL 2-3 WOULD BECOME NOVICE PROFICIENCY]

    [LEVEL 4-5 WOULD BECOME INTERMEDIATE PROFICIENCY]

    [LEVEL 6-7 WOULD BECOME ADVANCED PROFICIENCY]

    [LEVEL 8-9 WOULD BECOME EXPERT PROFICIENCY]

    [AND SO ON]

    "Well that''s much better than the previous proficiency levels."

    Corey muttered then he looked at the next section on his status window, his Resistances.

    ''My fear resistance increased to level 5. But¡­''

    Corey paused and frowned as he looked at his new resistance.

    ''Shouldn''t my poison resistance be much higher since I''m a Paragon?''

    Corey thought with a frown.

    ''Nina can you hear me?''

    Corey asked internally, hoping that Nina would reply him but he received no response.

    Corey released a slightly frustrated sigh then he focused on the next change which was slightly shocking to him, The Immunity Section.

    ''I have two immunities. Curse and Fate?''

    Corey thought with confusion and he tapped on the screen, hoping for a description and to his surprise, he got one.

    [Curse Immunity: You are immune to all curses. There is also a possibility of curses been sent back to the sender.]

    [Fate Immunity: You are immune to divinations and things rted to powers that can actively manipte your fate.]

    Reading the description, Corey had a confused expression for a few seconds then he shrugged and closed the description window.

    Corey looked at his status screen once again and after making sure that there was no longer any confusing change to it, he closed it and looked at the Watch of the Underworld on his left wrist.

    ''Time to figure out what this does.''

 Chapter 135 134: E-Underworld

    ?

    Corey looked at the silver watch on his left wrist with a slight furrow of his brows.

    He tried to study the silver watch but apart from the watch having a digital clock on the disy screen and also a side button, the silver watch had nothing else.

    It just looked like a in silver watch showing a digital clock on the disy screen.

    Realizing that he could not gain anything just from the appearance of the watch, Corey decided to press the button and when he did, a translucent screen appeared in front of him.

    With slightly raised brows, Corey looked at the translucent screen then he read the contents of the screen.

    [NEW RESIDENT OF THE UNDERWORLD¡­ WELCOME¡­ TO E-UNDERWORLD]

    [A PLACE WHERE THE LAZY, COWARDLY AND PRIDEFUL CAN SHOP FOR WHATEVER GOODS THEY WANT]

    [WHAT DO YOU WANT?]

    [INFORMATION? FOOD? A NEW HOME? ASSASSINATION? SEX TOYS? SLAVES?]

    [WHATEVER YOU WANT, WHATEVER YOU DESIRE, YOU CAN LOOK FOR IT ON E-UNDERWORLD AND PURCHASE IT]

    [ALSO, YOU CAN SEE THE NUMBER OF VALUE POINTS YOU POSSESS AT THE TOP RIGHT CORNER OF THE E-UNDERWORLD]

    [THIS MESSAGE WOULD DISAPPEAR IN TEN SECONDS AND WOULD NEVER APPEAR AGAIN]

    [DON''T FORGET TO SPEND A LOT, YOUR SURVIVAL AND COMFORTABILITY IS OUR MAIN PRIORITY]

    "¡­"

    "Well that was unexpected and who do they think they''re fooling."

    Corey spoke with slight amusement in his tone and his brows slightly raised as he read the contents of the translucent screen.

    ''Also, I highly doubt they have everything.''

    Corey thought while waiting for the ten seconds to pass and a few secondster, it passed the E-Underworld was avable to him.

    "Information, Food, Assassination, Special Requests, Weapons, Skill Crystals, ves, Sex ves and¡­ leaderboard ranking?"

    The E-Underworld actually has so many things one can buy from."

    Corey muttered with slight surprise as he saw the various tabs of the E-Underworld.

    He looked at the tabs for a few more seconds then he looked at the top right corner of the translucent screen, and there he saw the number of value points he possessed.

    But as he looked at the number of value points he had, he frowned slightly.

    ''I only have 20 value points.

    Corey thought with a slight frown as he looked at his value points.

    ''Although I don''t know if that''s much for a neer, I expected more.''

    ''Or maybe earning value points is not easy at all?''

    Corey softly stroked his beardless chin for a few seconds, then he shrugged slightly and looked at the information tab on the translucent screen.

    He tapped it and after tapping it, the screen changed and a question bar appeared on the translucent screen.

    Below that question bar were instructions that said:

    [YOU CAN SPEAK OUT LOUD OR MANUALLY USE THE E-KEYBOARD]

    [IF YOU WANT TO USE THE E-KEYBOARD, TAP ON THE KEYBOARD ICON BESIDE THE QUESTION BAR]

    ''Did they put the E-Keyboard because of people that don''t have the ability to speak?''

    Corey wondered then he dismissed his curiosity a secondter and decided to focus on more important things.

    He tapped the keyboard icon and typed the words:

    [What is astral realm and astral mana?]

    As soon as Corey typed those words, a reply was given to Corey, asking him to pay ten value points.

    Corey frowned slightly, but knowing that he needed certain information, he tapped the pay button and the instant he tapped it, a long string of words appeared on the translucent screen and Corey read it.

    Around five minutes passed and Corey had a pondering expression as he ced his fingers on his chin.

    He ruminated over what he read and from he understood a few things.

    The astral realm was the level of power, Tier 1-3 beings were in.

    Tier 1 to tier 3 beings are called astral beings because the type of mana they control is different from the mana tier 0 beings utilized.

    Just like the name astral realm and astral being, the type of mana tier 1 to tier 3 beings use is called Astral Mana and ording to what he read, astral mana was way more powerful than the normal mana which tier 0 beings used.

    Astral Mana was what made most tier 1 beings to be feared by tier 0 beings since it also strengthened the bodies of tier 1 to tier 3 individuals by a lot.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Also, when a tier 0 undergoes a tier up to tier 1 or to be more precise, an evolution to tier 1, the person gains a mana core in their dantian which is where the mana of tier 1 and above is stored.

    ''Although astral mana strengthens the body of tier 1 to tier 3 beings by a lot, if their foundation is low and poor, it won''t matter in the end.''

    ''Even a tier 0 can defeat a tier 1 as long as he''s smart.''

    Corey thought as he looked at the translucent screen with a determined glint in his eyes.

    ''Since I''m a Paragon, my limit should be extremely high and I should definitely capitalize on that.''

    Corey thought and just as he had this thought, the face of Anna and the Pope appeared in his eyes. A tinge of his killing intent spilled out and he clenched his fists subconsciously.

    Justin who was lying on the bed naked, turned his head towards Corey and frowned slightly.

    ''To achieve the strength, the power where nobody would ever be able to kill me or harm my loved ones, I need to make use of every advantage I have.''

    ''I''ll try to maximize all my stats for every tier there is.''

    Corey thought with a determined glint in his eyes and he reeled in his killing intent.

    Corey looked at the question bar of the translucent screen with furrowed brows for a few seconds, then with a sigh he looked at the other tabs on the translucent screen.

    ''Although I want to ask questions, I don''t know whether my value points is small or a lot. I should not waste it.''

    Corey thought then his eyes went to the leaderboard ranking tab.

    His curiosity taking over him, he tapped on it, somewhat expecting a pop up asking for payment but surprisingly it didn''t.

    Five names appeared before him on the translucent screen.

    [1. Leader of The Legion of Nightmare, Savage]

    [2. Leader of The Destroyers of Darkness, Pam]

    [3. Leader of The Embodiment of Lust, Asmodeus]

    [4. Leader of The Devourers, Prince]

    [5. Divine]<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "¡­"

    ''Divine is part of the top five?''

    Corey thought with his brows raised in slight surprise.

    Although he knew that there was something strange regarding Divine, it was still slightly shocking to him that Divine was part of the top five of the Underworld.

    ''I wonder what is tier is.''

    Corey thought with a slight frown then he dismissed his thoughts and looked at the bottom part of Divine''s name on the translucent screen.

    "So if I want to know more names on the leaderboard ranking, I have to pay twenty value points?"

    Corey muttered with a soft shake of his head and a secondter, he pressed the side button on the Watch of the Underworld and the translucent screen disappeared.

    ''So the side button is the power button.''

    Corey noticed this then he decided to bring up his status window once again.

    *BASIC INFORMATION*

    Name: Corey Junior Zane

    Race: Demi-Paragon

    Brand Level: 3

    Affiliation: Paragons

    ss: Poison Warlock

    Talent: Omniscience (Level 1)

    Language: English

    Title(s): One Of The Four Possessors Of A ***** Graded Talent On New Earth

    Tier: 1

    Level: 100

    *ATTRIBUTES*

    Strength: Orange Star [50%]

    Agility: Orange Star [50%]

    Dexterity: Orange Star [50%]

    Constitution: Yellow Star [70%]

    Intelligence: Green Star [50%]

    Endurance: Orange Star [50%]

    Astral Mana: Blue Star [25%]

    Free A.P: 0%

    *Hidden Attributes*

    Luck: ???/100

    Charisma: ???/100

    Wisdom: ???/???

    *SKILLS*

    Record(Talent Skill), Silent Steps(Novice), Super Jump(Intermediate), Undercover(Novice), Lock picking(Novice), Focus(Talent Skill), Foundation Spear Techniques (Intermediate), Lightning Movement Art (Ancient, Lv 1, Basic), Vibration Maniption (Novice), Full Counter (Legendary, Novice), Average Regeneration (Lv 5, Intermediate, Passive), Fog Maniption (Novice), Paragon Body, Axe Intent (Basic), Paragon Martial Arts (Basic), Eyes of Omniscience (Talent Skill), Killing Intent (Basic), Herbal Knowledge (Basic), Anatomical Knowledge (Basic)

    *RESISTANCES*

    Fear Resistance- Lv 5

    Pain Resistance- Lv 5

    Mental Maniption Resistance-Lv 1

    Poison Resistance- Lv 3

    *IMMUNITIES*

    Curse Immunity

    Fate Immunity

    *EQUIPMENTS*

    Ghost Gloves (Growth)- Yellow Grade

    Ancient Spear- ???? Grade

    Devourer''s Armor (Growth)- Orange Grade

    Dual Battle Axes (Growth) ¨C Orange Grade

    Ring of Mimicry (Replica)- Orange Grade

    *PET/MOUNT*

    Rhea- Spirit Devouring Bird

    *SYSTEM REMARK*: Something is definitely wrong somewhere but I just can''t find it.

    Looking at his status window, especially his skills, Corey had a slight frown.

    ''The Underworld should have a library or at least a ce where I can get defensive skills.''

    ''I''m seriouslycking in the defensive department. I need defensive skills.''

    Corey thought but then a thought appeared in his mind.

    ''When was thest time I slept?''

    ''It''s surprising that I haven''t slept for quite some time and I''m not tired.''

    ''Maybe another benefit of been a Demi-Paragon?''

    Corey thought then a few secondster, he dismissed it and stood from his bed and walked out of his residence.

    Justin who had his eyes closed opened it and nced at Corey''s leaving back.

    He looked at the closing door then a few secondster, he closed his eyes back.

 Chapter 136 135: The Outer Area

    ?

    The City of Sin was divided into three areas.

    The Outer Area, The Inner Area and The Central Area.

    Ever since Corey appeared in The City of Sin, he had not gone out of his house and neither had he seen the situation of the Outer Area.

    Some might say it would be more wise for him to stay in his residence and onlye out when he had to fight in the Amphitheatre.

    Their reason for saying that would be based on E-Underworld which granted him the ability to purchase whatever he wanted.

    Also, some would also say that staying in his house was safer since an event could ur anytime he went out which could lead him to annoying, dangerous or clich¨¦ situations.

    But did Corey care about encountering the situations as mentioned above?

    Yes.

    Yes he definitely did.

    If possible, Corey would not want to be put into annoying dangerous clich¨¦ situations unless there was something of value to be earned from it.

    Although Corey did not want to be put into annoying dangerous clich¨¦ situations, there were a few things Corey knew, which were:

    First, he did not want to be ignorant about the situation of the Outer Area of the City of Sin.

    Some would say ignorance was bliss but in a ce like the Underworld, once ignorance could end up killing them and Corey definitely did not want to end up with such a fate just because he was ignorant.

    The second was that, Corey knew that he could not gain experience just from staying inside his house.

    Corey did not mean battle experience, he meant experience concerning things rted to life in general.

    And let''s just say that, as Corey walked with his left hand ced in front of his abdomen and a translucent screen hovering above the Watch of the Underworld, Corey was sort of d that he decided to go out of his house since he could observe the situation of the Outer Area of the City of Sin.

    And what did Corey observe?

    Mainly one thing. Which was:

    The outer area was awless ce.

    Bang!

    "Hahahaha!"

    Corey heard the sound of a gunshot and when he turned to his right, he saw two men standing in front of an extremely skinny man who was holding his bleeding stomach with his back ced against the door of a home.

    "Did you think you could run away from us?"

    The man holding the gun spoke with malice in his tone as he looked at the bleeding man who had a fearful expression on his emaciated face.

    "Ple- Please. Please don''t kill me. I''ll pay for the drugs, I''ll pay. I''ll sell one of my body parts to pay for it so please don''t kill me."

    The bleeding man pleaded with a fearful expression but the two man justughed with disdain and mockery.

    "Can you believe this fucker man. He says he''s going to sell one of his body parts to pay for the drugs."

    The man holding a gun spoke with extreme mockery and contempt in his voice.

    Bam

    The other kicked the bleeding man in the face causing him to spit out a few broken teeth which were covered in blood

    "Fucker''s been owing us for like a week now. Why didn''t he sell his body part before, why is he selling it now?"

    Ptui

    The other man not holding a gun spat on the face of the bleeding man after speaking.

    The bleeding man dared not to do show an ounce of defiance as the spitnded on his face. He just hoped this men would have mercy on him or that somebody woulde to save him.

    ''If I can start all over I''ll never take drugs again.''

    The bleeding man thought with immense regret.

    ''Can somebody save me?''

    The bleeding man thought as he looked at the floor, but just as he had this thought, he heard a clicking sound and when he looked up, he saw the gun of the devils before him pointed at his face.

    "Please."

    The bleeding man pleaded and the man with the gun chuckled.

    "Pleeaase."

    "Hahahaha."

    The man with the gun repeated the words of the bleeding man with mockery and his partnerughed madly.

    Secondster, theughter died down and the man with the gun looked at the bleeding man with a small smile.

    "We''ve decided that we can sell all your body parts for a much better price, so why not take all instead of just one."

    Hearing the words of the man with the gun, the eyes of the bleeding man widened in fear. His lips parted open, wanting to beg once again, but before he could,

    Bang!

    A bullet hole appeared in his forehead and a secondter his head nted to the side with the bleeding man''s eyes wide open.

    "Next time pay up for the drugs on time. We hate debtors."

    The man with the gun spoke with a cold tone and just as he spoke, he received a smack to the back of his head.

    "Why did you shoot him in the head. You damaged the brain you idiot."

    The partner spoke with an upset tone and the man with the gun rubbed his head and frowned

    .

    "How did you now expect me to kill him with one shot?"

    The man with the gun replied and his partner smacked his head again.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "I don''t know. But you know that there are some people that would have bought his intact brain for a lot of value points."

    The partner spoke with a frustrated tone and the man with the gun wanted to speak but he received another smack to the head.

    Corey who was some meters away from the duo had an indifferent expression as he watched everything that happened.

    His reason for not helping the bleeding man?

    Cause he didn''t care and neither did he want to.

    Seeing the duo argue, Corey looked at the translucent screen before him which was actually a map that was directing him to the library in the Outer Area.

    A few secondster, Corey looked away from the map and walked in another direction.

    As he walked to the library he saw various scenes on the streets of the Outer Area.

    There were some killings, some were having sex in not so hidden ces, some looked homeless with sunken eyes and their bodies looking more like bones.

    Also, some were selling drugs out in the open while some were selling them in hidden corners.

    There were also a few that tried to pick a fight with Corey, but when he released a bit of his killing intent, they scurried away in fear.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    He even encountered a car chase between two gang-like groups which killed around four people during the chase.

    Corey spent around 45 minutes of walking before he reached the library.

    The library was not beautiful and neither was itrge. It just looked like a slightly big bungalow with a que at the top of the door which contained the writing, Library.

    Corey pressed the power button of the Watch of the Underworld, turning it off, and a secondter, he walked to the library.

    Reaching the doors of the library, Corey opened it and when he did, a bell chime resounded in the building.

    "Hmm."

    A soft sound reached Corey''s ears just as the bell chime resounded. Corey turned to his left and there he saw a beautiful woman sitting behind what seemed like a receptionist desk.

    The woman, who was holding a book in her left hand was also wearing a ck t-shirt which had the image of a hand holding a.

    At the top right side of her t-shirt was a tag which had the words, ''Librarian''.

    On the top left side of the t-shirt were three ck stars and when Corey saw it, he raised his brows slightly.

    ''A three star Underworld Official?''

    Corey thought and just as he had this thought, the librarian spoke.

    "Well this is surprising. I rarely get customers since this is the Outer Area."

    The librarian said as she looked at Corey with a slightly surprised expression. She stared at Corey''s face for a few seconds before her eyes moved to hisrge biceps.

    "Are there rules I need to know before I look for what I want?"

    Ignoring the librarian''s slightly long stare, Corey spoke with a calm expression and tone.

    The librarian appeared to be taken aback at first, then she regained herposure and replied with a soft clear of her throat:

    "Just make sure you don''t damage the book or there''d be consequences."

    "Also, every book has it''s price, so choose the book or books you want, bring them here and you can rent them for a maximum of one week."

    The librarian spoke and Corey nodded softly.

    "What happens if I don''t return the book in one week?"

    Hearing Corey''s question, the librarian smiled and a secondter, she replied.

    "You''ll have to experience it to know. As they say, experience is the best teacher."

    With a slight chuckle in her tone, she spoke and Corey raised his brows slightly.

    He looked behind him which had numerous bookshelves.

    "I can decide to read the books here right?"

    He asked and the librarian raised her brows.

    "You can, but if you open a book for more than ten seconds then you''ll have to pay for the book.

    If you think you can hide or you think I wouldn''t know that you''ve opened a book for more than ten seconds then just know that there are cameras in the library."

    The woman spoke with her arms folded and Corey hearing her words raised his brows.

    "Why the rule about payment for opening a book for more than ten seconds?"

    Corey asked with genuine curiosity since he had never heard of such a rule before.

    "There are some people that have photographic memories so we used this as a preventive measure."

    The woman replied and Corey had a slightly confused expression.

    ''Why not just prevent people from opening the books at all.''

    Corey thought but decided not to ask.

    "Thanks for the information. I''ll be going now."

    Corey said and without waiting for the librarian''s reply, he walked to the bookshelves.

    The librarian looked at Corey''s back for a few seconds before she picked up her book and continued reading.

    Meanwhile Corey,

    ''Time to do your thing Record.''

    Corey thought and his left eye changed for a second before it went back to normal.

 Chapter 137 136: Eyes Of Omniscience

    ?

    With a calm expression on his face, Corey walked to the nearest bookshelf which had the cheapest books one could afford.

    Corey picked a random book on the shelf and he looked at the book title.

    "Basics of hand to handbat."

    Corey muttered with raised brows then he looked at the price tag on the book and when he did, his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.

    "Five value points?"

    Corey eximed with a shocked tone and he looked at another book.

    Without looking at the title of the book, he looked at the price and when he did, his lips twitched.

    "That one costs twelve value points."

    Corey spoke with a tone of disbelief.

    Why was Corey bbergasted by the prices of the books?

    Because these were the cheapest books in the library.

    Not only that, it was also because Corey only had five value points left.

    He originally had twenty value points and he spent ten on the information concerning Astral Realm and Astral Mana.

    He also had to spend five value points to use the map on E-Underworld!

    ''This is robbery in broad daylight.''

    ''Or maybe it''s cause I''ve only fought in two battles as a tier 0 so my value points isn''t high.''

    Corey thought with a slight frown then a secondter, he released a soft sigh.

    ''But assuming things are actually expensive in the Underworld, that would really be something else.''

    Corey released another sigh then he looked at all the books around him while cing his hands on his chin.

    ''Should I use Record on all the books or I should just look for certain books and pick?''

    Corey pondered as he stroked his chin while looking around.

    If possible, he would not want to use Record on a lot of books because assuming what the librarian told him was true, it would be extremely weird if the librarian or another Underworld Official saw him pick random books then flip through each and every one of them.

    It would definitely arouse suspicion and Corey definitely did not want that at the moment.

    Just as he was pondering on what to do, like a bolt of lightning striking him, Corey stayed rooted on the spot and a thought came to his mind.

    ''Don''t I have the skill, Eyes of Omniscience?''

    ''I should try it and see what it does. Who knows, it might be helpful in this situation.''

    Corey thought with a slight furrow of his brows.

    He looked around and after making sure there was nobody around him, he used the skill.

    Corey was not that worried about the cameras in the library finding out about his talent skill.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    It would actually be wrong to say that he was not worried, no what the right sentence should be is that Corey did not care if the cameras in the library found out about him using his talent skill because the only thing they would notice would be the change in his eyes.

    Assuming the librarian or another Underworld Official asked him why his eyes changed, he could just make up a believable lie.

    So not worrying about the cameras, Corey activated the skill and when he did, the whole world changed in front of Corey.

    Corey''s eyes became pure white and his vision was no longer the same as before.

    There were two notable changes in Corey''s vision.

    The first was that Corey could see numerous transparent, colorless floating particles in front of him.

    This colorless particles mesmerized Corey and Corey had a feeling that they were extremely important.

    The second notable thing that Corey saw was that everything became transparent to Corey.

    Corey could see through the shelves, the books and even the walls in his vision.

    It was like the whole world was naked before Corey''s eyes.

    Corey had the urge, had the desire to know the abilities of his new talent skill, Eyes of Omniscience but knowing that he was neither in the right ce nor did he have the time, he reeled in his urge and decided to do what he wanted to do with the skill.

    Corey looked at the shelf in front of him and when he did, he could see numerous letters, words, numbers, symbols and diagram in front of him.

    Corey frowned since what he was seeing was not organized and just as he frowned, his vision changed and he no longer saw any of the words, symbols, numbers etc. in front of him.

    Corey raised his brows and instinctively knowing what to do, Corey picked up one of the books on the shelf and he looked at it.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    A second after he looked at it, he saw the contents of the book without opening the book and Corey was mesmerized and happy seeing this.

    ''Time to obtain lots of free knowledge.''

    Corey thought with a small smile on his lips, then in the next second, he took a book and looked at it for around three seconds before dropping it.

    Corey did not need to look at it for three seconds before the contents of the book were recorded by his talent skill, Record.

    Corey did not just want to arouse so much suspicion and interest from whoever that was watching or would watch the videos of the cameras in the library.

    Looking at the cover for three seconds or so before dropping it would make it seem like he was just checking out the book title and he was not satisfied with it, which eventually made him to drop it.

    Corey who was busy picking up variety of books while recording them, also saw the price tags of the books and let''s just say that the prices were absolutely shocking to Corey.

    The section Corey was in, currently had books that were priced in the ranges of 50,000 value points ¨C 100,000 value points.

    And the price was just to rent the books out!

    Corey wasn''t sure if these books were actually worth that price or had extremely important information or knowledge, but he would find out when he goes home after leaving the library.

    Hours passed and Corey kept on picking up books and books while recording them, and an hourter, Corey stood dropped a book and stood before thest untouched shelf by him.

    But as Corey stood there, he had an extremely confused expression because on this shelf was only one book.

    The book had a ck cover and with his head tilted slightly, Corey picked up the book and when he did, numerous diagrams, symbols and words appeared before him as he looked at the book.

    Corey had a slightly confused expression as he looked at the sight before him because the images before him were a lot.

    Corey looked at the book once again and when he did, he noticed that the book was also thick.

    He looked at the title of the book, and when he did, a surprised expression appeared on his face.

    "Fundamentals of Magic by Pam."

    Corey muttered as he read with surprise in his tone.

    He looked at the book for a few seconds then he closed the book and deactivated Eyes of Omniscience.

    The moment he deactivated it, Corey wobbled slightly as he held the side of his head with a slight hiss.

    ''Is it because this is my first time in using the skill or is it because I used the skill for a long period of time?''

    Corey thought as he tried to ignore the banging headaches he was receiving from his brain.

    Spending quite a few minutes with his back resting against the wall, Corey''s headache subsided and he released a slightly deep exhale.

    He looked around for a few seconds then he walked back to the first shelf he went to in the library and took the book, Basics of Hand to Hand Combat.

    He walked to the desk of the librarian who was reading a book with extreme focus.

    "Hmm, hmm."

    Corey cleared his throat in an attempt to get the woman''s attention and it worked.

    The woman raised her head and when she saw Corey, a surprised expression appeared on her face.

    "You''re finally done. I thought you were nning on sleeping here?"

    The librarian said with a tinge of curiosity in her tone and Corey just shrugged nonchntly while cing the book he picked on the table.

    "I decided to check out all the books in the library for future purposes, though my number of value points is extremely low."

    Corey said and the librarian raised her brows in confusion.

    "Are you a neer of the Underworld?"

    She asked and Corey nodded.

    He was not surprised that she didn''t know him since it would be kind of unsettling if every resident of the Underworld knew him.

    "I can take this book for a week right?"

    Corey asked and the librarian nodded.

    "Make sure you return the book in a week or you won''t like the consequences."

    The librarian warned and Corey nodded.

    Without saying anything in response, Corey walked towards the exit of the building.

    The librarian raised her brows at Corey''s behavior but deciding not to say anything in response, she just shrugged and kept on reading her book.

 Chapter 138 137: So Many Things

    ?

    Close to an hour passed until Corey reached his house. Once again, Corey looked around to make sure there was nothing wrong with his surroundings.

    After looking around for a few seconds, Corey walked to the door and a secondter, the door slid open and as it was opening, Corey heard a muffled sound causing him to furrow his brows.

    Corey''s stance shifted slightly, not wanting to be taken by a surprise attack or something unexpected that could harm him.

    But when he heard the sound more clearly, an extremely bbergasted expression appeared on his face and his stance was broken apart.

    All his precautions were just for naught and if somebody wanted to kill Corey at that moment, there was an extremely high chance of him or her seeding.

    "Hmm¡­ Take it Smile Reaper. Take it."

    "Call me Daddy Smile Reaper¡­ Fucking call me Daddy Smile Reaper."

    "Oh fuck¡­ Tell me how you like it."

    Justin''s unmistakable slightly deep voice drifted into Corey''s ears and as the words flowed into his mind, Corey stayed rooted on the spot, unable to believe what he was hearing.

    Never in his life did he expect to hear what he was hearing.

    It was extremely unexpected and even disgusting to Corey.

    A few seconds passed then Corey came out from his stunned state. He walked into his house and when he did, his eyes moved towards Justin''s side of the room.

    And when he saw what Justin was doing, he so much wished he didn''t look and he so much wished he could forget what he saw.

    Justin was lying t on his back, stroking his dick while moaning out words that contained his Underground name, Smile Reaper, with an ecstatic expression.

    Justin who was stroking his dick opened his eyes and he turned towards Corey.

    "Oh, you''re back Smile Reaper."

    Justin smiled while stroking his dick with even more passion.

    "You were taking so long and you just kept oning into my mind so I became horny and started wanking while thinking¡­ oh fuck."

    Justin cursed then released a soft moan with his eyes closed after speaking. Just as he released the moan, a white liquid was released from his penis.

    Justin released a soft sigh of satisfaction when the white liquid was released. He looked at Corey then he shed a small smile at Corey.

    "Care to join me?"

    Justin asked and Corey''s right eye twitched repeatedly. The urge to kill Justin right there, right now appeared in his heart but Corey reeled in the urge and without saying a word, he walked to his bed.

    Justin seeing Corey walk away shrugged while saying:

    "Your loss."

    Corey ignored Justin''s words and just sat on his bed in a cross-legged position while closing his eyes.

    ''Rhea please watch this bastard and warn me if he everes close to me.''

    Corey spoke to Rhea internally and a secondter, he received an affirmative response from Rhea.

    After receiving the response, Corey activated Record and a secondter, he found himself in the Library Of Records.

    Seeing the bookshelves on his left and right, Corey raised his brows slightly because he felt like there were more records in the library of records.

    "Show me a list of the new records."

    Corey said and a secondter, a translucent screen appeared before him and when Corey saw the contents of the screen an extremely stunned expression appeared on Corey''s face.

    "I recorded over 50,000 books?"

    Corey spoke with shock as he looked at the number of books at the top right corner of the translucent screen.

    Corey released a tired sigh with his hands covering his face.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Just how many things do I have to do."

    Corey mumbled with an extremely tired tone.

    One might know but Corey actually had so much to do in regards to improving his strength.

    Corey had so many skills that he wished and had to increase.

    He had silent steps, foundation spear techniques, lightning movement art, vibration maniption, full counter, fog maniption, axe intent, Paragon Martial Arts, Killing Intent, Herbal Knowledge and Anatomical Knowledge to increase.

    He had so many skills he had train on and the worst part was that most of these skills were skills he could notpletely ignore.

    Not only that, he also had to either make his own defensive skill or buy a skill crystal that contained a defensive skill.

    Apart from skills, Corey could definitely not ignore his base stats which were actually the most important part of his strength.

    Also, he had to buy elemental stones so as to use the elemental breathing technique which the Paragon Ancestor gave him to increase his base stats.

    But another problem regarding the elemental stones was that one elemental stone cost a whooping, 1000 value points!

    When Corey checked out the price of an elemental stone on the E-Underworld, he was absolutely bbergasted by how costly it was.

    Apart from his skills and base stats, Corey also had to train on the path of poison since his ss basically dealt with poison and it would definitely not be wise for him to neglect what his ss was based on.

    He also had to increase his magical knowledge and he also had to fight in thepulsory battles of the Underworld.

    Basically, Corey had so, so much to do.

    "I should set up a Table of Preference and make it that the more important skills are ced on top."

    Corey muttered while rubbing his chin softly as he remembered his important skills.

    "I should probably make my own defensive skill first, then the second would be practicing the Paragon Martial Arts."

    "The third should be increasing either my magical knowledge or my poison knowledge."

    "And the fourth should be¡­"

    Corey paused as he remembered his skills like full counter, lightning movement art, vibration maniption, fog maniption, foundation spear techniques, killing intent, axe intent and so on.

    "I even need to form a new intent and I also need to improve my killing and axe intent."

    Corey''s lips twitched when he remembered the information Nina gave him on the details regarding intent.

    Corey released a sigh and he rubbed his forehead for a few seconds.

    "You know what. I''ll just train on whatever skill I feel like training on whenever I want to train."

    Corey said with a slight frustration in his tone.

    After speaking, he opened his palm and spoke once again.

    "Give me the record of the book, Fundamentals of Magic by Pam."

    ----n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    [A/N: Sorry for uploading extremelyte today, I was so, so busy today and right now, I''m extremely tired.

    I had sses from 8am-6pm.

    Also, unfortunately I failed in the Webnovel''s win-win mission cause I was one minutete in uploading on time yesterday which really hurt me and pained me more than you can imagine since I really struggled to upload every day before the deadline.

    Next month, I''ll try better even though I have exams next month.

    Have a great day/night. Man''s going to sleep.]

 Chapter 139 138: Fundamentals Of Magic

    ?

    A second after Corey spoke, a ck book hovered over Corey''s palm and the instant it appeared before him, Corey grabbed it.

    He looked at the cover for a few seconds then he opened the book and read the first words on the first page.

    [Before we, not I, delve into the fundamentals of magic. I have to ask you a question. What is magic?]

    "What is magic?"

    Corey muttered with his head tilted to the side slightly as he pondered on the question.

    What did Corey believe magic was?

    "Magic is the ability to perform supernatural feats. The ability to use powers that normal humans can''t use or wish to use."

    Corey spoke, exining what he felt magic was in simple, short words. He looked at the book, then turned it to the next page and read the contents.

    [Whatever you most likely said magic was, is most likely true. All of us have our own definitions of magic.

    To some, it is the ability to control and summon fire, water, lightning etc.

    While to some, it''s the ability to do supernatural feats.

    To some, it''s the ability to destroy mountains, buildings and cars with a wave of their hands.

    If your answers are these or simr to these, you''re not wrong.

    But what I would say is that for me, magic is the ability to use mana, all types of mana.]

    "The ability to use mana."

    Corey paused and mumbled. A thought came to his head but he decided to leave it and he continued reading.

    [Let me tell you why I said that magic is the ability to use mana.]

    [Look at the skill section of your status screen. Now some of you might not know, but all your skills, whether passive or active utilize mana, even if it''s an extremely minute amount.]

    [Now tell me, are your skills not feats that normal humans before the apocalypse could not perform? Aren''t your skills magical? Aren''t your skills a form of magic?]

    As Corey read the words written by Pam, he didn''t know why but he could feel the zeal, the passion that the unknown Pam had for magic rted things.

    With his interest in the leader of the Destroyers of Darkness and the book before him already piqued, Corey turned to the next page of the book, wanting to learn more.

    [Magic doesn''t have to be you summoning rain, thunder and lightning. It doesn''t have to be you bringing a meteor from out of space, it also doesn''t have to be you summoning demons or monsters from hell.]

    [Magic can be in the form of unremarkable skills like night vision, causing a spark of fire from your fingers or controlling minute amounts of water. Magic can be anything and it''s only your imagination that limits you and even me.]

    With an interested and hooked expression, Corey turned to the next page.

    [Now that we''ve discussed our views on what magic is, let''s talk about the fundamentals of magic.]

    [Now, my understanding on the fundamentals of magic is not absolute and is most likely notpletely correct because as of now, I''m just tier 2 and I definitely don''t understand much about magicpared to people at higher tiers. So please forgive me if what I''m currently saying is proved wrong in the future as you improve.]

    [Moving away from that, let''s talk about the fundamentals of magic.]

    [I want to use your skills as an example. Assuming you have the fireball skill or let''s say the wind sh skill, how do you increase your proficiency in those skills?]

    [The answer to that question is what most of you already know, which is repeatedly using the skill.]

    [Yes, repeatedly using the skill can improve your proficiency with the skill but I had a question at one point in time during the apocalypse.]

    [How were these skills formed? How was fireball formed? Who created the skill fireball? Who created the skill that had the ability to use wind to sh objects? How are all these skills formed?]n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    [Were they formed, created by the Universal System? Or were they created by extremely powerful beings? Can we only get skills from skill crystals? Couldn''t we create our own skills? Can''t we create our own magic? Can''t we figure out how skills work? How magic work?]

    [So if you want to know my hypothesis on how magic works, on the fundamentals of magic, turn to the next page.]

    "This is interesting."

    Corey smiled as he read the words and without wasting time, he opened the next page.

    [Now before I exin my hypothesis on how magic works. I want to speak about two things.]

    [I want to say that magic did not start after the apocalypse but it started before the apocalypse.]

    [Some of you might know and some might not know but there are have been people that actually practiced and performed magic sessfully.]

    [There have been witches and wizards in the past and these witches and wizards used magic with various methods.]

    [Some used magic by killing animals and humans then offering either their blood or corpses to their so called ''gods. There are other witches and wizards that had to form a magic circle while using certain materials.]

    [Now the thing is, was there mana in our world before the apocalypse started? Howe some people could perform certain magic?]

    [My guess to those questions is that there was probably an extremely small amount of mana in the before the apocalypse started. I don''t know and I''m not sure.]

    [Now why did I tell you about the past? It''s cause I want you to know that magic has existed for a very long time and if I''m right, it needs a medium.]<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    [The witches and wizards that sacrificed living beings to their ''gods'' to perform magic used the dead humans and animals as the medium.

    While the witches and wizards that used magic circles and different materials to perform magic, made the magic circles and the materials to be the medium for their magical abilities.]

    [The sorcerers of old needed a sort of medium to perform magic, but what about us? What is our medium? How do we use skills like fireball, lightning st, wind sh and so on?]

    [Is it because of mana? Is it because of the skill crystal? Is mana the medium?]

    [No!]

    [Mana is definitely not the medium for our magical abilities. Mana is the energy source.]

    [So if mana is not the medium, then what is the medium?]

    [Turn to the next page to find out.]

    Reading thest words on the page he was reading, Corey raised his brows.

    "I have feeling the leader of the darkness destroyers likes or used to watch anime like Anna."

    Corey mumbled and a small smile formed on his lips as he remembered Anna.

    ''I miss her.''

    Corey sighed then he pushed back his thoughts and memories regarding Anna to the back of his mind and turned to the next page of the book.

    [The medium of our magical skills are two things]

    Corey somewhat expecting a long winded story before Pam got to the point, was surprised that Pam got to the point immediately.

    [The first thing is something that all of us possesses, mana circuits. Mana circuits is something that most wouldn''t know about until tier probably tier 4.]

    [What are mana circuits?]

    [Mana circuits are particr veins and arteries in our bodies that arepatible for mana and allows our mana to run through our body like blood.]

    [Although everybody has their own mana circuits, if you want to know and see your mana circuits, then you have to wait until you''re tier 4.]

    [As for how I know that you''ll have to wait till tier 4 to see your mana circuit?]

    [It''s none of your business.]

    [If you want to know why you have to wait till tier 4?]

    [Reach tier 4 first then you''ll understand.]

    [Although I said that you''ll have to wait till tier 4 to feel or see your mana circuits, you can still feel your mana circuits before tier 4.]

    [If you want to know or feel your mana circuits on your own and before tier 4, then it requires luck, patience and a calm mind. That is if you don''t have a special skill or means that can see through your body.]

    [To feel your mana circuits, you''ll have to meditate and enter an extreme state of calmness while moving the mana in your body.]

    [Another way is by you using a particr skill like fireball repeatedly but as you use it, you try to feel how the mana moves in your body before the fireball is formed.]

    [Mana circuits ording to me, is one medium. The other medium is something that most cannot see and to exin it, I would need to speak about one of my skills.]

    [Some might say me speaking about one of my skills is stupid but my passion and desire to speak about this knowledge is much more than me worrying about the consequences of me speaking about my skill.]

    [Some might not know but mana is everywhere in the air and I can see it due to a particr skill.]

    "She can see mana?"

    Corey spoke with slightly raised brows reading that and he remembered the colorless transparent particles he saw when he activated Eyes of Omniscience.

    ''Could the colorless and transparent particles be mana?''

    Corey thought but decided not to delve too deep into it now so as to continue reading the book before him. Corey then opened the next page of the book.

    [Due to my ability to see mana, I noticed something. Whenever we use certain magical skills, the invisible mana in the air, moves and turns into certain invisible symbols in the air.]

    [From what I know, for every magical skill, the invisible symbols are always different and the higher the proficiency of the skill, the faster the invisible symbols form.]

    [Most of you would probably not understand what I mean, so in the next pages, I drew certain symbols of some basic skills and I also exined more about the fundamentals of the magic.]

    [This page and the previous pages just briefly exined what I feel are the fundamentals of magic. I hope you have the same ir and excitement I have for magic as you read the further pages.]

    ----

    [A/N: Sorry you guys for not posting yesterday. Writing this chapter was actually not easy for me. Also, I was tired both physically and mentally.

    Hopefully, I''m not too tired in theing days so that I can continue to post at a constant rate.]

 Chapter 140 139: Improvement

    ?

    (3 dayster)

    In the virtual space of the library of records, Corey sat in a cross-legged position with his eyes closed.

    His eyes remained closed for at least five seconds then he opened them, and the moment his eyes opened, he stretched out his right hand and when he did, the virtual mana in the virtual space stirred slightly.

    Corey, whose eyes was pure white without pupils had an expression of extreme focus.

    In his vision were numerous rapidly forming symbols and as the symbols were formed, around Corey was a translucent barrier.

    These barrier was circr but it was different from a normal circr barrier.

    Instead of the barrier been a smooth circr barrier, it was hexagonal in the sense that, all over the barrier were small hexagonal shapes.

    As Corey looked at the barrier, he nodded with satisfaction.

    "Although it''s not the best, it''s better than before."

    Corey spoke with a small smile as he looked at the hexagon barrier. He blinked his eyes and when he did, his eyes changed back to his normal eyes with ck pupils.

    He lowered his hand after his eyes changed back to normal and as he lowered his hand, the barrier disappeared.

    "Haa. I''m so tired."

    Corey yawned while rubbing the back of his head with sleepy eyes.

    Ever since he read the book on Fundamentals of Magic, he had not had a wink of sleep.

    Apart from reading whatever book he could read, he also trained on some of his skills making the skill section of his status window to be different.

    ----

    *SKILLS*

    Record(Talent Skill), Silent Steps(Novice -> Intermediate), Super Jump(Intermediate), Undercover(Novice), Lock picking(Novice -> Expert), Focus(Talent Skill), Lightning Movement Art (Ancient, Lv 1 -> 2, Basic -> Novice), Vibration Maniption (Novice), Full Counter (Legendary, Novice), Average Regeneration (Lv 5, Intermediate, Passive), Fog Maniption (Novice), Paragon Body, Axe Intent (Basic), Paragon Martial Arts (Basic -> Novice), Eyes of Omniscience (Talent Skill), Killing Intent (Basic), Herbal Knowledge (Basic -> Novice), Anatomical Knowledge (Basic -> Novice), Hexagon Barrier (Master)

    ----

    There were seven changes Corey had made to his skill section in the past three days, and honestly, if anybody knew that Corey was able to make that many to his set of skills in just three days.

    It would shock many, especially the knowledgeable to their core.

    What would even shock them the more would be when they found out the level of the skills Corey was able to increase in proficiency.

    The changes to Corey''s skill section of his status window were:

    Silent Steps which increased from Novice Proficiency to Intermediate Proficiency.

    Lock picking which increased from Novice Proficiency to Expert Proficiency.

    Lightning Movement Art which increased from Basic Proficiency to Novice Proficiency, while also increasing from level 1 to level 2.

    Paragon Martial Arts which increased from Basic Proficiency to Novice Proficiency.

    Herbal Knowledge which increased from Basic Proficiency to Novice Proficiency.

    Anatomical Knowledge which increased from Basic Proficiency to Novice Proficiency.

    And his new defensive skill, Hexagon Barrier which had a whooping Master Proficiency level.

    In this past three days, Corey had also shocked himself because he actually didn''t expect to improve as much as he did.

    The thing was that whenever Corey trained, he just¡­ understood the best way to improve for certain skills. Improving the proficiency of certain skills was much easier than he expected.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    If possible, he would have loved to increase the proficiency of all his skills to higher levels but he knew that he didn''t have the time to do that since his next fight in the Underworld was tomorrow.

    Due to Corey increasing the proficiency of eight skills, some skills had certain changes.

    Silent Steps which was now at Intermediate level of Proficiency made Corey''s steps more silent to the point that Corey could not even hear his steps whenever he walked.

    To increase the proficiency of the skill, Corey had to activate Eyes of Omniscience as he ran with Silent Steps activated at all times.

    Eyes of Omniscience was literally a cheat like ability cause it helped Corey so much during the past three days.

    Take Silent Steps for example, as Corey ran with silent steps activated. Corey was able to see how the mana in his feet and legs moved and worked whenever he took a step.

    Corey just had to study the pattern, the invisible symbols that the mana formed then he just had to practice it a lot.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Although Corey increased the proficiency from novice to intermediate, Corey realized few things about proficiency levels.

    From his hypothesis, there are two stages of proficiency levels, low stage and high stage.

    It was just like when the proficiency levels were previously in terms of numbers and from what the Universal System previously said,

    Level 1 proficiency is now basic proficiency.

    Level 2-3 is now novice proficiency.

    Level 4-5 is now intermediate proficiency.

    And so on and so forth.

    So with what the Universal System previously said, Corey guessed that proficiency levels or at least most proficiency levels had two stages, which he liked to call low stage and high stage.

    And Corey''s proficiency level of silent steps is at the high stage intermediate proficiency level.

    The second skill which Corey improved on was Lock picking.

    And why did Corey improve on it?

    Cause it was literally one of the easiest, if not the easiest skill Corey could improve at a fast rate in a short period of time.

    In fact, there were times Corey practiced the skill just to rx and while away time.

    He would make the virtual space in the library of records to make a treasure chest or a locked door, then he would practice the lock picking skill on the door.

    It was in a way, a sort of stress relief for Corey after practicing his other skills for quite a long time.

    The third skill which Corey improved upon was the Lightning Movement Art.

    The lightning movement art was ancient level skill which was given to him by the old man, Wandering Paragon.

    The old man told him that the skill had five levels in it and in these past three days, Corey has unlocked the second level which gave him a new sub skill.

    sh Step

    sh Step was a skill that gave Corey new ideas on how to fight and Corey knew that it would be one of his trump cards now and possibly in the future.

    The fourth skill that Corey improved was the Paragon Martial Arts that the Paragon Ancestor gave him.

    The Paragon Martial Arts was a martial art that gave Corey knowledge regarding numerousbat skills and Corey was able to improve it to the low level novice level.

    The Paragon Martial Arts was one of the most difficult skills Corey tried to improve, which was not surprising since the skill was given to him by the most powerful being in the multiverse.

    The Paragon Martial Arts gave Corey knowledge about hand to handbat and even weaponbat. It was basically a martial arts that taught Corey the most efficient ways of fighting to kill his enemies.

    The fifth and sixth skill that Corey improved on, were the skills he got from the Poison Warlock ss: Herbal Knowledge and Anatomical Knowledge.

    Increasing the proficiency of the two skills from basic proficiency to low level novice proficiency was not extremely difficult for Corey since all he had to do was read the books about nts and animals which he recorded from the library in the Underworld.

    Thest change to Corey''s skill section was the addition of a new skill, The Hexagon Barrier.

    When Corey created the hexagon barrier skill after reading numerous books on magic, he thought he had created a new skill but unfortunately, he was na?ve in his thinking.

    When he sessfully created the skill, the Universal System just added the hexagon barrier skill to his list of skills, making Corey to realize that creating a new skill in the entire universe was an extremely difficult feat.

    Despite the fact that the hexagon skill was not a new skill, Corey decided to improve his proficiency in it because he realized that the higher his proficiency of some skills, the faster he could deploy his skills and the lesser his mana consumption.

    Also, when his proficiency reached the master level, Corey could instantly deploy the hexagon barrier around him.

    Corey would have loved to increase his proficiency in Full Counter, Fog Maniption and Vibration Maniption but the three skills were more difficult and time consuming for Corey to improve on, especially the skill, Full Counter.

    "Yaawwnnn."

    Corey yawned loudly with his left hand covering his mouth.

    "Oh fuck. I really need to sleep. I think I''ve not slept for over a week."

    Corey released a soft sigh then he stood, but just as he stood, he received a warning message from Rhea and Corey''s eyes went cold.

    ----

    [A/N: I removed the skill, Foundation Spear Techniques cause the Paragon Martial Arts is higher graded and also teaches Corey foundation spear techniques.]

 Chapter 141 140: Choosing

    ?

    As soon as Corey received the warning message from Rhea, he immediately left the Library of Records with a cold look in his eyes.

    In the real world, Corey who wasying with his back on his bed, opened his closed eyes sharply.

    As soon as Corey opened his eyes, his killing intent spilled out and without hesitation, he sat up and turned to his left in a span of one second.

    To his left was Justin who had his tongue outstretched, wanting to lick Corey''s left arm with it but due to Corey''s abrupt movement, his tongue was left hanging.

    Justin''s eyes widened in shock and his body was frozen in shock for a second.

    "Oh, you''re finally-"

    Just as Justin was speaking, his eyes constricted as he saw a fiste towards his face.

    ''Shit.''

    Bam!

    "Ouch. That hurt."

    Justin mumbled with a pained expression as he held his bleeding nose whileying on the floor.

    Three seconds passed and just as Justin was holding his bleeding nose, he felt a shadow hover on top of him and he looked up but just as he was about to look up, he felt a hand around his neck then the hand pulled him up and an extremely cold voice filled with killing intent reached his ears.

    "What do you think you''re doing?"

    Corey questioned with a cold tone as he held the neck of Justin while emitting his killing intent.

    "You were just lying on your bed for three days straight and I got worried and horny so I decided to have a taste of you to see if you were still alive."

    Justin replied with a small ecstatic smile on his face as he looked at Corey, unbothered about Corey''s killing intent.

    Meanwhile Corey hearing Justin''s reply squinted his eyes and tightened his grip around Justin''s neck, his expression showing he didn''t believe a single word Justin said.

    As Corey tightened his grip around Justin''s neck, his intention was to force Justin to spill out the truth but unfortunately, Corey once again got the shock of his life as he tightened his grip.

    "Ahhhn. Hold me tighter daddy."

    Justin moaned with an ecstatic expression on his face and Corey released his grip from Justin''s neck with a disgusted expression on his face.

    Thud

    "Ouch."

    "Please drop me softer next time zaddy. I want to make sure my ass remains soft for you."

    Justin spoke while rubbing his buttocks with a fake painful expression and Corey seeing that, had his lips twitching repeatedly and his killing intent threatening to take control over him.

    Corey released a deep breath and without saying anything, he just walked back to his bed, wanting to get away from his absolutely mental roommate.

    "Are you going to sleep again zaddy?

    Too much sleep is not good, you''ll be fat."

    Justin asked while standing. He rubbed his neck while turning his head to the sides, causing a soft cracking sound to resound from his neck.

    Justin released a soft sigh of satisfaction then he looked at Corey who was now lying on his bed with his eyes closed, ignoring his question.

    "Although I said that too much sleep is not good, I wouldn''t mind if we sleep together Zaddy."

    Justin said while blinking his eyes repeatedly with a twinkle in them, and Corey hearing Justin''s words, opened his eyes and looked at Justin with an emotionless expression.

    "Just because the Underworld forbids us from killing each other cause we''re roommates, doesn''t mean I can''t harm you one way or the other.

    I don''t care if you''re tier 2.

    I''ll make sure you regret been my roommate if you so much as touch me without my permission."

    With an emotionless tone and expression, Corey spoke and¡­ Justin trembled with an ecstatic expression.

    "Yes zaddy."

    Corey''s lips twitched repeatedly hearing Justin''s reply.

    ''Why can''t I just get a normal person as my roommate?''<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Corey thought then he released a soft internal sigh.

    ''Rhea, warn me like you did before.''

    Corey spoke internally and after receiving a positive reply from Rhea, he closed his eyes to sleep and around five secondster, Corey fell into a deep sleep.

    (The next day)

    Ring Ring

    Ring Ring

    Corey who was sleeping heard a ringing sound in his sleep and he frowned slightly.

    Having faith in Rhea to warn him or awaken him if something was happening, Corey decided to ignore the ringing sound since he wanted to sleep more.

    But a few secondster, the ringing sound stopped and Corey felt his left wrist bing hot.

    Corey frowned and with an annoyed expression, he woke up.

    He looked around, wanting to know if there was a problem and there was none.

    He was sleeping on his ufortable bed and Justin was alsoying on his bed opposite him.

    Corey furrowed his brows then he looked at his left wrist where he felt bing hot while sleeping, but was now reducing in temperature.

    As Corey looked at his left wrist, he realized that the source of the previous heat was the Watch of the Underworld.

    Just as Corey was confused about what was going on, he heard Justin speak.

    "That''s how the Watch of the Underworld wakes people that are sleeping. It works as an rm at first, then it heats up, eventually heating up your wrist in the process.

    If you don''t wake up after that, then it would send a chemical into your body that most of the times wakes the person up.

    If you still don''t wake up after that, then some Underworld Officials wille and most likely punish you."

    Corey had a surprised and expression as he looked at Justin who had just finished speaking.

    He could not believe that Justin could say¡­ reasonable words.

    "Thanks."

    Corey said after he came out from his stunned state.

    Although he didn''t like and trust Justin due to his weird behavior, he wouldn''t be petty and decide not to thank him for giving him free information.

    N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "Anything for you zaddy."

    Justin replied and Corey''s lips twitched.

    Just as Corey''s lips twitched, a translucent screen popped up from the Watch of the Underworld on his left wrist stunning Corey slightly.

    "Before your match, you can choose the power level of the people you want to fight."

    Justin said and Corey nced at him before he looked back at the translucent screen, and just like what Justin said, the screen was asking him what tier he wanted for his enemy.

    Corey seeing that furrowed his brows slightly and after a few seconds of pondering, he spoke, giving out his answer.

    "Give me a tier 1 enemy."

    Corey said and in the next instant, the translucent screen disappeared.

    Although Corey knew that fighting a tier 2 enemy would give him more benefits, Corey decided not to fight a tier 2 now because he wasn''t sure whether it was extremely rare for somebody to fight higher than their tier in the Underworld.

    If it was rare for somebody to fight above their tier, then Corey would not want to attract unnecessary attention at the moment.

    "Now that you just have to wait and you''ll receive a notification, telling you what time your battle for today is."

    Justin said after the translucent screen disappeared and Corey nced at him.

    Justin seeing Corey nce at him shed him a small smile and Corey looked away calmly.

    Heid on his bed with his back and his hands crossed behind his head. He closed his eyes and waited for his next match toe.

 Chapter 142 141: No Hidden Information

    ?

    "PEOPLE, PEOPLE, PEOPLE."

    "I KNOW SOME OF YOU HAVE ENJOYED THE PREVIOUS NEWBIE MATCHES, WHILE SOME OF YOU DID NOT."

    "BUT WHAT I CAN SAY, THEY''RE NEWBIES, YOU CAN''T EXPECT MUCH FROM THEM."

    The announcer of Corey''s current match spoke with a smile on his face as he floated around fifteen meters above the ground.

    With a long ck hair that reached his shoulders, the announcer paused and looked at the audience who had different expressions and were either looking at him or were doing their own stuffs.

    Not bothered by the fact that he didn''t have the entire audience''s attention which was not surprising, the announcer continued speaking.

    "ALTHOUGH I SAID THAT YOU CAN''T EXPECT MUCH FROM MATCHES BETWEEN NEWBIES, THAT DOES NOT APPLY TO THIS MATCH."

    "ONE OF THE PARTICIPANTS OF OUR NEXT MATCH IS ONE OF OUR HOT PROSPECTS."

    "HE''S THE KID WHO WAS SOME DAYS BACK, SKINNY LIKE A STICK."

    "HE''S THE KID WHO WAS PREVIOUSLY CALLED THE SILENT KNEE BREAKER."

    "HE IS¡­ THEEEE SMIIILLLLEEEE REEEEAAAPPPEEEERRRR!!!!"

    BAM!

    BAM!

    BAM!

    As soon as the announcer finished introducing Corey, the drummers in the Amphitheatre hit their drums with a frenzied expression and the crowd starting making a cacophony of noises.

    Corey who was behind the gates that led to the Amphitheatre with two tier 2 Underworld Officials behind him frowned as he heard the words of the announcer.

    ''I was not as thin as a stick.''

    Corey thought and just as he had this thought, one of the Underworld officials behind him spoke.

    "Stretch out your hands."

    Corey turned to face the two underworld officials who were different from Scar and his partner.

    He stretched out his hand and when he did, one of the officials brought out a ck looking key and when he moved it closer to Corey''s shackles, a keyhole appeared and the official ced the key inside and unlocked the shackles on Corey''s wrists and ankles.

    Corey rubbed his wrists as he looked at the two tier 2 Underworld Officials.

    Although he knew he could most likely kill the two tier 2 officials, he knew the problems and trouble he would face after, so he ignored the two underworld officials and walked to the opening gates.

    As Corey walked to the opening gates, he opened his palms downwards and as he did, two ck dual battle axes appeared in his palms.

    The noise, the drum beats and the loud cacophony entered Corey''s ears as Corey walked to the gates with a calm expression.

    A few secondster, Corey walked out of the gate and as he did, the noise got extremely loud.

    Corey looked around and for the first time, Corey noticed something which he had ignored in his previous matches.

    Although the audience were making so much noise, they were not cheering his name nor were they cheering the name of his opponent whom he did not know nor did he want to know

    .

    The audience were just shouting, screaming and making whatever sound they could make with their lips, throats and whatever object was in their hands.

    ''This is definitely not normal.''

    Corey thought with an indifferent expression.

    He looked at the nearest audience to him and once again, he saw some smoking or drinking from white cups.

    Corey seeing that raised his brows slightly and just as a thought was about to pass through his head, he felt slight killing intent from behind him, and without hesitation, he activated his newly created skill, Hexagon Barrier.

    ng!

    "Shit."

    A loud sound of two metallic objects hitting each other resounded and a subsequent groan filled with slight pain also followed.

    With a calm expression, Corey turned around and when he did, he was able to see the source of the attack and the groan.

    "WHAT THE FUCK PEOPLE!"

    "WHAT KIND OF DEFENSIVE SKILL IS THAT?!"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "DID YOU ALSO SEE THE SPEED AT WHICH THE SMILE REAPER WAS ABLE TO DEPLOY THE BARRIER?!"

    "IT WAS SO FUCKING INSTANTANEOUS!"

    "WHAT LEVEL OF PROFICIENCY MUST ONE NEED TO INSTANTLY USE A DEFENSIVE SKILL!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "ALSO, THE DEFENSIVE SKILL IS EXTREMELY HARD. IT DIDN''T EVEN BREAK FROM THE SWORDSMAN OF THE WIND''S ATTACK."

    The announcer eximed with an expression of shock, riling up the crowd in the process.

    Meanwhile as Corey looked at his opponent who had quickly used a skill to instantly move far away from Corey, his opponent spoke.

    "Your response is good but don''t think you can win."

    His opponent who was wearing an all green martial art robe spoke with a calm expression as he held a slightly long sword in both hands.

    ''Record''

    Corey tilted his head to the left slightly and as he did, his left eye changed to rapidly changing numbers, symbols and letters.

    "Oh. Care to tell me why you think I can''t defeat you?"

    As his left eye changed, Corey decided to reply his opponent since he needed a few seconds for Record to finish fully analyzing the man before him.

    "I know you just advanced to tier 1 and I also know that you haven''t bought any skill crystal from E-Underworld or any of the shops in the outer area of the city of sin."

    "The only thing you did after advancing was buying a useless book from the shitty library and sleeping throughout in your house."

    "Although I don''t know your ss, I know you can''t defeat me."

    "You''re a fresh newbie."

    Hearing the words of his opponent, Corey frowned deeply.

    "How did you know?"

    Corey asked with a cold tone and his opponent, the swordsman of the windughed with tears spilling out of his eyes.

    "That''s why I said you''re just a fresh newbie."

    "Don''t you know that people can buy your information with value points."

    With a smile filled with mockery and disdain, Corey''s opponent spoke and Corey furrowed his brows deeply.

    "Besides, your information was cheap to get."

    Corey''s opponent spoke with a soft chuckle but Corey didn''t reply his words.

    ''So one can even buy somebody''s information with value points.''

    Corey thought as he ced his right hand on his chin.

    ''Also, they know that all I did was ''sleep'' in my house?''

    Corey thought then he looked up and his eyes went to the announcer up in the air who was now riling up the crowd by mocking him with the words his opponent said.

    ''So it''s either they got the information from Justin¡­ or... there are cameras in my house just like I guessed in the first ce.''

    Corey thought as he looked away from the announcer.

    He looked at his opponent who did not attack him this time due to wariness.

    ''Well, it doesn''t matter. I already guessed that I was been watched.''

    Corey thought then he focused on the words in his left eye.

    [Name: Jian

    ss: Wind Swordsman

    Talent: Instant Teleportation

    Level: 158

    Strength: Orange Star [48%]

    Agility: Yellow Star [69%]

    Dexterity: Yellow Star [13%]

    Constitution: Orange Star [93%]

    Intelligence: Orange Star [65%]

    Endurance: Orange Star [49%]

    Astral Mana: Yellow Star [87%]]

 Chapter 143 142: Battle

    ?

    Name: Jian

    ss: Wind Swordsman

    Talent: Instant Teleportation

    Level: 158

    Strength: Orange Star [48%]

    Agility: Yellow Star [69%]

    Dexterity: Yellow Star [13%]

    Constitution: Orange Star [93%]

    Intelligence: Orange Star [65%]

    Endurance: Orange Star [49%]

    Astral Mana: Yellow Star [87%]

    "Well this is something."

    Corey mumbled in a low voice as he looked at the stats of his opponent.

    ''He''s level 158 but he only surpasses me in agility and dexterity.''

    Corey''s brows furrowed slightly as he had this thought.

    In terms of strength, his opponent was at 48% Orange Star while Corey was at 50% Orange Star, surpassing his opponent by just two percent.

    In terms of agility, his opponent was at 69% Yellow Star while Corey was at 50% Orange Star. His opponent surpassing him by a wide margin.

    In terms of dexterity, his opponent was at 13% Yellow Star, while Corey was at 50% Orange Star. His opponent once again surpassing him by a wide margin.

    But in terms of constitution, intelligence, endurance and astral mana, Corey surpassed his opponent, especially in intelligence and astral mana by a wide margin.

    His opponent''s constitution was at 93% Orange Star, while Corey''s was at 70% Yellow Star, almost surpassing his opponent by an entire star.

    His opponent''s intelligence was at 65% Orange Star, while Corey''s was at 50% Green Star, widely surpassing his opponent by almost two entire stars.

    His opponent''s endurance was at 49% Orange Star, while Corey''s was at 50% Orange Star,surpassing his opponent by 1%.

    As for thest attribute, astral mana. Corey''s opponent was at 87% Yellow Star, while Corey''s was at 25% Blue Star, heavily surpassing his opponent.

    Basically, Corey surpassed his opponent in almost everything which was shocking and confusing to Corey since his opponent, Jian was level 158.

    ''Not only is he level 158, his talent is instant teleportation.''

    Corey thought with a slight furrow of his brows as his eyes never moved away from Jian, but a secondter,

    Jian disappeared.

    Corey''s pupils constricted and without hesitation, he activated the Hexagon Barrier skill but his response was just a tad bit too slow.

    sh

    Rip

    "WHAT THE FUCK PEOPLE! THE SMILE REAPER HAS ANOTHER DEFENSIVE SKILL?"

    "JUST HOW MANY DEFENSIVE SKILLS DOES HE HAVE?!"

    "IS HE THAT SCARED FOR HIS LIFE?!"

    "ALSO, IT SEEMS THE SMILE REAPER HAS NO ANSWER TO THE SWORDSMAN OF THE WIND!"

    "THE SWORDSMAN OF THE WIND IS JUST TOO FAST FOR THE SMILE REAPER."

    With an expression filled with fake excitement, the announcer spoke, riling up the crowd with false words.

    However Jian,

    "Motherfucker."

    Despite Jian sessfully shing a part of Corey''s back, he could not help curse when a white bone like armor appeared around Corey''s body, stopping his sh from cutting deeply into Corey, possibly dealing a fatal blow.

    Not wanting to stay close to Corey, Jian teleported further away from Corey with cold eyes.

    Meanwhile Corey clicked his tongue as he looked at the Devourer''s Armor which appeared without him willing for it to appear.

    ''Another ability of mine is exposed once again.''

    Corey thought as droplets of blood dripped from his back unto the floor.

    ''His instant teleportation is too fast and is too instantaneous for me to react to.''

    Corey frowned slightly as he looked at Jian who had changed his stance.

    ''Do I have to expose another skill?''

    Corey released a soft internal sigh as he looked at Jian.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Just as he sighed, Jian crossed his swords together causing Corey to frown slightly.

    "Wheel of the Swordsman of the Wind."

    Jian muttered softly and two secondster, he shed at Corey.

    As soon as he shed at Corey, two diagonally crossed green colored sword shes appeared and moved towards Corey while spinning at a fast speed.

    ''Eyes of Omniscience.''

    ''Focus.''

    Seeing the iing attack, Corey entered his focused state while activating Eyes of Omniscience.

    The world changed in Corey''s eyes as his eyes turned pure white.

    As he looked at the iing fast attack, he was no longer seeing a spinning diagonally green attack, what he was seeing were different symbols joined together, spinning and even changing.

    With a calm expression, Corey raised the axe in his right hand and shed sideways.

    ''Axe Intent.''

    A colorless translucent horizontal axe sh appeared and moved towards the iing rotating green diagonal attack.

    "WHAT DOES THE SMILE REAPER THINK HE''S DOING?"

    "THERE''S NO WAY SUCH AN ATTACK CAN DEFEAT THE SWORDSMAN OF THE WIND''S ATTACK."

    "HAS HE FINALLY GONE MENTAL?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    As Corey''s attack moved towards Jian''s attack, the announcer spoke with genuine confusion in his tone and expression.

    But a few secondster, when Corey''s attack collided with Jian''s attack, something which nobody expected to happen, except Corey, happened.

    As Corey''s attack and Jian''s attack met each other, instead of Jian''s attack overpowering Corey''s attack or Corey''s attack overpowering Jian''s attack.

    Corey''s translucent axe sh cut apart Jian''s rotating green diagonal attack and moved towards Jian who waspletely stupefied at what he just saw.

    Not only was Jian stupefied, the entire audience and even the announcer were shocked and stunned.

    "ON THE GODS OF THE SEVEN SEAS PEOPLE!"

    "DID YOU SEE THAT?!"

    "DID YOU FUCKING SEE THAT?!"

    "THE SMILE REAPER''S ATTACK JUST CUT APART THE SWORDSMAN OF THE WIND''S ATTACK WITH EASE."

    "IT WAS ALMOST LIKE THE SWORDSMAN OF THE WIND''S ATTACK WAS JUST WIND, A HARMLESS BREEZE."

    "¡­ OH WAIT¡­ IT''S ACTUALLY JUST WIND."

    Unlike what the announcer said, the attack of Jian was not just wind.

    Okay, yes it was.

    But what Corey did, was actually not as simple as it looked.

    What Corey did, was basically attacking the weak point of Jian''s attack.

    This was one of the usefulness of the Eyes of Omniscience which allowed Corey to see the invisible symbols that forms whenever people manipte mana to use a skill.

    This was one of the things Corey learnt in the three day period that he used to train.

    When Corey was ''creating'' the skill, Hexagon Barrier. Corey at some point, knew he had to test it out against an opponent and since Corey had quite a number of powerful recorded beings, Corey decided to fight some of them.

    Like the Bird of Oblivion, the tier 2 Smiley and even the right Guardian of the temple of mes.

    It was during these fights that Corey realized that he could try to find the imperfections in attacks and even a lot of things.

    Although he could see the imperfections in some attacks, it was not in all attacks.

    Corey guessed that the higher the proficiency in the attacks, the lower the number of imperfections. Also, the stronger the attack, the lower the number of imperfections Corey could see.

    Now, back to reality.

    As Corey''s axe intent moved towards the dazed Jian, Jian sensing the danger of Corey''s iing attack, instinctively used the surest method of preserving his life.

    He used his talent, Instant Teleportation and this time, as Corey was looking at Jian, he saw something different.

    As soon as Jian activated his talent, Corey saw numerousplex silver symbols form at an extremely fast speed around Jian, then the air, the space around Jian cracked then broke apart like ss and in the next instant, Jian disappeared from Corey''s vision.

    But this time, Corey saw certain parts of space in front of him, crack then reform but this was urring at an extremely fast speed.

    What Corey was seeing was urring in less than the time it took to blink.

    And just as Corey was struggling to track the cracks in space, he felt an extremely minute killing intent above him and he looked up.

    Just as he looked up, he saw Jian around five meters above him, spinning in an anti-clockwise manner and a secondter, a roar escaped his lips.

    "FURY OF THE SWORDSMAN OF THE WIND!"

 Chapter 144 143: Level Up

    ?

    "FURY OF THE SWORDSMAN OF THE WIND!"

    As soon as those words escaped Jian''s lips, the wind stirred around Jian and a green aura covered both Jian and his swords.

    Jian''s speed of descent increased drastically and so did the constriction of Corey''s pupils.

    In his vision, he could see numerous rapidly forming green translucent symbols but the distance was just too short and theplexity of this particr skill was just moreplex for him to locate the weak point of Jian''s current skill.

    With a thought, Corey activated his hexagon barrier skill, but this time, he didn''t just produce one hexagon barrier, he produced three hexagon barriers with the furthest barrier from him having the lowest amount of mana in it, and the second and third barrier having more mana in them, with the closest barrier to him having the highest amount of mana in it.

    As for the reason why he made more than one barrier?

    He knew from theplexity of the symbols, that just one barrier could not protect him.

    ng!

    Shatter

    A loud sound akin to metal hitting metal resounded due to Jian''s swords hitting Corey''s hexagon barrier, but a secondter, like ss shattering, Corey''s hexagon barriers shattered and Jian''s descent was decreased by a minimal amount.

    ng!

    Shatter

    Just like the first barrier, the second barrier also shattered and Corey''s pupils constricted seeing that.

    Jian''s skill was more powerful than he expected.

    It was like with every spin that Jian generated, the power, the force and the mana behind his attack increased.

    All of this that just happened, happened in a span of two seconds and in the next second, Jian reached the third andst barrier.

    But just as he was about to destroy thest barrier, the muscles in Corey''s legs and toes tightened and with a thought, Corey used one of his skills.

    ''Super Jump.''

    Bang

    The ground beneath Corey''s feet cracked as Corey used Super Jump to explosively jump backwards, covering a huge distance.

    The instant Corey jumped backwards, Jian reached thest barrier and with a ng that sounded much louder and longer than the previous ones, Jian collided with the barrier and in the next two seconds, the barrier shattered.

    BANG!!

    The ground trembled and debris of stones and sand flew up into the air as Jian''s attacknded on the ground, destroying an area of approximately 20m around him.

    Meanwhile Corey who was outside the range of the attack, ced his dual battle axes in front of him due to the flying debris.

    A few secondster, Corey could hear a whistling sound and with a cold glint in his eyes, he removed the dual battle axes from his front and his eyes caught unto a speeding Jianing towards him.

    ng!

    "THE MATCH IS BECOMING MORE AND MORE LIKE A MATCH OF CLANGS."

    "IT''S LIKE A COMPETITION BETWEEN WHO AMONGST THE TWO OF THEM CAN PRODUCE THE LOUDEST OF CLANGS."

    "IT''S LIKE CLASH OF CLANGS!"

    The announcer said with a wide smile as the audience screamed, shouted, roared and made all sorts of noises and sounds with their throats, drums and whatever object was with them.

    "You''re stronger than I expected for a newly promoted tier 1."

    Jian spoke with surprise in his tone and coldness in his eyes as his two swords were pressed unto Corey''s dual battle axes.

    "And you''re faster than I expected for somebody who has been in tier 1 for quite some time."

    "Did you increase only your agility just so that you can run away and escape like a coward?"

    With an indifferent tone and expression, Corey mocked Jian and Jian''s eyes became colder.

    He separated his swords from Corey''s axes, then his stance shifted and the muscles in his left hand tightened, wanting tounch a flurry of sword attacks unto Corey.

    But just as he was about to attack, he felt an extreme deadly sensation of danger and he instinctively used almost all his mana to instantly teleport away from Corey.

    But just as he appeared in a different location, he once again felt a sensation of danger and when he looked up, he saw a colorless translucent axe like shing towards him and with a panicked and shocked expression, he used thest of his mana to unleash a green sword sh.

    As soon as the green sword sh collided with the colorless translucent axe like sh, the two attacks negated each other and a heavy gust of wind was produced, causing Jian to ce his left arm in front of his eyes due to the sand which was blown into the air from the sandy ground they were on. [A/N: I forgot to previously mention that the ground where the fights happen in the Amphitheatre is sandy.]

    Whoosh

    Just as Jian covered his eyes, he heard a whooshing sound and when he looked up, he saw Coreying at him with indifference in his eyes.

    ng!

    Another resounding ng urred in the Amphitheatre as Corey''s dual battle axes collided with Jian''s swords.

    "Fuck."

    Jian cursed as he was pushed a step back from the collision and with cold and confused eyes, he looked at Corey.

    His lips opened, wanting to speak, but Corey, fully knowing what Jian was about to say did not give Jian the opportunity to speak and dashed towards Jian.

    "Motherfucker."

    Jian cursed seeing Coreying towards him and he shifted his stance.

    "Don''t think you can defeat you in a weapon to weapon battle!"

    "You don''t have as much experience as I do!"

    Jian shouted but Corey did not reply.

    As soon as Corey got close to Jian, Jian shed with his sword before Corey could attack, fully expecting his attack to cause Corey to dodge or push Corey back due to his sword having a longer reach.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    But Corey, having seen the attack before Jian even swung his sword due to his Eyes of Omniscience, blocked the attack with one of his axes, surprising Jian.

    Despite Jian been taken by surprise due to Corey''s decision, he was nheless pleased and with a small smile on his lips, his free hand moved, wanting to sh at Corey.

    But what Jian missed was the movement beneath which were Corey''s legs.

    With an indifferent expression, Corey bent slightly and swiped at Jian''s legs with his right leg and a secondter,

    "Huh."

    Jian had a confused expression as he felt himself falling backwards and just as he looked up, he saw the edge of Corey''s unmistakable ck axeing at his forehead.

    ''Oh fuck.''

    Chop!

    Bang

    The entire Amphitheatre became silent as the de of Corey''s axe was inside Jian''s skull.

    As Corey''s axe was inside Jian''s skull, Jian''s body suddenly became lean and his face became much paler, looking like it was blood deficient.

    Not only that, a white mist appeared from Jian''s corpse and it moved to the left side of Corey''s chest and was absorbed into the left side of Corey''s chest.

    Seeing the state of Jian''s corpse, Corey raised his brows as he looked at his dual battle axes.

    ''I guess this is how it grows.''

    Corey thought, then with an indifferent expression, Corey yanked his axe out of Jian''s skull.

    Two secondster,

    "DID YOU ENJOY THIS MATCH PEOPLE?!!!"

    "YAAAAAAA!!!!!!!"

    "I SAID!!!!..."

    "DID YOU BLOODY FUCKING ENJOY THIS MATCH?!!!!"

    "YAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!"

    The entire audience made a cacophony of loud sounds, shouts and roars as the announcer spoke with an extremely loud voice.

    Meanwhile Corey just had an indifferent expression despite all this happening.

    He bent and took Jian''s sword and with an indifferent expression, he started dissecting Jian for his soul stone, something which he had not done in quite a long time due to him not having the need to level up.

    A few secondster, Corey brought out the soul stone of Jian and without wasting time, he absorbed it with his left hand.

    A few secondster, the soul stone turned to dust and Corey felt stronger than before.

    Although he was tempted to check out his stats right now, he decided not to since it was not so urgent.

    Corey looked around then his eyes went to Jian''s swords and with a shrug, he kept it in his inventory, not bothering to keep it in the storage space in his eyes.

    Seeing that he had nothing left to do, Corey started walking to the gate that led to the exit of the Amphitheatre.

    But just as he was walking to the gate, the voice of the announcer reached his ears.

    "WAIT! WAIT! WAIT! HOW CAN OUR CHAMPION JUST GO LIKE THAT."

    "WHY DON''T YOU SAY A FEW THINGS, A FEW WORDS."

    "LIKE WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT THE MATCH?

    HOW DID YOU FEEL THROUGHOUT THE MATCH?

    WAS THE MATCH SIMPLE, DIFFICULT OR EXCITING?n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    ALSO, HOW WERE YOU ABLE TO GUESS THE EXACT LOCATION OF THE SWORDSMAN OF THE WIND THE LAST TIME HE INSTANTLY TELEPORTED DURING YOUR BATTLE?"

    With a microphone close to the announcer''s lips, he spoke then he brought the microphone close to Corey, gesturing for him to speak but Corey just had an indifferent expression as he stared into the announcer''s eyes.

    "I''m a man of little words. I prefer to speak through my actions rather than words. My goal is to win every battle while reaping the smiles off the faces of my enemies."

    With a calm and steady tone, Corey spoke then he looked around and continued speaking:

    "As for how I was able to ''know'' my opponent''s location after he teleported, I was just lucky. It was justdy luck smiling upon me today."

    Hearing Corey''s words, the announcer raised his brows and was about to speak once again but this time, Corey walked away without waiting for him to speak.

    The announcer''s lips twitched seeing Corey walk away and with a soft shrug, he flew back up into the air.

    "WELL THAT''S THE END OF TODAY''S MATCHES PEOPLE."

    "LUCKILY, THE LAST MATCH BETWEEN SMILE REAPER AND THE SWORDSMAN OF THE WIND WAS ENTERTAINING."

    "SEE YOU GUYS TOMORROW."

    With a slightly low bow, the announcer ended his words and Corey raised a brow hearing his words.

    ''I was thest match?''

    Corey thought then he shrugged and walked into the open gates, expecting to see the two officials of the Underworld who would eventually chain him once again.

    But to Corey''s surprise and shock, Corey did not see the two Underworld Officials.

    No.

    He saw¡­

 Chapter 145 144: Child Of Ice & Fire

    ?

    "Sup Kid."

    With a small grin on the face of a handsome young man with differently colored pupils, the handsome young man spoke as he leaned on the wall with his arms folded.

    His eyes looked at Corey from head to toe then a whistle escaped his lips.

    "You seem more like a man with this new physique of yours. I wonder what kind of ss you got for it to change your physique this much."

    The handsome young man spoke with a curious tone as he eyed Corey from head to toe once again.

    "It even made you more handsome. I''m jealous."

    The handsome young man clicked his tongue.

    Meanwhile Corey shifted his stance slightly and his left eye changed to rapidly changing numbers, letters and symbols.

    "What are you doing here Divine?"

    With slight coldness in his tone, Corey asked and a chuckle was released from Divine''s lips.

    He unfolded his arms and with a calm movement, he pushed himself off the wall he was leaning on.

    "You don''t have to be so tense kid. I''m not here to hurt you."

    Divine spoke with a calm tone and Corey raised a brow.

    "So why are you here? And in fact, how are you here? Are you meant to be allowed here?"

    Corey asked with a suspicious tone, not rxing nor changing his stance in the slightest.

    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Divine released a soft sigh while shaking his head softly.

    "Can''t you just calm down and rx a lil bit?"

    Divine asked with slight frustration in his tone and Corey''s eyes became a tad colder.

    "I''m calmer than ever."

    Corey spoke with his tone containing calmness and a little bit of coldness.

    Meanwhile a chuckle escaped Divine''s lips and a secondter, he shrugged.

    "Anyway, I''m here cause I was interested in your match and I want to invite you to my group."

    Hearing Divine''s words, a strange glint appeared in Corey''s eyes unseen by Divine.

    "Didn''t I tell you I wasn''t interested in joining your group? Also why are you so interested in me?"

    "Are you gay?"

    Corey questioned as he looked at Divine with a strange and suspicious expression, hisst question been a joke.

    But¡­

    "Yes I''m gay."

    Divine nodded with a serious expression and Corey subconsciously took a step back.

    He already had to deal with one mental gay roommate and he definitely did not want to deal with another mentally obsessed gay stranger.

    He has had enough of gays.

    ''Just how many people in the Underworld are gay?''

    Corey thought and just as he had this thought,

    "Hahahaha."

    A loudugh resounded from Divine, reverberating in the tunnel Corey and Divine was in.

    "I''m not gay man, just chill out."

    Divine said as he wiped the tears off his eyes while still chuckling softly.

    "Justin must have really scarred you."

    Divine spoke with a chuckle but Corey just looked at him with dead eyes.

    Corey was not surprised that Divine knew Justin since from the onset, he told him that his roommate was¡­ ''weird''.

    Although Corey was not surprised, he had the urge to punch Divine in the face.

    "Anyway.."

    Divine paused then with a soft exhale, he stood properly and continued speaking.

    "I didn''t say I want you to join my group this time around, I''m saying, I want to invite you to my group."

    With a light smile, Divine replied Corey''s previous words, though he avoided Corey''s question on why he was so interested in Corey.

    Corey noticed that and his brows furrowed slightly.

    "Since you''re not going to answer why you''re so interested in me. Tell me, howe you''re here and the two Underworld Officials are not here?"

    Corey asked the question he was genuinely curious about and Divine had a small smile hearing his question.

    "Value points."

    He said simply and Corey furrowed his brows.

    "Value points can be used to do a lot of things, but they''re not so easy to get."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Divine said then he turned around and started walking, causing Corey to raise his brows.

    "Where are you going?"

    Corey asked and Divine stopped then turned and looked at Corey with raised brows.

    "Of course we''re re leaving, I have to take you out of here. Or do you want to stay here?"

    With a confused tone and expression, Divine spoke. Then a secondter, he shrugged and spoke once again:

    "Though if you want to stay here, be my guest."

    After speaking, he started walking once again and Corey scratched his head before he shrugged and followed.

    As he followed, he decided to look at the basic analysis he was able to get on Divine.

    ----

    [Name: Divine

    Race: High Elemental Human Hybrid

    ss: Child Of Ice & Fire

    Talent: Unable To Determine

    Level: 379

    Tier:3]

    ----

    ''Child of ice and fire? High Elemental Human Hybrid? Unable to determine?''

    Corey stopped in his tracks seeing his strange ss, race and the status of Divine''s talent.

    Corey could somewhat ignore the strangeness of Divine''s strange ss and race since he definitely didn''t know all the sses and races that existed.

    Heck, even his ss and race could be considered strange to most.

    Although Corey could somewhat ignore Divine''s ss and race, what he could not ignore was his talent skill, Record, not being able to tell him what Divine''s talent was.

    ''This is a first.''

    Corey thought with deeply furrowed brows as he continued walking.

    He tried to think of the reasons as to why this could happen and a few came to mind.

    ''Is it cause his talent is higher leveled than mine or is it because it''s at the same level?''

    Corey thought as he stroked his chin while looking at Divine.

    ''Or is it something else? Maybe a treasure that can hide his talent?''

    Corey thought once again and a few secondster, Corey decided to stop thinking about it since there was no way he could find out the reason at the moment.

    ''Maybe when I get stronger.''

    Corey thought and as this thought went through Corey''s mind, Divine stopped in a front of a wall and ced his hand on it.

    As soon as Divine ced his hand on it, the wall parted open and the same elevator Corey was used to, appeared in front of Divine.

    "Today is meal time so we''re going to the meal room not the city of sin."

    Before Divine entered, he turned his head towards Corey slightly while speaking.

    Corey walked to his side and Divine nced at him before he looked back at the elevator.

    "You used to be short and I always had to look down whenever I look at you. Now look at you, you''re bigger and even slightly taller than me."

    "I''m proud of you."

    With a satisfied nod and tone, Divine spoke and Corey frowned heavily.

    "Since you have nothing to say, I''m going."

    Corey said, then he walked to the elevator.

    Divine coughed and walked after Corey.

    As soon as they entered, the door to the elevator closed and Divine spoke.

    "By the way, you didn''t tell me if you ept my invitation to my group?"

    Corey nced at Divine and a secondter, he replied.

    "Sure, I ept."

    Hearing Corey''s words, Divine smiled and a secondter, he spoke.

    "It''s meal time already and my group is in the meal room. So we go to the meal room."

    After Divine spoke, Corey felt the elevator shift then he felt it move downwards at an extremely fast speed.

    ----

    [A/N: CHECK OUT THE AUXILIARY CHAPTERS. IMPORTANT INFO ON BONUS CHAPTER REQUIREMENTS IS THERE.]

 Chapter 146 145: Divines Desperation

    ?

    (The Meal Room)

    After getting out of the elevator, Corey stepped into the meal room for the second time in his life and just like his first time, it was as rowdy and chaotic as his first time.

    Corey looked around and as he did, he noticed a few familiar faces like Savage, the leader of the Legion of Nightmare.

    Just like thest time, Savage was eating on a table while receiving a blowjob from beneath the table. His group members also partaking in their own various activities.

    Corey also saw Prince, the leader of the Devourers eating with a refined and ssy manner and just like before, Prince noticed his gaze and shed him a slight grin but his gaze was slightly different, unable to be perceived by Corey.

    In his eyes was a slight hint of desire and hunger.

    Corey gazed back at him for a few seconds with an indifferent expression then he moved his eyes away, not responding to the leader of the Devourers grin.

    There were obviously other familiar faces in the meal room but only Savage and Prince were the most noteworthy.

    "Hey kid, stop looking around like a country bumpkin and let''s go."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Divine''s voice reached Corey''s ears, causing him to nce at him.

    "Come on, let''s go. You''re going to miss it, it''s almost starting."

    With a soft wave of his hand, Divine gestured to Corey who was a few meters behind him.

    Corey raised his brows hearing Divine''s words and with a curious tone, Corey spoke as he walked towards Divine.

    "What is almost starting? I thought we were going to your group?"

    Without facing Corey, Divine replied as he walked at a hastened pace while shoving away anybody that was in his way.

    "Yes we''re going to my group, but something special is happening in my group today and I definitely don''t want to miss it."

    Divine spoke while kicking the ass of a man who was in his way while groaning and fucking a moaning female on the ground.

    "The Fuck!"

    The man protested then he turned around, wanting to rage, but when he saw Divine, the words which he was about to speak were swallowed into his throat and without hesitation, he went back to fucking the woman with a vigor that was way higher than before.

    Corey blinked repeatedly seeing that. He looked at the man then at Divine who was still walking forward, not caring about the man''s actions.

    "Will you stop looking and follow me. We''re almostte."

    Without looking back, Divine spoke as he continued walking and Corey nced at the man one more time before he followed Divine.

    "Why did he behave like that?"

    Corey asked, his curiosity at it''s peak when he remembered how the man behaved after seeing Divine.

    "Uh?"

    Meanwhile Divine made a confused sound hearing Corey''s question as he shoved a woman away from his front.

    "I said, why did that guy behave the way he did when he saw you? Why didn''t he get angry again?"

    "Oh."

    Hearing Corey''s words, Divine had a look of realization then he answered.

    "That''s because I''m one of the richest Underworld Residents and with lots of money,es lots of power."

    Divine exined briefly and Corey understood when he remembered that Divine was part of the top five on the Underworld Leaderboard ranking.

    Corey looked at Divine for a few seconds with a curious light in his eyes but didn''t say anything.

    He stretched his neck slightly and when he looked beyond Divine, he could see a slightlyrge crowd in the distance which caused him to raise his brows.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "What is this thing that''s happening in your group and why didn''t you tell me about it when you invited me?"

    Corey asked as he removed his eyes from the crowd and looked at Divine who was now just a few meters from the crowd which were making slightly loud noises.

    "You''re already here so there''s no point in telling you. Also, if you rejected my invitation, I wouldn''t have told you about this.

    Also, assuming you wanted to attend, you would need to pay but since I invited you, it''s free for you."

    Divine said with a slightly loud voice, and just as he finished speaking, he reached the outer part of the crowd and another round of shoving and pushing urred.

    There were various people who had the same reactions as the previous man whenever Divine pushed them away.

    Some were about to rage and even attack Divine, but when they saw him, they kept quiet and even started making a path for Divine, making it easier for Divine to get to the front.

    But as for Corey?

    He did not have it as easy as Divine.

    Although some noticed that he came with Divine, some either did not care nor did they believe that he came with Divine which caused a few annoying issues for Corey a few times until Divine had toe to Corey''s rescue with a frustrated and annoyed expression.

    "God damn it, you''re wasting my time you bastard. I''m going to miss the beginning of the show."

    Divine cursed as he repeatedly stomped on a certain man who almost got into a fight with Corey due to him following Divine''s opened path.

    As Divine stepped on the man, Corey just looked at the man with an indifferent expression.

    If Divine had not interfered, he would have killed the man, bathing the ce with blood since the man was just a weak tier 1 and was also very annoying to Corey.

    After a few seconds of stomping, Divine stomped on the man one more time then he started walking to the front with Corey by his side this time around instead of at his back, making them look like close friends.

    Just as Corey was walking, he felt somethinging close to his buttocks and without hesitation, he swatted his hand backwards and when he did, he felt himself pping a hand away and a feminine moan resounded into Corey''s ears.

    Corey''s lips twitched repeatedly and just as he was contemting whether he should look for the source of the feminine moan, Divine''s exasperated voice reached his ears.

    "Come on man. Let''s go!"

    Corey nced at Divine then he looked back at the crowd. After thinking about it, he decided to follow Divine since his curiosity in what this thing that Divine so desperately wanted to see was high.

    Corey walked up to Divine who had started walking without waiting for him.

    A few secondster, Corey and Divine both reached the front of the crowd and just as they did, Corey saw a beautifuldy standing on three tables which were stacked upon each other.

    The beautifuldy was wearing an all green dress and had a white serpent around her neck. She was also wearing ear rings, bracelets on each wrists and rings on some of her fingers.

    In her right hand was a microphone and as Corey looked at the woman, he noticed that thedy had vertical green pupils.

    Just as Corey was looking at thedy on the stage, the white serpent around her neck looked at him while flicking it''s tongue.

    "Oh thank the highest gods, we''re notte."

    Just as Corey was observing the white serpent, Divine spoke causing Corey to nce at him before he looked back at thedy in green.

    As he looked at thedy in green, he had the feeling that she was also looking at him despite her not looking in his direction.

    ''Interesting.''

    Corey thought, and just as he had this thought, thedy in green brought the mic to her lips and spoke.

    "I know that all of you have been waiting for this, so I won''t waste anymore of your time."

    With a charming smile on her slightly red lips, thedy in green spoke, then she gestured to her right.

    "So without further ado, wee¡­ TO THE SERMON OF FATTY BLACK BONEZ."

 Chapter 147 146: Breaking The Yoke Of Love (I)

    ?

    (A/N: Let me warn you guys now, some of you might not like the content of this chapter. So, uhm, I apologize in advance.)

    ----

    "Wee¡­ to the SERMON OF FATTY BLACK BONEZ!"

    Seconds after thedy in green spoke those words, Corey looked to her right and when he did, he saw a fat man walking on a set of made up stairs.

    One would think that for a man of his size, it would be difficult for him to climb the made up stairs but surprisingly, the fat man climbed the stairs with ease, surprising Corey slightly.

    Corey''s interest was slightly piqued by this tiny, unassuming and possibly unimportant scene in front of him.

    Corey looked at the fat man from head to toe, observing his appearance.

    Although the fat man was fat, he was not extremely fat like an elephant.

    Also, although he was fat, he was handsome and also emitted an aura of elegance and pride.

    He wore a blue suit with a white shirt beneath it. He also wore a silver neck chain and also had several rings on some of his fingers.

    All in all, the fat man looked like a satisfied handsome young man.

    A few seconds passed and the fat man finally reached thedy in green and with a calm and elegant movement, he bowed slightly.

    Thedy in green reciprocated then she gave the fat man the microphone.

    Once again, with a calm movement, he collected the microphone, then he spoke:

    "So what''s up my people. My name is Fatty ck Bonez, not Bones and just like some of you know, this is another episode of Sermon of Fatty ck Bonez."

    With a calm and slightly deep tone, Fatty ck Bonez spoke as he walked back and forth on the wide table he was on.

    "Today, we''re gonna speak about a new theme called, Breaking The Yoke of Love."

    Fatty ck Bonez stopped walking after he spoke and Corey had raised brows hearing Fatty ck Bonez words.

    ''Breaking the yoke of love?''

    Corey thought as he looked at Fatty ck Bonez who was looking at the crowd who had intrigued and curious expressions.

    "Y''all know that sometimes love is sweet right?"

    Fatty ck Bonez asked and a collective set of nods and yes resounded from the crowd.

    "Hmm, hmm."

    Fatty ck Bonez also nodded his head repeatedly while humming and walking in a random manner. He looked at the crowd for a few seconds then he brought the microphone to his lips and spoke:

    "Y''all also know that sometimes love is peace right?"

    Fatty ck Bonez asked once again and just like before, a collective set of nods and yes resounded from the audience.

    "Hmm, hmm, hmm."

    Just like before, Fatty ck Bonez also nodded while walking around in apletely random manner.

    Fatty ck Bonez took a few seconds longer as he hummed and nodded without saying anything.

    Just as Corey was wondering what Fatty ck Bonez was going to say, Divine''s voice reached his ears.

    "And it begins."

    Corey turned towards Divine with a confused expression on his face, but Divine didn''t even nce at him and was watching the show with rapt attention.

    A second passed and just as this second passed, Fatty ck Bonez continued speaking.

    "But did you know that these days, love is wicked?"

    With a tone slightly higher than his previous tones, Fatty ck Bonez spoke then he looked at the audience and pointed at a man who was at the front.

    "Hey you, yes you. When you were small, did you ever watch all those animated romance films? Romance cartoons?"

    Corey looked to his right where Fatty ck Bonez was gesturing at and he saw Fatty ck Bonez throwing his microphone at the person he questioned.

    Fatty ck Bonez snapped his fingers and another microphone appeared in his hand.

    "So yeah tell us, did you watch those romance cartoons when you were young?"

    "Can you remember cartoons like the one where a man turned into a ''hideous'' beast and he needed a kiss from a beautiful woman to break his ''curse''?"

    Fatty ck Bonez asked and with an emotionless expression and tone, the man replied.

    "I never watched romance cartoons or any cartoons in general."

    Corey looked at the man with slightly raised brows and he was not the only one that had his type of reaction, Fatty ck Bonez also had the same type of reaction and his next words also expressed his feelings on the words of the man beneath him.

    "What did you now watch when you were young?"

    Fatty ck Bonez asked, his curiosity showing in his tone.

    "I watched videos on the most efficient ways of killing people when I was young."

    "¡­"

    "Uhm¡­ Alright. You be you and I''ll be me. Oh no, don''t worry, keep the microphone, I don''t need it anymore. Keep it, keep it."

    Fatty ck Bonez spoke with twitching lips as he stopped the man from giving him back the microphone.

    He turned back and started walking back and forth a few times, then he released a soft sigh.

    "So like I was saying before this fine specimen of a gentleman spoke, I said two things."

    "I said that these days love is wicked and I also asked about the romance cartoons right?"

    Fatty ck Bonez asked but the response he received was a bitck luster.

    "I said, am I right people?!"

    With a loud tone, Fatty ck Bonez shouted and the response from the crowd was much better.

    "Now, why did I say all of that?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "It''s because I seriously, and I mean seriously, hate all those romance cartoons I watched that made me have a stupid view on love and romance."

    "Fuck every single one of them! Fuck what they made me believe!"

    "They made me believe life was a fairy tale but life''s no fairy tale."

    "Life ain''t like Adam and Eve."

    "There is no such thing as soul mates."

    "There is no one person that''s out there that''s for you, that''s stupid as fuck mates!"

    "In a whole of more than ten billion people, somebody told me that one is enough, that''s crazy!"

    "Everywhere that I turn, I''m looking at Baddies, I''m looking at Shawties!"

    "I mean look at Melissa, she one of them baddies, she one of them Shawties and you tell me that there''s only one person that''s out there for me?!... Hell na!"

    With a righteous and fervent expression, Fatty ck Bonez gestured towards thedy in green who was standing on a table further away from Fatty ck Bonez, causing everybody to look at her.

    Feeling everybody''s stare, Melissa smiled back at them, tucked a hair strand behind her ear, then waved back causing a few resounding gulps to ur in the crowd.

    "Now y''all have seen Melissa and some of you should also know Rosa, Pam, Fiona and so many other sexydies we have in the bloody Underworld."

    "I meane on. And you want me to only focus on one woman?"

    " You know what, in fact, let''s not go to the top, topdies. Let''s go to thedies in this ce, watching me right now."

    Walking up and down the ''stage'', Fatty ck Bonez turned his neck a little, his eyes searching for a beautifuldy and a few secondster, a glint appeared in his eyes as he located one.

    "Hey, you. The beautiful and sexydy in blue."

    Fatty ck Bonez pointed close to the middle of the crowd and where he was pointing at, twodies were standing side by side and both of them were wearing blue.

    But one of them had an average look while having an almost non-existent breast and ass.

    While the other, had a beautiful face, though not as beautiful as Melissa, and she also had a muchrger bust than thedy beside her.

    The people around them had confused expressions seeing the twodies who were wearing the same color of clothes, but did not look alike at all.

    The average lookingdy had a surprised expression on her face when she noticed that Fatty ck Bonez finger was pointing at her.

    "Are you talking about me?"

    She asked with surprise and slight hope in her tone.

    But,

    "Who is talking to you? Are you sexy? Are you beautiful?"

    "Please move away, I only talk to sexy and beautifuldies."

    With a disdainful tone and expression, Fatty ck Bonez mercilessly embarrassed the average looking girl while shooing her away like a disgusting fly.

    The crowd erupted in a wild and loudughter as soon as Fatty ck Bonez spoke and the average looking girl ran away while covering her eyes with her right arm.

    Without looking at the running and crying average looking girl, Fatty ck Bonez looked at the otherdy who was beside the average looking girl.

    "Now everybody, look at that sexy and beautifuldy over there."

    "She is just one of the many beautiful and sexydies in the entire world and a fool will nowe and tell me that I should have only one person?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "He fucking no my brothers!"

    "He fucking no."

    A

    With a shake of his head, Fatty ck Bonez walked around, then he gestured towards the sexy and beautifuldy in blue who had a smile on her face, clearly enjoying the attention.

    "Look at her. People, look at her."

    "I want girls like her."

    "I want girls like Melissa."

    "I want girls like Pam."

    "I want girls like Fiona!"

    "And just like I said before, I want her."

    With a gesture to thedy in blue, Fatty ck Bonez spoke and just as he spoke, a tone filled with slight rage and worry spoke out.

    "She''s my girlfriend man!"

    "You can''t do that to me Fatty ck Bonez. I''m one of your biggest fans!"

    With raised brows, Fatty ck Bonez looked towards the source of the voice and when he did, he saw a somewhat lean looking man with nerd like sses standing to the girl''s left.

    The lean looking man had an expression of rage and worry in his eyes, and Fatty ck Bonez had a light smirk seeing the lean man.

    "I''m going to call you my brother, since I call every guy my brother."

    "So my brother, I''m 100% sure you''re already using a used product so what''s the difference if it just gets used one more time."

    Hearing the words of Fatty ck Bonez, the rage in the eyes of the lean man with sses intensified and thedy in blue was stifling augh, but the lean man with sses was too rage filled to notice.

    Just as the lean man with sses was about to speak, Fatty ck Bonez spoke.

    But this time, his voice was a tad colder and his smile looking more like that of a predator.

    "My brother, I told you that the theme for today is, Breaking The Yoke Of Love."

    "We are breaking the yoke of love today and forever."

    ----

    [A/N: CHECK OUT THE AUXILIARY CHAPTERS. IMPORTANT INFO ON BONUS CHAPTER REQUIREMENTS IS THERE.]

 Chapter 148 147: Breaking The Yoke Of Love (II)

    ?

    "I don''t care if today''s theme is breaking the fucking yoke of love!

    I love her! And I will not allow you or anybody else to say shit about her!"

    With a tone filled with immense anger, the lean man with sses roared, causing the crowd to have various reactions.

    Some whistled in appreciation while calling the lean man a real man.

    While some mocked the man, calling him a fool.

    Meanwhile, Fatty ck Bonez who was receiving a death stare from the lean man had a small mocking smile on his lips.

    "You know, you should really just chill out man."

    With still the same mocking smile on his lips, Fatty ck Bonez spoke.

    He nced at thedy in blue who had a strange expression on her face as she looked at the lean man with sses.

    With still the same smile, Fatty ck Bonez then looked at the lean man who was about to speak, but with a calm and elegant movement, Fatty ck Bonez gestured towards the crowd and continued speaking, preventing the lean man from speaking.

    "Open your eyes my brother. I don''t know why you''re so hung up on her."

    Without looking at the lean man, Fatty ck Bonez moved his hand back and forth as he gestured towards the crowd.

    "There would always be an ass that''s fatter and there would always be a waist that''s slimmer."

    "And there''s also, always going to be a chick that''s¡­*LICK*."

    With a strange glint in his eyes, Fatty ck Bonez licked his lips towards the end of his sentence.

    Although he did notplete it, everybody knew what he meant.

    But a certain lean man, definitely did not take Fatty ck Bonez words lightly.

    "Shut the fuck up you fat fuck!"

    "Oh shit. He called him a fat fuck. He''s so done for."

    With fire spewing out of his eyes, the lean man cursed and just as he cursed, Divine mumbled with pity in his tone, causing Corey to look at him with a curious expression.

    Sensing his stare, Divine looked back at Corey and with a twitching smile, he spoke:

    "You''ll understand what I mean by what I said in the future. Just know that the guy is a goner and would most likely, sorry, most definitely lose his woman to Fatty."

    With his tone still containing pity, Divine spoke and Corey raised his brows then he looked at Fatty ck Bonez whose smile had widened by a minute amount.

    Unnoticeable to the majority, but noticeable to Corey.

    Meanwhile, the lean man with sses, not knowing what was in store for him in the future continued raging on.

    "Nobody can ever be as perfect as my Sonya!"

    "No girl, no bitch can have an ass as perfect as Sonya''s."

    "And no stupid ass bitch can have a slimmer and sexier waist than Sonya."

    "No chick can match up to Sonya so get your bloody, fucking, fat eyes away from my Sonya!!"

    "EEEEIIII!!!!"

    "THAT''S A MAN! A REAL ONE RIGHT THERE!"

    "SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU PUSSY!"

    "SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU COCK MUNCHER!!"

    "WOMEN ARE EVIL, THEY''LL DESTROY YOU!"

    "YOU''RE JUST A PATHETIC BASTARD!"

    "LEAVE MY GUY ALONE, LET HIM COOK. LET HIM COOK!"

    The crowd cheered and made various sorts of noises andments but the lean man was just looking at Fatty ck Bonez with a stare filled with rage and hatred.

    Fatty ck Bonez chuckled then he walked up and down the ''stage'' with a small smile on his lips for a few seconds then he spoke:

    "Alright people, calm down, calm down."

    Taking some seconds, the noise emitted by the crowd died down and with still the same smile he has had on his lips for quite some time, Fatty ck Bonez continued speaking:

    "Let the man say what he wants people. Let him express his heartfelt stupid, sorry, heartfelt feelings people. Let him."

    With his hands ced on his chest, Fatty ck Bonez spoke with a soft tone and some from the crowd chuckled.

    He looked at the lean man who was still looking at him with an expression filled with anger and a soft chuckle escaped the lips of Fatty ck Bonez.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    He tried to stop his chuckle but it proved harder than he expected and for a few seconds, Fatty ck Bonez just kept on chuckling.

    Around ten secondster, Fatty ck Bonez exhaled and inhaled heavily as he forcibly stopped himself from chuckling.

    "Sorry about that."

    Fatty ck Bonez apologized but anybody could see he didn''t really mean that.

    "Now where were we."

    He muttered and a secondter, he snapped his fingers.

    "Ah yes, we were talking about your ''love''."

    With his right hand gesturing towards the lean man, Fatty ck Bonez spoke and without waiting for the lean man''s response, he continued speaking:

    "Okay so you love her, that''s cool."

    "But you know that she still talks to her ex or let me say exes right?"

    With a mocking smile filed with disdain and pleasure, Fatty ck Bonez questioned and the eyes of thedy in blue flickered as soon as he finished speaking.

    Meanwhile, the lean man still blinded by love rebuked and defended the love of his life strongly.

    "Sonya will never talk to her exes! Never!"

    "Why will she talk to those bastards who cheated on her in the past?!"

    "Sonya has let go of the past and is focusing on the future, and I''m her future."

    With a tone filled with immense confidence and pride, the lean man spoke and a chuckle escaped the lips of Fatty ck Bonez.

    "Oh God. This fool."

    Fatty ck Bonez muttered, not caring that his words could be heard by the crowd due to the microphone.

    "You fool. If a girl dates a guy or allow a guy to get in between her legs, the guy can definitely get in between her legs in the future again."

    With a wide smile filled with immense disdain, Fatty ck Bonez spoke mercilessly.

    The lean man tried to speak, but Fatty ck Bonez already having enough of the fool, continued speaking:

    "You don''t know that when she walks in that sort of dress, there''s a guy out there that''s spending more on her than you."

    "You think you''re the only one she''s opening her legs for?"

    "You fool, all these women be deceiving you!"

    "If they tell you the truth, you''d be shocked by how weak you''d be!"

    "All my life I''ve seen so much evil!"

    "So my brothers, today and forever, WE BREAK THE YOKE OF LOVE!"

    "YAHHHHH!!!!"

    The crowd erupted into extremely loud cheers and Fatty ck Bonez, already engrossed into what he was doing, walked up and down, and spoke once again:

    "I said, Today and forever, we do WHAT?"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Fatty ck Bonez asked then he faced the microphone towards the crowd and the crowd responded with deafening cheers.

    "WE BREAK THE YOKE OF LOVE!!!"

    "I said we do WHAT?!"

    "WE BREAK THE YOKE OF LOVE!!!!"

    "What do we do to the yoke of love?!"

    "WE BREAK IT!!!"

    "We do WHAT?!"

    "WE BREAK IT!!!!"

    "Good. Now I hope all of you have terrible days in these fucked up Underworld we are in cause I can''t be the only one that suffers."

    "Amen."

    ----

    [A/N: CHECK OUT THE AUXILIARY CHAPTERS. IMPORTANT INFO ON BONUS CHAPTER REQUIREMENTS IS THERE.]

 Chapter 149 148: Divines Teammates

    ?

    "How did you feel about the sermon kid?"

    Sitting round a table were two men. Both were handsome, with one having light skin and the other having caramel skin.

    In front of the two men were steaming tes of steak with a side of vegetables and white napkins by the sides of the tes.

    The man with the light skin who spoke, had differently colored pupils. He had a small smile on his face as he cut a part of the steak with a knife and fork.

    Meanwhile the other ''man'' with caramel skin nced at the man with light skin for a second then he faced his te of steak.

    He picked up the fork and knife ced on either sides of the te, then he spoke:

    "The sermon was¡­ intriguing."

    With a calm tone and expression, the caramel colored skin ''man'' which was Corey, replied, then he cut a part of the steak and ced it in his mouth.

    Meanwhile the light skinned man which was Divine, had a small smile on his face hearing Corey''s reply.

    He cut another part of the steak and ced it in his mouth, chewed on it, swallowed it, then he spoke once again:

    "What did you think about Fatty during the sermon? How did you perceive him?"

    Divine asked and Corey''s brows furrowed slightly as he pondered on the question while cing another piece of steak in his mouth.

    It took him a few seconds to ponder on the right words to answer that question and with a soft gulp, he swallowed the piece of meat and replied:

    "I feel like he has a lot of experience with women¡­ mainly bad experiences with women. He has most likely suffered from women in the past."

    Corey replied as he looked at Divine who was cing a piece of steak in his mouth.

    A few secondster, Divine swallowed the piece of meat and with a small chuckle, he spoke:

    "Funny enough, he has not suffered from women at all."

    With a small smile on his lips, Divine replied and Corey''s brows were raised in surprise.

    "That damn fatty only learnt from unfortunate men who have suffered from women. The fucker never suffered from women and well, he doesn''t n on suffering at all due to women."

    Hearing Divine''s words, Corey had a surprised expression on his face and his lips parted open, wanting to speak.

    But just as he was about to speak, a familiar voice reached Corey''s ears, causing Corey to turn towards the source.

    "Although I''ve never suffered from women, I love all women Captain. I would love it if you don''t paint me as a viin of all women. Thank you."

    Wearing the same clothes he wore on stage, Fatty ck Bonez walked with a calm gaze and steps towards the table where Corey and Divine were sitting at.

    Around Fatty ck Bonez were four ''strange'' people, though one was familiar to Corey.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    The five people, including Fatty ck Bonez walked towards Corey and Divine and a few secondster, they all sat on the benches round the table.

    "You say you love all women and you''re not the viin of women, but what about thedy you embarrassed during your sermon?"

    Divine asked with twitching lips as he looked at Fatty ck Bonez who was sitting on the right hand side of the table.

    "Well¡­ She was at the wrong ce at the wrong time and she also spoke at wrong time."

    With an expression that showed no regrets, Fatty ck Bonez shrugged then he looked around.

    "Hey Cap, where''s our food? Why did you only buy for him?"

    Pointing at Corey, Fatty ck Bonez questioned causing Corey to nce at him.

    "Did you not just make some money, buy your own food fool."

    Divine spoke as he cut another piece of his steak.

    "Free food is the sweetest."

    Fatty ck Bonez mumbled then he looked at Corey who was eating his steak and vegetables with a calm and indifferent expression.

    "Wouldn''t you introduce the new guy to us Cap?"

    Corey once again nced at Fatty ck Bonez and Divine looked at everybody, then he cleared his throat.

    "Hmm, hmm."

    "So guys, this is Smile Reaper, a newbie."

    Gesturing towards Corey, Divine spoke, causing everybody to look at Corey who maintained a calm expression.

    "And kid, these are the members of my group."

    Corey stopped eating and looked at Divine while cleaning his mouth with the handkerchief that was ced beside his te of food.

    "You already know Fatty, otherwise known as Fatty ck Bonez."

    Gesturing towards Fatty ck Bonez who was sitting by the right side of the table, Divine spoke and Corey nced at him and nodded slightly in greeting.

    "Woah, he greets?"

    Fatty ck Bonez spoke with a surprised expression and tone seeing Corey greet him with a nod, causing Corey''s lips to twitch.

    "Anyway, that guy beside Fatty is called Dave. He''s blind and an alcoholic."

    Divine gestured towards the man who was sitting beside Fatty ck Bonez and Corey looked at the man.

    The man was fairly handsome and from his eyes, Corey could see that the man was blind.

    But,<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    From what Corey could see, the man was an alcoholic like Divine said.

    The man would asionally drink from a ss bottle and with release a sigh of satisfaction, and although the man was blind, he looked perfectly in Corey''s direction.

    "Hey man."

    He greeted with slightly slurred speech and Corey nodded back at him.

    "Ehm. So who should I introduce next?"

    Divine muttered, then he looked to his left where two people were sitting side by side.

    A male and a female.

    "That is Triple X or XXX, he was born in the Underworld."

    Divine gestured towards the man and Corey looked at the man.

    The man could also be considered to be handsome, but he had lots of tattoos on his face.

    Not only that, he had an expression of boredom and even¡­ negativity.

    Corey didn''t know how to exin it, but that was the closest word he could use to exin what he felt from Triple X which could in a way exin why Triple X did not even bother greeting Corey.

    "You''ve already seen her and you''ve already heard her name from Fatty''s fat lips."

    "That''s Melissa."

    Divine gestured towards the second familiar figure he recognized from Divine''s group.

    She was the woman with the intriguing white snake around her neck.

    Corey looked at her and he saw the snake looking at him with rapt attention. Not only was the snake looking at Corey with rapt attention, Melissa also had a strange light in her eyes as she looked at Corey.

    A few secondster, she waved at Corey with a smile.

    "Hi."

    She greeted and Corey nodded at her, though he felt like she was wary of him.

    "Thest person is Rosa, the¡­ craziest in our group."

    Just as Corey was observing both Melissa and her snake, Divine''s voice reached his ears.

    Corey turned towards him and he saw gesturing towards thest person who was sitting beside him.

    Corey looked at the person, which was a girl with blood red hair and eyes with her hands ced below the table.

    The girl had a ''docile'' expression on her face as she nodded towards Corey who nodded back towards her.

    Corey did not know why, but he felt like he had encountered the girl before.

    Not only that, Corey felt like the girl had a strange hidden desire towards him.

    "Anyway, Corey. I know you already declined my invitation to join my group, but I''d like to ask again."

    "Would you like to join my group?"

    Corey looked at Divine who spoke and a confused and curious expression appeared on his face.

    He was extremely, extremely curious why Divine wanted him in his group so badly and although he could ask.

    He knew that Divine would most likely not tell him the truth or the full truth.

    Corey leaned on the backrest of the bench he was sitting on and had a pondering expression on his face for a few seconds.

    He looked at Divine, trying to get something, anything, from his facial expression, but all Corey could see was a calm expression with a glint of hope in his eyes.

    "I can join your group, but it would be under one condition."

    With a calm and indifferent tone and expression, Corey spoke.

    Divine had raised brows hearing Corey''s words.

    He looked at Corey, wanting to guess just what Corey''s condition could be.

    ''Does he want to be the leader?''

    It would not be strange to Divine if Corey said he wanted to be the leader of the group since he had encountered people like that.

    People he would invite to the group and tell him that they wanted to be the leader or co-leader if he wanted them to join.

    ''I hope he''s not like those fools.''

    Divine thought as he looked at Corey.

    "What is the condition?"

    Divine asked and Corey leaned forward slightly and said words that never in his life, did he expect Corey to say.

    "We''ll start selling drugs."

    ----

    [A/N: CHECK OUT THE AUXILIARY CHAPTERS. IMPORTANT INFO ON BONUS CHAPTER REQUIREMENTS IS THERE.]

 Chapter 151 150: Scream

    ?

    ''What a¡­ weird set of sses.''

    This was Corey''s thought when he heard the sses of Divine and his group members.

    Although he already knew Divine''s ss due to Record and he also nned on checking the sses of his group members, the sses of his¡­ new group members were¡­ weird?

    "Your sses are¡­ surprising. Especially yours Divine, can you tell me what it does?"

    Corey decided to try and get information from Divine, himself about his ss since his ss was the most intriguing to him.

    But when he finished speaking, Divine did not answer Corey''s question, but instead, he waggled his finger while clicking his tongue.

    "No, no, no kid. You can''t be calling me Divine anymore, it''s Captain Divine or Captain now. Come on call me Captain Divine or Captain."

    With a small grin on his face, he spoke and Corey''s lips twitched as the urge to punch Divine''s face arose in Corey''s heart.

    ''Calm down Corey, calm down. You''ll definitely be stronger than him and you can punch him as many times as you want.''

    Corey repeatedly thought as he inhaled and exhaled softly.

    A few secondster, he looked at Divine who still had the same grin on his face as he looked at Corey.

    His expression showing that he was waiting for Corey to speak the words but Corey did not want to say those words, he just did not want to give Divine the satisfaction of him calling Divine, Captain Divine.

    "If you don''t call me that. There''d be no money from me to start your drug empire."

    Seeing that Corey was notplying to his request, Divine decided to ckmail Corey causing Corey''s lips to twitch once again.

    ''I''m definitely punching him.''

    Corey thought then he released a soft sigh, and with a minutely twisted expression, Corey spoke.

    "Captain Divine, I said that your ss is very interesting. If possible, can you exin to me what it does?"

    "Pfft."

    As soon as Corey finished speaking, a stiffled huckle was released from both Divine and Fatty ck Bonez before it erupted into a full blownugh from both of them.

    Very soon theugh became infectious and every other person in the group apart from Triple X started chuckling.

    "I only said you should call me Captain Divine or Captain, I didn''t say you should be respectful to me kid."

    With a soft wipe of his eyes, Divine spoke as Corey just looked back at him with indifferent eyes.

    "Awwn, the indifferent kid is back."

    Divine chuckled softly seeing Corey''s expression and Corey''s chest rose and fell at a slightly faster rate than normal.

    ''Calm, calm, calm.''

    Corey thought as he removed the urge to punch Divine''s face.

    Just as Corey was doing this, Divine cleared his throat then he leaned unto the backrest of the bench and with a small smile, he spoke:

    "Anyway, you were asking about my ss."

    Divine said and Corey nodded.

    "My ss basically gives me a very high talent in Fire and Ice elements. I have¡­ almost the highest level of talent in fire and ice."

    As Divine spoke, a strange glint shed in his eyes as he said thest sentence but it was not noticed by either Corey or any other person in the group, except the white snake around Melissa''s neck which nced at Divine for a second before it closes it''s eyes again.

    "It also gives me other abilities but I''ll definitely not say them since that wouldn''t be a smart move on my part."

    Divine still had the same smile as he finished speaking while looking at Corey.

    "Will you tell us what your ss is now?"

    Divine asked and Corey furrowed his brows slightly.

    Normally, he would never want to tell people his ss unless it was for a reason he deemed important or he was in an unavoidable situation.

    He did not have to tell Divine and his group members his ss, but the problem was that if he did not, it could cause dissatisfaction among the group.

    Although they might openly show it, Corey was sure they would be dissatisfied and their trust in him would be low at the start.

    Another reason he didn''t really want to tell Divine''s, sorry, his group members what his ss was, is because Corey had a feeling that the ss was most likely not normal and if any knowledgeable person knew about his ss, it might cause unnecessary attention which might lead to dangerous and annoying situations.

    ''Maybe I can lie about my ss?''

    Corey had this thought and just as he had this thought, Divine spoke, and his words were¡­ coincidentally, a big counter to his most recent thought.

    "By the way, if you want to lie, I''d advise you not to because we''ll be offended if you do. Also, Dave can know if you lie. He has a skill to know when people lie."

    Corey looked at Dave who was drinking from his bottle without a care in the world.

    He looked at Dave for a few seconds then he released a sigh and spoke:<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "My ss is Poison Warlock."

    Corey said and Divine had raised brows.

    "You deal with poisons?"

    Divine asked and Corey nodded.

    A shine appeared in Divine''s eyes and a wide smile appeared on his face.

    "If your ss deals with poison, I can tell you somebody that can help you with poison, he can teach you things about poison."

    Divine said and Corey looked at Divine suspiciously seeing his wide smile.

    "What''s the catch? What are you nning from this?"

    Corey asked and Divine released a soft cough.

    "Don''t worry kid, it''s not going to affect you."

    Divine tried to reassure Corey but Corey did not believe him.

    "I''ve been trying to recruit that old man but no matter what I say or do, he won''t join the group, he says he likes been alone."

    Divine said then with a shine in his eyes, he leaned forward slightly and continued speaking:

    "If you can be that old man''s student then you can try to recruit him in the future, using the rtionship between the two of you."

    Divine said and Corey had raised brows as he looked at Divine who had a visible shine in his eyes.

    "Hey, Smile Reaper, don''t bother with the captain. We don''t know why, but whenever he fails to recruit somebody that he wants, he doesn''t give up and would keep on trying."

    Corey looked at Fatty ck Bonez who spoke, then he looked at Divine who had calmed down with a slightly embarrassed expression.

    "Anyway, the man I''m telling you is called Old Man Poison. I''ll send you his location to your Underground Watchter so that you can meet him. He''s the best person in terms of poison in the Underworld."

    Divine said as he regained his calm and Corey nodded softly.

    "Thanks for this. I really appreciate it."

    Corey thanked Divine because if he had a master in the way of poison, then Corey would be able to progress faster in the path of poison and would be able to focus on learning other things like magic and mana on his own.

    "Don''t worry about it, we''re teammates now."

    Divine said with a soft wave of his hand then there was a few seconds of silence, until Divine spoke once again.

    "When do you n on starting the drug empire? And how much will you need?"

    He asked and Corey pondered for a few seconds before he spoke.

    "I don''t know how long I''ll need. I need information on the current groups that are selling and making drugs, how they make their drugs, their connections, how they sell their drugs and so on."

    "I''m a newbie and I''ve only been here for some days so I don''t know much."

    Corey replied and Divine stroked his chin repeatedly for a few seconds.

    "I can give you the information you need, it''ll be better and more detailed than whatever information you can get on your own."

    "As for the drugs, I don''t know how you n on making them, but you can ask Old man poison for help¡­ he might help you."

    "When you''re ready and you need money or help, call me or any other person from the group through the Watch of the Underworld. We''ll give you our contacts."

    Divine said and just as Corey was about to reply, something unexpected happened.

    A loud scream filled with extreme shock resounded throughout the entire meal room.

    "LISSSAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!"N?v(el)B\\jnn

    -----

    [A/N: CHECK OUT THE AUXILIARY CHAPTERS. IMPORTANT INFO ON BONUS CHAPTER REQUIREMENTS IS THERE.

    Also, I have a few things to say before I forget to mention them.

    Only one chapter would be released everyday and a chapter will have at least 1,500 words due to Win-Win Mission.

    I have exams from tomorrow till June 16, so the update time would be irregr and would also only be 1 chapter per day and some chapters might not be proof read by me, just like this one and the previous chapter.

    Also, just because the MC is selling drugs does not mean any of you should copy his behavior. In fact, don''t copy his behavior or anything he does at all.

    This is fiction, so please none of you should do drugs just cause of this. Thank you.

    Have a great day/night.]

 Chapter 152 151: Suicide

    ?

    Corey, Divine and the remaining members of the group all had somewhat the same reactions when the extremely loud scream filled with shock and pain resounded throughout the meal room.

    They all looked at each other with confused expressions for a few seconds, all having the same thought on whether they should check out the source of the scream.

    But a few secondster, their curiosity overtook them and without saying anything, they all stood and walked towards the source.

    Not only were Corey and his new group members walking towards the source of the scream, most of the people in the meal room, were also walking towards the source of the scream.

    Some secondster, Corey got close to the source and when he did, he saw a crowd in front of him, with all of them having their heads raised.

    Corey raised his brows seeing that and with a confused expression, he looked up and when he did, his pupils constricted.

    "Well I''ll be damned, that''s crazy."

    A whistle escaped Divine''s lips as he spoke with his head raised up.

    Up in the air, around 10 feet (3 meters) above the ground, was a hanged body or to be more precise, corpse.

    With it''s neck dangling to the side, the corpse swayed slightly as the only thing that kept it from falling was the tightened rope around the neck of the corpse.

    The rope was connected to a¡­ foreign stand which was behind the corpse.

    Foreign in the sense that, normally, there were no stands where the current stand was located.

    Beneath that stand were stacked wooden boxes which was most likely used to allow the body to reach the neck which caused it''s death.

    "Where did she even get that stand?"

    Fatty ck Bonez asked with a calm expression on his face, not bothered by the suicidal death before him.

    "It''s not just stand¡­ It''s a suicide machine."

    Divine said and everybody in the group apart from Corey and Triple X turned who had furrowed brows and a nonchnt expression respectively, turned towards Divine.

    Seeing and noticing most of his group members and even some outsiders with confused and curious expressions, Divine decided to exin.

    "That stand is not just a stand, it''s a suicide machine. It has a remote control which can allow the person to lengthen and shorten the rope. The remote control for this machine is most likely on the floor."

    Everybody had slightly surprised expressions hearing Divine''s words and a few secondster, Fatty ck Bonez asked a question that was on the mind of some.

    "How did she even get the suicide machine?"

    Everybody nced at Fatty ck Bonez then Divine, awaiting his answer.

    "How else?... Value points."

    Divine gave his answer, satisfying the curiosity of some but a few others were not satisfied and just as a few were about to speak, asking more questions, Divine spoke once again.

    "There''s also a shop that sells suicide machines. They''re called The Suicide Committers Shop."

    Divine said and a few had intrigued, confused and surprised expressions.

    Meanwhile Corey, who had deeply furrowed brows as he looked at the state of the corpse above.

    ''I know her.''

    Corey had this thought as he looked at the corpse¡­ which was that of a female.

    Corey''s head tilted to the left slightly as he observed the female corpse which was wearing extremely revealing clothes, exposing some ces which were not meant to be exposed.

    Not only that, the clothes exposed some scars and marks on the body of the female corpse, signifying that the state of the female¡­ when alive¡­ was not even in a good condition.

    Once again, not only did the scars and marks, reveal that the state of the female was not good. The extremely lean body of the female¡­ almost bony in fact, also showed that the state of the female when alive, was definitely not healthy.

    A pondering light appeared in Corey''s eyes for some seconds then a spark of realization hit Corey, when he remembered who¡­ the female was.

    ''Isn''t that the girl that was brutally raped by Savage?''

    With his brows raised, Corey thought as he intensely observed the fatless face of the female corpse and the more he looked at the female corpse, Corey noticed the simrities between the raped girl and the present corpse.

    ''Yeah that''s her alright.''

    A surprised expression appeared on Corey''s face as he noticed the vast difference between the appearance of the raped girl in his memories and the current corpse.

    Before the girl was raped by Savage, the girl looked normal and did not look like a girl with no flesh and all bones.

    But now, the state of the girl or¡­ corpse, was extremely poor, denoting a life of suffering before her death.

    ''Looks like she was also taking lots of drugs.''

    Corey ce his hand on his chin with a pondering expression on his face.

    Just as a few thoughts were going through Corey''s mind, Corey heard amotion to his right and with slightly raised brows, he looked to his right, observing themotion.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "Move."

    A slightly tall man, with so many tattoos, ear rings, nose rings, eye piercings and an extremely skinny body, spoke to a much bigger man in front of him. His eyes, held coldness and anger in them.

    Beside the man with so much¡­ ''additions''¡­ to his body, was a man who Corey knew.

    The man was wearing sses and a long ck robe with a staff in his right hand.

    He was of average appearance and was also slightly tall. His facial expression was that of pure and utter indifference.

    This man was the man who asked Savage, if he and the other members of The Legion of Nightmare could take turns with the two girls.

    Meanwhile, the man who was spoken to, by the man with so many ''additions'' to his body, turned back, and looked at the lean man with so many ''additions''.

    His eyes moved up and down, observing the lean man for a few seconds, then a light of disdain appeared in his eyes.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Who the fu-"

    Just as he was about toplete his sentence, his eyes¡­ caught sight of the man in robes beside the man with so many ''additions'' and his pupils constricted way past the limits.

    Although, his eyes was on the man in robes.

    What his eyes were truly on, was the ck tattoo of a goat-like demon''s skull on the left side of the man in robe''s neck.

    The slightly huge man turned towards the man with ''additions'' and he looked at the left side of the man''s neck, where the same type of ck tattoo of goat-like demon''s skull was present¡­ among the many tattoos.

    Seeing that, and without saying anything, the man quickly made way for the two men, his back drenched with so much sweat as he thanked every god he knew that existed.

    But¡­ the ''gods'' definitely did not hear his words of thanks.

    Puchi

    "Huh."

    The man looked down as he felt the left side of his chest¡­ being empty.

    Just as he looked at the left side of his chest, a confused expression appeared on his face when he saw a fist sized hole in the left side of his chest and in the next, few, seconds¡­

    Thud

    A slightly loud thud resounded as the man fell¡­ with a confused expression frozen all over his face.

    "When I say move, you move immediately."

    With a cold expression and a cold tone filled with anger, the man with so many ''additions'' spoke, as he held¡­ the heart of the fallen man.

    With a wave of his hand, the man threw away the heart like garbage and walked past the fallen man with the man in robes walking beside him with an indifferent expression.

    This time around, nobody dared to obstruct the duos path.

    Thud

    Thud

    Coincidentally, the heart of the fallen man bounced twice andnded in front of Corey, staining the lower part of his clothes with a little bit of blood.

    Corey nced at the heart, then he looked at the walking duo with deeply furrowed brows.

    ''I couldn''t see the guy''s movement.''

    Corey''s frown deepened as he remembered how he could not see how the man with so many ''additions'' killed the slightly huge man.

    ''His movement was extremely fast, so fast to the point that I could not see it.''

    Corey thought as he saw the path which was open to the duo close up.

    ''Or maybe it''s a skill?''

    Corey thought once again and just as he had this thought, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

    He looked back and he saw Divine, who seeing him, spoke.

    "You guys wanna check out what''s happening at the front?"

    Divine asked and Melissa frowned slightly.

    "It''s the Legion of Nightmare captain. Shouldn''t we try to avoid them as much as possible?"

    She asked and Divine shrugged.

    "We''ll just not get too close to them. I''m curious about what is going to happen at the front."

    Divine said, then he looked at the remaining group members.

    "I don''t care." Triple X said with a nonchnt expression.

    "Sure, why not." Dave said while drinking from his bottle.

    "Anything that has excitement, arguments and chaos, I''m always down for it." Fatty ck Bonez said while rubbing his hands excitedly.

    Rosa who had her hands behind her back, subtly nced at Corey and nodded.

    Divine blinked repeatedly seeing that but a secondter, he shrugged and looked at Corey.

    "What about you?"

    He asked and Corey shrugged softly.

    "Sure, why not."

    Corey said, since he was also curious about what was going to happen at the front.

    "Well, majority wins Melissa, so we go."

    With a slight grin on his face, Divine said and Melissa released a soft sigh.

    "Whatever."

    She said and with a smile, Divine walked forward and tapped the nearest person, signaling for the person to make way for him and just like previous times, the person recognized Divine and made way for him.

    ----

    [A/N: CHECK OUT THE AUXILIARY CHAPTERS. IMPORTANT INFO ON BONUS CHAPTER REQUIREMENTS IS THERE.]

 Chapter 153 152: Did You See Anything?

    ?

    As the group of seven passed through the crowd, a few things urred.

    For example, there were instances where some people among the crowd did not recognize Divine which resulted in few conflicts between Divine and the people or sometimes group.

    When Corey realized that they were taking longer than he desired to reach the front, he decided to activate Eyes of Omniscience for a few seconds, so as to see what was going on at the front.

    And when he did, his vision changed, and he was able to see through everybody in his line of sight.

    It was disorienting at first cause he was literally seeing the internal structure of so many people at the same time for the first time.

    Not only that, as the internal structure of so many people appeared in Corey''s mind, Corey could see something which he had seen in the body of Jian, the swordsman of the wind, but was ignored by him due to him needing to concentrate throughout the battle.

    Corey could see a ''bright'' light in the bodies of everybody in front of him.

    Not only that, some had more than one ''bright'' light, while some had just one.

    Also, the intensity of the brightness of the lights varied from individual to individual and the color of the lights also varied.

    ''What''s that?''

    Corey frowned slightly as he had such a thought.

    Although his curiosity in what the bright lights were was high, Corey didn''t want to keep his Eyes of Omniscience activated for too long for quite a few reasons.

    So due to this reason, Corey decided to focus at the spot beneath the suicide machine, and when he did, three people caught his attention.

    In his vision, he could see a figure, who he guessed from the curves of the figure, was a woman.

    The woman was kneeling with her head raised towards the female corpse up in the air.

    Behind the woman, were two people, who from their figures, Corey knew, that they were men, and these men were most likely the man with so many tattoos and piercings, and the man who was in the legion of nightmare.

    Corey could see the man with so many ''additions'' gesturing with his hands in a rageful manner while the man from the legion of nightmare was just standing there calmly.

    Corey deactivated his Eyes of Omniscience and approximately ten secondster after he deactivated it, Corey and his teammates got close enough to see what was happening around the suicide machine.

    And just as they got close enough, they all heard a voice filled with anger.

    "Fucking bitch. This fucking bitch."

    "How dare she kill herself?!"

    The group of seven had intrigued expressions hearing the familiar voice and with intrigued expressions, they looked at the source which was the man with so many tattoos and piercings.

    He walked to and fro with his face expressing the rage he felt, and his eyes showing the madness that was brewing in them.

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Hey you, the friend of the bitch¡­"

    He walked towards the kneeling, frozen and familiar girl with his eyes revealing a glint of malice.

    Without caring about the condition of the girl, he grabbed her by the neck and pulled her up with extreme ease.

    "Why didn''t you stop your bitch ass friend from killing herself?!"

    The tone and expression of the man with tattoos and piercings expressed how much anger he had in him¡­ But...

    The girl did not react to the man''s rageful shout, her eyes and face were still frozen in shock and hidden deep within them was¡­ despair.

    "Answer me you bitch!"

    The man shook the girl violently, his action threatening to snap the girl''s neck or at least¡­ cause massive damage to her neck.

    Just when everybody that was watching thought that it was just a matter of time before the girl''s neck snapped, an extremely calm voice filled with pride and authority could be heard.

    "Enough¡­ You''re overreacting."

    Everybody turned towards the source and when Corey did, a surprised expression appeared on his face.

    With his right hand ced on top of the staff which had a crystal orb on top of it, the man who was a member of the Underworld, spoke with an indifferent expression on his face.

    ''That''s strange, he was not like this thest time I saw him."

    Corey had this thought as hepared the way the man behaved on Corey''s first day in the meal room to his current behavior.

    "What do you mean by I''m overreacting?"

    The man with lots of tattoos and piercings spoke with a cold tone as he looked at the man in ck robes with cold eyes. His hands subconsciously tightening the grip on the neck of the still unreactive woman.

    The man in ck robes had an indifferent expression as he looked back at the cold eyes of the man before him. He gestured towards the corpse above him and with an indifferent expression, he spoke:<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "She''s a nobody, a worthless nobody, so why are you so angry about her death?"

    "Because she was with my child god damn it!... And I didn''t have the chance of selling the child or it''s body parts for money!"

    With his tone bing so loud that approximately half of the immense crowd surrounding the suicide machine hearing his voice, the man with so many tattoos and piercings spoke, stunning and baffling Corey and quite a number to their core.

    "Does it matter, you can have many other children in the future. Just fuck one of your many women¡­ Or you can just fuck all of them instead."

    The man in robes spoke with a nonchnt tone, his expression and tone showing he didn''t care about the darkness and absurdity of the words of the man with tattoos and piercings.

    The grip around the neck of the unreactive woman increased once again, causing her expression to change, due to theck of air moving into her body.

    "You better don''t mistakenly kill this one. She might be carrying your elder brother''s child."

    The man in robes warned and the man with so many ''additions'' looked at the girl with an expression of disdain.

    "It''s not like Savage cares about her."

    The man with ''additions'' spoke, his tone containing pure disdain for the woman.

    "Yeah your elder brother might not care, but he would certainly be displeased if a female carrying his child dies before the child is born¡­ And you know how scary he is when he''s displeased."

    The man in robes said and the man with ''additions'' clicked his tongue and threw away the girl like a garbage to be disposed of.

    He looked around and when he saw so many people watching him like he was an animal in a zoo, his eyes became extremely cold.

    "What are you looking at fools?"

    He took a step forward as he spoke with a cold tone and threatening expression. His eyes moving from one individual to another, causing some to take a few steps back while some had brave expressions but cautious postures.

    "Calm down. None of them would dare to do anything to us."

    The man in robes spoke with a calm and indifferent tone, but just as he spoke, his eyes caught sight of Divine in the crowd and his brows furrowed slightly.

    His eyes then moved from Divine to the other members of the group and just as he was about to look away from the group, his eyes noticed Corey who was standing close to the group and confusion appeared on his face.

    ''A new member?''

    He thought as his brows furrowed slightly and a few secondster, he looked at the man with so many ''additions'' on his body who was looking menacingly at the remaining people in the crowd.

    "If you''re done, let''s go."

    The man in robes said and the man with ''additions'' looked at him and without saying anything, he walked towards the crowd and the crowd opened up a path for him.

    The man nced at the girl who wasying on the floor while looking at the hanging corpse above with a nk expression and without saying a word, he turned and followed the brother of Savage.

    "See, he saw us."

    As everybody in the group of seven watched the two men from the legion of nightmare walk away, Melissa turned towards Divine and with her arms crossed, she spoke.

    "It''s no biggie, nothing will happen."

    With a nonchnt wave of his hand, Divine said then he looked at Corey who was looking at the unresponsive girl on the floor.

    "You should go and see old man poison. I''ll send you the location."

    Divine said and Corey looked away from the girl and looked at Divine.

    "Sure¡­ I''ll see youter."

    Corey nodded as he spoke and Divine patted his back while nodding his head repeatedly.

    "Good, good. Make sure you don''t forget to make old man poison like you so that he can join us in the future."

    With a small smile on his lips, Divine spoke and Corey looked at him without an ounce of expression on his face and without saying anything, he walked away.

    "At least say goodbye once again before you leave."

    Divine mumbled as his lips twitched seeing Corey walk away without saying anything.

    Releasing a soft sigh, Divine then turned towards Dave and with a change in his expression, he spoke:

    "Did you see anything?"

    ----

    [A/N: CHECK OUT THE AUXILIARY CHAPTERS. IMPORTANT INFO ON BONUS CHAPTER REQUIREMENTS IS THERE.]

 Chapter 154 153: His Fate

    ?

    "Did you see anything?"

    With an expression that no longer contained any sign of yfulness, Divine spoke as he looked at Dave who just finished drinking from his bottle.

    Melissa, Fatty ck Bonez and Rosa, all looked at Dave with curious expressions, clearly wanting to know Dave''s reply.

    Meanwhile Triple X had a disinterested and bored expression, but then he frowned slightly and his eyes moved upwards, the image of the hanging corpse, up in the air reflected in his extremely, extremely ck pupils which flickered with confusion for a moment but then he shrugged imperceptibly and looked away from the corpse, his eyes regaining their usual nonchnce, boredom and other negative feelings.

    Dave released a soft sigh while wiping his lips, then his eyes became sober, extreme rity appearing in them.

    He looked in the direction Corey took as he left with a deep furrow of his brows for a few seconds, then without looking at Divine.

    "We should leave this ce, it''s too out in the open."

    Divine and the remaining members of the group apart from Triple X looked around and when they saw the subtle nces at them from a few people in the crowd, Divine nodded, then he spoke:

    "You''re right, let''s leave this ce."

    They all nodded and without saying a word, they all left, much to the disappointment of the eavesdroppers.

    Seeing that there was nothing else to see around the suicide machine, the crowd started dispersing one after the other, leaving behind the friend of the hanged corpse.

    The girl had a nk expression as she looked at the corpse of her best friend, still unable toprehend how their lives, how her life had be what it currently was. [A/N: The girl thatmitted suicide is the girl that was raped first by Savage. She''s the one that was screaming the most. I forgot to put that in the previous chapters.]

    A tear escaped her right eye a few secondster and she absentmindedly ced her right hand on her stomach and closed her eyes.

    Just as she closed her eyes, a ghost-like bird appeared from the corpse and with a p of her wings, the ghost like bird which could not be seen or detected by normal eyes and means, moved, then went in the direction of Divine and his group members.

    Around forty five secondster, Divine and the remaining group members sat around a table, and with intrigued expressions, all except Triple X, looked at Dave.

    Seeing most of his group members looking at him, Dave nonchntly drank from his bottle for a few seconds then he released a satisfied sigh.

    He looked up and his brows furrowed slightly, then with a soft sigh, he spoke:

    "I didn''t see anything."

    "¡­ What?"

    Divine asked with a baffled expression, not expecting such a response from Dave at all.

    "What do you mean by you didn''t see anything?"

    Divine asked once again, a hint of confusion and slight frustration emerging unto his face.

    "Like I said¡­ I didn''t see anything."

    Dave spoke as he had a pondering expression with a hint of confusion and frustration.

    "I tried to look at his Fate and future, but I couldn''t see anything¡­ It was like¡­ he had no connection to Fate¡­ and his future... couldn''t be seen¡­ It was¡­ extremely strange¡­ and disturbing."

    Divine''s brows furrowed deeply, his mind forming numerous thoughts and just as he was thinking, Dave continued speaking.

    "Because of how strange it was, I even tried to use a self harming skill that would use out of my life span to see his Fate, but just as I was about to do that, I saw my Fate and I knew that if I did¡­ I would face irrecoverable damages."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Divine leaned back while rubbing the middle of his brows. He moved his hand from the upper part of his face to the lower part of his face while releasing a sigh.

    "Do you know what could have changed? You could at least see something from his Fate before.

    You told me that his life was going to be filled with lots of peril, darkness and death, so much darkness and death that it even scared you."

    "What happened? Why can''t you see anything now?"

    Divine asked as he calmed himself down, pushing down his frustrations.

    Meanwhile, Dave shrugged and drank from his bottle once again, his finger trembling ever so slightly.

    "I don''t know. It has to be because of his tier up. Maybe his ss, or something happened during his tier up."

    With a nonchnt tone, Dave spoke, then he took another drink from his bottle. As he drank from his bottle, he looked at Divine who was deep in thoughts.

    "Why are you so interested in him by the way? On the first day that he came here, you told me to find out about his Fate which is¡­ strange¡­ So would you care to tell us why you''re so interested in him?"

    Divine looked at Dave and a strange glint shed in his eyes for a second. He then looked at the remaining members of the group who had expressions showing that they were interested in his answer... even Triple X had a curious expression.

    Divine looked at them for a few seconds, then a small smile emerged on his lips and he raised his hands up in the air.

    "Alright, alright. So you guys caught me, the thing is that¡­ from the time Iid my eyes on the kid, he became my crush and I was deeply infatuated with him."

    Melissa, Dave, Rosa and Fatty ck Bonez all rolled their eyes, clearly not believing his words.

    Triple X just looked away with a disinterested expression and his eyes went to a nearby table which had people eating on it.

    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    A slightly confused and curious expression appeared on his face, then he turned away from the table and rested his head on his hand.

    "You know, if you don''t want to tell us why you''re so interested in Smile¡­ wait¡­ we don''t even know his real name."

    Fatty ck Bonez who was about to reprimand Divine, had an expression of shock as he just realized that none of them knew the real name of their new member.

    "Why are you talking, we don''t even know your real name."

    Melissa had raised brows as she looked at Fatty ck Bonez, causing Fatty ck Bonez to cough softly.

    Divine chuckled and with his back resting on the backrest of the chair, he spoke.

    "We can ask him the next time we see him. If he wants to tell us, he''ll tell us¡­"

    Divine paused, then he looked at Dave who was drinking from his bottle once again, his eyes went to Dave''s hands which trembled minutely a few times.

    He frowned slightly, then with a soft sigh, he spoke:

    "Dave¡­ sorry for asking you this, but since you can''t see the kid''s fate, can you check the fate of the group as a whole since the kid is part of the group now."

    ----

    [A/N: CHECK OUT THE AUXILIARY CHAPTERS. IMPORTANT INFO ON BONUS CHAPTER REQUIREMENTS IS THERE.]

 Chapter 155 154: Rosa Speaks

    ?

    "Dave¡­ sorry for asking you this, but since you can''t see the kid''s fate, can you check the fate of the group as a whole since the kid is part of the group now."

    Dave nced at Divine, then without saying a word he looked up and he winced slightly.

    Although he was blind and in normal circumstances, he couldn''t see anything.

    Currently, as he activated one of his skills, numerous, undting, interconnected lines appeared in his vision.

    The undting, interconnected lines had different colors and as Dave saw those colors, his brows furrowed slightly.

    ''Golden and ck?''

    He thought, then around two secondster, he deactivated the skill, and his hand trembled.

    He held his forehead which throbbed intensely, and with a struggling expression, he ced his bottle in his lips and took huge gulps from it.

    Around ten secondster, Dave stopped drinking and with his brows furrowed slightly, he wiped his mouth while looking at Divine with a little bit of grievance in his eyes.

    "I''m not doing this again for at least one week. I have used my skill too many times in just one day."

    Dave said and Divine gave an apologetic smile.

    "Sorry."

    Dave nodded slightly, then he kept quiet for a few seconds before he began to speak.

    "When I checked the fate of the group, I saw prosperity and lots of¡­ trouble and death. Though I''m not exactly sure what prosperity, trouble and death means since it can mean anything."

    Divine furrowed his brows slightly for some seconds then he shrugged and had a small, calm smile.

    "Then I guess we''ll just have to find out for ourselvester in the future."

    "That''s if you''ll live to see the future."

    With a confused and slightly surprised expression, everybody turned towards Rosa, who for the first time since Corey appeared in the group, spoke when she was not asked a question.

    "Why are you suddenly talking all of a sudden Rose?"

    Divine asked with a confused expression and tone as he saw Rosa clenching her right fist, while looking at him with a dangerous smile.

    "Ohh, so a crazy person should be silent right?"

    With a sarcastic tone and cold voice, Rosa spoke with the same dangerous smile, while looking at Divine who was getting the chills from Rosa''s expression.

    "I don''t get. What do you mean?"

    He asked and Rosa''s smile widened hearing Divine''s words.

    "Oh wow, so a crazy person doesn''t know how to speak anymore right? I don''t know how to speak properly right?"

    Now, Divine was truly confused and he felt a dangerous, balls threatening premonition.

    "Uhm, Rosa, can you please just calm down and exin what the problem is to me so that I''ll understand what I did wrong?"

    Divine asked and Rosa stood and twisted her neck to the sides, causing a soft cracking sound to resound from her actions.

    "I''ll tell you what the problem is¡­ you bloody called me crazy in front of him you bastard!.."

    "Huh?... Wait what?"

    Divine eximed with a confused expression and tone, and a vein popped in Rosa''s forehead, her eyes glinted dangerously and Fatty ck Bonez, Dave, Melissa, and even Triple X, all moved further away from Dave.

    "You''re lucky I won''t hit you with my left hand today since he touched me with his own hand when I was just about to touch that¡­ juicy¡­ fat¡­ ass¡­"

    "¡­" Divine.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "¡­" Melissa.

    "¡­" Fatty ck Bonez.

    "¡­" Dave.

    "¡­" Triple X.

    "Anyway¡­ I''m beating you till I feel satisfied today. Next time you won''t call me crazy in front of him."

    Swallowing back the saliva that was threatening to spill from her lips, Rosa spoke, then she moved closer to Divine with her right fist clenched.

    "Calm down Rosa. Just calm down."

    Divine stood as he tried to calm Rosa, not wanting to take a beating from the psycho woman in front of him.

    But despite his attempts to calm her down, Rosa did not listen and she swung her fist towards Divine''s face.

    Divine frowned slightly and he held her right hand, then he reflexively¡­ held her left hand also... not wanting to give her a chance to swing it at his face.

    And that was the biggest mistake¡­ he made today and for quite a long time.

    Rosa froze and with wide open eyes, she looked at her left hand which was held by Divine.

    Divine thinking that she had calmed down, was about to speak, but just as he was about to speak,

    From out of nowhere, and at a speed he did not expect, a kick came from below at an extremely fast speed, it''s destination?

    The generators of his future generations.

    Bam!

    "Phew¡­ That''s gotta hurt¡­ a lot."

    Fatty ck Bonez whistled as he stifled a chuckle while looking at the frozen Captain Divine.

    "He''s a fool."

    Melissa spoke with a small smile on her lips as she crossed her arms.

    "I feel better now that I''m not the only one that has suffered physically today."

    Dave said then he took another gulp from his bottle.

    Meanwhile, Triple X just had an indifferent expression.

    "How dare you touch the hand he touched! How dare you!"

    Bam Bam

    With a rageful expression, Rosa shouted while kicking the fallen Captain Divine but the pain Divine was feeling overshadowed every other thing, to the point that he didn''t feel the kicks at all.

    "Mama mia."

    A tear escaped Divine''s lips as he mumbled with a pained expression while holding his family jewels which were crying out for justice.

    Meanwhile, as all of this was happening, at the table Triple X looked at previously, an image of a ck raven like bird appeared on the table, then it disappeared.

    Triple X who previously had a disinterested and bored expression, turned back and looked at the table with a slight furrow of his brows for a few seconds, then with a shrug, he turned back and looked at the show going on between Rosa and Captain Divine.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    ----

    [A/N: CHECK OUT THE AUXILIARY CHAPTERS. IMPORTANT INFO ON BONUS CHAPTER REQUIREMENTS IS THERE.]

 Chapter 156 155: Inner Area Of The City Of Sin

    ?

    (In a random alley in the city of sin)

    Corey sat on a wooden crate with his head resting on his left hand, and his eyes closed.

    He remained in that posture for some seconds, then he opened his eyes with his brows slightly furrowed.

    "That was¡­ a lot of unexpected information."

    Corey mumbled as he pondered on the information that was brought to him by Rhea, his pet, who was now tier 1.

    Ever since Corey decided to join Divine''s group, Corey had already nned on using Rhea to spy on the group, especially Divine who was¡­ obsessed with him for some unknown reason.

    Corey''s confidence in his n to spy on the group was one of Rhea''s new skill, which was called Spirit Form.

    The skill allowed her to turn incorporeal and invisible to normal sight.

    The skill also gave her more abilities, like not been able to get hurt by normal physical attacks and so on.

    The skill, Spirit Form was just one of the skills Rhea got when she got promoted to tier 1 with the help of the Paragon Ancestor.

    Corey did not know how the Paragon Ancestor evolved Rhea to tier 1, because during the time of his training, the Paragon Ancestor just took Rhea and told him that he was going to help her evolve.

    And who was Corey toin when he was receiving free help from one of the most powerful beings in the multiverse.

    Anyways, back to Divine and his group.

    When Corey was at the site of themitted suicide, he told Rhea to subtly move to the corpse and hide in it, while observing Divine and his group.

    Although Corey knew that there was always a chance of something going wrong, he never expected Triple X to notice Rhea even when she was hiding in the corpse.

    In a way, he was lucky that Triple X was extremely nonchnt about it or he''d have been ced in a situation which he would prefer not to be in.

    ''Well, even if Triple X told the group about me spying on them, it won''t be a problem, just a little troublesome.''

    Corey thought, then his mind went to Divine.

    He just could not figure out Divine''s obsession with him.

    Corey had various thoughts as to why Divine was obsessed with him, like for example,

    Maybe Divine knew that he was on the temple of mes hit list and he wanted to kill him so as to get the rewards.

    No matter what, Corey had not forgotten that there was a possibility that some people knew about him being on the temple of mes hit list, and maybe, just maybe they were watching his every move, wanting to end his life for the rewards.

    Corey was not entirely sure, but the matter of the temple of mes hit list was always at the back of his mind, just like the other reasons Corey had as to why Divine was so obsessed with him.

    For example:

    Maybe Divine wanted something from him?

    Maybe he knew one of his secrets?

    Maybe he wanted revenge for somebody that he killed in the past?

    Corey honestly did not know and it was deeply unsettling for Corey to not know the reason why Divine was so obsessed with him to the point that he even wanted to know his Fate.

    "Well, like a wise man once said, keep your friends close and your enemies closer¡­ that''s if Divine is an enemy."

    Corey rubbed the middle of his brows with a slightly frustrated expression, then he released a sigh and a soft chuckle was released from his lips when he remembered Divine''s plight that was caused by Rosa.

    "Although she''s crazy, endangering the bastard''s future generations makes her alright in my eyes."

    Corey smiled and just as he smiled, a beeping sound resounded from the silver watch on his wrist.

    Corey looked at it, then he tapped it.

    After he tapped it, a translucent screen appeared in front of him, notifying him about several friend requests, and a set of coordinates.

    Corey looked at the friend requests which were from everybody in Divine''s group and he epted all of them.

    He then opened his map which now had a blinking red dot, directing him towards a particr direction.

    "Time to meet this old man poison."

    Corey said, then he jumped off the crate and with a calm gaze and calm steps, he walked out of the alley.

    ----

    (Some minutester)<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Corey stood in front of a beautiful mansion which was located¡­ in the inner area of the city of sin.

    This was Corey''s first timeing to the inner area of the city of sin, and Corey could definitely see the huge difference between the inner area and the outer area.

    It was like the outer area was the slums, and the inner area was like a modern representation of a well, developed city.

    The inner area had good roads with different types of vehicles driving about, there were people buying from the various stores by the roadside.

    There were people that were visiting other people''s houses. There were even some people that were taking their pets out for a walk.

    The inner area of the city of sin, seemed so¡­ calm,wful and peaceful that Corey felt a chill run down his back when he saw all of this.

    To Corey, it was like the Underworld was trying to make they, the prisoners, forget that they were prisoners of the Underworld.

    To Corey, it was like the Underworld was trying to make them feel that the Underworld was basically like the outside world, like it was safer and it was better.

    To Corey, it was like the Underworld was trying to make all the prisoners¡­ have an attachment towards the it.

    It was trying to make them like the Underworld or even love the Underworld.

    When Corey heard from Divine that the Underworld was a ce full of madness, Corey thought that the Underworld would be so chaotic to the point that there would be fights happening everywhere at every moment.

    But when Corey saw the inner area of the city of sin with his own eyes, he felt that a more chaotic was better than this orderly dangerous ce, called the Underworld.

    Another thing that surprised Corey concerning the Underworld was that, the Underworld had something akin to androids.

    A few minutes after Corey entered the premises of the inner area, an humanoid android walked up to him and without speaking to him, it started scanning him, wanting to know whether he had the authority to enter the inner area.

    Corey was at first worried, that something might happen but surprisingly, the android said he had the authority which Corey guessed was because of Divine.

    After that happened, Corey started following the directions on the map which led him to his current destination which was a mansion that was in an isted location in the inner area.

    "This is unexpected. I was expecting a shoddy looking house, or a residence that was¡­ average or moderate."

    Corey spoke with a slightly surprised expression as he looked at the beautiful mansion in front of him.

    He looked around just out of habit, and when he didn''t see a single living being around the mansion, his brows furrowed slightly.

    "Well, I somewhat expected this sort of environment."

    Corey mumbled then he released a soft sigh and walked to the door of the mansion.

    Knock

    Knock

    Corey knocked the door, and with a calm expression, he waited.

    A minute went but he received no response.

    Five minutes passed, but he still received no response.

    Ten minutes passed, but Corey still did not receive a response.

    Corey frowned deeply and he knocked the door once again, but this time it was louder and more forceful.

    Just as Corey knocked the door, the door opened slightly and Corey raised his brows.

    He changed his posture slightly, in case there was an attacking at him but after waiting for a few seconds, nothing happened, causing Corey to frown.

    Two ck battle axes appeared in Corey''s hands and with a calm expression, Corey pushed the door with his leg softly so as to not alert whoever or whatever that was behind the door.

    With cold calm eyes, Corey walked into the mansion and when he did¡­ he saw six people who were some meters away from him, though five out of the six were on the floor, writhing in pain while releasing painful groans.

    Standing in front of the five groaning people, was an average looking man with wrinkles on his face, grey hair on his head and long beard that had a pointed end.

    In his right hand was a staff, and his clothing was that of a green robe with different designs on it.

    The man previously had an intrigued expression on his face as he was looking at the writhing five people on the floor.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    But just as Corey entered, he frowned, then he looked up and a surprised expression appeared on his face.

    "Another one?"

    ----

    [A/N: CHECK OUT THE AUXILIARY CHAPTERS. IMPORTANT INFO ON BONUS CHAPTER REQUIREMENTS IS THERE.]

 Chapter 157 156: Unexpected Counter

    ?

    "Another one?"

    With a deep furrow of his brows, the man in front of Corey who he guessed was old man poison spoke as he eyed Corey from head to toe.

    ''Record''

    Sensing the tension in the air, Corey decided to use his talent skill, Record so as to know how strong the man before him was, then he could decide how to act from there.

    But¡­

    As Corey activated his talent skill, there was no change in his left eye, which meant¡­

    ''Shit¡­ I''m fucked¡­ A tier 4 or higher.''

    Corey''s lips twitched minutely as his hands around the dual battle axes tightened.

    Corey was no longer as ignorant as he was at the beginning of the apocalypse. He had read quite a lot of books from the library in the outer area and one of the things he read about, was information about tiers.

    There were a lot of information regarding tiers and Corey was quite surprised when he read the information about tiers.

    A certain part of the information Corey got about tiers was the division of tiers and their differences.

    From a certain book Corey recorded in the library of the outer area, the author of the book wrote that, a tier 0 being was just a normal being, he or she or it, was literally an ant in the power and importance scale.

    Tier 1 was the tier where beings get a mana core which would increase the amount of mana the being would have and a lot of other benefits.

    The main difference between tier 1 and tier 2 was that in tier 0, ording to the author of the book, tier 0 beings used what he called, basic mana.

    While in tier 1, beings start using a different type of mana called, astral mana.

    Astral mana was more powerful than basic mana in the sense that attacks which involve astral mana from at least a tier 1 being, would be more powerful than attacks unleashed using basic mana, by at least tier 1 beings.

    The difference in the quality and quantity of astral mana in tier 1, 2 and 3 beings increases, the higher the tier.

    ording to the author of the book Corey read on division of tiers, Tier 1 ¨C 3 was called the Astral Realm, due to individuals in that realm using astral mana, and the beings in the astral realm, were generally called, Astral Beings¡­ By the author of the book.

    Tier 1-3 used astral mana, but from Tier 4, an individual starts to use a different type of mana called¡­ Mystic Mana.

    ording to the author of the book, beings who used mystic mana were generally called, Mystic Beings and an individual starts using mystic mana from Tier 4 to¡­ Tier 6 and due to all of this, Tier 4-6 was called, the Mystic Realm.

    The author of the book could not go into much detail about the mystic realm cause he wasn''t so knowledgeable about it due to him being just a tier 3 human, but ording to him¡­ the difference between Mystic Beings and Astral Beings was so vast that an Astral Being could not defeat a Mystic Being.

    Although the author of the book said that defeating an astral being defeating a mystic being was an impossibility, Corey did not truly believe that since he had met one of the most powerful races in the multiverse¡­ Paragons.

    Corey did not know why, but he felt it in his blood, in his soul, in his entire being that what the author wrote down was definitely not true and an Astral Being should be able to defeat a Mystic Being¡­ though that would require extreme hard work, talent and possibly¡­ luck.

    Although Corey felt that what the author wrote down was definitely not true, Corey was not foolish enough nor did he have so much pride in him that he would now say he, a tier 1, could defeat a tier 4 or higher just because he was now a Paragon¡­ or Demi-Paragon to be exact.

    And due to the information Corey had regarding the differences in tiers, Corey was worried about how the man before him would react, cause if he decided to attack Corey or kill Corey, Corey was not optimistic about his chances of surviving.

    "I don''t know what you mean by another one, but I''m not one of them."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Gesturing towards the group of five on the floor, Corey decided to speak up first so as to clear any misunderstanding the man before him had.

    "I''m here because-"

    Corey took a step forward as he spoke, but just as he took that step while speaking, the man before him furrowed his brows in surprise and with a surprised tone, he cut Corey off.

    "How are you able to move?... Why are you still standing?"

    "What?"

    Corey had a baffled expression hearing the man''s words. He took a quick nce at his feet, wondering if there was something there, but he saw nothing.

    "I don''t know what-"

    Just as his eyes moved, wanting to focus on the figure of the man, Corey saw him disappear as he was speaking.

    ''Fuck.''

    Corey cursed internally, and without hesitation he activated the two skills he could instantly activate.

    ''Hexagon Barrier''

    ''Focus''

    A hexagon barrier instantly appeared around Corey, and time slowed down in Corey''s eyes as his brain perceived everything at an extremely fast speed.

    But despite him activating these two skills, Corey only saw a open hand appear in front of his face, piercing through the hexagon barrier like soft butter, and with Corey not being able to react, he could only watch as the hand grabbed his face and in the next second.

    BAM

    Corey''s head got smashed into the floor, producing quite a loud sound in the process.

    "Hmm¡­ He''s just tier 1?"

    The man frowned as he looked at Corey whose mouth was wide open and his eyespletely nk, a sign of unconsciousness.

    Corey hadpletely gone unconscious and if not because of his Paragon Body, his skull would definitely have broken to pieces from the attack of the man standing in front of him.

    "I guess I''m lucky he didn''t die. He survived my poisons so I need to study him."

    The man stroked his beard as he looked at Corey with intrigue. He then looked at the now five unconscious people who were some meters away from him.

    He waved his hand nonchntly towards the door and a wind blew towards the door, opening it in the process.

    He then waved his hand nonchntly towards the five men, and a visible wind blew appeared around them, and without caring about their health or the damages that would happen to the five, the man waved his hand and a secondter, all the five flew out of the door one by one, breaking quite a few bones¡­ or a lot of bones in the process.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "They''re quite lucky. I was about to use them as test subjects."

    The man said and with an indifferent expression, he waved his hand towards the door, closing the door in the process.

    He turned towards Corey and just as he did, a surprised expression appeared on his face as he felt something just a few inches from his neck.

    He looked at the object, and when he did, he saw a sword just a few inches from his neck.

    He looked away from the sword, then he looked up and at the other end of the sword was a bloodied Corey withpletely white eyes and an emotionless expression.

    "I said I''m not one of them¡­ I''m here to be your student¡­ I want to learn how to use poisons inbat."

    With an emotionless tone and expression, Corey spoke as he held the sword of Jian, thest opponent he faced in the Amphitheatre.

    The man looked at Corey with a deep frown, his eyes having a surprised and ufortable light hidden deep within them as he looked at Corey''s emotionless face andpletely white eyes.

    ''What is this feeling?... I feel naked as he''s looking at me.''

    ''Also how did he get up without me hearing?... Who the hell is he?''

    The man thought as he tried to move his body slightly, wanting to make a movement so as to attack Corey once again.

    But just before he could even move, Corey pushed the sword a little bit into the man''s neck, drawing a little bit of blood, surprising and shocking the man to his core.

    ''How?!''

    "Don''t move. I don''t want to have to kill you nor do I want us to fight you¡­ I said I want to be your student. I want to learn from you."

    With the same emotionless tone and expression, Corey spoke as he looked at the man without blinking, his eyes observing every single movement in the man''s body.

    Meanwhile the man had shaking pupils as he looked at the sword then at Corey.

    "How are you able to injure me with a tier 1 sword, an orange grade weapon? That should be impossible."

    With his tone filled with disbelief, the man asked but Corey just kept quiet, his face remaining emotionless as he looked at the man without blinking.

    The man frowned heavily seeing Corey not answering him.

    He knew everybody had their secrets and he guessed that what just happened must be rted to the secret of the young man before him.

    "Fine, if you''re not going to answer, don''t answer. But you must tell me how you didn''t get poisoned by my poisons."

    Corey tilted his head slightly, and a pondering light appeared in his eyes for a few seconds, then he replied:

    "I have poison resistance, and it''s quite high¡­ I believe."

    "Poison resistance?"

    The man mumbled underneath his breath with a deep furrow of his brows. He looked at Corey and his brows furrowed the more.

    ''Poison resistance is not an ability most would have, and those that have it, don''t usually have a high level of it since it requires one to actually poison themselves with stronger poisons.''

    ''How did he do it?''

    The man wondered and with his curiosity been extremely high, he could not hold it in and a secondter, he asked:

    "How were you able to make your poison resistance that high?"

    "First of all¡­ You''re old man poison right?"

    Corey asked and the old man frowned.

    "You don''t even know how I look like and you want to be my student?"

    Old man poison asked with bafflement and without a change in his expression, Corey spoke:

    "Just answer the question."

    Old man poison''s lips twitched and with a slightly frustrated expression, he replied:

    "Yes, I''m who they call old man poison¡­ Now tell me how you were able to have a high poison resistance."

    With an eager expression and tone, Old man poison urged Corey to answer him, but Corey had no change in his expression.

    "Two things¡­ First, you agree to teach me everything you know about poisons. Second, we both sign a system contract."

    "What?"

    Bafflement was expressed over old man poison''s face as he heard Corey''s unexpected words.

    "You ept those two things and we''ll start from a fresh page."

    Corey spoke with the same emotionless tone and expression.

    Old man poison frowned deeply as a pondering light appeared in his eyes for some seconds. He looked at Corey and seeing his emotionless expression, old man poison had a thought.

    ''He''s quite smart¡­ and interesting.''

    A soft chuckle escaped his lips, causing Corey to slightly raise his brows.

    "Fine you crazy bastard, I ept your conditions¡­ From today, I''m your master and you''re my student."

    ----

    [A/N: CHECK OUT THE AUXILIARY CHAPTERS. IMPORTANT INFO ON BONUS CHAPTER REQUIREMENTS IS THERE.]

 Chapter 158 157: What Do You Desire?

    ?

    "So¡­ for thest time¡­ You''re saying it''s because of your ss... Poison Warlock that you have such a high level of poison resistance?"

    "How many times do you want me to repeat what I said. You''re old, not deaf."

    In a room that looked like a slightly messyboratory, Corey and old man poison sat on wooden chairs, both with their own expressions and emotions.

    Corey currently had his hands covering his eyes as he held his forehead which was throbbing painfully. A frustrated and pained expression appeared on his face as he gave a snarky reply towards his master''s repeated question.

    "Do not speak to me like that ever again. I''m your master, so you should treat me with respect.

    Just because I''m interested in your ss and poison resistance, doesn''t mean you can disrespect me."

    With a tone that contained no jokes and only utmost seriousness, old man poison spoke causing Corey to nce at him for a few seconds.

    Corey released a sigh and with his hands still covering his eyes, he apologized.

    "I apologize for what I said."

    Old man poison nodded while observing Corey who seemed like he had an injury to his eyes.

    "What happened to you?"

    Unable to hold in his curiosity, old man poison asked and Corey''s pupils moved, the image of old man poison reflecting in his now ck pupils as memories of the events that happened some minutes ago reyed in his mind.

    As those memories reyed once again in his mind, starting from the moment he went unconscious, Corey could not help but feel lucky for having Nina, the NanoMachine created by the wife of the Paragon Ancestor.

    After his¡­ current master, mmed his head forcefully into the ground, Corey truly went unconscious and at that moment, if somebody or old man poison wanted to kill Corey, they could have killed him.

    But luckily, he had Nina.

    From what Corey understood, Nina would not awaken or respond to him unless there was a reason¡­ which she considered important.

    And the words, old man poison said after Corey went unconscious was something she considered important.

    When Corey asked Nina why she actually woke up, she told him that it was because his master, wanted to study his physiology, which would eventually lead to his master knowing that he was not a human at all.

    When Corey heard Nina''s reply, he felt relieved that his master did not have intentions to kill him or he would probably be a corpse by now since he guessed that there was a 95% chance that Nina would not help him.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    At all.

    Moving away from Nina.

    After Corey woke up, he already knew the dangerous and terrible situation he was in, so he knew he had toe up with a n that had a 50-50 chance of working.

    He brought out the swords which belonged to Jian since he knew he needed a longer reach. Jian was thest person he fought in the Amphitheatre.

    He also decided to use Focus which used his health as the power source. His reason for doing that was so that no matter what, he would not be distracted.

    Thest skill he decided to use was Eyes of Omniscience, and it was this skill that was currently the source of Corey''s current problem.

    The Eyes of Omniscience was a skill that granted Corey the ability to see through things, but the thing was that, normally, he should not be able to see through the body of beings that were above the astral realm.

    Assuming Corey did not use his health as the energy source of Focus, Corey would not have been able to see certain parts of the internal structure of old man poison who was definitely above the astral realm.

    Now due to Corey''s actions of seeing certain parts of the internal structure of old man poison, Corey''s eyes ached him and his head throbbed intensely, almost like the information was over flooding his brain or¡­ his brain was overworking itself so to absorb the information which he had just gotten.

    Corey was not exactly sure why he was feeling this way, but he felt that the main reason was more like¡­ he saw something which he should not have seen for his power level.

    "My eyes are just aching me¡­ it would get better eventually."

    Corey eventually replied his master, then he looked around.

    "We''ve been talking about a lot of unimportant things. When do you start teaching me how to use poisons to fight?"

    Corey asked as he looked at his master who was stroking his beard as he was looking at Corey.

    "Before I teach you anything¡­ I need to ask you a question¡­"

    Corey raised his brows slightly and with a slight shift in his posture, he removed his hand from his head which was now getting a lot better.

    "What question?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Corey asked and for a few seconds, a reminiscent light appeared in his master''s eyes then he released a soft sigh.

    "Why do you want to study poison? What do you want to do with the knowledge of poisons I shall give you?"

    "Do you want to use it assassinate people? for revenge? tomit mass murder?... Why do you want to learn the way of poisons?... Why do you want to walk the path of poison?"

    The atmosphere in the room became tense as the aura released by old man poison became much different, much darker, more mysterious and a lot more oppressive giving Corey the chills.

    Corey exhaled then inhaled, calming himself down fully and with a calm expression, he looked at his master and replied in an extremely calm tone.

    "I don''t know why you''re asking me such a question, but the reason why I chose to learn poison, to walk the path of poison was because I felt that it was the best path for me to be stronger¡­ and I also want to use it as revenge."

    Old man poison looked into Corey''s eyes who did not back down from the stare of a being much, much stronger than him.

    Around three secondster, old man poison closed his eyes and his aura receded, letting the atmosphere regain it''s normalcy.

    "You''ve told me why you''re taking the path of poison and I can see that you''re not lying¡­ which is good, unlike the previous ones."

    "Previous ones?"

    With a confused tone and expression, Corey asked and the old man pointed at a particr spot in the room they were in.

    Corey turned his head towards the direction and when he saw what was there, his pupils shook slightly.

    At a particr corner of the room, were rows of cages where dead humans and beasts resided in.

    Corey turned towards his master, who just had an indifferent expression, not bothering to speak and Corey seeing that, also decided not to speak.

    Old man poison nodded his head seeing Corey''s reaction, then with his hands ced together, he spoke once again.

    "You''ve told me why you''re walking down the path of poison, which is good¡­ now, I want to know what your desire is? What do you want in life?"

    "My desire?"

    Corey''s brows furrowed in confusion and contemtion.

    "What''s the point in asking all of this?"

    Some seconds passed and Corey asked, since he found all these questions pointless.

    What did his master want to do with his answers to the questions?

    The first question was attributes to poison, so Corey did not have a problem with the question... But his master''s second question?

    The reason behind it was something which Corey could not figure out.

    "Just answer my questions."

    Without answering Corey''s question, Corey''s master urged Corey to answer.

    Corey''s brows furrowed slightly and a pondering light appeared in Corey''s eyes. Some seconds passed, and Corey leaned towards the backrest of the chair he was sitting on, then a calm shrug emerged from his shoulders.

    "My goal is to have my revenge on a certain group, and my desire is to save my sister... If she''s alive that is."

    With a calm expression and tone, Corey spoke and his master looked him in the eye once again for some seconds, making to feel slightly ufortable and confused.

    "Alright... From your answers, I already have an idea of the type of person you are and I have a rough idea on what to teach you."

    ------

    [A/N: CHECK THE AUXILIARY CHAPTERS. IMPORTANT INFO ON BONUS CHAPTER REQUIREMENTS IS THERE.

    Also, I''m sorry to some of you that would be disappointed about this chapter. I rushed while typing the chapters, and I mean I seriously rushed.

    Due to exams, I have only slept for 30 minutes in 24 hours and I''m not actually joking, so I was feeling extremely sleepy when I decided to write and my sleep was longer than I wanted. I woke up around 40 something minutes till the end of the Win-Win Mission so I had to quickly write it down.

    Once again, I''m sorry to all of you that were disappointed with the chapter. Apologies.]

 Chapter 160 159: Just Like The Last One

    ?

    *BASIC INFORMATION*

    Name: Corey Junior Zane

    Race: Demi-Paragon

    Brand Level: 3

    Affiliation: Paragons

    ss: Poison Warlock

    Talent: Omniscience (Level 1)

    Language: English

    Title(s): One Of The Four Possessors Of A ***** Graded Talent On New Earth

    Tier: 1

    Level: 100 -> 124

    *ATTRIBUTES*

    Strength: Orange Star [50%]

    Agility: Orange Star [50% -> 83%]

    Dexterity: Orange Star [50% -> 61%]

    Constitution: Yellow Star [70%]

    Intelligence: Green Star [50%]

    Endurance: Orange Star [50%]

    Astral Mana: Blue Star [25%]

    Free A.P: 480%

    *Hidden Attributes*

    Luck: ???/100

    Charisma: ???/100

    Wisdom: ???/???

    *SKILLS*

    Talent Skill: Record, Focus, Eyes of Omniscience

    Passive: Silent Steps (Intermediate), Paragon Body.

    Active: Super Jump (Intermediate), Lightning Movement Art (Ancient, Lv 2, Novice), Vibration Maniption (Novice), Full Counter (Legendary, Novice), Fog Maniption (Novice), Hexagon Barrier (Master)

    Passive-Active: Average Regeneration (Lv 5, Intermediate)

    Knowledge Skills: Undercover (Novice), Lock Picking (Expert), Paragon Martial Arts (Novice), Herbal Knowledge (Novice), Anatomical Knowledge (Novice)

    Intents: Axe Intent (Basic), Killing Intent (Basic)

    *RESISTANCES*

    Fear Resistance- Lv 5

    Pain Resistance- Lv 5

    Poison Resistance- Lv 3

    Mental Maniption Resistance- Lv 1

    *IMMUNITIES*

    Curse Immunity

    Fate Immunity

    *EQUIPMENTS*

    Ghost Gloves (Growth)- Yellow Grade

    Ancient Spear- ???? Grade

    Devourer''s Armor (Growth)- Orange Grade

    Dual Battle Axes (Growth) ¨C Orange Grade

    Ring of Mimicry (Replica)- Orange Grade

    Wind Swords- Orange Grade

    *PET/MOUNT*

    Rhea- Spirit Devouring Bird

    *SYSTEM REMARK*: Now this is easier to look at.

    -----

    ''This is actually easier to look at.''<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Corey thought as he looked at the skill section of his status window. It was no longer clustered together and was now much better and easier to look at.

    Corey looked at his status window and the first change he noticed was his level which had increased from 100 to 124.

    The second change was his dexterity and agility which had increased, though not to the next level which was Yellow Star.

    Thest change which urred to Corey''s status window was his Free Attribute Points (Free A.P) which surprised Corey a little.

    The number of value points he had was 480% and from Corey''s calctions, this meant that for every level Corey got, Corey was given 20% Free A.P, which was¡­ little in Corey''s opinion.

    ''Or maybe it''s not little and others don''t get as much as I do.''

    Corey''s brows furrowed slightly as he pondered in his thoughts. A few seconds passed and with a soft exhale he closed his status window.

    ''From my calctions, one would need 4,200% Free A.P to maximize their attributes by reaching the peak of violet star.''

    ''So that means, if I decide to depend on my 20% Free A.P to maximize my stats, I would definitely not be able to maximize my stats.''

    Corey''s brows furrowed slightly as he came to this realization, his mind then went to the Elemental Breathing Technique that was given to him by the Paragon Ancestor.

    ''Is this probably why he gave me the book?''

    This thought passed through Corey''s mind and just as it did, Old man poison, his master, spoke.

    "Why are you daydreaming you brat? Are you done with the book?"

    Corey came out from his thoughts and with a calm expression, he turned towards his master who was looking back at him with slightly furrowed brows that held a hint of disappointment in them.

    "Daydreaming when reading a book shows ack of interest towards the contents of the book."

    Hearing his master''s words, Corey understood what he was trying to say and with a soft shake of his head, Corey spoke:

    "Although I don''tpletely agree with your words, I was not daydreaming. I''ve finished the book."

    Old man poison raised his brows slightly and just as he was about to speak, Corey stood and with a calm expression, Corey walked over to him.

    A few secondster, Corey stood in front of his master and with a calm expression, he stretched out his arm, his hand holding the book which his master gave him.

    "You can ask me any question from the book."

    Old man poison nced at the book then his eyes moved towards Corey''s face which had an expression of ease, calmness and confidence.

    He observed Corey''s expression for a few seconds then without saying anything, he stood, ignoring the book in Corey''s hands.

    "Since you''re so calm and confident, just know that If you make a mistake when concocting, you''d be in serious trouble."

    Without turning back nor looking at Corey, old man poison spoke and with a smile of slight amusement and a minute raise of his brows, Corey just shrugged and followed his master after dropping the book on a nearby table.

    Just as Corey was walking towards old man poison, he remembered something which he wanted to ask for some time now but he always forgot.

    "Can you tell me why you had five people attacking you just before I came and can you also tell me who those people were?"

    Old man poison turned his head slightly towards Corey''s direction hearing his question. Silence permeated the room as no words escaped old man poison''s lips for at least seven seconds.

    Just when Corey was thinking that the matter was probably a sensitive subject and that his master preferred not to speak about it, his master spoke:

    "Those five fools are from the, The Devourers¡­ They wanted me to create more intoxicating drugs and pills for them while promising me a huge sry and lots of benefits in return."

    With his tone devoid of emotions, Corey''s master spoke and the atmosphere in the room changed¡­ it became more¡­ negative.

    Although Corey had questions to ask and a few things to say, he decided not to speak sensing his master''s bad mood.

    "I''d rather not talk about those fools at the moment, so let''s start your lessons on creating poisons and probably different kinds of medicines."

    Standing in front of aboratory bench filled with numerous equipment, Corey''s master spoke and Corey walked to his side.

    "What do I have to do?"

    Corey asked and his master smiled.

    "Lots of poisonous things my student, lots of poisonous things."

    ----

    (Three dayster)

    "Monster."

    Old man poison muttered as he looked at the back of his student who was leaving through the front door of his mansion.

    His eyes containing a mix of various emotions.

    "What sort ofprehension, learning speed and talent does he have¡­ Three days, all it took him was three days to learn how to concoct every tier 1 poison I knew."

    "If not because I decided to teach him other things like medicine, precision and uracy, he would have probably learnt how to concoct tier 2 poisons."

    Old man poison muttered and a soft exhale was released from his lips. He looked up, his eyes containing various emotions.

    "Although he''s extremely talented¡­ I hope I don''t create a monster¡­ Just like thest one."

    Seconds passed as old man poison kept on looking at the artificial sky above the city of sin.

    ----

    [A/N: Decided to fast forward everything that was gonna happen or the story would stagnate.

    CHECK THE AUXILIARY CHAPTERS... IMPORTANT INFO IS THERE]n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

 Chapter 162 161: Things That Should Not Be Seen

    ?

    Unaware of the danger¡­ or dangers, that were approaching him, Corey kept on screaming in extreme pain and agony. His screams, though could not be heard, but it''s effects, could definitely be seen.

    An unknown amount of time went by and just as Corey was on the verge of losing his sight and consciousness¡­ a familiar feminine voice spoke into his mind.

    ''Deactivate your Eyes of Omniscience and activate your Tri-Pupil Eyes.''

    Despite the immense amount of pain Corey was going through, his desperate desire to be rid of this pain was higher than even the heavens and without further ado, his teeth ground against each other and he did as the voice instructed him.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    The pure¡­ dimming whiteness in Corey''s eyes vanished and his sclera turned silver while his circr pupils were no longer circr, but was now in the shape of a triangle¡­ a golden triangle to be exact.

    As soon as Corey''s eyes changed, the pain he felt in his eyes, disappeared, and a soothing sensation permeated his entire eyes. His vision which was already blurry and dim due to his deteriorating eyesight restored at a visible pace.

    Corey panted heavily, fearcing his heart heavily, his expression fully showing the amount of fear he, Corey Junior Zane, felt.

    His eyes moved warily and anxiously, hoping that there were no more symbols around¡­ His fear towards those symbols was at its all time peak.

    And luckily for him¡­ he could see none.

    ''What did you do? How did you reach here?''

    The same familiar feminine voice resounded in Corey''s mind, calming Corey by a minute amount¡­ though small, was immensely helpful.

    Corey had a slightly startled expression hearing the voice in his mind, then his eyes brightened.

    "Ni-"

    ''Don''t speak out loud you fool. You''ve already attracted their attention.''

    Confusion washed over Corey''s face, drowning away most of the fear he had in his heart, and with a soft turn of his head, he spoke¡­ mentally:

    ''What do you mean?... What or who ising after me Nina?''

    Corey looked around, a vignt, wary¡­ and slightly fearful light in his eyes, as he tried to locate the source of Nina''s warning.

    But no matter how much he looked¡­ he found nothing.

    ''The creatures of the void you fool¡­ those abominations¡­ those¡­ #$*?¡ì creatures.''

    ''What?''

    Corey frowned.

    ''What happened?''

    Nina asked and Corey''s brows furrowed slightly.

    ''What was thest thing you said? It was broken and I didn''t get it?''

    ''¡­Oh. I forgot you''re still a mortal.''

    Corey''s furrowed brows deepened the more hearing Nina''s whisper. Various thoughts and various possibilities appeared in his mind and with a soft turn of his head, he spoke¡­ mentally:

    ''What do you mean?''

    For a few seconds, he received no response, an unnerving and dangerous silence permeated his dark, viscous environment causing him to shiver slightly. But the instant he shivered, Nina finally responded:

    ''There are some things one should not see, hear nor speak until one reaches a certain level.''

    Though her words were brief and basic, not going into depth of the exact reason behind him not being able to here her previous words, it was a warning and a new piece of knowledge which Corey did not know.

    ''How did you get here by the way?''<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Nina spoke once more and as the time went by, Corey felt unease¡­ he felt danger.

    ''Why don''t you tell me what ising for me and how I can keep myself safe¡­ or at least keep my life¡­ I think that would be rather helpful.''

    His tone containing a little bit of impatience and worry. And his curiosity towards the unknown creatures of the void were totally non-existent¡­ unlike that of the creatures of the void.

    ''You don''t have to worry about that¡­ Queen Mother is on her way here.''

    With a tone containing calmness, pride and respect, Nina spoke and Corey''s brows were raised.

    ''Queen Mother?... The wife of the Paragon Ancestor?''

    Corey thought, notmunicating with Nina and his posture and tensed nerves rxed to an extent.

    ''Now tell me how you got here? What did you do?''

    Nina''s voice rang out inside of his head, and as Corey thought of the answer to her question, he could not help but frown.

    Did he not just try a simple teleportation skill?

    Was teleportation meant to be so dangerous?

    Why was his life in danger after he tried a ''simple'' spatial spell?

    Corey looked down with a frown, and just as he did, he noticed something new.

    His clothes.

    His clothes were different from how he designed his Nano machine clothes to be like. He was now in a ck tightly fitted suit with a ck helmet on his head. The ck helmet had a see through ss around his eyes and a circr device around his mouth which had numerous tiny holes in it.

    ''What is this?''

    Corey voice had an expression of confusion and surprise as he looked at the ck suit which covered every inch of his body. He looked at his legs, and he was surprised to see that he was standing¡­ or should he say floating, in this extremely dark and viscous liquid¡­ which was definitely not normal when Corey thought about it.

    ''So this is what kept me from mistakenly drinking this ominous liquid and every other unknown danger of this liquid?''

    Corey thought with a slightly awed expression, and just as he had this thought.

    ''Will you answer my question and stop diverting away from the answer!!''

    A feminine shout filled with anger and frustration resounded in Corey''s causing Corey to grimace. He instinctively tried to move his hands so as to block his ears, but the liquid was just too difficult to move in.

    ''Alright, alright. Just calm down.''

    Corey tried to calm the almost indistinguishable human-like Nano Machine in him, but Corey felt the anger radiating from Nina in him, and his lips twitched.

    ''I tried to teleport on my own but instead of teleporting to my desired location¡­ it brought me here.''

    Trying to gesture towards the ck viscous liquid he was in, Corey failed, due to the immense difficulty of movement in the liquid.

    Corey''s lips twitched, and just as it twitched¡­ Corey felt fear and¡­ danger grip his heart. His pupils constricted and with a soft turn of his neck, he tried to locate the source of the danger¡­

    But all he saw¡­ was nothing.

    Corey''s heart pounded intensely due to the fear and danger he was feeling. His breathing became slightly erratic and sweat dripped down his forehead.

    His lips parted open, but once again, just as he was about to speak, something happened:

    "The reason why your teleportation failed was because you forgot to impose your will unto the magical formation¡­ You forgot to ce a rune of destination in the magical formation you made."

 Chapter 163 162: Queen Mother

    ?

    A voice so beautiful and so majestic. A voice containing calmness and pride. A voice that demanded respect from those beneath the source of the voice¡­

    A voice¡­ which Corey had never heard before, reached Corey''s ears, dispersing the fear and danger in his heart. His head turned smoothly towards the source of the voice, and just a few meters¡­ approximately three meters beside from him, was the most beautiful specimen¡­ not woman, Corey had ever seen before.

    Her countenance could not be described in words.

    With a face that no words could precisely describe and a smooth, wavy, brown hair atop her head, the beauty in front of him had a calm expression as she raised her left hand and then, softly nudged the sses on her face upwards. On her body was ab coat that fluttered at times, despite the clearck of wind in the environment.

    Corey, who in recent times, had never been stunned or gawked at the beauty of a woman, found himself stunned on the spot and gawking like a fool.

    "Do you now understand the reason as to why your teleportation spell malfunctioned?"

    Corey''s body jerked hearing the voice of the beauty in front of him. A slightly baffled expression appeared on his face for an instant, then in the next second, he nodded.

    "Good¡­"

    The lips of the beauty moved, and Corey noticed something which he did not previously notice due to his stunned state.

    The sound emitted from the voice of the woman could be heard out loud. It was not a mental transmission like that of Corey and Nina.

    But despite her speaking, the liquid they were all in, did not even ripple.

    "... Anyway, next time, try not to mistakenly enter this ce until you''re of sufficient strength¡­ There are some things here that even my husband cannot take lightly."

    Herst words being a murmur which Corey did not hear, the beauty then turned to the front, no longer facing Corey.

    "We have some unwanted visitors¡­ Let''s send them back shall we?"

    ''We?''

    Corey frowned, wondering if he heard right¡­ and if he did, who was she talking to.

    Corey turned his head, trying to locate who the supposed partner of the wife of the Paragon Ancestor was, but once again¡­ he found nothing.

    He looked at her with a confused light in his eyes, but without sparing him a nce, the beauty opened her right palm and from out of thin air, dust like particles appeared above her right palm and in the blink of an eye, a ck pistol which resembled an AMT AutoMag, formed from those dust like particles.

    "It''s been a while."

    With a calm expression, she raised her gun and pointed it to the front. A secondter, her finger moved towards the trigger and then¡­

    There was no then¡­

    No sound was made. Norge fireworks could be seen.

    But what Corey could definitely see was a colorless straight line that appeared from the muzzle of the gun. As the colorless straight line moved forward, the ck liquid, space and every other substance¡­ tangible or non-tangible¡­ were obliterated in it''s path.

    As Corey followed the trail left behind by the colorless straight line, he saw ripples appear at certain spots in the liquid, then a ''few seconds''ter¡­ they stopped.

    No noise was made, no explosion orrge fireworks could be seen, and the colorless straight line disappeared.

    "¡­"

    "You shouldn''t stay here anymore."

    Corey''s head jerked to his right in surprise. Approximately a meter away from him was the heavenly face of the beauty.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "¡­What just happened?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Taking a moment to recover from his sudden shock, Corey asked, confusion apparent on his face.

    The beauty tilted her head slightly and with her brows slightly raised, she spoke:

    "I killed some of them while the others got injured."

    Corey blinked and with a nk expression, he turned towards the spot where the Queen Mother shot, but he saw¡­ nothing.

    "You''re still a mortal and too weak to see them¡­ There are things which cannot and should not be seen until you reach a certain level."

    Corey turned towards her, aplex light filled with various emotions were apparent in his eyes.

    "I''ll be sending you back now."

    "Wait!"

    Hearing the words of the queen mother, Corey quickly spoke and luckily¡­ and surprisingly, she stopped.

    "What?"

    With her brows raised, she spoke as she nudged her sses upwards.

    "Can you exin to me what Infinity Crystals truly are? What do they actually do?"

    Corey had never truly understood what the infinity crystals truly did, what benefits they gave him.

    The Paragon Ancestor told him that infinity crystals gave Paragons resistance towards the infinity crystal or crystals that they possessed, which meant that, if a Paragon had a fire infinity crystal, they would get fire resistance or if a Paragon had lightning infinity crystal, they would have lightning resistance.

    That was all Corey knew about the infinity crystals and he wanted to know more about infinity crystals.

    "Didn''t my husband tell you that Infinity Crystals only increase your resistance and mana quality and quantity?"

    "That''s all it does for Paragons?"

    Corey asked with slight bafflement evident in his tone.

    "That''s all?"

    The Queen Mother raised her brows, amusement present in her eyes.

    "Just that ability itself is what makes Paragons the bane of all mages and Supremes¡­ Just keep on living and you''ll understand how powerful the ability is."

    Corey raised his brows slightly and just as he did, the Queen Mother raised her hand.

    "No more questions¡­ I''ll send you back now."

    Corey frowned, and was about to speak, but before his lips even opened, a snap resounded in the surroundings and in that moment, Corey vanished.

    The Queen Mother slowly lowered her hand and with a calm expression, she nced down and if Corey were to look in the same direction as her, he would find nothing, but in the queen mother''s eyes¡­ what she saw was different.

    An unfathomablyrge ck eye also had it''s pupil looking in her direction, no words were spoken and no actions were taken, but numerous ripples formed around the queen mother and therge ck eye in the distance.

    "Hmm."

    A soft ''hmm'' sound escaped her lips and with a soft nudge on her sses, she vanished¡­ leaving behind this dangerous and strange environment.

 Chapter 165 164: Anon

    ?

    Above the city of sin, the sky darkened as night time came. But unlike the outside world before the apocalypse, the difference between the day and night was almost non-existent.

    Activities which would normally be performed in the absence of light due to the fear of thew, were performed during the day and night in the Underworld.

    But, despite there being no w'' in the Underworld, there were activities that were mainly carried out in the dark.

    In a decrepit part of the outer area of the city of sin, a ck hooded figure leaned against a wall with his hands in his pocket, his head raised and his ck eyes gazing at the darkened sky above, a stark contrast from the sky in the outside world where one could gaze at the stars, while dreaming about bing a star or someone important in the future.

    The hooded figure with his back against a wall had an emotionless expression as he looked at the sky above, various thoughts running through his head, and for two minutes, the figure just kept on looking at the night sky, then he released a breath and pushed himself off the wall.

    With his hands in his pocket, the figure walked out of the alley he was in and a cacophony of sounds flowed into his ears as he reached a T-junction. He looked around for a few seconds then he took a turn to the left, his figure mixing with the numerous men and women on the road he was on.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Hey sexy, do you want to spend the night with me? I''m cheap and avable."

    A few minutester, a woman dressed in a bra that left her nipples exposed and panties that left her pussy exposed, spoke with a sultry tone while gesturing towards the hooded figure as she moved her body in a seductive manner.

    The hooded figure nced at the scantily dressed female, then his eyes moved to the building behind the female where other scantily dressed females and even naked females could be seen, each either with a male or female, or each either trying to bring a male or female towards them.

    The hooded figure without saying anything, ignored the female while walking away from the building, leaving behind a bbergasted expression on the scantily dressed female.

    "Quality cheap ves are avable for your every use! Buy three, you get an extra one for free! They can be used for anything!"

    A female stood in front arge cage filled with men, women and even kids. With a whip in her left hand and a blunt in her right hand, the woman spoke with a loud voice as a few men, women and even kids watched the despair stricken ves.

    The hooded figure had a slightly surprised expression seeing the female who was in charge of the ves, his eyes then went to the despair stricken ves who were being bargained on by the men, women and kids in front of the woman.

    The female had a calm expression on her face, not bothered by the crowd in front of her, and without addressing the crowd, she ced the blunt in her mouth, inhaled softly and a secondter, an almost colorless smoke was emitted from her lips.

    Her eyes moved from one customer to another, then her eyes caught sight of a hooded figure who was walking past her ''shop''. She observed the direction the hooded figure took and a strange light appeared in her eyes, but a secondter, she shrugged, took another puff from the blunt in her hand and to the relief of her customers, she addressed them.

    The hooded figure who already sensed the female ver master''s nce, had a calm expression and without looking back, he kept on walking with his hands still in his pocket.

    As he kept on walking, his eyes moved, taking note of his surroundings, and just like he expected, he saw numerous other buildings where immoral and activities of debauchery took ce. There were other ces that had ves on disy, their futures meant to be defined by their future masters.

    Apart from ves¡­ weapons, equipment and various other materials were being sold. The hooded figure even caught a glimpse of abat ring which had quite arge crowd.

    Just as the hooded figure was subtly observing his surroundings, he caught sight of two talking hooded individuals walking towards his direction. Although it didn''t look like they had bad intentions towards the hooded figure, but from their bodynguage and movement, the hooded figure had a 80% guess that they were there for him.

    Without a change in his expression, his left eye changed and rapidly changing numbers, symbols and letters appeared in his eye, unseen by the people around him.

    Around two secondster, the hooded figure''s left eye changed back to normal and with his expression not even having a minute change, he kept on walking with his hands in his pocket.

    Around ten secondster, the hooded figure reached the two white hooded men, but just as the hooded figure was about to pass the two hooded men, one of the men slowed down in his movement, and with a fast and precise movement, he brought out a knife and shed it towards the neck of the lone hooded figure.

    Already expecting such an attack from the white hooded figure, the ck hooded figure removed his hands from his pocket at an extremely fast speed, and with a calm expression, he mmed the top of the white hooded wrist, causing the knife to fall.

    The eyes of the ck hooded figure nced at the falling knife and with calm and extremely focused eyes, the ck hooded figure moved his legs and kicked the handle of the falling knife with just the right amount of power and the right time, causing the knife to fly upwards.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Meanwhile the white hooded figure who was at first stunned by the ck hooded figure''s response, came back from his stunned state and was about to continue his attack, but just as he moved¡­

    Bam

    Bloodied broken teeth flew out from the white hooded figure''s mouth and with tears involuntarily spilling out of his eyes, the white hooded figure''s head moved back, his neck almost snapping from the force of the punch given to him by the ck hooded figure.

    Without waiting for the white hooded figure''s response, the ck hooded figure grabbed the knife which he had kicked, and with a calm expression, his hand moved, wanting to sh at the white hooded figure''s throat, but¡­

    Bang!

    A gunshot resounded in the environment, and the pupils of the ck hooded figure constricted slightly. With a slight turn of his neck, his head moved and just by a millimeter, a bullet pass by the head of the ck hooded figure.

    Without turning his head, the ck hooded figure spun the knife in between his fingers and in the next second, he threw the knife towards the other white hooded figure.

    "Gahh."

    A soft gurgling sound resounded and with a slight turn of his head, he looked at the white hooded figure who had his hands around a knife deeply embedded inside his throat.

    Thud

    The white hooded figure fell, producing a soft thud as a result.

    The ck hooded figure turned seeing the fallen white hooded figure, but just as he turned, he raised his hand with his palm wide open, and a secondter, a fistnded in his palm.

    The ck hooded figure looked at the white hooded figure and with an emotionless expression, he clenched his fists and a cracking sound emerged from the fist of the white hooded figure.

    A groan escaped the lips of the white hooded figure and with the same emotionless expression, the ck hooded figure strengthened his grip on the white hooded figure''s fist, causing more cracking sounds to resound from the white hooded figure''s fist.

    "Please."

    The white hooded figure pleaded as he knelt, a pained and fearful expression could be seen on his face.

    But despite the white hooded figure''s plea, the ck hooded figure just had an emotionless expression and without saying a word, he strengthened his grip once again.

    "I was previously heading to your base of operations, but since you''re here, why don''t you guide me there¡­ and as you do that, make sure to tell your ''friends'' to back down or they''ll be like your best friend right there."

    The ck hooded figure spoke, as he subtly nced to his left and right, where various men and women had paused what they were doing, most of them looking at his direction with subtle killing intent towards him.

    Meanwhile, the white hooded figure had an expression of fear and confusion as he looked at the emotionless eyes of the ck hooded figure, and with a stutter, he spoke:

    "Who- Who are you?"

    The ck hooded figure tilted his head slightly and with an emotionless tone, he replied:

    "Anon."

 Chapter 166 165: Neon

    ?

    "So¡­ Mr. Anon¡­ Let us cut to the chase¡­ What do you want and why are you here?"

    In a slightlyrge luxurious room which had paintings and weapons on the wall, four individuals, could be seen in the room. Two sat at the opposite ends of a brown desk, and the remaining two, stood on the left and right side of one of the men sitting in front of the desks, they''re posture and attitude, denoting that they were bodyguards.

    The man who had two bodyguards by his sides, wore a red looking expensive suit and in his mouth, was a Cuban cigar. The man currently had a curious and confused expression as he observed the face of the ck hooded figure.

    He noticed that despite the ck hood covering the figure''s devilishly handsome face, he could see that the man''s hair waspletely white, a beautiful and pure kind of white. But unlike the man''s hair which was white, the eyes of the hooded figure was ck,pletely ck. Not even his sclera was spared of the ck color, making the hooded figure seem like a devil royal from the deepest parts of¡­

    ''Who is he?''

    Never in his life, had the man in red suit seen a man like the ck hooded figure before him.

    His countenance, his calm and rxed behavior and his eyes which made the man in red suit fearful, made him to think of anybody important called Anon.

    "You don''t have to think so much Mr.¡­ Oscar, I''m here to offer you a business proposition, not harm you¡­ as long as you don''t harm me first."

    The eyes of the man in red suit widened to it''s limits and with a fast movement of his right hand, he brought out a pistol from underneath the table, and with cold eyes, he spoke, while aiming the pistol at the head of the ck hooded figure.

    "How do you know my name. Very few people know my name."

    "Well I guess I''m one of the few."

    A smile formed on the lips of the ck hooded figure, his expression and posture, showing his nonchnce at the pistol aimed at his head.

    Meanwhile the man in red suit, Oscar, had a deep furrow of his brows seeing the nonchnce of the ck hooded figure before him. With a calm movement of his finger, he deactivated the safety of the pistol¡­ his intention was to scare or at least remove the nonchnt behavior of the ck hooded figure.

    But the subsequent actions of the ck hooded figure, fully showed the man in red suit, that his intended effect was definitely not achieved.

    Anon, the ck hooded figure, ced his hand in the lower pocket of his hoodie, and just as he did that¡­

    Bang!

    A loud gunshot resounded in the room, and just behind the ck hooded figure, was a bullet sized hole, and not only that¡­ a cut could be seen on the side of the hood of the ck hooded figure.

    "What do you think you''re doing? Do you think I''m joking with you? Answer me this instant¡­ How do you know my name?"

    With frigid coldness in his tone, Oscar spoke as a whitish smoke hovered from the barrel of the gun. But a secondter, Oscar''s eyes widened slightly when he saw the cut on the hood of the ck hooded figure ''heal'' itself, and the hood going back to normal in the blink of an eye.

    "What in the name of-"

    "You can''t, and won''t kill me because you don''t know if I''m the only one that knows your secret¡­"

    Unchanging and indifferent, Anon''s tone and expression remained the same. Without sparing Oscar a nce, Anon continued his previous actions while speaking:<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "If you kill me¡­ something which you definitely cannot achieve¡­ Your so called, ''private'' and hidden information would be exposed to all your enemies."

    Oscar''s posture, expression and breathing changed as he heard Anon''s words. His lips parted open, wanting to speak, but a secondter, a soft thud reached his ears and his eyes moved to his desk where a small transparent palm sized vial could be seen.

    "What is that?"

    Those words involuntarily escaped his lips as he observed the transparent vial. His eyes squinted slightly as he noticed a white powdery substance in the vial.

    "Neon."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    With his back leaning against the chair he was sitting on, Anon spoke calmly¡­ but his words only caused an expression of confusion to emerge on Oscar''s face.

    Without waiting for Oscar to speak, Anon spoke once again:

    "Neon is a drug¡­ Apart from it causing hallucinations, serenity and a state of reaching cloud nine¡­ it also has other another effect¡­"

    A surprised and suspicious light shed in Oscar''s eyes as he heard the mysterious Anon''s words. Never did he think that the man before him would want to sell drugs to him.

    Although he was in charge of an organization that sold drugs, weeds and various other sorts of narcotics, he had never encountered such a mysterious and somewhat terrifying person that wanted to sell drugs to him.

    Once again, his lips parted open, wanting to speak but just like before, he was interrupted¡­

    "¡­Neon can permanently add stats to any random attribute."

    "¡­ Huh?"

    A baffled and stunned expression appeared on the face of Oscar as he heard Anon''s words. Seconds of silence passed until Oscar''s brain fullyprehended Anon''s words. But despite himprehending the words, his mind still refused to believe that Anon''s words were true.

    "You''re lying. There''s no way there''s a narcotic that can do something like that."

    As Oscar spoke, his eyes observed Corey, wanting to notice any sign of dishonesty, but no matter how much he looked, he found nothing but calmness and confidence from Anon''s countenance.

    "Just like I said, Neon is different from other types of drugs¡­ Neon is not only avable in powdered form, it''s also avable in tablets¡­"

    As Anon spoke with a nonchnt tone, he brought out another vial that contained white tablets and with a soft shake of his hand, the tablets moved, producing a rattling sound as they collided with the walls of the vial.

    "You can either mix the powdered form of Neon with ordinary water, or any liquid that you desire¡­ Or you can either mix it with your weed or cigarettes, it would provide the same effects¡­ Or you can give your customers the tablets¡­ Or you can just sniff the powdered form like how you sniff your other low quality drugs¡­"

    "Using Neon in any form or manner, would provide you with the same benefits¡­ hallucinations, serenity and in increase in your stats¡­"

    "So, Mr. Oscar, do you want to buy some Neon?"

 Chapter 168 167: Insufficient Funds

    ?

    A few minutes after Anon left, Oscar gritted his teeth and with a heavy grunt, he stood while holding his right hand which had two broken fingers. He nced at his fingers then with cold eyes, he pressed the power button of his Watch of the Underworld.

    "I want to buy every info there is on Anon¡­ Everything."

    With eyes that contained anger, coldness and fear, Oscar spoke with his mouth near the silver watch.

    "That bastard."

    Oscar muttered with gritted teeth when he remembered the indifferent expression of Anon. But as he remembered Anon''s warning and extremely ck and indifferent eyes, he trembled slightly.

    [INFORMATION ON THE INDIVIDUAL NAMED ANON IS CLASSIFIED]

    Hearing the android like voice from his Watch of the Underworld, Oscar came out from his fear like state and with a sneer and disdain in his eyes, he spoke:

    "He blocked his information? What a fool¡­ Did he think there''s anything like ssified information or hidden information in the Underworld¡­ Nothing escapes the Underworld fool."

    A chuckle escaped Oscar''s lips and with a smirk, he spoke once again:n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "I''ll pay to unlock his ''ssified'' information¡­ I want to buy everything."

    ''Once I know who you truly are and everything about you, I''ll definitely make my n on how to destroy you¡­ You dare destroy two of my fingers.''

    A glint appeared in Oscar''s eyes and with an expectant light in his eyes, he waited for his expected response from his Watch of the Underworld.

    But¡­

    [REQUEST DENIED]

    "Huh?... Why?"

    A baffled expression appeared on Oscar''s face as he heard those words. He could not fathom the reason for his request to be denied.

    In the Underworld, there was no such thing as hidden information, everything could be bought with value points. The more value points you have, the higher your value to the Underworld.

    And in terms of Value Points, although he was definitely not among the richest of the entire Underworld, he was definitely among the richest in the Outer Area, if not the richest person in the Outer area of the Underworld.

    And from his inspection, he knew Anon was just a tier 1 individual, a very powerful and scary tier 1 individual.

    In fact whenever he thinks about Anon''s tier and absurd strength, a chill crept up his spine.

    Why?

    Because he was a tier 2 being, a tier 2 human. He knew he was definitely not among the strongest tier 2 individuals.

    In fact, he knew he was a weak tier 2 individual, but despite that, he could defeat some tier 2 individuals and he could definitely defeat almost every tier 1 individual he came across. So for Anon, a tier 1 individual to break his fingers so easily¡­ scared him the more.

    Anon''s strength was already frightening enough for Oscar, and if Oscar had to face the reality that Anon, a tier 1 individual, had more value points than him¡­

    He would much rather not believe that Anon was richer than him, but once again¡­ reality was a¡­

    [IT HAS BEEN DETECTED THAT YOU HAVE INSUFFICIENT FUNDS FOR YOUR REQUEST TO BE ACCEPTED]

    "¡­"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Fuck."

    Oscar cursed with gritted teeth and a cold glint appeared in his eyes. He looked at his Watch of the Underworld, and the glint in his eyes intensified.

    "Should I give out the information that there''s a new tier 1 that''s richer than I am?"

    Oscar mumbled then his eyes moved to his fingers, and a few secondster, he looked at the vial of Neon on his desk.

    "Ah fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck it!"

    Curses spewed out from Oscar''s lips and with an exhausted sigh, he fell backwards,ying t on the floor.

    "I fucking regret this."

    (Meanwhile Anon)

    After leaving Oscar behind in his office, Anon had to go through two rooms to get to the door that led to the exit.

    As Anon walked to the door, he had a calm expression despite the hidden forces in the rooms he passed by. Although he wasn''t a hundred percent sure if his new subordinate would decide to tell his people to attack him, he at least knew that if his subordinate gave out the signal to attack him, he was definitely going to end him and his entire business.

    But luckily, Oscar made the right choice.

    Anon stood before the door that led outside the bungalow he was in, and to his surprise and confusion, he had a premonition.

    His head tilted slightly as he wondered why he felt the way he was currently feeling. His brows furrowed slightly, and with a slight turn of his neck, he looked to his right, where he could see a white hooded figure hiding behind a curtain.

    His frown deepened, and with a soft internal sigh, he removed his hands from his pockets then he opened the door.

    He looked around with a calm expression and with his hands outside of his pockets, he walked out of the building.

    His eyes kept on looking around with calm but vignt eyes as he walked. He kept on walking for at least 100m, but¡­ nothing happened to him nor did he see anything that made him to feel vignt.

    ''Was I just been paranoid?''

    Squeak Squeak

    Just as Anon had that thought, squeaking noises reached his ears and with a slight furrow of his brows, he looked down.

    At his feet was a slightlyrge rat which had a substance in it''s mouth. A frown formed on Anon''s face as he observed the rat which was chewing on the substance in it''s mouth.

    He then looked away from the rat, then he looked around. As he looked around, he realized something which he previously didn''t notice due to his vignce towards the source of his premonition.

    The street which previously had people¡­ was now devoid of people.

    Anon''s eyes squinted and just as it did, he heard another squeak, and with constricted pupils, he looked at the rat and without hesitation, he kicked it.

    But¡­

    BOOM!

 Chapter 169 168: Ambush

    An explosion akin to that of at least 5 grenades unleashed at the same time, urred as soon as Anon kicked the rat at his feet.

    A huge amount of smoke enveloped an area of at least ten meters, a result of the unexpectedly massively explosion. Seconds passed and from the buildings nearby, numerous footsteps resounded and from the slightly dark environment, around ten figures emerged, each with a ck covering around their mouth and noses.

    "Think he''s dead?"

    A figure who stood at the forefront of the group questioned as he observed the smoke. In his hand, was a cage filled with rats.

    "Can''t be too sure. Send another rat."

    Another figure which stood beside the figure filled with rats, spoke, her eyes stoic and in her left ear was a device that looked simr to an air pod.

    "Aye aye cap."

    A soft chuckle escaped the lips of the man with rats. He knelt and with a smile behind the ck cloth at the lower part of his face, he opened the rat cage.

    "Have a st guys."

    Squeak Squeak

    The rats squeaked and without hesitation, they all ran to the smoke in the distance¡­ which surprisingly, had not dispersed despite the amount of time that has gone by.

    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

    Consecutive loud explosions resounded, causing the ground to tremble.

    "Wow¡­ that''s a lot of explosions¡­ Whenst was I able to perform such art."

    A fanatic expression appeared on the face of the man who released the rats. He turned towards the female beside him and with a wide smile, he bowed.

    "Thank you for allowing me this cap!"

    Despite hearing her subordinates words of appreciation, the captain did not even spare him a nce, her eyes just remained stoic and her lips barely moving.

    She had her arms folded as she waited for the smoke to disperse so as to finish off the foolish tier 1 human who dared to intrude and disrupt their business.

    As a tier 2 human, she felt that killing a tier 1 human should be extremely easy, and was in fact beneath her, but due to her boss, who warned her to not take the tier 2 human lightly, she decided to ambush the tier 1 human.

    Just as she waited for the smoke to disperse, she noticed that instead of the smoke reducing, it was increasing. She frowned.

    "Boss¡­ I think there''s a problem."

    The rat man spoke with confusion evident in his tone, but the female didn''t even spare him a nce. She looked around and her frown deepened. She unfolded her arms and her lips parted open, wanting to speak, but¡­

    ''Argghh!"

    A scream resounded in her ears and with a fast but calm movement, she ced her left hand on themunication device in her left ear.

    "S4, speak to me. What happened?"

    Despite her questioning her subordinate over the phone, in her heart and mind, she didn''t expect a reply.

    And unsurprisingly, no reply was given to her.

    "S1? S2? S3?... Can anyone give me a response?"

    She asked once again, but just like before, she received no response.

    "Tch."

    She clicked her tongue and just as she did, the rat man voice reached her ears.

    "Huh, boss."

    "What?"

    She questioned and without her hearing her subordinate''s reply, she muttered a curse.

    ''Weren''t we the ones setting up an ambush? Howe we''re being ambushed instead?''

    The female captain wondered with slight frustration emerging on her face.

    "I think the target has the ability to control smoke?"

    "You think?"

    The captain spoke with sarcasm as she heard her subordinate''s words, and just as she spoke¡­<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Argh."

    A short scream resounded from behind her and without hesitation, she turned back, but all she saw was a thick fog all around her.

    "Hmm."

    A frown emerged on her face as she felt something touch her back and buttock, and with cold eyes, her body moved, and white sparks formed around her legs.

    "Wait, wait, Cap. It''s me, it''s me."

    The familiar voice of the rat man reached her ears and with a frown, she paused her movement and the sparks on her legs dissipated.

    A breath of relief was released from the rat man, but he felt a chill when he realized that his cap was looking at him with cold eyes. He gulped and with sweat on his forehead, he hurriedly spoke:

    "I decided to stay close to you so as to not get separated."

    The captain looked at her subordinate for approximately two seconds, and without saying, she turned away from him and looked around.

    "Phew."

    The rat man released a breath and with a relieved expression, he moved wanting to stand back to back with his captain, but just as he moved, a hand appeared from nowhere and to his shock and fear, his mouth was covered.

    "Hmmm."

    He released a muffled sound, fully intending to notify his captain of their enemy''s presence.

    Crackle

    Whoosh

    Even without her subordinate notifying her of the enemy''s presence, the captain already sensed that something was wrong and without hesitation, she attacked.

    Sparks appeared on her legs and with a spin, the captain jumped and she gave a roundhouse kick.

    Hearing the sound of sparks, the eyes of the rat man brightened but a secondter¡­

    sh

    Spurt

    Half of the rat man''s head was sliced apart and blood spilled out from his head as a result.

    Thud

    His body fell, producing a soft thud. Meanwhile, Anon had widened eyes as he saw a fast moving deing at his neck, he quickly raised his right arm, cing it in front of his neck.

    Puchin/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Tsk."

    Anon cursed and just as he cursed, the de which was embedded in his arm was removed. Anon''s eyes widened once again when he saw from his left eye, another deing at the left side of his neck at a breathtaking speed.

    Crackle!

    Whoosh

    He ducked and due to his current posture and the wind generated from the fast movement of the attack aimed at him, the hood covering his head fell off, exposing his white hair, extremely ck eyes and

    Whoosh!

    Anon''s eyes widened as he saw a ck boot which had desing out from both the rear and front of the boot. Not only that, the boot also had white sparks around it.

    Seeing the iing deadly boot, Anon quickly ced his hands on the ground and with a calm expression, he did a calm expression while using a skill at the same time.

    ''Super Jump''

    Using the skill, Super Jump on his hands instead of his legs, Anon''s body reached higher than what was humanely possible, surprising the female captain.

    Thud

    Landing with a calm expression, Anon twisted his neck slightly and with a calm expression, he looked at the female captain who also looked back at him with a stoic expression.

    The stare down continued for approximately five seconds, and without saying a word, they both ran towards each other.

 Chapter 170 169: Dog Of The Terror Queen

    ?

    Bang!

    Two body parts collided with each other, generating a loud sound and a gust of wind. The wind blew at the faces of the owners of the body parts and approximately three secondster, the owners separated from each other.

    The female captain performed a backflip as she separated her leg from her opponent''s arm which was used to block her attack.

    As shended, a frown formed upon her face as she looked at the calm expression on her opponent''s face despite his burnt and trembling arm.

    Her eyes moved towards her opponent''s arm and a secondter, her eyes widened slightly when she saw the burnt and destroyed part of Anon''s cloth, repair itself.

    ''Clothes can do that?''

    Whoosh

    Without bothering about the thoughts of his opponent, Anon ran towards his opponent, his initial speed, producing sudden gusts of wind which brought back the female captain from her thoughts.

    The female captain clicked her tongue and with cold eyes, sparks appeared round her feet and ankles.

    Bang!

    Zap!

    Akin to a sh of lightning, the female captain seemingly disappeared and at a speed which could definitely not be seen by normal human eyes or even the eyes of some tier 1 beings, she ran towards Anon.

    Bang

    The ground beneath her feet got destroyed as she used her right leg and as an anchor, and with killing intent in her eyes, she raised her left leg and kicked towards Anon''s head.

    Knowing the full danger and costs that would apany him if he blocked the attack, Anon bent and with a smooth movement, he swiped his leg at the right foot of the female captain¡­ But¡­

    Just as Anon was about to hit the foot of the female captain, the female captain jumped and with a calm expression, she mmed her left foot towards Anon, her speed and reflexes¡­ lightning fast.

    Bang!

    But despite her speed which was extremely fast, Anon moved away, even before the attack was initiated. Rolling to the side, Anon quickly stood, a drop of sweatnding on the floor in the process.

    Whoosh!

    Spark!

    The sound of sparks and the wind being disturbed heavily reached Anon''s ears, and without wasting time, Anon turned back. And just as he did, he saw a ck boot which had a de at the tiping at his face.

    He dodged the attack and just as he did, he heard a soft voice from his opponent.

    "First kick."

    Whoosh!

    Spark!

    A kick, faster than the previous ones approached Anon''s face and his pupils constricted slightly seeing that. Having a bad premonition, he moved back, not wanting to be in the range of the female captain''s current attack¡­ and subsequent attacks.

    sh!

    But despite him moving back, a miniscule cut appeared on his nose.

    "Second kick."

    Another soft mumble, reached Anon''s ears and this time, without hesitation, he jumped back using his skill, Super Jump.

    Bang

    The ground beneath his feet cracked and to his relief, he was able to dodge the attackunched at him. Hended on the ground, a safe distance away from the female captain, and a frown formed on his face.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    He touched his nose lightly, and his frown deepened slightly. He released a soft sigh and with a calm expression, he changed his stance slightly¡­ His ck eyes, bing oddly still.

    Meanwhile the female captain had a deep frown on her face as she looked at her opponent who disrupted her chain of attacks by jumping to a distance far from her reach¡­ attacks that if allowed to continue, would have definitely killed Anon¡­ or forced Anon to do certain things which he would definitely not want to do.

    The female captain took a deep breath, and in the next second¡­

    Bang!

    Sparks appeared around her feet once again, and just like before, she ran towards Anon at an extremely fast speed.

    Just as she was halfway towards reaching Anon, she jumped slightly and a soft but calm voice escaped her lips.

    "Extinguisher"

    Crackle

    Ka-Cha!!

    A loud sound simr to that of a thunder, resounded and in less than a second, lightning engulfed the legs of the female captain and like a spear thrown by the god of lightning, the female captain moved and in the blink of a mortal human eye, she appeared in front of Anon¡­ Her legs and feet engulfed by lightning, and the de at the tip of her boot was red hot¡­.

    It''s aim?

    Anon''s neck.

    At a distance of approximately 20 centimeters, just before the de could reach Anon''s neck, Anon moved his neck to the side, intending to dodge the attack, but¡­

    sh

    A cut of approximately, 1.5cm, appeared on his neck, spewing out blood as a result.

    But despite the cut on his neck, Anon did not flinch nor did he scream, his eyes only reflected his opponent as she passed by his side as a result of the attack.

    Just as the female captain was about topletely pass by his side, he spread out his palm and from the sleeve of his hoodie, a syringe dropped unto his palm.

    With a calm and focused expression, Anon raised his arms, and with all his strength, he stabbed the syringe into the chest of his opponent, making sure not to stab the heart of the female captain in the process.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Bam

    "Ah."

    A shout of pain escaped the lips of the female captain as she fell unto the floor with the needle stuck inside her chest. A groan escaped her lips and just as she was about to stand, so as to regain her bearing, her expression changed drastically and a cough escaped her lips, staining the ck cloth which was covering the lower part of her face.

    Blood escaped her lips and with a baffled expression, she touched her lips. Her expression changed once again, and another cough escaped her lips. She quickly removed the blood soaked cloth covering her mouth, and a groan of pain escaped her lips.

    She held her stomach and writhed on the ground.

    "You''re not going to get any better soon, there''s a high probability that you might die¡­ Haven''t tested out this poison on a person before."

    A calm voice reached her ears and with cold eyes, she turned towards the source of the voice¡­ Anon.

    "Don''t look at me like that¡­ You caused to yourself, attacking from out of the blue."

    Anon, who was sitting on the ground with an exhausted expression, released a tired sigh as he held his bleeding neck.

    "You really are something else."

    Anon muttered, then he released another sigh. He looked at the writhing and struggling female captain, and although some might harbor perverted thoughts due to the figure, sexiness and helplessness of the female captain, Anon had no such thoughts, his eyes only held indifference towards the female captain.

    "I think it''s about time you told me where your base is located¡­ you dog of The Terror Queen."

 Chapter 171 170: Familiarity

    ?

    Terror

    The Terror Queen

    The Dogs of Terror and the Terror Queen

    All these names, these titles, were names and titles, an average person of the Outer area of the city of sin wouldn''t know about, only a few¡­pared to the total poption of the outer area of the city of sin know about the organization called Terror and their might.

    "So you know about us."

    A cold glint shed in the eyes of the female captain, and despite the pain she was feeling from the poison in her system, as well as the continuous leaking and dripping blood from her lips, she decided to reign in her urge to scream and not give her opponent the sense of satisfaction from her scream.

    Not that he needed it anyway.

    "Yeah I know about your group called Terror. Every member wears a ck mask around the lower parts of their face¡­ though I don''t know why. It''s not like you guys have a mouth or nose disfiguration."

    A curious light shined in Anon''s eyes as he observed the slightly beautiful face of the female captain, her face containing zero disfiguration.

    "Anyway, the other thing which¡­ unfortunately, I also don''t know about, is where your base in the Outer area is¡­ And I would appreciate it, if you tell me the location."

    Despite requesting for the location of the base of the female captain, Anon did not expect an answer from the female captain, and due to this, he was beginning to think of what torture to use on the female captain.

    But¡­

    "Alright I''ll tell you."

    "¡­Hmm?"

    Anon turned towards the female captain with a baffled expression, her reply catching him off-guard.

    "I said I''ll tell you the location of our base."

    Annoyance and frustration seeped into the tone of the female captain, contorting her already contorted face.

    Meanwhile Anon squinted his eyes and with a soft grunt, he stood. He looked around and in the distance, he saw a few vehicles parked at a safe distance from the location of where the battle took ce.

    He walked towards one of the cars, and after making sure it was safe by checking beneath the car for no explosives or an enemy hiding in the boot or inside the car, Anon entered the car and luckily, he found the key to the car inside the ignition of the car.

    He started the car and he drove it towards the female captain, stopping the car in such a way that the passenger side of the car, was facing the female captain.

    "Get in."

    The female captain nced at the ck car and her left eye twitched.

    "That''s my car."

    Holding her stomach which was rumbling in pain, the female captain spoke, as she looked at Anon with slightly cold reddened eyes.

    "Do I look like I care?"

    Anon replied with a nonchnt tone and with beckon of his hand, he told her once again to enter the car.

    "I''ll send you the location of our base, you can go there yourself, but I want the antidote to this insidious poison you injected me with."

    Hearing and seeing her refusal toply to his words, Anon was amused and a small smile formed on his lips as a result.

    "Come on, you''re better and wiser than that. Don''t be stupid, enter the car and direct me towards your base¡­ or else."

    Anon spoke while exuding a small percentage of his killing intent towards the female captain. Although the killing intent wasn''t enough to make her tremble in fear or be frozen in fear, it made her realize that the mysterious man before her, was serious.

    And with a heavy frown on her face, she groaned but as a result, more blood spilled out of her lips. Her expression, though would elicit the urge to help in moat males and females, especially horny males, Anon had zero expression ofpassion or pity on his face.

    His expression containing indifference towards the current plight of the female captain. Despite Anon''s indifference towards her situation, the female captain was not bothered.

    She gritted her teeth and with a determined expression, she stood and walked to the car with blood leaking from her lips and dripping from her nose.

    Bang

    Closing the door with a force that was higher than what was required, the female captain entered the car with a frown while breathing heavily.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Now I''m wondering if it''s actually your car."

    Anon spoke with a slight intrigue in his tone, and the female captain nced at him, sweat dripping from her forehead. Although she wanted to speak, she decided not to waste the little energy she had left in her.

    With every internal and external blood loss she experienced, her energy levels went down and she felt weakened, her head was also bing foggy at the same time.

    "Let''s go."

    She said with a weak tone, and Anon shrugged and in the next moment, he started the ignition and drove off.

    "So where are we going?" Anon asked as he drove.

    "I''ve sent it to your Underworld watch."

    Hearing the female captain''s reply, Anon raised his brows. He tapped on his and a map hovered on top of his Watch. He nced at his watch for a second, then with a soft ''hmm'', he pressed his leg on the throttle at full force.

    Vroom!

    "You know¡­ if you''re lying to me and you''re taking me to a trap¡­ you''re dead."

    Without looking at the female captain, Anon spoke with a cold tone but indifferent tone.

    "It''s not like there''d be any difference either way."

    Anon nced at the female captain who although had a pained expression, spoke with a nonchnt tone. He looked away from the female captain and while looking at the road, he spoke:n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "True."

    Vroom!

    ----

    (Approximately Twenty Five Minutes Later)

    Anon stopped beside a three storey building, and from what he could see, it was a building that sold ves.

    He got down from the car and a few secondster, the female captain did the same, although with extremely difficulty.

    Thud

    "Hmm."

    A groan of pain escaped her lips as she fell from the car during the process of her trying to get out of the car. This showed the level of weakness she was currently feeling, and the sweat on her face and the unfocused expression in her eyes, clearly expressed her current condition.

    Despite her condition and the fact that she fell from the car, Anon only had an emotionless expression as he looked at her, his eyes not even having a hint of pity in them.

    In fact, he looked away from her and with a soft sigh, he turned to his back.

    "So I guess we''re at the right ce¡­ But¡­"

    Anon spoke with a calm tone and expression as he looked at the group of about fifty people which had their weapons out, and their eyes radiating coldness.

    "¡­ I''m guessing this was a trap from the onset?"

    Anon spoke, his expression oddly calm and unbothered about the group before him.

    "No handsome, it was not a trap¡­ But I mean¡­ When you pull up in front of my property, with my daughter''s car, without her bodyguards¡­ I mean¡­ what did you expect?"

    A calm, authoritative and slightly sensual voice resounded in the environment, and from the group of 50 emerged a familiar woman.

    The female ve trader

    Her face bearing a striking resemnce to the female captain

    She tilted her head and with a smile she looked at her daughter who had an indifferent expression.

    "I see you have my daughter with you¡­ I''d like her back please."

 Chapter 172 171: Businessman

    ?

    ''Well that was surprising.''

    Anon wore a slightly startled expression as he saw the leader of the group revealing herself as the mother of the female captain.

    His left eye changed and rapidly changing numbers, symbols and letters flickered across his left eye, unnoticed by others. A few secondster, his eye changed back to normal and Anon had his brows furrowed slightly.

    ''She''s tier 3?... But that wasn''t what I saw on the E-Underworld''

    Noticing the slight furrow of his brows, the mother of the female captain tilted her head slightly, her eyes having a slightly curious and intrigued light.

    "Why the frown handsome?"

    Anon came out of his thoughts as he heard her voice which carried a hint of sensuality. He looked at her and with a soft exhale, he spoke:

    "So, I assume you''re the Terror Queen?"

    Anon questioned, concealing the true reason behind his frown.

    Meanwhile the Terror Queen upon hearing the words of the enigmatic and¡­ somewhat foolish tier 1 before her, wore a small smile on her lips. She extended her arms and with a calm tone which contained a hint of pride in it, she replied:

    "In the flesh handsome."

    "By the way, I''m curious¡­ what gave you so much confidence toe here, thinking you''d make it out alive?"

    Anon ced his hand on his chin as he contemted on his reply to that question. He nced at the female captain who was struggling to breathe, her expression terribly pale, and her eyes gradually losing the light in them.

    Seeing all of these symptoms on the daughter of the Terror Queen, a small smile formed on his lips, and with that same smile, he turned towards the Terror Queen.

    "Well, I had nned on killing her initially, but since she''s your daughter and¡­ you''re stronger than I expected¡­"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Anon took a deliberate pause, noting the minute change in the expression of the Terror Queen, the minute change confirming his suspicion that the Terror Queen did not want her true power level to be exposed.

    "Anyway¡­ since she''s your daughter, how about we have a private conversation, just¡­ the three of us¡­"

    Anon gestured towards the female captain as he spoke, but he saw a small disconcerting smile form on the lips of the Terror Queen¡­ the smile gave him a slightly unsettling feeling.

    "After we have our private discussion and I''m assured of my safety. I''ll provide your daughter the antidote to the poison I injected in her."

    As soon as Anon finished speaking, a chuckle reached his ears, followed by a voice dripping with mockery:

    "Are you trying to use me as leverage against that woman¡­ Do you think she cares about me at all, you think she loves me?"

    Anon turned towards the female captain who was sitting on the floor with her back resting against her car. Although she felt extremely weak, even showing in her voice, she mustered the strength to speak about her mother.

    Anon''s brows were furrowed upon hearing the words of the daughter of the Terror Queen and he looked back at the Terror Queen who just gave him a nonchnt shrug as a response to his gaze.

    "Why do you think I gave out the location of our base so easily? It''s because I don''t care and I would definitely not want to suffer more than I''ve already suffered cause of this group."

    With her tone containing a little bit of anger and frustration, the female captain spoke and Anon''s brows furrowed the more.

    "I don''t believe that your mother doesn''t actually love you¡­"

    Anon paused as he gestured towards the group of fifty which had surrounded him in a circle.

    "If your mother didn''t actually love you, this many people would definitely note out to attack me, and neither do I believe that your mother would have personally appeared to save you."

    Hearing the words of the man who was the cause of her current situation, the female captain had furrowed brows, a contemtive and slightly confused light appeared in her eyes as she looked around her then at her mother.

    "Before you start having weird thoughts, I came out for a whole different reason¡­ I didn''te out because of you."

    ''Well that must hurt.''

    Anon thought to himself, his lips twitching as he heard the words of the Terror Queen.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    ''Well, I guess the rumors about her being heartless were true."

    Anon thought, and just as he had this thought, the Terror Queen spoke once again, interrupting his thoughts.

    "By the way, why weren''t you able to kill him, he''s just a tier 1 human. Also¡­ why are you the one that''s poisoned when the rat man in your group makes his rats explode using a colorless poisonous bomb¡­ Don''t you also deal with poison?"

    Hearing the part about the female captain dealing with poison, Anon subconsciously touched his nose and his neck.

    "He''s stronger than most tier 1s¡­ and he either has poison immunity or¡­"

    Cough!

    A violent fit of coughing containing copious amounts of blood was emitted by the female captain. Her head wobbled, and a few secondster¡­ her body slid off the car and she fell unto the ground, producing a soft thud as a result.

    Anon frowned as he looked at the fallen daughter of the Terror Queen. He turned towards the Terror Queen and he saw her looking at him with a small smile on her lips while tapping her arms which were folded.

    Despite the smile and nonchnce the Terror Queen was exuding, Anon could sense a flicker of killing intent directed towards him¡­ Not only from the Terror Queen, also from the group of 50 which were surrounding him.

    Their collective killing intent increased exponentially and Anon knew that they were just waiting for themand from their leader to rain all sorts of attacks at him¡­ a prospect he knew would end poorly for him.

    "So¡­ is my daughter dead?"

    With nonchnce and calmness in her tone, the Terror Queen asked as the tapping of her finger on her arm increased as the seconds went by.

    "She''s not dead¡­ She''s asleep."

    Anon shook his head as he spoke, and the Terror Queen had raised brows.

    Without waiting for the response of the Terror Queen, Anon walked towards the female captain, and the Terror Queen watched him with rapt attention¡­ Her eyes hiding a bone chilling, hell freezing coldness that was ready to erupt at any second.

    Anon, sensitive to killing intent, could sense the rising killing intent directed towards him from the group of fifty and the Terror Queen herself.

    But despite all that killing intent, he had a calm expression on his face as he walked towards the fallen daughter of the Terror Queen.

    As he reached her body, he knelt and with an indifferent expression, he touched her forehead which was heavily drenched in sweat, her breathing extremely faint and her expression contorted in pain.

    Seeing her current condition, he frowned slightly, then he brought out a syringe and without hesitation, he plunged it into her neck. A few secondster, her breathing became better, the rate of the sweat produced by her body reduced, and her expression eased.

    ''Well there goes two of my tier 1 poisons¡­ I hope I don''t have to use more.''

    "What did you do to her?"

    Anon turned towards the Terror Queen who had a confused and curious light in her eyes, her killing intent diminishing slightly.

    "I eased her sleep."

    "What?"

    A baffled expression appeared on the face of the Terror Queen as he heard the words of the man who was using her daughter as leverage.

    "She was going to die in a minute so I used another poison of mine to prolong her life¡­ But that does not mean she''s safe¡­"

    "If I don''t give her the actual antidote, she''s going to die eventually¡­ and if you say you''ll hire a doctor to make the antidote, let''s just say, it''s going to cost a lot of money¡­ and most likely your daughter''s life at the end of the day."

    "And you and I both know that healers in the Underworld have already been recruited by the top five groups and finding a new healer is absurdly difficult¡­"

    "So for your daughter''s sake¡­ and possibly yours, why don''t we just have a private conversation¡­. I''m just a businessman here for business."

    ----

    [A/N: First Bonus Chapter... I''m at home now, so hopefully I get no distractions and I can write all the promised bonus chapters.]

 Chapter 173 172: Slave Market

    ?

    The tension in the air was thick, almost tangible. If a stranger happened to appear, they would undoubtedly sense it, perhaps even taste it.

    The Terror Queen had a pondering light in her eyes as she observed the enigmatic man before her. Her eyes flickering briefly at her daughter, before looking once again at the man called Anon.

    A few secondster, she released a sigh then she raised her hand.

    "You can stand down everyone. Go back to your duties and inform everybody in the Region of Terror that they can carry on with their normal activities¡­ There''s no need to hide anymore."

    As her words echoed, the group of 50 visibly rxed and in the next instant, they dispersed, each returning to their respective tasks.

    Anon watched as the group dispersed, his eyes having a hint of slight intrigue. As he observed the group, the Terror Queen''s voice flowed into his ears.

    "Follow me¡­ and make sure you bring my daughter along with you."

    Anon nced at the daughter who was asleep, and seeing the slumbering female captain, a frown crept upon his face.

    "Could you tell one of your people to carry her instead?... If she wakes up while I''m carrying her, there''s a possibility she might attack me."

    "I would actually love that so much."

    Despite expressing his concerns, the Terror Queen did not care, even finding amusement in the situation and Anon had twitching lips as a result. He looked around, and unsurprisingly, none came to his ''aid''.

    ''Well I''ve definitely made a mistake.''

    Anon released an internal sigh as he thought to himself. He knelt before the sleeping female captain then he carried her in a princess like manner with ease. The daughter of the female captain made a soft ''hmm'' sound and unbeknownst to her, she moved closer to Anon''s chest, her body finding a strange sense offort in Anon''s body.

    Anon''s lips twitched at the sight of that and with another soft exhale, he followed the Terror Queen into the three storey building just a few meters away from him.

    Upon entering the building, the first thing Anon''s eyes were drawn to were cages. Countless cages which were lined up on both sides of the room he was in.

    The cages had humans of various ages and gender in them. There were young boys and girls, teenagers, adults and even males and females of old age.

    As Anon observed the captives in the cages, he spotted various emotions and expressions in them.

    Some appeared filled with despair, their faces marked with depression and hopelessness. Others had vacant eyes, signifying their shattered state of mind.

    A few muttered iprehensible words, their expressions, posture, movement and behavior, revealing their loss of sanity.

    Some instead wore savage expressions, their eyes hungry for blood and their aura exuding an intense amount of bloodlust.

    And surprisingly, there were those who had expressions of hope, their eyes shining brightly like beacons in the dark and despair stricken world they inhabited.

    Anon''s surprise grew seeing the expressions of hope in a select few, and just as he was wondered what could possibly give them so much hope, he heard the Terror Queen speak:<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "They''re neers¡­"

    Anon turned towards the Terror Queen, an expression of realization dawned upon him.

    "Lots of neers always have that sort of expression¡­ until they experience true terror that is."

    Turning away from Anon, the Terror Queen continued her walk and Anon followed suit while still observing the sizable room he was in.

    Apart from the ves in the cage, there were other individuals who upied the room and Anon had a slight expression of intrigue as he observed them.

    He could see various people with cors on their necks, each one engrossed with various tasks. Some cleaned the empty cages, while others fed the humans in the cages. Some stood as protectors to specific cages.

    Anon observing these group of people had a peculiar thought. He realized that the humans with cors on their necks were like outer ves, while those in the cage were like inner ves.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    It was a strange notion but Anon felt his interpretation regarding the ves held some truth. Although he could ask the Terror Queen, he decided not to.

    Apart from the humans with cors on their necks, there were a few which had a ck fabric around the lower parts of their faces. Some threw a few nces towards him, with some of those nces containing a hint of murderous intent.

    These masked individuals maintained their vignt positions, their postures akin to bodyguards and their watchful eyes scanning through the crowd of outer ves and customers.

    Among the crowd, Anon''s attention then turned to thest group he noticed, the Customers- Adults, Teenagers, Children and even elderly men and women, each with various countenances.

    The various customers stood before the cages, observing and haggling for the despondent stricken ves. Their actions, further breaking their already broken spirits.

    In essence, the floor Anon found himself on resembled nothing short of a ve market- a ce where lives were bought and sold.

    "Would you stop dilly-dallying around and follow me?"

    A familiar voice tinged with slight annoyance and a touch of pride pierced into Anon''s ears. He turned towards the source, finding the Terror Queen waiting for him as she stood on a set of stairs.

    Anon realizing that he had been wasting time, quickened his pace and with the Terror Queen''s daughter in his arms, he went after the Terror Queen.

    Ascending upon a set of exquisitely crafted ck marble stairs, Anon followed in suit with the Terror Queen walking ahead of him. Despite not wanting to, Anon had no choice but to stare at the moderately sized buttocks of the Terror Queen as she moved, her movement oddly captivating.

    Moments passed and to Anon''s relief, they reached the end of the stairs. Anon looked around and a peculiar sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu washed over him as he took in the sight of the floor he currently stood on.

    The floor looked like a corridor with numerous doors on either sides, and Anon seeing that, had his lips twitching.

    ----

    [A/N: Second bonus chapter.]

 Chapter 174 173: Ominous

    ?

    Step by step and without saying a word, the Terror Queen walked to right side of the corridor, and Anon released an internal sigh, before following her.

    Anon''s gaze lingered on the doors, his eyes emitting a reminiscent light as his mind recalled his past experiences with doors.

    "If I may ask. What''s behind these doors?"

    Unable to reign in his curiosity due to the corridor being longer than he expected and also much, much quieter than he expected, Anon inquired:

    "Terror."

    Anon raised his brows hearing the indifferent tone of the Terror Queen and with a slightly curious light, he nced at the ck doors as he followed the Terror Queen.

    ''Perhaps that''s why she''s known as the Terror Queen?''

    Time passed, and to Anon''s surprise, the Terror Queen just kept on walking in the never-ending corridor. Anon frowned and he tried to figure out why the corridor appeared much longer than what the exterior of the building suggested.

    "Don''t waste your time pondering over the length of the corridor Even I don''t know the reason for that."

    A confused expression appeared on Anon''s face hearing the words of the Terror Queen.

    "Howe you don''t know? Don''t you own this building?"

    Anon asked, confusion apparent in his tone, and the Terror Queen shook her head in response.

    "The building is not mine. Also don''t bother asking me about the true owner, I can''t tell you that¡­ If you want, find it out yourself."

    Anon''s brows furrowed deeply as he heard the words of the Terror Queen. He couldn''t quite put his finger on it, but he had an uneasy feeling regarding the words of the Terror Queen.

    Setting aside his suspicions for the time being, Anon decided to ask a question which had been on his mind for some time now.

    "By the way, why did you choose to attack me out of nowhere? It''s not like I''ve ever had any contact with you."

    Although Anon had his guesses and suspicions regarding the answer to his question, he wanted to hear it directly from the Terror Queen since they had the time to converse.

    The Terror Queen gave Anon a brief nce and for a few seconds, she did not reply, a slight contemtive light in her eyes.

    "You were in my territory and I know the faces of 99.9% of the people in my territory¡­ You were a new face, you passed by me and you went to the location of one of my top underlings... That was already suspicious enough for me to look into you and observe your subsequent movements¡­"

    "But what truly made me attack you was when one of my spies died¡­"

    "Your spy?"

    Anon interjected, his voice tinged with confusion.

    "Yes my spy. He was one of the two bodyguards of that greedy bastard named Oscar."

    ''Oh¡­. So the fucker is the one that''s actually behind my current situation¡­ Wonderful.''

    Anon clicked his tongue in frustration as he promised himself to punish Oscar the next time he met him. Coincidentally, at that very moment, Oscar from nowhere, felt an inexplicable chill creep up his spine.

    "This feels¡­ familiar."

    Oscar who was sitting on a massage bench surrounded by five beautifuldies muttered with a frown. He didn''t know why, but he felt fear creep up into his soul.

    ''I need more bodyguards.''

    Oscar thought to himself as he tried to rid himself of the unknown creeping fear in his soul.

    "After my spy''s death. I contacted my other spies and they told me about you, so I knew I had to either capture you or kill you¡­ and Oscar, so as to interrogate you both¡­ most likely through torture."

    "Speaking of which¡­do you enjoy being tortured?"

    A strange intense light exuded from the eyes of the Terror Queen as she paused to face him, and Anon had twitching lips hearing the absurd question of the Terror Queen.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Who in their right senses would enjoy being tortured?"

    Anon replied with a question of his own, not expecting a serious response. But to his surprise¡­

    "People like me, who are not in their right senses, would enjoy being tortured."

    "Huh?"

    An absolutely baffled, gobsmacked and utterly dumbfounded expression appeared all over Anon''s face the instant he heard those words. He paused, even subconsciously taking a step back as his brain processed her words- an unfortunate realization he didn''t desire but had to confront.

    "Hahaha!!!... I''m just joking, I''m joking¡­"

    A loudugh escaped the lips of the Terror Queen, her expressionpletely different from her title.

    "I obviously don''t enjoy being tortured, I derive pleasure from inflicting torture on other instead¡­ It''s much more¡­ thrilling."

    A strange light and expression could be seen on the face of the Terror Queen, her body imperceptibly trembling at that moment.

    But despite her attempts to dismiss her previous words as a joke, Anon couldn''t shake off the feeling that there was some truth to them.

    Deciding that silence was the best course of action to take, Anon kept his mouth shut, not speaking a single word as he waited for the Terror Queen to wake up from her moment of ecstasy.

    ''Maybe the reason she''s called the Terror Queen is more frightening than I thought.''

    Anon thought to himself, and just as this thought crossed his mind, the Terror Queen snapped out from her momentary ecstasy and with a soft clear of her throat, she spoke:

    "Let''s keep on going, we''re almost there."

    Anon nced at the Terror Queen for a few seconds then he shifted his gaze to her sleeping daughter and a sigh escaped his lips.

    ''I hope I don''te to regret this.''

    After walking for another two minutes, Anon was relieved when he spotted a set of stairs in the distance. The Terror Queen ascended the stairs and he followed suit.

    Some secondster, Anon and the Terror Queen stood at a corridor once again, but this time, only a single door could be seen in the corridor.

    The Terror Queen walked towards the door and as she did, the door automatically opened, granting her entrance into the room.

    Anon also walked into the room and with a mildly awed expression, Anon observed the room. The room wasrge, and it resembled a penthouse apartment. A room of luxury andfort.

    ''I definitely did not expect this.''N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Anon thought with surprise, and just as he had this thought, he heard the sound of something heavy being moved.

    He looked at the source, and he saw a bookshelf sliding to the side, revealing a thick ck metal door embedded in the wall.

    The Terror Queen ced her right hand on the door, and as soon as she did, the door lit up in a deep red hue, and various deep red ominous symbols appeared all over the door, giving Anon an ominous feeling.

    A few secondster, a loud screeching noise resonated throughout the room as the door slowly opened, releasing a blood red mist as it did.

    The Terror Queen removed her hand from the door and she noticed Anon''s gaze. He noticed that her breathing was slightly irregr and her expression slightly pale, but despite that, she showed no outward weakness.

    "Before we delve into business, I need you to follow me down there. You have my word that I won''t harm you."

    ----

    [A/N: Third bonus chapter. I''ll see if I can release two more chapters before sleep catches up to me. Then I''ll try to release another five tomorrow, though I have to go out again tomorrow... Important stuff.

    More strength to me!]

 Chapter 175 174: Cowardice

    ?

    ''You won''t harm me?''

    Anon stared at the Terror Queen with a mixture of confusion and disbelief as he heard her words. His eyes reflected the ominous looking door along with thepletely dark entrance- everything screaming of evil and danger.

    "You say you won''t harm me, but what''s to say that something else won''t?"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Anon questioned, his tone fully showing his deep distrust in the words of the Terror Queen. His skepticism elicited a furrow of the Terror Queen''s brows, her expression containing a tinge of displeasure.

    "Why are you acting like a coward all of a sudden? If I wanted to harm you, I''d have done it a long time ago¡­ Don''t forget, you''re just tier 1."

    Despite her words which would provoke a reaction of defiance in most males, Anon was not moved in the slightest, his expression calm and with a shake of his head, he spoke:

    "No matter what you say or do, I''m not following you down there."

    "Then how do I convince you to follow me?"

    With a tone that contained coldness and a tinge of anger, the Terror Queen questioned, her expression fully disying her current frustration and annoyance at Anon''s cowardice.

    "Why must I even follow you down there?... Can''t we have our business discussion in this wonderful penthouse?"

    Gesturing with his neck at the room offort and luxury all around him, Anon spoke. A frustrated sigh was released from the Terror Queen and her subsequent actions showcased the amount of frustration she currently had towards the shocking cowardice of the man before her.

    Where was the calmness? The bravery? The nonchnce, he had when surrounded by fifty people?

    Where was all that confidence when he, a tier 1 human, fearlessly faced her, a known respectable tier 3 individual?

    Recalling the previous actions of Anon, the Terror Queen''s frustration increased the more. Exhaling once more, she stopped rubbing her nose.

    "I want us to go down there cause there''s something important I want you to see¡­ The business discussion can happen after that."

    Anon raised an eyebrow upon hearing the words of the Terror Queen. He gave the ck ominous door a brief nce before he shifted his nce to the Terror Queen who had twitching fingers¡­ Her expression revealing her struggle to reign in the urge to beat the cowardly Anon ck and blue.

    "I still don''t trust you¡­ There could be something dangerous down there¡­"

    "Damn it!"

    An exasperated shout resonated in the room, followed by words dripping with deep frustration.

    "You know what! I''ll drag you there myself!"

    The Terror Queen spoke then she took a step towards Anon, but just as she took that step, she paused and her eyes emitting a cold light as she surveyed the current scene before her.

    "Take another step and I''ll plunge my syringe deep into her neck, killing her in an instant."

    Anon threatened, his eyes cold and determined as he held a syringe, the tip of the needle barely touching the skin of the neck of the slumbering daughter of the Terror Queen.

    "You''re ying with fire."

    Her tone disturbingly emotionless, the Terror Queen spoke as she gazed directly into Anon''s eyes.

    "I could say the same for you."

    Having a more unsettling emotionless tone, Anon gave his reply, his expression, tone and posture showing no concern towards the tier 3 being who was just a few meters away from him.

    "My opinion of you is beginning to go down the drain the more I interact with you."

    "You would definitely not be the first."

    Shrugging nonchntly, Anon gave his reply and the seconds ticked by. Approximately ten secondster, the Terror Queen''s seething aura dispersed. She folded her arms and with her expression devoid of any emotion, she spoke:

    "So Mr. Coward, can you tell me what would make you, the biggest coward in the entire universe, follow me down there?"

    "I highly doubt I''m the biggest coward in the entire universe¡­ Besides, I''m just being cautious."

    Anon gave the ominous ck door a nce before shifting his gaze towards the Terror Queen, his hand still holding the poison filled syringe close to the neck of the Terror Queen''s daughter.

    The Terror Queen''s left eye twitched imperceptibly as she observed Anon''s continued cowardice.

    "You hold a defenseless girl hostage, poisoning her in the process, even after repeatedly being assured of your safety¡­ Now tell me, are you not a coward?"

    "Defenseless?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Anon raised his brows hearing the ridiculous statement of the Terror Queen, and though he had lots of things to say, he decided not to speak.

    "Anyway¡­ if you want me to follow you down there, we''ll both need to sign a system contract."

    "A system contract?"

    A puzzled expression instantly appeared on the face of the Terror Queen, her eyes gazed at Anon with a strange and puzzled expression in them.

    "You want us to form a system contract for something as simple as this?"

    Anon taken aback by the strange and puzzled gaze he received from the Terror Queen, nodded his head in response.

    "Is there a problem?"

    "Is there a problem?..."

    The Terror Queen appeared even more taken aback and puzzled as she heard Anon''s inquiry. Her behavior and expression only served to confuse Anon the more.

    "Don''t you know that system contracts are not meant to be used like cheap cabbages. Tier 1''s can only use two system contracts until they be tier 2, which would then enable you to use three extra system contracts¡­"

    "The number of system contracts one can use increases as you increase your tier¡­"

    "You''re just tier 1 so why would you want to waste it on something as insignificant and safe as this?"

    Anon''s brows furrowed deeply as he heard the words of the Terror Queen. Never in his life had he heard of system contracts having limitations, and neither did he think it would have. The realization startling him.

    ''I think I saw one of the recorded books speaking about system contracts.''

    Anon thought to himself and just as this thought crossed his mind, he had another thought.

    "What happens to those that reach the tier limit? Would there be any consequences for those that use more system contracts than their limit?"

    The Terror Queen had raised brows and with a soft tilt of her head, she gazed at Anon with squinted eyes, her eyes holding a suspicious light.

    "When one reaches their tier limit, they experience a severe headache once they try to use another system contract¡­ In fact, without the headache, people know when they''ve reached their system contract limit¡­ It''s an instinctual feeling."

    The Terror Queen exined, her eyes observing Corey''s reaction to her words while also containing a curious light in them.

    "How many system contracts have you used by the way?"

    The Terror Queen asked but Anon ignored her, his eyes held a contemtive light in them as his brows furrowed slightly.

    ¡¤?¦Èm ''Howe I haven''t felt any sort of headache? Nor have I had this ''instinctual'' feeling?''

    Anon pondered as he realized he had used the system contracts twice but he felt okay, and neither did he have this instinctual feeling that he was at his limit nor had he experienced any headaches.

    ''Is it because of the Paragon Ancestor? My talent? Or a specific skill I possess?''

    Anon wondered but a few secondster, he decided to push his thoughts aside. He released a soft exhale then with a tone of unwanted realization, he spoke:

    "So I''m guessing you won''t want to sign a contract with me because it would be a waste of your limited ''contract space'', right?"

    The Terror Queen nodded in reply, causing a slight twitch in Anon''s lips.

    "Well, let''s proceed inside shall we."

    "Fucking finally¡­ Oh Lord, let''s just go¡­ wasting my time for no reason at all!"

    As soon as he spoke those words, an expression of relief washed over the face of the Terror Queen, as she uttered those words, conveying the extent of her relief.

    Although Anon could refute her words, he decided not to so as to not anger the Terror Queen anymore, possibly unleashing terror on himself in the process.

    He gazed at the ominous ck door then his eyes moved to the still slumbering daughter of the Terror Queen. His gaze shifted and with a soft exhale, he walked towards the door, anticipation filling his mind.

    ''Let''s see what''s inside shall we.''

    ----

    [A/N: Can''t write another chapter, I''m feeling so sleepy... Will continue tomorrow. Bless.]

 Chapter 176 175: You Did All Of That?

    ?

    The sound of footsteps echoed as Anon and the Terror Queen ventured through a structure resembling a tunnel. The tunnel, normally enveloped by darkness, was illuminated by an orb in the hands of the Terror Queen. Anon looked around, his eyes sparkling with intrigue and curiosity as he observed the structure of the tunnel.

    He ced his hand on the nearby wall, barely half a meter away from him. As he ced his hand on the nearby wall, he noticed that the wall was made out of metal, having irregr bumps and deep lines here and there.

    ''This tunnel is man made?''

    Anon had an expression of surprise as the realization dawned upon him. He studied the walls of the tunnels more as he walked, though his actions reducing his pace.

    As his gaze was fixated on the metal walls of the tunnel, his eyes inadvertently moved to the bumps and lines on the walls, and just as he was about to look away from the bumps and lines, thinking they were unimportant, or a testament to the age of the walls¡­ he realized that the bumps and lines were connected, each forming intricate symbols, connected in a peculiar manner

    He looked at the symbols with squinted eyes, and he realized that the symbols had a little bit of resemnce in them¡­ They resembled the magic symbols he saw whenever he tried to use a magic spell.

    ''How strange.''n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Anon mused, his brows furrowing as he observed the symbols.

    ''These magic symbols¡­ they seem more¡­ sinister?''

    Anon pondered, his brows furrowing deeply as a result. He ced his hands on his chin as he kept on walking absentmindedly, his entire thoughts entirely on the enigmatic and foreboding symbols on the walls.

    Thud

    "What the hell?"

    Anon cursed as he felt himself colliding with an object. With his mind snapping back to reality, he looked at the object he bumped into, but when he saw the object, his brows furrowed and a look of confusion appeared in his eyes.

    "What''s going on? Why did you stop?"

    Anon asked as he looked at the Terror Queen who was staring at him, a curious and confused light in her eyes.

    "Your steps¡­ they don''t make echoes even when you were lost in thought."

    The Terror Queen said and Anon brows raised upon hearing the simple reason for her interruption. A tinge of slight bafflement and confusion creeped into his next words:

    "That''s why you stopped?"

    The Terror Queen nodded and Anon''s head tilted slightly as a result, his eyes squinting with a puzzled light.

    "It''s a skill of mine¡­ So don''t think too much about it."

    Anon replied, his tone containing nonchnce, and with an outstretch of his hand, he spoke once again:

    "If that''s all, can we please go?"

    Despite his request, the Terror Queen continued to gaze at him for another five seconds before finally turning and resuming their walk. Anon seeing her odd behavior had a perplexed expression, but then he shrugged and followed suit, walking in the tunnel which led deeper and deeper beneath the building in which they emerged.

    (Some minutester)

    Plip

    Plop

    Plip

    Plop

    Sounds of a liquid dripping into arger body of another liquid flowed into Anon''s ears. His brows furrowed slightly as he wondered if he was going to a ce that contained a significant body of water.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    However, the notion of arge body of water beneath the building seemed illogical¡­ it just won''t make sense.

    Anon nced at Terror Queen who maintained aposed demeanor as she continued walking. He then looked down at the Terror Queen''s daughter in his arms and after a brief moment of consideration, decided to press forward.

    Approximately five minutester, Anon spotted a vibrant red light in the distance, illuminating the tunnel he was in, and Anon seeing the color of the light frowned.

    "We''re almost there. Let''s go."

    The Terror Queen increased her pace after speaking and Anon nced at before fixing his gaze on the red light in the distance. He exhaled softly and with a calm expression, he followed the Terror Queen.

    A few momentster, the Terror Queen vanished as she walked into the red light. Anon observed the light and after making sure that he couldn''t sense any malicious intent from the light, he walked into light.

    Anon''s body was on full alert for any sneak attack or surprises but as he walked through the red light, no attack was hurtled towards him. He looked around and as he did, his eyes widened in shock.

    "What in the world?"

    Immense shockced Anon''s tone as he gazed at the scene before him.

    "I thought you, being the coward that you are, would not dare to enter."

    The Terror Queen''s voice resounded in the surroundings, her voice having a tinge of surprise and mockery.

    Anon stared at her, his eyes containing an astonished light in them. He stretched out his hand and with a slight quiver of his lips, he spoke as he pointed at the source of his shock.

    "You did all of that?"

    The Terror Queen nced at the direction of Anon''s pointed finger, her eyes containing a deep emotion as she looked at a wide pool filled with a red liquid several meters away from their position. Atop this pool were numerous bodies, corpses to be exact¡­

    Corpses of humans of various ages and genders, along with corpses of various beasts and animals.

    Plip!

    Plop!

    Her gaze then shifted upwards as she looked at the stctites above their heads, each having a blood red color from which droplets of a red liquid dropped into therge pool of the same red liquid in the distance.

    One did not need require an IQ of 130 or more to know the nature of the red liquid, the corpses in the pool, already signifying the description of the red liquid.

    Her eyes moved once more, observing therge cavern they were in¡­ taking in it''s sinister appearance once again despite already seeing it one too many times.

    "I didn''t do¡­ all of that."

    The Terror Queen admitted, her tone revealing a hint of difort.

    Anon sensing the difort in her tone had a slight frown.

    "What do you mean?"

    Anon asked, and there was a momentary silence as the Terror Queen contemted on her response, then she eventually released a soft sigh.

    "It''s not really a long story, but¡­ I feel it''s important."

    ---

    [A/N: I don''t think I''ll be able to write five chapters before i sleep... But I''ll try to write at least three... Hopefully.]

 Chapter 177 176: Unease Of The Terror Queen

    ?

    "It''s not really a long story, but¡­ I feel it''s important."

    Hearing her words which were spoken solemnly, Anon raised his brows and just as the lips of the Terror Queen parted open, attempting to speak, Anon raised his right hand, signaling for her to stop.

    "Just¡­ stop right there and don''t bother continuing."

    The brows of the Terror Queen furrowed in confusion as she gazed at Anon, curiosity evident in her gaze.

    "Why should I stop? What''s the problem?" She asked.

    "I don''t care."

    Anon replied nonchntly stunning the Terror Queen as a result. She blinked a few times, trying to process the words that just flowed into her ears.

    "I don''t care about all this¡­"

    Gesturing towards the ominous blood red cavern and the blood pool in the distance, Anon spoke with a nonchnce filled tone.

    "I don''t know what you want to tell me, but I have a feeling, that it would lead to annoying, troublesome and stressful situations¡­ and I dislike annoying, stressful situations."

    "So without delving into the history of all this¡­ why don''t we leave this ce and speak about our business¡­ I happen to find that more important."

    The Terror Queen wore an expression of bafflement as she watched Anon depart. Snapping out of her shocked state, she hastily spoke up:

    "You say you don''t want to be involved with whatever this is, but what if it affects you negatively at the end of the day due to your ignorance¡­ You wouldn''t be able to give an excuse in the future just because of your ignorance."

    As soon as those words left her lips, Anon paused and with squinted eyes, he gazed at the Terror Queen.

    "That''s¡­ actually a good point you have there."

    Anon frowned then he released a sigh. He moved his right hand, gesturing for the Terror Queen to continue speaking.

    The Terror Queen released a breath tinged with relief. She stared at the blood pool and a strange light emanated from her eyes as she began her tale.

    "It all started the day I was hired by the leaders¡­"

    "Who are your leaders?"

    Anon interrupted, his tone containing genuine curiosity.

    "I can''t tell you that."

    The Terror Queen shook her head, her words although not exining the reason for her inability to disclose that information, Anon could infer that there was a sort of oath or contractual obligation involved. Something akin to a system contract involved.

    "Like I was saying, it all started the day I was hired by the leaders. They gave me this building to use for my ve market business and I was at the same time, given an order from them."

    "They told me that whenever a buyer or customer wanted to use the ves as stress relievers in any way or form, I should give them a room on the second floor to use."

    "Not only that, there were also times when I would have people directly from the leader''s organization and they always used the rooms on the second floor, using the ves for their pleasure."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "At first, I didn''t care about what went on in the rooms on the second floor, but there was a time I identally located this ce, and ever since I found this ce, I''ve been feeling¡­ uneasy."

    Anon raised his brows at the mention of her unease.

    "Uneasy?"

    He questioned, his toneced with confusion. The Terror Queen nodded in response, her eyes having an unfocused light.

    "My intuition on things rted to danger is usually urate and ever since I located this ce, I''ve always felt a sense of danger looming over me."

    Anon gave the Terror Queen a nce, then his gaze shifted to the blood pool which had corpses atop it, his eyes having a mixture of confusion and curiosity as he observed the blood pool.

    "You said you''ve been feeling a sense of danger ever since you found this ce?"

    Anon inquired and the Terror Queen nodded her head in affirmation.

    "If you''ve been feeling a sense of danger, why are you now telling me all of this?... Why are you not looking for a way to guarantee your safety?"

    Anon turned, gazing at the Terror Queen who was staring at the blood pool. A few secondster, she exhaled and her eyes which were previously unfocused, gained back their rity.

    She shook her head softly then she turned towards Anon, her eyes giving her still slumbering daughter a brief nce.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "One of the things I trust the most is my intuition, and-"

    "Let me guess, your intuition told you that I''m your only hope, that I''m your savior and can be trusted?"

    Anon interrupted, his voice dripping with visible sarcasm as he gazed at the Terror Queen who nodded slowly in response.

    "It''s actually the main reason I haven''t attacked you despite all you''ve done."

    "Sure."

    Anon''s lips twitched, his eyes rolling in sarcasm, and with a sigh, he pinched the middle of his brows, his expression containing visible frustration..

    ''I honestly hope I don''te to regret this.''

    Anon muttered inwardly then he released a sigh.

    "What about the rooms on the second floor? Did you check them out?"

    Anon asked and once again, the Terror Queen nodded her head in response.

    "Yes I did¡­ but I found nothing there."

    "What do you mean by nothing?"

    Anon asked, his tone and expression containing confusion.

    "I mean the rooms on the second floor all look like a normal room. All the rooms have a bed, chairs and a table. If the customers need any other thing, they can request for it and it would be provided for them."

    Hearing the Terror Queen''s words, Anon brows furrowed as a pondering expression appeared on his face. He looked up, his eyes drawn to the blood red stctites dripping with blood.

    "I''ll need to check some of the rooms in the future."

    "Why not now?"

    The Terror Queen questioned, her tone containing confusion at Anon''s decision to not inspect the rooms as soon as possible.

    "Because I don''t think whatever the purpose of this ce is, is going to be achieved soon¡­ also, you just told me about it so I''m definitely not going to stress myself over it."

    As Anon spoke with his tone containing nonchnce, he moved closer to the Terror Queen.

    "Carry your daughter please."

    Anon said and to the Terror Queen''s puzzlement, she carried her daughter. She observed Anon, wondering just what his intentions were.

    And to her surprise, she saw him walk away, his path in line with the blood pool in the distance.

    "Where are you going?"

    She questioned, her eyes widening in evident surprise.

    "Where do you think?"

    Anon replied with a question of his, his words indirectly answering her question, and worry filled the Terror Queen''s expression as soon as her guess was confirmed.

    "The closer you get to the blood pool, the more dangerous it bes¡­ One of my subordinates went mad and died when he got close to it."

    She warned, hoping her words would convince her only source of hope from dying or having a fate worse than death.

    But¡­

    "Don''t worry about that, I already assumed that could be a possibility."

    Anon waved his hand in a carefree manner, his behavior showing hisck of concern at the mentioned dangers of the blood pool.

    The Terror Queen seeing that frowned then she sighed, her gaze then shifted to her daughter and with a concerned look in her eyes, she hugged her daughter tightly.

    ''Forgive me.''

 Chapter 178 177: Blood Pool Dangers

    ?

    Despite Anon dismissing the Terror Queen''s warning with a nonchnt behavior, Anon did not n on taking the ominous blood pool lightly.

    Ever since his failure with his teleportation spell, Anon had developed a mild apprehension towards the unknown, especially when the unknown dealt with powers that were far beyond his level.

    Due to this apprehension, Anon was always cautious with the unknown, not wanting to underestimate it in the slightest.

    With every step Anon took, he subtly observed his environment, body and state of mind. Since the Terror Queen had warned him about her subordinate''s descent into madness, he was already on guard for any sort of attack or change on his mental state.

    Step by step, Anon''s distance to the blood pool shortened, and as it did, Anon noticed a minute change in the environment. He paused and with a calm expression, he turned his head, his eyes squinting in the process.

    ''A blood mist?''

    Anon thought, his brows furrowing slightly as he gazed at the blood red mist which had subtly appeared around him.

    Anon observed the mist for any sort of danger but he found none and his expression eased a little. He continued his approach towards the blood pool, his mind still vignt against any unexpected surprises.

    Seconds went by and as Anon got closer and closer to the blood pool, his brows furrowed.

    ''So this is why her subordinate went mad.''

    Anon had this thought as his eyes contained a curious and calm light in them. Just as he had this thought, a chorus of voices flooded his mind:

    ''STOP PLEASE!''

    ''I BEG OF YOU!''

    ''WHAT DID WE EVER DO TO DESERVE THIS?!''

    ''WHY?!''

    ''TELL US, WHY?!''

    ''WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO US?!''

    ''YOU MONSTER!''

    ''YOU DID THIS TO US!''

    ''YOU KILLED US!''

    ''YOU TORTURED US!''

    ''YOU RAPED US!''

    ''YOU USED US!''

    ''WE HATE YOU!''

    ''YOU DESERVE TO DIE!''N?v(el)B\\jnn

    ''YOU DESERVE TO DIE!!''

    ''DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!''

    Voices of young girls, young boys, teenagers, adults, elderly men and elderly women. Their voices filled with anger, hatred, fear, regret, madness, cruelty and¡­ exhaustion.

    These voices containing such emotional weight that most resilient men and women would be driven to madness. Their hearts, their minds, their emotions, would sumb to a point where madness would be a twisted sce for the recipients of the voices.

    Receivers of the voices of death.

    ''The sheer number and intensity of the voices can drive so many people to madness, talk less of the fact that the voices are directly transmitted to one''s mind.''

    Anon had this thought as he walked to the blood pool undeterred. His eyes observing the blood mist and the scarce amount of dposed corpses around him. Their decayed blood adding to the sinister and malevolent ambiance.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    A few stepster, a foul stench assaulted Anon''s senses. Disgust etched onto his face and he covered his nose with his hand.

    ''This stench.''

    Anon grimaced, focusing on one of the decaying corpses. He observed the corpse and a few secondster, then an expression of realization struck him.

    ''So this was what actually killed her subordinate¡­''

    Anon thought with squinted eyes as he kept on observing the decayed corpses.

    '' A decayed corpse is always dangerous because of its ability to poison people merely through its smell¡­ And with the number of decayed corpses and the volume of blood here, the poison emanating from the corpses would be a lot, slowly killing the person as a result.''

    ''Not only that, the killing intent radiated by the blood pool would also affect the mental state of an individual, deteriorating it further.''

    Anon extrapted the dangers of the blood pool, breaking it down with ease. His expression utterly calm and nonchnt as he kept on studying the dangers he could notice.

    A few momentster,

    ''What a sinister and ingenious ce.''

    Anon praised, then a smile formed on his lips as he calmly walked to the blood pool, his expression utterly calm and confident.

    ''But if this is all the blood pool has, then¡­''

    Anon released a soft scoff and without hesitation, he increased his pace.

    ''¡­. They shouldn''t have bothered with the killing intent. I mean¡­ I''ve endured much worse.''

    Anon''s thoughts although arrogant, were true. He had only faced a minute fraction of the Paragon Ancestor''s killing intent, which nearly drove him to madness. In fact, death was at his doorstep when he challenged the killing intent of the Paragon Ancestor.

    The Paragon Ancestor''s killing intent was not only dangerous in terms of the physical damage it could cause, it could also cause damage to an individual''s mind.

    So in terms of the voices, killing intent and even corpse poison, Anon remained impervious to them all, allowing him to approach the blood pool with unwavering confidence. Despite the increasing volume and intensity of the voices, the escting killing intent, and the thickening air filled with corpse poison, Anon calmly resisted every single challenge he encountered.

    Apart from the stench.

    The stench proved to be a different story.

    The stench was downright horrendous, so much to the point that Anon had to bring out a piece of fabric to cover his nose and mouth in an attempt to alleviate the overwhelming stink.

    After oveing the offensive smell as best as he could, Anon reached the blood pool. He stood at the edge of the pool, his eyes squinting as he looked around, ensuring there was no immediate danger, before he shifted his gaze to the pool itself.

    ''Now, to see why I felt a sense of unsettling familiarity from the pool.''

    Anon''s reason foring to the blood pool was not driven because of his curiosity or his desire to learn more about the blood pool.

    No

    Ever since he entered the blood red cavern, he had been feeling an inexplicable sense of familiarity from the blood pool, and it was absolutely unnerving for him since he could not fathom how he had a connection with something so sinister.

    At first he nned on ignoring the sensation since it wasn''t actually his problem. However, the words of the Terror Queen had made him realize that ignoring the purpose of this ce could affect him in the future.

    ''What is it that''s giving me this sense of familiarity?''

    Anon squinted his eyes as he tried to pinpoint the source of the familiarity.

    His eyes moved to the far end of the pool, but he found nothing of note. His gaze shifted to the center of the pool, the corpses on the pool, the edges of the pool, but he found not the thing that gave him the sense of familiarity.

    Just as he was about to give up, his eyes moved to the depths of the blood pool. His eyes blinked repeatedly, a stunned expression washed all over his face.

    "I¡­ definitely did not expect that."

 Chapter 179 178: Ominous Magical Formation

    ?

    Anon stood rooted on the spot, a mixture of astonishment and disbelief etched on his face as he stared at the source of familiarity in the depths of the blood pool.

    ''This was definitely not what I expected.''

    Anon had this thought as he gazed at one of the mostplex, if not the mostplex magical formation he had ever seen. Theplexity and intricacy marveling Anon.

    Despite the depths of the blood pool, Anon could see numerous magical symbols engraved unto the walls of the pool, and the floor of the pool. These magic symbols were linked together, forming an intricate,plex andrge formation as a result.

    Not only that, the magical formation exuded an aura that gave Anon the chills. The aura felt evil, malicious and downright destructive to Anon, making Anon to realize that whatever the purpose of this formation was, it had zero intentions of doing good.

    ''Wait¡­It''s not just one formation, there''s more than one formation¡­ It''s like, there are formations inside a formation, which also has another formation in it. They''re nested into each other!''

    Anon''s eyes widened in surprise as he noticed howplex, how high tiered the magical formation truly was.

    ''But what is then giving me a sense of familiarity?''

    Anon squinted his eyes as he tried to pinpoint the source of his sense of familiarity. His pupils moved, scanning the walls of the pool and the pool floor, careful not to miss anything of sort. His determination to find the uncanny familiarity was at an all time high.

    A few secondter, Anon''s eyes widened when he realized what it was that was actually giving him a sense of familiarity. He shifted his gaze and with squinted eyes, his gazended on a certain magical symbol.

    ''Isn''t that a magical symbol simr to one of the symbols in the teleportation spell?''

    Anon squinted his eyes the more, trying to see the magic symbol more clearly, but the distance and opacity of the blood pool made it difficult to discern the blood pool clearly.

    In fact, if not because the magical symbols were a little bitrge in their size, and his eyesight was in fact better than a lot of other tier 1s, he would definitely not be able to see the magical symbols.

    Anon frowned, refusing to be undeterred, his extremely ck eyes changed. His ck eyes receded and his ck sclera and irises reced to that of a pure silver color, while his pupils changed to that of a golden triangle.

    As soon as Anon''s eyes changed, his range of vision increased and the magic symbol engraved in the wall of blood pool became much clearer in his eyes.

    ''Much better.''

    A small smile formed on Anon''s lips then with a focused expression he decided to inspect the magic symbol for a moment.

    ''The symbol is one of the most crucial symbols in the teleportation spell¡­ It''s this symbol that serves as a conduit to interact with space. But¡­''

    ''This symbol is at a higher level than that of the symbol in the teleportation spell.''

    Anon''s brows furrowed in thought, his eyes glistening with a calcting light as he observed the spatial magical symbol.

    His attention then shifted to the floor of the blood pool, and there he saw more of the symbols.

    ''I guess I''ll study thister. It''s tooplex to study now.''

    As Anon had this thought, his eyes changed, reverting back to their original state.

    ''I''m guessing I should be ready for an annoying and frustrating dangerous situation in the future.''n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Anon released a sigh then he turned around and walked towards the Terror Queen who had an expression of curiosity in her eyes as she watched him approach her. A few momentster, Anon stood before her then he calmly removed the fabric covering his lips and mouth.

    "What did you see in the blood pool?"

    The Terror Queen asked, her voice brimming with evident curiosity.

    Anon nced at her, his head tilted slightly and his eyes had a confused light in them.

    "You didn''t reach the blood pool?"<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    Anon asked, confusion evident in his tone. The Terror Queen shook her head and after a brief nce towards the blood pool in the distance, she spoke:

    "I didn''t dare approach it. My subordinate that died was a tier 3."

    Anon''s eyes sparked with a light of realization as he realized from the Terror Queen''s brief words, she had the right to be wary of the dangers of the blood pool.

    "Well that exins your ignorance."

    Anon spoke and the Terror Queen''s eyes twitched. The urge to beat the impudent and arrogant tier 1 before her welled up in her heart, but knowing the level of Anon''s importance to her and her daughter''s wellbeing, she quelled the urge.

    But¡­

    "Also, if you want to know the dangers of the blood pool and it''s contents, check it out yourself. You''re a tier 3, behave like one, stop being a coward."

    Pop

    A vein on the Terror Queen''s forehead pulsed, almost popping in anger, and with eyes that could kill, she gazed at Anon.

    "You have no right to lecture me on cowardice. You''re the biggest coward I''ve ever seen."

    She retorted, her tone containing an extreme amount of anger, and Anon just shrugged nonchntly, maintaining his nonchnt demeanor.

    "I was being careful and cautious."

    Anon replied, his tone containing a tinge of sarcasm which was unnoticed by the Terror Queen.

    "I was also being careful and cautious you dimwit."

    The Terror Queen shot back and a slight smile formed on Anon''s lips.

    "Then who''s the bigger coward between us?"

    "What?"

    A baffled expression appeared on the face of the Terror Queen as her brows furrowed in thought. But a secondter, realization dawned on her. She looked at Anon and when she did, she saw him having a small smile on his lips.

    The smile vexing her to no end.

    ''Should I severe his fingers then ce his fingerless hands inside scalding oil? After that I boil his penis and balls, then make him chew on it?. Or maybe¡­?''

    The Terror Queen''s eyes grew darker and darker as she gazed at Anon who had turned his back on her, and Anon not knowing the terrifying dark and violent thoughts popping up one after the other in the mind of the Terror Queen, had a nonchnt expression as he walked to the exit of the cavern they were in.

    Although, even if he knew about the Terror Queen''s dark thoughts, he wouldn''t have been concerned about her harming him, all due to two reasons.

    The first been that ording to her intuition, he was her only hope of survival¡­ at least for the time being.

    And the other, was because her daughter''s life was still in his hands.

    So despite him mocking her on purpose, Anon was not worried about the consequences.

    As for why he decided to mock her?

    It was all because of he wanted to get back at her for calling him a coward. Sure, others might call that petty behavior, but he didn''t care since he felt like been petty at that point in time.

    "By the way, could you please pick up the pace. The main reason I came here was to discuss business, not deal with an ominous blood cavern and pool. As I mentioned before, I''m a business man just here for business."

 Chapter 180 179: Neon Marketing Plan

    ?

    "So what business do you have for me?"

    Sitting on arge white couch were Anon and the Terror Queen, both sittingfortably on arge white couch, each with an exquisite ss of wine in their hands.

    Anon swirled the ss in his hand, his briefly reflecting a pondering glint before it vanished just as fast as it came.

    "Hmm."

    A soft sound escaped his lips as he mused. Then a few secondster, he took a sip from the ss in his hands, and a soft ng resounded momentster as he ced the ss cup on the ss table in front of him.

    As Anon took a much longer time than normal to reply her simple question, the Terror Queen had slightly furrowed brows, wondering just what it was that the enigmatic and annoying Anon was up to. Her brows raised slightly when she saw him slide his left hand into the lower pocket of his hoodie.

    ng

    A soft ng resounded once again, and the Terror Queen''s eyes were drawn to its source which was a ss vial ced on the ss table by Anon.

    "What''s that?"

    The Terror Queen asked as she shifted her gaze from the vial to Anon''s calm visage, her eyes and tone containing visible curiosity.

    "Neon¡­ a narcotic."

    Anon replied simply and the brows of the Terror Queen furrowed deeply in confusion. Without waiting for the Terror Queen to express her confusion, Anon continued speaking:

    He crossed his legs by cing his right leg atop his left leg in a vertical position, and with his backfortably resting on the backrest of the couch, his lips parted open and he spoke:

    "Neon is a narcotic which just like other narcotics, does what other narcotics do, granting the consumers a state of euphoria¡­"

    Anon paused, deliberately creating a state of suspense as his tone and manner of speaking captured the attention of the Terror Queen.

    "¡­But what sets Neon apart from other narcotics is its unique ability to permanently increase a person''s stats after consuming it."

    Silence filled the penthouse as soon as Anon finished speaking. The Terror Queen wore an expression of disbelief as her parted lips and unblinking eyes, disyed the level of disbelief she had for Anon''s words.

    She looked at Anon who had a calm expression as he picked up his ss, from which he took a sip. Her gaze then shifted from Anon to the vial on the ss table, her eyes still containing doubt, skepticism and disbelief.

    Some secondster, she exhaled a deep turbid breath and after giving her sleeping daughter in the distance a nce, she turned her attention back to Anon and spoke:

    "If what you''re saying is true, do you know how you''ll shake up the markets. You''ll be stirring the hos nest and if the hos have so much an inkling of curiosity towards this¡­ it would not end well."

    Her words containing a deep warning towards Anon''s future actions despite her still being shaken up by Anon''s words.

    And why was she so disturbed by his words?

    It was due the ability of Neon to permanently increase an individual''s stats.

    In the Underworld, consumables that permanently increased an individual''s stats were extremely rare and extremely desired, so rare and desired to the point that whenever the public hears about a consumable like that appearing in the Underworld, what they would hear would be the news of the individual or group that bought the consumable, not news of the consumable itself.

    From her knowledge, consumables that increased an individual''s stats were fiercely contested for by powerful groups of the Underworld, and just the thought of her being the leading seller sent chills throughout her entire body.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    Countless ravenous wolves woulde knocking on her door, seeing her as prey.

    She shivered slightly thinking about the danger of the words of the mad man before her. Her eyes moved to the drink in her hands, and without wasting a single moment, she gulped down the whole drink, cing the ss on the ss table afterwards.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Don''t worry about the hos. I don''t n on stirring their nest immediately, it would be a subtle process¡­. Also¡­"

    Anon replied with a calm tone and expression, his eyes gleaming with a calcting light.

    "The higher the tier of an individual, the less effective the abilities of Neon bes. It mainly works on tier 0s and tier 1s. It does work on tier 2s, but the slow rate of improvement would definitely be frustrating for the impatient."

    Confusion clouded the eyes of the Terror Queen as her brows furrowed deeply.

    "So, the narcotic doesn''t affect tier 3s and above?"

    She inquired and Anon gave a nod in response.

    "For now."

    A breath of relief was released from the Terror Queen''s lips, her expression visibly easing.

    "I want you to introduce Neon discreetly to the tier 1s and tier 0s in the Outer Area. Introduce it to those that are suffering, those who have lost hope. Let Neon alleviate their pains for a while, bringing them a glimmer of hope."

    "Use these individuals to spread the word about Neon, expanding our customer base. And do it in such a way that by the time the hos catch wind of Neon, it would be toote."

    "Make sure you target most of the tier 0s and tier 1s in the Outer Area, making them regr customers of Neon. You can also target the tier 2s. After we''ve aplished all of that¡­ we move to the inner area¡­ and that''s where shit would probably go down."

    The Terror Queen looked at Anon with incredulity and astonishment, her eyes widening in the process.

    "Do you n on building an empire in the Underworld?"

    She asked as this thought came to her mind. Her mind thinking of how Anon nned on subtly gaining control of the outer area by using hope, a clever strategy, but one which could also be utilized in an insidious and cruel manner in the future.

    "I don''t n on building an empire¡­."

    Anon paused, his eyes moving to the ss wall of the penthouse they were in.

    "I n on leaving this wretched ce. I have someone to find and someone to kill."

    Although hisst words were softly spoken, barely audible as a result, the Terror Queen heard it but decided not to say anything on it.

    Her gaze shifted to her daughter who was still slumbering on a different couch in the distance. She closed her eyes and a soft sigh was released from her lips.

    Turning her attention back to Anon, determination sparked in her eyes.

    "I have a request."

 Chapter 181 180: Request

    ?

    "A request?"

    Anon questioned, his expression and tone showing his confusion. The Terror Queen nodded, ncing at her slumbering daughter afterwards. Anon noticed the nce and his brows were raised with intrigue.

    The Terror Queen exhaled, then she spoke:

    "I want you to take my daughter along with you for protection."

    "Hmm."

    Upon hearing the request of the Terror Queen, he frowned. His expression visible with confusion.

    It wasn''t confusion at her words that filled him.

    No

    His confusion was as to why the Terror Queen would even bother making such a request of him when she herself knew the answer he was definitely going to provide.

    "I don''t know why you''re making such a request when you already know my answer."

    Anon shook his head, his eyes containing hidden disappointment in them.

    There was no way he was going to ept the Terror Queen''s request.

    Why did he need to be the babysitter for her grown-up daughter?

    In what way was he benefitting from epting the request?

    By having a tier 2 as apanion?

    Or maybe by having a female as a closepanion?

    He needed none of that.

    Moreover, Anon was his fake identity, and him having to babysit a clearly grown-updy, would definitely cause unnecessary disruptions.

    Something which he clearly did not want.

    ''But why does she want me to protect her daughter? I''m just tier 1? And both she and her daughter are at higher tiers than me.''

    ''Is her fear towards the blood pool so high?... Or is it something else?''

    Anon frowned as he pondered on this thought, his eyes scrutinizing the Terror Queen.

    "I guessed you might not want to ept my request, so I prepared an alternative."

    The Terror Queen spoke, her voice disrupting Anon''s train of thoughts.

    Anon looked at her and as he did, he saw her spread out her right palm. Suddenly, an ancient looking scroll materialized in her hand. Anon looked at the scroll, his eyes visible with intrigue.

    "This scroll is a master ve contract."

    The Terror Queen exined, causing Anon''s head to snap towards her in surprise. His eyes widening in the process.

    "You mean?"

    Anon questioned and the Terror Queen nodded, her eyes resolute.

    "If you won''t take my daughter as yourpanion, then I want you to take her as your ve. I just need you to protect her, I need you to take her away from here."

    Anon stared at the Terror Queen, a mixture of bafflement, confusion and shock could be seen on his face. He tried toprehend why the Terror Queen was going to such lengths to make him take her daughter.

    What was she, a bona-fide tier 3 afraid of that she had to rely on a tier 1 for the protection of her daughter?

    Was it her intuition guiding her?

    Or was there another motive behind her actions?

    A ploy to get somebody close to him, to monitor him and gather information regarding him?

    Or¡­

    Anon stared at the scroll in the Terror Queen''s hands, and the Terror Queen perceiving his nce took it as him wanting to know more about the scroll.

    "When both of you drop your blood on certain parts of the scroll, you will be the master and my daughter your ve. You''ll have total control over her and you can order her to do anything for you."

    "Anything?"

    Anon interrupted, his eyes containing a suspicious light. The Terror Queen aware of the thoughts that could appear in Anon''s mind, gave a slightly stiff nod.

    "So if I want her to satisfy my sexual desires, perform degrading activities, or even die¡­ she would have no choice but to obey?"

    Anon asked, his ck eyes filled with a cold and extremely suspicious light.

    The Terror Queen gritted her teeth, briefly ncing at her daughter before closing her eyes, then releasing a sigh afterwards.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    "I trust my intuition."

    She said with resolve and Anon raised his brows hearing her statement He leaned back and with his arms folded, he spoke, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

    "And your intuition told you that I''m a good guy? That I wouldn''t harm your daughter?"

    Despite the sarcasm in Anon''s words, the Terror Queen was not offended, understanding the reason for Anon''s sarcasm. She shook her head and with a bitter smile, she spoke:

    "My intuition didn''t tell me that¡­ It just told me that my daughter would be safer with you."

    Anon squinted his eyes, his mind catching unto the way the Terror Queen personified her intuition. Almost treating it like a living being.

    ''Strange.''

    Despite it striking him as peculiar, Anon decided to withhold hisments on it, preferring to observe the more he interacted with her.

    "Can you tell me what this danger you''ve been feeling is?"

    Anon asked, though he had little expectation of a useful reply.

    And unsurprisingly,

    "I don''t know what the danger is."

    He receive no useful reply.

    Anon rested his chin on his hand. The gears in his mind spun as numerous possibilities raced through his mind.

    "Give me the scroll."

    Anon requested as he held out his hand. The Terror Queen brightened with delight and relief. And with slight eagerness in her movements, she handed over the scroll to him.

    As Anon grabbed the scroll, he inspected it, looking for anything that would signify the scroll being a trap, but after inspecting it for a few moments, he found none.

    His brows furrowed slightly and with a calm movement of his hands, he unfurled the scroll.

    As he unfurled the scroll, drawings and symbols appeared on the scroll and Anon''s squinted as he realized thenguage of the scroll was of a differentnguage was unfamiliar to him.

    "How were you able to figure out the use of the scroll?"

    Anon asked, his curiosity on how the Terror Queen knew anguage as ancient as what was on the scroll was evident in his tone and expression.

    But, the instant Anon asked the question, the Terror Queen had a mildly confused expression on her face.

    "I hired an appraiser to tell me about the abilities of the scroll. My inspect skill was not high enough for it¡­ Have you not heard of an appraiser before?"

    The Terror Queen asked, her tone having a tinge of confusion in it.

    Meanwhile, realization dawned upon Anon as he recalled skimming through a certain book on professions in the Library of Records.

    ording to the book, everybody in the world was given an inspect skill along with their talents.

    The inspect skill just like the name, was meant to be used to inspect the status of other individuals, though it had its limitations which could be removed as the level of the skill increased.

    The book on professions talked about some professions which people could be if they did not want to bebatants.

    One of the professions which the author wrote about were appraisers.

    Appraisers were simply people with a high level of inspection skill, and they also had lots of knowledge skills.

    Anon skimmed through the book since he was not exactly interested in the abilities of appraisers, and the part which also talked about everybody getting an inspect skill from the beginning of the apocalypse was obviously false.

    He was a living example of it. Though he already guessed the reason for him not having the inspect skill¡­ He possessed something better, Record.

    Setting aside his thoughts of appraisers and the inspect skill, Anon chose not to respond to the Terror Queen''s question. He focused his attention on the scroll before him and a thought came to his mind.

    ''I don''t think I''ve used Record on a non-living object before.''

    He stole a subtle nce towards the Terror Queen who was patiently waiting for his decision. His brows furrowed as he weighed the potential consequences of his soon to be actions.

    ''This¡­ might be risky.''

    Anon thought to himself and a few secondster, his left eye underwent a transformation, disying rapidly changing letters, symbols and numbers appeared on the left side of his vision.

    He nced discreetly at the Terror Queen and he realized she had no change in her expression.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    ''Good, she can''t see it.''

    Anon released an internal sigh of relief seeing that, then he examined the scroll properly.

    A few secondster, Anon rolled back the scroll and his brows were deeply furrowed. He looked at the Terror Queen, seeing her have a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

    "Sorry, but I still can''t agree to your request."

 Chapter 183 182: Julie, Hate

    ?

    After making both the Terror Queen and her daughter his ve, Anon decided to leave after realizing he had nothing else to do with the Terror Queen after collecting her contact.

    He gave the Terror Queen a syringe containing the antidote to the poison in her daughter''s body, then he left with the Terror Queen escorting him back to the exit.

    He climbed back down to the first floor and the scene of the ve market emerged before his eyes. A few nces were thrown his way but after seeing the Terror Queen with him, the nces disappeared just as fast as it came.

    Anon walked through the ve market on the first floor, his eyes shooting brief nces at the despair stricken caged ves. A few momentster, he reached the exit of the building, then he turned towards the Terror Queen.

    "I''ll send you more details regarding our business in the future."

    The Terror Queen nodded and without saying anything else, he walked away. The Terror Queen stared at his departing figure for a few seconds before she also turned and walked back to her penthouse.

    Meanwhile, unknown to both of them, a particr teenage ve boy had been watching them, his eyes having a glint in them as he looked at the departing figure of the Terror Queen.

    The Terror Queen walked up to her penthouse apartment and as soon as she entered, she flopped unto one of her couches and released an exhausted sigh. She looked at the syringe in her hand then her daughter and with a soft shake of head, she ced the syringe on the ss table.

    A pondering expression appeared on her face and a few momentster, she tapped her Underworld watch then she spoke:

    "Call Julie."

    A ringing sound emerged from her phone as soon as the Terror Queen spoke, and a few secondster, a female voice resounded from the watch.

    "Madam?"

    "Follow that coward for me. But make sure you don''t get caught. His senses should be very high since I believe he''s from the Assassin''s group."

    The Terror Queen spoke and a curious tone resounded from her watch.

    "Why do you say that madam?"

    The Terror Queen raised an eyebrow hearing the question.

    "Do you mean why I believe he''s from the Assassin''s group?"

    "Yes madam."

    The Terror Queen remained silent, her mind going back to her time with Anon.

    "His steps were silent¡­ too silent."

    She mumbled and no response could be heard from the Underground Watch for some seconds.

    "Understood Madam."

    The voice replied and in a 3 storey building approximately 5km away, ady wearing ck trousers and a ck long sleeved shirt stood from a couch. She released a yawn and with a scratch she looked around her room.

    Her eyesnded on her 60m sniper rifle fitted on its bipods with its barrel barely outside the window of her room. Seeing the ck sniper, a smile adorned her beautiful face. She walked towards it and with the same smile, grabbed the sniper rifle.

    "You might finally get to see some action Ghost."

    Julie mumbled as she affectionately rubbed the sniper rifle, but just as she did, a ring from her U-Watch resounded, breaking her moment.

    Julie had furrowed brows as she wondered just who was calling her, but when she looked at the caller ID, finding it to be her madam, a respectful expression instantly appeared on her face.

    Tap

    "Yes Madam?"

    "By the way, do not fight that bastard no matter what. In fact, I just thought of something, send one of your disposable subordinates to spy on him but make sure you can see what he sees.

    Stay in a far and safe ce, and I repeat, do not fight him no matter what.

    Do you understand?"

    Julie blinked repeatedly, confusion and bafflement clouding her eyes as she wondered why her Madam was so cautious about a Tier 1.

    But despite her confusion, she wouldn''t question the orders of her Madam.

    "I understand Madam."

    "Good."

    Tap<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    Julie looked at ghost and an apologetic smile appeared on her lips.

    "Sorry Ghost, you won''t get to see any action today."

    (Back at the Penthouse)

    The Terror Queen stood before her daughter, holding the syringe given to her by the coward Anon. She looked at her daughter for a few seconds then she released a sigh.

    "She''s so definitely going to be so angry."

    The Terror Queen mumbled as she rubbed her forehead with a frown. Momentster, the Terror Queen bent and injected her daughter with the syringe.

    A few momentster, her daughter jumped up while breathing heavily. Her expression pale and sweaty, and with a confused and startled expression, she looked around.

    "Calm down Selene. Take deep breaths and calm down."

    The Terror Queen spoke as she sat on the couch opposite that of her daughter''s.

    Her daughter, Selene gazed at her mother, a light of confusion appeared in her eyes for an instant before memories surged into her mind and an expression of realization appeared on her face.

    "Where''s Anon?"

    Selene asked as her eyes darted around, looking for the figure of the insidious man that poisoned her.

    "Your master has gone."

    "Uh¡­ what?"

    Selene nced at her mother, extreme confusion could be seen on her face.

    The Terror Queen crossed her legs and with an indifferent expression she looked at her daughter, an expression her daughter had seen one too many times.

    "I said your master, Anon, has gone. He''lle back for youter."

    The Terror Queen exined, her tone dripping with indifference.

    "What do you mean Anon is my master? When did that ever happen?"

    Selene was confused, extremely confused as wondered if her mother was joking with her, though he couldn''t remember thest time her mother joked around with her¡­ That was if she ever even joked with her.

    "Anon became your master while you were sleeping."

    It took a moment for the words of her mother to truly sink in and as it did, her eyes widened and extreme rage appeared in her eyes.

    "YOU USED THE SCROLL TO MAKE ME A SLAVE?!!!"

    "I ¨C"

    "SHUT UP!! HOW COULD YOU?!!!"

    "I-"

    "I HATE YOU!!"

    "YOU''RE A LIAR, ALWAYS LYING ABOUT EVERYTHING. IT''S BECAUSE OF YOU DAD DIED!!!"

    "¡­"

    BANGG!!!

    Despite the Terror Queen''s attempt to speak, her daughter who rarely disyed an emotion to outsiders, raged, refusing to give her mother the chance to speak, and all the Terror Queen could do was watch as her daughter left with immense anger, almost breaking the door in the process of closing it.

    The Terror Queen gazed at the door, her eyes remained indifferent but her heart was not. Thest words her daughter spoke cut deep into her heart.

    Some minutester she released a deep sigh and stood up, her eyes having a bit of madness in them.

    "Some ves should relieve me of some stress."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    The Terror Queen spoke and some unfortunate ves had the worst day of their lives.

 Chapter 184 183: Attack Of The Blood Berserker

    ?

    In a weird sense of humor, as the Terror Queen''s mood was terrible, Anon''s mood was quite good. Having somebody at the level of the Terror Queen as his business partner was not in his ns, so he was quite happy that he could get somebody like the Terror Queen as his business partner.

    Also, there was the fact that he now had a tier 2 and a tier 3 as ves, but he didn''t care about that.

    ''I guess today is my lucky day.''

    Anon smiled as he took a left turn into an alley. He looked around for a few moments then he walked out of the alley, venturing into quite a busy road. He looked around once again then he crossed the road, walking towards one of the buildings.

    He opened the door of the building, entered, then closed it.

    He turned back and a few meters away from him were seven individuals sitting around arge table.

    At the center was an individual with differently colored eyes, specifically red and blue. By his side was a fat man in a brown suit, drinking from a ss cup of wine elegantly.

    And to the fat man''s side was another young man with an expression of boredom, nonchnce, and tiredness.

    Buuurrrpp!!

    "By the lords of the blood, that''s disgusting as fuck."

    A female with blood-red hair and eyes spoke with a disgusted expression as she waved her hand in front of her face. Her eyes stared at a male who was holding a ss bottle with a drunk expression, his neck barely keeping his head from hitting the table.

    "He''s a man what did you expect?"

    A female wearing a green dress spoke, her shoulders shrugging nonchntly, then her eyes moved to the front, gazing at Anon with a glint in her eyes.

    "It seems Anon brought some good news."

    She said and all eyes except that of the drunkard fell unto Anon. Anon looked at the seven people in the room, his gaze staying a little bit longer on the seventh person- a male with a buffed body, an extremely handsome face, ck hair, and ck eyes.

    The male also stared at him with its head tilted slightly. Its pupils momentarily became vertical for a second before they changed back to normal.

    Anon''s lips twitched then he shifted his gaze towards the male with differently colored eyes and he nodded. He walked towards the group and as he did, he spoke:

    "I was able to get Oscar and the Terror Queen as business partners."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "You were able to get the Terror Queen to work with you? Isn''t she tier 3?"

    The male with differently colored eyes asked with a surprised tone, his brows rising in surprise, and Anon nced at the young man, his eyes containing a confused light and his brows raised in surprise.

    "You knew she was tier 3?"

    Anon asked and the young man with differently colored pupils nodded.

    Although Anon wanted to speak, he eventually decided not toment. He gave a nce towards the buffed young man in the distance before he shifted his gaze towards the young man with different colored eyes.

    "Is it safe?"

    Anon asked and the young man looked at the female with blood-red eyes and hair.

    "Rosa?"

    "Hold on."

    Rosa replied then she closed her eyes and muttered.

    "Blood Sensing"

    The moment she spoke, an image appeared in her mind. The image resembled a map, a blood-red colored map with multiple dots on it. Most of the dots were white except a particr dot at a distance of approximately 500 meters. The dot was colored red and a smile crept up on the red lips of Rosa.

    "There''s a hostile figure five hundred meters away from us. He or she is probably spying on us as we speak."

    Rosa spoke with a smile and Anon released a sigh.

    "He or she was probably sent by the Terror Queen."

    The group of seven looked at each other and Divine, the young man with differently colored eyes spoke:

    "Although we already expected this to happen, which was why we created a dummy. Should we still kill the person?"

    The group of seven looked at each other once again, then they all looked at Anon, wanting to know his answer.

    "Kill the person."

    Anon replied immediately, his eyes having no emotion in them as he spoke with an indifferent tone.

    To him, if the Terror Queen dared to send somebody to spy on him then she should be aware of the consequences.

    Besides, if he decided to let the spy leave unharmed, the Terror Queen might continue to spy on him using a different method.

    He had to send a message to her, warning her that there would be consequences for seemingly ''harmless'' and curious activities like this.

    Meanwhile, the group of seven was not surprised by Anon''s quick decision in killing the spy. From the short time they''ve interacted with him, they already knew Anon was cruel and decisive.

    Divine nced at Rosa and without having to say a word, Rosa understood his intent. She stood and walked to the window.

    Anon had a curious expression on his face as he wondered how Rosa, the Blood Berserker would kill the spy.

    ''Oh.''

    An expression of intrigue appeared on his face when he saw Rosa make a deep cut on her wrist using her sharp fingers. Not only that, he noticed an abnormality.

    Rosa''s blood despite falling, never touched the floor. It floated, forming a ball that continued expanding the more blood that poured out of Rosa''s wrist.

    Meanwhile, despite cutting herself, Rosa never showed an ounce of pain, the only difference in her expression was the paleness of her skin.

    A few secondster the blood flowing from her wrist stopped and the deep cut healed on its own, though the process was slightly slow.

    Rosa exhaled softly then she raised her right hand, and as she did that, the floating blood ball floated upwards, stopping as it reached her eye level.

    She made a pinching motion on both of her hands, cing them together for a few seconds, then she spread them apart in a pulling motion.

    And as she did that, the blood pool thinned and lengthened.

    A focused expression appeared on her face and in the next instant, her hands moved at an extremely fast speed, eventually bing a blur even in Anon''s eyes shocking him to his core.

    Before Anon could even decide to use a skill to allow him to see Rosa''s hand movement, Rosa stopped and Anon''s eyes moved to the blood ball¡­ which was no longer a blood ball.

    The blood ball had be a bow with an arrow floating by its side.

    Rosa grabbed the bow and arrow then she nocked the arrow.

    She closed an eye, then an extremely focused expression appeared on her face. The image of the blood map appeared in her mind once again as she used the blood-sensing skill.

    "Homing Mystic Blood Arrow."

    She mumbled as she pulled the blood arrow and a secondter, she released the arrow.

    WOOSH!!

    ''I have a feeling this would be interesting.''

    Anon thought as a small smile formed on his lips.

    (Meanwhile in a ce approximately five hundred meters away from the group of eight)

    A man in his 30s stood before a window with binocrs ced in front of his eyes. The image of the group of eight reflected in his eyes.

    He removed the binocrs from his eyes and a confused expression appeared on his face.

    "Who was that woman shooting at?"

    The man not expecting his position or his presence to bepromised never thought that the arrow shot by Rosa was for him. Besides, if a person told him that the arrow was shot towards him, he would not believe their words.

    How could somebody shoot an arrow from such a distance, expecting it to hit their target?

    Not only is the distance extremely far. The obstacles during the arrow''s flight would disrupt or stop the arrow''s movement.

    But little did he know that the arrow was destroying anything in its path. Whether it was the walls of a building, a person, a vehicle, etc. The arrow left a hole in its path, causing devastating damage as it whistled toward the ignorant spy.

    Some secondster, the spy decided to continue his assigned job. He ced the binocrs on his eyes and with a focused expression, he looked through the ocr lens.

    But¡­

    "Huh?"

    A confused expression appeared on his face the instant he looked through the lens. He could see Rosa smiling directly at him while pointing downwards, her lips moving as she repeatedly pointed downwards.

    "Is she talking to me?"

    The spy wondered with a confused expression then he tried to read the female''s lips, wanting to know what she was saying.

    "Loo- Look- Dow- Look Down?"

    "Huh? Look down?"

    The spy had a baffled expression as he spoke out the words he read on Rosa''s lips. A curious expression appeared on his face then he looked down.

    And just as the saying went, curiosity killed the cat.

    Though in this case, it wouldn''t have mattered.

    The spy''s eyes widened as he saw a blood-red arrow a meter from his face.

    ''Shit''

    Puchi

    Bang!

 Chapter 185 184: Underworld Lords, Boros

    ?

    "It''s done"

    Rosa turned around with a small smile on her face as she informed the group of the spy''s death.

    Although her face was pale and a little bit of blood was dripping from her nose, she had an expression of satisfaction on her face, her eyes briefly ncing at Anon who was also staring back at her, his eyes having a glint of intrigue.

    ''He''s staring at me.''

    A slight blush appeared on her face as she noticed Anon''s stare.

    Meanwhile Anon not noticing the blush continued gazing at her with intrigue due to his interest in her abilities.

    "Uhm, Rosa."

    Disrupting him from his thoughts was the voice of Divine. He turned towards Divine and he noticed Divine rubbing his forehead with a frustrated expression.

    "Yes Captain?"

    Rosa turned towards Divine, her eyes having an innocent light in them and Divine seeing her expression had twitching lips.

    "You know what you did right?"

    Divine asked and Rosa blinked twice, her head tilted to the side lightly and a confused and innocent expression appeared on her face.

    "What do you mean captain? What did I do?"

    Divine''s forehead throbbed and an expression of constrained anger could be seen on his face.

    "Who is going to pay for the damage that you caused? You know the rules of the Underworld."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "Hmm."

    Despite Divine''s words, Rosa only made a ''hmm'' sound, her eyes blinking innocently and no extra word escaped her lips.

    mes spewed out of Divine''s eyes as he stared at Rosa with anger.

    "What rule are you talking about?"

    Anon questioned, disrupting Divine''s increasing anger.

    Divine turned towards Anon, his teeth ground against each other, and with barely restrained anger he looked at Rosa.

    "You know that in the Outer Area, only tier 0 to tier 3 are allowed?"

    Divine questioned and Anon nodded. He had read about that in one of the recorded books.

    Not only did he know about what Divine said, but he also knew there was a way people at higher tiers could go around that rule.

    Value points.

    If a person at higher tiers was willing to pay a high price, he or she could then stay in the Outer Area.

    "Have you also heard about the Underworld Lords?"

    Divine asked once again and Anon nodded. He had also read about it in one of the recorded books, though the information on the Underworld Lords was extremely minute.

    The Underworld Lords were Underworld officials that were the leaders of the three areas of the city of sin.

    There is the Lord of the Outer Area, the Lord of the Inner Area, and the Lord of the Central Area.

    No other information was given on the responsibilities, duties, or purpose of the Underworld Lords. He also had no idea of their strengths or their identities.

    It was one of the things Anon decided to find outter in the future when he had the time, though it seemed he didn''t have to wait for a much longer time.

    "Since you know of the Underworld Lords, do you know of their purpose? Why they''re called the Underworld Lords?"

    Divine asked and Anon shook his head.

    "The reason why there is a tier limit for the three areas of the city of sin is to prevent excessive damage to the areas."

    "And this is where the Underworld Lordse into ce. When there is awbreaker, the Underworld Lordse to arrest the individual or individuals, giving them an appropriate punishment as a result."

    "Basically, it''s when somebody who is a tier 4 or higher attacks. Or when an ability that is above the capabilities of a tier 3 is used."

    "In other words, when a skill containing mystic mana is used! And a certain person decided to use a mystic arrow to kill a damn tier 2!"

    Divine red at Rosa who still maintained an innocent expression despite the usation thrown at her.

    "I had to make sure the spy would die. Besides, can''t you pay for the damages? You''re rich aren''t you?"

    Divine stared at Rosa, his expression showing no emotion but deep within his eyes hid a well of rage and pain.

    Rosa moved closer to Divine and Divine stared at her, his expression showing not a single emotion as he stared at her.

    Rosa reached Divine and with a smile, she bent, her lips extremely close to the ears of Divine.

    "It would be good if you activate your noise canction skill.

    "You already know what I would do if you don''t pay for the damages. Apart from breaking your balls once again, something you''re already used to, I''ll tell everybody in the group your secret.''

    Hearing the evil whisper of Rosa, Divine''s clenched his fist and his eyes briefly nced at Melissa.

    Without waiting for Divine''s response, Rosa walked towards her chair with a chuckle, her lips having a mischievous smile.

    As Divine stared at the departing figure of Rosa, a tear threatened to spill out of his eye and his heart felt broken.

    ''My money.''

    Divine thought with immense emotional pain. His eyes then shifted towards Anon and a glint appeared in his eyes.

    "Hey kid."

    He called out and Anon looked at him with a frown.

    "How much are you owing me?

    Without waiting for Anon to respond, he asked, his eyes having a strange glint in them.

    Anon had furrowed brows as he looked at Divine. He noticed the strangeness in his gaze but he couldn''t figure out the reason for the strangeness.

    "I''m owing you fifty thousand value points."

    Anon replied after he decided to dismiss his thoughts on the strangeness of Divine''s gaze.

    Meanwhile, as soon as he replied Divine''s question, the strangeness in Divine''s gaze did not decrease but instead increased.

    "Are you sure it''s fifty thousand? I thought it was one hundred thousand value points."

    Anon blinked as he looked at Divine with baffled light in his eyes.

    ''Is he... trying to rob me?''

    Anon had this baffled thought as he looked at Divine with his head tilted.

    Divine blinked repeatedly with an innocent expression, his eyes emitting innocence.

    Anon also blinked back at Divine, his eyes containing zero emotions.

    After a few seconds, Anon turned away from Divine, shifting his gaze towards Melissa.

    "You can tell your pet to change back."

    "He has a name and his name is Ouroboros."

    Melissa corrected as she shook her finger toward Anon. She then shifted her gaze toward the seventh member of the group.

    Anon also shifted his gaze towards the seventh member of the group, a replica of his original identity.

    "Boros. You can change back now."

    Melissa spoke and Boros turned his head towards Melissa and nodded.

    In the next instant, his body changed, twisting in an inhumane manner. His body became shorter, then slimmer. Cracking sounds resounded as his bone structure changed.

    A few secondster, the figure of a male human was nowhere to be seen, and in its ce was a white snake that was twenty five inches long.

    The snake hissed then it moved towards Melissa, slithering up her arms, eventually reaching her neck.

    Melissa gazed at Boros with affection as she rubbed his head.

    Anon gave a short nce at Boros then he ced his finger on a silver ring on his pinky finger which had engravings on it.

    He removed the ring and his appearance changed.

    His totally ck eyes changed to their previous appearance, having ck pupils and white sclera. His snow-white hair became ck and his face which previously had a feminine beauty in it, changed, bing more masculine, granting him a different type of beauty.

    Anon nced at the silver ring and as he did, shbacks of the past appeared in his mind.

    Things had worked out much better than he expected in terms of him finding a business partner.

    His original n was to create a different identity, one that was mainly associated with his future narcotic business.

    But there was a problem.

    He already knew the storm his narcotic, Neon, would produce in the future.

    And to at least keep himself safe from unknown dangers, he decided to create a different identity, which was Anon.

    Anon, meaning Anonymous.

    But once again, there was a problem with his n.

    In his ns, he would need to associate with Divine''s group and if somebody decided to look into it, they would eventually notice that Divine''s group decided to start a narcotic business when he joined their group.

    And ''coincidentally'', an unknown figure from nowhere created a drug that increased the stats of its consumers.

    And the unknown figure decided to join Divine''s group.

    All suspicions would go towards him at the end of the day, which is something he would definitely not want.

    But fortunately, Boros, Melissa''s pet snake, had a shape-shifting ability. Boros could shape-shift to ''Corey'', while he became Anon, using the face-changing ring he bought with Divine''s money.

    So now, all Corey had to do, was wait for Neon to be in cirction, giving him and the group, value points.

    And from there, he could purchase elemental stones so as to practice the Elemental Breathing Technique.

 Chapter 186 185: All Shall Breathe Neon

    ?

    The streets of the Outer Area bustled with different sorts of activities. Fights, car chases, theughter of drunkards and narcotic consumers, small kids performing various acts of thievery, the weak being used as ves, and debauchery of all sorts urring out in the open and in seemingly unseen corners.

    These activities which would be performed in unseen ces or the night were performed during the day, making one wonder if even worse activities could even be performed in the absence of light.

    In front of a decrepit house sat two shabby-looking young men, both with a bottle of alcohol in their hands.

    One of them took a gulp from his bottle while the other ced his bottle on the floor, then he ced his hands in his pocket, eventually bringing out a joint. He brought out a lighter and after two clicks, he lighted the roll and took a puff from it, eventually exhaling it with a satisfied expression.

    The other man nced at his partner with raised brows, his eyes having a tinge of intrigue.

    "What''s that? Smells different than the others."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    He asked and his partner looked at him with a smile.

    "This the new shit that''s in cirction. It''s called Neon."

    The man with the bottle of wine looked at the joint in his partner''s hand, an intrigued and skeptical expression on his face.

    "Is it good?"

    "Good?"

    He asked and as soon as he did, his partner looked at him with raised brows before he erupted with a loudugh.

    "Shit isn''t just good, it''s the best. I take it as my breakfast brah. Even take it as my dinner, minutes before I sleep."

    "I breath Neon bruh."

    The partner gave a wide smile towards the young man with the bottle, then he took another deep puff of Neon, exhaling it afterward with a satisfied expression.

    "This the shit man. Nothing beats this."

    The man with the bottle nced at the roll of Neon in his partner''s hands, a skeptical light still evident in his eyes despite the words of his partner.

    "Is it that good? I mean, to me, nothing can beat Coke. Weeds don''t make me high enough."

    "It''s damn good man. Neon can be used in any form. It can be smoked, added to your drink, water, or even food, and it can also be inhaled. Also¡­"

    The partner paused, then he looked around, his eyes scanning the surroundings in a vignt manner. Eventually, he moved closer to his friend with the bottle, and a whisper escaped his lips.

    "¡­Neon can also increase your stats by a small amount. Can you believe that?"

    The young man with the bottle had his eyes widening to unimaginable limits and in the next instant, his mouth opened, wanting to scream out the word- "Impossible", but his partner quickly covered his mouth, preventing him from uttering a word.

    His partner''s eyes darted around, a vignt light in his eyes.

    "Don''t shout you fool. Do you want everybody to know about Neon? If more people know about it do you think we''d be able to get some? We''re poor and nobodies dude!"

    The young man with the roll of Neon spoke with an angered tone. His eyes then caught sight of an extremely handsome tall and buff man in the distance, his handsomeness stunning him for a few seconds.

    "Hey, man!"

    He called out and the young man with the bottle of alcohol blinked as he looked at his partner with a confused light, wondering what the hell his partner wanted to do with somebody that looked stronger and richer than them.

    Meanwhile, the man who was called did not bother to reply to the call, making the young man with Neon unsure if the man was just outright ignoring him or did not hear his voice.

    The gaze of the young man shifted and with a quick movement of his arms, he snatched his friend''s bottle and without hesitation, threw it at the tall handsome man in the distance.

    The bottle whistled through the air as it flew toward the handsome tall man, and the owner of the bottle had widened eyes as he wondered what the hell was wrong with his friend.

    ''Oh Lord, what the hell did this bastard smoke¡­ Oh wait¡­''

    Just as the partner had various thoughts on how he would die, his eyes widened once again when he saw the tall handsome turning around and with a calm movement, caught the bottle.

    The tall handsome man had a deep frown as he turned towards the duo, making the heart of the previous owner of the bottle skip several beats.

    "Hey, man. Do you want some Neon?"

    "¡­"

    "¡­"

    "Neon?"

    The tall handsome man had raised brows as he gazed at the outstretched hand of the crazy young man. In his hand was a transparent bag of Neon, something which the tall handsome man would recognize even when blind and asleep.

    After some seconds passed, the tall handsome man shook his head and with a solemn tone, he spoke:

    "You shouldn''t be smoking. You still have a long life ahead of you."

    The crazy young man blinked repeatedly as he looked at the tall handsome man with a strange gaze, his eyes having a tinge of confusion.

    "What are you talking about? We''re no longer normal humans so drugs and weed cannot affect us. We can smoke as much as we want, drink as much as we want, and take as much drugs as we want. We''re free to do as we want!"

    The crazy young man spoke with his hands outstretched, his eyes having a strange glint in them and a wide smile could be seen on his lips.

    "Don''t say I didn''t warn you."

    The tall handsome man shook his head and without waiting for a response, he walked away, cing the bottle in his hand on a car nearby.

    "Bruh doesn''t know what he''s missing."

    The crazy young man shook his head with a regretful expression, and just as he did, a hand grabbed him by his cor.

    "You bastard! Why did you decide to call that scary guy? Didn''t you see his eyes, they were cold and emotionless as fuck."

    The crazy young man nced at his partner who was looking at him with an intense re and a tinge of fear, hisst words spoken as a whisper due to his fear of the tall handsome man.

    "What''s the problem? I was just trying to spread the good stuff."

    The crazy young man shrugged then he removed his friend''s hand from his cor.

    "Were you not the one that said we shouldn''t tell more people about Neon ''cause we''re poor and nobodies?"

    The crazy young man''s friend questioned with a confused tone, and the crazy young man blinked twice, his eyes also having a confused light.

    "I said that?"

    He asked and the friend nodded.

    "Well god damn. This shit be strong as fuck."

    The crazy young man spoke and with a smile, he took another puff of Neon. After exhaling it, he nced at his friend who was looking at him with a strange gaze.

    Using his mouth to hold the roll of Neon, he shifted his gaze from his friend to his pocket. He brought out a clear mini polythene bag that contained a white powdery substance- Neon.

    "Want some Neon?"

    The crazy young man shook the clear mini polythene bag and without saying a single word, his friend snatched the bag from his friend and he walked into the house behind them.

    The crazy young man saw that and he had a smile on his face. He took another puff of Neon, exhaling it afterward.

    "We shall all breathe Neon."

    Meanwhile, as all of this was going on, the tall handsome man who has walked away from the duo had a small frown on his face as he remembered the duo, especially the crazy young man.

    ''I should probably decrease the euphoric effect of Neon in the future. I can''t be having my consumers go crazy after such a short time.''

    The tall handsome man who was the creator of Neon, had this thought as he realized that the euphoric effects urred too quickly in his consumers, especially abusers of his drug like the crazy young man.

    ''Also, I can''t have them dying too soon.''

    Corey thought once again then he released a soft sigh and looked forward. His eyes were drawn to an extremelyrge and beautiful building.

    Its beauty and magnificence were something that Corey had never seen. Most of its walls were made of ss, not bricks and stones. It covered more than five hundred square meters, which was an area that was equivalent to one hundred football pitches.

    Countless people walked in and out of the building, with various vehicles parked around the building while some vehicles moved away from the building.

    The building hustled and bustled with so many activities, making it a noisy but surprisinglywful ce.

    Corey stood before one of the masterpieces of the Underworld, The Underworld Emporium.

 Chapter 189 188: Source Of Elemental Stones; Elemental Breathing Technique

    ?

    Why was an Elemental Stone so expensive?

    Why did it seem so valuable and what were its uses?

    These two questions were the questions Corey had when he knew about the absurd price of an Elemental Stone.

    Corey checked all his recorded books to figure out the reason behind the high price of an elemental stone, so he had to call Divine to ask about the reason.

    Although Divine gave him the reason behind the high price of an elemental stone, he had to pay a price, which was¡­ Ten Thousand Value Points.

    Corey so much wanted to beat the crap out of Divine when he heard the price of the information, but Divine''s reply was:

    "Since an Elemental Stone cost ten thousand value points, you''ll pay ten thousand value points to get the information.

    I''m not cheating you at all by the way. In fact, I''m even generous enough to not charge you a hundred thousand value points. Aren''t I a magnanimous person?"

    Corey''s eyes twitched both in the past and in the present as he remembered Divine''s words.

    After he heard Divine''s tant lie, he wanted to cut the call and use the E-Underworld to find out the information he wanted, but before he could, Diver warned him about what he searched on the E-Underworld, that whatever he searched for could be used against him in the future.

    So with Divine''s warning which to some extent, held some truth, Corey had to yield to Divine''s extortion. Increasing Divine''s ount bnce by sixty thousand value points- fifty thousand for the repayment of the loan he collected from Divine, and ten thousand for the information.

    After paying Divine, Divine first thanked him for patronizing his business, causing a vein to pop in Corey''s head. Although Corey was at first pissed at Divine for extorting him, the information given to him by Divine was detailed and useful.

    The main reason for the high cost of the elemental stones was due to their source.

    Elemental stones were gotten from the twelve danger zones of New Earth. The danger zones were the twelve uninhabitable ces of New Earth Ashley told him about. Every danger zone was called a danger zone due to the excessive amount of an element in a particr area.

    For example, there was a ce that had an ever-burning me, and another ce had so much ice and the temperature of the ce was so low that a normal human would be an ice sculpture in an instant if they dared to approach the ce. Another ce had never-ending lightning strikes and thunderps.

    The twelve danger zones all had their special reasons for being called danger zones, and despite the twelve danger zones being extremely dangerous, they were ways one could benefit from the zones.

    With one of them being elemental stones.

    The danger zones produced elemental stones that were respective to the element of the danger zones. For example, the danger zone of fire would produce fire elemental stones, the danger zone of lightning would produce lightning elemental stones, and so on.

    Due to the danger and difficulty in getting elemental stones from a danger zone, the price of an elemental stone both in the outside world and the Underworld was extremely high.

    There were other minor reasons for the high cost of an elemental stone, but those minor reasons were of no usefulness to Corey.

    (Going back to Corey and the manager of the shop of the elements)

    The manager had a skeptical expression as he scrutinized Corey from head to toe. He had heard a few things about Smile Reaper, and from what he knew, Corey was not meant to have the money to buy an elemental stone¡­

    ''Unless he borrowed money from that freak named Divine.''

    As the manager had this thought, he realized his theory about Smile Reaper''s words could be true and with that theory, the manager''s curiosity about Corey died down. Meanwhile, his curiosity about Divine''s actual wealth increased.

    "Since you know the price of an elemental stone, how many elemental stones do you want?"

    The manager asked with a smile and Corey seeing a change in the manager''s expression, slightly raised his brows.

    Although he was curious about the change in the expression of the manager, he decided not to make ament and buy the elemental stones he wanted.

    "I''ll buy nine different elemental stones. Each elemental stone should contain the nine different elements."

    Corey''s gain from the selling of Neon was approximately two hundred thousand value points, and Corey was extremely surprised when he received his money.

    The money gotten from the sales of Neon in the past two weeks was not actually two hundred thousand value points. It was much more than that, but there were expenses which were needed to be subtracted from the money so as to keep the business afloat.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    An example of some of the expenses was the Terror Queen collecting her share of the money. The Terror Queen also collected a part of the money to pay the middlemen she used to advertise and influence people to buy Neon.

    He also needed to pay Divine and his group since he was using their identity as a sort of protection. Also, the group also had their work to do regarding their uing drug empire and they also needed their share of the money.

    Other things took out of the actual money earned from the sales of Neon, but despite the many expenses, Corey still earned a whopping Two Hundred Thousand Value Points, showing the value of Neon to the Underworld residents and also, it showed Corey how much work the Terror Queen put into the sales of Neon, and he was extremely satisfied with her for that.

    Although Corey earned approximately two hundred thousand value points, he had to pay back the debt he owed to Divine, along with the money for the information on elemental stones.

    So in essence, Corey had approximately one hundred forty thousand value points left, and he nned on using ny thousand value points to buy elemental stones.

    Although he could buy five more elemental stones, there was no point in buying just five more elemental stones due to the Elemental Breathing Technique.

    ording to the Paragon Ancestor and the Elemental Breathing Technique, there were nine elements- Fire, water, wind, earth, ice, lightning, metal, wood, and magma.

    And the elemental breathing technique requires Corey to use nine elemental stones to use the elemental breathing technique.

    The elemental breathing technique was a technique that allowed Corey to absorb the elemental energy from an elemental stone, increasing Corey''s stats in the process.

    Although Corey had to absorb the elemental stone from a stone on each of his hands, Corey had to make sure he absorbed all nine elements from an elemental stone in quick session or the elements could be rampant and cause an implosion if not attended to.

    There was more to the Elemental Breathing Technique than just its elemental stone requirement. The elemental breathing technique would increase certain stats with every elemental stone he absorbed. For example:

    A fire elemental stone would mildly increase his constitution, dexterity and intelligence.

    A water elemental stone would mildly increase his strength, constitution, and dexterity.

    A wind elemental stone would greatly increase his agility and dexterity.

    And earth elemental stone would greatly increase his constitution and mildly increase his strength.

    An ice elemental stone would mildly increase his constitution.

    A lightning elemental stone would greatly increase his speed, mildly increase his constitution and give a slight increase to his intelligence stat.

    A metal elemental stone would greatly increase his strength and constitution.

    A wood elemental stone would mildly increase his constitution and intelligence.

    And a magma elemental stone would greatly increase his strength and constitution.

    Although the elemental breathing technique used words like greatly increase and mildly increase, Corey had no idea to what extent the increase would be.

    (Back to Corey and the Manager)

    The manager had raised brows as he once again, found himself scrutinizing Corey for a few seconds.

    "Excuse me for being rude. But, I have to ask. Are you by chance a formation specialist?"

    The manager asked and Corey looked at him with raised brows, his eyes having a tinge of confusion.

    "Why do you ask?"

    Corey questioned with a curious and confused tone, and the manager perceiving the confusion and curiosity in Corey''s tone raised his brows also. His eyes containing intrigue.

    "From my knowledge, only formation specialist or some other special Profession requires so many different types of elemental stones."

    As the manager spoke, his eyes gleamed with interest as he awaited an answer from Corey, but Corey''s expression changed from confusion to that of indifference. His eyes and expression, revealing no hint of an answer.

    A chuckle escaped Corey''s lips a few secondster and with a small harmless smile, Corey spoke:

    "I think it would be best for the two of us if you mind your business¡­ Mr. Manager."

    Pin-drop silence engulfed the room for some seconds until the manager smiled and then pped.

    "I apologize for intruding on your business Mr. Smile Reaper. I was curious because a certain person also buys countless different types of elemental stones, and the person is also not a formation specialist."

    The manager exined and Corey raised his brows with an interested expression.

    "And who is the person if I may ask?"

    Hearing Corey''s question, the manager''s lips twitched slightly and with slight fear in his eyes, he replied:

    "Pam, the leader of The Destroyers of Darkness."

 Chapter 190 189: Elemental Symbols, Elemental Sensations

    ?

    After buying the required nine elemental stones from the manager, Corey also made a deal with the manager, making his future purchases of elemental stones much easier for him.

    Although he was somewhat tempted to explore the Underworld Emporium due to a strange curiosity that appeared in his heart toward the Underworld Emporium the curiosity building up the longer he stayed in the Underworld Emporium. Corey quickly nipped the curiosity in the bud.

    Knowing how dangerous it would be if he kept on staying in the Underworld Emporium, Corey decided to leave the Underworld Emporium without wasting a single moment. After leaving, he decided to pay for a room in one of the few hotels that were avable in the Outer Area of the City of Sin.

    Although it was expensive, Corey did not trust Justin or anybody enough to use the elemental breathing technique in the same environment as them.

    Thinking back to the strange curiosity that emerged in his heart, Corey, who was sitting on the bed of the hotel room shirtless, frowned slightly.

    ''That feeling was definitely not normal¡­ I never had that feeling when I first entered the Underworld Emporium, but the longer I stayed there, the more I wanted to explore the Underworld Emporium and spend my value points.''

    ''I guess that might be another reason why most people who enter, never want to leave until they''ve spent all their money.''

    Corey''s brows furrowed slightly as he pondered on the seemingly harmless ability of the Underworld Emporium.

    A few secondster, he shook his head as he decided to dismiss his thoughts, he would just have to be careful whenever he entered the Underworld Emporium.

    He released a sigh and just as he did, a thick fog was released from his lips.

    ''Fog Maniption''

    Using the skill, Fog Maniption, the fog which was released from Corey''s lips increased in amount and thickness. Its amount and thickness increased to the point that a normal human would not be able to see a single thing.

    ''This amount of thickness should be enough to blind whatever hidden cameras that are in the room.''

    Corey observed his produced fog for a few seconds, and after being satisfied with the thickness and amount, he stopped producing more fog and left the fog as it was.

    He spread out his palm and a ck box appeared in his right palm. The ck box was made of a unique metal which also had unique engravings on its surface.

    Corey looked at the box for a few seconds, his eyes containing slight intrigue in the metal and the engravings on its surface.

    He exhaled softly then he opened the briefcase and as soon as he did, a heavy gust of a nine-colored wind blew at his face for a few seconds. Corey squinted his eyes as he looked at the nine glowing elemental stones in the box.

    His hand moved and he picked up two elemental stones before closing the box.

    "So this is an elemental stone."

    Corey mumbled as he observed the glowing red and deep blue elemental stones in his hands. The red elemental stone representing the fire elemental stone and the deep blue elemental stone representing the water elemental stone.

    Despite it being called an elemental stone, the appearance of the elemental stones could not bepared to a stone. The fire elemental stone looked like a red crystal with a round shape and the water elemental stone looked like a deep blue crystal that had a cubical shape.

    "I guess this is why the elemental stones had to be stored in this special box with the unique engraving."

    Corey mumbled as he inspected his surrounding which was increasing and reducing in temperature. Some momentster, Corey stopped observing the elemental stones. He took in a deep breath then he closed his eyes.

    His breathing pattern changed and the atmosphere surrounding him also changed.

    A few secondster, visible red and deep blue particles of light flowed out of the fire and water elemental stones toward Corey.

    The red particles of light moved toward Corey''s forehead while the deep blue particles of light moved towards Corey''s right side of Corey''s chest. As the particles of light touched Corey''s body, the particles were absorbed by Corey''s body, and with every passing minute, a symbol gradually formed on Corey''s forehead and the right side of his chest.

    The symbol started as a circle on both parts of Corey''s body then after an unknown amount of time, an image began forming in the circles.

    In the red circle on Corey''s forehead, the image of a me formed little by little. And in the deep blue circle on the right side of Corey''s chest, the image of a rising wave began to form little by little.

    Other than the formation of the symbols on Corey''s body, Corey also felt a different sensation as the fire and water elemental energies entered his body.

    He felt like his veins, arteries, organs, bones, blood, and every other thing that was in his internal system were being steamed and heated to an extremely high degree. But just as the temperature of his internal system kept on increasing, he felt a cooling sensation move throughout his body, relieving Corey''s internal system of its high temperature.

    But with the relief and decrease in temperature, came a unique heaviness. The heaviness putting immense weight on Corey''s internal system¡­. But luckily for him, he was no longer a normal human. His body had been modified by the blood of the Paragon Ancestor, granting him the ability to resist the heaviness.

    This sensation of heating and cooling continued like a cycle as Corey kept on absorbing the fire elemental energy and water elemental energy.

    As time went by, the image which was at first faint and iplete, became moreplete and the continuous change in temperature reduced.

    Crack

    Crack

    The soft sound of a crack reverberated in the room and Corey''s eyes opened. He brought out a mirror from the storage space in his Tri-Pupil Eyes and with an intrigued expression, he looked at his face.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "So I guess this is the mark that will form after using the elemental breathing technique."

    Corey mumbled as he observed the symbol on his forehead which was that of a me in a red circle. He then looked at his right chest where another symbol could also be seen. The symbol was that of a rising wave inside a deep blue circle.

    The Elemental Breathing Technique was a technique that required Corey to absorb the elemental energy from an elemental stone into his body in a specific pattern.

    Corey could not just absorb the elemental energy into his body in any manner. He had to direct the elemental energy of certain elements to specific parts of his body. For example:

    He had to transfer the fire elemental energy from the fire elemental stone to his be, which then formed the me in a circle symbol on his forehead.

    He also had to transfer the water elemental energy from the water elemental stone to his right chest, which eventually formed the rising wave in a circle symbol.

    Corey clenched his fist as he reveled in the little increase in his strength, though despite the increase in his strength, his body felt ufortable and his instincts tingled repeatedly.

    "Seven more to go."

    Corey muttered before exhaling softly. He opened the ck box and took two more elemental stones.

    The earth elemental stone and the lightning elemental stone, which had a brown color and a white color respectively.

    As soon as he brought out both elemental stones, the gravity of the room increased by a slight amount. Although the increase in gravity was defined as slight, if a tier one at Corey''s level was present in the current environment, they would experience difort.

    Though Corey felt none, his entire physical structure which was already reformed by the Paragon Ancestor''s blood had a much higher durability and toughnesspared to the body of a normal human.

    Not only did the gravity in the room increase, sparks appeared around Corey''s left hand which was holding the lightning elemental stone. The sparks burnt Corey''s hand slightly while also passing a current into Corey''s body, threatening to cause some damage to his internal system.

    But just as his hand got burnt, it also healed. And he could ignore the current passing through his body.

    Corey exhaled softly then he closed his eyes and started absorbing the earth and metal elemental energies using the elemental breathing technique.

    Brownish and whitish particles of light emerged from both elemental stones, and both particles of light moved toward Corey''s right and left hand.

    Simr to the water elemental energy but at the same time, different. The earth elemental caused a different type of heaviness on Corey''s internal system, putting a high strain on Corey''s internal system.

    But just as the strain kept on increasing, it decreased as the lightning elemental energy destroyed the earth elemental energy, greatly reducing the strain on Corey''s body.

    Although it seemed like the lightning elemental energy was helping Corey, whenever there was a reduction in the earth elemental energy, the lightning elemental energy caused damage to Corey''s body. Burning and harming whatever was on its way until the earth elemental energy stopped it once again.

    This cycle of destruction and disruption continued for an unknown amount of time. And as time went by, two symbols formed on two different parts of his body.

    On Corey''s right bicep was the symbol of a deep brownish mountain in a brown circle, and on Corey''s left calf was the symbol of a white lightning bolt in a white circle.

    As Corey kept on absorbing the elemental energy contained in the two elemental stones, the two symbols became moreplete and clearer.

 Chapter 194 193: Armies Of The Two Kings

    ?

    Moments after thementator spoke, two individuals walked out of two opposing gates and when Corey observed the two individuals, he raised his brows and a confused expression appeared on his face.

    "Hey kid."

    Divine''s voice flowed into his ears, disrupting his iing train of thoughts. Corey shifted his gaze from the two individuals to Divine who was also staring at the two individuals with a light smile.

    "Who do you think will win?"

    Divine, perceiving Corey''s nce without giving Corey a nce, spoke.

    Corey stared at the two individuals once again and his brows furrowed slightly as he observed both individuals..

    The first individual which he knew, was Triple X, who like always, had a bored and nonchnt expression. His dark eyes containing no other emotion apart from boredom. He wore a ck long-sleeved t-shirt, ck shorts and ck shoes. He had a fairly handsome face with his hair having a dreadlock style.

    The second individual, who was called Automaton, was the source of Corey''s initial confusion.

    Automaton looked like a cyborg. His physical structure was humanoid, though, apart from the left half of his head, his entire body was made of metal. In his hands were two ck metallic briefcases which emitted a bright sheen.

    In essence, Automaton was 95% machine, 5% human.

    ''The guy looks way too much like a certain superhero I''ve seen in the past.''

    ''Did he just decide to copy his looks?''

    This thoughts crossed through Corey''s mind as he observed Automaton.

    "Since you brought me here to watch Triple X''s match, doesn''t that mean Triple X would win?"

    Corey removed his gaze from Automaton, and turned towards Divine. His brows furrowed as he wondered if Divine expected Automaton to win.

    ''But that wouldn''t make sense. Cause if Automaton was to win, Triple X would have to die and I''m pretty sure Divine wouldn''t want that.''

    Corey gave Divine a nce as he wondered if something unexpected was going to happen in Triple X''s fight.

    Divine turned towards Corey and a light smile appeared on his face and with a soft chuckle, he spoke:

    "You''re right. Triple X will win, but¡­ I expect it to be fun."

    ''If you say Triple X is going to win, why did you now ask me for my opinion?''

    Although Corey had the urge to speak out his thoughts, he decided to keep it in his mind. He didn''t want to receive another annoyingment from Divine anymore.

    "Let''s watch the match shall we."

    Divine spoke after receiving no response from Corey, and without waiting for Corey''s response, he turned towards the match with a slightly eager expression.

    Corey gave Divine a brief nce before he also turned to the participating duo, his eyes having an intrigued light in his eyes as he waited for the battle of the two ''Kings''.

    (In the battle arena of the Amphitheater)

    "You know, I''m surprised. For such a big coward like you, I didn''t think you''d ept my challenge."

    Automaton spoke, his androgynous voice containing a tinge of amusement as he gazed at Triple X with concealed anger, envy and disdain.

    "This time around, I''ll¡­"

    "Rise of the Horde."

    Just as Automaton was speaking, a calm, indifferent and bored tone disrupted him and in the next instant, Automaton''s human eye widened as he saw arge ck smoke emerge from the ground and around two secondster, the smoke dispersed and arge group of undead emerged before him.

    Standing at the forefront, was an army of skeletal warriors, each holding a weapon or weapons. Their number surpassing two thousand. Behind these skeletal warriors were a group of walking humanoid and beast corpses. Their eyes devoid of any emotion as they made growling noises. Their numbers surpassing two thousand.

    Behind these group of walking humanoid and beast corpses were skeletal mages, each wearing a ck robe, a long pointy wizardy hat and a staff in their hands.

    Screech!!

    Screech!!

    Loud screeches resounded in the Amphitheater, causing arge portion of the crowd to cover their ears with a deep frown. Corey merely had a slight furrow of his brows and with squinted eyes, he gazed at the source of the screeches, and when he did, a light of confusion appeared in his eyes.

    ''What the?''

    "Hmmm. He brought out those."

    Corey turned toward Divine who spoke, his eyes still containing the same light of confusion.

    "What are those?"

    Corey asked as he shifted his gaze from Divine''s face to the two horror like aerial beasts in the Amphitheater.

    The first aerial beast had the head of an owl, a hunched back and an extremely skinny figure. Despite its wings barely having skin or feathers, the winged beast could still fly, it''s extremelyrge, ck and soulless eyes casting a nce at Automaton, giving the king of android a slight chill.

    Although the first aerial beast was disturbing in its appearance, the second aerial beast was something Corey had never seen before nor did he ever think could exist.

    The second aerial beast had the head of a vulture, though its neck was longer than that of a vulture. It had feathery wingsing out of its back but beneath the wings was a pair of hands and in one hand was a sword.

    Although the part of the aerial beast carrying a sword was surprising and intriguing to Corey, the lower part of the aerial beast was also something that confused and somewhat disgusted Corey.

    Instead of the aerial beast having legs, the beast had tentacles as the lower part of its body.

    All in all, the aerial beasts were creatures Corey had never seen nor heard of before.

    "Those are X''s creation. They have no name, so we just call them X''s creations or creations of X."

    Corey moved his gaze from the aerial beasts to Divine, his eyes emitting a visible gleam of intrigue and curiosity.

    "How did he create them? Did he find and kill the beasts when they were alive? Or did he find the corpses of these beasts and turned them into an undead?"

    Corey asked and Divine who was also staring at the aerial beasts, turned towards Corey with a small smile,

    "Well¡­ even I don''t know. You''ll have to ask him to know the answer."

    Hearing Divine''s reply and seeing his nonchnt shrug, Corey decided to focus on the battle between two kings. His gaze lingered on the Triple X''s army for a few seconds and just as he was about to look away, he paused as he saw a ck smoke appearing beside Triple X.

    He squinted his eyes and a few secondster, his brows were raised with a confused expression on his face.

    In his vision was a nine foot giant wearing a full body armor and helmet, on its back was a greatrge sword, which had its tip almost touching the floor.

    As Corey gazed at the nine foot giant, he didn''t know why, but he felt a creeping sensation of fear and unease, and this sensation bothered him.

    "Oh god. This fucker went to bring out this freak."

    Corey nced at Divine, and as he did, a soft chuckle escaped Divine''s lips then he snapped his fingers.

    "Previously, I considered Automaton having a 14% chance of winning, but now¡­ tsk tsk tsk."

    Holding arge sized Cuban cigar in his right and a lighter in his left, Divine shook his head.

    Clickn/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Click

    Corey had a slight furrow of his brows as he stared at Divine who was lighting up the Cuban cigar in his hand.

    "How strong is that undead? What are its abilities?"

    Corey asked with a curious tone as he observed the increased frenzy in the audience around him.

    "You''ll have to watch the match for that kid¡­"

    Divine replied then he took in a puff of the Cuban cigar and blew it out.

    "¡­God damn. This shit is actually good¡­ You did a good job kid."

    Corey gave a brief nce towards Divine and as soon as the smell of the smoke from the Cuban cigar flowed into his nose, his brows furrowed slightly.

    "You shouldn''t be doing that."

    Corey spoke with a tinge of warning in his tone, and a soft chuckle escaped Divine''s lips.

    "You don''t have to worry about me. I''m more powerful than you think."

    Divine said with a smile and Corey just gave a nonchnt shrug as his gaze finally moved to Automaton, who had already unleashed his army.

    (A few minutes ago)

    Seeing therge group which had approximately five thousand undead, Automaton quickly pressed a button on his briefcase, and as soon as he did, numerous metallic balls emerged from the briefcase.

    The metallic balls rolled on the floor for a few seconds, then they opened and a transformation urred to the balls.

    The balls erged and after a few twist and turns, humanoid androids appeared from each metallic ball.

    There were humanoid androids with guns, swords, spears, axe etc. There were also humanoid androids riding on android beasts. Not only that, there were two tanks and a few humanoid androids flying with jetpacks or jet boots.

    Although Automaton''s army was not so versatile, its number was at least twice of Triple X''s army.

    "Don''t think you''re the only one with an army! Mine isrger and much more powerful!"

    Automaton shouted, causing a frown to emerge on the face of Triple X.

    "You''re too noisy."

    Triple X muttered with a dissatisfied expression, then he looked at the nine foot tall giant beside him. The giant wore a full body armor, helmet, and on its back was arge great sword and a shield.

    Perceiving the nce of its master, the giant turned its head towards Triple X, it''s dark blue eyes containing visible respect as it gazed at its master.

    "They''re too noisy. Destroy them all and kill him."

 Chapter 195 194: Battle Of The Two Giants

    ?

    ROOAAARRR!!!

    As soon as Triple X spoke, the nine foot giant released an extremely loud roar that caused both its undead allies and the androids to tremble.

    Even Corey who was far away from the nine foot giant, felt his skin tingle as the roar reverberated throughout the Amphitheater.

    Divine took in another puff of his Cuban cigar and with a smile, he spoke:

    "And the battle¡­ begins."

    "Attack."

    Coincidentally or not, Triple X spoke at the same time as Divine, but unlike Divine''s tone which contained intrigue, Triple X''s tone contained nonchnce and a tinge of boredom.

    Roar!

    Roar!

    Screech!

    Screech!

    As soon as both Divine and Triple X spoke, a cacophony of sounds resounded from Triple X''s undead army, and in the next second, every undead ran, jumped or flew towards the army of androids in an unorganized manner.

    "Androids! Attack! Kill every single Undead!"

    Automaton shouted as he waved his hand to the iing undead army and in the next second, his army of androids moved towards the undead army, their movements much more coordinatedpared to that of the Undead Army.

    The two armies ran towards each other and just as they were about to collide,

    Woosh!

    BANG!

    A loud bang shook the battlefield and with a surprised expression, Corey gazed at the mini dust cloud in the battlefield which was formed by thending of the nine foot undead.

    ROAR!!!

    Whoosh!

    Bang!

    Bang!

    A roar resounded from the dust cloud and in the next instant, a whooshing sound could be heard from the dust cloud followed by a series of loud bangs.

    A few secondster, arge figure emerged from the mini dust cloud and as soon as it left the mini dust cloud, Corey''s eyes briefly nced at the dispersing mini dust cloud.

    As soon as the mini dust dispersed, multiple body parts appeared in Corey''s vision. Body parts of X''s undead and Automaton''s androids were strewed all over the floor.

    ''He also attacked the undead?''

    Corey''s brows raised with slight surprise as he gazed at the strewed body parts. Just as he was about to move his eyes from the strewn body parts, his eyes caught sight of something unusual about the body parts.

    "Well, well, well. This is certainly going to be more interesting than I thought."

    Corey turned towards Divine, and his lips parted open, wanting to speak, but¡­

    Bang

    Bang

    The sound of continuous collisions reverberated throughout the entire Amphitheater, causing Corey''s gaze to move from Divine to the ongoing battle.

    (Meanwhile in the battlefield)

    After the nine foot giant destroyed both it''s allies and enemies, it charged towards the remaining army of androids, and if one observed the path the nine foot giant was taking, he or she would realize that the path of the nine foot giant was in line with the location of the leader of the androids- Automaton.

    It''s speed was so fast that Corey, sometimes saw an after image of the nine foot giant, or the after image of its attack.

    Numerous androids tried to stop the nine foot giant. Bullets,ser beams, arrows, spears, swords and so on. So many attacks were unleashed on the nine foot giant, but whether it be a magical attack, physical attack or any other form of attack, the nine foot giant just kept on running towards Automaton, it''s great sword cleaving apart whatever it was that was in its way.

    Seeing the charging nine foot giant which was akin to a Berserker, Automaton had a calm expression on his face. He gave an order for the androids to stop the nine foot giant then he spread out his right palm, and two extremely ck metallic balls appeared.

    His gaze shifted from the ck balls to the charging nine foot giant, and with cold eyes, he threw the ck balls towards the nine foot giant.

    Woosh

    As the ck balls whooshed through the air, they underwent an extremely fast and shocking transformation.

    For every rotation the balls underwent, the balls changed and from their previous palm sized clones, they became humanoid androids.

    As they became humanoid androids, they ran towards the nine foot giant and with every step they took, their sizes increased.

    From the size of an average sized human, to the size of an adult elephant, then to the size of a duplex building. Their sizes just kept on increasing and increasing, and with every increment in their sizes, the damage caused to both armies kept on increasing.

    Corey''s widened as his pupils just kept on going higher and higher until a few secondster, his pupils finally stopped moving upwards.

    "What the?"

    Corey subconsciously mumbled as a visible expression of shock appeared on Corey''s face as he gazed at the 30 feet and 38 feet mecha giants which were running towards the nine foot tall giant.

    "Hahahaha. Now X''s favorite undead is like an ant to those two mecha giants."

    Corey gave a brief nce towards Divine, but this time around, he quickly turned back to the ongoing battle, not wanting to miss the battle between the three giants.

    Undeterred by the appearance of the two giants which were much bigger than him, the nine foot giant kept on charging towards it''s path, a flicker of excitement appearing in its dark blue eyes for an instant as its gaze which was previously on Automaton, moved to the two¡­ real giants.

    Roar!

    Bang!

    The nine foot undead roared and in the next moment, it jumped towards the 30 foot mecha giant with the great sword raised upwards, but just as the nine foot giant was about to reach the 30 foot mecha giant,

    Bam

    Bang

    A translucent energy barrier appeared around the mecha giant, and as soon as the nine foot giant instinctively attacked the energy barrier, a repelling force sent the nine foot giant flying.

    The mecha giants without wasting time stretched out their hands, and a few secondster, their hands became gun like.

    Secondster, multiple bullets,ser beams, explosives and so on, were released from the mecha giants, causing the battlefield to tremble and arge dust cloud to form in the location of the Undead giant.

    The entire Amphitheater went silent as the entire audience gazed at the dust cloud, waiting to see the condition of the Undead giant, each and everyone of them ignoring the fights between the other undead mobs and even the aerial undead beasts.

    "Automaton is gon regret bringing out those two mechas."

    Divine''s voice once again, shifted Corey''s attention from the ongoing battle to himself.

    "What do you mean?"

    Corey asked while still giving a subtle nce at the dust cloud which was beginning to disperse. His eyes also moved to the mecha giants which were standing with a focused expression as they also gazed at the dust cloud.

    "Causing harm to that undead is the worst mistake you could ever make."

    As Divine spoke, the dust cloud swirled and Corey felt his skin tingle, and rm bells rang in Corey''s mind.

    A surprised expression appeared on his face as he felt an unfamiliar but at the same time familiar energy emanating from the dust cloud.

    ''Mystic Energy?''

    Corey raised his brows as he noticed the appearance of mystic energy in the dust cloud. His browster furrowed as a confused expression appeared on his face.

    ''But how''s that possible? Didn''t the undead only have tier 3 strength like X?''

    "The more harm that''s caused to the undead, the stronger it bes."

    ROOAAARRR!!!

    As soon as Divine spoke, a roar resounded in the entire Amphitheater and a heavy gust of wind blew on the battlefield.

    Corey gaze shifted from Divine who spoke, to the source of the roar, which was the undead giant which was much different than before.

    The most recognizable difference, was its height. The undead giant which was previously nine foot, was now a fifteen foot giant.

    Not only that, the ck armor of the undead giant had multiple red lines and magical symbols around it. These lines and magical symbols emitted pulses of mystical energy at various intervals.

    Also, apart from all these changes, an intense amount of heat was emitted from the undead giant. The air around it was wavy, and visible smoke could be seen emitting from the undead giant.

    "It looks like a bomb that''s about to explode."

    Corey mumbled as he observed the new state of the undead giant, and just as he spoke, Divine''s voice flowed into his ears.

    "Well¡­ you''re not technically wrong."

    Corey turned towards Divine, and his lips parted open, wanting to speak, but Divine raised up his palm, then he gestured towards the undead giant.

    "Watch."

    Corey''s gaze moved to the undead giant, and secondster, the undead giant ran towards the mecha duos.

    Bang

    Bang

    Bang

    The ground trembled as the three giants ran towards each other, but due to the undead giant''s physique, the undead giant reached the mecha giants at a much faster speed.

    Bang

    The undead giant shed at the 30 foot mecha giant once again, and just like before, a translucent energy barrier appeared around the 30 foot mecha giant.

    Crack

    But unlike before, the energy barrier broke apart, though the repelling ability of the energy barrier sent the undead giant sliding backwards.

    The hands of the 38 foot mecha giant transformed to different guns, and a few secondster, the head of the gun rotated and multiple bullets rained on the undead giant.

    Uncountable number ofrge bullets dropped unto the ground causing the already destroyed ground to break apart the more. Meanwhile, the undead giant stumbled backwards as the bullets hit its armor.

    Some secondster, the gun stopped rotating as a huge amount of smoke was emitted from the muzzle. A few bullets dropped unto the ground and the eyes of Corey and almost every other person was on the undead giant which had its head down.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    A few secondster, the undead giant raised its head and to Corey''s surprise, the giant''s head moved up and down, its movement resembling a chuckle, though no sound was emitted from its lips.

    Just as Corey was wondering about the peculiarity of the undead giant, he saw it jump towards the 38 foot giant.

    The 38 foot giant shot at the undead giant, but the undead giant being undeterred, kept on moving towards the 38 foot mecha giant.

    "You might want to cover your ears kid."

    Divine''s words flowed into Corey''s ears as the undead giant got closer to the 38 foot mecha giant. Corey nced at him, and when he did, he noticed Divine blocking his two ears while giving Corey a small smile.

    "Toote kid."

    ''Wha-?''

    BOOM!!!!

 Chapter 198 197: Death

    ?

    A stare down of approximately five seconds urred between both Kings, and in that period of five seconds, both armies of the kings ran towards each other and a much fiercer sh urred between both armies.

    Previously, the undead army were at a disadvantage due to the higher numbers of the androids, but with the newly added Undead, the undead army had better odds of winning. Though,

    That was only in the case of the undead mobs and android mobs.

    Despite the resurrection and increase of the undead army, the undead giant and the two undead birds still could not defeat their counterparts.

    Although majority of the audience''s attention was entirely on the undead giant''s fight during the previous fight, Triple X''s focus was not only the undead giant.

    He watched how his undead birds got badly injured in their sh against other flight type androids despite their obvious superiority.

    Just like his undead giant, his undead birds also got beaten due to the higher number of opponents they had to face. So despite the increased odds of winning for his undead mobs, Triple X knew he had to personally take action to end the battle once and for all.

    He released a soft sigh, then he turned his neck to the left, causing a soft cracking sound to resound in the surroundings.

    Despite the chaos and battle urring around him, he looked around with a calm expression, then he took a few steps forward and bent.

    "This should do."

    Triple X mumbled as he swung a sword repeatedly before he then gazed at the figure of Automaton high up in the air.

    Sigh

    Once again, he released another frustrated sigh before mumbling the words:

    "What a chore."

    Bang

    The ground cracked apart as Triple X jumped and flew towards Automaton like a rocket.

    Automaton frowned slightly seeing the rapidly approaching King of the Dead. He stretched out both of his arms, and a secondter, his right arm transformed to a dark silver sword, and his left arm transformed to a dark silver shield. And as this was urring, a flicker of confusion appeared in his eyes as he gazed at Triple X.

    A few secondster, Triple X got into a suitable distance to unleash a sh at Automaton and without hesitation, he shed his sword at Automaton, and Automaton who was about to block the sword sh with his sword, frowned as he noticed something appear on the sword as it was swung towards him.

    He quickly ced his left hand which had transformed into a shield in front of him, and a secondter, a loud nging sound resounded.

    Automaton''s eyes widened as he the power behind the strike almost sent him stumbling backwards, but a secondter, a rumbling sound akin to that of an engine resounded from his body, and he sessfully withstood the strike.

    Crack

    Just as he was about to release an internal breath of relief, a cracking sound flowed into his ears and to his immense shock, he nced at his shield which now had a minute crack which was also expanding as the seconds went by.

    ''How is that possible?!''

    Automaton had a look of disbelief as he stared at the expanding crack on his shield/left arm. But a fraction of a secondter, literal rm bells rang in Automaton''s mind.

    In the blink of an eye, a mini jet engine appeared from Triple X''s back and the moment it appeared, a stream of fire appeared from the afterburner which caused Automaton to instantly elerate up into the air.

    Triple X had a deep frown on his face as he nced at the empty space in front of his left hand which had entric ck lines all over it.

    "Almost had him."

    Triple X mumbled then he released another frustrated sigh as he turned his gaze towards Automaton who had an extremely deep frown.

    ''So this is why he had the confidence to attack me with a low level weapon like that.''

    Triple X had this thought as he looked at the changed sword in Triple X hand. Previously, the sword had the appearance of a normal sword, but currently, the sword had ck lines all over it. And as Automaton gazed at the ck lines on the sword, he realized they bore a striking resemnce to the ck lines from the Hand of Death.

    Ever since Triple X picked up the sword, Automaton had been confused since from a nce of his, he knew that the sword could never cause any sort of harm to his body which was made up of an extremely hard metal he knew not much of.

    The metal was one of the hardest material he had ever encountered, and it was also one of his most precious treasures, if not his most precious treasure.

    He gazed at his shield/left hand which had tiny ck lines on it. As the ck lines on his left hand/shield increased, the number of cracks on his shield/left hand increased.

    Seeing the striking resemnce of the tiny ck lines to the ck lines from the hand of death, Automaton had a bad feeling and without hesitation, he tore off his left arm entirely.

    He spread out his right hand and a perfect replica of his left arm appeared in his right hand, but just as he was about to attach it to his right hand, rm bells rang in his mind once again.

    A roaring sound resounded from the mini jet engine and in an instant, Automaton moved to the left at an extremely fast speed.

    As he moved, he attached the replica of his left hand to his shoulder, and as he did that, he looked at Triple X but to his surprise, he saw Triple X in the same location as before.

    ''What?''

    A baffled expression appeared on the face of Automaton as he wondered why he felt danger approaching him.

    But a secondter, he got his answer.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Screech

    With blood dripping from his lips, Automaton had a shocked light in his eyes as his gaze fell towards his chest which had a sword pierced through it.

    His gaze then shifted from the sword to his back where he saw a translucent figure which bore a striking resemnce to The King of the Dead.

    Once again, a baffled light appeared in his eyes seeing the translucent figure and he removed his gaze from the translucent figure to Triple X.

    ''How?''

    As this thought went through Automaton''s mind, the light in his eyes dimmed until it eventually went off and his body fell towards the ground.

    As Triple X watched Automaton''s body fall unto the ground, he released a bored sigh and with a disappointed tone, he spoke:

    "What a disgusting match."

 Chapter 199 198: Return

    ?

    "What a disgusting battle."

    An extremely disappointed and disgusted expression appeared on the face of Triple X as he gazed at the corpse of the king of androids.

    He remained floating in the air as he waited for something to happen. But despite waiting for a minute, there was no movement from the body of the King of Androids, there was no surprise sudden attack.

    In fact, some seconds after Automaton fell unto the ground, the androids stopped moving and fell unto the floor.

    Although, Triple X sort of knew that the king of androids would have no chance of revival since the attack of his spiritual clone didn''t just attack the physical body of the King of Androids, it also attacked the spiritual body of the King of Androids, he was hoping for something unexpected to happen.

    He released a disappointed sigh then he gazed at his spiritual clone and without saying a word, he waved his hand and the spiritual clone vanished.

    "So I guess he was all bark and no bite."

    One of the reasons Triple X epted Automaton''s request for battle despite rejecting his previous incessant requests, was due to the slight anticipation he had for the fight.

    Triple X was not the type who enjoyed fighting a lot. In fact, if he could find something entertaining, he would rather do that thing other than fight against somebody else.

    But unfortunately, ever since the day he lost his mother, he had never found anything interesting, except one particr thing.

    Thinking back to that particr thing, Triple X''s eyes moved and despite therge number of people in the audience, Triple X''s eyes found Divine and Corey.

    The image of a smiling Divine reflected in his eyes and memories of a particr day with Divine shed back into his mind, and his body involuntarily trembled.

    He released a soft sigh and his gaze shifted from Divine to the now quite battlefield. He calmly lowered himself to the ground and afternding softly, he snapped his fingers and the instant he did, each and everyone of his undead turned into a ck mist which flowed towards The King of The Dead.

    As Triple X walked towards Automaton, the ck mist approached him from behind and the moment it touched his body, it got absorbed into his body.

    With every step Triple X took, the ck mist got thinner and thinner until all of it got absorbed into Triple X''s body.

    Tap

    Tap

    As the dark mist got fully absorbed into Triple X''s body, Triple X released a soft breath filled with turbid air and after a few more steps, he reached Automaton''s corpse.

    He nced at the corpse for a few more seconds before shaking his head with a disappointed expression.

    "You called yourself a king, and just like most kings. Your arrogance and foolishness was your downfall."

    Triple X mumbled then he bent towards the corpse of Automaton and ced his hands on it.

    He closed his eyes for a few seconds, then he opened it. But if one were to look at his eyes, they would notice a difference. His previously white sclera now had ck interconnecting lines in them which made his eyes contain an otherworldly feeling.

    His lips parted open and a deep ancient voice flowed out of his lips as he said the word:

    "Arise."

    A few secondster, Triple X''s brows furrowed as he felt Automaton''s soul resisting hismand to be his ve.

    "What made you think you have the right to resist? Do you actually think you''re a king? A True King told you to arise and you, a false king dare resist?"

    "Know your ce you false, foolish and weak king."

    "Arise."

    As Triple X spoke, his deep, ancient voice dripped with visible contempt and disdain. After speaking the word, ''Arise'', Automaton''s corpse trembled and a ck mist appeared from Automaton''s corpse.

    The ck mist hovered on top of the corpse before it transformed to a perfect replica of Automaton. The replica knelt before Triple X and Triple X stood, and observed the replica.

    A satisfied expression appeared on his face then he waved his hand softly and the replica transformed into a ck mist which then flowed into his body.

    Triple X''s changed back to normal, then he looked at Automaton''s corpse. He bent once again and he touched the corpse, and the corpse disappeared.

    ''I wonder why Captain wants this guy corpse.''

    Triple X''s brows furrowed slightly as he had this thought, then he shrugged and decided not to think about it as long as it doesn''t affect him.

    (Meanwhile, Divine and Corey)

    Divine had a satisfied smile on his face as he gazed at Triple X who kept the body of Automaton.

    ''At least one of the requirements has been taken care of.''n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Divine thought then he gazed at Corey who had a slight frown on his face as he looked at the ck box above.

    "What''s wrong kid?"

    Divine asked and Corey who was lost in thoughts, was brought out of his train of thoughts as Divine''s voice flowed into his ears.

    He looked away from the ck box and with the same frown, he spoke:

    "Where''s the Announcer?"

    Divine blinked repeatedly as a confused expression appeared on his face, as he wondered why Corey was asking such an unnecessary question.

    "Why are you asking? Does it really matter? What if he went to take a shit?"

    Divine spoke with a nonchnt tone while waving his hand nonchntly, but Corey still had the same frown on his face, he did not know why but he had a bad feeling about the silent disappearance of the announcer.

    "Has this happened before? Has an announcer abruptly left before? Or has an announcer left so quietly before that most people wouldn''t even notice his disappearance?"

    Corey asked and Divine furrowed his brows as he pondered on the question for a few seconds before he replied:

    "Well¡­ There have been instances were an announcer would leave, but¡­ another announcer would usually take his or her ce."

    As Divine spoke, the nonchnce in his tone disappeared as he also started having a bad premonition. But just as various thoughts were about to appear in his mind, something unusual happened.

    [COUGH COUGH¡­ CAN I GET YOUR ATTENTION PEOPLE¡­ CAN I PLEASE GET YOUR ATTENTION PEOPLE.]

    A voice filled with a strange and dangerous charisma, reverberated throughout the Amphitheater, drawing everybody''s attention towards the source, which was arge holographic screen that appeared out of nowhere.

    But when Corey and Divine both looked at the holographic screen, Corey squinted his eyes and a confused light appeared in his eyes, but Divine, had his pupils constricting way past the limits and his fists clenched so hard that popping sounds resounded from his fists.

    ''No way.''

    [HOW ABOUT WE SPICE THIS PLACE UP A LIL BIT SHALL WE¡­ IT''S BEEN GETTING KIND OF BORING RECENTLY.]

 Chapter 201 200: The Director & The Clown (1)

    ?

    (A Few Hours Before Triple X''s Match)

    In a room which had its walls painted white, a middle aged man in a ck armor knelt with his head facing the ground. In front of him was a handsome young man in a white suit who had his head resting on his left fist.

    His emotionless brown eyes contained a calcting light as he gazed at the multiple screens on the wall in front of him. His pupils moved towards two particr screens and the image of Triple X and Divine reflected in his pupils.

    He gave a brief nce at another screen which showed a thick fog and a slight frown emerged on his face.

    "Sir Director. The representatives of The House of Augustus have arrived."

    Just as the young man in white suit was about to delve into his train of thoughts, the deep voice of the man in a ck armor reverberated in the room, disrupting the director''s thoughts.

    The director turned towards the kneeling man in ck armor, then he rubbed the middle of his brows for a few seconds before speaking:

    "I totally forgot about them."

    The Director then released a soft sigh and with a calm and elegant movement, he got off the chair and looked at the still kneeling man in ck armor.

    "You can get up Tristan."

    The Director spoke with a tone that contained ingrained authority and a little bit of affection. Hearing the words of the Director, the man in ck armor, Tristan, immediately stood.

    "Are they in the ck Box?"

    The Director asked as he walked past Tristan, and Tristan immediately replied as he followed the Director from behind.

    "They are Sir."

    "Hmm¡­ Hopefully they don''t stress me out too much or make absurd demands."

    The Director mumbled as he reached a certain part of the white wall. He ced his hand on the wall and a secondter, a wide circr opening appeared on the wall.

    The Director and Tristan both walked into the opening and as soon as they did, the opening closed and a few secondster, a glowing magical circle appeared beneath their feet. And as soon as the magical circle appeared, they transformed into particles of light before disappearing entirely.

    (Inside The ck Box)

    A simr glowing magical circle appeared in a room that resembled a top ss penthouse, and a few secondster, the figures of The Director and Tristan both appeared in the room.

    But as soon as the duo appeared in the room, heavy frowns emerged on their faces, as the scent of blood flowed into their nostrils.

    Just as the duo wanted to locate the source of the scent of blood, a charismatic voice which contained a tinge of excitement rang out in the room.

    "Haaa¡­ Took you guys long enough. I was getting tired of waiting."

    The pupils of both The Director and Tristan constricted due to the shock in their inability to sense the presence of the owner of the voice before he or she spoke. They turned to their backs, and as soon as they saw the scene before them, they both squinted their eyes.

    "Look¡­ You guys took so much time that I had no other choice but to perform one of my favorite hobbies¡­ Face painting!"

    The shock in the eyes of The Director disappeared after the owner of the voice spoke out, and with cold eyes, he gazed at the owner of the voice who was a man with a clown mask.

    The man with a clown mask sat on a long couch with his hands on the shoulders of two face painted corpses and his legs crossed.

    On the left and right hand side of the man with a clown mask, was a sitting male and female corpse which had their faces painted, making the duo look like clowns.

    The Director''s eyes observed the state of the two corpses who were the representatives from the House of Augustus, and when he noticed the cut necks of the male and female corpses, his gaze shifted to the man in a clown mask.

    He tried to use an inspection skill on the man in the clown mask, but all he received from his inspection skill was the inability to inspect the man.

    "The Clown, I presume."

    The Director spoke, his tone containing calmness, confidence and certainty despite his inability to inspect the man in the clown mask.

    "Yes Sir Director. The One and Only."

    The Clown bowed, then he removed his arms from the shoulders of the male and female corpses, and pped.

    "You know. I''ve heard a lot about this ce from the outside world and getting here was definitely not easy. The security here has to be one of the best, if not the best I''ve ever encountered."

    Despite the praise in the Clown''s words, The Director''s eyes remained cold as he gazed at The Clown.

    "Do you know who those two are?"

    The Director questioned and The Clown raised his brows with a confused light in his eyes.

    "They''re boring weaklings. What else is there to know about them?"

    The Director''s gaze brieflynded on the two corpses, and although he had a few thoughts, he decided not to make ament on the words of The Clown.

    "Why are you here?"

    The Director questioned and a confused expression appeared on the face of The Clown. He tilted his head slightly, and with a confused tone, he spoke:

    "Isn''t it obvious?... I''m here to kill you."

    As soon as those words left The Clown''s lips, an armored figure appeared before The Clown in the blink of an eye, and a punch flew towards the chest of the clown at an extremely fast speed.

    But despite the speed of the punch, The Clown''s movement was faster. He ced one of the corpses in front of the iing punch, and a secondter.

    Bam

    The punch went through the chest of the corpse and just as it did, the eyes of the armored figure widened as he saw the clown bing more and more translucent.

    Tristan, the armored figure, in an attempt to stop the clown from vanishing entirely, moved his free arm so as tond a punch on the clown.

    But just as his hand moved, the clown blew a kiss at him, and as he did that, a golden dust blew towards his eyes, temporarily blinding Tristan.

    Although, Tristan was temporarily robbed of his sight, he still kept his arm in the same swinging motion, wanting tond a hit on the clown, and to his surprise and confusion, he felt his hand make contact with a body, even making a hole inside the body.

    But despite him making contact with a body, Tristan frowned and just as he was about to move.

    BOOM!!!n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

 Chapter 202 201: The Director & The Clown (2)

    Chapter 202 201: The Director & The Clown (2)

    (The Director''s POV) n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Ever since the director of the Underworld saw the clown, lots of questions appeared in his mind. For example:

    Why was the clown in the ck box?

    How did he get to the ck box?

    How did he infiltrate the Underworld?

    And what gave the clown the confidence to appear in the ck box, in the Underworld.

    What made the clown believe that his safety would be guaranteed, since he, the leader of the Underworld was in front of him?

    Were there reinforcements?

    Did the clown have other people which would help him?

    Was a high leveled being hiding nearby?

    Or did the clown have a sure method of escaping?

    So many questions and thoughts went through the director''s mind as his eyes discreetly nced at his surroundings to look for any sort of trap as he conversed with the clown.

    But despite searching for any sort of trap, he found nothing, and his brows furrowed slightly.

    After not finding any sort of trap in the room, the director decided to question the clown about his true purpose, and despite already guessing what the clown''s purpose could be, he was still surprised to hear the clown speak so nonchntly about killing him¡­. Especially when he could sense that the clown was a tier 4 and he was a tier 6.

    Before he could even give a response to the absurd words spoken by the clown, Tristan moved and without hesitation, attacked the clown.

    Seeing Tristan move towards the clown, a tinge of uneasiness came over him, causing him to furrow his brows slightly.

    But then he remembered Tristan''sbat ability and the frown on his face eased. His gaze shifted from Tristan to the clown, and an intrigued light shed in his eyes as he wondered what the oue of the battle would be like.

    ''Although they''re both tier 4''s, Tristan''sbat ability is extremely high among tier 4''s and he can even defeat some powerful tier 5''s. But¡­ why do I still feel uneasy?''

    Despite trying to remove the uneasiness in him, the director could not and due to that, his eyes observed the clown''s movement like a hawk.

    As all of these happened in a span of three seconds, the images of Tristan throwing his first punch, the clown cing a corpse in front of Tristan''s fist, the clown vanishing, Tristan throwing a second punch to stop the clown, the clown blowing a golden dust into Tristan''s eyes, Tristan still throwing his second punch despite being temporarily robbed of his sight, the clown cing the second corpse in front of Tristan''s fist, Tristan''s fist making a hole in the second corpse, and how in the next second, an explosion akin to a grenade urred in the ck box.

    But just before the mes from the explosion could reach him, the director waved his hand, and a barrier appeared around him, protecting him from the mes.

    Whoosh!

    The Director''s eyes moved as he watched Tristan fly backwards as a result of the explosion, and a secondter,

    Bang!

    A loud bang resounded in the ck box as Tristan mmed into one of the walls and a soft thud resounded after as he fell hnto

    A frown emerged on the director''s face as he observed the terrible state of his unconscious personal bodyguard. His gaze moved towards Tristan''s arms which were badly injured. His armor was terribly damaged, exposing some terrible burns on his body, with some burns exposing the bones of his personal bodyguard.

    A groan escaped Tristan''s lips a few secondster as he awoke from his unconscious state and tried to get up, but just as he was about to get up, ck chains which emitted a thick dark smoke, emerged from the ground beneath Tristan and in the blink of an eye, they wrapped themselves around Tristan, binding him with a force that made him release a groan.

    Crunch

    "Now that your dog is incapacitated. It''s just me and you¡­ Mr. Director."

    The Director frowned deeply as the familiar voice of the clown flowed into his ears, he turned his gaze to his left and the image of the clown sitting on a different couch with his legs crossed and an apple in his right hand, appeared in his eyes.

    "So you have the ability to make corpses explode, make chains from a person''s shadow and you also have a lot of mystic energy for somebody of your tier."

    The Director spoke with a calm tone as he gazed at the clown who nonchntly took a bite from the apple in his hand, before giving a response.

    "I¡­ refuse to give ament on what you just said, Mr. Director."

    The clown spoke while waving one of his fingers, causing a slight frown to emerge on the director''s face.

    The director''s lips parted open, and just as he was about to speak, the clown chuckled, then he spoke:

    "Did you really think I would give you a hint on what my abilities are? Who do you think I am? A third rate viin or a fool?! Are you sure you''re not the fool?! Hahahahahahaha."

    The clownughed so hard that he had no choice but to hold his stomach, and the director seeing that, had a cold glint in his eyes.

    He brought his two hands together, formed a hand sign with his fingers, then he spoke:

    "Domain of The Creator."

    But¡­

    "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!"

    A deep frown emerged on the director''s face as he looked at the clown who wasughing so hard that he started rolling on the floor while hitting it a few times.

    "What did you do?"

    The Director questioned with an extremely cold tone, and the clown who was about to stopughing, couldn''t help butugh once again.

    "Did you- Did you really think I''de in here without having a contingency n for your domain? Are you really that foolish?"

    "My God! For somebody who is in charge of a brilliant ce like the in my short years of living!"

    The clownughed once again, and the director''s eyes which was at Underworld, you have to be the biggest fool I''ve ever encountered in my short years of living!"

    The clownughed once again, and the director''s eyes which was at first cold, now contained indifference.

    He raised his right hand and from thin air, at least fifty swords and spears emitting an intense amount of mystic energy appeared, and the instant they appeared, the director waved his hand, and the spears and swords moved towards the stillughing clown at a speed that was akin to the speed of light in the eyes of a normal human.

    Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

    Despite the damage done to the furniture and objects in the surroundings due to the director''s attack, the ck box barely shook, and the ground had zero sign of damage.

    The Director cold gaze never once moved from the clown, and after heunched the attack, the image of his swords and spears going through the stomach of the clown emerged in his eyes.

    A slight frown emerged on his face as he looked at the bloodied, mangled and broken corpse of the clown. The director looked around, wanting to see if there was any sign of oddity in the surroundings.

    But despite searching, he found nothing and a tinge of confusion emerged in his eyes as his gaze went back to the corpse of the clown.

    "So he was all talk and no bite?"

    The Director mumbled as he walked closer to the corpse of the clown. His legs stepping unto the puddle of the clown''s blood. He squinted his eyes as he observed the corpse clown, suspicion still evident in his eyes due to his uncertainty of how easy killing the clown was.

    But despite observing the clown''s corpse for anything unusual, he found nothing.

    "That''s it?"

    The Director mumbled, but in the next second¡­

    Puchi

    "Yes Mr. Director. This it. Oh, and by that, I mean your end."

 Chapter 203 202: The Director & The Clown (3)

    Chapter 203 202: The Director & The Clown (3)

    ''How?''

    Extreme disbelief crept into the director''s eyes as he looked at a ck dagger which glowed with a red light as it passed through his left chest.

    Just as he was looking at the ck dagger with disbelief and confusion, a clown mask appeared in front of his face.

    "Peekaboo. I see you. Hahahahahaha!"

    The clownughed as he poked the forehead of the director yfully, but despite the clown''s actions, confusion and disbelief remained in the eyes of the director.

    He tried to speak, but then he realized that just as his lips parted open, it stopped moving entirely and no words coulde out from his lips.

    The Clown chuckled and with a small smile on his lips, he spoke:

    "I can see the confusion and disbelief in your eyes Mr. Director, so you don''t have to worry. I''ll exin everything to youter."

    As the clown spoke, he walked past the director to a fridge which was at the far end of the room. The director tried to turn his neck, but no matter how much he tried, he could not move an inch.

    "First of all¡­ The reason why you can''t move, is actually really obvious. But, since you''re the biggest fool I''ve ever met, I''ll exin it to you in the simplest way possible."

    The clown spoke with disdain as he opened the fridge, and after giving the fridge a few taps, he looked into the fridge.

    The clown muttered and a few secondster, he took an apple from the fridge, took a bite from it and dropped it back into the fridge. "Let''s see what we have here."

    The clown muttered and a few secondster, he took an apple from the fridge, took a bite from it and dropped it back into the fridge. He then took a bottle of milk out of the fridge, took a long gulp from it and returned it.

    His eyes looked around the fridge and a few secondster, his eyes lit up.

    "This will do."

    He spoke with a chuckle, then he continued his previous words to the director.

    "Now, as I was saying. The reason for you inability to move, is due to the poison on my dagger. It''s a type of poison that causes paralysis."

    The Clown''s voice flowed into the director''s ears who had been trying every method to escape his paralysis, but no matter what he did, nothing worked. Because¡­

    "As for the reason why you''re feeling weaker and can''t use any of your mana or abilities? It''s because my dagger has a sort of sealing ability which I myself don''t really understand."

    "And if I don''t get it, then there''s no way you''d get it since you''re the biggest fool I''ve ever met¡­ and I''ve met quite a lot of people."

    A few seconds after the clown spoke, he appeared in front of the director and the gaze of the director moved to the object in the clown''s right hand, and as soon as the director saw the object, a confused light appeared in his eyes.

    "As for the million value point question of how I''m still alive even after you totally destroyed my body, and how I was able to prate the barrier you put up after I exploded those corpses?"

    As the clown spoke, he ced his free left hand inside his blood red suit and in the next second, he brought out a knife. He gazed at the director who still had a confused light in his eyes, and a smile appeared on his lips.

    The yfulness in his eyes disappeared and the aura of a king, an apex predator, a higher being filled the entire ck box.

    "The answer to those two questions is invincibility. I am invincible and none is above me."

    With a deep, prideful and calm tone, the clown spoke and the pupils of the director shook slightly. But a secondter, the aura disappeared and¡­

    "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!"

    A loudugh resounded in the ck box for some seconds.

    "I''m just ying with you Mr. Director. The reason why I''m still alive and was able to prate your barrier is¡­"

    The clown paused as he looked at the director who had a tinge of curiosity in his gaze. A smile emerged on the clown''s lips and a secondter, a soft chuckle escaped his lips.

    "Did you really think I was going to tell you Mr. Director?... You are really the biggest fool on this."

    The clown chuckled, then he moved closer to the director while looking at the knife in his left hand and the velvet cake in his right hand.

    "Time for a make-up Mr. Director. But before that, I gotta taste this cake first."

    The clown spoke with a smile, then he cut a piece of the cake and ate it. A few secondster, he looked at the cake with slight regret.

    "What a waste of good cake."

    The clown spoke with a slightly regretful tone, but a secondter, he shrugged nonchntly. He once again cut out a piece of the cake, but this time, instead of eating it, he ced it in the director''s open mouth.

    "Much better. At least the cake should make your breath much better."

    The clown mumbled then he threw the knife away and with a smile, he took a part of the cake and rubbed it on the face of the director while humming a song.

    (A few minutester)

    "Ah. This is much better. You look much more handsome than before Mr. Director. Your beauty even makes me jealous."

    The clown spoke as he gazed at his work of art, which was the face of the director that looked like a low quality clown.

    The clown nodded a few times with a satisfied expression, but then he felt a minute killing intent being directed towards him, and he raised his brows with an amused expression. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    He looked into the eyes of the director, and when he saw a tinge of anger in them, he chuckled and smiled.

    "Hmm. Are you angry Mr. Director?"

    The clown asked, but a secondter, he frowned as he noticed that the gaze of the director was not on him, but behind him.

    A confused expression appeared on his face, but a secondter, a light of realization shed in his eyes and in the next moment, he turned to his back.

    "Well that''s bad. Your dog escaped its chains."

    The clown spoke nonchntly as he gazed at the previous location of Tristan. A confused light appeared in the clown''s eyes as he pondered briefly as to how Tristan escaped his chains of shadows, but a few secondster, he shrugged and turned back to the director who had a calm gaze.

    The Clown''s lips twitched, then he brought out a dagger which was simr to the dagger in the director''s chest, and to the director''s shock, the clown shed the dagger at his neck without saying a word.

    For the second time since he met the clown, disbelief appeared in the eyes of the director as his blood spilled unto the blood red suit of the clown and the clown''s mask.

    Thud

    A soft thud resounded in the room as the director fell unto the floor, his blood forming a small puddle beneath the clown''s feet.

    The clown not bothering to give the fallen director a nce, brought out a white handkerchief from his blood red suit, which he then used to clean the blood on his dagger.

    As he cleaned the blood on his dagger, the clown spoke:

    "In case you''re wondering why I killed you immediately. It''s because I got bored and pissed. So, uhm¡­ Sorry not sorry I guess."

    The clown''s nonchnce filled voice echoed in the ears of the dying director and a few secondster, the light in his eyes died down, and The Director of The Underworld¡­ died.

    "Hmm. He''s dead? That was quick."

    The clown spoke as he ced his dagger in his suit. He then knelt and removed his other dagger, cleaned it with the another white handkerchief, before cing it in his suit.

    He then looked at the corpse of the director and a contemtive light appeared in his eyes for a few seconds before he shrugged nonchntly.

    "Having the ability of creation should be good for me. Although, it would be of a lower quality than the director''s."

    The clown mumbled, then he raised his right arm and a secondter, his nails elongated to the length of a bear''s ws. He ced his nails on the left side of the director''s chest, and a secondter, he pierced through the left chest of the director and his nails entered the director''s heart.

    A few secondster, blood red lines appeared on his right hand and some momentster, the corpse of the director resembled that of a mummy.

    "Haaa."

    A satisfied sigh was released from the clown, then he removed his ws from the director''s chest and looked around with a slight frown.

    "I guess it''s time to cull the Underworld of officials that wouldn''t support me. Then I''ll make the Underworld a much more interesting ce."

 Chapter 204 203: Uncertainty; Headquarters

    <h4>Chapter 204 203: Uncertainty; Headquarters</h4>

    Time went by after the appearance of the clown, and every resident of the Underworld all went through one emotion.

    Uncertainty

    All were uncertain about what the future held in store for them, or to be more precise, all were unsure about what their new leader held in store for them.

    Would the already mad and hellish ce of the Underworld be much worse?

    Or would the Underworld be a more peaceful ce?

    Would there be more deaths in the Underworld?

    Would there be less deaths in the Underworld?

    Countless discussions on what changes would ur in the Underworld flew from every lips of the Underworld residents in the first three days after the clown''s usurpation of the Underworld''s leadership.

    After the first three days, the just as the discussions were about to die down, people started noticing the disappearance of various Underworld officials, with the most shocking disappearance being that of the Underworld Lord of the Central Area.

    Rumors and discussions flowed from the lips of one Underworld resident to another, as most people were worried on the topic of whether their new leader would also decide to kill some of them in the near future.

    But despite all of these worries, concerns and uncertainties, Corey was only bothered about one thing- his business.

    Corey was at first slightly curious about what would be of the Underworld after the clown took over, and although he didn''t care whether it was the clown or the director that was the leader of the Underworld.

    What he cared about, was whether the actions of the clown would affect his ns and businesster in the future, and to be sure of that, Corey decided to call his number one informant¡­ Divine.

    Corey called Divine, and after some minutes of him questioning Divine, Divine giving him some answers and Divine dodging a few of his questions regarding the clown, Corey finally got his answer on his concern regarding his business. Which was-

    ''The Clown isn''t going to affect our business, so stop worrying about shit and get stronger. If you can, get promoted to tier 2 as soon as possible. Your safety would be more guaranteed if you be stronger.''

    After getting a confident reply from Divine, Corey stopped worrying about the activities of the clown, and focused more on his business.

    There was one thing he wanted for his business, which is a headquarters, a main office. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    He wanted a ce where he could improve on Neon, make better poisons, and also, practice an art which was surprisingly and extremely dangerous¡­ alchemy.

    He also wanted to increase the size of his drug business, and for that to happen, he needed a headquarters. He had this nagging feeling that he would need take more drastic actions to survive whatever wasing for him in the future.

    He didn''t know what this feeling was, but he definitely could not ignore it.

    Due to the presence of Justin, who he rarely sees nowadays, Corey could not improve his poison concoction abilities, make lots of Neon, and so on in his actual residence.

    Although he gave the Terror Queen a part of the concoction method of Neon so as to reduce the amount of work he had to do, he still wanted his own business headquarters where he could monitor the production of Neon anytime he wanted, and also perform other activities.

    At first, he nned on working out the headquarters on his own, but the next day, he got a surprise visit from his group members- Dave, Triple X, ck Bonez Fatty, Rosa and Melissa.

    Divine was absent, for reasons he cared not about.

    The first thought that came into his mind when he saw his group members, was that there was a problem or Divine gave all of them a mission.

    And just as he guessed, Divine gave them a mission, which was to help him with whatever he wanted in regards to his business.

    Corey was surprised request, and when he asked why Divine gave them such an order. The reply he received from Melissa was:

    "Captain Divine believes that making the business more sessful would make us stronger. Because, as long as the business is sessful, it would give us more value points, and more value points can make us stronger in various ways."

    After hearing Melissa''s reply, Corey told them about his desire for a headquarters of Neon, and to say the least, the group were surprised hearing that since his first n was to make Neon as secretive as possible, but now he wanted to give Neon more exposure?

    Corey understood the reason behind their surprise, and he exined some of his reasons for wanting a headquarters, and after listening to his words, every member in the group agreed.

    They all talked about the pros and cons of having a headquarters, the location, size and so on. After discussing all of these, everybody from the group picked their roles in the creation of the headquarters.

    And to everybody''s surprise, the first person to pick a role, was Triple X. Although, everybody was surprised, they decided not to ask questions and just took it as it is.

    Triple X volunteered to look for the location of the headquarters.

    Melissa volunteered to recruit people that would be able to run the administrative aspect of the business in the headquarters.

    Rosa volunteered to recruit security guards for the headquarters.

    Dave volunteered to recruit the eyes and ears of the headquarters.

    And Fatty ck Bonez volunteered to recruit¡­ maids.

    Before the females in the group could rebuke Fatty ck Bonez with disgust, Fatty ck Bonez exined that they would definitely need people that would clean the headquarters, and he nned on recruiting the helpless and suffering females in the Underworld to be the maids.

    He told the females that what he was doing was basically helping the helpless females.

    Although, Melissa and Rosa knew that Fatty ck Bonez had ulterior motives for hiring maids, they had no argument for his words, since his words were true.

    As long as he hired the poor and helpless females who were obviously suffering, their lives would be a lot better in their new headquarters. And with that, the females decided to leave Fatty ck Bonez who had a slight smirk on his lips.

    After everybody picked their roles in the creation of the new headquarters, Corey decided to continue his production of Neon so as to make more money, and just like that two weeks went by.

 Chapter 206 205: A Paragonéˆ¥æªš Limit, Tribulations

    206 205: A Paragon¡¯s Limit, Tribtions

    "Hmm."

    As Corey looked at his status screen, a slight frown emerged on his face.

    He was not surprised by the fact that his attributes had reached thest phase which was the Violet Star phase. A phase which most races could not reach due to their racial limitations, and also a phase which if heard by the top forces of the universe, would cause battles to be waged so as to either recruit Corey, or¡­ kill Corey before he bes a threat.

    Corey''s gaze shifted from his status screen to his hands. He clenched his fists tightly, and despite feeling therge amount of power running through his hands, through his body, he still had a slight frown on his face.

    "Why do I still feel this way?.. Is this the limit or not?"

    Corey mumbled as he felt that despite reaching thest phase, the phase that every top race aspired to reach, there was still more for him.

    He had this feeling that he could still go further than the Violet Star phase. His body felt like it could still take more energy, and this feeling bothered him.

    Corey had actually reached the Violet Star phase the previous day, which was when this inexplicable feeling started.

    Due to this feeling, he spent all his value points on elemental stones to see if he could surpass the supposed limit which was the Violet Star phase.

    But no matter how many elemental stones he absorbed, his body was like a bottomless pit that swallowed all but gave nothing back in return.

    Although Corey had this feeling that he could surpass the Violet Star phase, he knew that if he decided to max out his level, he could reach the next tier.

    He could ignore this feeling, kill some weak tier 2s and be a tier 2.

    And him deciding to do that would not be a bad decision at all. Even in the long run.

    Very few people could reach the violet star phase in the entire universe, and very few reached 100% of the Violet Star phase.

    Although it was somewhat easier for Corey to reach the Violet Star phase due to him being a Paragon and the Paragon Ancestor helping him, one should not forget everything Corey went through to be a Paragon, and all that Corey would still go through for being a Paragon.

    But despite Corey achieving the Violet Star phase, Corey was not satisfied. He wanted to achieve stat maximization, and if the maximum stat for a Paragon exceeded the Violet Star phase, then he''d achieve that stat no matter what.

    But to know how to do that, he needed information, and the only person he could safely ask was:

    "Nina."

    Corey spoke out loud, but after waiting for ten seconds, he received no reply.

    He frowned, then he spoke once again.

    "Nina. I need your help."

    Corey waited for a few seconds, but when he received no reply once again, his frown deepened. His lips parted open, but just as he was about to speak, a tired voice flowed into his ears.

    "Why are you disturbing me Corey? You already know the solution to your predicament. The Paragon Ancestor has already given you the solution to it. You just don''t want to do it because you''re worried and scared."

    Hearing the words of Nina, Corey''s eyes darkened and a tinge of fear appeared in his eyes. He looked upwards and with a tone that contained slight frustration, he spoke:

    "Isn''t there another way?"

    "Unless you want to waste your value points on almost a thousand elemental stones or you find a rare treasure that can help you. Then I don''t see any other way for you." N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Nina''s nonchnt voice flowed into his mind and Corey kept gazing upwards for at least five seconds before he released a sigh.

    "I''m so fucked."

    Corey spoke with a frustrated tone as he held his forehead with his eyes closed. He released another sigh then he spread out his right hand, and a green book appeared in his hand.

    "Alchemy."

    Corey mumbled as he looked at the book of alchemy which was the solution Nina was talking about.

    His mind went back to the first time he read the book of alchemy, and how fascinated he was by alchemy. Until¡­ he tried it himself.

    What is Alchemy exactly?

    Alchemy is basically the transformation of two or more products to a new and better product through a series of meticulous procedures.

    This was the basic description of Alchemy that Corey read in the book of alchemy, and this intrigued Corey during that time.

    He read more about alchemy in the book, and the more he read about alchemy and the wonderful effects of his products, the more fascinated and interested he was towards alchemy.

    The book of alchemy had so much information on alchemy. It was written ording to sections, with the first section being the introduction to alchemy, and the subsequent sections, were alchemy for tier 1s, tier2s, tier3s, and so on.

    The book talked a lot about rare materials, how to gather them, how they are ranked, how to identify them and so on and so forth.

    It also talked about alchemical cauldrons, how to make one, how they are ranked and so on forth.

    It also talked about the final alchemical products which were pills, elixirs, and paste. It exined their ranks, their refinement processes, the purpose of certain pills and so on.

    The information contained in the book of alchemy, was so heavy that Corey had not actually read up to one percent of the entire book.

    And due to how voluminous the book of alchemy was, Corey always read a little bit from the book every day. Though, on a particr day, Nina disrupted his reading of the book and warned him of the repercussions of practicing alchemy¡­ in his universe.

    "If you''re nning on practicing alchemy, you should know that alchemy is banned in your universe. If you attempt to create a product from alchemy, you''ll face a tribtion."

    These were the words of Nina on that particr day, and Corey was at first surprised that Nina was the first person to start a conversation between them. But as her words sunk into his mind, Corey was confused and he asked her what she meant.

    Corey asked her these two questions, and the reply he got were:

    10:32

    "The answer to your first question is to prevent the creation of another Ancestor of Paragons, and Why was alchemy banned from his universe, and what is a tribtion?

    Corey asked her these two questions, and the reply he got were:

    "The answer to your first question is to prevent the creation of another Ancestor of Paragons, and the answer to your second question is, if you want to know what a tribtion is¡­ just do it."

    Remembering Nina''s words on that particr day, Corey''s lips twitched as he held a little bit of resentment towards Nina for not telling him what a tribtion truly was.

    After hearing the repercussion mentioned by Nina, Corey, although was not nonchnt about it, he did not take it as seriously as he should have. Until, he decided to try it himself.

    The following day, Corey decided to practice alchemy and concoct a tier 1 elixir that would increase his attribute points by arge amount.

    He followed the procedures mentioned in the book of alchemy, and everything was going well, until he began to approach the final stages of his concoction.

    ck clouds appeared out of nowhere above the building of the hotel room he was concocting in, and although Corey did not see what actually happened on that day, due to him concocting.

    But despite him not been able to see the ck clouds on that particr day, he still remembers the chills and overwhelming sense of danger he had when he decided to continue concocting.

    At first, he nned on ignoring the danger, but with every second that passed, the more the feeling of danger increased.

    In fact, the amount of danger he felt on that day, reminded of the level of danger he had when he encountered the creatures of the void. Though, it could definitely notpare to it.

    After he remembered how dangerous the unknown could be to him, especially if he faces it unprepared and nonchntly, Corey decided to stop his concoction process.

    And although, it pained him to stop the concoction process since concocting was not by any means a simple feat, Corey decided that the next time he decided to concoct, be would take precautions.

    But the problem with that, was finding what could actually protect him from the tribtion.

    "Funny enough, it''s because of this universal ban on alchemy that I''m able to profit so much from Neon."

    Corey mumbled as he released another sigh.

    One of the reasons why there was nothing like a healing elixir, stamina restoration elixir and so on, just like in various games and novels, was due to the Universal ban on alchemy, which prevented people from practicing alchemy.

    But despite this, Corey found a way to use the Universal ban on alchemy to his advantage, in terms of Neon.

    ''Now, I just need to find a way to protect myself from¡­ two unknown tribtions.''

    Sigh

    Ring

    Ring

    Just as Corey released a tired sigh due to him remembering The Tribtions of Hell which he knew nothing about, the sound of an ice cream truck resounded in the room.

    Corey frowned slightly and just as he looked at his U-Watch, the image of The Clown popped up from it.

 Chapter 207 206: Games Of The Clown

    ?

    In a room that had it''s walls painted red, the clown who was dressed in a blood red suit, sat on a chair with his legs crossed, and his ck gloved hands on his knees. In front of him was a camera which broadcasted his entire face to every single individual in the Underworld, either through their U-Watches or a holographic screen up in the sky.

    A few secondster, his lips parted open, and with a voice that was slightly deep, strangely charismatic, and also contained a tinge of humor, The Clown spoke:

    "I''m sure a lot of you have been anticipating my arrival. I mean, who wouldn''t? I''m the only one who can bring a smile to your miserable pathetic lives. So, here I am people."

    The Clown paused, as he spread out his arms, making out a weing gesture before continuing his words.

    "Some of you already know that I''ve done some things in the Underworld, like the removal of some Underworld officials, temporarily stopping the battles in the Amphitheater et cetera, et cetera."

    "Now, one of the things I''m going to do as the new leader of the Underworld, is abolish the battle in the Amphitheater. They''re too boring."

    "Instead of the Amphitheater battles, what we''ll be having now are games. Games of The Clown to be specific."

    "From now on, a wheel, The Clown Wheel to be precise, would appear at sporadic times from your U-Watches. The wheel Clown Wheel have games which the great me, has thought of."

    "The Clown Wheel would be automatically spun after it appears, and well. You better pray to the goddess of luck, that whatever game the arrownds on, favors you."

    "When a game has been chosen for you, you can buy information about the game online, and you can use that information for, whatever."

    "Due to the mercy and pity I have towards your sorry and pathetic lives, I have decided to make the first games, start tomorrow. The clown wheel would appear seconds after I''m done with this message, so you better start praying to the goddess of luck."

    "So people. Although it has been exhausting talking to you fools, but, what can I do? What has to be done, has to be done."

    "May the dead gods be with you. Amen."

    ----

    Looking at the space where the holographic image of the clown previously was, a slight frown emerged on his face as he recalled thest words of the clown.

    "The dead gods?"

    Corey mumbled and just as he was about to delve into his train of thoughts, a different image appeared from his U-Watch.

    His attention shifted to the image, which was that of a blood red wheel. His gaze moved to the words on the blood red wheel, but before he could make out the words on the blood red wheel, the wheel spun at a speed that surprised Corey.

    Although he had the urge to use Focus and Eyes of Omniscience, he decided not to and waited for the wheel to end its spin.

    Approximately three secondster, the wheel slowed down and Corey''s gaze followed the arrow on the wheel as it moved.

    "Truth or Dare?"

    "Never Have I Ever?"

    "How Best Do You Know Your Partner?"

    "Death Race?"

    "Knife and Fingers?"

    "Haunted Mansion?"

    An extremely baffled expression appeared on Corey''s face as he mumbled the games on the clown wheel.

    A few secondster, the arrow on the blood red clown wheel, stopped and when Corey gazed at the game the blood red arrownded on, he raised his brows.

    Ring

    Ring

    Just as Corey was staring at the blood red clown wheel, a ringing sound rang out from his U-Watch, and with a furrow of his brows, Corey looked at the caller ID.

    Seeing the caller ID, Corey raised his brows with a surprised expression, then he answered the call.

    "Hey Kid. Missed me?"

    Corey''s lips twitched as the unmistakable, familiar voice of Divine flowed into his ears. He rubbed the middle of his brows, and with a nonchnt tone, he spoke:

    "Where have you been?"

    "Awwn. I knew you missed me kid. You''re just too shy to admit it."

    Divine''s teasing voice rang out and in the next moment, Corey ended the call by tapping it.

    He looked around the hotel room, and seeing the thick fog around the room, he waved his hand and the fog gradually dispersed.

    Ring

    Ring

    A few seconds after Corey waved his hand, a ringing sound rang out from his watch once again, and with a tinge of tiredness in his eyes, he checked the caller ID before tapping the screen of his U-Watch.

    "What do you want?"

    "How dare you kid? Why would you hang up on your captain. Don''t-"

    Tap

    "So let''s see, I need to buy or find out the information about my game first. After that, I need to find a way to protect myself from the alchemy tribtion and my first tribtion of hell.

    Corey mumbled, and just as he was about to check for the information on his U-Watch, his U-Watch vibrated and rang out loud once again.

    Corey released a tired sigh, then he tapped his U-Watch and rejected the call.

    But¡­

    Ring Ring

    Tap

    Ring Ring

    Tap

    Ring Ring

    Tap

    Ring Ring

    "¡­"

    Ring Ring

    "Sigh."

    Hearing the continuous ringing sound from his U-Watch. Corey released a tired sigh and just as he did, his U-Watch vibrated and rang out once again.

    Tap

    "What do you want Divine?"

    Corey spoke with an annoyed tone after finally epting Divine''s incessant call.

    But despite his words, he received no response from Divine for at least three seconds, and Corey frowned. Just as his lips parted open to speak, Divine''s voice flowed into his ears from his U-Watch.

    "What game did you receive?"

    Corey''s brows furrowed slightly as he noticed a slight indescribable difference in Divine''s tone.

    ''Is he pissed?''

    Corey''s brows rose as this thought came to his mind, but a secondter, he shrugged it off and gave a reply to Divine''s words.

    "I got the Death Race game."

    "Hmm¡­ I also got the death race game."

    Corey''s brows rose in surprise as soon as he heard Divine''s words.

    "You''re also in the death race game? That''s surprising."

    "Yeah. Rosa and Fatty are also in the death race game."

    Hearing the words of Divine, Corey''s brows rose once again in surprise, but a secondter, a dreadful and baffling thought came to his mind.

    "So does that mean we''re going to face one another?"

    Corey''s brows furrowed heavily as he wondered whether the clown would be so mad to make tier 1s fight tier 3s, tier 4s and possibly tier 4s.

    ''If the clown does that, then there''s no way a tier 1 would survive in any of the games where tier 2s and above are involved.''

    ''The clown''s mind should not be so deranged to the point that he''d do that right?''

    Despite having this thought, Corey remembered the past behaviors of the clown and a frown crept up on his face.

    "Yes, we''re going to face one another, but there''s a catch."

    A curious light appeared in Corey''s eyes as the words of Divine flowed into his ears, and with a tone that contained curiosity, Corey spoke:

    "What''s the catch?"

    "You''ll have to pay for that information. I wanted to give it to you for free when I first called you, but since you rejected my calls countless times, you have to pay."

    Corey''s left eye twitched as he heard Divine''s words.

    ''Petty bastard.''

    Corey cursed Divine internally, and with twitching lips, he spoke:

    "What''s the price?"

    "Ten Thousand value points."

    "Why don''t you just rob a bank instead?"

    Corey immediately spoke back at the absurd price Divine gave him.

    "It''s much cheaper than you think. If you want, I can give you on credit."

    Divine replied calmly, and a skeptical expression appeared on Corey''s face. He tapped his U-Watch to look for the price of the information on the games, but some secondster, a baffled expression appeared on his face as he gazed at the words of the holographic screen.

    "Let me guess. You tried to look for the price of the information on E-Underworld, but you found out that you couldn''t buy any, right?"

    Just as Corey had various thoughts regarding the image he was seeing, Divine''s voice which contained a little bit of mockery rang out from his U-Watch.

    "What did you do Divine?"

    Corey asked as his attention shifted from the holographic screen to Divine''s voice.

    "Well, I made a deal with the clown and decided to buy the information on all the games a while back. And now, I''m selling it to people who want, need and can afford the information¡­ People like you."

    "You made a deal with the clown? I thought you hated him?"

    Corey asked with a baffled tone as he remembered the state of Divine after the abrupt appearance of the clown in the Amphitheater.

    "Do you want to buy the information or not?"N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Corey frowned as he noticed that Divine ignored his question and instead threw a question back at him. Corey shrugged and with a nonchnt tone, he spoke:

    "I''ll buy it on credit."

 Chapter 208 207: Rules of The Death Race Game

    208 207: Rules of The Death Race Game

    (The Following Day)

    In a small room that had two beds. A handsome male figure slept on one of the beds with a ck axe by his side. His breathing was stable and the only movement the figure made, which would allow one to recognize the absence of death in him, was the rising and falling of his chest.

    Ring Ring

    A few secondster, a ringing sound reverberated in the room, disturbing the serenity of the room, and in the next instant, the male figure groaned and moved.

    His eyes opened and a confused light at first appeared in his eyes, before it was instantly reced by caution. He turned his head, and scanned the room he was in, his gaze spending more time on the second empty bed in the room. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    ''Justin is still not around?''

    The handsome male figure, who is Corey, furrowed his brows as he noticed the absence of Justin in the room once again.

    A fee thoughts went through Corey''s mind for a few seconds before he then decided to shrug it off and get up from the bed.

    He released a soft yawn as he rubbed his eyes softly. He then looked at his battle axe and touched it. A secondter, the axe disappeared and appeared inside the space in his Tri-Pupil Eyes.

    After sending his battle axe into the space in his Tri-Pupil Eye, he stood up and walked to the bathroom in the room.

    [You know you don''t need to take your bath right? I have a self cleaning ability which can rid your body of your sweat, dirt, and also allow you to smell nice.]

    [Although, you don''t need that ability since a Paragon''s natural smell is always nice.]

    To Corey''s extreme surprise, Nina''s voice rang out in his mind. It took him around two seconds to process Nina''s words, then he spoke:

    "I didn''t know you had that ability."

    [I have so many abilities you do not know of.]

    Nina said, and Corey raised his brows.

    "Can you give me a list of all them?"

    Corey asked with an intrigued tone, but Nina, with a nonchnt tone, gave a harsh reply:

    [Despite all that you''ve done, all that you''re doing, and all that you''re probably going to do. You''re still not worthy of me.]

    Corey raised his brows, then his gaze moved to the human sized mirror in the bathroom, and a small smile crept up on his lips.

    "Guess I still have a long way to go then."

    He mumbled, then he looked at his body through the mirror. His gaze fell on the ck bird tattoo on the left side of his chest, and he touched it. As he did, a reminiscent glint shed in his eyes.

    "How long has it been since Ist talked to you Rhea? It''s been a long time."

    Corey mumbled and inside a certain space which was connected to Corey, Rhea, who was sleeping on top of arge body of water, opened her eyes.

    "How long has it been since we came here?"

    Corey mumbled as he continued rubbing the tattoo while gazing at his reflection in the mirror.

    "Two months? Three months? Four months?... Half a year?"

    "It feels so long and we''re not even close to reaching the level where I can have my revenge, save my sister, and also find out who you really are."

    Voices and images of his dead parents, sobbing, injured and despair stricken sister appeared in his eyes and mind as Corey spoke.

    He clenched his fists as the image of the pope shed in his mind, but a few secondster, he released a soft breath and released his clenched fists.

    "You know. At first, the only thing that was on my mind was leaving this ce. But I''ve decided¡­ I''m going to use this ce to strengthen myself to a point that I''m satisfied with."

    "Then¡­ I guess we''ll see what I hold for the Underworld''s future right?"

    A soft chuckle escaped Corey''s lips as he willed for his nano-clothes to be absorbed into his body, making himpletely naked.

    "Despite your ability Nina, I still prefer to take my bath like this once in a while."

    Corey mumbled softly as he walked away from the mirror, to the shower in the bathroom.

    Meanwhile, in the strange space where Nina was located, a glint of recognition appeared in Rhea''s eyes as Corey''s words drifted into her ears.

    She looked up and the reflection of arge white orb of light appeared in her eyes. A tinge of fear and intrigue appeared in her eyes as she gazed at the orb of light in the distance. A few secondster, she turned her neck to her left, and in the distance, the image of a chain which went deep into therge body of water reflected in her gaze.

    She alternated her gaze between the chain and therge white orb of light a few more times, before resting her head atop the stagnantrge body of water, and going back to her slumbering.

    (Some minutester)

    Corey got out of the bathroom with a white towel on his head, and just as he did, a ringing sound reverberated in his room.

    He raised his hand and after seeing the caller''s ID on his U-Watch, he tapped his watch, picked the call, and the instant he did, Divine''s familiar voice drifted into his ears.

    "Hey Kid. How are you? Hope you slept well and jerked off a lot?"

    Corey''s lips twitched and after releasing a soft tired sigh, he spoke:

    "I did sleep well actually captain. And funny enough, I dreamt about you."

    Corey ced his towel in the space in his Tri-Pupil Eyes, then he willed for his Nano-clothes to appear on his body as he spoke with a nonchnt tone. A few secondster, Divine''s voice which contained visible bafflement and difort.

    "Huh? You did?. Well, that''s¡­ disturbing."

    "Yeah I did. Do you want to know what the dream was about?"

    Corey asked as he walked back to the bathroom, and observed himself in front of the human sized mirror. As he did, Divine''s voice once again rang out from his U-Watch.

    "Uhm¡­ I''m not really sure I want to know. Besides, we don''t really have the time-"

    "The dream is short actually. It''ll only take a second."

    With a nonchnt tone, Corey cut off Divine and spoke as he continued observing himself in the mirror.

    "The dream I had, was about a woman cing a curse on you. When I heard the words the woman said as she ced the curse, I even felt pity for you as a fellow man."

    Corey paused, and without waiting for Divine to speak, he continued:

    "The woman''s words were: ''I curse Divine, to never have the ability to ejacte ever again, no matter how aroused and how much he desires to ejacte. Not only that, I curse Divine''s penis, to be as small as that of a baby''s pinky and to never have the ability to satisfy anything. Either a female, male, or even beast. Anything living, Divine shall not be able to satisfy it or them.''¡­"

    "Those were her words captain, and that was the end of my dream captain. And because of that dream, I genuinely had a good sleep."

    With a small smile on Corey''s lips, Corey spoke, and for at least five seconds, there was no reply from Divine, and Corey was not bothered in the slightest.

    Corey straightened the cor of the ck short sleeved t-shirt he was wearing as he walked out of the bathroom, and just as he walked out of the room, Divine''s voice rang out from his U-Watch.

    "Kid."

    "Hmm?"

    "I hate you."

    "The feeling is mutual captain."

    A soft chuckle escaped Corey''s lips after speaking. He walked to the chair in the room, sat on it with his legs crossed, rested his head atop the back rest of the chair and closed his eyes. Just as he did that, Divine spoke once again.

    "Have you read the contents of the information I gave you on credit by the way?"

    "Hmm."

    Hearing Divine'' question, Corey''s mind went back to the information which Divine gave to him concerning the Death Race game, and as Corey remembered what the death race game was going to be about, a deep frown crept up on Corey''s face.

    The death race game was just like the name suggested, a race that could lead to one''s death.

    The death race game is a game where every contestant''s main goal is to cross the finish line without dying, and within a time limit which nobody knew of.

    One can use a car, a horse or beast, or even decide to run themselves, though that would be foolish.

    The death race game is obviously not just a normal race, it''s a race where they would encounter numerous and various obstacles as they got closer and closer to the finish line.

    There were few rules in the death race game. For example:

    Flying is prohibited for the contestants, and even floating a few meters above the ground would warrant several consequences towards the offender.

    Another rule, which relieved Corey at first, was the rule where mystical beings would not be ced in the same match as them.

    Only tier 0s to tier 3s would be ced in the same death race match.

    At first, Corey was relieved by the fact that there would be no mystical beings in the death race match he was partaking in, but then, he remembered about the tier 3s, and he checked for any rule that would probably regte their strengths and abilities.

    But despite searching, he found none, except a particr part, stating that tier 3s would have no specific restriction towards them in the match.

    Which meant that, they could perform to the fullest of their capabilities.

    Which also meant, that if they wanted, they could decide to ughter numerous tier 0s, tier 1s and even tier 2s.

    Corey was not delusional to believe that, just because his stats were in the Violet Star phase, he could go toe to toe with a tier 3.

    That would just be utter foolishness from him for various reasons.

    In the beginning, Corey first thought that the rule only applied to the death race game, but to his shock, it was not so.

    There were countlessints amongst the Underworld residents who were between tier 0s and tier 3s, but knowing that nothing could be done about it, theints died down and an atmosphere of utmost despair and dread hung above the city of sin. Especially, the outer area of the city of sin.

    But, just as countless residents had given up hope, groups and organizations which had at least tier 3s amongst them, started opening up public recruitments, reviving the me of hope in the hearts of many.

    There were even new groups that formed in the span of twenty four hours, with their leader being a tier 3 or sometimes, even higher.

    Due to that particr rule, Corey had to join Divine, Rosa and ck Bonez Fatty as a team to have a better chance of survival in the death race game.

    Apart from all these, there were two things which intrigued Corey, and that was the location of the death race game.

    Corey had no idea if the death race was going to hold in the Amphitheater or in a location which he knew not of, and this intrigued Corey.

    The other thing that intrigued Corey, was their mode of transportation to the location of the death race.

    Teleportation

    ording to the information given to him by Divine, they were all going to be teleported the location of the death race, and this also intrigued Corey.

    Beep! Beep!

    Just as Corey was deep into his train of thoughts, a beeping sound resounded from his watch, dragging him out of his thoughts.

    He opened his eyes and looked at his U-Watch, and just as he did, a monotonous voice rang out from his U-Watch.

    [YOUR GAME WOULD BE STARTING IN FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE, ZERO.]

    [GOODLUCK. AND MAY YOU DIE A BEFITTING DEATH.]

    "What?"

 Chapter 209 208: The Four Zones

    209 208: The Four Zones

    As the ominous words of the monotonous voice drifted into Corey''s ears, a baffled expression came upon Corey as he subconsciously spoke out loud.

    But just before he could fully digest the words of the monotonous voice, his U-Watch glowed with a blood red light and in the next moment, magical symbols appeared around him.

    Corey nced at the magical symbols, his eyes containing a light of intrigue in them as he observed the magical formation which had suddenly appeared around him.

    Although his reaction, or the reaction of most, should have been that of caution and vignce. Corey''s inhumane keen sensitivity to killing intent, made him notice theck of killing or lethal intent in the magical formation.

    Also, Corey''s high sensitivity and experience towards things that dealt with space, made him to instantly realize that the main function of the magical formation was teleportation.

    ''This is a reallyplex magical formation. It also has a protection and tracking formation in it.''

    Corey had this thought as he gazed at the magical formation with interest. Just as he was about to continue his observation of the magical formation, the magical formation glowed with a blood red light, and in the next second, Corey''s figure vanished.

    The next second after Corey vanished, Corey opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was a dark space which felt familiar, and also, unfamiliar at the same time.

    ''What''s this ce?''

    Corey furrowed his brows as the feeling of familiarity and unfamiliarity washed over him. He blinked and the moment he did, his surroundings changed.

    Woosh!

    He looked around but when he did, his eyes widened in extreme shock.

    "What the?!"

    Whoosh!

    Corey cursed out loud as he noticed that he was high up in the air, and his body dropped at an extremely fast speed.

    "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!!"

    "What the fuck is this?!"

    "This wasn''t in the information I bought!"

    "I want a refund!"

    "Shit! I''m scared of heights!!"

    Multiple screams and shouts drifted into Corey''s ears and with a baffled and startled expression, Corey turned his head to his right.

    ''Oh wow.''

    A surprised glint appeared in Corey''s eyes as images of numerous falling people appeared in his eyes. He tried to guess the number of people around him, and a few secondster, he furrowed his brows slightly.

    ''At least a hundred people.''

    ''That''s a lot.''

    More curses and shouts drifted into his ears and after giving a brief nce to the people around him, his gaze moved downwards.

    ''ording to the information provided by Divine. There should be four main obstacles/zones of the death race.''

    Corey thought as he moved his gaze downwards, but as soon as he saw what was beneath him, his eyes widened in shock.

    "Isn''t this ce way toorge?"

    A slight frown crept up on Corey''s face as he mumbled and observed the vastness of the ''race track''.

    ''This ce looks like an amalgamation of different environments of the world.''

    Corey furrowed his brows as he defined what he was currently seeing the best way he could. He released a soft breath of turbid air then his gaze moved to the first main obstacle on the ''race track''.

    From the information given to him by Divine, there were four main obstacles on the race track.

    The first main obstacle was called the Red Sea of Death.

    The second obstacle was called the Mountains of Soundless Death.

    The third obstacle was called the Desert of Mysteries.

    And the fourth obstacle was called the Fall of the Titanic.

    Each of these obstacles/zones, had their respective characteristics. For example:

    The Red Sea of Death had a long and wide bridge which they were to race on. Beneath this bridge was arge body of blood red liquid, which was so stagnant that it was absolutely unnerving. Due to the extreme stillness of the red sea, the red sea at times emitted a glossy look, making it look like arge piece of blood red ss.

    Although, the red sea of death looked like a harmless, serene and beautiful ce. It was a ce that causes instant death of most living beings that were tier 2 and below.

    Any tier 2 and below organism that touches the red sea of death, instantly turns into stone, and ording to Divine, those words were not exaggerated in the slightest.

    The second obstacle/zone, was the Mountains of Soundless Death.

    After crossing the Red Sea of Death, the survivors would have to go through a slightly narrow pathway, which had countless mountains around it.

    The pathway had countless curves and turns, and the reason for the zone being called The Mountains of Soundless Death, was surprisingly¡­ not stated in the information provided by Divine.

    ording to Divine, the clown wanted it to be a secret since he felt, that the death race game would be much more enjoyablepared to when known.

    The third zone was called The Desert of Mysteries.

    Just like the second zone/obstacle, the third zone was a zone that barely contained any information on its characteristics and dangers.

    Just like the name, the clown wanted the zone to remain a mystery until they encountered it.

    The fourth and final zone was called The Fall of the Titanic.

    Unlike the previous zone which was in the desert, and would definitely be scorching hot, the fourth zone, was ice cold.

    Extremely cold and fast winds blew in the fourth zone, and the temperature at The Fall of the Titanic was so low that it could instantly freeze a tier 0 human.

    Asides from these dangers which were mentioned in the information provided by Divine, Corey was hundred percent sure that there were other dangers on the vast piece ofnd beneath them.

    Corey released a soft sigh and just as he did, a holographic image appeared in front of him.

    [Ahem Ahem. Can I have your attention people. Can I have your attention.]

    A strange expression emerged on Corey''s face as the image on the holographic screen reflected in his eyes.

    ''Well, that''s certainly¡­ odd.''

    Corey thought as he gazed at the clown face painted man on the holographic screen.

    [I''m yourmentator for this game, and in case you don''t know. The death race game has already begun.]

    [You have thirty minutes to cross the finish line. Anybody that doesn''t cross the finish line after thirty minutes¡­ would instantly die.]

    [So good luck people, and make sure you have lots of fun.]

    Hearing the words of the clown facedmentator, a slight frown appeared on Corey''s face.

    ''The death race has already begun?''

    As Corey had this thought, a bad feeling came upon him and in the next second, his pupils constricted as he felt multiple killing intent aimed at him.

    ''Hexagon Barrier.''

    Corey deployed his skill the instant he felt the killing intent and in the next moment.

    BOOM!

    BOOM!

    BANG!

    BAM!

    BAM!

    The winds stirred and the ears of multiple people bled as the loud sounds of explosions reverberated in the surroundings.

    "ARRGGGHHH!!!"

    "YOU COWARD!"

    "HOW DARE YOU LAUNCH A SNEAK ATTACK ON ME! DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM!"

    "FUCK! MY HAND!" n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "BASTARD!"

    "HAHAHA!! FOOLS!"

    Multiple screams, shouts and curses flew about and a few secondster, more explosions resounded in the surroundings, stirring the air vigorously.

    Approximately fifty meters away, a falling Corey watched the ensuing chaos with cold but indifferent eyes and images of various magical spells flying around in the air appeared in his eyes.

    Corey''s gaze shifted from the magical spellsunched haphazardly in the air, to the falling corpses. A thought came into Corey''s mind and without hesitation, he turned his body to have a better look at the falling corpses.

    The multiple corpses dropped at an rming speed towards the red sea of death and a few secondster, the corpses reached the red sea.

    But surprisingly, the moment the corpses touched the red sea, there was norge ssh nor was the red sea disturbed. Only faint ripples appeared on the surface of the red sea the instant the changed corpses touched therge body of water.

    Corey''s eyes glinted as the image of the disturbingly strange new state of the corpses reflected in his eyes.

    ''Truly a red sea of death.''

    Just like the information sold to him by Divine, the instant a part of the corpses touched the red sea, each and every one of the corpses turned to stone.

    It was absolutely unnerving because Corey could not figure out the reason for this absurd phenomenon of arge body of water.

    ''I''ll probably figure it outter¡­ Or I can ask Divine.''

    Corey thought, then his gaze moved to his right arm which had a healing injury on it.

    Seeing the healing injury, memories of what transpired some minutes ago resurfaced in his mind and he furrowed his brows slightly.

    ''I was forced to teleport.''

    Corey''s frown deepened as he remembered how he almost sustained grievous injuries from the previous attacksunched at him, and to avoid that, he had no choice but to teleport.

    He turned his body to face the transpiring chaos and a frown crept upon his face.

    ''What a mess.''

    Although the thought of locating and killing the people whounched the previous attacks on him came into his mind, Corey decided to ignore that thought and focus onnding safely on the bridge, and locating Divine, Fatty and Rosa.

 Chapter 210 209: Atop the Red Sea of Death

    210 209: Atop the Red Sea of Death

    After making the decision of ignoring his previous attackers, Corey turned, so as to face the red sea of death. He straightened his body and his speed of descent increased slightly as he did so. He squinted his eyes and did his best to align his body to the bridge as he fell.

    As Corey got closer to the bridge, a confused glint appeared in his eyes for a second, then he squinted his eyes the more.

    A second after he squinted his eyes, his eyes widened to the limits and a curse escaped his lips.

    "Fucking bastards!"

    Corey stretched out his right hand, and six translucent hexagon barriers appeared a few meters away from him.

    A few momentster.

    BANG!

    BOOM!

    BAM!

    Multiple explosions resounded in the air as numerous attacksnded on Corey''s hexagon barriers, shattering the barriers instantly.

    Arge amount of smoke appeared at the area of the explosion, causing a brief moment of silence to permeate the surroundings.

    Seconds passed and the smoke began dispersing before disappearing entirely, and with the disappearance of the smoke also came the disappearance of the smile reaper.

    Confusion and suspicion came upon a certain group of people, and talks of the whereabouts of their target flew about. But despite searching for the body of the smile reaper, they found nothing and had no choice but to continue attacking other unfortunate targets.

    Atop the red sea of death, a figure stood atop a stone turned corpse, his eyes containing a bone chilling coldness in them as he gazed at the long and wide bridge some meters away from him.

    His gaze shifted to his arms and body which had some burn marks on them and he clicked his tongue softly. He then looked at the corpse he was crouching on and a mild frown emerged on his face.

    ''So, this is why one would instantly turn to stone after touching the red sea.''

    Corey thought then his gaze moved to his feet which had a small bit of steam flowing from beneath his feet.

    From what Corey could infer due to him been so close to the red sea of death, the reason why one instantly turns to stone after touching the red sea was due to the extremely high temperature of therge glossy sea.

    The red sea was hot, so absurdly hot to the point that, whenever an object touched it, every liquid in and on the body of the object, instantly dries up, turning the object to stone.

    It was a simple but stillplex exnation for the unnerving ability of the red sea of death.

    In fact, as Corey crouched atop the stone turned corpse, he felt like he was standing on hot coals. If not for his regenerative ability, high pain tolerance and the regenerative ability of Nina, his feet and shoes would be done for.

    ''But why is the sea red and so still?''

    As Corey had this thought about the red sea, the urge to discover the reason for the color of the sea and the extreme stillness of the sea blossomed in his mind.

    But a few secondster, a drop of sweat fell from his chin unto the red sea and the moment it touched it, the drop of sweat disappeared.

    No gas or vapor was formed and Corey seeing that, had his lips twitching.

    ''Focus Corey.''

    Corey patted his cheeks then he looked around and images of numerous stone turned corpses appeared in his eyes. He looked at corpse he was crouching on which was sinking into the red sea, bringing Corey an inch closer to the red sea of death with every passing second.

    ''This time, I''m killing those fools.'' n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Corey thought then he released a soft breath and with a calm movement, he stood atop the stone turned corpse. He swung his arms softly and with a deep voice,

    "Super Jump"

    He spoke and the moment he did¡­ He jumped.

    Ssh!

    Shatter!

    A shattering and sshing sound resounded the instant Corey jumped.

    If Corey looked back, a surprised expression would be stered on his face due to the slightly rge'' amount of red liquid and multiple fragmented stones that was in the air as a result of his jump.

    With his knees close to his chest and his arms raised high up in the air, Corey soared through the air. His eyes contained a calcting light in them as the image of a stone turned corpse which was a staggering fifty meters away, reflected in his pupils.

    A few momentster, Corey began descending and if anybody with a good discerning eye calcted the end point of Corey''s descent, they would be shocked because¡­

    Corey''s end point of his descent was atop another stone turned corpse, and as Corey got closer to the stone turned corpse, he straightened his legs.

    A few secondster,

    Bang

    Coreynded on the stone turned corpse, producing a loud bang as a result. A second after Coreynded on the stone turned corpse, Corey jumped while using the skill, ''Super Jump'' once again.

    The petrified corpse shattered and a slightly rge'' amount of the red sea sshed about as a result.

    From one petrified corpse to the other, Corey jumped, jumped and jumped until he reached the second closest petrified corpse to the bridge.

    As Corey jumped from the second closest petrified corpse to the closest petrified corpse, his eyes held a calcting light in them as he looked at the bridge which was around a hundred meters from thest stone turned corpse.

    ''I won''t make it.''

    Although he could decide to use ''Teleport'' twice, he had already used ''Teleport'' twice.

    The first time was using it to escape from the first barrage of attacks thrown at him in the sky.

    The second time was using it from the second barrage of attacks thrown at him from the group of people on the bridge.

    Before he reached the violet star phase, he could only use ''Teleport'' twice. But now, he could use ''Teleport'' five times, though, he would feel a strain on his body and his mana would be drained entirely.

    Although he could still use ''Teleport'' three more times, he would prefer not to make his teleportation skill public.

    A mild frown appeared on Corey''s face as he had these thoughts. The gears in his mind spun rapidly as he thought of ways to make it to the bridge, and a few secondster, a thought came to his mind.

    He stretched out his right hand and a human sized mirror appeared in his grip. Without wasting a single second, he flung the mirror to the distance.

    The mirror soared through the air and a few secondster, itnded on the red sea of death, and just as Corey expected, the wooden frame of the mirror turned to stone and the mirror stayed frozen atop the red sea.

    Shatter!

    Ssh!

    Corey jumped off thest petrified corpse, shattering it and causing a disturbance on the red sea as a result.

    As Corey soared through the air, he stretched out his right hand and started weaving his fingers in the air at an extremely fast speed, and a few secondster¡­

    SHATTER!

    SPLASH!

    The ss shattered the instant Coreynded on it, but Corey already expecting something like this to happen, immediately used ''Teleport''.

    A second after Corey used ''Teleport'', Corey''s vision changed and reflecting in his pupils was the image of the bridge.

    ''Wait. Why am I seeing the bridge?''

    Corey''s eyes widened in shock and when he felt himself falling, his instincts kicked in and he stretched out his hand to grab whatever was in front of him.

    "Haa Haa Haa."

    "That was close."

    Corey eximed as he held the railing of the bridge with a relieved expression. He looked at the motionless red sea of death which had a few unfortunate people falling into.

    He squinted his eyes, then he pulled himself up with a soft grunt. Standing safely on the bridge, Corey finally felt a sense of safety that only a solid ground could give.

    Corey looked around and when he did, he saw his reason foring to this part of the bridge.

    "Hahahaha!. Look at these fools falling down like flies."

    "I know right. If we can kill most of these guys, the boss would be pleased and thepetition would be much easier."

    "Having that teleportation item was really helpful."

    "If I may, can I have a glimpse of the teleportation item?"

    "Why? Don''t you know it can only be used once?"

    "Oh. Well, that''s bad."

    "Huh? What are you talking about you fool?"

    "Wait! Who the fuck are you?!"

    "Smile Reaper."

    (Approximately Ten Minutes Later)

    Corey sat atop the railing of the bridge while wiping his blood-stained battle axe with a ck rag. His cold gaze moved to the front where six corpses, four males and two females with varying injuries could be seen.

    ''Two males were tier 2, while the rest were maxed out tier 1''s.''

    Corey thought as he remembered his fight with the group of six, which was easier than he expected.

    ''Reaching the violet phase made much stronger as a tier 1.''

    Corey thought as he looked at his fist and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

    He could not wait to see how much stronger he would get if he could reach his true limit as a paragon. But a few secondster, his brows furrowed slightly as a thought came to his mind.

    "I wonder who their boss is."

    Corey thought, but a secondter, he shrugged.

    "I''ll just make Divine handle it."

    Just as Corey had this thought, his U-Watch rang and Corey''s raised his brows when he saw the caller id.

    "Speak of the devil and he shall call."

    Tap

    "Yo kid. Where the fuck are you?"

    "I''m-"

    "You know what, don''t worry. I''ll locate you myself."

    Beep Beep

 Chapter 212 211: The Bridge of The Red Sea

    212 211: The Bridge of The Red Sea

    VROOM!

    Whoosh!

    On the bridge of the red sea, Racing Wolf made loud sounds as it moved at an extremely fast speed. Corey who was sitting on the passenger''s seat gazed at the rapidly passing images on the bridge of the red sea.

    As Racing Wolf sped on the bridge of the red sea, Corey at times saw passing images of corpses and burning cars on the road. Signs of multiple battles could be seen as Racing wolf swerved and dodged several obstacles while climbing over some corpses.

    "What did you mean by the clown yed you?"

    Corey''s gaze shifted from the battle ridden road to Divine who was sitting at the back seat with an aggrieved expression as he gazed at the driver''s seat.

    Seeing Divine''s aggrieved expression, a satisfied feeling emerged in Corey''s heart and with a light smile, he spoke:

    "What happened captain? Why the long face?"

    Divine turned towards Corey and seeing the small smile on Corey''s lips, his left eye twitched and with a smile, he replied:

    "Nothing. Everything''s fine."

    A soft chuckle escaped Corey''s lips and just as he was about to speak, Fatty ck Bonez spoke:

    "Stop acting like a bitch captain and fight for your right. How can you allow a woman to forcibly take the driver''s seat of your car?"

    A vein threatened to pop on Divine''s forehead as he gazed at Fatty ck Bonez who was elegantly drinking a cup of coffee with an innocent light in his eyes.

    "Did you not run away when she just looked at you? You bloody coward."

    Divine retorted and Fatty ck Bonez stopped drinking from his cup. He looked at Divine with a small smile and without an ounce of shame, he spoke:

    "It''s called a tactical retreat captain. I use my dick a lot more than you, so I cannot afford any harm toe upon it."

    Hearing Fatty''s indirect insult to his sexual life, more veins appeared on Divine''s forehead and the urge to beat Fatty appeared in his heart.

    Meanwhile, as Corey heard the banter between Divine and Fatty ck Bonez, a chuckle escaped his lips and with a small smile, he spoke:

    "Hey Cap, before you decide to beat Divine. Please answer my question."

    Divine shifted his gaze from Fatty, who he has decided to teach a lesson he would never forget to Corey. He exhaled softly, extinguishing the little bit of anger in him as a result.

    "What I meant by the clown ying me was that the information I bought from the clown is not worth the amount I paid."

    "The clown withheld a lot of information from me. For example, he didn''t tell me about the death race match starting in the air. And I''m hundred percent sure there''s more he didn''t tell me."

    Corey raised his brows hearing Divine''s words. He subtly observed Divine, and although he could see Divine having a calm expression. The image of Divine''s previous condition after the first appearance of the clown in the underworld appeared in Corey''s mind.

    ''I wonder what price Divine paid for the information on the Clown Games.''

    A curious glint appeared in Corey''s eyes as this thought came into his mind.

    Although the first thought that came into Corey''s mind concerning the price was value points. But, knowing the clown, Corey had an inkling that the clown would have no use for value points.

    Deciding to dismiss his curiosity, Corey asked about the different starting locations of the death race participants.

    "Why was the starting point of every participant different?"

    "Well, depending on¡­ your luck or whatever, I don''t know. One is teleported to any part of the bridge of the red sea at the beginning of the death race."

    "The starting point of somebody can be the end of the bridge, and another person''s starting point can be the beginning of the bridge or the middle."

    "I don''t know if the starting point for everybody was randomly chosen or there was a criterion."

    "It''s most likely random. The clown doesn''t seem like somebody that''ll wantw and order." Fatty interjected and Divine nodded.

    "If it''s random, then ourbined luck is honestly terrible."

    Divine mumbled with a slight frown on his face while looking down, and as Corey heard Divine''s mumble, he noticed a tinge of disbelief in his words.

    A curious glint appeared in Corey''s eyes as he pondered briefly on the reason for Divine''s disbelief, but after a few seconds, he decided to temporarily dismiss his curiosity on Divine''s disbelief.

    "Why do you say ourbined luck is terrible?"

    Corey asked and Divine turned towards him.

    "Currently, we''re close to the middle of the bridge."

    Divine spoke simply and Corey raised his brows at Divine''s words.

    ''The middle of the bridge?''

    Corey''s gaze once again shifted to the window of the car and reflecting in his eyes was the rapidly passing image of the bridge.

    Seeing the bridge, Corey remembered the details of the bridge of the red sea in the information sold to him by Divine.

    The bridge of the red sea was one of the longest bridges Corey had ever heard of, if not the longest bridge. Its length was an astonishing two hundred kilometer (200km) and it towered at a height of approximately one hundred and fifty feet (150ft). It had a width of approximately three hundred feet (300ft).

    Knowing the astounding characteristics of the bridge of the red sea, Corey realized Divine''s reason for saying their luck was terrible.

    ''We''re still far from the end of the bridge and since Racing Wolf is currently moving at a speed of 400 km per hour and the bridge of the red sea is 200km long¡­ From my calctions, it should take us 30 minutes to reach the end of the bridge¡­''

    ''And¡­ thirty minutes is the time given to us to reach the end of the death race.''

    Remembering the time given to them to reach the end of the death race, Corey''s eyes darkened and a glint of uncertainty appeared in his eyes.

    He remembered that they had to cross three more zones in the remaining time they had, which was¡­

    ''Thirteen Minutes.''

    A nk look appeared on Corey''s face as he gazed at his watch which showed how much time he had left for the death race.

    ''Well, this is bad. How does the clown expect us toplete this absurdly long death race match in thirty minutes? Each and every one of us would die.''

    Corey frowned then he turned his body to look at Divine who was at the back and just as he was about to speak, Divine spoke with a calm, carefree smile.

    "You want to ask how that bastard clown expects us toplete the death race in thirty minutes right?"

    Divine asked and Corey nodded his head.

    A chuckle escaped Divine''s lips and with a carefree shrug, he smiled and spoke:

    "Well¡­ I don''t know."

    Corey blinked and a surprised light appeared in his eyes.

    "Are you saying we could actually die?"

    Corey asked with a stunned expression as he gazed at the nonchntly smiling Divine who gave him a feeling of danger and madness.

    The image of the rage filled Divine shed in Corey''s eyes for a second, and a tinge of caution appeared in his eyes.

    Divine chuckled once again hearing Corey''s words. He looked at the window near him and a glint of madness shed in his eyes for a second.

    ''Me? Death? The Clown? Suffering? Again? Never?!''

    A bunch of incoherent thoughts appeared in Divine''s mind as the madness in his eyes intensified for a few seconds. Just as it seemed like the madness was threatening to take over Divine''s mind, Divine shook his head and released a deep breath.

    ''Again?''

    Divine''s brows furrowed as he gazed at his reflection in the mirror for a moment before shifting his gaze to Corey, Fatty and Rosa who had cautious, confused and worried expressions respectively as they looked at him.

    "Let''s just keep on driving and¡­ make sure you say yourst prayers."

    Hearing Divine''s ominous words, the car became silent, and the faces of Corey, Rosa and Fatty became grim.

    A few momentster, Rosa''s voice resounded in the car, breaking Corey and the others from their thoughts.

    "We havepany."

    Corey raised his brows and he looked at Rosa who was pointing to the front. His gaze shifted to the front, and he could see four cars moving side by side at a speed that was although not as fast as Racing Wolf''s current speed, could still be considered fast.

    Corey raised his brows as he gazed at the five cars. From the movement of the cars, Corey could see that the people in the car were together and most likely a team just like them.

    He looked at Rosa and spoke:

    "Avoid them. We don''t have the time to engage them." n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Rosa nodded and in the next second, she turned the steering wheel to her right.

    As soon as Rosa turned the steering wheel to her right, Corey frowned as he noticed the four cars separate from each other, with one car going to the far left, another one going to the far right, and the remaining two staying in the middle, though there was a considerable distance between the two cars.

    "Use the stored nitro Rosa."

    Just as Corey was about to speak, Divine spoke and Corey raised his brows at Divine''s words.

    "Are you sure captain? Isn''t it too early? I can still make the car go faster using my mana."

    Rosa questioned with a tinge of surprise in her tone, and Divine replied with a determined tone.

    "Use it. Just like the kid said, we don''t have enough time."

    Rosa shrugged, then she pushed a red button on the steering wheel.

 Chapter 213 212: Racing Wolfs Ability

    Chapter 213 212: Racing Wolf''s Ability

    Previously moving at a speed of four hundred kilometer per hour (400km/hr), Racing wolf''s speed would be considered fast. In fact, Racing wolf''s previous speed was a speed that most average human''s would dare not to drive at for a long time due to the possibility of reacting slowly to a possible danger.

    Rosa was no longer a normal human, she was a tier 3 being and her reflexes were obviously much faster than a tier 0 normal human. Due to her being a tier 3, she had no qualms driving at a speed of 400km/hr. And neither did Corey, Divine and Fatty.

    But¡­

    As soon as she pressed the red button, Corey''s eyes widened as he felt himself fly forward for an instant, his face getting dangerously close to the windscreen of the car.

    Just as Corey was having thoughts on whether the seatbelt would be able to hold him in ce, he felt himself fly backwards. Then¡­

    Bam!

    "Fuck!"

    Corey cursed out loud as he felt his head the headrest of his chair with arge amount of force.

    "WHAT THE FUCK CAPTAIN! THIS IS TOO FUCKING FAST!"

    Fatty roared and Corey looked at the rear-view mirror with visible difficulty.

    He could see Fatty having a worried expression on his sweaty face as he held the grab handle with so much force that Corey could see the grab handle getting crushed little by little.

    "Hmm. This isn''t fast at all. Right Rosa?"

    "Right Captain."

    Corey alternated his gaze from Divine in the mirror, who had an extremely calm expression, to Rosa who was driving with a calm and focused expression. As Corey observed her, he sensed a tinge of excitement sh in her eyes.

    "CRAZY! BOTH OF YOU ARE CRAZY!"

    Fatty roared once again and Divine chuckled.

    "Shut up Fatty and let me focus!"

    Rosa shouted and just as she shouted, she swerved Racing Wolf to the side, dodging a fireball attack which wasunched at Racing Wolf.

    Corey and Fatty both cursed as their bodies hit the doors of Racing Wolf. Corey''s gaze shifted to the front and he could see the four cars which were also using nitro, trying to close the gap amongst themselves so as to make it more difficult for Rosa to outmaneuver them.

    Another fireball attack wasunched from the car which was directly in front of them, and once again, Rosa swerved to the right, but due to the use of the nitro, Racing Wolf swerved a lot more to the side, causing Rosa to exert more of her strength to control Racing Wolf.

    Rosa looked at the four cars whose speed, although could not bepared to Racing Wolf''s, was sufficient enough to keep Racing Wolf from overtaking them.

    As she observed the four cars, she noticed an individual trying tounch an attack at them from one of the cars. She clicked her tongue and with a solemn tone, she spoke:

    "Hold tight!"

    Without waiting for a response from her team members, she spun the steering wheel a full 360o, causing Racing Wolf to also spin as a result.

    "OH MY BLOODY GOODNESS!"

    Fatty ck Bonez shouted with an anxious voice eliciting a chuckle from Divine as a result.

    As Racing Wolf spun dangerously at a fast speed, Corey activated Focus and as he did, he was able to properly observe the movement of Racing Wolf and the four cars.

    He saw a fairlyrge fireball thrown at them and his gaze moved to Rosa who had a calm expression on her face despite the spinning of Racing Wolf and the iing fireball.

    He saw Rosa move her hand to a blue button that was near the dashboard and in the next second, she pressed it.

    Corey''s brows furrowed slightly the instant she pressed it, and with a slightly confused expression, he looked outside.

    His eyes moved to one of the spikes that was by the side of Racing Wolf.

    ''Divine''s mana?''

    Corey squinted his eyes as he perceived Divine''s mana on the spike which was emitting an icy blue me at its tip. He looked up and as he did, he activated his Eyes of Omniscience for a second, enabling him to see the icy blue me on the tip of the remaining spikes of Racing Wolf.

    Corey''s gaze shifted to the rear-view mirror which showed Divine having an extremely disturbing emotionless expression on his face as he gazed at the window to his right.

    Divine sensing Corey''s stare, turned his head towards the rear-view mirror and seeing Corey staring at him, he gave a light and seemingly harmless smile which gave Corey the chills.

    Corey looked away from the rear-view mirror and focused on the iing fireball.

    Three Secondster.

    "Oh Fuck."

    Fatty ck Bonez cursed as the fireball which was the size of a wrecking ball approached the spinning Racing Wolf.

    As the two objects collided, there was no grand explosion and neither was there a loud sound as one would expect and to their enemies'' shock, Racing Wolf was not harmed at all.

    ''It was like a candle me trying to evaporate an iceberg¡­ Utterly impossible.''

    Corey thought as he gazed at the remnant steam that was emitted from the dissipated fireball. He vividly remembered how the fireball dissipated the instant it touched the icy blue me of Racing Wolf''s spikes.

    ''Are those icy mes also an ability of Divine?''

    Corey wondered and although the urge to look at Divine through the rear-view mirror appeared in his heart, he decided to resist the urge, due to Divine''s extraordinary perceptiveness.

    His attention shifted to the four cars who were now trying to evade the rotating Racing Wolf.

    "You attacked us and now you want to escape?... Think again."

    With a tone that would send chills down the bravest of men, Rosa spoke and with a fluid movement, she pressed down the throttle of the car and her hands emitted a blood red glow as she held the steering wheel of Racing Wolf, intriguing Corey.

    Just as Corey was wondering why Rosa was releasing her mana, he noticed Racing Wolf''s increase, even with the use of nitro.

    ''She''s pouring her mana into Racing Wolf to increase its speed?''

    Corey inferred as he observed how the steering wheel emitted a simr red glow like that of Rosa. Although he was tempted to use his Eyes of Omniscience to observe the mechanism behind Rosa''s current actions, he decided not to expose one of his most valuable skills to a group he didn''t fully trust.

    Deciding to shift his attention away from Rosa, he looked at the four cars which was just a meter away from Racing Wolf.

    Despite it seeming like everything had taken ce in a long time, everything, from the neutralization of the fireball attack to Rosa infusing her mana into Racing Wolf, only took thirty seconds.

    And those thirty seconds¡­ was enough for the four cars to separate themselves, giving themselves a safe distance from Racing Wolf''s spikes.

    Racing Wolf passed by the four cars and Corey turned his head towards Rosa, wondering how she nned on killing their attackers, or if she had any ns of killing their attackers.

    As Corey had this thought, he saw Rosa press a certain part of the steering wheel, and the moment she did, Corey heard a whooshing sound and he turned his head to look outside.

    Corey''s eyes widened slightly and a glint of surprise appeared in his eyes as he saw numerous rotating icy ming spikes fly from Racing Wolf to the four cars.

    Unlike the incidence with the fireball where there was no grand explosion, there were multiple explosions as the rotating icy ming spikes pierced straight into the four vehicles.

    Corey whistled softly as he gazed at the four explosions which happened all around Racing Wolf. And to Corey''s surprise, the four cars had blue mes on them instead of red mes, piquing Corey''s interest.

    "Hahahahahaha¡­ Next time you wouldn''t attack us you fools."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Fatty ck Bonezughed loudly after Rosa put in a lot of effort to stopping Racing Wolf''s rotation.

    Corey gazed at Fatty who was previously nervous and anxious but was nowughing like a fool. Corey shook his head softly, then he shifted his gaze to the rear-view mirror and looked at Divine.

    He furrowed his brows slightly as he noticed a deep frown on Divine''s face who was looking at the window near him.

    "One of them is alive."

    Divine spoke, his calm solemn tone disrupting Fatty''s momentary happiness.

    "What?"

    A disbelieving expression appeared on Fatty ck Bonez face as he questioned Divine.

    "The survivor is a tier 3."

    Without giving Fatty a nce, Divine spoke, his voice containing a tinge of irritation and annoyance.

    "I don''t have time for this nonsense."

    Divine mumbled as he gazed at his U-Watch, his pupils reflecting the remaining time they had left toplete the death race.

    00:09:47

    Divine clicked his tongue in annoyance, then he shifted his gaze to one of the burning cars that was approximately 40 meters away.

    Although what most could see would only be a burning car, his vision was simr to that of a reptile.

    He could see the heat signatures of most living and non-living objects, and although the mes burning the vehicle would make it difficult for other people that had the ''Heat Vision'' ability to see the heat signature of every other object in the vicinity of the burning car, it was not so for Divine.

    Divine was the Child of Ice and Fire, and that title held more power and importance than most could imagine.

    Also, the mes burning the cars were his, so he could see the heat signatures around the burning car with ease.

    He raised his right hand then he made a flicking motion with his index finger and his thumb. As he did, the air around his fingers became distorted, and Corey''s eyes widened to the limits as he perceived something.

    "Devastator."

 Chapter 214 213: Power of Devastator & Strange Black Portal

    Chapter 214 213: Power of Devastator & Strange ck Portal

    "Devastator."

    With a tone that was filled with total calmness and a tinge of coldness, Divine spoke and to Corey''s shock, he felt the space around Divine fingers getting disturbed.

    He didn''t see it.

    NO!

    He felt it.

    The disturbance of the space around Divine''s fingers could not be seen. To the normal human eyes and even Corey''s eyes, the space around Divine''s fingers seemed normal. The only unusual thing one would notice was the distortion of the air around Divine''s fingers.

    As Corey turned so as to observe Divine''s actions, he saw an extremely small dark red me which looked like it was gotten from the mes from Hell, and an extremely small ice cube which emitted a chill that seemed like it could freeze the mes from Hell, form atop Divine''s fingers which were still in a flicking motion.

    In the next second, Corey saw the dark red me and the ice cube move towards each other, and what happened next defied allws of science andmon sense.

    As the dark red me and ice cube approached each other, the dark red me seemingly phased through the ice cube and to everybody''s surprise, the dark red me stayed inside the ice cube.

    ''It wasn''t extinguished?''

    A glint of curiosity and surprise appeared in Corey''s eyes as he gazed at the burning dark red me in the ice cube. His gaze moved from the dark red me to the ice cube, and confusion shed in his eyes for a second.

    ''The ice cube isn''t melting also.''

    Corey thought, then he looked at Divine who had an extremely focused expression.

    Divine''s eyes which had not left the burning car for a second, gave a brief nce at Devastator which was hovering above his lips and a small smile appeared on his lips.

    ''Good. I got it this time around.''

    Divine thought with satisfaction, and his focus went back to the burning car. He flicked his finger and in the blink of an eye, Devastator¡­ disappeared.

    Corey''s eyes widened slightly and without hesitation his eyes became purely white. Reflecting in his pupils was the image of a small palm sized cube spinning as it moved through space.

    The cube''s movement was extremely fast and even with him activating his two talent skills, Focus and Eyes of Omniscience, he still found it difficult to keep track of the cube.

    (In One of The Burning Cars)

    "Cough! Cough!"

    A middle-aged man with a Dutch beard released a deep cough, his expressionced with apprehension as he looked at his surroundings.

    "Fuck."

    A curse escaped his lips as he struggled to remove a broken ss from his left shoulder. He looked around and seeing his earthen barrier still intact, he released a breath of relief.

    "A tier 3 was among that group."

    The middle-aged man mumbled and the gears in his mind spun as he pondered on what his next course of action should be.

    ''If I attack the group now, I''d be outnumbered even if the remaining members of that group are tier 1 or 2.''

    The middle-aged man thought, then his eyes went to the injury on his left shoulder and his earthen barrier which was getting hotter as the seconds went by.

    "I think I''ll just wait here instead. It''s better than attacking while being outnumbered."

    The middle-aged man seemingly made the ''best'' decision and decided tofortably seat in a cross-legged position, his wariness decreasing by a considerable degree due to the presence of his earthen barrier and the burning mes around him.

    His gaze moved to the wound on his shoulder and a slight frown appeared on his face. He opened his right palm and a small vial appeared in his palm.

    He opened the vial and poured it on the bleeding wound on his shoulder. A hiss escaped his lips as the pain from the healing of his wounds was higher than his pain tolerance. He gazed at the sizzling wound which also emitted a gaseous vapor and he clicked his tongue.

    He blinked and the moment he did, he saw a rotating blue cube appear a few centimeters from his chest.

    "Huh?"

    A baffled expression appeared on his face and before he could process how in the world the strange cube passed his earthen barrier, the cube touched him.

    The instant the cube touched the middle-aged man''s body, he felt an unprecedented sense of danger. He tried to act, but it was toote.

    The cube erged and in the blink of an eye, it covered his entire body like a coffin. Fear erupted from the depths of the middle-aged man''s soul and just as he blinked, dark red mes engulfed him from head to toe. And a primal scream was released from the lips pf the middle aged man.

    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    Corey''s pure white eyes remained unblinking as he gazed at the burning and screaming man. He saw the man make attempts to put out the mes or escape the mes, but the mes never went out no matter what he did, and the cube of ice prevented him from escaping the mes.

    ''What a deadly technique.''

    Corey thought as his eyes observed how the dark red mes burned the middle-aged man with a very disturbing ravenous ferocity.

    "Hey Cap, I think your new technique is a little bit too painful."

    Fatty ck Bonez released a soft chuckle as he spoke.

    Divine looked at his hands then he gave Corey a brief nce before giving a reply to Fatty ck Bonez words.

    "My technique isn''t perfect yet."

    Divine muttered and Fatty ck Bonez whistled and spoke:

    "If you say this isn''t perfect, I wonder how dangerous the perfected would be."

    "Even I wonder how the perfected technique would be like."

    Divine spoke softly then he looked at Rosa and spoke once again:

    "Let''s get going Rosa. Time''s going."

    Rosa nodded and in the next second, she started the ignition of the car and drove off.

    00:08:54

    Corey gazed at his U-Watch, his eyes shed with contemtion and slight worry as he gazed at the timer on his U-Watch.

    He subtly looked at the expressions of Rosa, Divine and Fatty ck Bonez, and simr to him, they all had solemn expressions on their faces.

    ''So, I might actually die here.''

    Corey released a soft sigh then he rested his head on the headrest of his chair. He closed his eyes and with a soft tone, he spoke:

    "Rosa."

    "Hmm?"

    Rosa gave Corey a brief nce, her expression showcasing confusion.

    "I want to take a nap. Wake me when something important happens."

    Corey said and Rosa nodded.

    ''Also notify when something important happens Rhea.''

    A bird caw resounded in Corey''s head and after hearing the bird caw, Corey slept.

    (Some minutester)

    "Hey. Hey. Wake up."

    A bird caw and a voice resounded in Corey''s ears causing him to furrow his brows. He released a soft sigh then he calmly opened his eyes.

    "You''re finally awake."

    A familiar voice reached his ears, and just as he was about to answer, his expression changed as he felt a spatial disturbance nearby.

    He looked around and as soon as he did, his eyes widened as he noticed arge whirling ck portal some meters away from them.

    "What the."

    Corey''s eyes could not veer away from the whirling ck portal, and from the depths of something within him, he felt hunger.

    He felt the desire to consume something in the whirling ck portal, though he didn''t know what. He was baffled about this strange desire which was although not strong, but was disturbingly ufortable.

    "Kid."

    A hand sped his shoulder, forcefully bringing his attention away from the whirling ck portal.

    "What''s wrong with you kid?"

    "Huh?"

    A baffled expression appeared on Corey''s face as he looked at the owner of the hand on his shoulder- Divine.

    "We''ve been talking to you, but you didn''t answer us."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Corey looked at Divine, then his gaze shifted to Rosa and Fatty ck Bonez, both having worried and baffled expressions respectively.

    "Sorry about that. What were you talking about?"

    Corey apologized then he calmly removed Divine''s hand from his shoulder.

    Divine raised his brows then he shook his head and spoke:

    "We were talking about that."

    Gesturing towards the whirling ck portal, Divine spoke and Corey resisted the urge to look at the whirling ck portal.

    Corey looked at Divine with a gaze that said ''Go on.''

    "So, the thing is. We''re at the end of the bridge of the red sea, and that ck portal is either the way to get to the next zone or¡­ it''s a trap."

    Divine said and Corey gave a brief nce at the ck portal.

    "How much time do we have left?"

    Corey asked and with a solemn tone, Divine replied:

    "Not much at all."

    "Then why are we wasting time here? Enter the portal."

    Corey looked at Divine with genuine confusion since he could not believe that Divine of all people was wasting time contemting on what decision to make.

    Divine released a soft sigh then he looked at Rosa and nodded. Without saying a single word, Rosa started the ignition of the car and without hesitation, she drove into the whirling ck portal.

 Chapter 215 214: Reaching The Mountains of Soundless Death

    Chapter 215 214: Reaching The Mountains of Soundless Death

    Darkness

    A darkness so ufortable enveloped the entire group of four as Rosa drove them into whirling ck portal.

    A disturbingly strange sense of unease crept into the hearts of the four, and without anybody telling them what to do, they all became instinctively vignt¡­ despite the fact that they couldn''t see a thing.

    As Corey turned his neck to the side, he ignored the urge to use his Tri-Pupil Eyes or his Eyes of Omniscience. The unforgettable feeling of using his Eyes of Omniscience to look at the void was deeply engraved in his mind, and he absolutely did not want to make such a grave mistake again.

    Who knows what he might see or attract this time around?

    He wasn''t going to bank on Nina nor the wife of The Paragon Ancestor to save him.

    Despite him not having the capability to see anything, Corey felt oddlyfortable in this dark space.

    He even felt slightly invigorated as an unknown energy entered his body.

    ''Is this spatial energy?''

    Corey wondered as he observed his body. He tried to observe and study the energy more, but when he blinked, his surroundings changed.

    ''Huh?''

    A baffled expression came upon Corey''s face and with his mouth slightly open, he looked around.

    "What''s the problem?"

    Rosa spoke, her voice which contained a tinge of confusion flowed into Corey''s ears.

    "Hm? There''s no problem. I was just thinking of how strange that ce was."

    "Huh? What ce? When we went through the portal, we appeared here.

    What ce are you talking about?"

    ''The fuck?''

    A stunned expression appeared on Corey''s face as he heard Rosa''s words. He observed Rosa''s expression, and when he noticed that she wasn''t lying to him, a slight frown crept upon his face.

    "Was it just my imagination?"

    Corey mumbled, and Rosa tilted her head to the side.

    Despite speaking those words, Corey was sure the dark space was not his imagination. His reason for speaking those words was to just make Rosa assume he was imagining things.

    He didn''t have the desire to give a proper reply to her question.

    "If you two are done talking. Look at your environment please."

    Divine''s voice rang out in the car, and with his brows raised slightly, Corey looked around, and a few secondster, his eyes widened.

    "Huhhh. Captain? Why are these guys here? And why are they not racing?"

    "How do you expect me to know Fatty? I''m just as surprised as you are."

    The voices of both Divine and Fatty ck Bonez resounded in the car, causing Corey to give both of them a nce before shifting it back to his surroundings.

    ''Well, this is surprising.''

    Corey thought, and just as he had this thought, a feminine voice filled withziness and boredom rang out loud.

    [OH? ANOTHER GROUP SURVIVED.]

    Corey looked up and with a squint of his eyes, he noticed a holographic screen high up in the air.

    As he looked at the screen, the image of a female with blonde hair and a bored expression reflected in his pupils.

    He gazed at the blonde female for a few seconds before shifting his gaze to his surroundings which was filled with numerous vehicles.

    As he looked around, he saw quite a number of strange vehicles and even people. There were vehicles whose appearance made even Racing Wolf look normal.

    To Corey''s surprise, he saw some contestants using beasts as their vehicles instead of machines.

    ''Well, there was no rule against using beasts as the racing vehicles.''

    Corey thought, then he looked at another strange vehicle.

    The most absurd looking vehicle Corey saw was a vehicle which looked like a gigantic robotic spider. It was extremely high, it also had eight legs like that of a spider and the main body was also round like a spider.

    Corey nced at the spider vehicle for a few seconds before shaking his head and taking his sight off it.

    Deciding to stop observing the vehicles and other contestants, Corey decided to observe his actual environment, and as he did, he noticed mountains of various sizes around them and also in the distance.

    As he looked in the distance, he saw arge fissure on the ground and his brows furrowed slightly. He turned his head towards Rosa and spoke:

    "Is it because of the fissure you''re not driving?"

    "No."

    Rosa shook her head and with a slight furrow of her brows, she spoke:

    "Racing Wolf isn''t starting no matter how much I start the ignition."

    Corey gave a brief nce to the holographic screen up in the air, and just as he did, he felt something change.

    He looked back and to his surprise, he saw the whirling ck portal shrink. Some seconds passed, and the portal shrunk to the size of an egg before disappearingpletely.

    "Hey kid. Look."

    Before he could have any thoughts on the disappearance of the portal, Divine''s voice flowed into his ears.

    He looked at Divine and he saw his finger pointing towards the sky. He looked up, then he saw the image on the holographic screen change.

    ''The Fuck.''

    Corey''s eyes remained unblinking as he stared at the holographic screen which showed the bridge of the Red Sea¡­. A copsing bridge of the Red sea.

    Corey could see the 200km long bridge breaking apart at a breathtaking speed. Its remnants falling into the Red Sea, disturbing the calmness and stillness of the Red Sea.

    As the surviving contestants gazed at the holographic screen, they all had varying expressions, though the major expression was that of shock.

    Numerous could not fathom how the bridge of the Red Sea which was 200km long copsed so easily.

    As the bridge of the Red Sea disintegrated, Corey could see six vehicles driving at extremely fast speeds in an attempt to survive, to escape the falling of the bridge.

    But despite the vehicles moving at an extremely fast speed, the speed of the copse of the bridge of the Red Sea was much faster, and in a matter of seconds, the copse of the bridge caught up to them.

    A few tried to save their lives using various methods. The most used life saving method was flight. Some tried to fly or at least levitate, but a few secondster, their bodies fell into the Red Sea at lightning fast speed.

    [What a bunch of fools.]

    The image on the screen changed and azy feminine voice drifted into the ears of the surviving contestants.

    A strange and ufortable silence epassed the surroundings as everybody gazed at the Underworld Official.

    The blonde female Underworld Official released a tired sigh, then she spoke:

    [Wee to the second stage of the death race, The Mountains of Soundless Death.]

    [I know all of you have questions, but I don''t give a fuck about them. So make sure to keep your damn mouths shut. I''m just going to give whatever information I''m obliged to give you.]

    Frowns emerged on the faces of every contestant and a few murmurs and curses flew about.

    Not caring about the thoughts of the contestants, the blonde female Underworld Official continued speaking:

    [In case you don''t know. All of you are the survivors of the first stage of the Death Race.]

    [There was a time limit to passing the bridge of the Red Sea and it''ll also be the same for the remaining stages. What you saw happening on the bridge of the Red Sea would also happen in the remaining stages. Though, this time around, the portals wouldn''t close.]

    As the words of the blonde female Underworld Official reached Corey''s ears, Corey furrowed his brows slightly as he remembered the remaining time he and his team members had left toplete the race.

    He checked his U-Watch and a few secondster, his eyes widened.

    ''What the?''

    [Oh. I forgot something.]

    Corey''s gaze shifted to the blonde female Underworld Official and he saw a light and seemingly harmless smile on her lips.

    [Some of you might have noticed, and some might not have noticed.]

    [The time limit of some groups have increased.]n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    As soon as the blonde female Underworld Official said those words, murmurs escaped the lips of almost every surviving contestant..

    Fatty ck Bonez eximed with a shocked expression as he gazed at his U-Watch.

    [The reason for your time limit increasing is because of what you''ve killed. Or to be more precise, your group killed.]

    [Killing a tier 0 grants you an extra minute.]

    [Killing a tier 1 grants you three extra minutes.]

    [Killing a tier 2 grants you five extra minutes.]

    [Killing a tier 3 grants you ten extra minutes.]

    Corey''s eyesnded on his U-Watch and a calcting glint emerged in his pupils.

    00:52:10

    ''So that exins it.''

    Corey released a soft sigh of relief as he gazed at his timer.

    One of his and practically, almost everybody''s biggest fear was the timer. The time given to them was exceedingly short, and everybody wondered how they would be able toplete the death race in such a short amount of time.

    Corey even had thoughts that The Clown did not want any of the contestants toe out alive from the Death Race. But with the addition of the new rule, the Death Race made much more sense.

    And it also made it all the more deadlier.

    Corey could imagine the chaos that was ensue when they''re allowed to continue the race.

    ''Tier 3''s and 2''s would be targeted.''

    Corey''s brows furrowed slightly, then he shrugged and looked at the holographic screen which showed a slightly wide smile on the lips of the female Underworld Official.

    [Without further ado. Let the race¡­ CONTINUE!!]

 Chapter 216 215: The Clowns Wits

    Chapter 216 215: The Clown''s Wits

    215: Racing on The Mountains of Soundless Death

    The moment the female Underworld official spoke the word: "Continue", every vehicle roared to life, and the winds stirred.

    Not wasting a second, Rosapletely floored the gas pedal, causing Corey and his group members to fall backward, their heads hitting their chairs due to the sudden inertia.

    Corey grimaced for a second, gave Rosa a brief nce, then looked to his front, which had a long and wide fissure.

    Woosh!

    A vehicle that resembled an SUV sped past them at an incredible speed, and Corey watched as the SUV jumped over the fissure. But just as itnded on the other side of the fissure, numerous and various attacksnded on the SUV, destroying it and causing a beautiful explosion that resembled to reflect in the pupils of all those who gazed at the SUV.

    The SUV was not the only vehicle to jump over the fissure. It was just among the unfortunate and foolish ones that got destroyed.

    Corey could see some vehicles deploying various defensive measures to defend themselves from the attacks directly or indirectlyunched at them.

    Corey looked at Rosa, wanting to speak. But just as his lips parted, Rosa pressed a button on the dash box, and a pale blue circr barrier appeared around Racing Wolf for a second before disappearing.

    Corey, seeing that, felt relieved. He shifted his attention back to his surroundings, and from what Corey could see, everything was pure chaos.

    Almost every contestantunched an attack at anybody who was not their ally. The desire for their time limit to increase, even if it was by a minute, made so many people attack any contestant without disregard for their cultivation base or status.

    There were a few fools who shouted and cursed their attackers. They tried to unt their status, telling their attackers of their affiliation and their ''high'' ranking position in their affiliation.

    Unsurprisingly, most of those fools died.

    Nobody cared about the status of any contestant. All everyone cared about was surviving the death race.

    Every vehicle moved at mind-boggling speeds, and with the incredible speed came incredible and beautiful fireworks.

    Racing Wolf had already crossed therge fissure, and while in the air, a vehicle resembling a giant mechanical bull almost crashed into Racing Wolf. But Rosa''s driving expertise was top-notch, and she was able to dodge the attack by using a burst of nitro to push Racing Wolf forward.

    The mechanical bull crashed into an unfortunate vehicle, destroying it entirely while also killing the contestants in the vehicle.

    The mechanical bull snorted. Its snort releasing steam in the process, then it drove, no, ran at an incredible speed.

    Vehicles crashed into one another, and attacks continued to beunched at every vehicle in sight as the race continued. Some vehicles had exceptional drivers who could swerve and dodge most of the attacks hurled at them.

    Rosa was also one of the exceptional drivers as she expertly swerved Racing Wolf to the sides, dodging some vehicles that tried to ram into her or attacks she could see through the side mirrors.

    It was just the beginning of their race in the Mountains of Soundless Death, and the amount of danger their group was facing was immense. Remembering the name of the zone they were in, Corey shifted his gaze to the mountains in the distance and wondered if they would face much deadlier situations.

    As Corey looked at the mountains, he felt Racing Wolf shake, and his eyes squinted. He saw the pale blue barrier flicker after a slightly powerful attack hit it. A curse escaped the lips of Fatty ck Bonez.

    "What the hell! Everybody has gone bat shit crazy!"

    "An ability of the clown."

    Divine spoke calmly, his voice carrying no hint of emotion as he looked at the chaos ensuing around them.

    "What do you mean?"

    Hearing Fatty''s question, Divine remained silent for a few seconds, then he replied:

    "The clown is a cunning, treacherous, and insidious bastard."

    ''Doesn''t that mean the same thing?''

    Corey thought but didn''t disrupt Divine.

    "Due to his immense wits, he can subtly make people people do¡­ stupid things¡­ like killing themselves."

    Gesturing to the mayhem in their surroundings, Divine spoke with his eyes rippling with a dark emotion.

    Meanwhile, Corey shifted his attention to his surroundings, and his expression became slightly grim.

    Assuming The Clown gave them sufficient time toplete the death race, most contestants would have focused onpleting the race on time rather than attacking one another.

    Sure, there would have been deaths, but it would never have been this to this extent.

    From what Corey saw, there were around fifty cars when Corey and his group entered the Mountains of Soundless Death. But now, Corey could only see about thirty-something cars.

    In the span of a few minutes, approximately twenty cars were destroyed, and at least forty people had died. One should not forget that most vehicles would likely not have just one person in them.

    Back to The Clown.

    Apart from not giving them enough time toplete the death race, The Clown also decided to withhold information on how to increase their time limit.

    Most people would have been worried about what little time they had left, and not only that. Corey was sure that some people didn''t bother killing anybody on the bridge of the Red Sea, making those people have a sense of urgency towards increasing the time allotted to them toplete the death race.

    This added to the chaos that was currently happening around them.

    Another thing that added to the chaos was that every contestant was at the same ce when they all got information on how to increase their time limit.

    Observing all of these small and seemingly inconsequential details, Corey shuddered as he was able to get a glimpse of how deadly The Clown was.

    ''Though I highly doubt I truly know how terrifying The Clown is. There should be a reason why the overconfident Divine is worried and even¡­. scared of The Clown.''

    Corey released a sigh, and a few secondster, his brows furrowed heavily.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    ''The female Underworld Official didn''t say how long we have to cross the Mountains of Soundless Death and other zones before they copse.''

    Although not having this information bothered Corey slightly, he decided not to dwell on it since the solution to such a question was simple:

    Drive

    Just drive as fast as you can to avoid death.

    Wasn''t that the whole point of the death race in the first ce?

    Who could reach the finish line first?

    You?

    Or¡­ Death?

    Corey released a sigh, trying to clear his mind of unnecessary thoughts. Racing Wolf got closer to the mountains in the distance, and as it did, a confused light appeared in Corey''s eyes.

    "What''s happening now? Why are so many of them in one ce?"

    Fatty ck Bonez spoke with confusion and also a tinge of caution.

    He, as well as Corey, were worried about the numerous people in front of them grouping up tounch attacks on them.

    ''From what I can see, they''re up to twenty¡­ if not more.''

    Corey had a heavy frown, and a few secondster, Divine spoke.

    "Just speed past them Rosa."

    Rosa nodded and, without hesitation, pressed the nitro button on the steering wheel.

    Whoosh!

    Racing Wolf''s speed drastically increased. And in a few seconds, the car passed the group, and to Corey and his group member''s surprise, no attack wasunched at them. Instead, the entire seemed to be preupied with something else¡­ something which was on the floor.

    Due to the speed of Racing Wolf, it wasn''t easy for Corey to see what it was the group had their attention on, but luckily for him, he had a skill that could reduce his perception of time.

    ''Focus''

    A frown emerged on Corey''s face as he looked at the object on the floor that had the group''s attention- A corpse.

    Despite only getting a glimpse of the corpse, Corey could see that the corpse had visible ck veins.

    Corey''s frown deepened.

    "Were you able to see what they were looking at?"

    Corey looked at Divine, who had a calm and neutral look through the rear-view mirror.

    A few seconds passed, and Corey nodded, and then he spoke:

    "It was a corpse¡­ A corpse whose veins had turnedpletely ck."

    Corey''s voice carried a tinge of uncertainty, and Divine, sensing that, raised his brows.

    "You''re not sure?"

    Corey shook his head but didn''tment. He looked outside, and he saw arge rocky object not too far away from the mirror beside him.

    He looked up, and just like he expected, he saw a mountain, but the mountain had a thick fog at its peak that sent shivers down Corey''s skin. He didn''t know why, but he felt an enormous amount of danger from the fog at the top of the mountain.

    ''Hopefully, it doesn''t contain a gigantic and dangerous monster¡­ especially one that can fly.''

    Corey released a soft sigh, and just as he did, his eyes widened to its limit.

    ''Shit.''

 Chapter 217 216: Belladonna

    Chapter 217 216: Bedonna

    The second zone, which was called The Mountains of Soundless Death, had multiple mountains of various sizes. Some mountains were so high that their peak could not be seen. And there were also mountains that were higher than hills.

    Despite the height differences of the mountains, every mountain had something inmon.

    Fog

    At the peak of every mountain, there was a fog. The fog looked harmless, but Corey had a feeling that the fog was anything but benign. Even from afar, he felt a lethal threat from the fog.

    Aside from the mountains, which gave Corey the shivers, there was the road.

    The road in the Mountains of Soundless Death was so narrow that it could barely take two cars at a time.

    Driving on such a road was bound to cause countless deaths. But what was going to cause more deaths was the presence of something in the air, which Corey perceived earlier than anyone else in his group.

    The presence of¡­

    "There''s poison in the air."

    Corey spoke. His voice carried a heavy, grim tone.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Rosa, Fatty ck Bonez, and even Divine looked at Corey with raised brows. Their eyes contained confusion, and they found nothing despite looking around or checking the outside and inside of their bodies.

    But a few secondster, Divine''s face changed, and without hesitation, his body started heating up, and arge amount of steam was produced as a result.

    Rosa and Fatty ck Bonez both turned towards Divine with a confused expression, but Divine gave none of them his attention.

    A few secondster, Divine exhaled, and ck smoke was released from his lips as he did. He snapped his fingers and three secondster, a cube of ice was around the ck smoke.

    The ck smoke was trapped in a cube of ice.

    "What''s that?"

    A baffled expression could be seen on Fatty''s face as he gazed at the ck smoke in the ice cube.

    Divine''s lips parted as he was about to speak, but Corey was a tad bit faster.

    "Bedonna. A very potent tier 2 poison."

    "A tier 2 poison? Apart from you, we''re all tier 3. Tier 3 poisons should have no effect on us."

    Fatty spoke with confusion as he could not determine the reason for Divine''s reaction when he realized he was poisoned.

    To his knowledge, only tier 3 poisons should be able to affect them. Tier 2 poisons should have be ineffective on them.

    "Fool."

    A scoff resounded in Racing Wolf, and Rosa''s derisive voice reached the ears of all.

    "There are extremely powerful tier 2 poisons that can affect even powerful tier 3''s like us. Don''t be like a frog at the bottom of the well."

    "How powerful can a tier 2 poison be?"

    Fatty questioned, his tone containing skepticism.

    "Well, the symptoms one should expect after getting poisoned by Bedonna are: dted pupils, sensitivity to light, blurred vision, tachycardia, loss of bnce, staggering, headache, rash, severe flushing, severely dry mouth and throat, slurred speech, urinary retention, constipation, confusion, hallucinations, delirium, and convulsions."

    "The poison doesn''t kill. It''s the symptoms that kill the victim."

    "..."

    An ufortable silence enveloped the interior of Racing Wolf, and the eyes of Rosa, Fatty ck Bonez, and even Divine all stared at Corey, who had a nonchnt and calm expression.

    Corey looked at them and tilted his head.

    "What?"

    "Are you sure you''re¡­ okay mentally?"

    At first, he struggled to find the right words to use at the end of his sentence. Fatty ck Bonez did, and then he spoke while looking at Corey with a baffled expression.

    "I''m definitely not okay mentally. Why did you ask?"

    Corey questioned with a confused look on his tilted head.

    Fatty''s eyes widened, and a few secondster¡­

    "What do you mean WHY?!"

    "WHY THE FUCK DIDN''T YOU TELL US THAT THE BELLOMA POISON WAS SO FUCKING DANGEROUS?!"

    A confused expression appeared on Corey''s face as he looked at Fatty ck Bonez, who had a panicked and enraged expression on his face.

    "But I told you. Right? Also, it''s not ''Belloma'' poison, it''s Bedonna poison."

    Fatty''s left eye twitched, and he clenched and unclenched his hands multiple times before releasing a sigh.

    "Scaredy cat."

    A vein appeared on Fatty''s head as he heard Rosa''s whisper. He grumbled and cursed under his breath, but a few secondster, his expression changed, and with widened eyes, he looked at his hands, which were beginning to darken.

    "Shit! I''m poisoned!"

    Fatty cursed his palms, and his face became sweaty due to his panicking.

    He remembered Corey''s previous words on the symptoms of the Bedonna poison, and in the next moment, numerous thoughts appeared in his mind.

    ''My vision feels blurry. My heart is beating like a thousand horses on steroids. I feel dizzy. My head hurts. And oh my gods of the bones, I- I feel like using the toilet!''

    Fatty''s eyes widened, and just as he was about to release a weapon of mass destruction or, to be more precise, a gas of mass destruction, Divine''s calm voice reached his ears.

    "Calm down, Fatty. Just make your bones absorb the poison, then direct it to a single bone and cut it off."

    "You want me to cut myself?!"

    Fatty eximed as he looked at Divine with an expression of shock, but Divine ignored him, and Rosa rolled her eyes.

    Fatty receiving no response, mumbled some curses, and Corey could hear words like ''Bloody sadistic bastard'', ''Son of a bitch'', and ''Crazy f*ck.''

    Corey nced at Divine, wondering if he heard Fatty''s words, but from Divine''s focused expression, it was unknown whether he heard Fatty''s words or not.

    Divine while looking at the fog at the peak of the mountains with a deep frown. A few seconds passed, and Divine sighed softly before turning towards Rosa.

    "You know what to do Rosa."

    Rosa nodded her head, then she looked at Corey and asked softly:

    "Do you know how to drive?

    Although a confused glint appeared in his eyes, Corey nodded his head.

    "Good. Now you''re in charge of the steering wheel."

    Rosa said, then she removed her hands from the steering wheel, and the next set of events made Corey''s eyes widen.

 Chapter 218 217:Laughter

    Chapter 218 217:Laughter

    When Rosa asked him if he knew how to drive, he was surprised by that question. Although it was evident that Rosa wanted him to drive, he didn''t expect her to leave the steering wheel so abruptly.

    He was about to curse at her carelessness, but a secondter, his words got stuck in his throat when he saw the steering wheel fold itself before entering the dashboard, and then it emerged in front of him.

    Corey looked at the steering wheel nkly. Then, his gaze shifted to Rosa, who had cut her wrists.

    "Retractable steering wheel."

    Rosa said without looking at Corey. Her eyes closed, and Corey saw her forehead covered in sweat.

    Corey looked away from Rosa and gave a nce towards a particr button that was beside the gear.

    ''From Rosa''s actions and words, that should be the button to activate the retractable steering wheel.''

    Corey thought, and then he held the steering wheel.

    ''Wait. What of the pedals?''

    Corey looked down, and as he did, he saw two pedals emerge from his feet.

    ''Well, that''s oddly convenient.''

    A small smile appeared on Corey''s lips, and in the next moment, his legs mmed unto the throttle with full force.

    VROOM!

    WHOOOSH!

    "FUCK ME SIDEWAYS! YOU''RE ALSO CRAZY LIKE THAT BITCH!"

    "DO YOU WANT TO KILL US?!"

    "WOOHOO!!! LET''S FUCKING GOOOOOOO!!!"

    Ignoring Fatty''s panicked shout, Corey shouted at the top of his voice as Racing Wolf moved at its average ''top'' speed.

    Although driving at the current speed was not too dangerous for individuals like Corey, Rosa, Fatty ck Bonez, and Divine, what was dangerous was going at that speed on the road of the mountains of soundless death.

    Aside from the road being narrow, the route also had so many twists and turns, and to Fatty''s fear, they were approaching a sharp corner.

    Corey squinted his eyes, and a smile appeared on his lips. He changed the gear, turned the steering wheel, and performed one of the best drifts humanity has ever seen.

    A deafening screeching sound could be heard as the back tires of Racing Wolf released vast amounts of smoke.

    As Corey drifted, the distance between the rear bumper and the closest mountain was barely an inch.

    Some seconds passed, and they came to the end of the bend.

    Corey turned the steering wheel, and after struggling a bit, he could properly adjust the car''s direction.

    Silence enveloped the car for a few seconds, and then a chuckle escaped Corey''s lips before bing a full-blownugh. His team members had various reactions as they looked at Corey, who wasughing while driving.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Rosa looked at him with warmth spreading on her cheeks and a particrly private part of her body.

    Divine looked at him with a surprised expression for a few seconds, and then he turned his gaze to the mountains or, more precisely, the mountain peaks.

    Meanwhile, Fatty¡­

    "Mad people. I''m fucking surrounded by mad people."

    Fatty mumbled as he looked around and felt unsafe around his teammates anymore. He even felt that his teammates were probably out to get him.

    ''Did I perhaps take their girlfriends?''

    Corey eventually stoppedughing and decided to focus on the road. He nced at Rosa, wondering how she was dealing with the poison in her system.

    A surprised expression appeared on his face when he saw a ck ball of blood the size of a baseball hover beneath her wrist, which was still leaking ck drops of blood.

    ''She''s expelling the poison from her system using her blood.''

    Corey thought, then he looked at Fatty ck Bonez, who, after calming down a bit, still had a wary glint and fearful glint in his eyes, was looking at his ring finger on his left hand, which was now cker than ck.

    He gritted his teeth, held his ring finger, and yanked it with full force.

    A soft groan escaped Fatty''s lips, and with tears threatening to spill from his eyes, he looked at the space of his ring finger, which was spewing out ck blood, and he gritted his teeth in anger.

    He looked at Rosa, and words that he would never have spoken on a typical day left his lips:

    "Hey Witch. Can''t you do something about- HMMMM!"

    "Who are you calling a witch, you bloody coward of a womanizer?"

    Rosa''s hell-freezing voice reached the ears of Fatty, and a bloody chill crept into the depths of his soul as he looked into Rosa''s menacing, blood-red eyes. The unrestrained killing intent emitted from Rosa doused every bit of anger in him.

    He nodded like a chicken pecking rice and didn''t bother removing a clothe made from blood stuffed in his mouth.

    Although the smell was terrible and it tasted like shit, Fatty was too scared of Rosa.

    Rosa ignored Fatty, and she turned to Corey. Corey raised an eyebrow as he looked at her.

    "Pull the wiper lever up."

    She said, and Corey did as he was told. The moment he did that, the windows moved upwards and closed, and a suction force emerged from the car, absorbing all the air and poison from the vehicle and pushing it out into the environment.

    After the poison-contaminated air was expelled from the car, new and pure air was injected into the Racing Wolf.

    From where?

    Corey does not know.

    Although Corey was curious about the mechanism Divine, Rosa, and whoever built the car used to produce clean air, he didn''t care too much about that.

    With the air-tight sealed window and the introduction of clean air, his teammates don''t have to worry about getting poisoned again¡­ or at least getting poisoned at a fast rate.

    As for him, he was a poison warlock, and his poison resistance was level 3. He had no issues with the poison.

    ''Did Divine somewhat expect the air to be poisoned in one of the zones?''

    Corey questioned in his mind as he wondered how their captain could make a vehicle with a counter to the poisonous air.

    Although in Corey''s eyes, Divine looked surprised when he realized that the air was poisoned, the fact that he decided to make a vehicle with a modification that could protect one from contaminated air.

    ''Divine said that the Clown cheated him and did not give him all the information for the death race, so that means he shouldn''t have known about the poisonous air.''

    Corey''s brows furrowed slightly, but then he shrugged and decided to push the matter to the back of his mind.

    As long as Divine was not against him or harming anybody he cared about, he didn''t care about something as trivial as this.

    ''I wonder how many people would be able to pass through the zone due to the poison. Most will probably die, and I wonder how many people are in front of us.''

    Corey sighed as he had this thought, and just as he did, a loud rumble akin to thunder resounded from the mountains, shaking every contestant to their core.

    "Kid."

    Corey was still trying to fathom what that sound was. Because although it sounded like thunder, it was¡­ different.

    And was it just him, or was Racing Wolf swerving to the sides more than usual?

    Why did it seem like the ground was shaking in his eyes?

    As these thoughts went through Corey''s head, he heard Divine''s voice and looked at him through the rear-view mirror.

    Corey''s heart began to beat faster as he looked at Divine, who had the grimmest expression he had ever seen, and the tone of his following words made the atmosphere much worse.

    "Drive faster, or we all die."

 Chapter 220 219: Second Portal

    Chapter 220 219: Second Portal

    The stormy sky crackled with electric tension. A distant rumble heralded the storm''s arrival as the first jagged fingers of lightning shed through the heavens, illuminating thendscape with their searing brilliance. Thunder followed in booming crescendos, reverberating through the very soul of the mountains of soundless death.

    Torrential rainshed down, drenching the world in a deluge, and the wind howled like a vengeful spirit. Amidst the chaos, hailstones, or at least that was what Corey wished they were.

    No,

    They were not hailstones but something much worse.

    Rocks.

    Multiple rocks of varying sizes. Some were as small as a ser ball, and some were asrge as a bungalow.

    Numerous rocks of varying sizes began to fall, crashing to the ground with a deafening tter. Each impact sent smaller stones and dust flying in every direction.

    Nature''s fury was a breathtaking spectacle, a symphony of elemental forces shing in a wild, chaotic ballet of light, sound, and fury, leaving a sense of awe and vulnerability in its wake.

    Corey, Rosa, and Fatty were astonished as they looked at the breathtaking spectacle that was taking ce in the skies of the mountains of soundless death.

    ''The irony. This ce can''t be called the mountains of soundless death anymore.''

    A strange and unnecessary thought appeared in Corey''s mind as he gazed at the sky while driving. Although looking at the sky while driving at their current speed was more like a death wish, Corey used his talent skill, Focus, which made things slower in his eyes.

    The second zone was called the Mountains of Soundless Death because of the poison around the mountains, which was meant to give every contestant a ''soundless'' death.

    But now, with the destruction of the mountains and the rumbles of thunder, the second zone could not be called the mountains of soundless death.

    ''Not like it matters anyway.''

    Corey shook his head, and then a voice filled with panic reverberated in the car.

    "FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!"

    "I DON''T WANT TO DIE! DRIVE FASTER! DRIVE FASTER! DRIVE FASTER!!!"

    "SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU FAT COWARD!!"

    Corey frowned as he gazed at Fatty, who expressed fear and worry although he had shut up after Rosa''s shout.

    ''He wouldn''t do anything drastic and stupid, right?''

    Corey nced at Divine, who had a calm expression, and then he looked at Rosa, who also had a calm face, though he could see a tinge of annoyance in her expression.

    ''They''re both too calm. Do they have a n to escape this situation?''

    Usually, Corey would have kept his thoughts to himself, but he decided to ask.

    Suppose they had a way out of this. He wanted to know what it was.

    "You both don''t look worried about this situation. Do you guys have a n for us to survive this?"

    As soon as Corey asked his question, he received strange stares from Divine and Rosa, which caused him to raise his brows in confusion.

    "What do you mean by a ''n'' kid? Isn''t it obvious what the n is?"

    "..."

    "You drive us safely out of here."

    A curse escaped Corey''s lips as he realized his teammates were just like him.

    They were also running for their lives.

    Corey sighed, and just as he did, his expression changed, and he quickly moved Racing Wolf to the left. Three secondster,

    BANG!

    BOOM!

    A massive boulder the same size as Racing Wolf mmed onto the ground.

    Corey cursed as he struggled to control Racing Wolf, which was shaken by the force from the impact of the boulder mming into the ground.

    Just as he was about to gain control of Racing Wolf, his eyes widened to the extreme as he noticed a lightning bolting their way.

    Although Racing Wolf had an invisible barrier around it, Corey would rather not put hisplete trust in that.

    He turned the steering wheel, but despite trying his best to avoid the lightning strike, the lightning was too fast, and in the blink of an eye, it reached Racing Wolf and brushed past its side, destroying part of the barrier in the process.

    "Shit."

    Corey and his teammates cursed as he could not rapidly gain control of Racing Wolf, which was moving about haphazardly due to the force of the lightning strike.

    Corey gritted his teeth, and seeing that they would smash into a fairlyrge mountain, he decided to reduce the impact considerably by making Racing Wolf m into the mountain by the side.

    BAM!

    Corey''s head whipped backward the instant Racing Wolf mmed into the mountain. He groaned and then shook his head to rid himself of his dizziness.

    A few secondster, his eyes were drawn to the barrier, which flickered like it was about to go off.

    He looked at his body, and after finding a few insignificant scratches and injuries, he released a relieved sigh.

    ''Thank goodness I was in my focused state, or I wouldn''t have seen the lightning strike.''

    Corey thought, then he looked at his teammates.

    "Oh my god. I''m so gonna die. I''m so going to fucking die."

    Seeing Fatty ck Bonez mumble like a coward, Corey nodded and knew that Fatty was okay.

    He looked at Rosa, who had just gotten out of her stunned state, and after finding no severe injuries on her, he nodded and looked at Divine, who was scratching his head with a slight frown on his face.

    Divine looked back at him through the rear-view mirror, noticing his gaze.

    "The mountains are much tougher than I expected. Also, that lightning strike. Phew."

    Divine wiped off a non-existent sweat, and Corey had a strange glint in his eyes as he looked at Divine.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Uhm Kid."

    "What?"

    "Shouldn''t you be driving? Or do you n to kill us all?"

    Divine spoke with aidback tone while pointing at the peak of the mountain, and when Corey looked at the peak of the mountain, his pupils dted.

    Andslide was about to reach them.

    Just as Corey started the ignition, he looked to the side, and his eyes caught sight of a man riding a horse-like beast. The horse-like beast and its rider passed them in the blink of an eye.

    A few secondster, he felt multiple quick vibrations and the familiar robotic spider vehicle appeared before them for an instant before disappearing into the distance.

    ''That''s a very fast speed for something of that size.''

    Corey thought, then he shook his head and started driving. He had to get to the next zone. The current zone was so dangerous that one could not even rx for a second, or death would wee them with open arms.

    As Corey drove, some vehicles that maintained their top speed overtook them. Some gave them nces, but then they drove past them without causing any ruckus.

    Everybody had the same goal: escaping the Mountains of Soundless Death.

    VROOM!

    Corey poured his mana into the steering wheel, and using his mana as the nitro, Racing Wolf''s speed returned to its previous speed.

    ''I''ll survive.''

    ''I''ll survive no matter what.''

    With cold eyes, Corey spoke to himself internally, and he zoomed off into the distance.

    (Some minutester)

    "The portal!"

 Chapter 221 220: Fragmented Crystal

    Chapter 221 220: Fragmented Crystal

    In the Mountains of Soundless Death, a scene of pure chaos could be seen- a scene that was akin to the end of the world.

    At the top of one of the highest mountains, a female wearing ck jeans and a white t-shirt had a slight frown as she looked at the chaos urring down below.

    ''I didn''t know that thing would cause something like this.''

    The female thought as she turned to look around, and the moment she did, a design that every resident of the Underworld knew could be seen at the back of the female''s shirt.

    It was the design of a hand holding a world, and at the top of this hand were five stars.

    A five-star Underworld official!n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    If Corey and the remaining participants of the death race saw this female Underworld Official, they would instantly realize her identity as the female Underworld official who introduced them to the Mountains of Soundless Death.

    Woosh!

    "Tch."

    A gust of wind blew around the woman, causing her blonde hair to cover her face. She clicked her tongue and then looked at a white broken crystal floating in mid-air. Streaks of lightning continuously appeared around the crystal, and after some time, a bolt of lightning would get released into the sky, adding to the countless bolts of lightning in the sky.

    "What the hell is that crystal?"

    The blonde female Underworld Official mumbled as she looked at the fragmented crystal with a tinge of fear.

    Although the female Underworld official did not know what the fragmented crystal was, if Corey were here, he would instantly recognize it due to its aura and energy.

    An infinity crystal or, more precisely, a fragment of a lightning infinity crystal.

    The female Underworld official looked at the fragment of the lightning infinity crystal for a few seconds. Then she looked at the blood-red formation she was instructed to make before unleashing the fragmented lightning infinity crystal.

    "Is the formation only meant to hide the crystal''s aura and protect me?"

    The female Underworld official thought as she looked at the formation, which spanned the entirety of the top of the mountain.

    Although she didn''t know why, The Clown instructed her to draw this formation, which hid the crystal''s aura. The Clown was the leader of the Underworld, and almost nobody could go against him in the Underworld.

    So why would The Clown want to hide the aura of the crystal?

    What was he afraid of attracting if the crystal''s aura got exposed?

    The female Underworld official was curious. But, there was a saying- Curiosity killed the cat, and who knows what her curiosity might lead to if she decided to inspect or even tamper with the formation or crystal.

    She shook her head and looked away from the formation and crystal. She sat on the ground and looked at the current race that was going on, and she shook her head.

    ''When will this be over?''

    Compared to the beginning, the current number of participants could be considered abysmal. At least 90% of the contestants had died, and the number would only increase as they crossed through the remaining two zones.

    Death

    So much death

    And it made her body tingle in excitement. She loved danger, she loved the thrill it gave her, and seeing how dangerous the death race was, she wished she could participate in it.

    But,

    ''They''re too weak''

    The female Underworld official released a soft sigh as she looked at the contestants who were doing their best to survive.

    She, a Mystic Being, knew she could easily kill every contestant.

    "I wonder if any of them would survive this death race.''

    The female Underworld thought back to the remaining two zones, which were much more dangerous than the Mountains of Soundless Death.

    "Well, it doesn''t matter. I just want to leave this ce and go back home."

    ¡­.

    "The portal!"

    Fatty ck Bonez shouted with excitement and relief as he gazed at the swirling ck portal in the distance.

    It wasn''t only Fatty ck Bonez that was excited and relieved. Corey, Rosa, and even Divine had expressions of relief as they saw the portal.

    They couldn''t wait to get out of this death zone. Although the remaining zones might be worse, they knew they could not stay in such a ce for even a second longer.

    It was just too dangerous, and there was another issue Corey was facing.

    His mana was almost running out.

    He had been pouring his mana into Racing Wolf to increase its speed and was also in his Focused state.

    These two factors increased his mana consumption, and though the quantity and quality of his mana was higher than most tier 1s, he did not have an infinite amount of mana.

    ''I could have given Rosa the steering wheel to drive, but I don''t think she has a skill like Focus, which enabled him to dodge the lightning strikes.''

    Corey thought as he drove towards the portal, but as he got closer, he frowned and slowed down Racing Wolf.

    "What the hell! What are these guys doing?"

    Fatty ck Bonez eximed with a confused tone as he looked at the portal, which had two cars and a group of people in front of it.

    Although everybody in Corey''s group had seen the two cars and the group even from a longer distance, Corey''s group didn''t think much of it. But now that they got closer to the group, they could all sense killing intent radiating from the group.

    And they were baffled as soon as they sensed it.

    Why were they baffled?

    Because the group of ten people waspletely made up of tier 2s.

    And their group clearly had three tier 3s.

    Their auras weren''t concealed, so the other group should have known about their tiers, but despite the opposing group knowing, they still decided to emit their killing intent toward them.

    The difference between tier 2 and tier 3 was something most could not bridge, so what gave these tier 2s the confidence to stand before them?

 Chapter 222 221: Snap

    Chapter 222 221: Snap

    "What do you guys think we should do?"

    Fatty ck Bonez asked as he gazed at the group of ten, which looked more like fools in his eyes.

    He couldn''t fathom why this group of fools would emit killing intent toward them.

    "Isn''t it obvious, stupid?"

    "We kill them."

    Fatty ck Bonez scratched the back of his head as he heard Rosa''s indifferent voice. He was not stupid. He knew what they had to do. It just felt unnatural to him.

    If there was an ability one needed in the Underworld, it was the ability to know how to survive.

    One needs to know who they can afford to offend and who they cannot afford to offend.

    And ten tier 2''s emitting killing intent towards three tier 3''s was definitely the peak of foolishness in his eyes, especially when the tier 3''s were definitely beyond average tier 3''s.

    ''Unless they have a backing or a trump card that could kill all of them.''

    Fatty ck Bonez shrugged, and then he gave Divine a side nce. Seeing Divine having an impatient and annoyed expression, he started to feel a little bit of pity towards the group of tier 2''s.

    ''When was thest time I saw Divine having this sort of expression.''

    ''Oh wait. I''ve only seen it once, and it didn''t end well for¡­ me.''

    A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he remembered one of his past encounters with Divine. An encounter that made him fearful and also respectful of Divine.

    ''What a terrible memory.''

    Fatty''s lips twitched, then he shook his head and looked at the group of tier 2''s, which looked like they were preparing a powerful attack.

    ''Fools.''

    "I''ll handle this."

    "You sure?"

    Rosa, who was about to unleash an attack on the group of tier 2''s, stopped and looked at Divine with a questioning look.

    Although she knew he could kill the entire group, she was surprised that Divine would decide to waste his mana on something so¡­ insignificant.

    "I''ll do it. I need to let off some steam. Just some weaklings trying to y god."

    With a lighthearted tone, Divine spoke as he looked at the group of tier 2''s with a tinge of amusement in his eyes.

    He closed his eyes, and after a few seconds, he exhaled deeply, and his red eyes started glowing.

    His vision changed, and in his eyes, he could see various colors around him- Red, Orange, blue, and white.

    His eyes widened slightly when he saw the white color, and he turned his head toward the direction of the fragmented lightning infinity crystal.

    ''There''s something so rich in the fire element here? If I have that object¡­''

    A wisp of greed emerged in Divine''s eyes, but a few secondster, he shook his head and ignored his greed.

    He been greedy in a ce like this. In a ce he was clueless about, it would cost him dearly if he let his greed take over him.

    Deciding to focus on the bugs in front of him, his gazended on the group of tier 2''s, and although the distance between the two groups was about 100m, he could see the group like they were directly in front of them.

    His gaze shifted from the group to their cars, and the glow in his eyes increased. A small smile appeared on his lips, then¡­

    SNAP

    A second after he snapped his fingers, a small me appeared at the entrance of the exhaust pipes of the two cars, and then they moved into the exhaust pipes.

    A few secondster,

    BOOM!

    BOOM!

    It began with a deafening, earth-shattering roar as metal and fuel surrendered to the destructive embrace ofbustion.

    Fierce and unforgiving, mes consumed the vehicles with a voracious hunger, casting a hellish glow that painted the stormy and chaotic night of the Mountains of Soundless Death. Fragments of shattered ss and twisted steel were propelled in all directions, striking every member of the tier 2 group, a macabre rain of destruction and death.

    The shockwave rippled through the scene, sending shockwaves of debris into the air. Screams of anguish shook the ears of Corey, Rosa, and Fatty ck Bonez.

    They could see some tier 2''s running and rolling around while screaming in pain. Although seeing grown-ass men running and rolling on the ground while screaming in pain should have been aical sight when the grown-ass men had shattered ss and broken steel in various parts of their bodies which were literally on fire, it was no longer aical sight and was now a sight that would cause the weak-willed to wrench out their entire guts.

    "Let''s go. We don''t have the time to be wasting here."

    As Corey, Rosa, and Fatty ck Bonez watched the scene of ten men burning and rolling around in pain, Divine''s voice reached their ears, causing each of them to turn towards him.

    "What? Start the ignition quickly, or do you guys want to die?"

    Divine spoke with a baffled tone as he looked at his teammates like they were fools.

    ''Did the screws in their head get loose, or do they actually have a death wish?''

    Divine frowned as he looked at Corey, Rosa, and Fatty ck Bonez, who had surprised and baffled expressions as they looked at him.

    Just as he was thinking of knocking some sense into their heads, especially Corey, Corey shook his head and started the ignition of the car.

    ''I didn''t see how he attacked.''

    Corey frowned as he drove towards the swirling portal. His mind reyed the scene of the cars blowing up from Divine''s snap, and despite racking his brain, he could not figure out how Divine blew up the two cars just from snapping his two fingers.

    Asides from the fact that Divine blew up two cars just from a snap, there was another thing that bothered Corey.

    The distance

    The distance between them and the group of tier 2s was almost a hundred meters, but despite such a distance, Divine could still blow up two cars from such a distance.

    It was absolutely unnerving for Corey.

    There was one thing Corey always had at the back of his mind. The possibility of him having to fight against Divine and his group.

    Although Corey did not n on doing anything that will antagonise Divine''s group, there was always that slight possibility of him having to go against them. And because of that, he wanted to know more about them.

    He wanted to know more about their skills, their abilities and personalities. He didn''t want to be at a disadvantage if he ever had to fight Divine and his group.

    So for Divine to disy such an ability,it was absolutely unnerving for him.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    ''I''ll have to rey the scene in the Library of Records.''

    Corey thought as he gazed at the swirling ck portal that led to the third zone, The Desert of Mysteries.

 Chapter 223 222: Location of the Portal

    Chapter 223 222: Location of the Portal

    Just like before, Corey found himself in a dark space, and despite the environment being somewhat ominous, Corey found a particr part of himfortable. And his body also absorbed a specific type of energy, which he called spatial energy.

    ''Should I use one of my eyes to observe this ce?''

    Corey thought, but a few secondster, he shook his head and decided not to take such a risk. He didn''t know what he might see or, worse, attract. He was still weak and ignorant of a lot of things.

    His encounter with the void and creatures of the void was something that told him how dangerous it was for a mortal like him to see things that were not meant to be seen as a mortal.

    Besides, he knew that as long as he didn''t die, he would eventually learn more about portals and precisely what this space was.

    All he needed was to be patient and also survive.

    Corey sighed, and just as he did, a sh of light abruptly appeared in his eyes. He closed his eyes, and a few secondster, he opened his eyes only to see an incredibly vast desert. A thought came to his mind, and he looked behind him, only to see the portal close at a moderate speed.

    ''It''s closing?... Are we thest to cross the portal?''n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Woah. This ce is huge. But¡­"

    Fatty ck Bonez eximed, and Corey''s eyes darkened as a thought came to his mind.

    "...How do we know where to go? I mean, where''s the portal?"

    Fatty ck Bonez questioned while looking at Rosa, Divine, and Corey, who all had dark expressions.

    "Cap? Does Racing Wolf have something that can tell us where the portal is?"

    Fatty ck Bonez asked with a lighthearted tone, and Divine shook his head with a dark expression.

    "Oh. So this ce is going to be our burial grounds. Wonderful! At least there''s enough sand to bury each of us. Just remains the coffins."

    Fatty ck Bonez spoke with an expression of despair and slumped into his chair.

    Divine fell into deep thoughts as he tried to think of how they could find the portal. This was a miscalction on his part, and he hated the fact that he didn''t think they would encounter a problem like this.

    Although it wasn''t his fault, he knew The Clown better than most could ever imagine, but he never expected The Clown to do something like this.

    ''Fuck!''

    Just as Divine was getting frustrated due to his inability to find a solution to their predicament, he heard a familiar voice.

    "I should be able to locate the portal."

    Divine looked at Corey with surprise, and with a skeptical tone, he spoke:

    "Are you sure?"

    "70% sure."

    Corey nodded as he said, and Divine released a soft sigh.

    "At least it''s better than nothing."

    Divine did not bother asking how Corey nned on locating the portal because he knew that everybody had their secrets, just like he had his and his other teammates had theirs.

    Also, he was not interested in finding out since it was not really his business or his style to know all the abilities of his teammates, and he probably knew that Rosa and Fatty ck Bonez were most likely not interested in finding out about Corey''s entire skill set just like he was.

    ''He probably has a high affinity to space.''

    .c¦Ïm Divine thought as he gazed at the extremely calm and ominous desert of mysteries.

    ''I wonder what that bastard nned for this zone.''

    Despite the thoughts of Divine and his teammates, Corey closed his eyes as he tried to focus on the direction with the highest amount of spatial energy.

    Ever since Corey absorbed the spatial energy from the second portal and appeared in the Desert of Mysteries, he felt his connection to space increase. Although he knew his Paragon Body had the potential to give him an almost unparalleled talent in terms of space and time, he had yet to unlock it. His sudden increase in his connection to space was very much weed.

    His eyes remained closed, but a few secondster, his expression changed slightly before returning to normal.

    An entire minute passed, and Corey''s eyes remained closed as he tried to urately sense the location of the portal, which was much farther than he expected.

    A few secondster, Fatty ck Bonez finally spoke up since he knew they were wasting time just staying in one ce.

    "Hey, Smile Reaper. How long do you need before you locate the portal?"

    Although he somewhat trusted in Corey''s abilities because Divine chose him, and none of the people selected by Divine was normal, he didn''t want them to waste their entire time in one ce.

    Who knows what danger would befall them if they decided to stay in one ce?

    The memories of the numerous dangers of the Mountains of Soundless Death emerged in his mind, and he knew that no matter how peaceful the Desert of Mysteries seemed, it was all but an illusion.

    The Clown could never make a zone free of danger in the Death Race.

    "I just located the portal. It''s farther than I expected, so it took longer for me to locate it."

    The eyes of Rosa, Fatty, and Divinended on him as they waited for him to point in a direction, and to their surprise, he pointed behind them.

    "Wait?... Do you mean the portal is behind us? Not in front of us?"

    Fatty ck Bonez eximed with an expression of disbelief as he looked at Corey. Divine, Rosa, and Fatty tried to figure out if Corey was just ying with them, but to their surprise, they could see nor sense any sign of lies from Corey''s expression and tone.

    "What the."

    "As expected from that bastard."

    Fatty ck Bonez still had an expression of surprise as he gazed behind him, and even Divine had a frown on his face as he cursed The Clown with an extremely low voice that none could hear.

    Rosa''s expression changed back to her regr expression, which was mainly indifference. Although, she was also shocked by the fact that the portal to the next zone was behind them and not in front of them, nor was it to their right or left.

    Meanwhile, Corey gazed at the ground, which had tire marks from the vehicles of the remaining contestants.

    He could see that most had gone to the front while some went to the right and the left. He didn''t know what would happen to those individuals, but he was at least 80% sure that the portal to the next zone was not in any of those directions.

    He looked in the direction of the portal, and a few secondster, his eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the ground.

    He could see a set of prints on the ground.

 Chapter 225 224: Army of Harstur The Unspeakable

    Chapter 225 224: Army of Harstur The Unspeakable

    As the sun descended beneath the horizon, its fiery crown bathed the endless expanse of the desert in a cascade of crimson and amber hues. The arid sands, stretching endlessly in all directions, absorbed the fading light like a parched canvas, creating an otherworldly, almost eerie atmosphere.

    Long, curved shadows unfurled like specters from the dunes as if the desert itself were reaching out to im the fading day. The air, once searing hot, now bore a chilling, foreboding chill as the sun''s warmth relinquished its grasp.

    It was a transition that felt like nature''s own metamorphosis, a shift from the harsh, relentless day into the enigmatic realms of twilight.

    lights¦­¦Ïvel.c¦Ïm In this transient moment, the desert whispered secrets of ancient tales, lost civilizations, and endless solitude. Each grain of sand seemed to hold an untold story, and the distant howl of solitary wind echoed like a mournful requiem for the departing sun.

    After the sun went down, a dim, blood-red moon appeared in its ce, cascading its dim crimson light unto the dunes of the deserty of mysteries. A chill went through the spines of Corey, Divine, Rosa, and Fatty ck Bonez as they looked at the dim, blood-red moon.

    A secondter, they all felt the sand beneath their feet vibrate. It started as something light, but itter became something they could not ignore.

    The sight of the grains of sand jumping up and down made rm bells ring in the minds of the group of four.

    Whoosh!

    Whoosh!

    "We should leave."

    As a gust of wind blew towards the now chilly desert, Divine''s voice flowed into the ears of Corey, Rosa, and Fatty ck Bonez.

    They all looked at one another, and they could see a solemn expression on each of their faces.

    Without saying a word, they swiftly entered Racing Wolf. Rosa quickly started the ignition, and an ominous silence engulfed the group.

    No words were spoken between them, and even the talkative Fatty ck Bonez had a solemn expression as he looked at the window to his left. Corey and Divine looked at the windows near them with grave faces, and Rosa also looked at the rear-view mirror asionally.

    A few seconds passed, and without taking his eyes off the window, Divine spoke:

    "Do you guys see anything?"

    "Nothing cap."

    "Nothing."

    "None."

    Fatty, Rosa, and Corey replied without looking away from the windows. Although they didn''t see anything dangerous, they didn''t feel at ease.

    With every second that passed, the danger they felt increased.

    ''Where the fuck is this ce? And what the hell did that bastard clown n for us?''

    Divine gritted his teeth as he looked at the desert. He felt frustrated, angry, and powerless.

    Although he had not seen the source of his instincts screaming at him, he knew that for him to sense danger. What wasing for them was something truly dangerous.

    ''If only I had my former-''

    "Divine! I see something in my 12!"

    Rosa shouted, disrupting his thoughts.

    He looked back, and the instant he did, his eyes widened way past its limits.

    "FUCK! ROSA DRIVE! USE EVERYTHING!"

    Divine shouted with an anxious expression. Corey, Rosa, and Fatty ck Bonez had never seen Divine make such an expression, but when they looked at the source of his anxiousness, they could not me him.

    They felt that even gods and immortals would fear what they were seeing.

    Picture a nightmarish army of creatures that emerges from the darkest depths of your imagination. These beings are not of this world, a sinister fusion of Eldritch horrors and Ancient Nightmares. Their inky ck bodies glisten with an eerie, otherwordly luminescence, making them seem like grotesque apparitions in the gloom.

    Their eyes, cold and unblinking, burned with malevolent intelligence. Each soldier in this unholy legion possesses a grotesque, distorted form, a nightmare mockery of life. Tentacles writhe from their grotesque faces, and chitinous exoskeletons ck ominously as they advance. They move with an unnatural, bone-chilling coordination, their movements devoid of any humanity.

    The air around them seems to thicken with dread, and their very presence induces paralyzing fear. A cacophonous symphony of unearthly screeches and guttural growls emanates from their twisted forms, an auditory assault that sends shivers down your spine.

    Their weapons, if they can be called such, are a grotesque extension of their monstrous anatomy. Venomous barbs, razor-sharp appendages, and shadowy tendrilssh out in a frenzied, unrelenting onught. The ground quakes with every thunderous step they take, leaving a trail of corrosion and destion in their wake.

    This non-human army is an embodiment of your deepest fears, a relentless force of otherworldly terror that blurs the line between the supernatural and the real. Facing them is to confront the very essence of dread, an encounter from which there may be no escape.

    ''WHY THE FUCK IS AN ARMY OF HASTUR THE UNSPEAKABLE HERE!''

    Divine screamed in his head as he looked at the army, whose numbers were as vast as the sands of the desert.

    Corey had a deep frown as he looked at the army, which ran towards them with an evil gaze.

    ''Most of them are tier 1s and tier 0s. Though I can sense some tier 2s at the back.''

    Corey nced at Divine and wondered why he reacted excessively towards the army.

    Was it because of the size of the army?

    Corey thought, but a secondter, he shook his head.

    ''His reaction was too excessive just because of the army''s size.''

    Although Corey knew they were in danger, he was fascinated by the nightmarish creatures. He activated his Eyes of Omniscience and observed the army of Hastur the Unspeakable.

    Meanwhile, the instant Rosa heard Divine''s words, she instantly poured her mana into Racing Wolf.

    VROOM!

    WHOOSH!

    Blue mes emerged from the exhaust pipes, and Racing Wolf''s speed drastically increased. Its speed was much faster than when Corey poured his mana into Racing Wolf.

    The distance between them and the army of Hastur increased. Some minutester, the figures of the army of Hastur became so distant that the proof that what they saw was real was the existence of arge mass of darkness in the distance.

    Despite the distance between them and the army of Hastur, Divine did not take his eyes off the army of Hastur. His eyes contained a calcting and fierce light as he looked at therge mass of darkness in the distance.

    A few secondster, he exhaled softly. But a second after he did, Fatty ck Bonez''s shaky voice reached his ears.

    "Huh- Uhmm. Cap?"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Divine frowned, then he looked at Fatty, who was pointing to the front with a shaky finger.

    A bad feeling arose in Divine''s heart. Then he looked in the direction of Fatty''s finger.

    "Crap."

    In front of them was a tornado that spanned a length of approximately two hundred kilometers.

    In front of them was a tornado of a massive magnitude, and behind them was an army as vast as the sands of the desert.

    What shall Corey and his group members do?

 Chapter 226 225: Fattys Determination

    Chapter 226 225: Fatty''s Determination

    Corey and his group members were now trapped between two massive forces of nature, each equally deadly in its own right. The tornado was a raging vortex of wind and sand with the potential to strip flesh from bone and reduce even the sturdiest of structures to rubble.

    Meanwhile, the army of Hastur was a force of pure nightmares, a relentless horde of eldritch horrors that would tear them apart without a second thought.

    Divine gritted his teeth, his mind racing as he weighed their options. They had to act fast, or they would be caught in the middle of two disasters.

    He looked at the massive twister with a calcting glint in his eyes. The gears in his mind furiously spun as he thought of how they could survive the massive tornado.

    Facing the army of Hastur the Unspeakable with their current strength was 1,000,000% out of the question for them. He would rather face an army of dragons and phoenixes than the army of Hastur the Unspeakable.

    His body shivered as he recalled some unpleasant memories of the past.

    "CAP?!!"

    A shout filled with panic shook his mind, and with a tremble, he looked at the source.

    "Why the fuck are you dazed?! We''re facing a crisis!"

    Divine had a nk look as he looked at Fatty ck Bonez, who had an expression of anxiousness and rage.

    A secondter, Divine''s eyes brightened as he looked at Fatty ck Bonez with a tinge of hope.

    "Fatty. Our lives are going to be in your hands for now."

    "What?"

    Fatty ck Bonez had a stunned expression as he wondered what the hell their captain was saying.

    Divine ignored Fatty and then turned to Rosa.

    "Use the best barrier you have on the car and activate the car''s barrier."

    Divine spoke, his voice calm but urgent.

    Rosa nodded, and then a blood-red barrier appeared around Racing Wolf.

    Divine then turned to Corey, who had a grave expression as he looked at the gigantic tornado.

    "Kid. Do the same thing as Rosa."

    Divine said, and without waiting for Corey''s reply, he turned to Fatty ck Bonez. But just as he turned, Corey spoke with a grave tone.

    "The tornado has mystic energy."

    "What?"

    Divine''s eyes widened. He looked at the tornado, and his red and blue eyes glowed briefly.

    "Crap."

    Divine''s face twisted as he cursed The Clown endlessly in his heart.

    "Bring out your strongest armor to protect yourselves! Use your best defensive skills on Racing Wolf! And pray to whatever god you serve to protect us!."

    Divine shouted with a cold voice. Then he looked at Fatty ck Bonez, who was their main hope of surviving the tornado.

    "Fatty. I need you to summon every bone you have to hold down Racing Wolf. You need to hold down Racing Wolf until we reach the eye of the storm."

    Fatty ck Bonez nodded with a grave expression.

    "I''ll probably damage myself, but you can count on me."

    "I''ll make it up to you, don''t worry."

    Divine said, then he looked around. His eyes lit up when he saw a boulder to his right. He spread out his palm, and two grappling hooks appeared in his hands.

    He gave one to Corey while he held the other. Corey looked at him, and Divine pointed at the boulder in the distance.

    "Hook the boulder. In case Fatty isn''t able to hold Racing Wolf. We''ll be the ones to hold Racing Wolf.

    Corey looked at the grappling hook, and not wanting to waste a second, he threw the grappling hook to the boulder. The rope of the grappling hook swirled around the boulder a few times. Then, the hook got attached to the boulder.

    He snapped his fingers, and a hexagon barrier appeared around Racing Wolf. Although he was just tier 1, and his barrier was definitely weaker than Rosa''s, it was better than nothing.

    Divine nodded his head seeing Corey hook the boulder, and he also threw his and sessfully hooked the boulder.

    Fatty ck Bonez closed his eyes and muttered words that Corey could not understand. He made various hand signs, and a few secondster, the ground beneath them trembled.

    Multiple bony hands of various colors appeared from the ground, and they grabbed Racing Wolf on all sides.

    Fatty exhaled deeply, sweat dripping all over his pale face.

    Divine nced at Fatty and Corey, both of whom were looking at him with a mix of calmness and determination.

    He formed various hand signs, and a few secondster, a crimson and icy blue barrier appeared around Racing Wolf.

    ''Let''s just hope all of this can save us.''

    Divine furrowed his brows as he looked at the multiple barriers and the bony hands around Racing Wolf.

    "We''ll make it through this. Stick together and trust each other."

    With those words, Divine turned to face the tornado, his eyes gleaming with a fierce determination.

    "Let''s go."

    The wind howled around them, sand whipping against their skin like a thousand needles.

    Corey activated his Eyes of Omniscience, scanning the tornado for any weak spots or gaps they could exploit. He saw nothing but a swirling vortex of chaos, a force of nature beyondprehension.

    Fatty ck Bonez was gripping his seat tightly. His eyes squeezed shut as he muttered prayers under his breath.

    Divine, on the other hand, was focused entirely on the road ahead, his mind calcting the best path through the storm, but he saw none.

    As the tornado''s edge neared Divine and his teammates, the wind became even more violent, threatening to push Racing Wolf off the road and into the swirling vortex.

    Fatty''s endurance and mana quantity were tested to their limits as he fought to keep the car stable. The winds howled and whipped against the bones and barriers protecting Racing Wolf and its upants.

    It almost seemed like the tornado was angry it could not destroy the stubborn ants in its domain.

    Fatty groaned, grunted, and roared as the wind and the objects it carried hit the bones holding Racing Wolf.

    Blood poured from his nose and eyes as he held his hands in a hand sign with a determined glint.

    "I won''t give up."

    "I won''t give up."

    "I WON''T GIVE UP!!!!"

    The faint mystic energy in the massive twister shed, making it seem like it had epted the challenge given to it by Fatty ck Bonez.

    The roars of the winds became much louder, and its ferocity increased tremendously. The barriers around Racing Wolf broke apart, but Rosa, Divine, and Corey did not panic and made multiple barriers with a determined gaze.

    They poured everything they had into the barriers, causing Racing Wolf to glow like a rainbow.

    Corey could feel the air pressure dropping, and he knew they were getting dangerously close to the eye of the storm.

    Just when he thought they could get a breather, something strange happened.

    The eye of the storm shrank, and the pupils of Divine, Corey, and Rosa widened. Fear and horror appeared in their hearts, expressions, and souls.

    But¡­

    "I BESEECH YOU BONE GOD!! GRANT ME STRENGTH!!!"

    Fatty ck Bonez roared, and a secondter, his body glowed with a pale white light.

    Corey, Rosa, and Divine felt a chill creep up their spines and souls as they looked at Fatty, who had a maniacal gaze as he looked at the twister around them.

    "HAAAAA!!!!"

    A thunderous roar escaped Fatty ck Bonez''s lips, and in the next second, theirrade did something shocking.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "RISE!"

    Fatty released a deep, ancient, and malevolent voice, and in the next moment, the bones around Racing Wolf became longer, raising Racing Wolf high up in the air.

    "THROW!"

    ''Huh?''

    ''What?''

    ''Crap.''

    The pupils of Rosa, Corey, and Divine widened, and before they could react, the bones around Racing Wolf gripped the car tightly, and then they threw Racing Wolf with so much force that they nearly breached the sound barrier.

    BANG!

    BANG!

    BANG!

 Chapter 228 227: Son of Yig The Father of Serpents

    Chapter 228 227: Son of Yig The Father of Serpents

    Divine''s exmation made Rosa and Fatty ck Bonez turn their heads toward the trembling mountain, and their faces changed drastically when they realized that the mountain was most likely not a mountain.

    With every second that passed, the mountain exuded an aura that made the breaths of the four stifled. Although they didn''t know how powerful the ''mountain'' was, they knew they were no match for it, and it was at least tier 4.

    ''This aura¡­ this eldritch energy. Don''t tell me it belongs to somebody rted to Yig the Father of Serpents?''

    ''How''s this possible?''

    ''Why are there beings possessing eldritch energy here?''

    ''What the hell is this world?''

    ''And what the hell is that bastard Clown nning?''

    ''I have to kill him no matter what.''

    Divine''s expression turned grim as he realized the chances of them making it out alive from this death race were extremely small.

    "Where exactly is the portal kid?"

    "Inside the castle."

    Corey pointed at the top of the castle with a solemn expression. If he were right, they would have to run to reach the portal.

    Divine, Rosa, and Fatty also knew this, but what other choice did they have?

    "What are you waiting for, Rosa? Get to the portal. Now."

    Divine''s voice was stern as he spoke, and the urgency in his voice made everyone realize the gravity of the situation.

    Rosa hit the elerator, and Racing Wolf shot forward, the wind howling around them as they raced toward the castle. The mountain continued to tremble, and the ground shook beneath their feet as they drove.

    The closer they got to the castle, the more the earth shook, and Corey knew they were running out of time.

    The castle was now looming over them, its dark spires reaching towards the sky like spears.

    Divine gritted his teeth and spoke.

    "We have to get to the portal before that thing wakes up, no matter what."

    He could feel the slumbering eldritch entity waking up, and the shes of energy it emitted made Divine''s expression grave.

    ''It''s at least a tier 5 eldritch, or maybe a tier 6.''

    Rosa nodded in agreement, her hands tightening on the steering wheel. She mmed the elerator, and Racing Wolf''s speed increased.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    As they approached the castle gates, Corey activated his Eyes of Omniscience and looked around for any sign of danger, but to his surprise, confusion, and relief, he found none.

    Not a single living being appeared in his sight.

    His gaze moved to the top of the castle where the portal was located, but the instant his gazended on the top of the castle, he frowned.

    He could see a massive amount of energy being emitted from the top of the castle, which bothered him a little.

    "I can sense a massive amount of energy at the location of the portal."

    Deciding not to use the word ''see'' but ''sense'', Corey reckoned it was better to tell his teammates about the energy being radiated from the top of the castle. At least, if he told them, they would not be caught off-guard and would have a higher chance of surviving whatever it was that was emitting such a vast amount of energy.

    Divine frowned and looked at the top of the castle, but he couldn''t perceive any sort of energy from the castle. His red and blue eyes glowed, and after a few seconds, the glow died down. But Divine''s frown became deeper.

    Even when he used his Ember Vision and Arctic Sight, he saw nothing.

    However, he didn''t believe that Corey was lying to them. He was inwardly surprised that Corey''s sensitivity to energies was either higher than his or that Corey had a unique technique or artifact that increased his perceptivity to energies.

    "Thanks for that. At least we wouldn''t be caught off-guard if an enemy at the top of the castle."

    Divine did not intend to question how Corey could perceive the energy despite him being curious.

    It was not his business, and¡­

    ''That eldritch is about to awaken.''

    Divine''s eyes became solemn as he stared at the rising mountain.

    ''I''ll kill that bastard. No matter what, I shall not fail.''

    "Cap! We''re here. Get down."

    Fatty ck Bonez''s weak shout resounded in Divine''s mind, bringing him out of his thoughts.

    Divine looked around, and he saw the castle doors right in front of them. Without saying a word, he got down from the Racing Wolf.

    He gave the castle a brief nce. Then he looked at Corey, Rosa, and Fatty ck Bonez, who had gotten out of Racing Wolf.

    He touched Racing Wolf, and in the next instant, Racing Wolf disappeared.

    ''His inventory can take a car?''

    Corey had a surprised expression as he gazed at the previous location of Racing Wolf. Although he was curious, he decided not to ask.

    "Let''s go."

    Divine said, then he walked to the gates, and to everybody''s surprise, he kicked the doors down with so much force that the doors flew until they hit the other side of the castle with a loud bang.

    His eyes scanned the dark and empty, eerie interior of the castle. The walls were lined with torches, casting flickering shadows across the stone floors.

    "Move quickly."

    Without caring about the dangers that could be in the castle, Divine spoke and then sprinted to the winding staircase.

    Corey briefly activated Eyes of Omniscience and looked around for any traps or hidden enemies, but he found none.

    ''Strange.''

    Corey thought, but decided not to think too much about it and followed after Divine, along with Rosa and Fatty.

    Fatty inhaled and exhaled heavily as he pushed his body to its limits. His entire body was wracked with so much pain that he wanted nothing but to scream in the bosom of a beautiful woman.

    ''Ignore the pain and survive.''

    ''Ignore the pain and survive.''

    ''Ignore the pain and survive.''

    ''Ignore the pain and survive.''

    Fatty ck Bonez kept on repeating these words in his mind as his will to survive was stronger than the power held by a beautiful woman among men.

    As they climbed up the winding staircase, a tremor ran through the castle, and a malicious and otherwordly energy permeated it.

    "Move quickly!"

    Divine shouted, and in the next instant, mes appeared from his feet. He moved toward Fatty ck Bonez, and to Fatty ck Bonez''s shock and horror, Divine carried him in a princess-like manner.

    "What-"

    .c¦Ïm The mes at his feet exploded, and a secondter, his figure flew forward.

    Although he would have loved to st through the castle''s roofs, The Clown made a rule that prohibited flying.

    "What are you guys doing?! MOVE!"

 Chapter 229 228: A Finger

    Chapter 229 228: A Finger

    Despite Divine''s shout, Corey remained calm, and his eyes flickered, seeing Divine''s incredible speed. He contemted whether he should expose his Lightning Movement Art.

    "Let''s go."

    A hand touched his shoulder, and a soft voice flowed into his ears. Corey looked at Rosa, who nodded at him before running after Divine at a speed so fast and powerful that the ground got destroyed with every step she took.

    Corey looked at her, exhaled softly, and shifted his stance slightly. Lightning appeared around Corey''s legs, and with a whisper, he said:

    "Thunder Step"

    BOOM!

    BOOM!

    BOOM!

    With every step that Corey took, a loud sound of thunder echoed throughout the castle.

    A few secondster, Corey caught sight of Rosa''s back, and he felt a chill run down his spine when he felt an intense amount of killing intent directed toward him.

    "Wait! Rosa It''s me!"

    Corey quickly shouted and stopped running as he realized that Rosa probably mistook him for an enemy due to the loud sound of ''Thunder Steps.''

    ''If she wants to betray me, I''d have to run. I can''t defeat her.''

    Corey shifted his stance as he prepared to run if Rosa still thought about attacking him despite his words and actions.

    "Huh? Smile Reaper?"

    "Yes. Yes. It''s me."

    Corey quickly nodded and ran towards her.

    "I''m really sorry. I didn''t know it was you. I thought it was an enemy."

    Corey looked at Rosa, who truly had an apologetic expression. "It''s okay. I understand. Let''s go."

    Without waiting for Rosa''s reply, he activated ''Thunder Step'' again and ran towards Divine.

    Rosa gazed at Corey''s feet with amazement for a few seconds, then she executed her skill and followed Corey.

    In a matter of seconds, Rosa overtook Corey, and Corey clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.

    ''Our stats are truly worlds apart.''

    Corey frowned as he realized that Divine and Rosa would most likely reach the portal way before him, and he would be the one to slow them down.

    ''If the thing emitting a vast amount of energy is a treasure. I want to be the first one to get to the top.''

    ''...It could help me.''

    Corey''s eyes became resolute when he thought of this. Then he heaved a soft sigh.

    ''I didn''t want to use it, but¡­ I have no choice.''

    Corey''s eyes turned white, and he used a few seconds to observe the stairs that led to the portal.

    "sh Step."

    The instant Corey uttered those words, his body became engulfed by lightning, and by defying thews of physics, Corey moved, and a white light appeared around Corey.

    CLAP!

    Rosa looked back the instant she perceived the light. She reflexively closed her eyes due to the white light that entered her eyes.

    "Smile Reaper?"

    She called out, and¡­

    "What are you doing? Move Rosa."

    "What!"

    Rosa instantly looked to her front, and to her extreme shock, she saw Corey standing some meters away.

    "Stop dilly-dallying around."

    Rosa had a nk expression as she looked at the light smile on Corey''s lips. Her pupils moved as she noticed lightning sparks around Corey''s body, and like a bolt of lightning, he moved up the stairs.

    "I want him so bad."

    .c¦Ïm A dazed look appeared in Rosa''s eyes, along with a broad smile on her lips.

    sh Step was the skill given to Corey after unlocking the second level of The Lightning Movement Art.

    sh Step was an extremely powerful skill that allowed him to move as fast as lightning. The more mana Corey poured into the execution of sh Step, the higher the distance covered after the execution of sh Step.

    sh Step was a skill that, when used properly, could be used to kill an enemy before the enemy realizes it instantly.

    And¡­

    It could also be used to run away from an enemy much more powerful than Corey.

    However, Corey faced two major drawbacks whenever he used ''sh Step.''

    First, the mana consumption was immense.

    Before Corey maxed his stats to reach the violet star phase, he could only use ''sh Step'' once.

    But now, Corey wasn''t sure anymore since this was the first time he used ''sh Step'' after reaching the violet star phase.

    The second drawback was pain and injuries.

    The lightning that appears whenever Corey executes ''sh Step'' causes burns and wounds on Corey''s body.

    Corey did not have any resistance to lightning, nor did he have any affinity to lightning to prevent himself from getting injured and pain from his skill. But thanks to his high pain resistance and regeneration skill, he could ignore the pain and heal the injuries caused by the lightning sparks.

    Corey kept executing sh Step as he moved up the stairs, and a few secondster, he caught sight of Divine, who was carrying an expressionless Fatty ck Bonez as he ran to the portal.

    Divine frowned when he heard the sound of thunder and lightning approaching him. He looked behind him, but a secondter, his pupils constricted when he saw a sh of light pass by him.

    He quickly looked to his front, and when he saw Corey''s figure, his eyes widened in surprise.

    Corey gave a short wave, and in the blink of an eye, he disappeared.

    ''Was that¡­ the long lost Ancient Lightning Movement Art?''

    ''No, no, no, no. That should not be possible. It''s most likely another movement that uses lightning.''

    Divine shook his head, and then he ran after Corey with a highly solemn expression.

    Some seconds passed, and Corey finally reached the top of the castle. He kicked the door open with his hexagon barrier active and his Eyes of Omniscience on.

    He looked around carefully, and just as he guessed, he found not a single living being except for a skeleton sitting on a golden and magnificent throne and the swirling portal.

    Corey scrutinized the skeleton with his Eyes of Omniscience for a sign of life, but he found none.

    His eyes moved to the hands of the skeleton, and he noticed three things.

    One- There was a ck finger on the right hand of the skeleton that still looked ''normal.''

    Two- The appearance of a golden-colored ring on the left finger of the skeleton.

    Three- The source of the vast amount of energy.

    Corey''s eyes were fixed on the source of the enormous amount of energy- The finger.

    A contemtive light appeared in Corey''s eyes as his mind calcted a lot of things. His Omniscient Eyes receded, and his Tri-Pupil Eyes appeared.

    He stared at the ck finger and willed for his Tri-Pupil Eyes to store it in his storage space. The instant his Tri-Pupil Eyes tried to store the finger, Corey''s expression changed drastically.

    COUGH

    COUGH

    Vast amounts of blood escaped from Corey''s lips as he coughed and fell to the ground weakly. Blood poured out from his eyes and nose, and in Corey''s mind, a crack resounded.

    PAIN

    PAIN

    PAIN

    So much pain assaulted Corey''s entire being, and he knew he had done something that he should have never done.

    ''Fuck!''

    Bang!

    "Kid?"

    Divine''s voice drifted into Corey''s ears, but Corey was too weak to look at him or even respond.

    "What in the nine zes happened to you?"

    Divine questioned again, but Corey could not respond at all. His body was wrecked, and he felt his insides twisting in immense pain.

    "I don''t know what happened to you. But as your captain, I can''t leave you here."

    Divine said, then nced at the skeleton on the golden throne. His eyes moved to the golden ring on the skeleton''s fingers, and a wisp of greed emerged in his eyes, but a secondter, he shook his head after sensing something and turned to Corey.

    Thud!n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Seeing Corey''s state, Divine dropped Fatty ck Bonez, who still had a nk expression on his face, then he carried Corey in a princess-like manner, and just as he did, he saw Rosa walking in.

    She gazed at Corey, and her expression changed. Just as she was about to speak, Divine ced his palm out and said:

    "Let''s leave this ce first."

    Without waiting for Rosa''s reply, he waved his hand, and Racing Wolf appeared in the room. He threw Fatty ck Bonez into the back seat, and Rosa quickly entered the driver''s seat.

    Divine gently ced Corey in the back seat, and he entered the passenger''s seat. Rosa started the ignition and promptly drove to the portal.

    Just as they were about to enter the portal, Divine perceived something, and he looked back.

    The instant he did, his heart skipped several beats as he saw a golden-colored serpentine pupil gazing at the skeleton on the golden throne with a tinge of confusion.

    Divine wanted to say something.

    He tried to scream, but immense fear gripped his heart. He saw the eyes move, and Divine knew that if the creature so as much nce at them, they were done for.

    They would definitely die.

    Luckily for them, they were extremely close to the portal, and before its gazended on them, they entered the portal, and the portal instantly closed.

 Chapter 230 229: Fall of The Titanic

    Chapter 230 229: Fall of The Titanic

    In apletely white room, a man with a clown mask sat atop a white chair that hovered a few feet above the ground. Surrounding the man were numerous eyeballs with wings, and in front of this man were countless holographic screens.

    The eyeballs gazed at the holographic screens without blinking, and their wings made no sound as they pped in the air.

    The holographic screens showed the residents of the Underworld trying to survive his games. A holographic screen showed Corey, Rosa, Fatty, and Divine running up the stairs in the castle of nightmares.

    Other screens showed Melissa, Triple X, and Dave in their games. The actions, movements, and words spoken by every resident of the Underworld could be seen on the holographic screens.

    A yawn of boredom escaped the lips of The Clown. Then he clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.

    "This is so boring. Nothing interesting has happened in thest five minutes."

    "Can''t somebody else surprise me?"

    The Clown shook his head, and just as he nned on taking a nap. One of his Oculiwings noticed an abnormality.

    He looked at the screen, which showed Corey kneeling and coughing out blood. A slight frown emerged on his face, and then he said:

    "Rewind the video."

    A few secondster,

    "Stop."

    "Rewind it."

    "Stop."

    "What the hell?"

    The Clown had a deep frown as he stared at the screen that showed Corey''s group. His gaze remained fixated on the screen even after the screen became dark due to the group entering the portal.

    "How did he do it?"

    "How did he disrupt the vision of my Oculiwings?"

    The reason for The Clown''s bafflement was because the instant Corey used his Tri-Pupil Eyes on the ck finger, the screen became ck for a second, and then it became normal, showing Corey coughing out blood.

    An average person might think a one-second interruption was nothing. Still, The Clown knew the abilities of his Oculiwings, and a one-second interruption was impossible unless a powerful person intervened.

    "I don''t think he was the cause of the disruption. It has to be somebody else."

    The Clown mumbled as he gazed at Corey, whoid down weakly in Racing Wolf.

    "I wonder what injured him like this. Could it be that skeleton? Or was it the snake? Or something else?"

    "Why did the being attack him?"

    "What did he do?"

    "And most of all, why was my Oculiwings'' vision interrupted at that exact moment?"

    The Clown frowned behind his mask as he gazed at Corey with curiosity. He reyed the scene of the interruption again, but he didn''t see anything noteworthy.

    "The golden ring is still there."

    "The skeleton was untouched."

    "The throne was untouched."

    "The walls and every other thing in the room was untouched."

    "And that creepy ck finger is also there."

    "So what actually happened?"

    The Clown and an itch appeared in his heart due to this mystery he could not solve. A smile appeared on his lips, and a soft chuckle escaped his lips as he looked at Corey with intense curiosity.

    "I guess I''ll just keep an eye on him."

    The Clown rubbed his chin as he looked at Racing Wolf, which was moving on the icy terrain of the Fall of The Titanic.

    A mischievous glint appeared in his eyes, and with a smile behind his mask, he spoke:

    "It''s surprising enough that they survived one of the games that was meant to kill every participant."

    "But let''s see if they can survive thest zone."

    The Clownughed, and then he tapped his U-Watch. A few secondster, a different holographic screen appeared before The Clown.

    On this screen was a handsome middle-aged man with green hair and green eyes that resembled that of a serpent.

    "You called Sir."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    A respectful expression appeared on the middle-aged man''s face as he gazed at The Clown.

    "Start the rumbling in the fourth zone of the death race."

    The middle-aged man''s expression changed, and with a trembling tone, he questioned:

    "Wha- What about the ship? Should we release the beings inside?"

    The Clown shook his head.

    "Don''t release them. They''re too dangerous and powerful."

    The middle-aged man released a breath of relief when he heard The Clown''s words.

    He feared his crazy and unpredictable master would decide to release those beings.

    "At what level should we put the rumbling?"

    The middle-aged man asked.

    "Level 2. The show should not end too early."

    The middle-aged man nodded.

    "I''ll get it done, Sir."

    ¡­..

    (At The Fall of The Titanic)

    Rosa, Divine, and Fatty ck Bonez had vignt expressions as they looked at the frozen destion around them that stretched to eternity.

    Suppose one ignored the bone-chilling cold and the dreadful aura emitted by the ancient structure at the center of the frigid wastnd. Then, the icy terrain of The Fall of The Titanic could be regarded as a beautiful tourist sight.

    Glistening ice formations rose like majestic sculptures, their crystalline facets reflecting the pale, unyielding light with a breathtaking iridescence.

    The whitendscape was pure and untouched, creating a sense of serene beauty. It''s a ce where nature''s minimalism was truly breathtaking, and the sheer expanse of ice and snow was a sight to behold.

    Although the icy terrain of The Fall of The Titanic was beautiful, in beauty alwaysy danger.

    At the very heart of the cial realm of The Fall of The Titanic, an ancient colossus of the sea stands as a mesmerizing anomaly. Its colossal form, encased in ice and history, dominates thendscape with a timeless, majestic, and dreadful aura.

    The ship''s presence was somanding that it could be seen from any point in the wilderness. Whether one stands upon a jagged ice formation or treks through the snow-covered ins, the ancient vessel''s silhouette is an ever-present story of the enigmatic stories that have be entwined with the unforgiving ice.

    Despite this dangerous beauty that would cause the minds of most mortals to be in awe, Corey had an ugly expression as he observed the damages done to his body due to his actions.

    "I''m so fucked."

 Chapter 231 230: Crack

    Chapter 231 230: Crack

    "I''m so fucked."

    Corey could not help but curse in a low voice after observing the results of his actions.

    In a few words, Corey was just a step away from meeting King Yama.

    Without a doubt, Corey should be dead. But luckily for him, there were several reasons why he survived.

    First of all, Corey''s attempt to store the finger of a being much more powerful than him was beyond stupid, and any knowledgeable being like Divine heard of Corey''s actions. They would either mock him for his stupidity or tell King Yama to at least give Corey a ''cool'' ce in hell.

    Although Corey did not know that his actions would damage his body to such a degree, he would still have done it again, even if he knew of the consequences.

    The main reason for Corey''s reckless actions was his strength. In the words of the Universal System, Corey had reached the peak of tier 1 and had already maxed out his stats.

    But, due to him being a Paragon, his limit was much higher than what the Universal System said.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    To increase his strength past the violet star phase, he needed to perform alchemy and create a peak tier 1 origin essence elixir.

    However, the issue Corey faced was that performing alchemy was banned in their universe.

    Anybody who performed alchemy would face a tribtion that has the intention of the practitioner''s life and the alchemical product.

    To survive the tribtion, one would need a powerful artifact to protect oneself, or one could use one''s strength to defend themselves.

    After Corey heard about the tribtions, he asked Nina what his chances of survival were, and to his dismay, she said: 1%

    Corey did not have a powerful artifact that could protect him from the tribtion, nor did he have the capability to survive a tribtion with his ability. He was just a tier 1 Demi-Paragon with a versatile set of skills.

    Due to his abysmal chance of survival, Corey always thought of giving up his goal of genuinely maximizing his stats.

    His number one goal was saving his sister. And his number two goal was getting his revenge on the Pope of the Temple of mes.

    He would not be able to achieve any of these if he died, and Corey knew he would never forgive himself if he left his sister in the hands of the Pope.

    Deep in Corey''s mind, he had already decided on getting promoted to tier 2 with his current ''maximized'' stats.

    Although Corey felt ufortable taking such a decision, his desire to save his sister and have his revenge was much stronger than his desire to maximize his stats.

    But ''luckily for him, he encountered a treasure with so much energy that it could increase his stats to his actual limit.

    ''But was it worth it?''

    Corey had a slight frown on his face as he observed his internal injuries.

    Aside from his ruptured organs and cracked bones, Corey had two main injuries his ''Regeneration'' skill could not heal.

    The secondary injury was rted to his mana veins. His mana veins were twisted, dried up, and broken in numerous ces.

    The main and most concerning injury was his mana core, which was his poison infinity crystal. His poison infinity crystal had countless cracks on it. The poison infinity crystal resembled fragile ss that could shatter with just a touch.

    These two injuries made Corey wonder if his actions were truly worth it.

    Until his mana veins and poison infinity crystal returned to normal, Corey could not use mana any longer. If he decided to use mana, he would be putting a massive strain on his already damaged mana veins and poison infinity crystal.

    ''I guess I''ll have to ask Nina about these injuries.''

    "Hey kid. What happened to you back there? What did that to you?"

    A voice belonging to Divine disrupted his thoughts. He looked at Divine, who had deeply furrowed brows as he observed his injuries.

    Corey remained silent for a while, a contemtive glint in his eyes a few times, and Divine caught sight of that.

    "I know you don''t fully trust us. But I believe we''ve shown that we mean you no harm."

    Corey looked into the eyes of Divine. Then he gazed at Rosa, who had a slightly worried expression. His eyes moved to Fatty ck Bonez, who had his eyes closed and was trying to recover his mana and heal his internal injuries.

    He closed his eyes, and a few secondster, he opened them.

    "I tried to take the golden ring on the finger of the skeleton. But the instant I touched it, I touched it, I felt my insides twist, and the next thing I knew, I was on the floor, vomiting blood."

    Corey''s decision to lie was not based on his greed but on caution.

    Ever since they encountered the army of Hastur, Divine''s actions and expressions made it seem like he was familiar with that strange army and the humungous serpent at the castle.

    Corey had an intuition that if he told the truth and Divine asked to see the finger, Divine would recognize the finger, and conflict might arise between the two of them.

    He did not have the capability to escape or fight Divine, who was a tier 3, which meant he would have to ept whatever Divine said and probably lose his hard-earned finger.

    Although all of this was just a possibility in Corey''s mind, he would rather lie than lose his hard-earned finger to somebody else.

    Meanwhile, Divine, not suspecting Corey of telling a lie, rubbed his chin and nodded:

    .c¦Ïm "You might not have known, but there was a formation around the skeleton that would attack whoever touches the skeleton and the throne."

    "Honestly¡­ I''m surprised you''re still alive. You must be a very lucky individual."

    Divine said, though his expression held a deep frown as he looked at Corey.

    "Why are you looking at me like that?"

    Seeing Divine staring at him intently, Corey could not help but question him.

    "Your injuries are not light. Your aura is fluctuating and the energy you emit is extremely weak. You''ll need a long time to heal."

    A wry smile appeared on Corey''s lips when he heard Divine''s words.

    "A lesson I''ve learned due to my greed.''

    Divine nodded but didn''t say anything.

    The group kept on moving, and a strange, tranquil silence engulfed the group. The only sound that could be heard was the movement of the chilly wind. It felt surreal to the group, but they had not encountered a single danger ever since they entered the fourth zone.

    It almost seemed like a walk in the park.

    Until,

    BANG!

    CRACK!

    CRACK!

 Chapter 234 233: Heist

    Chapter 234 233: Heist

    [Have you ever thought of robbing a bank?]

    Corey, at first, thought he heard it wrong. But when he heard the same question spoken by Divine''s unmistakable voice, Corey knew he was not hearing things.

    What was Divine up to this time around?

    "What do you want?

    Corey asked with his voice containing a tinge of curiosity.

    [I have a way for you to cure your damaged mana veins.]

    Divine said, and Corey''s expression changed slightly.

    ''How did he know?''

    Although Corey knew that Divine was a person with so many secrets, he didn''t expect Divine to know what exact injury he had.

    He could not remember a time when Divine ever had the opportunity to inspect his body thoroughly.

    ''Another ability of Divine?''

    lights¦­¦Ïvel.c¦Ïm "How can I cure my mana veins?"

    Deciding to put away his curiosity, Corey asked calmly.

    [What sort of reaction is that?]

    [I thought you''d be jumping around like a little girl while begging me to tell you how to cure your mana veins.]

    Corey remained silent and just looked at his U-Watch indifferently.

    A soft click of the tongue resounded from Corey''s U-Watch, and with a tone that contained a tinge of frustration, Divine spoke:

    [Well, when I asked you if you''ve ever thought of robbing of robbing a bank. I was serious.]

    Corey furrowed his brows in confusion.

    As far as Corey knew, there was no bank in The Underworld for them to rob. So, Divine''s words made no sense¡­ Unless¡­

    His eyes narrowed as he thought of something.

    "What exactly do you mean?"

    A chuckle resounded from his U-Watch, and Corey could imagine Divine grinning.

    [I''m sure you have an inkling of what I mean.]

    Corey raised his brows.

    [Anyway, I want the two of us to rob the Emporium.]

    BOOM!

    It was like fireworks went off in Corey''s mind the instant he heard Divine''s words. Although he already guessed that Divine probably meant something else rather than ''bank,'' it was still shocking to Corey that Divine would decide to do something as crazy as robbing the Underworld Emporium.

    One must know that the Underworld Emporium was one of the most dangerous and guarded ces in the Underworld.

    Countless tier 4s and above could be located in the Emporium. Not only that, the Emporium had numerous cameras and other security measures.

    It was suicide for Divine to ever think of robbing such a ce, and Corey could not help but wonder what gave Divine the confidence to have such thoughts.

    ''Was it because of his Vanishing Ring?''

    Corey thought, but then he shook his head. Although the Vanishing Ring could hide Divine''s presence from him, he was just a tier 1.

    Who knows what sort of perception mystic beings possessed?

    "You''re mental."

    [Hahahahaha! You wouldn''t be the first person to say such a thing. Hahahaha!]

    Corey shook his head, and a contemtive light appeared in his eyes for a few seconds.

    "What gives you the assurance that you''ll seed and survive?"

    [I take it that you''ve epted my request?]

    Divine questioned, but Corey remained silent.

    [Whatever. Of course, I don''t n onmitting a suicidal act. I value my life more than you think.]

    Corey''s eyes flickered.

    [The reason I dared to propose such an idea is because of The Clown.]

    [I don''t know why. But, in three days, The Clown will meet with every single tier 4 and above Underworld official.]

    Corey''s expression changed slightly.

    [So, that means the Underworld Emporium would be devoid of mystic Underworld officials.]

    [Because of this, the leaders of the Underworld Emporium have restricted the entry of tier 4s and above into the Emporium.]

    [Basically, there wouldn''t be a single mystical being in the Emporium. Only tier 3s and below.]

    [Although, that does not mean we can kill anybody in the Emporium. The instant we do, the mystic Underworld officials would be alerted and would teleport to the Emporium immediately.]

    [If that happens, we''ll have no choice but to run far away from the Underworld.]

    Corey''s eyes widened, and with trembling hands, he spoke:

    "Y- You can escape the Underworld?"

    [Huh? Of course not. What I meant was that we''d have no choice but to die if they''re alerted of our presence.]

    Corey released a disappointed sigh, and Divine, hearing that, chuckled.

    [Don''t worry, kid. Your captain does not like staying in the Underworld also.]

    Corey''s eyes flickered, and although he knew what Divine was implying, he said nothing.

    Speaking about certain things over the U-Watch was dangerous.

    "By the way, apart from the medicinal herb in the Emporium, what else do I get?"

    [Anything you''re able to take.]

    Corey nodded.

    [Though, I want you to give our teammates anything you know that would be useful to them but not to you.]

    "Sure."

    Corey did not have a problem with that, so he readily agreed.

    Speaking of teammates¡­

    "Is it only the two of us that''s participating in this heist?"

    [Uhh¡­ Yeah.]

    Hearing Divine''s dodgy tone, Corey raised his brows. "Why?" He simply asked.

    [Well, I told Dave to check the sess rate of this heist. And ording to him, the sess rate is the highest when it''s just the two of us.]

    Corey furrowed his brows slightly as he remembered the seer.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    ''Didn''t he say he couldn''t see my fate?''

    Corey wondered but decided not to think too much about it. He didn''t understand so much about Fate, and he didn''t have the time to learn about it at the moment. Nor did he think it should be one of his top priorities at the moment.

    His mind went back to the current situation, and Corey couldn''t help but feel a mix of excitement and trepidation. Robbing the Underworld Emporium during a rare moment when the tier 4 and above officials would be away was a daring proposition, and Corey wasn''t entirely convinced it was feasible.

    He decided to voice his concerns. "Divine, how do you n to pull off this heist? What''s the strategy?"

    [Great, you''re starting to ask the right questions,] Divine replied. [First, we need to gather intelligence about the Emporium, itsyout, and its security measures.]

    [Although I know a lot about the Emporium, to be on the safe side, I''ll gather more info. I''ve got some contacts who can provide us with that information.]

    Corey nodded in agreement. "And once we have that information, what''s the next step?"

    [We''ll need disguises and a way to bypass security cameras and rms. The Clown''s meeting should create a temporary vulnerability, but we can''t rely on that alone. I''ll also have to call in some favors to create a distraction elsewhere in the Underworld, so all eyes won''t be on the Emporium.]

    The n wasing together, and Corey could feel the weight of the mission ahead.

    As Corey and Divine continued to discuss their n, the details began to solidify. Divine tasked Corey with procuring items that would be useful for them in the heist. Divine promised to handle the more intricate aspects of the heist, including gathering information, creating diversions, and obtaining the disguises they would need.

    Over the next three days, they meticulously prepared, each step of their n inching closer to realization. Corey couldn''t deny the thrill of the impending adventure, but he was also aware of the gravity of their mission. Robbing the Underworld Emporium was an act that could change the course of their lives forever, for better or for worse.

    As the day of the heist arrived, Corey couldn''t help but wonder what other secrets Divine was hiding, what other abilities he possessed, and what motivated him to take such risks. However, one thing was certain - Corey was about to embark on an incredible journey, one that would test his skills, his courage, and his trust in Divine.

 Chapter 235 234: A Familiar Pendant

    Chapter 235 234: A Familiar Pendant

    Inside a room in a hotel in the outer area of the City of Sin, two handsome males stood with numerous equipment on the bed in the room. One of the males had blue and red eyes, while the other had ck eyes.

    "There''s no way I''m wearing that."

    The male with ck eyes, Corey, spoke with a displeased expression as he looked at one of the items on the bed.

    "Come on, kid. It''s not that bad."

    The male with red and blue eyes, Divine, spoke with a smile that contained a tinge of mischieve.

    "Then why don''t you wear it?"

    Corey asked with a cold tone, and Divine coughed.

    "Well¡­"

    "I''m not going to wear that."

    Corey spoke with a tone that showed that he was not going to take no for an answer.

    Divine opened his mouth to speak, but Corey cut him off.

    "If you disagree, I don''t mind telling Rosa to rough you up a bit."

    Divine''s lips twitched, and with a strained smile, he waved his hand.

    "If you''re so displeased with the mask, you don''t have to wear it."

    Corey gave a light smile, and Divine had a strange urge to punch Corey''s disgustingly handsome face.

    Corey chuckled slightly, seeing Divine''s twisted expression. Although some might call it shameful, Corey did not mind using Rosa''s name to get what he wanted.

    He took a ck panther mask from the bed. Then he walked to the door of the room.

    "Don''t forget we don''t have so much time to waste."

    Corey said, then he walked out of the room.

    Divine looked at Corey''s departing back. Then he looked at the reason for Corey''s displeasure- An ugly chicken mask.

    lights¦­¦Ïvel.c¦Ïm Looking at the ugly chicken mask, Divine cursed.

    "I''ll make him pay."

    Divine gritted his teeth, then waved his hand, sending every item on the bed into his inventory.

    He held the chicken mask, walked out of the door, and¡­

    BANG

    He mmed the door shut with a loud bang.

    (On a road leading to the Emporium)n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    A strange silence enveloped Corey and Divine as they walked side by. No words were spoken between them, and a few Underworld residents could perceive a solemn air radiating from the duo.

    "It almost seems like we''re going to fight a legendary war."

    Corey said, and Divine chuckled.

    "Well, you''re not wrong. We''re going to do something that has never been done before."

    Corey nodded, and he looked at the towering Emporium of The Underworld.

    ''Hopefully, we don''t die.''

    Corey thought, then smiled in anticipation. He would be lying if he said he wasn''t anticipating the heist despite his current condition.

    As Corey and Divine continued to walk towards the Emporium, they caught sight of a group of ten sitting on benches by the roadside.

    Just as they were about to pass the group, Corey caught sight of a pendant he was all too familiar with.

    On the neck of one of the males was a chain with two axes crossed diagonally as the pendant.

    This pendant was undeniably a symbol of The Temple of mes!

    Corey stopped, and his eyes remained on the pendant on the man''s neck. A burning me of fury appeared in his eyes. He clenched his fists with so much force that his nails bore into his palm, drawing out blood as a result.

    Divine furrowed his brows and looked at Corey. Then he looked at the man with the pendant.

    "Kid."

    He grabbed Corey''s shoulder and shook him forcefully. Corey turned towards him with rage-filled eyes, and the frown on Divine''s face increased.

    "Let''s go. We have to heal your body."

    Divine said, and the rage in Corey''s eyes decreased.

    Corey exhaled and looked at his fists, which were trembling in concealed rage.

    "Thanks."

    Corey said, and Divine waved his hand casually. He spoke no words and walked to the Emporium.

    Corey looked at his departing back and was honestly grateful for his interference. Divine had carefully chosen his words, and him saying, ''We have to heal your body,'' reminded Corey that he was not at his peak and would undoubtedly suffer miserably if he had acted.

    Corey exhaled once again. Then, he followed Divine. His eyes were not even ncing at the group of ten anymore.

    Meanwhile, the group of ten had strange expressions as they looked at Corey, who was walking away from them.

    They had clearly noticed Corey''s killing intent, and although they didn''t know the reason for Corey''s strange behavior, they all knew that Corey absolutely hated the man that he was looking at.

    "Brother Max. Have you perhaps offended that man before?"

    A female who was wearing the same pendant on her neck asked the man who was the recipient of Corey''s killing intent with a tinge of intrigue in her tone.

    The man, Max, shook his head.

    "This is my first time seeing this man, Sarah."

    The female, Sarah, raised her brows, then she looked at Corey, who was calmly walking towards the Emporium.

    "Besides, throughout the time he looked at me, he never looked at me. He was looking at the pendant."

    "You mean?"

    Sarah looked at Max with surprise.

    "He probably hates the Temple, not me. Though, I wonder why?"

    Max rubbed his chin with a contemtive light as he looked at Corey.

    "Should we send his picture back to the temple so that we can check if they have any info on him?"

    Sarah proposed, and Max looked at her with raised brows.

    "What are you doing that for?"

    "He''s just a tier 1 with damaged mana veins. Do you really think he can do anything to our temple?"

    Sarah had a dumbfounded expression as she realized what her senior brother said was right.

    If they were fearful of every ants that hated their temple, what about the giants that hated their temple?

    It was genuinely absurd when she thought about it.

    "Forget about him for now. We have to focus on the mission given to us by the elders."

    Max said, and Sarah nodded. They both looked at the remaining eight people who were non-members of the Temple of mes with a glint in their eyes.

    Their mission was said to be crucial for their pope, and they must not fail it no matter what.

    "Shall we pray?"

    Max said with a benevolent and calm smile, and the eight nodded.

    "Oh Lord, lead us from the unreal to the real.

    From darkness to light. From mortal to immortality.

    Grant us peace in the celestial realm.

    Grant us peace, not death on Earth.

    May the mes be evesting.

    L¨¢tom."

    "Latom."

 Chapter 236 235: Vanishing Ring & Mind-Link

    Chapter 236 235: Vanishing Ring & Mind-Link

    Inside a dimly lit room within one of the hotels of the Underworld Emporium, Corey and Divine sat at a small table, each with an exquisite drink in hand. The ambiance was mysterious, with dim lighting and the faint murmur of conversations from other guests, all contributing to the secretive aura that surrounded the Emporium.

    Divine, observed Corey closely. Corey, on the other hand, wore a stoic expression as he lifted the cup to his lips, his thoughts seemingly distant.

    Divine''s concern for his partner grew as he asked, "Are you okay?" He knew that Corey''s well-being was not what truly troubled him. Rather, Divine''s question probed whether Corey was mentally prepared for the uing heist. Corey met Divine''s gaze and simply nodded, but the answer was far from reassuring.

    Corey''s focus wavered, his mind not fullymitted to the impending heist. The weight of unresolved issues from his past bore heavily on him, casting a shadow over his thoughts. He couldn''t help but dwell on memories of the enigmatic temple of mes, the mysterious pope, and the location and well-being of his sister.

    "I''m not going to ask you about your past," Divine assured, his voice gentle. "But know that if you want to exact revenge, you need strength."

    Divine''s cryptic words carried the weight of shared experiences. He understood the burning desire for vengeance and how it could consume one''s thoughts. Corey''s mind remained divided, torn between the past and the present. "Strength you could probably find in this ce," Divine added, offering a glimmer of hope to his conflicted partner.

    Divine''s assurance allowed Corey to momentarily set aside his inner turmoil. He knew that the sess of this heist was pivotal for his future, and he couldn''t afford to fail, no matter the distractions.

    With newfound determination, Corey nodded in response to Divine''s query. Divine acknowledged Corey''s readiness with a nod of his own before casting an observant nce around the room.

    "Are you ready?" Divine inquired, breaking the silence that had enveloped the room.

    Corey took a deep breath, centering himself, and then nodded. Divine mirrored his readiness with another nod, and together, they rose from their seats and made their way out of the room, their path set toward the impending mission.

    Leaving the hotel, they blended seamlessly into the flow of the Underworld Emporium, their presence inconspicuous to the casual observer. As they navigated the luxurious halls and corridors, they exchanged polite greetings with the security guards stationed at various locations. The guards, seemingly disinterested and detached, barely acknowledged their presence.

    Once inside one of the main toilets, Corey and Divine finally allowed themselves a moment to prepare. In silence, they donned their disguises¡ªmasks that concealed their identities and intentions. Divine, begrudgingly, slipped on a chicken mask, his discontent evident in his disgruntledment, "I hate this mask."

    Corey, unfazed by Divine''s protest, offered a nonchnt response, "Next time, get a better mask."

    Divine clicked his tongue in mild irritation before conceding, "I''m ready."

    With their masks secured, Corey extended his hand, and without a word, Divine grasped it with his own. A silver ring adorned Divine''s middle finger, and as he rubbed it, a dim white light enveloped the duo, obscuring them from sight. The magical cloak provided by the ring made them imperceptible to anyone who might cross their path.

    "Let''s go," Divine announced, and with their hands still connected, they stepped out of the toilet, their mission now in full swing.

    As they approached the seemingly indifferent security guards, Corey couldn''t help but feel a surge of nervousness coursing through him. With bated breath, they walked past the guards, their hearts pounding. To their astonishment, the guards'' eyes remained disinterested, as if they had be a part of the background.

    Divine came to a sudden halt, and Corey, puzzled, watched as he waved his hand in front of one of the guards. However, the guard didn''t react, not even subconsciously.

    "[See, it worked. There''s no reason to be nervous.]" Divine''s voice echoed within Corey''s mind, and Corey rolled his eyes in response.

    "[Stop ying around and let''s go.]" Corey replied, his thoughts conveyed through their telepathic connection. Divine shrugged, and they continued on their path, having sessfully eluded the guards.

    The key to their seamless entryy in Divine''s Vanishing Ring, a potent artifact that had the ability to make its wearer invisible to mystical beings up to tier 4.

    ording to Divine, the vanishing ring had the ability to hide his presence from tier 4 mystical beings, though it wouldn''t be as perfect as when used to hide from a tier 3 or lower being.

    With the vanishing ring in Divine''s hand, Divine had caused quite a lot of chaos in certain ces in the Underworld. Though, none ever knew it was the work of Divine, apart from his teammates.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    The ability to make a mortal, that was at least tier 1, hide from a mystical being was already so amazing, but surprisingly, the vanishing ring also had another ability.

    Apart from concealing its wearer, the Vanishing Ring held another surprising power. It could render any person held by Divine "invisible," though this concealment no longer worked against mystical beings. This unique attribute of the ring offered them an additional advantage.

    Divine had once used the Vanishing Ring to appear unannounced in Corey''s room when he was practicing with the elemental breathing technique.

    Even after Divine made his presence known by speaking, Corey could not see him.

    Divine''s confidence in the sess of the heist stemmed from the absence of mystical beings within the Emporium and his possession of the Vanishing Ring. This, however, was not the only remarkable aspect of the ring.

    However, the ring had its limitations. It couldn''t conceal sounds, which meant Corey and Divine could notmunicate verbally during the heist. To ovee this challenge, Divine''s Mind-Link skill came into y. It allowed them to exchange thoughts telepathically, an essential method ofmunication during the mission.

    The synergy between the Vanishing Ring and Mind-Link, coupled with their other acquired skills, gave Divine and Corey the confidence that their heist would be a sess. The clock was ticking, and they were prepared to execute their mission in silence, relying on their unique abilities to outmaneuver the underworld''s security measures. The stakes were high, and their future hung in the bnce.

 Chapter 238 237: Map of The Underworld

    Chapter 238 237: Map of The Underworld

    Inside the manager''s office, Corey and Divine found themselves in a dimly lit and spacious room of opulence and mystique.

    The room was adorned with deep crimson velvet curtains that frame tall, arched windows, allowing in a soft, diffused light. A grand mahogany desk, intricately carved with mystical symbols and intricate patterns, stood at the far end, covered in parchments, scrolls, and aputer . At the edge of the desk, rests a crystal ball, one which Corey had no idea of its use.

    The walls were lined with shelves filled with ancient tones and magical artifacts, the shelves nearly buckling under the weight of esoteric knowledge. A plush, emerald-green chaise lounge was tucked into one corner for meetings.

    Arge, ornate mirror stood at one part of the room, and beside this mirror was an object that was hung on the wall and encased in a ss casing.

    The duo walked to the object and Corey turned towards Divine.

    [Is that the map?]

    Divine nodded, and Corey furrowed his brows as he looked at the map.

    No matter how he looked at it, he found the map¡­ suspicious.

    He thought the map would probably be locked in a safe or would be hidden from the public eyes, but to his bafflement, it was out in the open.

    Although, he knew that the map was probably protected by unseen formations, he still felt like the manager of the emporium was too trusting of their formations.

    [Are you wondering why the map is out here in the open?]

    Divine voice echoed in his head, and Corey nodded.

    [Well, think about it like this?]

    [How many people would decide to rob the Emporium manager''s office?]

    [You should know that getting into this ce is certainly not easy. And it''s not everybody that can get the artifacts I used.]

    [How many people possess the ability to crack the manager''s formation on the map.]

    [Also, the callling of every mystic Underworld officials is not known to the public. Only people that possess vast sources of information like me can know this.]

    Divine said, and Corey decided not toment on his narcissitic words.

    He reflected on Divine''s words, and he realized that what Divine said was right.

    How many people could summon the courage to do something as daring as robbing the manager of the emporium''s office?

    How many people had the information Divine had?

    How many people had the strange artifiacts Divine had?

    And, how many people had the knowledge Divine had on a lot of things like formations?

    Not many people could boast of possessing all these abilities, so it wouldn''t be strange for the manager to not expect the arrival of two daring mortals.

    But,

    [What about taking a pic of the map? What''s stopping a visitor of the manager from taking a sneak pic of the map?]

    Corey asked as he wondered why somebody would have to trouble themselves with breaking the formation when they could just take a pic of it.

    Also, what about people like him that possessed a photographic memory. He was sure he wasn''t the only person in the world to possess a photographic memory, though, his was much better than a photographic memory.

    Divine''s lips curled into a light smile, then he pointed at the map.

    [What you see on the map is fake. It''s an illusion.]

    [There have been countless people that have been fooled by what they saw on the map. They tried to escape using the paths shown on the map, but they just ended falling into a deadly trap and their fates were worse than death.]

    [They showed every resident how they tortured them, and this deterred most residents from having the thought of escaping.]

    Corey raised his brows as he heard Divine''s words. He looked at the map and tried to find any sign of the drawings on it being an illusion, but he didn''t see anything different.

    The drawings looked too real.

    Corey activated his Eyes of Omniscience.

    Divine walked to the map, intending on destroying the formation surrounding the map.

    [Stop!]

    Corey''s voice resounded in Divine''s mind like a p of thunder, and Divine shook and grabbed his head in pain. He turned towards Corey with reddened eyes, and,

    [WHAT THE FUCK MAN!]

    Divine screamed internally in anger, and Corey winced as he felt a little bit of difort.

    Divine noticed this, and his eyes gleamed with a strange light that contained a tinge of shock.

    [Look at your feet.]

    Corey''s voice echoed in his mind, and Divine looked at his feet.

    The instant he did, his eyes widened in fear as he looked at an extremely hidden formation that was barely an inch from his foot.

    He observed the formation and realized that the formation was meant to notify an individual- most likely the manager, when an individual was in the vicinity of the map.

    The formation was so subtly hidden that Divine had not noticed it, and he could not help but imagine how terrible their fate would be if he had taken that extra step.

    Meanwhile, after Corey warned Divine, he looked at the map and the map in front of him changed.

    The lines and diagrams on it changed, and Corey could not help but be amazed by the intricate design of the Underworld from the map.

    Although, he knew that with his talent skill, Record, he would be able to look at the map again in his Library of Records, he still wanted to brand the image of the map in his mind.

    This was his way out of the Underworld, and he wanted nothing to happen it.

    As Corey was observing the map, Divine was studying the formation. His n was to break the formation, then break the formation on the map.

    .c¦Ïm ''I''m not going to give up no matter what.''

    Divine''s eyes gleamed with a determined light.

    [We should give up on taking the map.]

    [Hmm?]

    Divine looked at Corey with squinted eyes. He noticed Corey''s pure white eyes and a glint shed in his eyes.

    Corey pointed at the map, and spoke:

    [I don''t know what''s on the map, but I can see a strange energy on it. And I feel like if we were to take the map, the manager or whoever it was that put the energy on the map can track the map.]

    [We''ll be in serious danger if we take the map.]

    Divine furrowed his brows and he looked at the map. His eyes glowed with a red and blue light, but even after looking at the map, he saw nothing different on the map.

    The only thing that changed on the map was that the diagrams became blurry, signifying to Divine that there was an illusion formation around the map.

    The glow in his eyes died down, and he turned to Corey with a deep frown.

    [I don''t see anything.]

    Divine said, and Corey shrugged before pointing at his eyes.

    [I have special eyes, and I can see it.]

    If possible, Corey would rather not show his Eyes of Omniscience to Divine, but his life was at stake here, and he needed Divine to listen to him.

    Besides, Divine would defintely not know the full abilities of his Eyes of Omniscience.

    He pointed at the mirror that was directly beside the map.

    [That mirror is actually a portal.]

    [If my guess is right, the mirror is meant to transfer the manager directly to her office the instant she notices that something is wrong here.]

    Divine''s face grimaced as he looked at the mirror with a deep frown.

    He had always thought the mirror was a normal mirror.

    Even till now, he could not sense nor see anything different about the mirror.

    [So what are we going to do about the map?]

    [We can''t just leave without taking it.]

    Divine asked with a frustrated tone as he looked at Corey.

    [I can see through the illusion on the map, and i''ve memorized the map.]

    Divine raised his brows as he looked at Corey skeptically.

    [Are you sure?]

    [100%]

    Corey spoke with immense confidence, and Divine looked at Corey for a few seconds before releasing a sigh.

    He looked at all the artifacts, knowledge and spells in the manager''s office with reluctance.

    ''So much treasure.''

    ''So much bloody treasure but I can''t take any of it!''

    Divine almost shed tears of pain, and with immense struggle, he looked away from the treasures all around him.

    [Well, let''s leave this ce and get some treasures for ourselves.]

    Corey looked at Divine with raised brows as he noticed Divine''s pained expression.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Although, he was curious, he decided not to ask and just nodded.

    It was time for him to look for a medicinal nt that could heal his damaged meridians.

    ''Hopefully I find one.''

    Corey thought, then he looked at Divine who brought out two transparent cloaks that were simr to the ones they used to enter the manager''s office.

    Corey looked at the cloaks nkly, then he looked at Divine with raised brows.

    [I thought you said you could only make two cloaks?]

    Divine grinned.

    [Of course I lied to you.]

    Corey''s eyes twitched, and without saying anything, he grabbed the cloak and put it on.

    Divine chuckled softly, then he put on his cloak, and a few secondster, they both phased through the wall and disappeared from the room.

    After leaving the room, a spider at the ceiling of the room opened its eyes to look at the room beneath it.

    Its eyes moved to the map, and after seeing it there, the spider closed its eyes.

    If Corey and Divine had seen the spider, they would be thanking their lucky stars that they didn''t touch the map nor did they tamper with the formation, or the spider would have noticed them.

    And who knows what disaster would have befell on the duo.

 Chapter 239 238: Treasury

    Chapter 239 238: Treasury

    As Corey and Divine phased through the wall, leaving the manager''s office behind, they found themselves once again in thebyrinthine corridors of the Underworld Emporium. Divine''s Vanishing Ring concealed them, allowing them to move undetected.

    As they walked to the stairs leading to the top most part of the Emporium, Divine, with a hint of relief in his voice, whispered through their telepathic link, [Good call on leaving the map. It''s too risky, and we''ve already pushed our luck in here.]

    After leaving the office of the manager of the Emporium, Divine had thought about his actions and ns regarding the map. He realized that his thoughts on how easy it should have been for him to take the map could be considered foolish.

    The map was undoubtedly one of the, if not the most precious object in the Underworld. And there was no way the manager, who was a key existence of the Underworld would not have employed certain measures to make sure the map would not be taken no matter what.

    Although, he was a special existence and he had a lot of secrets on his body that would make top mystical beings and even some immortals tremble in fear and greed. He was still a weak tier 3 human at the moment.

    Meanwhile, Corey nodded silently, and his mind raced with the implications of what he had seen in the manager''s office. The mirror that could teleport the manager was a dangerous revtion, and the fact that they had escaped without triggering any rms or traps was a stroke of good fortune.

    Time went by and Corey and Divine eventually stood in front of a colossal, fortified vault surrounded by four solemn looking tier 3 guards.

    [Hmm. I was right to not think about destroying the vault.]

    Divine rubbed his chin with his free hand as he studied the vault and formation with interest.

    Corey''s lips twitched as he looked at the guards who were not aware ot their presence despite being so close to them and the vault.

    [Can we please go?]

    Divine nced at Corey, then he sighed and reluctantly moved away from the vault.

    [Fine.]

    Divine begrudginly replied, then he walked to a certain part of the wall beside the vault with Corey in tow. He gave Corey a simr cloak, and Corey wore it.

    [Were you able to cause a w in the formations like that of the manager''s room?]

    Corey asked since Divine never told him about the formations protecting the treasury of the Emporium.

    Divine shook his head, and with a gesture toward the wall and the vault, he spoke:

    [99% of the formations surrounding the treasury was created by the leaders of the top native forces of New Earth.]

    Corey tilted his head, and with a confused tone and furrowed brows, he spoke:

    [What do you mean? How does that make it any different from the formations at the manager''s office?]

    Divine smiled.

    [The formations at the manager''s office was solely created by the manager. And the manager is not a native of New Earth. She''s an outsider.]

    [The manager has more knowledge than the natives of the. So her formations are more difficult to bypass.]

    [It''s also for this reason that the manager doesn''t ce any of her possession or anything that piques her interest in the treasury.]

    [Her office is much safer than the treasury.]n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Corey raised his brows when he heard Divine''s words. He was not totally shocked that the manager of the Underworld Emporium was an outsider due to the information given to him by Ashley.

    ording to Ashley, Corey knew that the actual ''rulers'' of the were the Outsiders. And for a ce like the Underworld to exist, Corey guessed that the Outsiders yed a major part in the creation of the Underworld.

    Divine looked at Corey whose brows were furrowed in contemtion.

    ''He doesn''t seem surprised by the information on the Outsiders.''

    Divine thought with intrigue.

    From what he knew, information rted to the Outsiders was only known to a few number of people.

    .c¦Ïm And if he remembered correctly, he was sure that Corey was not rted to any

    As far as he knew, some people would take a long time before they epted this information. And, luckily for Divine, he was certain that Corey was not rted to any of the people that knew the information.

    ''I wonder how he knew.''

    Divine thought, but decided not to ask.

    [You said that the manager would take anything that piques her interest.?]

    Corey asked, and Divine nodded.

    [Doesn''t that mean she''d have taken the powerful artifacts, spells and every other thing that''s¡­ priceless?]

    Corey had a slight frown as he asked, and Divine shrugged.

    [What you said is right. But who knows what''ll pique her interest.]

    [Also, she might think some artifacts are useless, but they''re actually powerful.]

    Divine said, and Corey nodded.

    Even if the manager took the most powerful artifacts and spells from the treasury for herself, there was nothing they could do about it. He just hoped that he would be able to find a herb that could heal his damaged mana veins.

    [Let''s go. Countless treasures are waiting for us.]

    Corey raised his head, and looked at Divine. He nodded, and Divine transferred his mana to Corey who then poured it into the transparent cloak.

    Unknown to the guards, the duo effortlessly phased through the walls, and a secondter, they appeared inside the treasury.

    As Corey and Divine appeared inside the treasury, they were left in awe.

    Corey and Divine found themselves surrounded by the gleam of priceless treasures. The room was enormous, with rows of intricately carved chests, shelves stacked with ancient looking scrolls, and intricate artifacts.

    [As expected from the treasury of the Underworld.]

    Divine said with his eyes lighting up in greed and glee. He could not suppress his avaricious personality as he looked at the countless treasures in the treasury, and he didn''t want to suppress it at all.

    He rubbed his hands, then he looked at Corey.

    [Don''t forget my words. Don''t take everything in the treasury so that the Underworld would not perform an intensive and extensive search for the missing treasures.]

    Despite saying this, Corey had a strange expression as he looked at Divine who looked like he could not wait to grab every single treasure in the room.

    ''I think I should be more worried about you.''

    Corey thought, but he didn''t say anything and just nodded in response.

    [Great! Let''s take back our treasures shall we.]

    An evil chuckle escaped Divine''s lips as he walked to the treasures.

 Chapter 240 239: Veinweavers Dreamgrass

    Chapter 240 239: Veinweaver''s Dreamgrass

    Hearing Divine''s shameless words, Corey just shook his head and looked around for a few seconds before he walked to where he could smell a high concentration of herbal scents.

    .c¦Ïm Due to him being a poison cultivator, he was familiar with the smell of a lot of nts, and with this, he was able to know where the nts were ced in the treasury.

    Although, there were countless treasures in the treasury that emitted an aura that sent shivers down Corey''s spine, getting a herb that could heal his damaged mana veins was his main priority for joining Divine on the heist.

    As Corey walked to the herbs, he could not help but remember a crucial information Divine gave him regarding the treasury.

    After Divine left Corey to pick his treasures, the veil that was covering Corey disappeared. But, Corey and Divine were not worried at all.

    Why?

    Because there was no surveince in the treasury.

    When Divine told him this, he was surprised and he could not help but ask why?

    ording to Divine, the native owners of the treasury did not want there to be any surveince to be in the treasury.

    As for the reason, Divine said, it was because they wanted some privacy when choosing their treasures.

    Although, it was a good enough reason. Corey could not help but shake his head in disappointment.

    If the leaders wanted some privacy, all they had to was tell the manager or whoever was in charge of the surveince to deactivate the surveince whenever they wanted to choose their treasures.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Although, Corey had this thought. Who was he toin on the ipetence of the owners.

    After walking for some seconds, Corey got to the location of the herbs. The herbs were ced in ss containers which were ced on shelves. As he looked at the countless herbs, his eyes widened in surprise as he noticed some herbs that were said to be rare due to the conditions needed for their growth.

    ''Draconic Emberloom. Starshimmer Orchid. Unicorn''s Tearleaf. Eldertree Moondust. Astral Eclipseberry.''

    Corey''s eyes widened as he named some rare herbs which were immensely useful for poison cultivators like him and alchemists.

    He looked at the herbs with desire, but he shook his head and looked for any herb that could cure his mana veins.

    If he didn''t find, he could alwayse back for the herbs.

    ''Please.''

    ''Please.''

    ''Please.''

    ''Please.''

    Corey kept on walking, and his heart kept on pounding in anticipation and fear.

    Some seconds passed and just when Corey was about to reach the end of the shelves, he stopped, and with trembling hands, he looked at a particr herb.

    ''Veinweaver''s Dreamgrass!.''

    Corey eximed internally as he looked at a rare and enchanting herb with a unique appearance.

    The herb had long, slender, and sinuous emerald-green leaves which shimmered with a subtle iridescence, resembling delicate threads of woven silk. At its heart, the Dreamgrass produces small, star-shaped blossoms in various shades of blue and violet. These blooms emitted a faint, ethereal glow, especially during moonlit nights, casting a soft, otherwordly radiance.

    The most remarkable feature of the herb was its translucent roots that appeared to be crystalline. The roots oulsed with a gentle, soothing rhythim, as if in harmony with the mana flow of the world.

    [You''re lucky.]

    Surprisingly, Ninamented on the appearance of the Veinweaver''s Dreamgrass. Corey nodded, but gave no response.

    He ced inside his breast pocket, then he brought out a card.

    He moved the card close to the shelf, and a secondter, the air in front of Corey shimmered before disappearing.

    ''I wonder how Divine got this.''

    Although, the native owners of the Underworld did not want any surveince in the treasury. They were not stupid enough to not ce a formation that would alert the security personnel if an unauthorized person touched any of the treasures in the treasury.

    The card was proof of authorization, and surprisingly, Divine had two.

    He didn''t know how Divine got two, but he didn''t think too much about it and walked to the Dreamgrass.

    ''Nina, please.''

    Corey thought, and a secondter, Corey felt mana flowing throughout his body.

    Beforeing to the Emporium, Corey was concerned about something.

    He didn''t have a way to store whatever he stole from the Emporium.

    To use his Tri-Pupil Eyes store objects, Corey needed to infuse mana into his eyes. But due to his damaged mana veins, Corey could not use his Tri-Pupil Eyes.

    Corey could decide to use his inventory, but after listening to the Paragon Ancestor, he didn''t want to keep anything from the treasury inside his inventory.

    Who knows if the Supremes would take one of his stolen treasures.

    The possibility of that happening was low, but Corey did not want to take any risk.

    So, due to this, Corey asked Nina for help, and surprisingly, Nina decided to help him. Though, she told him that the reason for her helping him was due to the finger he took from the Desert of Mysteries.

    She was curious about it, and the effects it would have on his body. And, because of her curiosity, she wanted Corey to heal his mana veins.

    She could do it herself, but she didn''t want to help Corey with that and a lot of things until he proved himself to her.

    She wanted him to prove that he was worthy of the Paragon Ancestor''s blood in his body.

    And, he was far from proving himself.

    Meanwhile, as Corey felt the mana flowing through his body, he noticed something different about the mana.

    The mana felt¡­ pure.

    It felt clean of impurities.

    This thought baffled Corey and he wondered if mana could ever be impure.

    And what was impure mana?

    Corey shook his head to rid himself of these distracting thoughts. He looked at the Veinweaver''s Dreamgrass, and his pupils became a golden triangle, with his sclera bing silver.

    His eyes glowed, and a secondter, the Dreamgrass disappeared.

    Feeling the Veinweaver''s Dreamgrass inside the storage space of his Tri-Pupil Eyes.

    He looked at the remaining herbs on the shelve, and his glowed.

    A few secondster, every herb vanished and a line of blood poured out from Corey''s eyes.

    [You''re too rash.]

    Nina scolded.

    ''I don''t want to waste time here.''

    Corey replied calmly as he wiped the blood from his eyes. He checked the floor to make sure that his blood did not spill unto the floor.

    Seeing that there was no blood, Corey exhaled softly, then he walked to another section of the treasury.

    He would make sure to make good use of his current opportunity.

 Chapter 241 240: Aerofoil Relics

    Chapter 241 240: Aerofoil Relics

    As Corey left the herb section of the treasury, he activated his Eyes of Omniscience, and decided to look for the location that had the highest concentration of energy.

    His vision changed and Corey saw various colors in therge treasury. At first, he was a bit overwhelmed by the numerous colors in the treasury, but he eventually got used to it.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    He looked at the colorful energies in the air for a few seconds, and he noticed that there were times some ces with arge concentration of energy would vanish abruptly.

    ''I guess that should be the work of Divine.''

    Corey thought, then his eyes shined as he noticed a dense concentration of nine colorful energies.

    Without hesitation, he walked to the location. After walking for a a minute, he reached the location, and a wide smile appeared on his lips.

    Wonderful!. This is absolutely wonderful!''

    Corey had the urge tough out loud in glee as he looked at a pile of nine differently colored stones.

    In front of Corey was arge pile of the nine elemental stones!

    The fire, water, earth, lightning, metal, wind, wood, magma, and ice elemental stones were all before Corey, and Corey could not help but grin in excitement.

    ''With these, I don''t need to worry about increasing my strength for a long time.''

    Corey thought, then he walked to the pile of fire elemental stones. He brought out the card given to him by Divine, and the barrier around the fire elemental stones dissipated.

    Corey''s smile widened, then his Tri-Pupil Eyes glowed.A ck vortex appeared beneath the fire elemental stones, and a secondter, the pile of fire elemental stoens disappeared.

    Corey walked to the remaining piles of elemental stones, and he stored each of them in the storage space in his Tri-Pupil Eyes.

    Blood dripped from Corey''s eyes, and he wiped the blood with a grin.

    ''I didn''t expect to find so much elemental stones.''

    ''It''s a good thing I followed Divine.''

    Corey thought, then he activated his Eyes of Omniscience and looked around. He noticed that the location that had the highest concentration of energy was the artifact section.

    ''To the artifact section then.''

    Corey thought, then he walked to the artifact section.

    As soon as he reached the artifact section, he noticed Divine looking around with his hands on his chin.

    Divine noticed Corey, then he waved his hand at him with a smile.

    [Don''t take too much from here.]

    Divine telepathicallymunicated with Corey, then he walked to a shelf which contained numerous staffs.

    He brought out a simr card and the barrier surrounding the shelf disappeared. He waved his hand, and a few secondster, every staff on the shelf disappeared.

    Corey''s lips twitched.

    Although he wanted to say something, he decided not to.

    He had just taken every single herb and elemental stone that was in the treasury. And, he still nned on doing something simr.

    If that was not a lot, then he didn''t know what it was.

    He released a soft sigh, then he walked to the shelf that contained numerous and various armors.

    He ced the card before the barrier surrounding the shelf, then the barrier disappeared. His Tri-Pu[pil Eyes glowed, and a secondter, every armor on the shelf vanished.

    Divine had a strange expression when he saw Corey taking all the armors.

    He could not help but wonder why Corey would decide to take all the armors when he just needed to take the best armor.

    Although, he was curious about Corey''s actions, he decided not to speak. He guessed that just like him keeping every staff in the treasury, Corey probably had a reason for keeping every armor in the treasury.

    ''He probably didn''t keep it due to his greed.''

    Divine''s thought was not wrong. Corey would never decide to keep every single armor in the treasury due to greed.

    Corey''s reason for taking every armor was due to his Devourer''s armor.

    The Devourer''s armor was a growth item that increased in it''s ability by devouring other armors. The Devourer''s armor was an armor with very powerful abilities.

    But, the Devourer''s armor had a downside.

    The owner of the armor could not use any other armor apart from the Devourer''s armor.

    This information was not given to Corey by the Universal System, and it almost cost Corey his life. There was a time Corey found an armor to his liking, and he bought it.

    He intended to use the armor instead of the Devourer''s armor since he would not spend a lot of resources in looking for countless armors to develop the Devourer''s armor.

    He bought the armor, and when he wore the armor. He almost died.

    Unknown to him, the centipede tattoo on his chest drilled into his chest, and it wanted to devour his heart.

    If not because of Nina who immediately told him to quickly remove the armor. He would be a cold corpse by now.

    Nina eventually told him about the Devourer''s armor, and Corey cursed the Universal System endlessly on that day.

    Because of the ipetence of the Universal System, he had almost died.

    After that day, ones of Corey''s future n was to buy a lot of armor to feed to his Devourer''s armor.

    Corey shook his head to dispel such unnecessary thoughts from his mind. He looked at Divine who was taking at least 70% of the artifacts on the shelves he walked to.

    Corey calmly walked to another artifact which he had his eyes on from the moment he entered the artifact section.

    He stood in front of the shelf which possessed misceneous items, and a smile appeared on his lips as he looked at a pair of metallic wings.

    His eyes darted to a que that held the description of the metallic wings.

    [The metallic wings, known as the "Aerofoil Relics," are a mysterious and captivating artifact of ancient origin. Crafted from a lustrous, silver-hued metal that gleams like the moon on a clear night, these wings possess an otherworldly beauty that belies their advanced technology.

    Each wing is intricately designed, with slender, feather-like segments that ovep and articte, mimicking the graceful structure of avian wings. The smooth, cool-to-the-touch surface is adorned with delicate etchings and engravings, reminiscent of ancient scripts and symbols. The wings are surprisingly lightweight despite their metallicposition, and they emit a faint, soft hum when touched, as if they hold a secret melody within.

    The Aerofoil Relics are said to possess extraordinary powers. When attached to a specially designed harness, they can be worn by a brave adventurer. With a mere thought and a subtle shift of intention, the wings unfurl, their segments aligning perfectly. As they extend, a soft, iridescent glow emanates from the metal, casting an enchanting, ethereal light that seems to bend and dance around the wearer. Once activated, these wings grant the wearer the gift of flight, allowing them to soar through the skies with grace and freedom, as if they were born to be a part of the heavens.

    Legends suggest that the Aerofoil Relics were created by a long-lost civilization, a testament to their technological prowess and their deep connection to the natural world. Their true purpose remains shrouded in mystery, leaving adventurers and archaeologists alike to uncover the secrets hidden within the metallic wings, and to experience the awe-inspiring sensation of taking flight like a majestic bird.]

 Chapter 242 241: Demonic Sabers

    Chapter 242 241: Demonic Sabers

    The widest grin Corey had ever made appeared on his lips as he gazed at the Aerofoil Relics.

    One of Corey''s biggest shorings in his skillset was his inability to fly.

    Corey had faced enemies like Kyle, his best friend, who had the ability to fly andunch attacks at him from up in the air.

    Corey was always frustrated whenever he faced enemies that knew how to fly. It was always difficult for him to defeat those enemies, and he always wished he had the ability to fly.

    Although, he had this wish and issue, he was not too worried about it. He knew that when he reached tier 4, he would learn how to fly.

    He did not think he would find an artifact like the Aerofoil Relics in the treasury. But turns out the goddess of luck had been smiling at him ever since he entered the treasury.

    Corey ced the card directly in front of the barrier surrounding the shelf carrying the miscenous artifacts. The barrier disappeared, and Corey''s Tri-Pupil Eyes glowed.

    A secondter, the Aerofoil Relics disappeared, and Corey exhaled softly with a smile.

    He activated his Eyes of Omniscience, then his eyesnded on a dismissable object on the shelf.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    He walked to the object with a furrowed brows, then he carefully held the object.

    ''A key.''

    Corey''s frown deepened as he held the strangest key he had ever seen. The top of the key was shaped like a heart, granting it an ominous appearance. The heart was colored red, and the remaining part of the key was colorless.

    Corey observed the key with his Eyes of Omniscience and his frown deepened.

    ''I wasn''t wrong. This key possesses a simr aura to Rhea and that titanic creature that was chained to a coffin in the ck sea.''

    Corey looked at the key for a few more seconds with a calcting glint in his eyes. He eventually closed his eyes, then he stored the key in the storage space of his Tri-Pupil Eyes.

    ''I''ll ask Rhea about itter.''

    Corey looked at Divine who was taking different artifacts with a wide smile.

    Corey shook his head then he walked to the next artifact he was curious about.

    He stopped before a golden ne that had a golden pendant of a cross.

    He held the ne with a curious expression, and he looked at the que which held the description of the ne.

    But a strange expression appeared when he read the description of the ne.

    ording to the que, the appraisers were not able to figure out the abilities of the ne. The only somewhat useful information was that the ne was found by an adventurer in an ancient ruin in the southern part of the world.

    ''The ne is definitely not ordinary.''

    Corey thought as he gazed at the ne which was emitting a golden glow in his eyes. Corey transferred the ne to his Tri-Pupil Eyes, then he looked around once again.

    Although, he had the urge to take every single artifact on the shelf, he decided not to. He didn''t want to take too many useless artifacts, and who knows if one of the artifacts was going to be harmful to him, or could be tracked back to him.

    ''I''ll just take the ones that interest me.''

    Corey thought, then he walked to some other artifacts that piqued his interest.

    After taking everything he was interested in, Corey walked to the weapon section, and looked at a particr weapon that had immediately piqued his interest from the beginning.

    He stood in front of two sabers, and his eyes glinted with curiosity.

    In front of him were two differently colored sabers that emitted an ominous aura. One waspletely ck from the hilt to the saber tip. The other waspletely red from the hilt to saber tip.

    Corey shifted his gaze from the sabers to the que that had their descriptions.

    [Dual Demonic Dual Sabers: A pair of demonic sabers that was gotten after the death of a high level demon. The sabers can unleash a ferocious might, but with its mightes a terrible curse.

    The red saberes with a curse where it avariciously absorbs the blood of whoever holds the saber.

    Meanwhile, for the ck saber, whatever injury is inflicted with the saber would be inflicted back on the owner.

    The abilities of the saber could not be fully explored due to nobody being able to withstand the curses of the two demonic sabers.

    It is said that no human would ever be able to wield these pair of demonic and terrifying sabers that has the potential to bring gods and demons to their knees.

    These demonic sabers are growth items. The red sabers feeds on the blood of the holder, and the ck saber feeds on the death of the owner''s enemies.

    Beware of the temptation of these sabers.]

    Corey''s eyes shined as he gazed at the dual demonic sabers. He looked at the sabers with a smile, and without hesitation, he stored the sabers in his Tri-Pupil Eyes.

    ''These sabers are perfect for me.''

    Corey''s smile resembled that of a devil as he looked at the previous spot of the dual demonic sabers.

    Corey was not too worried about the curses of the demonic sabers.

    Why?

    Because of two things.

    He was a Demi-Paragon, and he had the regeneration skill.

    The amount and purity of Corey''s blood had undergone a qualitative change after he absorbed the Paragon Ancestor''s blood essence.

    His heart produced way more blood than most other races, and the purity was amongst the highest, if not the highest.

    With this racial ability, Corey was not too worried about the curse of the red saber.

    As for the ck saber, Corey was a little worried about it. But, nevertheless, he was excited about the saber.

    Corey had the regeneration skill which enabled him to increase his regenerative abilities with his mana.

    Despite this ability, Corey was worried about one thing.

    ''With the ck saber''s curse, I don''t think I can kill behead or stab the heart of my enemies.''

    Despite this, Corey still maintained a smile.

    Although, Corey was not totally sure if he would be able to wield the demonic sabers with his current strength.

    But he was not too worried.

    ''If I can''t wield it now. I can wield itter.''

    Corey thought as he left the artifact section of the treasury.

    There was nothing else that interested him, and the only section left for him in the treasury was the skill section.

    ''Let''s see what goodies I can get in the skill section.''

    Corey smiled.

 Chapter 243 242: Confusion

    Chapter 243 242: Confusion

    As Corey walked to the skill section of the treasury, he could not help but anticipate what he would get from the skill section.

    The previous sections of the treasury had provided him with items that pleased him immensely, and the greed and happiness in his heart could not be surprised.

    He knew that if he was able to leave the treasury in one piece, he would be stronger. He would gain strength he desperately needed.

    A few momentster, Corey stood in front of multiple shelves that held countless skill crystals, ancient looking scrolls, and tomes.

    Corey''s eyes shined as he looked at the shelves.

    He looked at the skill crystal, then his gaze shifted to the scrolls and tomes.

    He activated his Eyes of Omniscience and the glint of excitement in Corey''s eyes grew. His gaze moved from a skill crystal to a scroll, then a tome. He continued inspecting the objects on the shelves for a few seconds, then he exhaled softly.

    ''Some scrolls and tomes emit an aura that gives me chills.''

    Corey frowned as he looked at some scrolls and tomes that made his instincts scream at him. Even when he looked at the Demonic Sabers, he never felt danger.

    But this.

    This made him wary of what abilities the tomes and scrolls would possess.

    Although, he was curious about what abilities the scrolls and tomes possessed, Corey would rather not risk his life just because of his greed.

    Corey looked away from the scrolls and tomes which gave him the chills, and he walked to an unremarkable looking scroll.

    His brows furrowed as he looked at the scroll, and a confused glint emerged in his eyes.

    ''This scroll is emitting the same aura as that strange key, the colossal creature in the ck sea, and Rhea.''

    Corey''s frown deepened when he realized that he had encountered two objects in the treasury which were most likely rted to Rhea and the colossal creature in the ck sea.

    ''What''s this by the way?''

    Corey''s gaze shifted to the que that held the description of the scroll.

    [Obscura Force: No other information asides from the name written on the scroll could be gotten from the scroll.]

    Corey raised his brows in surprise as he looked at the information written on the scroll.

    This was the second time he had seen something simr to what was written on the que. Just like the golden ne, the appraisers could not obtain information on the scroll.

    Corey did not know what skill the scroll possessed, but he didn''t care.

    Since the scroll had the possibility of being rted to Rhea, he was still going to take it.

    Corey ced his card before the barrier, and a secondter, the barrier disappeared. His Tri-Pupil Eyes glowed and the scroll disappeared.

    He looked around for a few seconds, then he walked to another shelf.

    This shelf was the shelf that possessed multiple scrolls and tomes that gave Corey goosebumps. It was also the shelf that emitted the highest concentration of energy.

    He stopped a few meters from the shelf, and he looked around.

    A few secondster, his eyes widened in surprise as he gazed at two grey crystals which emitted no aura.

    ''HAHAHAHAHA!''

    ''Skill Evolution Crystals!''

    Corey almostughed out loud when he realized that the two grey crystals were precisely skill evolution crystals which the Wandering Paragon- The old man, gave him.

    He had used the skill evolution crystal on his talent skill- Record, and the qualitative change on Record had been extremely useful to Corey.

    He didn''t think he would ever find another skill evolution crystal since he guessed that the crystals must be very rare.

    But surprisingly, the Underworld had two in their treasury.

    Corey ced his card in front of the barrier, and without hesitation, he transferred the two skill evolution crystals into his Tri-Pupil Eyes.

    ''Just these two skill evolution crystals were worthing to the treasury.''

    Corey had a wide grin on his face as he looked at the previous spot of the skill evolution crystals. He looked around with a greedy glint in his eyes, and a few secondster, he walked to a certain part of the shelf which had scrolls and tomes that emitted an ominous energy.

    Although, the energy around these scrolls and tomes were ominous, they were as not as ominous as the Demonic Sabers, talk less of the scrolls and tomes that gave Corey the chills.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    He gazed at two ancient looking tomes and a scroll.

    His gaze shifted from the tomes and scroll to the que beneath the first tome.

    [Cognitum Erasure: This tome contains a forbidden power that can erase specific memories and knowledge from individuals, altering their understanding of the world.]

    Corey raised his brows as he read the description of the first tome. He was shocked that such a useful skill would be left in the treasury and not be taken by the non-residents of the Underworld.

    He was sure that the skill was a very useful skill for anybody, but despite this, the tome was left in the treasury.

    After thinking about it, Corey guessed that the skill probably had a huge drawback like the Demonic Sabers.

    Though, he could not help but wonder why the drawback was not added to the que.

    ''Whatever. I''ll still keep the skill. I can study itter.''

    Corey shrugged, then he transferred the tome to his Tri-Pupil Eyes.

    His gaze moved to the que underneath the second tome.

    [Soul Entropy: A forbidden skill that elerates the decay of a person''s essence, shortening their life span. Has the potential to affect an individual''s soul.]

    Corey stroked his chin as he looked at the tome with slightly furrowed brows.

    ''I don''t get.''

    ''These skills are clearly powerful and useful skills. But why are they left here?''

    ''Why isn''t anybody interested in them?''

    Corey looked at the tome for a few seconds, then he transferred the tome to his Tri-Pupil Eyes.

    ''It doesn''t matter. I''ll still take these tomes regardless of the reason for them being left out here.''

    ''I can study themter.''

    Corey thought, then he looked at thest scroll which had piqued his interest. His gaze shifted to the que.

    [Painful Echo: This scroll contains a sinister skill where the pain from the initial striek lingers and magnifies with subsequent hits.]

    ''This is basically a skill for torture.''

    Corey chuckled, then he stored the scroll in his Tri-Pupil Eyes.

    ''Let''s see what else is here.''

    He looked around, then his eyesnded on a different shelf.

    Corey took a step forward, and just as he took the step¡­

    BOOM!!

 Chapter 244 243: SHES HERE!

    Chapter 244 243: SHE''S HERE!

    The cacophony erupted with a thunderous roar, a symphony of decibels colliding in chaotic harmony. The very fabric of silence in the Emporium had been violently torn apart, reced by a visceral explosion of sound.

    The deafening resonance reverberated through the air, shaking the foundations of the surroundings and leaving an indelible imprint on the senses of every individual that heard it.

    Each reverberation carried with it a palpable force, an auditory assault that seemed to demand attention from every corner of existence. It wasn''t merely noise; it was a forceful intrusion, a sonic tempest that left eardrums trembling and a lingering sense of disquiet in its wake

    Corey''s heart pounded in extreme shock, as he heard the sound of death beneath him. He struggled to maintain his bnce, and after he did, he looked around with a baffled expression.

    ''WHAT THE-''

    [KID!]

    Corey''s eyes moved, and in his vision, he saw Divine sprinting towards him with the deepest frown he had ever seen.

    [What''s going on?!]

    Corey asked, as he could not help but wonder why the hell an explosion urred beneath the treasury.

    ''If my guess is correct. And I hope it''s not.''

    ''The direction of the explosion is at the location of the manager''s office.''

    Corey''s eyes darkened, and Divine appeared before him.

    [We need to leave. NOW!]

    Divine shouted with an urgent tone and expression. Without waiting for Corey''s reply, he grabbed Corey''s hand and he activated his Vanishing Ring.

    [What''s going on Divine?]

    Corey questioned as he looked around with a deep frown. He could hear rms ring to life, disrupting the peace and quiet of the Emporium.

    He could also hear the shouts of the guards of the Emporium.

    ''What the hell is going on?''

    [Somebody tried to sneak into the manager''s office. And the person failed miserably.]

    Corey''s eyes widened slightly when he heard Divine''s words.

    Never in his life did he think that there would be somebody that was brave and stupid enough to try and rob the manager''s office.

    Yes, they had also done the same thing, but at least, they didn''t cause such amotion.

    When he thought of the type of people that were in the Underworld, his surprise reduced.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Most of the residents of the Underworld were not okay mentally, and he wouldn''t be surprised if one of them decided to do something as absurd as robbing the manager''s office.

    [Do you know who might have done it?]

    Corey asked, and Divine shook his head.

    Divine quickly brought out two transparent cloaks, and he gave one to Corey.

    [We''re going to phase through the floors.]

    [We don''t have the time to wait. The manager is on her way.]

    Divine said as he ced the cloak over his shoulders.

    [How long do we have?]

    Corey asked after wearing the cloak.

    Divine shook his head, and with a grim expression, he spoke:

    [I don''t know. At most thirty seconds.]

    [SHIT!]

    Corey cursed as he looked at the remaining skill crystals, tomes and scrolls left on the shelves with greed and desire.

    [I''ll advise you not to do that. The manager would be able to track the spatial activity back to us if you store any object now.]

    Divine warned, and Corey gritted his teeth in anger and regret.

    There were still many tomes, scrolls, and skill crystals that emitted an aura he was interested in. But, unfortunately, he could not take anymore or he''d risk their safety which was already in danger.

    [Let''s go.]

    Divine said, then he injected his mana into Corey.

    Knowing that Nina had taken back her mana, Corey epted Divine''s mana which felt¡­ impurepared to Nina''s.

    He dispelled the unnecessary thoughts that were about to pop into his head, then he poured Divine''s mana into the cloak.

    A secondter, the duo phased through the floor.

    They appeared on the manager''s floor, and they both looked at the manager''s office.

    They could see smoke appearing from the door, and in front of the door was a terribly burnt man.

    The man had an expression of despair. His head fell and his eyesnded on the spot Divine and Corey were present.

    Although, Divine and Corey were sure the man could not see them since the man was just a tier 3. They could see his expression of regret, fear, and pleading.

    [Let''s go.]

    Divine quickly said, bringing Corey out of his thoughts as he looked at the man.

    They quickly phased through the floor. The instant the duonded on the floor, a terrible and immense pressure immediately engulfed the entire Emporium.

    [SHE''S HERE!]

    Divine eximed with shock as he gazed at the celing of the floor they were on.

    Corey shifted his gaze from the ceiling to the chaotic and numerous Emporium Guards which were running to the manager''s office.

    [She isn''t searching the entire Emporium yet. We have to reach the toilets in the next ten seconds!]

    Divine spoke with visible panic and without waiting for Corey''s reply, he dragged Corey along with him as he phased through every floor without stop.

    As Divine kept phasing through every floor, he could not help but curse the group that decided to infiltrate the manager''s office.

    Even after Divine saw the terribly injured man at the front of the manager''s office, Divine was 99% sure that the infiltration into the manager''s office was done by a group and not just one person.

    ''A tier 3 cannot have the confidence to infiltrate into a tier 6 office. It has to be a group.''

    Divine frowned.

    ''Unless the tier 3 was absolutely mental.''

    One of the reasons why Divine was 99% certain that the incident was orchestrated by a group was because the information on the absence of all tier 4 and above Underworld officials was not known to the public.

    Only a select few were privy to such an information, and he was sure that a tier 3 he didn''t recognize was not among the few.

    As for the reason why his certainty was 99% instead of 100% was because, from experience, anything could happen.

    He had experienced unbelievable situations in his life which made him believe that there were times, something unexpected and unbelievablecould happen.

    So, who knew, maybe the tier 3 was actually crazy and decided to rob the manager''s office on the day she was not around.

    Seven seconds passed, and Divine and Corey finally reached the ground floor.

    Without hesitation, they ran past the baffled and horror stricken guards at the toilets.

    Divine dispelled the effects of his vanishing ring, and he quickly removed his ugly chicken mask.

    Corey also followed suit, and before the duo could exhale in relief.

    "LOCK DOWN THE ENTIRE EMPORIUM!"

    "NOBODY IS ALLOWED TO LEAVE AND ENTER!"

 Chapter 245 244: Seven Figures

    Chapter 245 244: Seven Figures

    (Some minutes before the explosion)

    In an extremelyrge room that seemingly had no end were countless individuals of great powers. Most of them possessed the power to ttenrge buildings, and cities with ease.

    The room where power congregates was a sight to behold. Vaulted ceilings soar high above, adorned with intricate golden filigree that weaves intricate patterns, symbolizing the interwoven destinies and fates affected by the individuals gathered within. The walls, draped in sumptuous tapestries, depicted ancient legends and forgotten wars, each thread whispering of history and legacy.

    At the heart of this grand space lies a massive, ornate table carved from a single piece of iridescent marble. Its surface, polished to a reflective sheen, mirrors the weighty deliberations that unfold upon it. Surrounding this imposing centerpiece were seats enough to amodate the gathering of powerful figures.

    Seated at the head of the grand table, each chair distinct and meticulously crafted, were seven figures who held the strings of the fate of countless individuals.

    Although, their appearances were blurry and radiated different colors of light. The immense pressure that was radiated by the seven figures made the countless individuals beneath them to know of the immense power they held.

    The Primarch of Elements was perched upon an intricately carved chair that seemed to embody the swirling dance of mes and storms. Behind them, a grand tapestry emzoned with representations of the elemental forces billows gently, signifying their unparalleledmand over nature.

    The Celestial Oracle upied a seat adorned with cosmic motifs, reminiscent of stars and constetions. The chair seemed to hum softly, mirroring the ethereal energy that emanated from the Oracle''s very presence. Above them, an intricate chandelier casts a celestial glow, casting otherworldly shadows upon the room.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    The Arcane Hierophant sat upon a throne adorned with ancient runes and arcane symbols. The chair seemed to pulse faintly, reflecting the profound magical energies that surround the Hierophant. An array of crystal orbs suspended above bathes the area in a mesmerizing, ambient light.

    The Warlord of Shadows upied a chair shrouded in darkness, seemingly carved from obsidian and lined with intricate motifs that seem to disappear into the void. Their presence seemed to engulf the seat in a veil of controlled darkness, casting a subtle but discernible shroud over the immediate surroundings.

    The Tech Savant sat upon a chair of sleek, metallic design, subtly humming with the pulse of technological innovation. Around them, holographic projections disy intricate blueprints andplex data streams, a testament to the fusion of theirmand over both the tangible and the digital.

    The Ethereal Muse was seated upon a throne that seemed to embody artistry, draped in luminescent, flowing fabrics that resemble a canvas in motion. A soft melody seemed to emanate from the chair itself, resonating the very essence of creative inspiration and profound artistic mastery.

    The Sovereign Arbiter presides over a regal seat, embellished with motifs representing justice and order. A subtle, pulsating aura exudes a sense of control and governance, reflecting the Arbiter''smand over the intricate systems that maintain bnce and structure.

    Beneath these seven figures of great authority were the Mystical Underworld Officials who were seated on simple in chairs.

    The atmosphere in the room was charged with a palpable energy, a fusion of reverence, tension, and the weight of imminent decisions that would shape the course of worlds and destinies. For instance, that of the Underworld and New Earth.

    [If I''m not mistaken. Something which is an impossibility. You don''t want us to kill you for the death of the previous care taker of the breeding nurseries?]

    A regal voice which could not be discerned as either male or female resounded from the figure of the Sovereign Arbiter.

    Although, its figure could not be seen, all knew that the figure was looking at a man who wore a blood red suit and a clown mask on his face.

    The man with the clown mask- The Clown was bound in chains that were made out of light. He stayed afloat in the air, held by a power none of the Underworld officials could perceive.

    Although, The Clown''s face could not be seen, his body exuded an aura that showed he was not fearful of the seven figures who had the ability to end his existence in the blink of an eye.

    The Clown chuckled, further showing his nonchnce at his condition and the presence of the seven figures.

    "You know. It''s actually funny when you say it like that. Makes it seem like the director was a nursery school teacher."

    lights¦­¦Ïvel.c¦Ïm [You dare mock one of my students?]

    The Arcane Hierophant''s voice boomed, and the ears and nose of most individuals bled. Groans of pain resounded from the sea of Underworld officials beneath, but the none of the seven figures spared a nce at the Underworld officials.

    Augh escaped the lips of The Clown, and most were appalled by the fact that The Clown still had the nerve tough even when they could seerge amounts of blood pouring out from his ears and his mask.

    They could see the amount of pain some individuals were going through, but even when the main target of the Arcane Hierophant''s attack was obviously The Clown, he showed no signs of being in pain.

    And he still had the audacity tough!

    [Please stay your hand Hierophant of the Arcane. At least let''s hear what he has to say.]

    [I''m also curious as to how a tier 4 ant like him could defeat your student.]

    The Sovereign Arbiter''s regal voice echoed in the room, and everybody could see the figure of the Arcane Hierophant fluctuate.

    Obviously, the Arcane Hierophant was still angry and he wanted to teach The Clown a lesson he would never forget.

    [I grant you the permission to speak mortal.]

    The Clown nced at the Arcane Hierophant for a second before shifting his gaze to the Sovereign Arbiter. His eyes behind his clown mask glinting with a calcting gaze.

    "I know what you guys are truly after on New Earth."

    [Oh. Continue. What are we truly after on your lowly?]

    The Sovereign Arbiter''s voice contained a tinge of amusement when The Clown spoke.

    His gaze held a light of curiosity as he gazed at The Clown. Even the remaining six figures of authority had gazes of curiosity and amusement as they gazed at The Clown.

    The Clown looked at each and every one of the seven figures, and with a tone that definitely contained a smirk behind his mask, The Clown spoke:

    "You want the world''s core."

    [A/N: PLEASE DON''T UNLOCK THE NEXT CHAPTER YET. I DIDN''T HAVE THE TIME TO WRITE THE SECOND CHAPTER BEFORE THE TIME LIMIT ON WEBNOVEL, AND I DON''T WANT TO LOSE WIN-WIN FOR THIS MONTH.

    I PROMISE TO UPLOAD TWO MORE CHAPTERS WHEN I''M FREE. I''M SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.]

 Chapter 246 245: Calista

    Chapter 246 245: Calista

    "You want the world''s core."

    The instant those words left The Clown''s lips, the already stifling atmosphere became worse.

    The atmosphere was one of eerie silence, interrupted only by the faint murmurs and gasps of those gathered. The setting, a once-grand asion to have a meeting with the seven Divine beings, now felt suffocating, as if the air itself had thickened with the weight of the events that had unfolded.

    In the sea of the Underworld officials, there were five individuals whose presence invoked a feeling of¡­ mysticism.

    These five individuals were at the forefront of the Underworld officials, and no Underworld official dared to stay in a 100m radius of the five individuals.

    If not for the presence of the five divine beings, the presence of these five individuals would have taken the attention of every single being in this grand hall.

    Well, except The Clown.

    The person at the foremost left was a male who sports a rugged beard that frames his square jawline. His hazel eyes held a mischievous glint, contrasting with his otherwise serious demeanor.

    This man was known as The Timeless Artisan. He was known as the creator and architect of the of the Underworld.

    Next to the Timeless Artisan was a female. She had a unique birthmark in the shape of a crescent moon on her left temple, blending seamlessly with her olive skin. Her short, curly ck hair entuated her vibrant, expressive eyes.

    lights¦­¦Ïvel.c¦Ïm This person was known as the The Whispering Schr, an Underworld official that loved to unlock the mysteries of forgotten civilizations with a fervor that borders obsession.

    Next to the Whispering Schr was a male. He had an intricate tattoo of an old-fashionedpass etched on his left forearm, intertwining with his olive skin. His wavy blue hair fell casually over his forehead, barely covering his deep blue eyes.

    His aura mirrored the fluidity of the seas. His eyes reflected the depth of oceanic mysteries, and his movements flowed like the undting tides. d in robes reminiscent of aquatic hues. He possessed the water and prophecy.

    He was known as the Aquatic Seer. The person in charge of observing the fate of the Underworld, and certain parts of New Earth.

    Standing beside the Aquatic Seer was a man whose stature resembled the steadfastness of the mountains. His gaze exuded the resilience of unyielding stone, and his every step resonated with the solidity of the earth. d in armor that echoed the terrain, he appeared as a guardian of stability, possessing the power to manipte the very bedrock beneath the feet of men.

    This man was known as The Earthbound Sentinel. He was the guardian of the Underworld. The person who protected the Underworld from the attacks of outside forces.

    Thest person was a female, whose most distinctive feature was her naturally two-toned hair- half jet ck and half tinum blonde, styled in an asymmetrical bob. Her bright blue eyes stood out against her unconventional hair color.

    Her blue eyes contained wisdom that was soul stirring, and a boundlessness that made one to feel¡­ inferior.

    This woman was none other than the Manager of the Emporium, Calista.

    Although, the beauty of the manager could cause Empires and Kingdoms to rise and fall, the manager''s current expression was one of anger and disbelief.

    ''What''s wrong with that mad man?''

    The manager had a scowl on her face as she could feel the immense pressure that was radiated by the seven divine beings.

    Although, she could not see the faces of the seven divine beings, she could sense shock, disbelief, and killing intent from the seven figures.

    ''First, he angers The Arcane Hierophant by mocking Ss who was one of The Arcane Hierophant''s favorite students. And now, he dares to spill their goals to the public.''

    ''Doesn''t he fear death?''

    The manager clicked her tongue in anger as she looked at The Clown who exuded an aura of confidence and fearlessness.

    ''Just because he killed Ss, he''s grown cocky.''

    [Hey Calista. Aren''t you wondering how this hybrid knows the goal of the Divines.]

    A mental transmission flowed into the manager''s mind, and she nced at the Whispering Schr, Lysander.

    [Honestly, I''m not too surprised about that. That hybrid has too many oddities.]

    Calista replied as she looked at The Clown.

    Ever since they heard of the death of Ss at the hands of The Clown, the five of them were shocked.

    Ss was one of the strongest, if not the strongest amongst them, and they could not fathom how The Clown had sessfully killed him.

    Having the position of the director of the Underworld was not something that was given. But something that was earned.

    The five tier 6''s had the intention of killing The Clown, but to the extreme shock of every one of them, The Clown was able to take control of the main formations of the Underworld.

    The person who was the most shocked amongst them was the Timeless Artisan, the man who had regarded the Underworld as his baby and life''s work.

    Controlling the main formations of the Underworld was meant to be an impossible feat for The Clown, since the Timeless Artisan had ced several security measures to make sure not just anybody could control the formations.

    But to the Timeless extreme shock and anger, The Clown had done so, and he wanted nothing more than to kill The Clown for sullying his greatest creation.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    With the main formations of the Underworld in the control of The Clown, they could not kill The Clown. They had no other choice but to stay their hands, and wait for their superiors to take action.

    Asides from the fact that The Clown did the impossible by controlling the main formations of the Underworld, Calista and the rest had noticed a lot of oddities in The Clown.

    They called him a hybrid because they could sense a lot of strange bloodlines in his body. These bloodlines should have destroyed The Clown''s body thoroughly.

    The Clown made some strange decisions, which some would consider stupid and crazy, but in a way, was also smart.

    There we so many oddities about The Clown, and it disturbed the five a lot.

    To Calista, The Clown was a smart psychopath. A trait, which unnerved her deeply.

    ''He''s a very dangerous individual that needs to be killed.''

 Chapter 247 246: Blessed Planet

    Chapter 247 246: Blessed

    During the time when The Clown exposed the goal of the seven Divines to the present Underworld officials, only two seconds had passed.

    The thoughts of Calista and the telepathicmunication between Calista and Lysander the Whispering Schr was so quick to the point that a beings below the mystic realm could not fathom.

    Two seconds was a lot of time for beings like them who were tier 6. Talk less of the Divines who were in a tier they could only dream of.

    [Hey Calista. Do you think the Divines would kill that physchopath.]

    Lysandra''s voice echoed in Calista''s mind, and without looking at her, Calista shook her head.

    [Oh? Why do you say so?]

    Lysandra asked with an expressionced with curiosity.

    [Pride and confidence. The seven Divines are very prideful.]

    [Even though they know that the hybrid has a n. They have so much confidence in themselves to destroy every single one of his ns.]

    [And why wouldn''t they? They possess powers beyond the realm ofmon sense.]

    [They''ll most likely hear him out, and if what he says is appealing to them. They''ll allow him to live.]

    [Their desire for the world''s core is definitely more than the love they have for their rtives.]

    [I''m sure they''d even sacrifice their loved ones for the world''s core.]

    [They''d even sacrifice us to gain possession of the world''s core.]

    A light smile slowly appeared on the lips of Lysandra when she heard Calista''s voice.

    [You don''t seem to worried about the fact that your superiors could sacrifice you for their desire?]

    Calista nced at Lysandra.

    [Are you not the same?]

    Lysandra smiled.

    Why were the Seven Divines so obsessed with the world''s core of New Earth?

    The answer to this was just one thing.

    The presence of Wishes.

    Most natives might not know, but their was very special.

    For a to be favoured by the Universal System was something that urred once in a blue moon.

    The possibility of a to be favoured by the Universal System was so low, that ever since the Universal System appeared, which was over a billion years ago, only 50s have being recorded to be favored by the Universal System.

    And ording to the records, Around 70% of thes that were favored by the Universal System produced individuals that almost shook and shook the foundations of the Universe.

    In the beginning, the beings at the ''peak'' of the universe became wary ofs that were favored by the Universal System since thoses could produce individuals with mind-boggling powers.

    But, there was a nameless being who took control of 27th blessed. The being took the world''s core, and many yearster, the being came out much stronger than before.

    As for the fate of that?

    It became history.

    In one of the nameless being''s records, he stated that the core of a blessed had countless benefits and uses.

    The being even stated that if one was lucky, they could be granted a wish by using the world''s core.

    After the records of the nameless being was found, countless powerful beings began looking for blesseds.

    Five blesseds were destroyed due to the wars that were waged to gain possession of a blessed''s core.

    Some were able to obtain a blessed''s core, while some blesseds were destroyed as a result.

    When the 40th blessed was formed, the Universal System ced several defensive measures around blesseds and their cores.

    One of the defensive measures was that foreigners from other worlds could not attack the natives of a blessed unless when they were attacked first.

    If a foreigner attacked a native of a blessed, they would suffer serious punishments or would most likely die.

    This was one of the reasons why The Pope could not kill Corey after he killed the clone of the Right Guardian.

    One of the defensive measures that was ced on a blessed''s core was that the core could only be taken by a pure native of the blessed.

    Pure in the sense that the native does not possess the bloodline of an outsider.

    There were other defensive measures ced on blesseds and their cores, and these defensive measures made it difficult for the beings at the ''peak'' to obtain a blessed''s core.

    Difficult¡­ but not impossible.

    If not because of the defensive measures set by the Universal System, one could only imagine the magnitude of the chaos that would have befallen New Earth.

    ''Even though you''re high up there. So many of you have been killed by those below you.''

    ''You prideful fake gods would fall soon.''

    A glint appeared in the eyes of Calista as she stared at the seven blurry figures of the Divines. The Aquatic Seer subtly nced at Calista, but he said nothing.

    Three seconds of dreadful silence had passed since the moment The Clown exposed the goals of the seven Divines.

    lights¦­¦Ïvel.c¦Ïm The weakest Underworld Officials were bing ufortable since bearing three seconds of the pressure emanated by the seven Divines was bing increasingly difficult.

    Another second passed, and just as Calista perceived that The Arcane Hierophant was about to speak, her face drastically changed.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    The rm formations she had ced in her office was triggered.

    "I''m sorry. But I have to take my leave."

    Calista spoke out loud, and without waiting for a response, she vanished. Much to the shock of everybody that was present.

    The Sovereign Arbiter figure exuded a displeased aura. The blurry figure shifted, and just as The Sovereign Arbiter was about to take action, Calista''s voice rang out in the grand hall.

    "Somebody is trying to steal the map and rob the treasury."

    Hearing Calista''s words, the brows of everybody were raised.

    The Underworld still had such foolish people?

    "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

    "What''s so funny ant?"

    The Arcane Hierophant voice boomed and a huge amount of pressurended on The Clown.

    Even when The Clown bled and his bones broke, The Clown kept onughing, much to the ire of The Arcane Hierophant.

    "Calm your titties you old fuck."

    "I''m just suprised that there are fools that dare to rob that woman''s territory."

    The Clown said, and without caring about therge amount of energy that was exuded by the Arcane Hierophant, he looked at the remaining six Divines.

    "Do you want me to tell you how I can help you with the core?"

    The Clown asked, and the six figures nodded. A perceivable scowl appeared on the face of the Arcane Hierophant when the figure realized that the remaining Divines were curious about the words of the ant before them.

    "Speak mortal."

    The Sovereign Arbiter said, and The Clown grinned behind his mask.

 Chapter 248 247: Shock and Rage

    Chapter 248 247: Shock and Rage

    When the explosion resounded across the Emporium, Divine, Corey, and every other person thought that the explosion was the work of one of the manager''s formations.

    They all thought that the explosion was a result of an attack from one of the formations of the manager.

    But the manager, Calista, knew that was not the case.

    Why would she ever ce an explosive formation in her abode?

    She had a lot of precious objects she regarded as her babies in her office, and she would not want even the slightest damage to appear on her babies.

    None of her formations were meant to be explosive!

    The only exnation was that the intruder had used explosives in her office.

    The thought of the current condition of her babies and office worried her deeply.

    She wished she could reach her office faster despite the fact that two seconds had not passed since she abruptly left the grand hall.

    As she shuttled through space at a blistering speed, she quickly connected with her pet spider which was luckily still alive. Her pet spider transmitted what had transpired in her office, and the expression on her face was bone-chilling.

    (Inside The Manager''s Office)

    The mirror inside Calista''s office glowed, andplex runes shimmered on the wooden frame of the mirror.

    Like a fish jumping out a pond, Calista came out from the mirror in a sh.

    She looked around, and her expression froze.

    The aftermath of the intense explosion in the Calista''s office was a scene of controlled chaos. The once meticulously organized and opulent spacey in disarray, scattered remnants bearing witness to the destructive force that had torn through the sanctum of her authority.

    The room, designed to exude an aura of power and wealth, now bore the scars of the explosion. The walls, adorned with intricate tapestries depicting scenes of cosmic wonders, were singed and torn, the remnants fluttered in the aftermath of the st. The ceiling, once a masterpiece of vaulted design, now bore cracks and fissures, a testament to the force that had shaken its very foundation.

    Her grand desk, a symbol of control and authority,y shattered, its imposing form reduced to a chaotic jumble of splintered wood and twisted metal. Papers that once held the secrets of trade and power now danced in the air, charred and fluttering amidst the remnants of the once-imposing furniture.

    However, amidst the havoc, a distinct pattern emerged. The remnants of glowing formations, flickering and pulsating with a defiant luminescence, revealed a glimmer of hope amid the devastation. The protective defensive formations she had meticulously crafted, though breached, still glowed with an ethereal light, a testament to their valiant attempt to shield the remaining treasures within the office.

    The remaining treasures, though showing signs of being on the brink of destruction, were surrounded by these flickering formations, creating a visible barrier of protection. The shimmering energies, pulsing and wavering, indicated the formations were still engaged in their protective duty, emanating a soft hum that echoed the resilience of the defensive spells.

    The air itself crackled with residual energies, a remnant of the defensive barriers that had valiantly attempted to shield the treasures. Fragments of protective glyphs and runes, now scorched and smoldering, spoke of the mighty barriers that had been erected and, despite the breach, continued to fight to preserve what remained within their fading boundaries.

    The scene, a juxtaposition of chaos and steadfast defense, bore testament to Calista''s relentless efforts to safeguard her treasures, even in the face of the audacious intrusion that had vited the sanctity of her domain.

    As the realization dawned upon Celista that an audacious intrusion had urred within the sanctum of her office, her expression transformed from one ofposed authority to a visage of controlled but palpable fury and incredulity.

    Her countenance, usually an epitome of stoicmand, shifted imperceptibly but powerfully. Her eyes, often bearing the weight of wisdom and assurance, now held a sharp glint, an unmistakable ze of intense scrutiny.

    They pierced through the unfolding chaos with a focus that spoke of an unyielding resolve, searing with a mix of outrage and disbelief at the audacity of the intrusion.

    Celista''s features, usuallyposed in an almost regal calm, contorted subtly, revealing the strain of maintaining a fa?ade of unwavering control. A tightening of her jawline bespoke the internal storm brewing within, the pressure of maintaining the delicate bnce of authority now tested by this breach of her domain

    Celista waved her hand, and the fiery mes which threatened to destroy her precious babies vanished.

    ''These mes could kill any tier 4 with ease.''

    ''And the explosion could cause serious injuries to a tier 5 if caught off guard.''

    Celista furrowed her brows in contemtion, and her gazended on the tier 3 despair stricken man.

    She only used a second to nce at the man, then she looked away with a pondering expression.

    ''This should be the work of another person, or a group of individuals.''

    ''But the question is who? And...''

    ''What was their goal?''

    Celista nced at the map of the underworld and her expression darkened.

    The formation which showed a fake diagram of the map had been tampered with. Although, the tampering was subtle. Celista, who possessed a vast knowledge when it came to formation and the likes, knew when her formation had been tampered with.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    She waved her hand, and in the blink of an eye, every object in the room except for the mirror vanished.

    With a dark expression, she walked into the mirror.

    In a hidden corner of the treasury, there was a simr mirror to the one in her office. The mirror rippled like water, and the figure of Celista emerged from the mirror.

    She looked around, and the frown on her face deepened.

    ''The energy level of the treasury has reduced.''

    Celista thought, then she used the skill- Scan.

    "God damn it. Those useless fools!"

    A shout filled with anger shook the treasury, and numerous treasures in the treasury fell due to the vast amount of energy that was produced by the Manager of the Emporium.

    "LOCK DOWN THE ENTIRE EMPORIUM!"

    "NOBODY IS ALLOWED TO LEAVE OR ENTER!"

 Chapter 249 248: Inspection

    Chapter 249 248: Inspection

    In the tumultuous aftermath of the explosion, Calista''s voice pierced through the chaos with an air of unwavering authority.

    Her words cut through the din with a tone that brooked no argument, carrying amanding power that demanded immediate attention from every corner of the Emporium. With an undertone of pride, her voice resonated with a deep sense of control, exuding an unshakable confidence that reflected her elevated status.

    Every being present in the Emporium shook due to the immense power that was present in her voice, and Corey and Divine were no exceptions.

    [EVERY INDIVIDUAL IN THE EMPORIUM SHOULD ASSEMBLE AT THE GROUND FLOOR!.]

    [THE STAFFS ARE NOT EXEMPTED FROM THIS!]

    Corey looked at Divine with a deep frown, and a trace of anxiety in his eyes.

    Although, he knew that his Tri-Pupil Eyes were special, and knowledge of its abilities was probably not known to the public.

    Nothing was certain.

    He didn''t know what abilities a tier 6 being had, and neither did he know what abilities and knowledge the manager had.

    He didn''t want to take the chance. The consequences of the manager noticing his Tri-Pupil Eyes or even inspecting him was something that would definitely lead to his demise.

    His body had a lot of secrets, and he was 100% certain that he would face a terrible and pitying end if his secrets were found out.

    He hoped that Divine had a way to avoid the inspection of the Emporium Manager.

    "Let''s go."

    Corey face darkened, and with an unwilling expression, he followed Divine who was exiting the toilet.

    As the duo walked down the corridor of the toilet, Divine spoke with a tone that was not too loud, and not too low.

    "We''re in the domain of the manager."

    Corey looked at Divine who said nothing else, and Corey frowned.

    Though, Divine said nothing else. Corey could infer a few things from Divine''s words.

    The Emporium had most likely be the domain of the manager, and she could probably sense everything that was ongoing in the Emporium.

    The manager could most likely hear and see everything that was being said in the Emporium.

    He didn''t know if the manager could perceive it if theymunicated using Mind Link, but if Divine dared not tomunicate with that, who was he to try and use it.

    ''Let''s just hope it goes well.''

    Corey thought, and a few secondster, they exited the corridor.

    Corey looked around, and he noticed that the ipetent toilet guards were nowhere to be seen.

    His gaze shifted from the normal location of the toilet guards to the countless individuals that were pouring into the ground floor they were currently on.

    He could spot displeased, fearful, awe-filled, and confused expressions on the countless individals around them.

    "Let''s move closer to the front."

    Divine said and Corey nodded.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    It didn''t really matter whether they stayed at the back, middle or front. If the manager had a way of figuring out that they intruded her office and stole from the treasury, then staying in any location didn''t really matter.

    In fact, leaving the Emporium early was much better in case any unforseen situations happened that could implicate them.

    Corey and Divine moved closer to the front of the crowd. They could hear whispers travelling around the crowd, with most wondering what was going on.

    Although, they all heard the explosions from above, most could never have imagined that the Emporium''s treasury had been robbed, and the manager''s office had been intruded into.

    To most here, attempting to rob the treasury and the manager''s office was a death sentence. And the majority of them did not have a death sentence.

    Corey looked away from the Emporium customers to the guards, and he saw many of them having grave expressions, while some had fearful expressions.

    Especially the four guards that were in charge of the treasury.

    He could easily guess the reason for their expressions.

    They had failed in their duty, and with the nature of the Underworld, their lives would never be the same from today.

    That is if they still kept their lives.

    A minute went by, and just as everybody was wondering where the manager was, and what was going to happen to them, they all instinctively looked up.

    Nobody told them to.

    But they just knew. They just knew that a presence was above them.

    And this presence invoked a feeling of powerlessness, fear, and awe in the hearts of most individuals present.

    THUD!

    Every guard of the Emporium instantly fell on their two knees with their heads lowered.

    A sign of fear and reverence.

    Corey nced at the guards, and he saw a few dripping with sweat all over the body. As he observed the guards'' reactions and the intensity of the moment, Corey realized the immense power that Calista held.

    ''If the mortal Emporium guards are this respectful. Then, the mystic Emporium guards should be the same.''

    A few secondster, he shifted his gaze to the figure above, and his face became solemn.

    ''So that''s the manager.''

    The manager, Calista, had the most beautiful appearance Corey had ever seen.

    Her asymmetrical bob haircut perfectly framed her face, with one side jet ck and the other tinum blonde, creating a mesmerizing contrast.

    Her bright blue eyes, sparkling with wisdom, seemed to pierce through any conversation, conveying a sense of boundless knowledge and experience. Her gaze carried a depth that left one feeling both captivated and somewhat inferior, as if standing in the presence of an individual of immense understanding.

    In terms of her attire, Calista adorned herself in elegant, flowing garments that blend a touch of mystique with a professional air. She wore a long, flowing trouser which was colored white, paired with an intricately shirt.

    On her neck was a blue gem that had the same shade as that of her eye. On her left ear was a ck earring, and on the left side was a golden earring.

    The choice of her attire consistently resonated with a style that''s both sophisticated and enigmatic, mirroring her personality and the essence of the Emporium she oversees.

    As for her physical stature, Calista carried herself with a graceful poise, standing at an average height. Her assets were moderately sized, making her stature fit for various physical activities.

    Her demeanor exuded confidence and authority.

    Seeing Calista up in the air, Corey frowned.

    ''So this is a tier 6.''

 Chapter 251 250: Use Of The Universal Brand

    Chapter 251 250: Use Of The Universal Brand

    The instant Calista showed her right hand which was glowing with an indigo colored light, Divine and Corey''s expression became ugly.

    lights¦­¦Ïvel.c¦Ïm Especially Divine''s.

    As for Corey, deep in his eyes was a strange glint. Though, his expression remained the same.

    ''A level 6 Universal Brand.''

    Corey''s eyes glinted with a tinge of curiousity, apprehension, and subtle relief.

    There were lots of information on the status screen of every individual that hade into contact with the universal system.

    One of them was the Universal Brand.

    The Universal Brand was known to have seven colors, which were correspondent to seven levels.

    Red for level one.

    Orange for level two.

    Yellow for level three.

    Green for level four.

    Blue for level five.

    Indigo for level six.

    And Violet for level seven.

    The Universal Brand was one of the most mysterious information that was on the status screen. The Universal Brand was something that made every individual to be directly connected with the Universal System, and the higher the level of the brand, the closer the person gets to the Universal System.

    There were instances where one would not be able to ess certain information because the level of their Universal Brand was too low to ess such information.

    Information was not the only thing one would gain ess to the higher their brand.

    Power

    Authority

    The higher ones brand, the more authority and power was granted to them. The Universal System ced more attention on individuals with high brand levels, and there was a rumor that those with extremely high brand levels couldmunicate with the Universal System.

    Corey did not know ifmunicating with the Universal System was possible. He had read all of these in one of the books he recorded from the library in the outer area of the city of sin.

    The author of the book wrote extensively on the Universal Brand. He wrote down proven facts, theories, his own thoughts and theories.

    One of the proven facts the author wrote down was that if a person''s brand level was high enough, they could request for a person''s stats and personal information from the Universal System.

    Though, it seemed the person would have to pay a huge price, depending on the value of the information.

    When Corey read this, he was shocked to the core because he realized that if a person with a high enough brand level was curious about him, that person could look for his information using the Universal System.

    After realizing this, Corey came to three conclusions:

    One, he removed the Universal from his body. Something which was impossible considering his pitiful strength and knowledge.

    He could ask Nina to remove the brand for him, but he was hundred percent sure she would reject his request.

    She had stated before that she would not help Corey with a lot of things. Even if his life was threatened, and he was about to die, she would not help him. She would leave him to die.

    As for why she helped him in the treasury, it was due to her curiousity on the finger he took from the corpse.

    The second conclusion Corey came to was that he would have to increase his brand level at a rapid pace. But, asides from when he got his talent- Omniscience, and when he tiered up, his brand level had never increased.

    ording to the author of the book on Universal Brands, the level of a Universal Brand could only increase when the tier of a person increases, or in rare cases, when an individual does something that affects the entire universe positively.

    Corey did not know any other way to increase his brand level, so that idea was basically scrapped.

    His third conclusion was that he found a power that could negate the abilities of the Universal Brand, but finding a power like that was definitely going to be a difficult endeavor.

    When Corey realized that he could do nothing to do the Universal Brand, he always kept it at the back of his mind that an extremely powerful individual could get his information with ease.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Corey looked at the manager who was looking at Divine with a light, and ''harmless'' smile.

    "I have secrets that are ced in my inventory."

    Divine gritted his teeth as he spoke, and the manager cocked her head to the side.

    "And you think I care?"

    "Open your inventory to me willingly, or I open it with force and then I kill you regardless of the result."

    Divine''s expression turned cold, and with a snort he clenched his fist, then he opened it a few secondster.

    A palm sized cube appeared on Divine''s left hand. Corey looked at it, and he noticed countless miniature sized objects in the cube.

    Nobody told him, but Corey knew that the cube was Divine''s inventory, and the miniature sized objects were Divine''s posessions.

    ''So one can summon their inventory?''

    Corey raised his brows in surprise.

    Divine handed the cube to Calista, and when Calista held it, she closed her eyes.

    Five seconds passed, and although five seconds was not long, it felt like an eternity to Corey.

    Who knew what the manager might find in Divine''s inventory?

    What if she found something that would implicate them or rouse the greed in the heart of the manager.

    A lot of things could go wrong, and Corey was a little bit anxious.

    He didn''t have the capability to survive an attack from a tier 6.

    He nced at Divine, and although he saw him having a dark expression, there was not an ounce of fear in his eyes or expression.

    A secondter, the manager opened her eyes, and she stared at Divine.

    "You truly have a lot of interesting things."

    The manager said, and she threw Divine''s inventory at him.

    "We''ll need to schedule a meeting between us in the nearest future."

    Divine''s lips twitched as he caught his inventory. He returned it back into his body, and with a snort, he spoke:

    "I told you I''m not responsible for what has happened."

    "Although I''m a thief and a greedy fellow, I don''t have a death wish by intruding into your office in that manner or in any manner at all."

    The manager said nothing, and with eyes that contained disdain and indifference, she turned towards Corey.

    She didn''t say a word, deeming it beneath her to speak to a tier 1 ant like Corey.

    If not because he was associated with the enigmatic Divine, she wouldn''t have even nced at him.

    Corey was not offended by theck of disrespect the manager showed him.

    Who was he, and what had he done to deserve her respect and recognition?

    He was still weak, and he knew that people with immense power like the manager would not even bother to nce at an ant like him.

    For now at least.

    He closed his eyes, and a few secondster, a familiar cube appeared in his hand. The only difference was that the number of objects in the cube was way smaller than that of Divine''s.

    During the period when the manager had her eyes closed, Corey had tried to summon his inventory, and although he was not familiar with it, he still got it since it was fairly easy.

    He just had to will for it to appear in his hands.

    He gave his cube to the manager, and the manager only held the cube for a second before frowning.

    She looked at Corey for a second, then she threw the cube back at Corey.

    "Leave."

    She said coldly, and without hesitation, Divine grabbed Corey and flew away.

    The instant the duo left the Emporium, Divine''s voice echoed in his mind.

    [Good job.]

    Corey nced at Divine, then he nodded with calm and indifferent eyes.

    The expression of fear and anxiety was nowhere to be seen again.

 Chapter 253 252: Post Two Weeks

    Chapter 253 252: Post Two Weeks

    Two weeks went by, and just as Divine instructed, Corey did not bring out any of the stolen loot. He stayed at Rosa''s residence which was in the inner part of the city of sin.

    During those two weeks, Corey went out to explore more of the city of sin. He subtly expanded his drug empire, and ording to the Terror Queen, Neon had already reached 80% of the outer area of the city of sin.

    Meaning that 80% of the poption in the outer area of the city of sin were consuming Neon.

    It was truly an absurd number, but when one thought about it, it was not surprising.

    Neon was most likely the only narcotic that could permanently increase the stats of a tier 3 and below.

    Why wouldn''t one want a drug that could send one above cloud nine, and also permanently make them stronger.

    No pain.

    More gain.

    More power.

    It was a dreame true for most people in the Underworld.

    And there was no negative side-effects of neon¡­ for now.

    Neon was cheap, and Corey wanted it to be avable to every resident in the outer area of the city of sin for a certain n of his.

    He had ns to circte Neon into the inner area, and if possible, the central area.

    But for his ns toe to fruition, he needed a headquarters.

    He had already made ns with his group members on what they all needed to do for the construction of the headquarters, and what it needed after its construction.

    Rosa''s job was to recruit security guards for the headquarters, and since Corey was staying with Rosa, he decided to help her.

    Although, he could not use his full strength, the damage done on his mana veins, and poison infinity core had recovered a little bit.

    He could use his Eyes of Omniscience to look at the stats, and internal structure of an inidvidual.

    With his Eyes of Omniscience, he could guess how high the potential of an individual was. Although, just knowing the stats and potential of an individual was not enough to hire them as a security guard, it was immensely helpful.

    Rosa and Corey didn''t have to waste time looking for individuals who had the potential to be long-term guards.

    Asides from recruiting guards for Neon Headquarters, Corey and Rosa also went to the Emporium, much to the surprise of Rosa, and Calista.

    Although, Calista had allowed Corey and Divine to leave after inspecting them, that did not mean that the duo were out of her list of suspects.

    In fact, the duo were surprisingly still high on her suspect list.

    She just could not remove Divine from her list of suspects due to his past actions in the Underworld.

    Divine had stolen high priced treasures from some high level Underworld Officials, and even from the home of the previous Underworld Lord of the Outer Area.

    Due to Divine''s heist on the residence of the Outer Underworld Lord, the previous Director of the Underworld killed him for his ipetence.

    A tier 5 Underworld Official had been killed due to Divine!

    Nobody knew how Divine had aplished something which was regarded as impossible and insane.

    When every resident of the Underworld knew that Divine was the culprit, everybody expected Divine to be a dead man the next day at most. But to their utmost surprise, Divine was still alive and kicking.

    Nobody knew why the previous Director did not kill Divine, and although questions were asked, thete Director never gave his reason for keeping Divine alive.

    Even the five tier 6s who had the same authority as the previous Director were not told why Divine was kept alive.

    Thete Director''s determination to not spill his reason for not killing Divine shocked the five tier 6s, and due to this, Divine was among the few individuals that was on their watchlist.

    Up till this day, Calista had not been able to figure out how Divine robbed the previous Outer Underworld Lord, and since she didn''t know what method Divine used, she couldn''t remove Divine off her list of suspects.

    She had assigned some of the best spies she had to spy on the movements, and actions of Divine and Corey for thest two weeks.

    .c¦Ïm But even after spying on the duo for a whole two weeks, neither Corey nor Divine made a slip up, and Calista had no other choice but to recall her spies.

    Although, she was frustrated. She had learnt an interesting piece of information.

    The reason for Divine''s interest in a weak tier 1.

    Ever since Calista saw Corey, she had been wondering why Divine would choose to recruit a tier 1 into his group of enigmatic individuals.

    She saw nothing special in Corey.

    Sure, his foundation was excellent for a tier 1.

    He had reached the peak of the yellow star phase in all his stats as a tier 1.

    Was there anything special in it to her?

    No!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    The number of people who had maxed out their stats as a tier 1 could not be counted.

    But, the number of people who maintained this consistency as they progressed unto higher tiers could be counted.

    Very few had the patience and determination to max out their stats for every tier, and there was a high chance that Corey would also fail in maxing out his stats for every tier.

    Even if he didn''t, he wouldn''t be the first, second, third, fourth, nor fifth to have done such.

    Also, Corey''s mana veins and mana core were damaged.

    And there was a possibility that it would affect his foundation in the future.

    So, in Calista''s eyes, maxing out ones stats as a tier 1 was good, she didn''t think something like that should have influenced Divine''s decision in recruiting Corey into his group of tier 3s.

    Calista had this thought until one of her spies brought a report concerning Neon.

    One could imagine the shock and surprise she had that there was a narcotic that could permanently increase the stats of mortals.

    The presence of the narcotic would a 1000% disturb the market in the Underworld, and the outside world.

    The ingredients for the manufacturing of Neon was unbelievably cheap, and it didn''t take a long time for the narcotic to be produced.

    If such a product did not increase her pockets and influence by arge amount, then she didn''t know what would.

    Well, there were a lot of things that would actually.

    Although, Calista was tempted to snatch the method on how to produce such a narcotic, she decided to keep an eye on Corey''s narcotic business.

    Although Calista thought she knew why Divine recruited Corey into his group, she would be surprised to find out that she was totally wrong.

 Chapter 254 253: Mystical Abilities of The Veinweavers Dreamgrass

    Chapter 254 253: Mystical Abilities of The Veinweaver''s Dreamgrass

    (Three dayster)

    In a beautiful and serene garden, a tall, buff, and handsome man sat in a cross-legged position. He had his eyes closed, and his breathing was so faint that if not for the rising and falling of the man''s chest, one would think this handsome man with a peculiar aura had died while sitting in a meditation position.

    This man was non other than Corey.

    The day after the two weeks period was over, Corey immediately went into seclusion in Rosa''s home so as to absorb the Veinweaver''s Dreamgrass.

    He did not want to wait for another day before his mana veins and poison infinity core was fully restored.

    The feeling of powerlessness, and having to rely on another person for protection always left a bitter taste in Corey''s mouth.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Due to his damaged mana veins, and poison infinity core, Corey had to rely on Rosa to protect him from harm, and although he trusted Rosa to a certain extent.

    He still felt ufortable.

    Especially when he knew what one could lose due to insufficient strength.

    He had lost his family because he was weak, and he hated being weak.

    Weakness¡­ disgusted him.

    Corey''s first step to regaining hsi strength, and attaining more strength was the Veinweaver''s Dreamgrass.

    When Corey saw the Veinweaver Dreamgrass in the Emporium treasury, he was delighted.

    Even Nina told him he was lucky when he found the herb.

    The Veinweaver Dreamgrass was a herb that would even pique the interest of beings above the mystical realm.

    Why?

    Because, asides from healing the mana veins and mana core of an individual, it could give an individual an ability, or in extremely rare cases, two abilities.

    Absorbing the magical essence of Veinweaver''s Dreamgrass could grant an individual various mystical abilities rted to mana maniption and dreamlike qualities. The abilities that the Veinweaver''s Dreamgrass ould give were:

    Mana Weaving: The ability to manipte mana threads, weaving them into protective barriers, energy constructs, or enhancing physical abilities.

    Dreamwalk: The power to enter and explore the dreams of oneself or others, gaining insights, extracting information, or even influencing the dreamworld.

    Illusory Camouge: The capacity to blend seamlessly into one''s surroundings by manipting light and creating illusions, rendering oneself practically invisible.

    Dream Healing: A healing ability that works on both physical and mental levels, allowing the individual to mend wounds, alleviate pain, and provide emotionalfort through dream-infused energy.

    Temporal Perception: Enhanced perception of time, enabling the individual to slow it down or speed it up within a localized area, providing a tactical advantage in various situations.

    Veinlink Communication: The power to establish a telepathic link with other beings,municating thoughts and emotions through the maniption of magical veins.

    Memory Weave: The ability to manipte and alter memories, either erasing or enhancing them, granting the individual control over their own or others'' recollections.

    Dreamfire Maniption: Control over ethereal mes generated from the essence of dreams, which can be used for both offensive and defensive purposes.

    lights¦­¦Ïvel.c¦Ïm Dimensional Rift Creation: The skill to create temporary portals or rifts between dimensions, allowing for swift travel or the maniption of space.

    Emotional Resonance: The capacity to influence the emotions of others by tapping into the dreamlike essence, instilling feelings of calm, joy, or fear as the user desired.

    When an individual absorbed the Veinweaver''s Dreamgrass, they would randomly gain one of the ten abilities or in extremely rare cases, two.

    ording to the book of alchemy given to him by the Paragon Ancestor, the ability one gained from the Veinweaver''s Dreamgrass waspletely random, and it depended on luck.

    Or, sometimes, ones affinity to dream essence.

    As for what dream essence was, Corey had no idea.

    And Nina didn''t bother telling him since he didn''t need such unnecessary information.

    Although, the abilities gotten from the Veinweaver''s Dreamgrass were random, the number of abilities one could get from the herb was dependent on the potential and strength of one''s body, and the strength of an individual''s soul.

    When Corey remembered this information, he was anticipating the number of abilities he would gain from the Veinweaver''s Dreamgrass.

    He had the best body in the entire universe. As for his soul, he wasn''t sure.

    Although, the Veinweaver''s Dreamgrass had very powerful and mystical abilities, there was a certain aspect of the herb everybody hated.

    The herb was extremely bitter, and the herb made a person experience their worst experiences.

    When somebody absorbs the Veinweaver''s Dreamgrass, the person would enter a ce called the Nightmare Realm.

    The person would keep on experiencing their worst experiences, along with extremely terrifying nightmares.

    The stronger the individual, the stronger the nightmares.

    The nightmares would not end until all the dream essence of the Veinweaver''s Dreamgrass have been absorbed, or the individual wishes to exit the Nightmare Realm.

    Although, one could exit the Nightmare Realm prematurely. If an individual exited the Nightmare Realm without absorbing at least 25% of the dream essence in the Veinweaver''s Dreamgrass, that individual would experience tremendous mental and physical pain.

    Also, the person would not gain any of the mystical abilities of the herb.

    Unless the person had priceless treasures that could heal the mental and physical damage done to the individual, the person would essentially be a cripple, and probably mentally deranged.

    Although, the Veinweaver''s Dreamgrass had mouth-watering benefits, the repercussions of failure was worse than death.

    Corey did not know, but he was incredibly lucky he found a mana vein healing herb like the Veinweaver''s Dreamgrass.

    The reason why such a priceless herb was left in the poorly protected treasury was because the appraisals the Emporium Manager- Calista, employed to appraise every object entering the treasury, thought the herb was a different herb.

    The Veinweaver''s Dreamgrass was so rare to the point that even some top tier forces that had leaders above the mystic realm had never heard of the herb before.

    But Calista was an individual that chased knowledge with a fervent desire, and she definitely knew of a heaven- defying herb like The Veinweaver''s Dreamgrass.

    If Calista ever knew that a herb like the Veinweaver''s Dreamgrass was right under...wait... on top of her nose. She would definitely ughter every appraisal and Emporium guards she had hired for their absolute foolishness and ipetence.

    Two more days went by, and the winds, waters, and earth trembled slightly as Corey opened a pair of eyes that had drastically changed.

 Chapter 255 254: Walker of Dreams And Nightmares

    Chapter 255 254: Walker of Dreams And Nightmares

    Five Days.

    Corey had used a whole five days, 120 hours, to absorb the dream essence of the Veinweaver''s Dreamgrass.

    This was a feat that would elicit suprised expressions from individuals like Calista, and even the seven Divines.

    Corey was not the first person to absorb the dream essence of the Veinweaver''s Dreamgrass in five days. So many other individuals have done such, and some even absorbed the Veinweaver''s Dreamgrass in less than five days.

    But, none of these individuals were mortals!

    Most of these individuals were above the mystic realm or in the mystic realm!

    The record for the least time taken for a mortal to absorb the dream essence of the Veinweaver''s Dreamgrass was one month.

    And, the mortal that aplished thister shook multiple powerful forces with his enigmatic and mysterious abilities.

    The average time for every mortal was two months.

    Never has there been a mortal that absorbed the dream essence in less than a month, talkless of in less than ten days.

    And, there has never been a mortal that was able to absorb ALL the dream essence that was inside a Veinweaver''s Dreamgrass.

    Corey had not only defiedmon sense by absorbing the dream essence of the Veinweaver''s Dreamgrass in five days as a mortal.

    He had also done something that few. Very, very, very, very few have been able to aplish.

    He had absorbed EVERY dream essence in the veinweaver''s Dreamgrass.

    He didn''t absorb 25% or 50% like most mortals, and even mystic beings did.

    Corey had absorbed a FULL 100% as a MORTAL!

    This aplishment was something that was unprecedented amongst beings that were not at the level of Paragons and Supremes.

    Even some mortal Paragons and Supremes could not aplish what Corey had done.

    "The body of a Paragon is truly heaven defying."

    Corey muttered as he looked around with a slight daze.

    His eyes had drastically changed, and so did his vision.

    His left eye was no longer ck, but was now blue. His sclera was white, his pupil was ck, and his iris was blue.

    If one looked into Corey''s left eye, they would notice that his left eye seemed to hold the dreams and aspirations of countless souls. Its gaze spoke of untold ambitions, whispered secrets, and the delicate fragments of dreams woven into the very fabric of the universe.

    Though, Corey''s left eye was blue and held dreams of countless souls, Corey''s right eye was different. It was violet, and ck.

    His sclera was ck, his iris was violet, and he had no pupil.

    Corey''s right eye looked more mysterious than his left.

    His violet right eye seemed to possess countless stars. It was more beautiful and captivating than his other eye.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    But if one stared into his right eye for too long, they would notice that his right eye harbored nightmares tha were unfathomable.

    Within his pupil resided the chilling echoes of terrors that dared not to surface in the waking world.

    His lightless sclera held the macabre ballet of shadows, where monsters of the mind danced with the fears that lurked in the corners of one''s deepest subconscious.

    Together, this mystical pair of eyes painted a portrait of duality- a cosmic equilibrium where the delicate dance between dream and nightmares unfolds.

    As Corey looked at the garden around him, he could see a blue and violet colored energy in various ces around the garden.

    The blue and violet energy was very faint, and he had never seen this sort of energy with his Eyes of Omniscience.

    Although, this was his first time seeing this type of energy. He knew what the energy was, and what the colors represented.

    These energy was dream essence.

    And, the blue color represented the positive part of the dream essence- Dreams.

    While the violet color represented the negative part of the dream essence- Nightmares.

    "Strange. It was not stated that my eyes would permanently change after I absorbed the dream essence of the Veinweaver''s dreamgrass."

    Corey frowned slightly as he looked at his face through a mirror.

    Nina had told him to look at his face when he woke up, and one could only imagine the surprise he had when he looked at his new pair of eyes.

    He tried changing his eyes back to normal like how he did with his Eyes of Omniscience, and Tri-Pupil Eyes, but then he realized that the change to his eyes was permanent.

    His eyes could not go back to the way they were, and it frustrated him a little bit.

    His current pair of eyes was too conspicuous, and he didn''t like that.

    "I''ll just have to deal with whatever happens as a result of my eyes."

    Corey released a tired sigh, then he decided to call up his status screen to look at what had changed in him.

    His mana veins and poison infinity core werepletely healed, and he even felt a bit stronger. He felt something like a wall that was preventing him from reaching his actual limit that he felt.

    It was more like the energy from the Veinweaver''s Dreamgrass was not enough for him to break past that wall.

    Though, it weakened the barrier a little bit.

    "Status."

    *BASIC INFORMATION*

    Name: Corey Junior Zane

    Race: Demi-Paragon

    Brand Level: 3

    Affiliation: Paragons

    ss: Poison Warlock

    Talent: Omniscience (Level 1)

    Language: English

    Title(s): One Of The Four Possessors Of A ***** Graded Talent On New Earth, Walker of Dreams & Nightmares

    Tier: 1

    Level: 199

    *ATTRIBUTES*

    Strength: Violet Star [???%]

    Agility: Violet Star [???%]

    Dexterity: Violet Star [???%]

    Constitution: Violet Star [???%]

    Intelligence: Violet Star [???%]

    Endurance: Violet Star [???%]

    Astral Mana: Violet Star [???%]

    Free A.P: 600%

    *Hidden Attributes*

    Luck: ???/100

    Charisma: ???/100

    Wisdom: ???/???

    *SKILLS*

    Talent Skill: Record, Focus, Eyes of Omniscience

    Title Skill: Eyes of Dreams and Nightmares (Passive-Active, Basic), Somnambulism (Passive), Dreamwalk (Active, Basic), Dream Healing (Passive-Active, Intermediate), Dreamfire Maniption (Active, Basic)

    Passive: Silent Steps (Intermediate), Paragon Body

    Active: Super Jump (Intermediate), Lightning Movement Art (Ancient, Lv 2, Novice), Vibration Maniption (Novice), Full Counter (Legendary, Novice), Fog Maniption (Novice), Hexagon Barrier (Master) Teleportation (Intermediate)

    Passive-Active: Average Regeneration (Lv 5, Intermediate) ¡ú Dream Healing (Intermediate)

    Knowledge Skills: Undercover (Novice), Lock Picking (Expert), Paragon Martial Arts (Novice), Herbal Knowledge (Novice), Anatomical Knowledge (Novice) Elemental Breathing Technique (Novice)

    Intents: Axe Intent (Basic), Killing Intent (Basic)

    *RESISTANCES*

    Fear Resistance- Lv 5

    Pain Resistance- Lv 5

    Poison Resistance- Lv 3

    Mental Maniption Resistance- Lv 1 ¡ú Lv 3

    *IMMUNITIES*

    Curse Immunity

    Fate Immunity

    *EQUIPMENTS*

    Ghost Gloves (Growth)- Yellow Grade

    Ancient Spear- ???? Grade

    Devourer''s Armor (Growth)- Orange Grade

    Dual Battle Axes (Growth) ¨C Orange Grade

    Ring of Mimicry (Replica)- Orange Grade

    Wind Swords- Orange Grade

    *PET/MOUNT*

    Rhea- Spirit Devouring Bird

    *SYSTEM REMARK*: How can a man be so lucky?

 Chapter 256 255: Title Skills

    Chapter 256 255: Title Skills

    "So I got three skills from the ten skills that was contained in the Veinweaver''s Dreamgrass."

    Corey muttered as he looked at his status screen which had changed immensely.

    The first change one would notice would be the addition of a new title- Walker of Dreams and Nightmares.

    Corey tapped the title, and a new translucent screen appeared before him.

    [Walker of Dreams and Nightmares: "Walker of Dreams and Nightmares" is a mysterious and revered title bestowed upon enigmatic individuals who possesses the extraordinary ability to traverse the ethereal realms of both dreams and nightmares. These mythical figures are said to navigate the delicate bnce between the subconscious desires of slumbering minds and the haunting terrors that dwell within the shadows of the night.

    d in an aura of mystic energy, the Walkers are guardians of the sleeping realm, capable of shaping and influencing the visions that unfold in the minds of dreamers. Whether crafting utopianndscapes born from the whispers of hope or confronting the darkest corners of the psyche where nightmares take form, a Walker stands as a silent sentinel between the borders of the conscious and the surreal.

    Legends speak of a Walker''s ability to weave tales within the tapestry of dreams, leaving behind echoes of guidance or caution that linger long after the dreamer awakens. With each step through the ephemeralndscapes of the mind, the Walkers of Dreams and Nightmares are figures both revered and feared, embodying the dual nature of the human psyche in the realms of sleep and shadow.]

    As Corey read the description of his new title, the first thing that surprised him was the lengthy description given to him by the Universal System.

    The Universal System rarely gave him a lengthy description of objects or certain words, and Corey could not help but raise his brows in suspicion and confusion as he looked at the translucent screen.

    The more he read the description, the more it seemed like the Universal System was cing a lot of significance on the significance of the title.

    Corey looked at a certain part of the description- The Walkers are guardians of the sleeping realm.

    Corey frowned slightly, and a few thoughts came to his mind as he looked at the translucent screen.

    Some secondster, Corey exhaled softly, and he decided to ce his thoughts on the title to the back of his mind.

    He would cross the bridge when the timees.

    His eyes moved to the next change in his status screen.

    A change which worried him a little.

    His attributes.

    -----------

    *ATTRIBUTES*

    Strength: Violet Star [???%]

    Agility: Violet Star [???%]

    Dexterity: Violet Star [???%]

    Constitution: Violet Star [???%]

    Intelligence: Violet Star [???%]n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Endurance: Violet Star [???%]

    Astral Mana: Violet Star [???%]

    --------------

    Each of his attributes now had ''???%'', and this worried Corey a little.

    Corey had a feeling that his current strength had broken some sort of¡­ Universal limit?

    He also had a feeling that if he got promoted to the next tier, his strength would increase by arge amount.

    Although, he could decide to take the tier promotion test with his current stats, he was extremely curious on what would happen if he reached his true limits.

    Corey shifted his gaze from the attribute section of his status screen to the new addition in his skill section- Title Skills.

    It was surprising for Corey to see ''Title Skill'' since he never knew that titles coulde with skills.

    And it was not his fault since the title he had ever since the apocalypse started had not given him any benefit.

    Heck, he could not even get a description for the title.

    Going back to the ''Title Skills'', Corey''s new title had given him five new skills that were all rted to dreams and nightmares.

    The skills were: Eyes of Dreams and Nightmares, Somnambulism, Dreamwalk, Dream Healing, and Dreamfire Maniption.

    Dreamwalk, Dream Healing, and Dreamfire Maniption were among the ten skills that could be gotten when one absorbed the Veinweaver''s Dreamgrass.

    Dreamwalk: The power to enter and explore the dreams of oneself or others, gaining insights, extracting information, or even influencing the dreamworld.

    Dream Healing: A healing ability that works on both physical and mental levels, allowing the individual to mend wounds, alleviate pain, and provide emotionalfort through dream-infused energy.

    Dreamfire Maniption: Control over ethereal mes generated from the essence of dreams, which can be used for both offensive and defensive purposes.

    The descriptions of the three skills were exnatory, and easy to understand.

    Even if the Universal System did not specify, Corey knew that he could use Dream Healing on whoever he wished to. It was a skill that worked on both Corey, and his allies.

    As for Dreamfire Maniption, Corey knew it could be used in real life, and did not only apply to the dream realm or nightmare realm.

    The two extra skills Corey got due to his new title were- Eyes of Dreams and Nightmares, and Somnambulism.

    Corey tapped on the Eyes of Dreams and Nightmares.

    [Eyes of Dreams and Nightmares: The Eyes of Dream and Nightmares, often associated with the illustrious Walkers of Dreams and Nightmares, are a mesmerizing pair that embody the very essence of the dual realms they oversee. The left eye, bathed in a tranquil light blue, mirrors the dreams of countless souls, shimmering with the aspirations and fantasies of slumbering minds. It is a beacon of hope, an ethereal guide that the Walker employs to navigate the intricate tapestry of dreams.

    Conversely, the right eye, steeped in a profound shade of violet, serves as the conduit to the darker territories of the nocturnal psyche. Within its depths lie the nightmares that evoke terror and trepidation, a wellspring of shadows and fears woven into the very fabric of the night. This eye, too, is under the watchful gaze of the Walker, who harnesses its power to confront and pacify the nightmarish entities that may threaten the sanctity of dreams.

    Together, these Eyes of Dream and Nightmares reflect the harmonious duality of the Walker''s role. With the left eye, the Walkers nurtures and guides the dreamscape, helping souls find sce and inspiration in the realm of slumber. Simultaneously, the right eye stands vignt, ready to confront and dispel the malevolent forces that may encroach upon the dreams of the sleepers.

    In the hands of the Walkers, the Eyes be tools of bnce, weaving dreams and nightmares into a delicate equilibrium. The ethereal glow of the left eye and the haunting shadows of the right eye mirror the intricate dance between light and dark, hope and fear, creating a saga that unfolds with every step taken by the Walker of Dreams and Nightmares through the vastndscapes of the sleeping mind.]

    "Okay. Now, I''m sure. The Universal System ces a lot of importance on that title."

    "But why?"

    Corey furrowed his brows as he looked at the description of the Eyes of Dream and Nightmares.

    Although, the Universal System did not give him the abilities of the Eyes of Dream and Nightmares, Corey was not too worried.

    He had always called the Universal System useless, and he wasn''t going to change his opinion on the Universal System.

    If the Universal System did not tell him what the abilties of his new pair of eyes were, then he would just have to find out himself.

    Corey''s gaze moved to the second skill, and a strange expression appeared on his face as he looked at the skill.

    [Somnambulism: If your mind shuts down. For example, loss of consciousness, or you fall asleep. Your body can still fight battles for you.]

    "So, in a way. This is like sleep-fighting?"

    Corey had a baffled expression, as he looked at theck lustre description of the second skill.

    He had some ideas on how the skill would work, but he was not a hundred percent certain about his assumptions.

    The next change to Corey''s status screen was the removal of ''Average Regeneration''. Average Regeneration had be Dream Healing, and although Corey did not know the how potent the healing effect of dream healing was, he was not dissatisfied with the skill swap.

    Thest two changes were simple changes.

    His mental maniption resistance skill had improved from level 1 to level 3.

    It was a change which was not surprising, considering what he had gone through in the five days that he used to absorb the dream essence of the Veinweaver''s Dreamgrass.

    Thest change was the Universal System''s remark, and seeing that the remark was not worth mentioning, he ignored it.

    He closed his status screen, then he exhaled deeply.

    A few secondster, a determined light appeared in his eyes as he prepared to do something that would drastically change his future, and fate.

    Absorbing the finger he took in the Desert of Mysteries.

    And using the energy in it to reach his true limits.

 Chapter 257 256: Humble and Arrogant Paragons

    Chapter 257 256: Humble and Arrogant Paragons

    After Corey checked the changes on his status screen, Corey readied himself to absorb the finger, and use it to reach his actual limit.

    He inhaled and exhaled multiple times with his eyes closed. Some secondster, he opened his eyes, and just as he was about to bring out the finger, Nina''s voice boomed in his mind.

    [Stop!]

    Corey shook, and with a baffled expression, he said:

    "What''s wrong?"

    Nina rarely took the initiative to speak, and for her to speak, especially with such arge tone, surprised and baffled Corey.

    [Don''t absorb the finger here. The energy that''s radiated by the finger would attract a lot of powerful people.]

    [Absorb it in an evolution center.]

    Despite Nina speaking so calmly, she was raging internally at the costly and ignorant mistake Corey almost made.

    One of the reasons why Corey did not think about absorbing the finger in an evolution center was because he didn''t know how beneficial the finger to certain individuals.

    The reason Rosa, Fatty ck Bonez, and Divine could not sense the energy of the finger was because the energy was¡­ different.

    The energy in the finger was beyond the senses of mortals. Even Corey who was a demi-paragon could not perceive the energy of the finger.

    He had to use his Eyes of Omniscience to see the energy of the finger, and even with that, he still did not notice the uniqueness of the energy of the finger.

    Only tier 5s, and tier 6s could perceive the energy of the finger. Rare and exceptional tier 4s could, but no mortal could not.

    Even an actual Paragon who was a mortal would struggle to perceive the energy. Only the exceptional mortal Paragons could perceive the unique energy of the finger.

    Assuming Corey had brought out the finger, the hidden tier 6s, and tier 5s would havee knocking on his door.

    As for what would happen to Corey at the end of the day, it was not difficult to guess.

    Nina had a reason for warning Corey about the consequences of absorbing the finger carelessly.

    She didn''t really care about Corey''s life or death situation even if he was a Paragon.

    If not because she was ordered by her Queen Mother to apany Corey, she would have never agreed to follow Corey who was not worthy of her.

    Sure, Corey had a talent that had the potential to grant Corey omniscience when he reached a certain realm, but it was nothing in her eyes.

    And, there was no guarantee that Corey would even reach such heights even if he had the potential of a Paragon.

    There was a saying that was given to every Paragon by the Paragon Ancestor.

    "Just because you''re a Paragon does not mean you have the right to be arrogant."

    "Only your aplishments can give you the right to be arrogant."

    "A Paragon without heaven shaking, hell freezing, and soul shaking aplishments does not have the right to be arrogant."

    "An arrogant Paragon without such aplishments is not a Paragon but a fool."

    Some might think that such words were unimportant or nonsensical because a Paragon had every right to be arrogant.

    Just the immense potential a Paragon had was more than enough qualifications to make a Paragon immensely arrogant.

    As long as a Paragon worked hard, the Paragon would be able to defeat every being that was in the same tier as them.

    They would even be able to defeat those above their tiers.

    Something few could rarely aplish.

    If this was not enough reason for Paragons to be arrogant, then what was?

    It was not wrong for the minds of fools, mortals, weaklings, and the ignorant to have such thoughts.

    But, the question is¡­

    What aplishments must a Paragon have or make before he or she was considered to have the right to be arrogant?

    What aplishments were heaven shaking, hell freezing, and soul shaking?

    And how difficult must these aplishments be to aplish?

    Corey did not know, but most Paragons were humble.

    Of course they wouldn''t ce their heads beneath the feet of others.

    But, most Paragons understood that being arrogant just because of ones talent and potential was rubbish and nonsense.

    A Paragon should only be arrogant because of their aplishments.

    Would a Paragon''s potential protect them when facing another Paragon with immense aplishments.

    An arrogant Paragon without aplishments was disdained by other Paragons, and this treatment was surprisingly more painful, and heart wrenching than one could imagine.

    An example of a humble Paragon was the old man that gave Corey the poison infinity crystal.

    Most beings at the old man''s level and state of existence would deem it beneath themselves to converse with a human mortal that was tier 0.

    Some beings might have even killed Corey for tainting the sanctity of their surroundings with his weakness.

    An example would be the seven Divines who acted like gods as they judged The Clown.

    Due to this strange personality of Paragons, there was a saying amongst those that knew of the existence of Paragons and Supremes.

    Thou should fear an arrogant Paragon rather than an arrogant god.

    It was because of this reason that Nina did not really care about the life and death of Corey.

    Until he proved to her that he was capable of bing an arrogant Paragon, she would not care about his life and death.

    But for now, Nina was curious about the finger.

    She had a guess of the origins of the finger, and if she was correct. Helping Corey absorb the finger would help her, the Queen Mother, and the Paragon Ancestor with the origins of the finger.

    She wanted to study the finger, and for her to study it better, she needed Corey to consume the finger.

    When Corey heard Nina''s words, he frowned slightly with the gears in his mind moving at a fast speed.

    He looked at his fists, and he clenched his fists slightly.

    He opened his mouth to speak, but just as his lips parted open, his eyes changed.

    His Eyes of Dreams and Nightmares changed to his Tri-Pupil Eyes.

    The sole golden triangle in Corey''s eyes glowed, and Corey''s entire body froze by an unseen force.

    Two secondster, Corey''s frozen expression returned back to normal, and his Tri-Pupil Eyes changed back to his Eyes of Dreams and Nightmares.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Despite Corey''s body returning back to normal, Corey had an extremely pale face with sweat oozing out of every pores in his body.

    His eyes contained fear, shock, and bafflement. His breathing was also without rhythm, making it seem like Corey had just ran a marathon

    [What did you see?]

 Chapter 259 258: Thanks For The Bed

    Chapter 259 258: Thanks For The Bed

    Two Months passed after the day Corey saw a vision of his death.

    After Nina told him of a way to survive his iing death, Corey had not stepped out of Rosa''s garden for even a second.

    In the first two weeks of Corey''s seclusion, Divine, Rosa, and Fatty ck Bonez were worried since they had not heard from Corey at all.

    The four of them had gone through numerous life and death situation in the death race, so they were the closest to Corey.

    Especially Divine and Rosa.

    The rtionship between Corey and Rosa was now "deeper"pared to before. Even though Corey did not really want to, spending most of his time with a person he did not hate would make his connection with that person deeper.

    Three weeks after Corey saw his death, Rosa decided to check up on him along with Divine.

    Although, Corey had told them he wanted to fix his damaged mana veins, and mana core.

    Divine did not know what treasure Corey found that had the ability to fix his damaged mana veins, but he did not expect the healing process to take a full three weeks.

    Even if it took three weeks, he was bothered by the fact that Corey did not bother replying their messages.

    The day Divine and Rosa went to check up on Corey, they were ready to see something negative, like maybe Corey''s death or something else.

    But to their shock and horror, they saw Corey stabbing himself in multiple ces with a sword.

    Rosa shrieked when she saw something Corey behaving in a suicidal and deranged manner. Although, she was shocked, she didn''t run forward and instead looked around in case there was somebody who was the cause of Corey''s current condition.

    Though, she wanted to act calmly. When she saw that Corey was about to stab his heart, she moved, wanting to stop him from killing himself no matter what.

    But to her shock, Divine stopped her, and pulled her back.

    She wanted tosh out at Divine for stopping her from stopping Corey, but Divine just shook his head, and with a solemn tone, his words at that time were:

    "He''s sane, and he knows what he''s doing. It''s just that he''s extremeley¡­ determined at the moment."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Rosa was confused, and she questioned what Corey was determined to do, and Divine''s response was:

    "He''s determined to survive."

    Divine''s eyes held a glint of familiarity on that day as he looked at Corey, and surprisingly, Corey turned to look at the duo after Divine said those words.

    His eyes on that day were blood red to the point that his beautiful dual colored Eyes of Dreams and Nightmares could no longer be identified.

    His expression, and condition no longer resembled the Corey they all knew. For all they knew, Corey now resembled a demon who used every single thing he had to crawl out of hell.

    The sword in his chest just made Corey''s appearance seem more demonic.

    The determination, the desire, the hunger, and the murderous intent in Corey''s gaze shook both Rosa and Divine to their core.

    Even Divine who was familiar with this felt his insincts tingle as he looked at Corey''s current expression.

    Without waiting for Corey to respond to their presence, the duo decisively left.

    Divine told Rosa to check up on Corey once every week just to make sure he was still alive.

    (Presently)

    Rosa had a worried expression as she sat atop her bed in her bedroom. In her hands was a hot cup of tea. She took a sip of the hot tea, then she furrowed in brows in confusion and anxiety as she remembered the past week.

    It had been two months since the time Corey went into seclusion, and thest time she checked up on Corey, she saw himying motionlessly on the ground.

    She had almost gotten the shock of her lifetime when she saw Corey''s condition. But, to her relief, Corey was not dead, and was asleep.

    Although his body had grievous injuries, and the ground he was sleeping on was filled with blood, bones and flesh, Corey slept like a baby.

    She could see how tired Corey truly was, and how far he had pushed himself. Normally, Corey would have moved if she was around him when he was asleep, but this time around, Corey did not move an inch.

    She had washed off all the blood and grime off Corey''s body, then she ced his sleeping body on one of the beds in one of her rooms.

    She thought it wouldn''t take long for Corey to awaken from his slumber, but to her surprise and slight anxiety, Corey had slept for far longer than she expected.

    Five days.

    Five Days!

    Corey had slept for a whole five days, and Rosa was worried that Corey had gone into aa.

    She had asked Divine what he should do, but Divine told her that they had no choice but to wait.

    If Corey had gone into aa because of overexertion, then there was nothing they could do.

    "I hope he wakes up soon."

    Rosa sighed, and just as she did, her ears picked up an extremely faint sound from Corey''s room.

    The cup in her hands fell, and just before the cup could hit the floor.

    Whoosh!

    Bang!

    The door to her room blew apart, and a figure whistled past the broken door.

    A secondter.

    Crash!

    The ss cup shattered as itnded on the ground.

    Rosa moved at a fast speed toward Corey''s room, breaking whatever obstacle stood in her way.

    She was slightly worried that the sound could be due to an attack on Corey''s life instead of Corey''s awakening.

    Although, she didn''t think that was possible considering her reputation and status.

    Whoosh

    Rosa came to a stop before the room she gave Corey. She quickly opened the door, and when she did, she saw Corey sitting on the bed while looking at the window.

    A tranquil silence enveloped the room, then Corey looked at her.

    A slight smile appeared on his lips, and he said:

    "Thanks for the bed."

 Chapter 260 259: Golden Card

    Chapter 260 259: Golden Card

    Rosa stood in a daze as she looked at Corey''s smile that contained a tinge of warmness. Seeing Corey smile with warmth felt surreal to her. Corey''s expression was mainly that of indifference.

    If Corey smiled, it was sometimes fake or filled with coldness.

    Also, she took notice of Corey''s new eyes which mesmerized her. She felt like her dreams, ambitions, and deepest nightmares were exposed before Corey''s beautiful pair of eyes.

    She found herself unable to look away from Corey''s eyes, and his warmth infused smile for at least three seconds.

    "You should smile more. It fits you."

    She said, after internally struggling to look away from Corey''s extremely handsome face. Corey''s smile widened ever so slightly when he heard her words.

    He turned back to the window, and his gaze looked at the Underworld Sky.

    No thoughts flowed through his mind as he looked at the Underworld Sky.

    He felt¡­ at peace.

    He wanted to maintain this state for as long as possible since he knew that this might be hisst moment of peace.

    The cold wind blew unto Corey''s face, and his eyes flickered as he looked at a particr direction.

    There was nothing there, but Corey''s gaze brightened slightly, then a few secondster, it dimmed.

    He shook his head softly, then he released a soft sigh.

    "I''m going to the Evolution Center. It might take¡­ a long time before Ie out."

    Corey said, and without waiting for a response from Rosa, his figure vanished.

    Rosa looked at Corey''s previous position with a surprised expression.

    She was surprised that Corey was proficient in a spatial skill.

    But when she thought about his ability to sense the location of the portal, her surprise died down.

    She was not worried about Corey taking the tier promotion test since she knew that Corey''s foundation was extremely solid.

    It was highly possible that Corey would get an exceptional result in his tier promotion trial.

    Rosa walked away from the room, and her eyes moved to the multiple objects she had destroyed in her haste to getting to Corey''s room.

    Some of the objects were extremely valuable and they belonged to Divine!

    Divine would definitely be livid if he saw the conditions of those objects.

    Rosa''s lips twitched.

    ''Shit. Cap is definitely going to be angry.''

    --------

    Standing in front of a a singr, resplendent structure adorned entirely in lustrous gold was a male with a pair of mesmerizing blue and violet eyes that seemed to hold the dreams and nightmares of the countless individuals in the vast universe.

    Despite its single-story design, this architectural masterpiece radiated an air of majesty, and grandeur unmatched by any other edifice.

    This grand golden building was the Evolution Center.

    The Evolution Center which was intricately crafted with ornate patterns and motifs, glimmered elegantly under the bright Sky of the Underworld.

    Golden vines crawled along its walls, symbolizing growth and transformation. On some parts of the golden walls were murals which depicted figures in states of evolution.

    Corey took his time as he observed the structure of the Evolution Center. Thest time he came to an Evolution Center, he just entered without observing the design, details, and structure of the grand building.

    Cough

    A minute passed, and a deep cough resounded in his mind.

    Corey''s pupils shook, and he gazed at the source of the cough.

    "How long do you n on standing there?"

    "What are you here for?"

    A deep and gruff voice echoed, and Corey''s gazended on a figure who was d in a full body golden armor. The only thing missing was his helmet which was in his hands.

    The figure stood before the golden gates of the Evolution Center, and his role could be inferred directly from this.

    He was the guard that was ced at the Evolution Center of the inner area of the city of sin.

    "I want to take the tier promotion test."

    Corey''s voice was filled with a strange calm as he replied the guard who had the ability to kill him with a flick of his finger.

    The guard frowned as he noticed Corey''s tier.

    The Evolution Center in the inner area was meant for the residents of the inner area, and from Corey''s power level, he was sure that Corey was not an inner resident.

    Living in the inner area as a tier 1 was akin to suicide no matter what your backing was in the Underworld.

    What was the use of backing if a mentally deranged tier 3 decided to kill a tier 1 just because he felt like.

    Would the tier 1''s backing bring him back to life?

    Corey knew this, and without waiting for the guard to say anything, he brought out a golden card which was given to him by Divine.

    The golden card was given to him by Divine, and it was basically a pass for Corey to use the Evolution Center.

    The guard raised his brows as he looked at the golden card.

    He knew how difficult and expensive it was to get the golden card. And, he was surprised that somebody would spend that much on a tier 1.

    Corey also knew the amount, and he had no idea why Divine would spend such an amount on him.

    But, he didn''t care.

    Since it was useful, he would use it.

    The golden card flew from Corey''s hand to the front of the guard. Using an unseen force, the guard tore the card into two, then he stepped aside without saying anything.

    Though, his indication was clear.

    Corey could enter.

    Corey looked at the golden gates, and he walked towards the gate. He pushed the gate, and the guard raised his brows slightly when he noticed the ease at which Corey pushed to the gate.

    What most didn''t know was that the gates of the evolution center was the beginning of the tier promotion trial.

    For Corey to push the gates with ease meant that Corey''s foundation was solid.

    BAM!

    The gates mmed shut after Corey passed through the gates, and the guard resumed his duty by standing in front of the gates.

    ''I wonder when my shift would be over.''

    The guard thought impatiently

    -----------

    (Inside The Evolution Center)

    Since this was not Corey''s first time inside an evolution center, Corey did not bother wasting his time by looking around.

    He directly sat on the ground, exhaled and inhaled multiple times with his eyes closed.

    A few secondster, he opened his eyes, and a determined glint appeared in his eyes.

    Without hesitation, he brought out the finger, and the space in the Evolution Center trembled.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

 Chapter 261 260: The Finger

    Chapter 261 260: The Finger

    The instant Corey brought out the finger he stole from the desert of mysteries, the space in the evolution center trembled and twisted continuously.

    It seemed like the evolution center was struggling to maintain the stability of the space in the building.

    Corey was shocked and baffled by what was happening because from his little knowledge, experience, and talent in space, Corey knew that the space in the Evolution Center was far stronger, and more stable than that of the Desert of Mysteries.

    So for the space in the Evolution Center to tremble and be affected just from the presence of the finger baffled him.

    What Corey did not know, was that the finger could not show its true self and unleash its full strength so as not to damage the stability of the world it was in.

    Although, the owner of the finger definitely did not care for the lives of the ants in worlds like the desert of mysteries, and Corey''s world. It did not want to destroy the world of the desert of mysteries because of its ns.

    But, to its misfortune, shock, and rage, Corey had taken its finger from the desert of mysteries.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    When the finger saw that it appeared in a different space that was much stable than the world of the desert of mysteries.

    The finger realized that the space was connected to the person who captured it using a strange method. It wanted to unleash its true strength to kill Corey in the most painful way possible.

    But, just as it was about to unleash its strength, it felt a presence that sent chills through its malevolent soul.

    It could not see the source of the presence, but it trusted its instincts which warned it of an unfathomable presence in the strange space it was in.

    The finger had no choice but to remain calm and ponder on the identity of the presence which he found familiar, the strange space it was in, and the person who had taken it.

    The finger did not know how long it would remain in the strange space, but he had a feeling that it wouldn''t be for long.

    Its instincts were right, and to its delight and relief, it was brought out of the strange space, to a location which had enough strength to withstand its full might.

    The finger shook, and it''s appearance changed immensely.

    From a finger which resembled that of an old man, the finger transformed to a finger that was two inches longer, had a viscous, shifting substance on its surface that pulse with a sickly iridescence.

    The surface was covered in attice of pulsating veins that shimmer in a ghastly array of colors. Upon closer inspection, Corey noticed the grotesque carvings etched into its surface.

    Surprisingly, Corey found these carvings¡­ familiar, and also unfamir at the same time.

    Aside from the carvings, Corey also noticed grotesque visages on the entire surface of the finger. The faces contorted in silent agony or grimace in silent malevolence, their mouths opening and closing in an unsettling phantomine of speech.

    It seemed like a long time had gone by, but in fact, only a second had gone by.

    The energy that was radiated by the finger was now so intense that Corey had difficulty breathing.

    Although, he knew that the finger contained an immense amount of energy, he was still shocked by the immense amount of energy the finger possessed.

    Corey was even beginning to worry if he would if he could absorb the energy without killing himself.

    [I see. Now I see.]

    [HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!]

    A voice unlike anything Corey had ever heard resounded from the very depths of his soul, and Corey shook when he heard it.

    The voice sounded like an unsettling amalgation of eerie tones. It sounded like a haunting chorus that echoes through the depths of cursed forest.

    It was simr to that of a spectral whisper, and it carried an otherwordly quality that chilled Corey to the bone.

    ''What is this Nina?!''

    ''You never told me about this!''

    Corey shouted in his mind as he looked at the finger which made Corey instincts scream in danger.

    Although his face was calm, and his mind was running at full capacity on how to understand the current situation, Corey''s heart was panicking.

    [You have a way of surviving this.]

    [You just have to be smart.]

    [If you lose to this thing, I''ll kill it after it kills you.]

    Nina''s apathetic tone sent a chill down Corey''s body. He knew that Nina did not really care about his life or death, but her tone, and nonchncy at his current situation frustrated him.

    [A mortal Paragon!]

    [No!]

    [A mortal Demi-Paragon!]

    [A tier 1 mortal Demi-Paragon at that!]

    [Oh my Luck!]

    [My absolute luck!]

    [HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!]

    Corey''s heart and soul chilled the instant he heard the words of the strange voice.

    He didn''t know how the figure was able to figure out he was a Paragon even with Nina shielding from inspections.

    But, what he did know, was that he was fucked.

    If this entity knew he was a Demi-Paragon, then that meant that the entity was familiar with Paragons, and most likely knew of their abilities.

    Corey''s mind raced, as he had thoughts of ways to deal with the strange entity.

    But no matter what he thought of, his mind produced zero results on what to do.

    Heck, he didn''t even know what he was dealing with!

    Was he meant to fight a finger?!

    How did Nina expect him to defeat a finger he had no knowledge of?!

    Corey was beyond vexed, and frustrated!

    Corey''s face contorted, and the finger turned towards Corey, with the tip directly pointing at him.

    [I''ll be taking your body ant.]

    ''Huh?''

    Before Corey could react, a strange force mmed unto him, and to his shock and horror, his mouth was forcibly opened.

    Corey saw the finger fly into his opened mouth at an extremely fast speed, and in the blink of an eye, it went down his throat.

    Disgusting!

    This was Corey''sst thought before he went unconscious.

 Chapter 262 261: Surprise, Shock, Bafflement & Fear

    Chapter 262 261: Surprise, Shock, Bafflement & Fear

    The moment Corey went unconscious, his vision changed. He was no longer in the Evolution Center, but was now in a very familiar ce.

    "My spiritual sea of consciousness."

    Corey mumbled as he looked at the vast sea that seemed to possess no end.

    His memories of this ce was not pleasant. From what he could remember, ''he'' was chained up by the second personality, and he spent a very long time in his spiritual sea of consciousness.

    Remembering the slight opportunity he had to escape the bindings of the other personality, he could not help but wonder about the condition of the other personality.

    Was it dead?

    Was it alive?

    Was it chained up like it?

    It did not know, and he wasn''t too curious about the condition of the other personality.

    Corey looked around, and a baffled expression appeared on his face.

    ''Now that I think about it. I should not-''

    The moment Corey was about to have a certain thought, Corey''s eyes turned nk, and his face grimaced in slight pain.

    A secondter, his eyes returned back to normal.

    He then furrowed his brows as he looked around, and his gaze was instantly drawn to the foreign presence that was in his sea of consciousness.

    He saw the finger floating some meters away from him, a hazy figure that was covered in a ck mist hovered beside the finger.

    When Corey saw the hazy figure, Corey knew that the figure was the source of the creepy voice from the finger.

    Corey squinted his eyes as he tried to discern the details of the hazy and misty figure, but no matter how much he tried, he got nothing.

    It was more like the figure was far beyond his understanding, and senses. Despite this, Corey tried to think of ways he could defeat this figure.

    Previously, when Nina told him that he had a way of defeating the figure, he thought that he would have to fight a finger with unknown abilities. But, now that the fight was in his sea of consciousness, he finally thought of a way he could defeat the figure.

    His mind went to one of the new skills he learnt- Soul Entropy.

    [Soul Entropy: A forbidden skill that elerates the decay of a person''s essence, shortening their life span. Has the potential to affect an individual''s soul.]

    Soul Entropy was a unique skill due to the fact that it could affect the soul.

    Skills that affected the soul were considered extremely dangerous, and some top tier forces even called them forbidden skills.

    Corey did not know much about the soul.

    Heck, his knowledge on the soul was barely up to 1%.

    His knowledge on his sea of consciousness was also extremely low, but he had a feeling that the only way he could defeat this mysterious and strange entity was through the forbidden skill.

    Corey was not wrong in his assumption at all.

    Nina knew that Corey''s chances of defeating the fragmented spirit in the finger was low, but if he could fight properly while using Soul Entropy, and a lot of other skills, he could defeat the fragmented spirit.

    Heck, if Corey was talented in battling in his sea of consciousness, he would be able to give the fragmented spirit a run for its money despite its immense strength.

    After observing Corey''s entire being for quite some time, she knew some things about his body he did not know.

    [Battling this thing as his first fight in his sea of consciousness should be a very valuable experience for him in the future.]

    As Corey was observing the hazy figure, he noticed the figure look at him.

    Although, he could not see the face of the figure, Corey could sense a tinge of surprise from the figure.

    [How do you have this?]

    [Why is your-?]

    Once again, the instant the hazy figure said some words, Corey''s eyes became nk, and a secondter, his eyes returned back to normal.

    The figure did not notice this slight change in Corey''s eyes, but Nina did.

    Though, she did nothing nor said nothing.

    [-thisrge?]

    Corey frowned as he looked at the figure which kept on speaking with a nonchnt tone. He felt like some words of the hazy figure were missing in his mind, but he naturally pushed such unimportant matters to the back of his mind.

    Not bothering to notice the oddity.

    Corey''s remained calm, and his gaze looked like that of a predator waiting to strike with an uncanny uracy.

    The figure tilted his head as it looked at Corey, then a secondter, its ''eyes'' widened in shock as it observed Corey.

    Obviously it had noticed Corey''s strange gaze, but what its attention was drawn to was Corey''s dual colored eyes.

    [A Walker!]

    [You''re a damn mortal Walker!]

    [HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!]

    The grating and spine chillingughter of the strange entity shook the sea that was in his entire sea of consciousness. The hazy figure''sughter was much louder than when it found out that Corey was a Demi-Paragon.

    And why wouldn''t itugh?

    It had just found a unique specimen that was a mortal Demi-Paragon and a damn mortal Walker at that!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Something which was extremely rare.

    All his previous ns be damned!

    He wanted this ant''s body for itself!

    He could use it to improve itself, ovee its peak, destroy certain individuals, and cause chaos in the material verse, and the immaterial verse!

    HE WANTED THIS ANT!!!

    The greed and ambition that was radiated by the hazy figure shook Corey, and Corey involuntary took a step back.

    Sweat dropped from his forehead as he looked at the raging ck mist surrounding the hazy figure.

    Countless eyes and mouths appeared in the ck mist, and Corey felt his scalp go numb at the aura those eyes, and mouths emitted.

    Just as Corey was rapidly thinking of how to go about this predicament, a stunned expression appeared on his face.

    He blinked once.

    Then he blinked again with a baffled expression.

    "Rhea?"

    Corey subconsciously spoke as he looked at an immense figure that towered over everything in his sea of consciousness.

    Except for therge white orb that seemed so far, and yet so near in his sea of consciousness.

    The figure was a familiar titanic ck bird with six wings- Rhea!

    The hazy figure and the ck mist trembled slightly as if it subconsciously noticed the presence of a creature that sent shivers down its spirit.

    [What?]

    The hazy figure turned, and its eyes widened as it saw the ck eyes of a creature it could not recognize.

    [What is-?]

    PECK!

    POOF

    "..."

 Chapter 263 262: Unexpected Benefit

    <h4>Chapter 263 262: Unexpected Benefit</h4>

    An indescribable silence engulfed Corey''s vast spiritual sea of consciousness. Corey''s mind was unable toprehend what had just urred before him.

    The once turbulent sea in his spiritual sea of consciousness was now so calm, that the only source of disturbance was Corey''s baffled mental state.

    His eyes had a dazed light as he looked at the previous location of the strange spirit that wanted his body.

    A few seconds ago, he was ready to fight an extremely dangerous battle that could end his life. But, in the next second, his opponent was eaten.

    Corey''s gazended on Rhea, and his lips twitched slightly.

    She was huge!

    This was not Corey''s first time seeing Rhea in such a form, and he had a guess that she would most likely gain her current form after attaining a certain strength.

    Although, he didn''t know how Rhea was able to transform to this form at the moment, he guessed that it was most likely temporary.

    And he was right.

    He received a mental transmission from Rhea, telling him that her current form was temporary.

    She had transformed so that she could easily and quickly devour the spirit that had invaded his sea of consciousness.

    Although, she was much stronger in her current form, her foundation and potential were severely damaged.

    When Corey heard this, he was at first worried that Rhea had harmed herself just to protect him.

    He didn''t want her to do such if it meant that she would most likely not be useful to him in the future with her destroyed foundation and potential.

    What was the point of having a pet orpanion that could not be as strong as him?

    He needed strong allies!

    Not weak allies!

    Luckily for Corey and Rhea, Rhea did not damage her foundation and potential just because she cared about Corey or was worried about Corey.

    Sure, if Corey died, she would also die. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    But, for her to damage her future and potential just because of Corey was something she would never want to do.

    She had immense pride and hope for her future, and she would not ruin it for somebody she was not too familiar with.

    The main reason she had helped Corey in devouring the strange spirit was because devouring the spirit would help her reach the next tier- Tier 2.

    The energy the spirit would give her was more than enough for her to reach the next tier.

    When she noticed the presence of the strange spirit in Corey''s sea of consciousness, she was at first startled and worried due to the strength of the soul.

    But, when she saw the immense amount of energy it possessed, the greed in her heart could not be controlled.

    She didn''t know how long it would take before she found an energy source like the strange spirit.

    She also didn''t want to miss such a delicious meal, and she was decisive enough to use one of her forbidden skills which temporarily granted her immense strength.

    The strange spirit was much stronger than her, and no being at her level would even have the thought of absorbing the spirit.

    But what was she?

    A Spirit Devouring Bird!

    She was the bane of all spirits!

    And her potential was as high as the heavens!

    Normally, her foundation and potential should have been severely damaged, but the energy from the spirit was more than enough for her to use to repair her damaged foundation and potential.

    When Corey got this piece of information from Rhea, he was relieved.

    He didn''t want to have to look for another pet since finding a unique pet like Rhea was extremely rare and difficult.

    It could only be chanced upon.

    A white fog appeared around Rhea, and Corey felt danger from the fog.

    He frowned slightly, and decided to inspect the fog.

    What Corey saw in the fog caused his mind to shake.

    He could see the faces of countless living beings howling with different emotions and expressions.

    Some had expressions of fear.

    Some howled in pain.

    Some howled in ecstasy.

    It was an extremely strange and disturbing sight to Corey, and he didn''t know what to think about such a sight.

    As he observed the white fog, the fog wrapped around Rhea''s titanic form like a cocoon. And a few secondster, no energy was emitted from Rhea.

    An ecstatic light appeared in Corey''s eyes as he gazed at the fog encased Rhea.

    He was extremely happy that Rhea was getting stronger.

    The stronger she was, the more help she could offer him, and the more he could use her in battle.

    Corey did not expect the finger to help both him and Rhea to advance in their tiers. Although, he had been greedy and foolish when he took the finger from the corpse in the Nightmare Castle, everything was all worth it.

    "I just hope it doesn''t take too long before her tierpletely adnvances."

    Corey smiled, and a secondter, his smile vanished.

    Although, he had defeated the strange spirit of the finger, he was not out of the woods.

    ''I''ll survive. I''ll survive no matter what.''

    Corey''s eyes glinted with unyielding determination, and with a thought, he vanished.

    A second after he vanished, a hazy figure of light appeared in his sea of consciousness, and if Corey was here, he would notice the figure emitting emotions of surprise, and dissatisfaction.

    This figure of light was Nina!

    [I can''t believe his pet was able to absorb that fragmented spirit.]

    Nina spoke with visible surprise, and curiosity in her tone.

    [Although, you have deprived him of the opportunity to have his spiritual battle, it''s not all bad.]

    [Now, I''m more curious about your origin.]

    [Where did youe from?]

    If Corey was here, he would definitely be shocked.

    If there was one person who he thought would know of Rhea''s origins, it was Nina.

    But surprisingly!

    Nina knew nothing of Rhea''s origin.

    This was her first time encountering such a strange creature.

    [Although, he''s not that special. His luck and encounters definitely are.]

    [Let''s see how he fares with his first tribtion of hell.]

    Nina thought, then she looked at the fog encased Rhea with a curious and intrigued light before disappearing.

 Chapter 264 263: Death

    <h4>Chapter 264 263: Death</h4>

    (Inside The Evolution Center)

    The instant Corey''s body regained consciousness, he stood up, and looked around in confusion for the first two seconds, before he remembered where he was, and what was going on. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    He looked at his body, and he frowned slightly as he noticed the immense amount of energy that was in his body.

    His frown deepened as he noticed that a strange force was stopping the energy from flowing throughout his body, thereby strengthening his body as a result.

    "Is it because that spirit is dead?"

    Corey mumbled, but he felt his assumption was very wrong.

    [I''m the one that''s stopping the energy from flowing throughout your body.]

    Nina''s voice resounded in his mind, and Corey raised his brows as a result.

    "Why?"

    [If you absorb the energy with your current body, and strength, you''ll definitely die.]

    Nina said, and Corey furrowed his brows.

    "So what do I need to do?"

    Corey knew that Nina had a way for him to absorb the energy of the finger.

    If she did not have a way, she would have most likely told him to increase his strength before absorbing the finger.

    [You''ll need to unlock the seal of the celestial mana veins of a Paragon in your body to properly absorb the energy.]

    [Normally, you''re meant to unlock a new racial ability after reaching a new tier. But since you''re about to be one, as long as you don''t die, I can make an exception.]

    Corey raised his brows when he heard Nina''s words.

    He remembered that he had yet to unlock the remaining racial abilities of a Paragon.

    The racial abilities of a Paragon were: Tri-Pupil Eyes,Void Phoenix Heart, Paragon ws, Devourer''s stomach, Celestial Mana Veins, and Void Webs.

    Corey had wanted to choose either Void Phoenix Heart as his first racial ability, but Nina had advised him to choose the Tri-Pupil Eyes, and he didn''t regret it one bit.

    He knew that he had not yet unlocked the full abilities of his Tri-Pupil Eyes, but he was immensely satisfied with the eyes.

    It already had some heaven defying abilities even with Corey''s poor proficiency, and he couldn''t even imagine just how powerful the eyes would be if the Paragon Ancestor used it.

    Corey never knew he would be able to choose another racial ability if he became a tier 2.

    He was surprised, but pleased at the same time.

    He remembered the list of a Paragon''s racial ability, and he was curious about something.

    "Why don''t I choose the Devourer''s stomach? Shouldn''t it help me absorb the energy much better and faster?"

    Corey questioned with a curious tone, and Nina went silent for a few seconds, then she said:

    [If you don''t want to regret it. Never unlock the seal of the Devourer''s stomach without having unlocked the seal of the Celestial Mana Veins.]

    [Even the Paragon Ancestor dared not to do so when he was young.]

    Corey''s eyes widened in surprise when he heard Nina''s words. Her tone and words were spoken with immense solemnity and graveness that shook Corey.

    "What would happen if I do that?"

    Corey asked with a purely curious tone.

    [Ecstasy, madness, pain, torture, death, then you''ll be throroughly devoured.]

    Although, Nina did not fully exin what would happen if he decided to unlock the seal of the Devourer''s stomach first, he could imagine his fate just from her words.

    He exhaled deeply, then softly shook his head.

    "I''m curious. Why didn''t you just unlock it for me?"

    Corey asked, and Nina scoffed.

    [Because I need your permission.]

    [The Paragon wants you to make your own choices no matter what.]

    [That old man doesn''t like to force his race when ites to choices.]

    Corey remained silent, not knowing how to respond to Nina''s words. He eventually shook his head, and spoke:

    "Unlock the Celestial Mana Veins."

    [Wise choice.]

    Nina said, and Corey waited.

    Three seconds went by, and Corey heard a bang in his mind.

    He shook, but that was just the beginning.

    The insides of his body twisted, and changed.

    His mana veins erged, strengthened, lengthened, and became much clearer. His mana veins became so clear to the point that if somebody looked at his mana veins, they would think he had no mana veins.

    It was so transparent that the only thing that proved that Corey had mana veins was the presence of the mana flowing through them.

    As Corey observed his mana veins using his Eyes of Omnscience, he noticed faint runes on his transformig mana veins.

    He tried studying the runes, but he understood nothing from it.

    The transformation of his mana veins was a strange thing for Corey. It was both painful and enjoyable at the same time, making it seem like Corey was a masochist who enjoyed being pain while engaging in sexual acts.

    If Corey''s pain resistance was not high, he would have been screaming and groaning in pain,pletely ignoring the ecstatic feeling it also transmitted to his body at the same time.

    Corey''s expression darkened, but he waited for the transformation to be over.

    It took an entire fifteen minutes for the transformation to bepleted, and before Corey could revel in the strange feeling he had, Nina''s indifferent voive rang out in his mind.

    [I''m releasing the energy now.]

    Before Corey could respond, a searing sensation tore through his insides like a relentless inferno. It began as an insidious ache, then it blossomed into an excruciating torment that twisted his limbs and contorted his body in spasms of unimaginable agony.

    ''What sort of pain is this?''

    Corey''s eyes flickered with unyielding determination, and also shock at the amount of pain he was currently going through.

    It felt as though tendrils of molten fire coursed through his mana veins, each pulse an onught of unbearable torment, scorching his very essence.

    Luckily for him, he had transformed his mana veins or he would be a cripple.

    His bones creaked and cracked under the strain of a transformative force, stretching and reshaping as if being sculpted by an unseen, malevolent hand.

    Suprisingly, where Corey felt the most pain was on one of his fingers!

    His right index finger!

    He felt like his entire existence of his finger was changing on a level he could not even fathom, and it hurt.

    It hurt so much to the point that Corey could not help but scream!

    The pain wed at his mind, blurring the line between reality and delirium. Waves of nausea crashed upon him, apanied by an unrelenting pounding in his head that echoed the beat of an otherwordly drum.

    Corey''s screams tore through the air, mingling for desperate pleas for respite that fell upon the deaf ears of fate!

    Seconds felt like hours to Corey, and although Corey did not want to give up, his body was overwhelmed by the intense amount of energy rampaging in his body.

    It was way beyond what his Demi-Paragon body could handle.

    Corey''s eyes became dim, and a few secondster, he heard a loud bang that was akin to the explosion of the birth of a universe.

    The instant the bang resounded in Corey''s mind, the light in his eyes vanished, and Corey died.

 Chapter 265 264: Black Gate

    Chapter 265 264: ck Gate

    "Where am I?"

    Corey had a baffled expression as he tried to observe his surroundings which was made ofplete darkness.

    He looked around, and tried to look for something different in the extremely dark space he was in. But despite looking around, he saw nothing but darkness.

    He looked at his body and to his surprise, he realized that he waspletely naked. His clothes which were made up of Nina''s nanobots were no longer avable.

    Also, he could not sense Nina in his body.

    "I guess I truly died."

    Corey mumbled as he remembered hisst moments before he died.

    He had tried his best to resist the intense pain he went through after absorbing the finger. But even with his high pain tolerance, determination, and desire for strength, he could not hold on.

    His body and soul was torn apart from the energy of the finger.

    The pain was truly unlike anything he had gone through. Especially the pain from his right index finger, it was too painful.

    He never wanted to go through the pain again.

    Corey nced at his right index finger, and he frowned.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    His finger was gone!

    "What''s the meaning of this?"

    Corey frowned deeply as he looked at his missing finger. It didn''t look like his finger had been cut off, but more like it had never existed.

    It almost seemed like the number of the fingers on his right hand had always been four!

    Corey''s frown deepened as he could not make sense of what was going on.

    Although, he knew that his missing finger was definitely rted to the finger he consumed, he just didn''t understand what had actually happened.

    Corey sighed, then he looked around.

    He never knew that death would be like this.

    Staying in a dark ce for who knows how long?

    Possibly eternity?

    Corey released a deep sigh filled with regret.

    He couldn''t have his revenge on the pope.

    He couldn''t avenge his parents.

    He could not save his sister.

    He could not prove to Nina that he was unworthy to have the Paragon Ancestor''s blood in him.

    He had failed a lot of people.

    "I''ll probably run mad at some point in time."

    A soft chuckle filled with calmness and eptance escaped Corey''s lips as he decided to take a sitting posture.

    Since he had died, he might as well rest for a short period of time right?

    Maybe for eternity right?

    Just as Corey had this thought, his head snapped to a certain direction.

    "What''s that?"

    Corey squinted his eyes as he thought he had seen a light sh in the distance.

    He waited, and just when he thought he was probably seeing things, the light shed again.

    Excitement shed in Corey''s eyes when he noticed the sh once again.

    Having something ur in this dark space was much better than nothing uring in the dark space.

    Other it could be dangerous, he was already dead.

    What else could happen to him when he had died.

    Besides, he didn''t want to stay in the dark space forever.

    Suprisingly, as Corey dashed forward, he noticed that it was like he was running on solid ground, even when there was obviously nothing beneath his feet.

    ''Strange.''

    Corey thought, then he dismissed his thought as he kept on running to the extremely faint ck light that kept on shing at random intervals.

    An unknown amount of time went by as Corey kept on running to the ck light.

    He didn''t know how long he had been running. Sometimes it felt like a few seconds. Sometimes, like a few minutes. Sometimes, it felt like he had been running for hours.

    His sense of time in the dark space was literally non-existent.

    Corey eventually reached the source of the ck light, and a baffled light appeared in his eyes.

    "A gate?"

    Corey had a confused glint as he looked at a ck gate that was so high to the point that Corey could not see it.

    The gate had ck inscriptions, and extremely thick white chains around the gate.

    As Corey observed the gate, he noticed something.

    His strength was returning, and a stream of information flowed into his mind.

    The information was concise and ominous.

    The information stated two things:

    .c¦Ïm First, he only had two chances to break apart the ck gate or he would truly die.

    Second, the longer he stayed in the dark space, the lower his strength would be, then he would truly die.

    When Corey received the two informations, he frowned slightly as he looked at the ck gate.

    "How powerful is the gate?"

    Corey mumbled with a tinge of dissatisfaction in his tone.

    He didn''t know how strong the defensive capabilities of the gate was, nor did he know what abilities the gate or the chains had.

    Coreycked so much information regarding the gate, and this irked him.

    "Whatever. I''ll just use everything I have."

    Corey''s eyes glinted with zing determination as he looked at the gate.

    He spread out his two palms, and a red and ck saber appeared in his right and left hand respectively.

    The Demonic Sabers!

    "Never thought I''d use them so soon."

    A solemn expression appeared on Corey''s face as he looked at the demonic sabers which were radiating an energy that would send chills down the spine of countless people.

    ''If I wasn''t a Demi-Paragon, I''d be dead just from the amount of blood the red saber was absorbing.''

    Corey thought, then he shook his head.

    "Thankfully, nobody is watching me."

    Corey mumbled, and the moment he did, the demonic sabers vibrated intensely.

    [Vibration Maniption: Novice ¡ú Advanced]

    [Killing Intent: Basic ¡ú Intermediate]

    [Axe Intent: Basic -> Intermediate]

    [Dreamfire Maniption: Basic -> Novice]

    A plethora of skills appeared around the demonic sabers, causing the dual sabers to glow with a multicolored light.

    Corey looked at the two sabers, then he looked at the gate.

    "sh Step."

    In the blink of an eye, Corey appeared before the gate, and he swung the demonic sabers on the gate with a ferocious might.

    BOOM!

 Chapter 266 265: Obscura Force

    Chapter 266 265: Obscura Force

    BOOM!

    The instant Corey shed his demonic sabers unto the titanic ck gates, the sound echoed throughout the dark space. It resembled the collisions of thunderbolts apanied by the whooshing sounds of a massive tornado.

    The force from the collision sent Corey flying backwards for a few meters.

    He rolled a few times, then he stopped, and grunted.

    He stood up, and looked at the gate with a solemn light while wiping away the blood at the side of his lips.

    A long thin line resembling that of a saber''s edge appeared on the surface of the gates, and a bright light seeped out from the lines on the gate.

    The ck gate trembled intensely, and a few secondster, it stopped.

    Corey''s gaze did not falter despite nothing happening on the ck gate for the first five seconds.

    Exactly six secondster.

    The gate shook slightly, and countless fine cracks appeared on the ck gate and the white chains.

    The gate shook once again, then it turned to dust.

    The entirety of the ck gate and the white chains turned to finely grounded dust, and a smile appeared on Corey''s lips.

    "It worked."

    Corey said, then he squinted his eyes as he wondered where the bright light he previously saw from the thin line disappeared to.

    ''Strange.''

    Corey''s eyes moved to the finely grounded gate and chains, and a smile reappeared on his face.

    ''At least some of my effort wasn''t for nothing.''

    The main reason for the gate bing finely grounded powder was due to the skill- Vibration Maniption.

    Vibration Maniption was one of the skills Corey had practiced during the two months he stayed in Rosa''s garden.

    Vibration Maniption was an extremely deadly skill if used properly, and one could only imagine the damage that would be done if used on a living being.

    Vibration Maniption was not the only skill that helped Corey destroy the ck gate and chains to such an extent.

    The demonic sabers which possessed a terrifying might also helped in the destruction of the ck gate.

    In fact, one thing Corey did not know was that the use of weapons to destroy the gate was not allowed.

    No!

    It''s not that it wasn''t allowed.

    The weapon of the challenger of the ck gate was never meant to have appeared in the dark space.

    If an individual kept their weapons in their inventory, their inventory would not be essible.

    If their weapons was even kept in their souls, their weapons would still not be essible.

    But, Corey''s weapons were kept in his Tri-Pupil Eyes which was more profound than he could ever imagine.

    Using a cheat like weapon like the demonic sabers was not meant to be possible, and if Corey knew this, he would definitely not care.

    Assuming Corey could not use the demonic sabers, he would still have destroyed the gate.

    But, not to the extent at which he currently did.

    The reason for this was due to a particr scroll Corey stole from the Emporium treasury.

    The name of the skill contained in the scroll was ''Obscura Force'', and when Corey stole the scroll, there was no description on the contents of the scroll.

    When Corey opened the scroll in his two months of training, he was surprised when he noticed that the contents of the scroll was empty.

    Corey had to use his Eyes of Omniscience to see the contents of the scroll, and when he did, he saw extremelyplex runes on the scroll.

    Before he could learn the contents of the scroll, the scroll turned to a white me and flew into Corey''s be.

    Corey tried to stop it but he no matter what it did, the white me easily prated into his be, and to his surprise, a stream of information entered his mind.

    The information exined what the skill, Obscura Force was.

    Obscura Force was a passive skill that doubles all aspects of the user''s physical strength no matter what level the user reaches in the future.

    When Corey read this part of the information, he was ecstatic, but his excitement was doused by a full bucket of cold water when he read the condition for the skill to be activated.

    For the skill to be activated, no living being must perceive Corey.

    The instant a living being saw, heard, smelt, tasted or perceived Corey in any manner, his strength would be reduced back to normal.

    The skill was a strange skill that had almost zero uses inbat.

    It was more suited for an assassin, and Corey was not really sure on how to utilize the skill.

    Nevertheless, the skill came in handy when heunched his attack on the ck gate.

    No living being was observing him, so his strength was double what it originally was, and this was another factor that really helped Corey destroy the gate.

    As for the remaining three skills he used- Killing intent, Axe intent, and Dreamfire Maniption. They were just there to enhance his attacks.

    Though, they each their own terrifying potential.

    And Corey nned on focusing the three skills in the near future.

    Especially the intent skills.

    Corey shook his head slightly, and with a thought, he sent the demonic sabers to his Tri-Pupil Eyes.

    "Now what?"

    Corey looked around, waiting for something to happen.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Six seconds passed, and Corey noticed a movement in the finely grounded gate and chains.

    The finely grounded gate and chains swirled, and in the blink of an eye, a twister was formed.

    The twister was a mix of a ck and white color. With the ck representing the titanic ck gate, and the white representing the white chains.

    The twister moved towards Corey at a fast speed, and Corey frowned.

    He didn''t know what he was meant to do. He didn''t sense any danger from the twister, and his instincts were telling him that the twister wasn''t harmful.

    It was more like his reward.

    A conflicted light appeared in Corey''s eyes, and a secondter, he decided to trust his instincts and wait.

    The twister reached Corey, and to Corey''s surprise, it got absorbed by his body.

    He felt his body change in a way he could not understand.

    He wanted to study his body, but before he could, he vanished from the dark realm.

 Chapter 267 266: Black Star

    <h4>Chapter 267 266: ck Star</h4>

    Inside a Evolution Center was a figure that was drenched in blood. The figure''s bones and body were twisted in a way mortals could never imagine.

    The figure''s skin had countless porcin cracks running all over it, making the figure resemble a cracked and broken mannequin.

    If one observed the facial expression of the figure, one would notice the reluctance and dissapointment the figure had moments before its death.

    The right index finger of the figure shook slightly, and a few secondster, a ck and white light enveloped the figure.

    The figure''s bones snapped back to their original position, and a powerful heartbeat resounded from the figure''s chest.

    The porcin cracks on the figure disappeared, and the air shook as the figure''s body trembled.

    A few minutester, a long and deep exhale escaped the figure''s lips, and with a tremendous jerk, the figure sat up.

    "HUUU! HAAHHH!"

    The figure exhaled, and a face that possessed a devilishly, otherworldly, and extremely handsome face showed itself to the world.

    The figure looked around, his light blue and deep violet eyes contained a confused light.

    Some seconds passed, and the confusion in his eyes turned to exhration.

    "I''M BACK!"

    "I''M BACK FROM THE FUCKING DEAD!"

    "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

    Coreyughed so much and hard to the point that he started coughing violently.

    [Took you long enough.]

    A familiar feminine voice that contained a tinge of dissatisfaction rang out in his mind, and Corey''s eyes brightened slightly.

    "How long did I spend in that world?"

    Corey questioned, expecting to hear hours, days, or even a month.

    [Two minutes.]

    "..."

    Corey''s lips twitched.

    "Then why do you sound annoyed and dissatisfied?"

    [Do you think you''d be able tost so long without me and your celestial mana veins?]

    [You were in a half dead state.]

    [If I didn''t preserve your heart from beating itsst, you''d have truly died.]

    [You even used those cursed sabers that almost took your life as well.]

    [Luckily the energy in the finger was enough. Well¡­ more than enough I guess.]

    Corey''s expression became slightly solemn when he heard Nina''s words.

    He knew he had truly died when he found himself in the dark space. He didn''t know how he knew, but he just knew.

    He thought maybe him destroying the ck gate and white chains were what brought him back from the dead. But from Nina''s words, he would have truly died if it wasn''t for her.

    "Thank you."

    Although Corey had no way of knowing if Nina''s words were truly correct, he was still grateful for all the help she had given him regardless.

    Nina did not bother responding to his words of appreciation, and Corey did not feel offended.

    "By the way, was that a tribtion of hell? And am I already a tier 2?"

    Corey questioned as he felt his new strength which was on a whole other level.

    His current strength made him feel like he could defeat ten of his previous self with ease. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    His entire physical strength, mana quantity and quality was so much better than his previous self, that the only time Corey felt such a huge change in his strength was when he became a Demi-Paragon.

    For such a huge increase in his strength, Corey guessed that the dark space, and ck gate was a tribtion of hell, and he had ovee it, thereby bing a tier 2.

    He had subsconciously pushed the thought that him maxing out his stats could produce such a huge change in his body.

    [Fool. How can the tribtion of hell be so easy to pass?]

    [Check your status screen.]

    Nina replied, with her tone containing disdain and contempt for Corey''s foolish view on the tribtions of hell.

    A baffled expression appeared on Corey''s face, and without saying anything, he opened his status screen.

    The instant he opened his status screen, he subconsciously moved his head to the back when he realized that there were countless messages from the Universal System.

    [WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!]

    [A FOREIGN AND IMMENSE AMOUNT OF ENERGY HAS BEEN DISCOVERED!]

    [FOREIGN ENERGY IS BEING USED TO STRENGTHEN THE INDIVIDUAL!]

    [INDIVIDUAL IS ATTEMPTING TO SURPASS THE IMPOSED UNIVERSAL LIMIT.]

    [ATTEMPTING TO EXTERMINATE THE ENERGY.]

    [OPERATION FAILED DUE TO AN UNKNOWN INTERFERENCE.]

    [THE INDIVIDUAL''S POWER LEVEL IS RISING.]

    [INDIVIDUAL HAS BREACHED THE LIMITS.]

    [CODE BLACK! CODE BLACK! CODE BLACK!]

    [ATTEMPTING TO EXTERMINATE THE INDIVIDUAL!]

    [SHUTDOWN AND ERASURE OF THE INDIVIDUAL''S ENTIRE EXISTENCE SHALL COMMENCE!]

    [OPERATION HAS TEMPORARILY FAILED DUE TO AN UNKNOWN INTERFERENCE!]

    [INDIVIDUAL HAS ARRIVED BEFORE @#$$#$^*]

    ....

    The list of messages kept on increasing, and a solemn expression appeared on Corey''s face as he realized that he probably done something which by all means should have left him dead.

    He was absolutely sure that if not for Nina he would be a dead man by now.

    "That was close."

    Corey wiped away a non-existent sweat from his forehead, then his eyesnded on a particr text from the Universal System.

    [CONGRATULATIONS. YOU HAVE ATTAINED THE TITLE: LIMIT BREAKER]

    [LIMIT BREAKER: YOU ARE ONE OF THE FEW IN HISTORY THAT HAS BROKEN AN IMPOSED UNIVERSAL LIMITS. UNKNOWN BENEFITS WOULD BE AVAILABLE TO YOU AFTER REACHING A CERTAIN POWER LEVEL.]

    [GOOD LUCK.]

    Corey had a strange expression as he read the description of his new title. The title did not give him any immediate benefits at the moment. Only when he reached a certain power level would he gain the benefits of the title.

    Corey did not know why the Universal System wanted to give him the benefits of the ''Limit Breaker'' title now, but he guessed he would find outter in the future.

    Corey looked away from his new title, then he looked at the remaining information on his status screen.

    There were no changes to his skills, but when he looked at his attributes, a dazed expression appeared on his face.

    *ATTRIBUTES*

    Strength: Violet Star [???%] ¡ú ck Star [100%]

    Agility: Violet Star [???%] ¡ú ck Star [100%]

    Dexterity: Violet Star [???%] ¡ú ck Star [100%]

    Constitution: Violet Star [???%] ¡ú ck Star [100%]

    Intelligence: Violet Star [???%] ¡ú ck Star [100%]

    Endurance: Violet Star [???%] ¡ú ck Star [100%]

    Astral Mana: Violet Star [???%] ¡ú ck Star [100%]

    Free A.P: 600%

    ----------

    [A/N: I HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT TO MAKE.

    THERE WOULD BE A LOT OF ''DON''T UNLOCK YET CHAPTERS'' THIS WEEK CAUSE THIS WEEK IS GOING TO BE EXTREMELY STRESSFUL FOR ME.

    I HAVEN''T SLEPT SINCE YESTERDAY, AND ALTHOUGH I DIDN''T WANT TO WRITE, I STILL DID.

    I''LL UPLOAD THE NEXT CHAPTER IN A FEW HOURS.

    SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.]

 Chapter 270 269: First Tribulation of Hell; A Happy Life

    Chapter 270 269: First Tribtion of Hell; A Happy Life

    Two years passed after Corey awoke in the strange world that heavily resembled his world- New Earth.

    In the two years that went by, Corey had learnt a very baffling and disturbing fact about the world he was in.

    This world was also called New Earth, and everything in it was extremely simr to Corey''s world.

    Everything was real.

    The humans, his sister, his parents, every single thing.

    The only difference between New Earth, and Corey''s world was the appearance of the All-Father and the Universal System.

    Life continued normally in New Earth 2.0, and there was no fear of a monster or a human with immense powers killing weak individuals like ants.

    In the past two years, Corey had not been able to figure out what he was meant to do in this world.

    How was he meant to pass the first tribtion of hell?

    When was he going to leave this world?

    Was he ever going to leave this world?

    Had he failed the tribtion of hell without him knowing?

    So many thoughts had appeared in Corey''s mind in the two years he had appeared in¡­ New Earth 2.0.

    Corey had even contemted killing himself since he didn''t know if that was actually how to pass the first tribtion of hell.

    He could not think of any other way, and the thought of him staying in New Earth 2.0 for an unknown amount of time made him really ufortable.

    Although, his family was well and alive in this world, he knew that they were not his actual family.

    His actual parents were dead, and his sister''s fate was unknown.

    He was happy, immensely so.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    But, he knew that when or if, he left this world, he would be needlessly attached to his parents and sister in New Earth 2.0.

    If only he was 100% certain he wouldn''t be able to leave would he maybe entertain the thought of him getting close to his parents and sister of this world.

    Although, he did not want to get closer with any resident of the world, he still went to school like how most kids his age did.

    Encountering Kyle, Ba, Mrs. Ashley and a few other people he once fought with when he was stuck in E-Academy was strange for Corey.

    Though, just like he nned, he didn''t interact with those people a lot.

    He just hoped that he would find a way to leave the world, or he''d have no choice but to interact more and more with the people around him.

    Another year passed, and Corey decided to interact more with the people around him.

    He could not spend three years not interacting with people nor doing anything productive.

    He could not increase his strength.

    He could not train most of his skills due to his body being much weaker than before.

    And, he could not practise his concotion of poisons due to a lot of reasons.

    With the main reason being the absence of mana. Without mana, his poison resistance was entirely non-existent.

    He could kill himself through his own poisons, and that would just be a sad, funny, and stupid fate.

    Corey could not do a lot of things that he considered productive, so he had no choice but to interact more and more with the people around him.

    Ten more years passed, and Corey had graduated from the university.

    He started a business which was rapidly gaining fame and fortune in New Earth 2.0, deeply shocking the business industry.

    In the span of eight years, he had created a business that could rival the top-level businesses in the world, and the reason for this was due to his rtionship with Ashley.

    He eventually married Ashley who was the president of one of the countries in New Earth 2.0.

    His rtionship with her immensely helped his business to reach heights in such a short time. Something that would not have been possible with his abilities alone.

    Even though thirteen years had gone by after he arrived in New Earth 2.0, Corey had never forgotten his true goal of leaving the world.

    He had a thought that maybe the world had a deep, hidden secret that was only known to the top leaders of the world.

    Something that could give him a clue to return home.

    Another five years passed, and Corey sat in his majestic and immensely beauty study. A solemn expressionbined with a deep frown could be seen on his face as he gazed at the transparent ss wall before him. In his right hand was a wine ss cup.

    His gaze looked at the countless humans, vehicles, and animals moving in apletely random manner.

    Due to the distance between him and the people down below, they all looked like ants in his eyes.

    A statement which would not be totally wrong considering his status- The richest man on the.

    Normally, one would feel satisfaction, and happiness when they were the richest man on the.

    But, Corey had never felt that.

    And now, Corey felt frustrated and angry because,

    "There''s nothing here."

    "This world is a normal world."

    "There''s no mind blowing secret in this world."

    "What do I do?"

    "How do I pass this tribtion?"

    "Do I truly have to kill myself?"

    Corey''s eyes glinted in frustration, and just as he was about to crush the ss cup in anger, he heard the sound of his elevator stopping.

    He calmly turned around, and emerging from the elevator was a beautiful female who although, was in her 40s, looked to be in herte twenties.

    "Corey. We''ll be having a son."

    The female smiled while rubbing her bulging stomach with a loving expression.

    Corey remained silent for a few seconds as his eyes moved from the female, Ashley, his wife to his child living in her belly.

    He closed his eyes, then he exhaled softly.

    A wry smile appeared on his lips, then he walked towards Ashley.

    "Hopefully he''s not as troublesome as his elder sister."

    Ashley chuckled when she heard Corey''s words.

    She knew just how much of a headache their daughter gave her husband, and she found it funny everytime.

    "She''ll most likely be overprotective of her junior brother."

    Ashley said, and Corey smiled, but said nothing in response.

    He hugged her, and closed his eyes in silence.

    He could notmit suicide no matter what.

    He had his own family in this world, and he could not bear to leave them behind by killing himself.

    His current life was not as bad as his previous life.

    In fact, it could even be said that his current life was one filled with happiness.

    ''I''ll find a way to leave this world with my family no matter what.''

    ''I wouldn''t give up.''

    (200 yearster.)

    A young girl with light blue eyes dropped a bouquet in front of a gravestone, and with a smile, she wiped the non-existent sweat from her forehead.

    "Phew. Mom would have beaten the hell out of me if I forgot to ce the flowers on grandpa''s grave."

    The young girl said, her eyes containing a tinge of sadness before it was swiftly concealed.

    "I love you Grandpa."

    The young girl said, and she walked away, leaving behind the grave which had the words on the gravestone:

    [Here lies the greatest and richest man to ever exist. Corey Junior Zane.]

    [May his soul lie in eternal peace.]

 Chapter 271 270: First Tribulation of Hell; A Terrible Beginning

    Chapter 271 270: First Tribtion of Hell; A Terrible Beginning

    In the world that waspletely made up of ss, the mirror at Corey''s right rippled, then a light shot out of the mirror towards Corey.

    Corey''s nk eyes flickered back to life, and Corey exhaled like a dying man that was just given life.

    He looked around, and his eyes contained a tinge of confusion before itpletely changed to relief, and happiness.

    He quickly looked at his body, and he exhaled a deep breath of relief.

    "I''m back. And I''m not old."

    Corey mumbled with a slight smile as he never thought he would be so relieved to be back in the ss world of the first tribtion.

    Memories of his life in Earth 2.0 appeared in his mind, and a smile filled withplicated emotions appeared on his lips.

    His lips in Earth 2.0 was filled with happiness.

    Although, it had its up and downs, it was mainly filled with happiness.

    His sister and parents were well and alive.

    He got married to a wife who respected him.

    He had children and grandchildren.

    He was the richest man to have ever existed on Earth 2.0

    Also, due to the countless achievements he made. He was given the title of ''The Greatest Man To Have Ever Existed.''

    There was no danger that was beyond human means.

    There was no human or being with so much strength that he or she could do whatever it is they wanted.

    And finally, there was no apocalypse.

    Corey''s life was filled with happiness and peace, and Corey could not help but frown despite this.

    There was only one thing he liked when he was transferred to another world.

    The Time.

    The amount of time he had to spend in Earth 2.0 was more than 200 years.

    The two hundred years he lived was not an illusion, and neither was it dream he could easily forget.

    Everything he did in Earth 2.0 was real.

    The connections he made, his family, and a lot of other things were real, and Corey could not just forget them.

    Corey looked at the ss road that seemingly had no end, then his eyes moved to the countless mirrors by the sides of the ss road.

    A thought came into Corey''s mind and his expression darkened.

    He remembered that when he took his first step on the ss road, a force which he could not resist had forced him to look into one of the ss mirrors by his sides.

    If the strange power which he could not resist forced him to look at one of the ss mirrors again, Corey would most likely have to live another life until¡­ he died?

    Although, Corey was able to maintain his sense of self even after living for 200+ years in New Earth, Corey did not believe that he would be able to maintain his sense of self if he had to live for another 200+ years for an uncountable number of times.

    Just by looking at the countless number of mirrors and the seemingly endless road, Corey knew that he would most likely have to live in an uncountable number of worlds until he died.

    When Corey realized this, his facial expression was beyond ugly and frustrated.

    "What if Imit suicide in every world I appear?"

    Corey mumbled, but before he could ponder on this decision, his instincts screamed at him to move.

    Without wasting a single second, Corey quickly took a step forward, and just as he was about to make a dash forward due to his instincts still screaming at him, his body was forced to stop by the same power that forced him to look at one of the mirrors.

    The same power forced him to stop, and although he tried to break free from the force, he could not even twitch his finger no matter how much he tried.

    Corey''s head was forced to turn to the mirror on his left, and when his gazended on the mirror, his reflection smiled and Corey''s gaze became nk.

    --------

    "Brother."

    "Brother!"

    "Brother! Wake up!"

    A loud and weak voice rumbled in Corey''s ears, and with a deep groan, he struggled to open his eyes.

    After struggling much longer than he expected, he grabbed his head as he felt a sort of weakness, and pain throughout his entire body.

    ''What is this?''

    ''Why am I feeling so much pain?''

    Corey thought, and he shook off the pain.

    He looked around, and a baffled expression appeared on his face when he saw his environment.

    It looked like he was in a make-shift tent.

    ''What the-?''

    "Brother let''s go."

    "We have to work"

    The weak voice which contained a tinge of familiarity and also unfamiliarity flowed into his ears, and Corey turned towards the source.

    The instant he did, his pupils constricted to needle points.

    "A-Anna?"

    Corey subsconciouly spoke with a slightly loud voice, startling the familiar, and yet unfamiliar figure before him.

    "Are you sick brother?"

    The female figure questioned with a worried tone as she ced her skinny and clearly malnourished hand on Corey''s forehead.

    Corey''s eyes trembled slightly, and he grabbed her with as little force he could muster.

    He was clearly afraid of unintentionally harming the little girl before him.

    "Who did this to you Anna?"

    Corey questioned as he looked at the female figure who was his little sister, Anna.

    Even when Anna was just a sixteen year old, she had the body of a sexy female in her twenties. It was a thing of envy towards females older than her, and a thing of pride for her.

    But now!

    Anna was skinny!

    Anna was so skinny to the point that she looked malnourished!

    And she was!

    She wore a cloth made from brown sacks, and she also had countless bruises on her skinny arms.

    As Corey observed his sister, he noticed something which he had overlooked due to Anna''s current condition.

    On her wrists were chains, and on his wrists were also chains!

    He was also wearing the same brown sacks as his sister!

    Corey''s expression darkened and his eyes became cold.

    "What''s wrong with you brother?"

    "How could you forget about the Perzians who enved us?"N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Corey frowned.

    ''ves?''

    Just as Corey was about to speak, a shrill scream echoed from the outside, and Anna and Corey''s expression changed.

    "Mom!"

    Anna screamed, and she dashed out of the make shift tent at full speed.

    Despite the pain Corey felt, Corey also stood and dashed out of the make shift tent.

    The instant he dashed out of the tent, his eyes ignored everything, and his gazended on a headless corpse about thirty meters away from him.

    His eyes widened when he saw the face on the head, and his heart rate spiked.

    "Dad?"

    "Mom!"

    Anna''s shout woke him from his shock and disbelief, and his gaze shifted, only to see a man wearing a golden armor swinging his sword towards the neck of a petrified woman he knew from the moment he was born.

    He wanted to move.

    He wanted to save her.

    But he was toote, and too weak.

    The sword connected with his mother''s neck, and her head flew upwards. Her blood spraying about like fireworks.

    Corey''s pupils shook.

 Chapter 272 271: First Tribulation Of Hell; Nightmare

    Chapter 272 271: First Tribtion Of Hell; Nightmare

    In a bleak and dustynd, there was a sad ce where mistreated ves try to survive. They lived in tents made of worn-out fabric, barely protecting them from the harsh surroundings.

    These tents, once meant for shelter, now look tired and torn. They were like faded symbols of the exhaustion and hardship that weigh heavily on the people inside. The ground they stood on was dry and dirty, a reflection of the tough lives endured by those who call this ce home.

    Inside these tents, the air felt heavy and stale. It was filled with the smell of hard work and sadness. People''s few belongings were worn out, telling stories of lives that have faced too much struggle.

    The faces of the people here showed the signs of endless hardbor. Their eyes, once bright with hope, now looked tired and empty. They moved around, but their bodies ached from the constant demands ced on them by those who controlled their lives.

    At a certain part of where the ves were located, a scene that was familiar to every being that contained breath could be seen by all.

    One of the Perzian soldiers had found a female ve appeasing enough to be used as an object to release his sexual frustrations upon, but the husband did not agree.

    He bravely and foolishly tried to protect his wife since he knew the fate that woulde upon his wife if she ever ended up with the soldier.

    Most women would prefer death over what the soldier would do on them.

    People who had not suffered as much them would see the man''s actions as being brave and courageous.

    But, most of the ves present only saw the man as a fool.

    Just as everybody expected, the man died, and the woman died as a result of the soldier getting irritated by her screams.

    No ve even conceived the thought of helping the couple.

    It was more like having such a thought was impossible, and did not exist.

    Some ves nced at two children who had just appeared from one of the tents, and some could not help but shake their heads in pity. While some had gazes of slight relief.

    The thoughts of those with gazes of relief were: ''At least there''d be more food and water them to eat and drink.''

    The thoughts of those with expressions of pity were: ''At least the kids would have more a little bit of more food for themselves.''

    With the deaths of the couple, the ves decided to get back to work before the Perzian soldiersshed out at them.

    As the ves got back to their work, a Perzian soldier walked up to the Perzian soldier who had killed the couple, and with a slight smile, he spoke:

    "I want the corpses."

    The lips of the first Perzian soldier twitched since he knew the strange and disgusting fetish of the second Perzian soldier.

    He said nothing, and walked away.

    His mood was ruined, and he needed to find another unfortunate female to relieve himself.

    "ARRGGGGHHHHHH!!!"

    Before the first Perzian soldier even took ten steps, he heard an extremely loud scream of pain and fear.

    He turned back, and his pupils constricted when he saw the perverted Perzian soldier screaming while swinging his sword around.

    His movements made it seem like he was countless enemies of various shapes and sizes, but there was nothing around the Perzian soldier.

    "GET AWAY FROM ME!"

    "GET AWAY FROM ME!"

    "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

    "LEAVE ME!"

    "PLEEAASSEEEEE!"

    "I BEG OF YOU!"

    "I''M SORRY!"

    The first Perzian soldier felt a chill creep down his spine when he heard the tone and words of the second Perzian soldier.

    He couldn''t fathom what the second Perzian soldier was going through, but from his words and tone, it was something that frightened the second Perzian soldier to the core.

    "Hey! Snap out of it!"

    The first Perzian soldier tried to stop the second Perzian soldier from his rampage. But to his absolute shock and horror, the second Perzian soldier shed his sword towards his neck at a speed which should not be possible.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Thud

    The headless body and head of the first Perzian soldier flew up into the air. His gaze and expression even until death contained immense disbelief at the speed the second Perzian soldier shed his sword at his neck.

    Chaos erupted as a result of the death of the first Perzian soldier, and the ves quickly ran away from the rampaging Perzian soldier.

    Multiple Perzian soldiers appeared to stop the rampaging Perzian soldier.

    The chaos increased due to the unexpected increase in strength of the rampaging Perzian soldier.

    Fear could make men perform miraculous acts.

    Amidst the chaos, a teenage boy walked with a unconscious young girl in his arms to the dead couple.

    The teenage boy knelt before the two corpses, and blood continuously dripped from his light blue and deep violet colored eyes.

    His dual colored eyes revealed a light that contained immense pain, anger, and determination.

    A smile that was not a smile appeared on his lips, and a soft chuckle escaped his lips.

    The chuckle then exploded into a full blownughter that sent chills down the spines of all who heard it.

    "I see! I see!"

    "So that''s how it is!"

    "So insidious!"

    "So wicked!"

    "So inhumane!"

    "So heartless!"

    "HAHAHAHAHA!"

    The teenage boy kept on speaking words that confused those who heard it.

    The few who took notice of him thought he had gone mad due to him losing his parents.

    A fact which was not surprising.

    The teenage boy ced the little girl on his shoulders, then he effortlessly carried his parents, surprising a few.

    A glint of madness and rage appeared in the teenage boy''s dual colored eyes as he walked to his family''s tent.

    His previous n of killing himself to leave this world quickly was immediately scrapped.

    How could he kill himself when he had not yet avenged his parents?

    How could he kill himself and leave behind his sister in this cruel ce?

    He wanted revenge.

    He wanted this organization that forced his family to be ves burn.

    And if anybody stood in his way, they would burn along with the organization.

    If the world stood in his way, then the world would burn also.

 Chapter 273 272: First Tribulation of Hell; Mechanism

    N?v(el)B\\jnn<h4>Chapter 273 272: First Tribtion of Hell; Mechanism</h4>

    Hours passed after the chaos caused by the rampaging Perzian soldier was quelled. A total of ten Perzian soldiers were required to subdue the Perzian soldier, and there were even a few losses.

    Surprisingly, due to the chaos caused by the rampaging Perzian soldier, the ves were given a day off.

    But, even with the break, some ves did not feel too pleased since they had a feeling that the amount of work they would need to do would be more than usual.

    Although, a few were worried about the next day, none of them could do anything.

    As all of these was ongoing, Corey sat in his family''s make-shift tent.

    His legs were in a cross-legged position, and his eyes were closed.

    His breathing was extremely faint, and for a minute, Corey did not move an inch from his position.

    A few secondster, Corey deeply exhaled, then he opened his eyes which dimmer than normal.

    He shifted his gaze to his sleeping sister by his side, and his lips shifted upward ever so slightly.

    Luckily, he had knocked her out in a swift and painless manner before her mind was overtaken their parents death.

    Anna would definitely still be affected by their parents death, but it would be much better after she woke up.

    Despite his calm gaze and smile, Corey''s heart was a raging volcano as he remembered how his parents were killed.

    Although, the cause of his parents death was dead. And, the soldier who wanted to have sex with his mother''s corpse had suffered untold nightmares from his Eyes of Dreams and Nightmares.

    He was not satisfied.

    He wanted to torture the two Perzian soldiers in an extremely gruesome and painful manner.

    He wanted to destroy the Perzian Empire who had enved his family, and made them to suffer for so long.

    He didn''t care if there was a backstory, or if the world he was currently in was not his world.

    His parents had died once again, and if he did not avenge them, it would bother him till death.

    Corey exhaled once again, then his gaze became solemn.

    The main reason Coreyughed like a mad man in front of his parents corpse, and said such words was because he believed he had figured out the mechanism behind the ss world of the first tribtion of hell.

    He was not 100% sure of his theory. But, he believed that his guess should be 95% correct.

    The only way for Corey to survive the first tribtion of hell was by reaching the end of the ss road.

    But, with every step that Corey took, he was always forced to look at one of the mirrors by the sides of the road.

    When Corey took the first step, he was forced to look at the right mirror, and he experienced a happy life.

    His parents and sister were alive.

    He had a loving wife.

    He had children and grand-children.

    He was also the richest and greatest man on the.

    When Corey took the second step, he was forced to look at the left mirror. And, now, he was experiencing what could be described as a terrible life.

    He woke up as a ve.

    Told that his family were also ves.

    And, in less than an hour, his parents were killed.

    From these two experiences, Corey could infer a few things.

    First, if he was forced to look at the mirror to his right in the ss world. He would experience a happy life.

    Second, if he was forced to look at the mirror to his left in the ss world. His life would be terrible in whatever world he appeared in.

    Third, there was a possibility that the mirror he was forced to look at would be random.

    Fourth, the only way for him to leave the world he appeared in¡­ was by death.

    If Nina was here, and she heard the four hypothesis he had thought of just from entering two mirrors.

    She would be surprised since somebody that waspletely ignorant of hell like him would not be able to make such urate guesses just from entering two mirrors.

    There was a possibility that she would p in appreciation of his intelligence.

    Though, the possibility was low. Very low.

    When Corey''s mind came up with the four theories, he could not help butugh in disbelief at the cruelty of the first tribtion.

    Corey could not see the end of the ss road, and the number of mirrors by the sides were simply innumerable!

    How many lives would he have to experience before he reached the end of the ss path?

    Wouldn''t he forget himself after entering the worlds of multiple mirrors?

    How was he going to remember that his actual life was back in New Earth, where his sister''s fate was unknown?

    How was he going to keep his sanity if he was randomly given a sad life or a happy life?

    He would run mad before he even reached half of the ss road.

    When he thought of how he had decided to kill himself in the vision he saw, Corey was no longer surprised.

    His mind was mostly broken in that vision, and it would definitely be his future if he did not find a way to survive the first tribtion of hell.

    He was not going to overestimate his abilities by saying that he would not forget his real self, real world, and real family.

    He would.

    He would definitely forget them.

    Especially, if there was a possibility that one of the mirrors took him to a world where he could live for a very long time.

    Why wouldn''t he forget himself?

    When Corey thought of all these, his gaze darkened to an unfathomable degree.

    Just like the Paragon Ancestor said, somebody had to at least be a tier 7 to have a chance of surviving the tribtions of hell.

    Corey didn''t know what abilities a tier 7 had for them to survive the tribtions, and such information was not going to help him at the moment.

    When he thought of how difficult the first tribtion of hell was, Corey did not even want to imagine how difficult the second tribtion of hell was going to be.

    Corey shook his head as he exhaled once again. His gaze was solemn, and a determined expression appeared on his face as he thought of a way to survive the first tribtion of hell.

    Since Corey knew that he could not survive the first tribtion of hell by just walking to the end of the ss road.

    His mind went to a skill he just recently learned.

    ''Cognitum Erasure.''

 Chapter 274 273: First Tribulation of Hell; Cognitum Erasure

    274 273: First Tribtion of Hell; Cognitum Erasure

    Cognitum Erasure was a skill that gave Corey the ability to erase specific memories and knowledge from individuals.

    It was an extremely useful skill that had so many uses.

    It was also a skill that was extremely useful for assassins.

    Normally, the skill was meant to be used on other people.

    But,

    Corey was nning on doing something even the creator had never thought of.

    Corey nned on using the skill to erase his memories of every mirror he would enter after this current mirror.

    He was currently in the world of the second mirror. So, after he leaves the world of the third mirror, he would erase his memories of his life of the third world in the mirror.

    He would keep on doing this for every mirror until he reached the end of the ss road.

    And, as a result of this, he would only have the memory of his life in the first and second mirror.

    Luckily for Corey, using Cognitum Erasure did not require mana but mental energy, precision, and soul energy.

    Corey did not know what soul energy actually was, but he guessed his soul energy should not have been affected despite him been in a tribtion of hell.

    Also, his mental capabilities was still in effect since his talent, Omniscience, was more like a part of him.

    Though, he could not use the skills that came with it. His mental capabilities was much higher as a result of his talent.

    Just like Cognitum Erasure, using some abilities of his Eyes of Dreams and Nightmares did not require mana but mental energy.

    Though, using only mental energy ced a lot of strain on his eyes.

    Despite Corey having this n, it carried a great risk. He did not have much experience with Cognitum Erasure, and he didn''t want to think of the dangers of using the skill on his mind.

    He had to be extremely proficient in using the skill, and luckily for him, he had a lot of test subjects just waiting for him outside the tent.

    "Let''s hope this works."

    -----

    (10 Years Later)

    Corey sat in a study that was filled with a lot of shelves. His brows were furrowed deeply as he read a book on his table.

    To his right was his sister who wore a ck suit and trouser.

    Her gaze as she looked at her brother was one of expectation and hope.

    "Brother?"

    Corey remained silent for a few seconds, then he turned towards her with a light smile.

    "It''s time."

    The instant Anna heard those words, her eyes revealed excitement and hatred.

    Finally, they could destroy the Perzian Empire.

    They could finally avenge their parents.

    Despite ten years having gone by, she could still remember the day of their parents death.

    After that day, her brother had changed. He was much colder, arrogant, brave, and intelligent.

    He did things which were unfathomable in her eyes.

    He was able to join the Perzian Empire as a soldier even though he was a ve, and he even rose through the ranks of the army at an extremely fast speed.

    Hisbat ability and physical prowess were also higher than normal.

    He even caught the eye of the Perzian Emperor, formed a lot of connections, and became an extremely influential figure in the Empire.

    Everybody regarded her as his assistant, and she had always been beside him no matter what.

    Even though her brother was now different after that day, he was always warm and caring towards her.

    She even felt like he cared about her wellbeing more after the death of their parents.

    Something which she didn''t find surprising.

    She also cared deeply for her brother.

    They were thest of their family, so why wouldn''t they cherish themselves.

    The siblings walked out of Corey''s study, their steps leading to destruction of the Perzian Empire which had stood for countless years. (50 Years Later)

    Corey sat atop a throne with an indifferent expression as he looked at the kneeling kings and emperors of the top kingdoms and empires.

    It had taken him fifty years after he destroyed the Perzian Empire to make his Empire, The Zane Empire, the sole ruler of the world.

    Countless wars were waged on multiple kingdoms and empires. The rivers of blood that By his side was another throne on which his sister sat upon. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Her visage and temperament was much differentpared to the past.

    She too had fought alongside her brother in the wars he waged, deciding not to be treated like a princess.

    Although, she could have decided to not fight in the wars and battles, something which her brother wanted and preferred.

    She had told him that if he died, she would also die.

    If he died in the battlefield, then she would also die in the battlefield after killing those who killed him.

    She did not want to lose her brother who was her only family, and when Corey heard her words, he allowed her to fight alongside him.

    The siblings were both regarded as the rulers of the Zane Empire, but were more known as the Siblings of War.

    One sibling could kill a thousand men.

    Two siblings could kill ten thousand men.

    -----

    (250 Years Later)

    Corey sat beside the headstone of a majestic and beautiful grave. His wrinkled face was that of relief as he rubbed his walking stick with a smile.

    "Although, you''re dead here sister. I don''t know if I''ll be able to join you wherever you are."

    "I saved you in this world, and I''ll save you in my world too."

    Corey smiled, and he lifted his neck to look at the night sky. His aged eyes reflexively squinted as he gazed at the darkened sky.

    "I don''t know if I should say my experience in this world was that terrible."

    Corey closed his eyes and chuckled. A few secondster, his head dropped to the side, and his arms lifelessly fell to the ground.

    ------

    [A/N: Don''t unlock the next chapter for now. I''m currently writing it. My day was quite busy. Apologies for the inconvenience.]

 Chapter 275 274: First Tribulation of Hell; Overseers

    275 274: First Tribtion of Hell; Overseers

    (In The ss World)

    At a certain part of the ssy sky of the ssy world of the first tribtion of hell were three beings.

    At the far left was a towering figure with shimmering, glowing armor covering their joints and wings. The being had multiple pairs of semi-transparent wings that sparkled with vibrant colors. It''s arms were incredibly versatile, shifting in shape and function, almost like living tools capable of manipting various energies.

    At the far right was a massive, snake-like creature covered in shiny, metallic scales that changed color as it moved. Its mouth was not filled with the traditional teeth of a snake, but a set of intricately designed gears and cogs that grind and whirl with every breath, giving it a fearsome appearance as if it could tear through anything in its path.

    At the center was a monstrous being with a constantly moving fog covered in countless flexible limbs, some like tentacles and others like arms. It was like a blend of organic and otherwordly, with each limb able to disappear and reappear.

    If Corey, Divine, or even Calista, the Emporium Manager saw these three beings. They would be horrified, and at the same time confused.

    Although these three beings had physiques that were outright otherworldly, the energy and aura they radiated was non-existent.

    It was almost like the three beings were mortals.

    But only a blind fool would believe such a thing.

    Meanwhile, if the seven divines saw these three beings, they would retreat with everything they had in the blink of an eye.

    In fact, some might even pee their pants in fear.

    These three figures were the Overseers of The Tribtions of Hell.

    Although, these three figures possessed immense powers. Somebody with a keen observation would notice that the armored figure and the titanic snake-like creature were making sure to stay at a certain distance from the monstrous being with countless limbs.

    "How many steps do you think he''ll be able to take before he bes mad and dies?"

    Surprisingly, the serpent-like creature spoke, it''s voice sounding oddly¡­ robotic? N?v(el)B\\jnn

    The armored figure nced at the serpent-like creature, then it nced at the monstrous being.

    "He''s a Demi-Paragon with the blood of The Defying Paragon, and his foundation is at the peak for his level."

    "With all of this, he should be able to take at least twenty steps before he loses his mind and dies."

    The armored figure spoke, and surprisingly,

    It was a female''s voice!

    The serpent-like creature made a sound that was akin to a snort.

    "Aren''t you thinking too highly of him?"

    "He''s just a tier 1 trash. I believe he''ll lose his mind and die at the tenth step at most."

    The armored figure nced at the serpent-like creature, its bright red pupils behind its armor contained a tinge of indifference.

    "He has The Defying Paragon''s blood in him."

    The armored figure said, putting an emphasis on the word- Defying Paragon.

    The serpent-like figure ''snorted'' once again.

    "So? He''s still a tier 1 trash. No matter-"

    "He has The Defying Paragon''s blood in him."

    The armored figure said once again, and the serpent-like creature squinted its eyes, and decided not to say anything.

    Although, it had kept quiet, it clearly did not agree with the armored figure''s words.

    To it, no matter how powerful and reality defying the Defying Paragon was, a drop of his blood could not help a tier 1 survive the first tribtion of hell.

    If it could, then that would bring an endless amount of work and trouble to them.

    The serpentine-like figure nced at the constantly moving fog with multiple limbs, and it had the urge to ask the fog the same question it asked the armored figure.

    But, after thinking about it, it closed his lips, and quietly gulped.

    It still wanted to live.

    The serpentine-like figure decided to watch Corey, and see which of their guesses would be correct.

    An unknown amount of time passed, and Corey''s nk eyes regained their light.

    The armored figure and serpentine-like creature had raised brows when they saw Corey take another step without hesitation.

    They thought he would have tried to take a short break, but luckily for him, he did not.

    Or he would have died no matter what.

    Unfortunately, Corey was forced to look at the mirror on his left.

    An unknown amount of time passed, and Corey''s nk eyes regained their light once again.

    The armored figure, serpentine-like creature, and the monstrous fog with countless limbs all thought that Corey would immediately take another step.

    But, to their surprise, Corey stood in one ce with his eyes closed.

    ''What is he doing?''

    The serpentine-like figure thought, and even the armored figure and the monstrous fog had the same thoughts.

    To them, Corey was not meant to take breaks since he would die if he spent too long not moving.

    ''Maybe what he experienced in the third mirror was too much for him to handle?''

    The armored figure thought with a soft sigh.

    It seemed she had overestimated the boy.

    Just when the power in the tribtion was about to kill Corey, Corey took a step, and he was forced to look at the mirror to his right.

    An unknown amount of time passed once again, and Corey''s nk eyes regained their light.

    Just like before, he closed his eyes without moving.

    Just like before, he opened his eyes and took a step at thest second before the strange power ended his life.

    Corey was forced to look at his left this time around, and the three beings waited.

    Corey had not shown any signs of breaking yet. But, who was to say that the fourth mirror wouldn''t break him

    An unknown amount of time passed, and Corey''s nk eyes regained their light.

    To the surprise of the armored figure and the serpentine-like creature, Corey''s eyes still remained normal.

    His emotions were not turbulent. His gaze was still sharp, and his expression was still calm as ever.

    ''Would he actually go past the tenth step as a tier 1?''

    The serpentine-like creature thought with a tinge of disbelief.

    ------

    [A/N: Myptop is low, and there''s no light. I''m sorry but I can''t write the next chapter for now.]

 Chapter 276 275: First Tribulation of Hell; Horrified

    Chapter 276 275: First Tribtion of Hell; Horrified

    Time after time again, Corey kept on repeating the same thing.

    After his life in a mirror ended, he would close his eyes and remain in a single spot until thest second.

    Whenever it seemed like Corey was going to die by the strange power in the tribtion, he would always take a step forward at thest moment.

    It almost seemed like the trio were watching a scene that was on repeat, and in this scene, Corey was ''ying'' with the power of the tribtion.

    It was strange.

    Despite whatever thoughts the three beings had, Corey kept on repeating his actions in a calm and precise manner.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Wake up from the world of a mirror, erase all his memories of that world no matter how tempting and sweet it may be, and then take another step forward.

    As Corey did all of these, reaching the end of the ss road was meant to be an easy feat.

    But, he was always in extreme danger during the process of him using Cognitum Erasure on himself.

    He didn''t know what was always making his instincts to scream at him to move, but he was frustrated and angry at the source of the danger.

    Due to the unseen danger, Corey had to quickly use Cognitum Erasure on his mind after he woke up from the world in a mirror.

    It was extremely dangerous and frustrating for Corey because using Cognitum Erasure in a rush was not safe and wise at all.

    Cognitum Erasure was not a skill that was meant to be used in a rush, but Corey had no choice but to use it in a rush.

    Luckily for him, he had trained with the skill on countless asions in the second world in the mirror, so his proficiency with the skill was extremely high.

    Currently, Corey did not know how many mirrors he had passed or how many worlds he had experienced since he only had memories of the first and second world in a mirror.

    Though, if he knew, he would be slightly surprised.

    His eyes had just regained its light after looking at the tenth mirror, and his calm gaze surprised a certain being to its core.

    "Impossible!"

    The serpentine-like creature hissed, its eyes revealing the surprise and shock it felt at the fact that Corey still had a calm expression even after the tenth mirror.

    "How is he doing it?"

    The serpentine-like creature gazed at the armored figure, but the armored figure just shrugged. Though, its gaze was slightly solemn.

    Almost like it had just discovered something.

    The serpentine-creature hissed, then it gazed at Corey with a curious glint in its eyes.

    ''He''s clearly notmitting suicide in the mirror worlds, so how is his expression and gaze so calm?"

    Just as Corey had guessed, the only way to leave a mirror world was by death.

    Either Corey died at the hands of an individual, dies a natural death, ormits suicide.

    Dying a natural death like dying of old age was usually the best way to leave the mirror world since one would not have any lingering soul injury.

    Dying by the hands of another person would not leave any soul injury, but what was to say that a person would not experience trauma from dying at the hands of another person.

    Meanwhile, death by suicide was usually the quickest way to leave a mirror world, but one should know the amount of courage, determination, and madness it took for a person to actually kill themselves.

    The serpentine-like figure still refused to believe that The Defying Paragon''s blood could help a tier 1 survive the tribtion for this long.

    It was slightly curious as to how Corey could survive up to ten mirrors as a tier 1. But, that was all, just slight curiosity.

    "He might get past the twentieth mirror."

    An extremely soft whisper reached the ears of the serpent-like creature, and it looked at the armored figure with squinted eyes.

    "Impossible."

    The serpent-like creature spat, and the armored figure said nothing.

    Even the armored figure did not fully believe the words it spoke.

    It was more like a feeling.

    (An Unknown Amount of Time Later)

    "Impossible!"

    A loud voice filled with disbelief resounded in the skies of the ss world of the first tribtion of Hell.

    The source of the voice, the serpentine-like creature, had a light of disbelief in its gaze as it saw Corey take the 21st step on the ss path.

    And, worst of all, Corey''s expression was still calm and sane!

    The serpent-like creature was extremely shocked that Corey could pass the twentieth step, and the curiosity in its gaze increased.

    The armored figure also had a slightly surprised expression as she saw Corey pass the twentieth mirror. Though, she was much calmer since she had already expected it.

    ''I''m curious as to how far he''ll reach.''

    The armored figure thought, with slight anticipation.

    All Paragons, whether a full Paragon or a Demi-Paragon could perform feats outside the realm ofmon sense.

    (An Unknown Amount of Time Later)

    "This is ridiculous!"

    The serpent-like creature hissed with an extremely shocked tone as it saw Corey take the hundredth step!

    If somebody had told him that a tier 1 Demi-Paragon would take a hundred steps in the first tribtion, he would definitely dismiss such information as nonsensical and bullshit.

    But right in front of his eyes was a tier 1 Demi-Paragon taking his hundredth step!

    A tier 1!

    Even the armored figure was shocked by the fact that Corey was able to take a hundred steps as a tier 1 mortal.

    Despite the thoughts of the two beings, Corey kept on taking step by step with a calm expression.

    His experiences in the mirror worlds were bing more and more impactful on his psyche, and if not for the fact that he had removed the previous memories of his life in the previous mirror worlds, he would have ran mad by now.

    He took step after step, and with each step he took, the expressions of the armored figure and the serpent-like figure repeatedly changed.

    100 Steps

    200 Steps

    400 Steps

    ¡­..

    1000 Steps!

    ¡­..

    2000 Steps!

    ...

    3500 Steps!

    .....

    5000 Steps!

    "He''s reached the middle of the ss path!"

    The serpent-like creature eximed. It''s gaze no longer contained curiosity and shock, but horror!

    It was not only the being to be horrified by Corey''s performance.

    The armored figure was also horrified.

    In their eyes, the possibility of Corey bing another Defying Paragon was no longer impossible.

    Corey would not be the person to reach the middle of the ss path as a tier 1. Some tier 1 Paragons have also done such, but only four Demi-Paragons in history had reached the middle of the ss path as tier 1s.

    Two of which were dead.

    If four Demi-Paragons had reached the middle of the ss path as a tier 1s, why were the two Overseers horrified?

    It was because none of the Demi-Paragons had reached the middle of the ss path without breaking a mirror in anger, despair or fear.

    Destroying a mirror would cause an untold amount of pain and injury to the physical body and soul of the individual, and Corey had not even destroyed a single mirror.

    Only the Paragon Ancestor had done such a thing as a tier 1. Especially with an extremely calm expression.

    And, the duo both knew the significance of a new Defying Paragon.

    It was a sign a change that had the capability of altering all of existence.

    The changes that would be caused could not be measured.

    ....

    7000 Steps!

    8000 Steps!

    9000 Steps!

    9999 Steps!

    The instant Corey reached this step, the gazes of the three beings were intense because the step after this was extremely different.

    In front of Corey were two things, a golden mirror and a door with a skull at the center.

 Chapter 277 276: First Tribulation of Hell; Eye of God

    Chapter 277 276: First Tribtion of Hell; Eye of God

    Corey''s nk eyes had regained its light after he sessfully passed the 9999th mirror.

    Without thinking, he removed his memories of the 9999th world at a speed that was iparable to the first time he used Cognitum Erasure on himself.

    Using Cognitum Erasure was now as simple as breathing, and Corey could use the skill while performing other acts.

    After Corey removed his memories of the 9999th world, he was about to take the next step out of reflex. But, then he stopped when he noticed that the objects were different from the normal mirrors he was used to.

    He furrowed his brows as he nced at the golden mirror and the ancient door with a skull at its center.

    As he looked at the golden mirror and ancient door, he noticed something, and with a suprised glint, he looked behind him.

    "Huh?"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    A baffled expression appeared on his face when he saw that the mirrors on the ss path had disappeared.

    It was extremely strange for Corey to only see the ss path without mirrors.

    But what baffled him the most was the disappearance of whatever it was that was making his instincts to scream at him of an iing danger.

    His instincts were quiet, and he found nothing that he could pinpoint as the source of the danger.

    ''Strange.''

    Corey frowned, then he looked at the golden mirror and the ancient door with a pondering expression.

    He just received information on what the golden mirror and ancient door was.

    Corey perused the information that mysteriously appeared in his head, and to his suprise, he learnt that he had taken 9,999 steps.

    Due to him erasing his memories after every mirror world he entered, Corey did not know how many steps he had taken in the ss world.

    If he was to use his current memories, he had just experienced the life in the second mirror, and was meant to be entering the third mirror world.

    Although, this was what his memory was telling him, Corey knew that his memories were iplete.

    Deciding to temporarily dismiss the thoughts on his memories, Corey continued to look through the information.

    "So that''s how it is."

    Corey murmured, and with a strange glint, he looked at the golden mirror.

    The 10,000th step was thest and also very special step in the ss world.

    The ancient door with a skull was the door that Corey could use to leave the ss world.

    If Corey desired, he could decide to go through the ancient door and leave the ss world.

    There would be no consequences if Corey decided to leave the ss world. In fact, Corey would be considered to have sesfully passed and survived the first tribtion of hell even if he left.

    Though, if he did, he would lose out on a possible opportunity.

    Soul Baptism.

    Corey did not know what exactly the soul baptism was, but, ording to the information, a soul baptism would be of immense benefit to his soul.

    Though, he didn''t know in what way it would benefit his soul.

    Despite the golden mirror having immense benefits to an individual''s soul, it also had a great degree of danger.

    The information did not specify what danger he would face, and Corey did not truly care.

    This was a chance for him to get stronger, and if he died as a result of his actions. Then so be it.

    He wouldn''t regret his actions.

    Corey smiled, and with zing determination, he walked into golden mirror, shocking the serpent-like creature, and the armored figure.

    "He chose the golden mirror!"

    The serpent-like hissed, and the armored figure also sighed softly.

    Its gaze behind its helmet was that of calction.

    "The golden gate only appears to those who were able to reach the end of the ss path without damaging a single mirror."

    The armored figure paused, and aplicated gaze appeared in its dark red pupils.

    "If he''s able tost for a long amount of time, he''ll gain unimaginable benefits."

    The armored figure said softly.

    "But the dangers in it is too much for a tier 1!"

    The serpent-like creature hissed once again, and its gaze was extremely solemn with a tinge of fear and horror.

    The armored figure did not mock the serpent-like creature for its emotions. She too had these emotions, though she was much better at controlling her emotions.

    She looked at the golden gate with a strange glint, then a thought appeared in her mind.

    ''If he survives the Eye of God, then he has a higher chance of bing a being like the Defying Paragon.''

    -----

    (Corey''s POV)

    The instant Corey entered the golden mirror, he found himself in a space so dark that he could not even see himself.

    He looked around, and although, he had the urge to use his Eyes of Omniscience or his Tri-Pupil Eyes, he had a feeling he would definitely die if he decided to do so.

    Just as Corey was wondering what he was meant to do, his heart and soul involuntarily skipped a beat.

    Cold sweat appeared on his forehead, and he slowly looked up.

    At first, Corey saw nothing, but a secondter, his breathing stilled and his pupils constricted.

    At a distance which he could not fathom, an eye of a magnitude he could not even find the words to describe its size reflected in his pupils.

    The size of the eye was sorge that Corey felt it would most likely an entire universe, and maybe even more!

    Corey was like an atom before the eye, and Corey had even temporarily forgotten how to breathe.

    A golden glow appeared in the pupil of the eye, and before Corey could even blink, a golden beam of light enshrouded his figure.

    "Fuuuu- FUUUUUUUCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!"

    Corey roared in extreme agony as he felt like he was thrown in a molten magma with countless bolts of lightning striking his body, and a gravity that was so humongous he had no choice but to kneel.

    "KAH!"

    Corey coughed out a mouthfull of blood, and he gritted his teeth as he stayed t on the floor.

    The instant the golden beam of lightnded on his body, he received a piece of information which was utterly and absolutely useless to Corey at the moment.

    The information told him to survive the Eye of God for at least a minute.

    The longer he stayed under the gaze of the Eye of God, the higher the benefit he would receive.

    Normally, Corey would have tried to grit his teeth and withstand the pain he was going through so as to gain the most benefits, he wanted nothing more than to leave this dark space.

    And surprisingly, He COULD!

    Corey could leave the dark space anytime he wished.

    But if he left before a minute passed, his soul would suffer damages that could not be repaired no matter what.

    When Corey learnt of this, he cursed Hell for as long as he could.

    He also cursed himself for being impulsive, and careless.

    Due to him finding a way to clear the first tribtion of hell with ease, he had becent.

    He had forgotten that the Paragon Ancestor told him that only tier 7s were meant to face the tritions of hell.

    He was a tier 1 who had just gotten a suitable skill to survive the first tribtion of hell.

    He did not have the capability nor the strength to nonchntly face a tribtion of hell, and his carelessness and greed had gotten the better of him.

    He knew it from the bottom of his heart that he could not survive the gaze of the Eye of God for a whole minute.

    He could feel something in his being changing. A strange energy was inside his body, and it was positively affecting an intricate part of his being, something which he guessed was his soul.

    Although, the energy was beneficial for his soul, the energy was destroying his body and his soul could not handle the immense energy that was flowing into it.

    He was still a tier 1, and the energy was meant for a being with a minimum of a tier 6 strength.

    His skill, Dream Healing tried to heal his injuries, but the speed of destruction was too fast for Dream Healing to even have a chance of healing his injuries.

    ''I guess this is the end.''

    Corey exhaled a soft sigh of resignation as he could not think of a way to survive his current predicament.

    Just as Corey was waiting for his death, he heard the sound of something akin to chains breaking in the depths of his mind.

    He was startled, and before he could blink, his vision changed.

    He appeared in a familiar space, and a baffled expression appeared on his face as he looked at the countless stars ands around him.

    "What the-?"

    Kacha

    Once again, Corey heard the sound of chains breaking apart, but this time around, it was much closer.

    He turned around, and he saw the all too familiar white star that had chains around it.

    But this time around, the chains were breaking apart one by one, and the energy the white star emitted was bing stronger with every second that passed.

    "The white star is absorbing the energy from the gaze of the Eye of God."

    Corey noticed the energy that was destroying his body been absorbed by the white star, and the pain he felt reduced.

    Although, Corey was d his life was no longer in immediate danger, he still felt baffled about what this space was, and the white star.

    "What is this ce and this white star?"

    Corey wondered, and just as he looked away from the white star, a white light filled his vision, and¡­

    BOOOOM!

    -----

    [A/N: No second chapter today since I''m currently exhausted from all the work that was piled up on me throughout this week.

    We''ll go back to two chapters tomorrow if nothinges up.]

 Chapter 278 277: First Tribulation of Hell; Soul Mutation

    Chapter 278 277: First Tribtion of Hell; Soul Mutation

    Death

    That was the first thing that came to Corey''s mind the moment he heard an explosion so loud, that Corey felt like he would go deaf.

    His vision became drowned in a sea of white, and his heart skipped a beat as the thought of death appeared in his mind.

    "I''m not dead?"

    Corey''s mumbled with a baffled expression when he noticed that the white star''s explosion had not killed him.

    In fact, he felt¡­ different.

    He felt a certain sense of¡­ freedom andfort from his entire being.

    ''Strange.''

    Corey furrowed his brows slightly, and just as he was about to inspect the strange space, his vision changed.

    ''Huh?''

    Corey blinked, then he frowned due to the sudden bright golden light that appeared in his vision.

    It took him a few seconds before he adapted to the light, and when he did, he was surprised to see that he was still in the golden beam of light that was radiated by the Eye of God.

    But, this time around, the pain and pressure he felt from the golden beam of light was bearable.

    Corey frowned, and he looked at the Eye of God. The instant Corey tried to look at the Eye of God, he felt a burning sensation in his eyes, and Corey quickly looked away due to the immense danger that appeared in his heart.

    Corey sat on the solidified space, and his mind pondered on the changes that had urred in him, and also why he no longer felt pain and pressure from the golden beam of light.

    He knew it had something to do with the white star that was intricately connected to him, but he had no idea on what the white star and the strange space was.

    Corey released a soft sigh, and he tried to summon his status window, but he found out he could not.

    He felt disconnected from the Universal System.

    Corey''s brows furrowed slightly, then he shrugged.

    He was an ignorant tier 1 that had no knowledge on powers and beings that were iprehensible to the human mind.

    Although, he was curious as to how the Eye of God disconnected him from the Universal System, he was not too curious on this knowledge since he was sure that the knowledge was something he could notprehend.

    Corey released a soft sigh, then a light smile appeared on his lips.

    He survived.

    Against all odds, he had survived a tribtion that was meant for tier 7.

    He had changed the future which was meant to result in his death, and he had even gotten an immense reward at the end of the day.

    Corey felt an urge.

    An irresistible and irrepressible urge to just¡­

    "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!"

    "ROOOOAAAARRRRRR!!!"

    Coreyughed madly, then a roar of triumph escaped his lips.

    HE HAD SURVIVED A TRIBULATION OF HELL AS A TIER 1!!

    -----

    After an unknown amount of time, the golden beam of light from the Eye of God stopped, and Corey sensed a force interacting with the space around him, and before corey could interact, he vanished.

    Thud

    Corey found himself in the ss world, and he felt slightly disoriented.

    As Corey tried to get himself back together, the serpent-like creature and the armored figure had nk expressions as they gazed at Corey.

    Deep in their eyes, were hidden glints of horror, fear, and shock.

    "This- how-"

    The armored figure could not articte her words due to the intense emotions even she felt.

    "He- he- he stayed- he stayed far longer than the Paragon Ancestor."

    The serpent-like creature struggled to utter its words, and if Corey were to hear its words, he would be stunned.

    He stayed far longer than the Paragon Ancestor under the gaze of the Eye of God?

    They didn''t know what benefits one would gain the longer he/she stayed under the gaze of the Eye of God. But, one thing they all knew was that the possibility of a soul mutation was possible.

    A soul mutation was when the soul evolved to be something different.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Sometimes, a soul mutation could be harmful to the person, and sometimes, it could be beneficial to the person.

    But, under the gaze of the Eye of God, a soul mutation was always beneficial to the person, and the longer a person stayed under the gaze of the Eye of God, the better the soul mutation.

    Just the thought of the potential of Corey''s soul would incite greed into any being with immense power.

    The gazes of the armored figure and the serpentine-like creature changed, and despite their experience, they felt an intense urge to disregard all the rules, and capture Corey while he was still a weakling.

    The benefits that woulde with capturing Corey now was unimaginable.

    They could use his body as their new body, and their potentials would as high as the heavens.

    The greed in their heart could not be stopped, and they took a step forward.

    "Take another step and you''ll cease to exist."

    Just as the duo were about to take another step forward, a step which would have ended in the capture of Corey, a calm and indifferent voice rang out.

    To their horror, the voice which they would never forget sounded right beside them.

    The duo both gazed at the space between them, and they realized that the position of the monstrous being with countless limbs had been shifted without them knowing.

    Even the monstrous being was unaware of its change in position!

    As the duo gazed at the space between them, their pupils shook in fear.

    In their middle was a man with a face so handsome that it outshined all the stars. His silver and golden triangr pupils had an indifferent expression in them as he gazed at the duo.

    Although, his demeanor and aura was akin to that of a Sovereign that was above all, and beneath none. His dressing proved otherwise.

    The male wore silver and golden pajamas that although, made him lookical, still made him look like a Sovereign that had just awoken from his slumber.

    "Defying Paragon!"

    -----

    [A/N: I''m currently writing the second chapter. Give me a few hours.]

 Chapter 279 278: First Tribulation of Hell; The End

    Chapter 279 278: First Tribtion of Hell; The End

    A pressure that could not be described with the words of man enveloped the entire ss world of the first tribtion of hell.

    The elements, atoms, molecules and energies stilled in the presence of a silver and golden eyed man.

    The world quaked ever so slightly that only beings at the level of the armored figure and serpentine-like creature could perceive.

    The armored figure and the serpentine-like creature shrieked the instance they recognized the identity of the man.

    Regret filled the duo''s entire being when they saw the Defying Paragon.

    They regretted letting their greed taking over ther minds.

    They hadpletely forgotten one important fact about Corey.

    He was a Demi-Paragon!

    And not just any demi-paragon, he was a demi-paragon with the blood of the Paragon Ancestor!

    To think they had forgotten such a ring fact that would most likely cost them their lives.

    Out of pure instinct, the serpentine-like creature slithered backwards in fear, and a soft sigh escaped the lips of the silver and golden eyed man.

    "I believe I said, ''Take another step and you cease you exist.''"

    The soul of the serpentine-like creature trembled in fear when it heard the Defying Paragon''s words.

    It had subconciously thought that the Defying Paragon meant they would die if they took a step forward.

    Regret and fear filled its entire being, and he tried to beg for forgiveness.

    "I-"

    Shing

    An extremely soft sound that was akin to that of a saber resounded, and in the blink of the serpentine-like creature''s eyes, he saw four lines that were joined together appear in front of him.

    His pupils constricted, and he tried to do something.

    But.

    Thud

    Thud

    Thud

    Thudn/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Ssh

    "You should have killed yourself if you wanted to have a chance of survival."

    The Defying Paragon indifferent voice flowed into the ears of the armored figure, and its heart rate increased by a hundred fold as it gazed at the four cleanly diced pieces of the serpent-like creature.

    She then shifted her gaze to the Defying Paragon who had used his two fingers to unleash his attack.

    The Defying Paragon did not bother to look at her, and instead, he looked at Corey who was walking towards the ancient looking door,pletely oblivious to the events that had urred in the ssy sky above him.

    A light smile crept up the lips of the Paragon Ancestor as he watched Corey, then he turned towards the armored figure with an indifferent smile.

    "Can I be assured that news of this would only remain amongst us?"

    The armored figure quickly shook its head in fear, and a light smile appeared on the Paragon Ancestor''s lips.

    Although, it seemed like the Paragon Ancestor was only talking to the armored figure, he was also talking to every existence that had taken notice of the events in the ss world of the first tribtion of hell.

    "Hmm?"

    The Paragon Ancestor raised his brows as he slightly raised his head.

    "Seems somebody is getting a little bit impatient."

    The Paragon Ancestor indifferently murmured, then he gave a light smile towards the armored figure.

    "See youter."

    ''I HOPE I NEVER SEE YOU AGAIN!!!''

    The armored figure screamed internally as it wanted nothing more than to never see the Paragon Ancestor again.

    The Paragon Ancestor chuckled, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished.

    A deep exhale of relief escaped the armored figure''s lips, and its eyes moved towards Corey.

    But, just as the armored figure expected, Corey had left the ss world of the first tribtion of hell.

    As the armored figure thought about the events that urred after the appearance of the Paragon Ancestor, it could not help tremble in fear.

    Although, that was not the true Paragon Ancestor, just the power of the avatar contained a power that could easily kill it, the serpent-like creature, and the monstrous being with countless limbs.

    If an avatar of the Defying Paragon was so strong, she could not even begin to fathom just how strong the true body of the Defying Paragon was.

    "If the Supremes cannot produce somebody with the potential to reach the level of their ancestor. The Paragons might actually be the winners of the war between Paragons and Supremes in a million years."

    The armored figure murmured, then she released a soft sigh.

    If she was right, a lot of things were going to change as long as Corey remained alive and still had the same level of determination he had.

    -----

    (Inside the Evolution Center)

    Corey''s eyes flickered open, and he let out a grunt as he struggled to sit up.

    After what could be considered a breath taking battle, Corey finally sat up.

    He released a soft sigh, then he looked around.

    As he was looking around, multiple screens appeared in front of his face, and his left eye twitched.

    [You''re back.]

    Nina''s voice resounded in his ears, and he nodded softly.

    [How do you feel?]

    Corey raised his brows when he heard a tinge of concern in Nina''s voice, and he wondered the reason for the concern.

    "I''m fine."

    "Actually. I''m better than fine."

    Corey looked at his body with slight awe in his eyes.

    He felt, much, much, much better and stronger than when he was a tier 1.

    It almost felt so unreal to him.

    [How many mirrors did you damage by the way?]

    Nina curiously asked after she noticed that Corey''s mental state was not damaged, nor traumatised.

    When she noticed this, she was slightly surprised since she knew that most tier 1 Paragons or Demi-Paragons that challenged the first tribtion of hell always came out damaged in one way or the other.

    But, not only did Coreye out unharmed, he also possessed an aura that slightly baffled Nina.

    The aura almost felt like that of the Paragon Ancestor''s.

    The aura made Nina to feel like Corey stood above all, and beneath none.

    ''Strange.''

    Nina thought with ''furrowed brows''.

    "I didn''t damage any mirror."

    [Huh?]

    [So did you enter the golden mirror?]

    At first, Nina was surprised that Corey did not damage a single mirror. Then she calmed down, and decided to ask if he entered the golden mirror.

    She had a feeling that Corey would have entered the golden mirror, but she doubted that he benefitted much due to his tier.

    "I did."

    Corey nodded nonchntly.

    [Oh. And how long did youst?]

    Nina asked nonchntly.

    "I stayed till the end."

    Corey replied nonchntly.

    [...]

    [Huhh?]

 Chapter 280 279: Rewards

    Chapter 280 279: Rewards

    [You stayed till the end?]

    Nina''s voice was like a whisper, and if not because of the connection between them, Corey would never have been able to hear it.

    Corey nodded softly, then when he noticed that there was ack of response from Nina, he shrugged, and decided to look at the messages he received from the Universal System.

    The messages were so much that Corey had to use approximately five minutes to read all the messages.

    After reading all the messages, Corey had gotten some information that had baffled him slightly.

    Although, he could not make sense of some of the information, he still made sure to keep them in his mind.

    Deciding to push the information into the back of his mind, Corey decided to look at his rewards.

    Surprisingly and shockingly, Corey attributes were no longer red star, orange star, blue star, or even violet star.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    His attributes were now:

    *ATTRIBUTES*

    Strength: ck Star [100%] ¡ú ck Star [10%]

    Agility: ck Star [100%] ¡ú ck Star [10%]

    Dexterity: ck Star [100%] ¡ú ck Star [10%]

    Constitution:ck Star [100%] ¡ú ck Star [10%]

    Intelligence:ck Star [100%] ¡ú ck Star [10%]

    Endurance: ck Star [100%] ¡ú ck Star [10%]

    Astral Mana: ck Star [100%] ¡ú ck Star [10%]

    Free A.P: 600%

    ------

    As Corey gazed at his attributes, he had a small frown.

    Although, it seemed like his attribute had digressed from ck Star [100%] to ck Star [10%], Corey knew that was not the case at all.

    He felt much, much stronger than when his attribute was ck Star [100%], and he was still a little bit surprised by his current strength.

    If his current strength was still at [10%], he could not help but imagine how strong he would be when his attribute reaches [100%]

    Corey released a soft smile, then he looked at another translucent screen.

    [BASIC REWARDS]

    ¡ú All attributes permanently be ck Star

    ¡ú Brand level increases by one level

    [BASIC CLEAR CHOICES]

    [Choose any two out of the six options below.]

    Toxic Familiar: Summoning a small, intelligent creature made of poison that can scout, gather information, and even deliver messages through touch without harming the recipient.

    Virulent Veil: This skill grants you the ability to create an opaque mist that obscures vision and releases noxious fumes, sapping the strength of anyone caught within its confines.

    Venomous Conjuration: This skill allows you to summon spectral creatures made of pure poison that can envelop foes, causing gradual deterioration and paralysis.

    Poison Bomb: This skill allows you to release your poisonous mana as a ball which would explode after touching an object.

    Venomous Shield: Generating a protective barrier made of swirling poison that deflects iing attacks and slowly weakens foes who attempt to breach it.

    Miasmic Wind: Manipting the very air around them to create localized toxic whirlwinds or poisonden gusts that debilitate foes.

    [SSS CLEAR REWARDS.]

    [Choose any two out of the five skill options below.]

    Poison Revitalization: This skill allows you to use poison to heal yourself.

    Poison Maniption: Grants the ability to manipte poison.

    gue Whispering: Commanding swarms of venomous insects or controlling the spread of poisonous diseases with a mere whisper or gesture.

    Poisonous Mimicry: Temporarily adopting traits of venomous creatures, such as the camouge abilities of a chameleon or the potency of a venomous snake''s bite.

    Toxic Infusion: The ability to channel poison into their weapons, empowering them with a corrosive effect that weakens adversaries on contact

    [REWARDS FROM UNKNOWN SOURCES.]

    Cosmic Soul Transcendence: Due to unknown reasons, your soul has transcended into a Cosmic Soul. Due to this;

    The Perceptual Nexus Repository has been upgraded.

    Alchemy Anvil has been installed into the Perceptual Nexus Repository.

    NEW ATTRIBUTE HAS BEEN UNLOCKED- Luck

    Fear Resistance has increased from Level 5 to Level 7.

    Pain Resistance has increased from Level 5 to Level 8.

    Poison Resistance has increased from Level 3 to Level 4.

    Mental Maniption Resistance has increased from Level 3 to Level 8.

    -----

    As Corey looked at the rewards, his lips could not help but twitch at the benefits he had unknowingly gained due to him bing a tier 2.

    What confused him the most was the presence of the ''SSS Clear Rewards''. Due to him being a Demi-Paragon, he did not take the usual trial to be a tier 2, so he didn''t know how he had gotten a rating of SSS.

    But when he pondered deeply on it, he realized that the reason for his high rating was due to his performance in the first tribtion of hell.

    He had not damaged a single mirror, and he had also stayed under the gaze of the Eye of God till the end.

    When he thought of this, it then made sense to him as to why he was given a ''SSS'' rating.

    Asides from that, Corey gazed at the rewards from unknown sources, and his eyes shined.

    Due to him staying under the gaze of the Eye of God for a very long time, his soul had undergone a mutation, or in the words of the Universal System, his soul had transcended.

    A word which might have a totally different meaningpared to ''mutated''.

    His soul had transcended into a Cosmic Soul, and due to this, The Perceptual Nexus Repository, which he intuitively knew was The Library of Records, was upgraded.

    Also, something called an Alchemy Anvil was also installed into The Perceptual Nexus Repository.

    Although, Corey did not know what the Alchemy Anvil was, he had a feeling that it would be something special.

    Asides from all of these, his pain resistance, fear resistance, and mental maniption resistance were upgraded to extremely high levels.

    If one thought about it, it was not really surprising for those three resistances to increase to extremely high levels.

    Corey had gone through a total of 9,999 lives, and in most of those lives, he experienced unimaginable pain.

    Whether it be physical, emotional, or any other type of pain. He experienced them.

    Also, there were times where he faced situations that caused him to be fearful, and due to him oveing those situations, his fear resistance also rose a lot.

    Another reason for Corey''s fear resistance was something even Corey would not have expected.

    Oveing the First Tribtion of Hell.

    Ever since Corey saw his death in the ss world of the first tribtion of hell, Corey was always afraid and worried.

    Him oveing the first tribtion of hell that was meant for tier 7s at least made Corey''s confidence and fear resistance increase.

    As for his Mental Maniption Resistance, the reason for it increasing was self-exnatory.

    He had literal survived a tribtion of hell that could subtly toy with the minds of beings above the mortal realm.

    If Corey''s mental maniption resistance did not increase, then nothing else should have increased.

    "I also unlocked the luck attribute."

    Corey mumbled as he looked at his luck attribute which was- 789.452

    Corey did not know if his luck attribute was high, but he had a feeling it was.

    Corey exhaled, then he looked at the choices he had to make for his skills.

    It was time for him to choose his skills.

    ----

    [A/N: Don''t unlock the next chapter yet. I''m currently writing the next chapter. Sorry for the inconvenience.]

 Chapter 282 281: Luck

    Chapter 282 281: Luck

    "I''ve reached a realm that''ll attract countless enemies?"

    As Corey read the system remark, Corey raised his brows slightly with a pondering glint in his eyes.

    A few secondster, Corey chuckled with a light smile.

    Ever since he became a Paragon, his destiny was definitely filled with countless battles and enemies.

    So, him reaching this so called ''realm'' made no difference to him.

    Corey chuckled once again, then his gaze shifted towards something he had previously ignored on his status screen.

    His luck.

    He was previously unsure on whether his new luck stat was high, but when he looked at his status screen, he realized that his luck stat was extremely high.

    From what he could see, the limit of his luck was meant to be 100, but his new luck stat was now a whopping 789.42.

    "Why is it so high?"

    Corey furrowed his brows as he tried to figure out a reason. But, no matter how much he thought about it, the only thing he coulde up with was that his new luck stat had something to do with the first tribtion of hell or the gaze of the Eye of God.

    [It''s one of the rewards for sesfully passing the First Tribtion of Hell.]

    A familiar voice rang out in Corey''s mind, startling Corey slightly.

    "Nina?"

    Corey subsconsciously spoke out loud when he heard Nina''s voice.

    After he told her that he stayed till the end under the gaze of the Eye of God, Nina had been strangely quiet.

    Corey did not know why she was quiet, but he was not too bothered nor was he that interested to ask.

    And surprisingly, she had spoke.

    [Every Paragon, whether a True Paragon or Demi-Paragon, has what is called The Bloodline of Sin in them.]

    [The bloodline of sin is like a curse for the weak, and a blessing for the strong.]

    [It is due to the bloodline of sin that Paragons have to survive a tribtion of hell to tier up. That is if they don''t have an infinity crystal."

    [I would not go into much details regarding the bloodline of sin and hell because you don''t need it. The Paragon Ancestor has conquered hell, and has done some things to not burden Paragons and Demi-Paragons in the future.]

    [Paragons-]

    "Wait."

    Corey interrupted, much to the displeasure of Nina.

    "If the Paragon Ancestor has conquered hell, then why do younger Paragons and Demi-Paragons have to undergo the tribtions of hell?"

    Although, Corey did not want to interrupt Nina, he needed to ask why the Paragon Ancestor still allowed Paragons and Demi-Paragons to undergo the tribtions of hell if he had conquered hell.

    The tribtions of hell was an extremely dangerous ce, and even the Paragon Ancestor previously told him that one needed to at least be a tier 7 to survive the tribtions.

    So, for the Paragon Ancestor to still allow young Paragons and Demi-Paragons to undergo the tribtions of hell baffled Corey.

    Nina remained silent for a while, and her reply surprised Corey.

    [I don''t know.]

    "Huh?"

    Corey was stunned, and for a second, he thought he heard it wrong.

    Did the proud and arrogant Nina who behaved like she knew everything just say, ''She didn''t know?''

    "You don''t know?"

    Corey asked once again for rification, and a snort resounded in his mind.

    [I don''t know alright.]

    Nina responded with a tinge of anger in her tone.

    She could practically guess what was going on in Corey''s mind, and it ticked her off.

    [If I was to guess. It''s because the opportunities in the tribtions are very rare, and most of them cannot be gotten in any other ce.]

    [For example, from my knowledge, the only ce that has the Eye of God is Hell.]

    Nina said and Corey raised his brows slightly.

    [Although, the tribtions are extremely dangerous. If a Paragon or Demi-Paragon is able to survive, they could gain unimaginable benefits¡­ Take yourself as an example.]

    [Have you not earned a lot just by wlessly passing the First Tribtion of Hell?]

    When Corey heard Nina''s words, he realized that her words definitely made some sense.

    Assuming there were more Paragons and Demi-Paragons like him who could survive the tribtions of hell, and even gain from it, won''t those Paragons or DemiParagons be beneficial to the Paragons as a whole?

    ''Although, this method is somewhat ingenious. I''m pretty sure that a lot of Paragons and Demi-Paragons would have died as a result of this.''

    Corey thought, but decided not to speak out loud.

    What were his thoughtspared to a being that had lived for an extremely long time.

    [Also, the Paragon Ancestor has actually made it a lot easier for Paragons and Demi-Paragons regarding Hell.]n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    [Normally, anybody with the bloodline of sin would have a timer before they undergo a tribtion.]

    [A tribtion was not going to wait until you reached the next tier or realm. It would start when it was meant to start.]

    [But, the Paragon Ancestor changed the rules and made it that Paragons and Demi-Paragons went through the tribtions of hell when tiering up. That is if they don''t have an inifinity crystal to tier up.]

    A pondering glint appeared in Corey''s eyes when he heard Nina''s words.

    [Anyways, as I was saying before you interrupted me.]

    [Paragons have what is called The Bloodline of Sin. Although it''s because of this bloodline that Paragons and Demi-Paragons undergo the tribtions of hell, it also has its benefits.]

    [One of them is luck. If somebody with the bloodline of sin sessfully survives a tribtion of hell, they get an increase in their luck.]

    [The amount of luck an individual gets is heavily dependent on their performance in the tribtion.]

    When Corey heard this, he looked at his status screen.

    [An average performance in the first tribtion usually gives about 100 luck. If I''m right, you should have gotten a luck value of 777.77.]

    A stunned expression appeared on Corey''s face, and with twitching lips, he looked at his luck stat on his status screen.

    789.42

    ''789.42 minus 777.77 is¡­ 11.65.''

    "..."

    "My luck was that bad?!"

 Chapter 283 282: Blessed & Sinners

    Chapter 283 282: Blessed & Sinners

    As Corey calcted how abysmally low his previous luck was, he could not help but realize that his calctions were correct.

    Ever since the apocalypse started, his life had always been shitty.

    The dormitory building he was in when the apocalypse started turned out to be a dungeon, something which was extremely rare.

    The first human he killed was his best friend, Kyle.

    The girl he liked was obsessed with another guy.

    He had to fight a tier 2 as a tier 0 to leave the E-Academy.

    When he was celebrating his triumph over the tier 2 creature, his parents were killed.

    Due to his weakness, his sister was captured and her fate was unknown.

    He was also captured by a bunch ''Fishers of Men'', and he was sent to a prison called, The Underworld.

    So many shitty things had happened to him, and the more he thought about it, the more he was not surprised by his low luck stat.

    Corey released a soft sigh, and he shook his head.

    [Although, your luck is high. That does not mean that everything will go your way.]

    [I don''t want to exin everything regarding luck, the tribtions, and hell since you don''t really need it. Though, I''ll give you some important information like information on Blessed and Sinners.]

    [In terms of luck, hell and so on. There are two types of people, The Blessed, and The Sinners.]

    [The Blessed are those that are favored, and well¡­ blessed by the heavens.]

    [The amount of luck they possess after their birth is way higher than normal. And there are some that are so favored by the heavens that their luck is so high that they are usually called The Children of Heaven.]

    [Unfathomable and unreasonable opportunities and events would ur because of these individuals, and honestly, you should fear them.]

    [Although, you''re a Paragon, battling these sort of people is always so annoying and frustrating that you would most likely die out of pure anger and frustration.]

    [You could be at the cusp of killing these individuals, but something unreasonable like a ck hole, lightning strike, tornado, appearance of an extremely powerful monster or being could just randomly appear, and you might lose your life as a result.]

    [Even the Paragon Ancestor hated facing these Children of Heaven when he was younger and weaker.]

    [These sort of people are honestly cheats, and their potential is always so high that only the most talented True Paragons couldpare.]

    When Corey heard Nina''s words, he was stunned and he could not help but imagine himself been in the shoes of the opponent of a Child of Heaven.

    If random and unreasonable events urred just because the heavens did not want a Child of Heaven to die, then it would truly be frustrating and annoying.

    "How do I now kill a Child of Heaven. And¡­ what''s a Heaven?"

    [To kill-]

    Nina was about to reply Corey''s first question, but she eventually stopped when she heard the second question.

    She spent at least fifteen seconds before she coulde up with an answer that would not harm Corey.

    [I can''t tell you what heaven is. But, just know that, it''s a ce that even the Paragon Ancestor could not fully conquer.]

    Corey tilted his head with a confused expression, then he shrugged nonchntly.

    He would find out what a Heaven was when he got stronger.

    Though, he was a little bit awed by the fact that the Paragon Ancestor could not fully conquer Heaven.

    ''I guess that means Heaven is more powerful than Hell?''

    Corey thought, but he eventually dismissed this thought.

    He had a feeling that his current thought was wrong.

    [To kill a Child of Heaven. The amount of luck you possess must be higher than that child of heaven, or you must make the child of heaven to deplete his or her luck.]

    [This is also the safest way to kill a Blessed.]

    [Either make sure the amount of luck you have is higher, or make sure their luck is depleted.]

    Corey had a confused expression.

    "How do I deplete their luck?"

    [Whenever somebody with luck encounters a lucky opportunity, their luck reduces. The better and rarer the opportunity, the more luck is used up.]

    [This also applies to you.]

    Corey rubbed his chin with a pondering glint. As he did, he was surprised when he felt some strands of hair on his chin.

    ''I''m growing beards?''

    Corey raised his brows.

    [By the way, you''ve encountered a Child of Heaven before. In fact, you know him very well.]

    Nina''s voice resounded in Corey''s ears, and he was stunned.

    Surprisingly, a handsome face with red and blue eyes appeared in his mind.

    "Divine?"

    [You''re right. Divine is a Child of Heaven.]

    [You could not sense that he was a blessed since the bloodline of sin was in an inactive state. When you go out, you''ll be able to sense it.]

    Nina said, and Corey nodded.

    He was not too surprised that Divine was a child of heaven.

    His ss was literally Child of Ice and Fire, and Corey always knew that the ss was not as simple as it seemed.

    "What about sinners? Who are sinners?"

    Corey asked, and he wondered if sinners were Children of Hell, the pr opposites of the Children of Heaven.

    But,

    [Paragons are sinners.]

    "Huh?"

    [Anybody that has the bloodline of sin is a sinner. Therefore, every Paragon is a sinner.]

    Corey frowned.

    [A person does not actually need to have the bloodline of sin to be a sinner. Somebody bes a sinner when they''vemitted numerous heinous acts. Especially if the acts were done on a blessed.]

    [Killing a blessed rues karmic sin for people that don''t possess the bloodline of sin. But for us, killing blessed and sinners increases our karmic luck.]

    [If you kill a sinner with a lot of karmic sin, your karmic luck would also increase by a lot.]

    [Sinners are a little bit moreplicated than blessed.]

    [The longer you survive and explore, the more you''ll know about sinners and blessed.]

    A pondering glint appeared in Corey''s eyes as he digested all the information given to him by Nina.

    Ever since he was told he was going to face the tribtions of hell to tier up, Corey had been curious about hell and its tribtions.

    The Paragon Ancestor refused to give him the information on the tribtions of hell, and he knew why.

    If he did not survive the first tribtion of hell, then him having such knowledge was pointless.

    "What would have happened if I failed the first tribtion of hell?"

    Although, Corey knew that he would die if he failed the first tribtion of hell, he still wanted to know if there was something else he didn''t know.

    [You would have died a true death. You would never be able to reincarnate, and you would be tormented for eternity.]

    "..."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

 Chapter 284 283: Blessed Items

    Chapter 284 283: Blessed Items

    After Corey heard the consequences of failing a tribtion of hell, his lips could not help but twitch.

    Death being a consequence was not surprising to him. But the other two, not being able to reincarnate and eternity of torment really surprised Corey.

    Reincarnation was a thing of fantasy and far-fetched ideas that some religions possessed.

    Never did he think that reincarnation could be possible.

    When he thought of reincarnation, a glint appeared in his eyes as he remembered his parents.

    Could his parents be reincarnated?

    When Corey had this thought, he shook his head softly.

    Even if his parents could be reincarnated, he did not possess the sort of power to reincarnate his parents.

    Maybe only beings like the Paragon Ancestor possessed the ability of reincarnation.

    As for the second consequence of failure, Corey could not help but shudder.

    If he failed a tribtion of hell, he would be tortured for eternity.

    Eternity was a concept Corey could not fathom, nor did he want to fathom at his current age and tier.

    Just the thought of eternity made Corey shudder, talk less of an eternity of torment.

    Corey released a sigh, then he furrowed his brows slightly as he thought of something.

    "Nina?"

    [Hmm?"]

    "Why did the Universal System previously write ''???/100'' as my luck stat?"

    Despite Corey knowing that his question wasrgely irrelevant, he still decided to ask since he was immensely curious about his previous luck stat.

    His current luck was 789.42. A value which was way higher than the supposed limit, 100, that the Universal System put on his status window.

    The difference was way too high for him not to be curious about his luck stat.

    [You know that your original luck was extremely low and poor right?]

    Corey nodded.

    [Normally, increasing an individual''s natural luck is something that should not be possible at all.]

    [The amount of luck an individual possesses has been fixed from birth. Increasing it is something most powerful beings cannot even aplish.]

    Corey raised his brows.

    [There are items that can increase a person''s luck. These items are called Blessed Items.]

    ''Blessed Items?''

    ''Cursed Items?''

    Corey frowned.

    [Although, blessed items can increase a person''s luck, it''s a temporary increase. As long as the blessed items are removed from the person''s body, the person''s luck would be reverted back to normal.]

    [The reason why your luck had a limit of 100 was due to items that could increase a person''s luck.]

    [Assuming you found a lot of items that could increase your luck, the limit to which your luck could be increased to would be 100.]

    Corey''s eyes contained a profound glint when he heard Nina''s words.

    Her words had dispelled the confusion he had towards his luck stat.

    He rubbed his chin a few times, then he spread out his right palm.

    In the blink of an eye, an object appeared in his palm.

    The object was a golden ne with a golden cross as the pendant. This was the golden ne he stole, no, took from the treasury of the Underworld Emporium.

    As Corey held the ne, he finally realized what the ne truly was.

    The ne was one of the objects he ''took'', which he could not figure out its purpose no matter what he did.

    "The ne can increase a person''s luck. It''s a blessed item."

    Corey mumbled as he could perceive a familiar aura from the ne.

    He frowned as he tried to recall where he had perceived the same aura, and a few secondster, his eyes lit up.

    "The Eye of God."

    Corey eximed softly when he finally realized why he felt the aura of the ne was extremely familiar.

    Even though Corey almost died at the gaze of the Eye of God, he could still remember that a certain part of the aura of the Eye of God was almost the same as the golden ne.

    Corey gazed at the ne for some seconds, then he wore it.

    He summoned his status window and looked at his luck stat.

    Luck: 789.42 ¡ú 799.42

    "An increase of ten?"

    Corey raised his brows at the pitifully low increase in his luck.

    But, he then remembered his original trashy amount of luck and he held his tongue.

    [You don''t need to check your status screen to see the amount of luck you have. Use your Tri-Pupil Eyes to look at your right arm.]

    Nina''s voice resounded in his ear, and he raised his brows.

    His Eyes of Dreams and Nightmares receded and his Tri-Pupil Eyes reced it.

    He looked at his palm and he saw the number 789.42 written in a dark red color.

    ''789.42?''

    Corey frowned.

    [It only shows your natural amount of luck.]n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Nina rified, and Corey made an ''oh'' sound.

    His Tri-Pupil Eyes vanished, and his Eyes of Dreams and Nightmares reced it.

    He looked around for a few seconds, then he stood up while dusting himself.

    He looked at his bloody and dirty body, and just as he was about to speak, the blood and dirt on his body receded.

    Corey raised his brows.

    "Thanks."

    [You''re wee.]

    Although, he was surprised that Nina took the initiative to clean his body, he didn''t ask why, but instead, he thanked her.

    What Corey did not know was that his feat ofsting till the end under the gaze of the Eye of God had shaken Nina to the core.

    Her disdain towards Corey had lessened considerably, and she knew just how important Corey might be to her, the Paragon Ancestor, and the Queen Mother.

    As for why she didn''t tell him about what he had aplished, it was so that a seed of pride would not be sown in Corey''s heart.

    She did not want him to foolishly think that his potential would automatically be on the same level as the Paragon Ancestor just because of his extraordinary feat in the first tribtion of hell.

    Despite all of these happening, Corey only had one thing on his mind.

    Saving his sister.

 Chapter 285 284: Prisoner?

    Chapter 285 284: Prisoner?

    With an aura and a gaze that waspletely different from when he entered the evolution center, Corey walked out of the evolution center.

    Corey squinted his eyes as a bright light entered his eyes.

    The inside of the evolution center was not as bright as daylight, and the sudden bright light caused him to squint his eyes.

    "Huh?"

    A deep manly voice flowed into Corey''s ears, and he turned to his left.

    He furrowed his brows slightly when he noticed a short male with reddish brownish hair sitting a few meters to his left.

    The male was around 1.7m in height, and he also had arge axe strapped to his back. He had a face which would be considered average, and he was bald with no facial hair.

    "Who are you?"

    The bald short male asked with squinted eyes as he looked at Corey with a tinge of wariness.

    He didn''t know who the young man was, but he could feel a strange aura that was somewhat dangerousing out from the young man.

    The strange aura baffled him since he could sense that the young man before him was still a mortal.

    Though, he was not certain of the young man''s tier.

    ''What sort of eyes does he have?''

    The bald short man frowned as he gazed at Corey''s dual colored eyes which gave him a slight chill.

    ''Scan.''

    The bald short man tried to inspect Corey, but he got nothing from his inspection.

    The bald short man''s face hardened.

    Corey calmly looked around before gazing at the bald short man who was a mystical being.

    ''A tier 4 at least.''

    Corey thought, then he showed his Underground Watch to the bald short man who he guessed was the current guard of the Evolution Center.

    ''I wonder what happened to the previous guard.''

    ''Did they rece him permanently or is it temporary?''

    Corey thought as he observed the bald short guard who rxed slightly upon seeing Corey''s U-Watch.

    "I was taking the tier 2 promotion trial."

    Corey calmly spoke as he gestured towards the evolution center.

    "But, I don''t know how long I spent in the trial."

    The bald short man frowned for a few seconds, then he nodded.

    This would not be the first time somebody would spend a long time inside an evolution center so he wasn''t too surprised.

    "What''s your name? And when did you enter?"

    The bald short man decided to believe Corey''s exnation.

    If Corey could give him his name, he would be able to search for information on Corey through the Underworld database.

    "I''m Smile Reaper. But, I don''t know the date of when I entered."

    Corey slightly frowned.

    Was he imagining it, or did he see a tinge of surprise in the gaze of the bald short man?

    Corey suddenly had a bad feeling.

    "You''re Smile Reaper?"

    The bald short man asked while looking at Corey from his head to toe.

    It was sort ofical considering the immense height difference between Corey and the bald short man.

    " Yes. I''m Smile Reaper."

    Although, Corey had a bad feeling, he decided not to act rashly.

    He wanted to know the reason for his bad feeling.

    The bald short man gazed at Corey for a few seconds once again before shaking his head softly.

    "You''re the Smile Reaper that was an underling of the prisoner Divine right?"

    ''Prisoner?''

    Corey frowned.

    "I''m not his underling."

    Despite Corey hearing the bald guard call Divine a prisoner, Corey still chose to correct the words of the bald short guard.

    In a way, just the thought of people seeing him as an underling of Divine irked Corey.

    The short bald guard was taken aback by Corey''s words. He gave Corey a strange look, but Corey did not care.

    "What happened to Divine? Why is he a prisoner?"

    Corey asked, after ignoring the short bald guard''s strange gaze.

    "He was caught stealing a precious object in the mansion of the Underworld Lord of the Central Area."

    Corey''s heart skipped a beat when he heard the guard''s words.

    ''Crap.''

    "What''s going to happen to him? What of the remaining group members?"

    "Rosa, Fatty ck Bonez, Dave, Melissa, Triple X?"

    Corey asked, and the bald short guard shrugged nonchntly.

    "I don''t know what happened to them. I was told to give you this information when you came out."

    "Took you long enough by the way."

    Corey had a strange expression when he heard the bald short man''s words.

    His eyes shed with a pondering glint, before shing with a glint of realization.

    "Divine sent you?"

    Corey said, then he frowned slightly.

    "No. He hired you?"

    Corey said, and the short bald man replied with a smile.

    "You should get going."

    The short bald man said, and Corey nodded before walking away.

    After taking two steps, he stopped and turned back.

    "I forgot to ask how long I spent in the evolution center."

    "Oh."

    The short bald man raised his brows, and he furrowed his brows in thought.

    "Six months. You''ve spent four months in the evolution center."

    ''Six months?''

    Corey frowned as he heard the bald guard''s words.

    Although, he knew that a long time would most probably have gone by, he never expected it to be up to six months.

    Six months was a fairly long time for a tier 2 trial, and a lot of things could have happened.

    Take for instance,

    Divine been a prisoner.

    And, his Neon business.

    ''The amount of Neon I left was not meant tost for six months.''

    Corey''s eyes darkened when he thought of how his Neon business could have crumbled.

    Although, Divine been a prisoner was sort of worrying.

    Corey knew that Divine would survive.

    Nina had told him that Divine was a child of heaven, and he had a massive amount of luck.

    With his luck, something would most likely happen and Divine would survive.

    Or, in fact, he''lle out of his predicament stronger than before.

    Due to all of these, Corey was not worried about Divine.

    For all he knew, a lightning bolt or a massive tornado could appear from nowhere, and attack the Underworld. And Divine would be saved in the process.

    ''If the Underworld gets destroyed so as to free Divine, then that would be nice.''

    Corey thought, then he released a soft sigh and walked away.

    He just hoped his drug business was not entirely ruined.

    As the short bald man watched Corey walk away, the smile on his face slowly disappeared, and an emotionless expression appeared on his face.

    "I don''t know how that guy did it. But, everybody he chose in his group are all extraordinary."

    "... Especially this one."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "I wonder if this one would survive."

 Chapter 286 285: Crowd Attraction

    Chapter 286 285: Crowd Attraction

    "I can''t believe so much has changed in just six months."

    As Corey walked towards Rosa''s house, his brows were deeply furrowed as he lost himself in his thoughts.

    So much had changed since he entered the evolution center, and the worst part was hisck of information.

    He didn''t know the intricate details of Divine and his group''s situation, nor did he know the situation of his Neon business.

    He wasn''t totally sure what his next set of actions should be.

    ''Normally, what I should do is look for the members of Divine''s group and get information from them.''

    ''But, I have a bad feeling about the events surrounding Divine and the group.''

    ''When I asked that short guard about the conditions of Rosa, Fatty ck Bonez, and the rest, he said he doesn''t know.''

    ''That means they are most likely not safe.''

    ''If they were safe and okay, the short guard would not have said those words as a reply.''

    ''If they were dead, he would most likely have told me.''

    ''... Though, I could be wrong.''

    Corey''s frown deepened.

    ''I feel like somebody is targeting the group, and they''ll obviously observe me if I look for the group.''

    Corey subtly looked around. Images of the crowded street appeared in his pupils.

    ''They might even be observing me at the moment.''

    Corey stopped walking and looked up.

    ''I can''t meet up with the group just yet.''

    ''Even though I''m much stronger than before, there are still people who are more powerful than me.''

    ''I need information¡­ and I''ve also not learned everything about my newly gained abilities.''

    ''Can''t I just rx for once?''

    Corey released a tired sigh. Then he kept on walking.

    ''I''ll check up on my Neon business instead. From there, I''ll know what to do.''

    ''I guess I''ll have to be Anon for some time.''

    Corey thought, and a few secondster, he paused in front of arge-sized mirror.

    "What the?"

    A baffled light appeared in Corey''s eyes as he gazed at his reflection in the mirror.

    Gone was the average-looking male with a childish face. Now, all Corey could see was a face that hardly had any resemnce to his past visage.

    He was extremely handsome, so handsome that it was only now that Corey noticed a lot of stares and gazes in his direction.

    His previous ck eyes were no more. His eyes now contained a mystical, alluring, chilling gaze and beauty.

    His skinny and short build was also no more. He was now tall and buff. His physique, even with his clothes, had attained a sort of beauty and perfection that a human could not put into words.

    In fact, a human would not be able to exin why his physique looked so¡­ perfect.

    Corey was not a giant, and neither did he have so much muscles that would make one think that the muscles were too much.

    Corey''s physique and stature just seemed¡­ perfect and¡­ unattainable.

    Although Corey had all these changes, he was not too surprised since he had seen himself in the mirror before.

    What surprised him was his hair.

    Not only had his body, face, and eyes changed after absorbing the Paragon Ancestor''s blood and the Veinweaver''s Dreamgrass, but his hair was also beginning to change.

    Corey''s hair was usually ck afro hair, which had grown a lot due to Corey''s negligence in cutting it. But now, Corey''s hair was no longer pure ck. The tip of his hair was now white, a refined sort of white.

    ''Why is my hair changing?''

    Corey frowned slightly with a tinge of bafflement in his eyes as he gazed at his reflection.

    [All True Paragons have ck and white hair. Anybody that has the blood of a Paragon in them would have ck and white hair. Though, the concentration of the ck or white hair depends on the purity of the Paragon''s blood in them.]

    To Corey''s surprise, Nina gave a reply to his confusion without him consulting her.

    He was at first taken aback, but then he tilted in confusion.

    ''I don''t get.''

    A soft sigh resounded in Corey''s mind.

    [The natural color of your hair was ck right?]

    Nina said, and Corey nodded.

    [The purer the Paragon blood in you gets, the whiter your hair will be.]

    [Your hair would not bepletely white in the end. Your hair would be a mixture of white and ck in a perfect 50-50 ratio.]

    [Assuming your hair was naturally white, part of it would turn ck.]

    [If it were another color, it would still change to ck and white.]

    [You also have the ability to choose what part of your hair you want to be white and ck.]

    A strange expression appeared on Corey''s face when he heard Nina''sst sentence.

    "Why do Paragons have such an ability?"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    [I don''t know. Only the Paragon Ancestor knows.]

    Corey''s lips twitched, and then he shrugged.

    He looked around him, and he noticed that a crowd had formed around him at some point. There were gazes of admiration, envy, fear, bafflement, curiosity, fighting intent, killing intent, and so on.

    There were so many emotions around him that it baffled Corey slightly.

    He frowned.

    "Uhm? Mister? Are you interested in purchasing the mirror?"

    A soft voice resounded behind him, and he turned around.

    He saw a girl who seemed to be nine years or so looking at him with admiration and curiosity. Behind the girl was an older female with a simr appearance to the young girl, and he guessed the older female should be the young girl''s mother.

    On her face was an expression of apprehension.

    His gaze shifted from the duo to the mirror, and he realized that he was currently in front of a shop that sold mirrors.

    He looked around him once again, ignoring the crowd around him in the process, and he realized that he was in a market.

    ''Strange. Did I miss my way? The road I took isn''t meant to lead to the market.''

    Corey frowned.

    "Mister?"

    Corey looked at the young girl, and he noticed something. Then he smiled.

    "How much is the mirror?"

    A bright smile appeared on the girl''s face, and she responded quickly and cheerfully.

    "It''s five value points mister!"

    Corey nodded, then he looked at the olderdy, who he presumed to be the mother.

    "How do I pay?"

    Thedy, still having a tinge of apprehension in her eyes, pointed to a device on the wall.

    Corey saw the device, and he nodded.

    He walked towards it and ced his hands on the ss part of the device, transferring five value points to thedy.

    When a beeping sound resounded from the device, the smile on the young girl''s face became much brighter.

    "Thank you Mister!"

    The young girl bowed cutely, and Corey''s smile widened a little. He knelt, and much to the fear of the older woman, he patted the young girl''s head.

    "You''re wee. Make sure to take care of your mother."

    Corey said, and the young girl nodded repeatedly.

    Corey smiled, then he held his purchased mirror and transferred it to his Tri-Pupil Eyes.

    He waved at the young girl, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished.

    Shock and surprise emerged in the young girl''s gaze, her mother and the crowd watching him when they noticed his abrupt disappearance.

    Some people tried to locate him, but their actions bore no fruit.

 Chapter 287 286: First Encounter

    Chapter 287 286: First Encounter

    In a decrepit and hidden corner corner of an alley, Corey folded his arms as he watched the shop he had left through the skill, Teleportation.

    A light of intrigue appeared in his eyes as he gazed at the shop that sold mirrors.

    Images of the baffled and solemn looking crowd appeared in his eyes and a light smile appeared on his lips.

    Why did Corey bother buying a mirror from a shop that was managed by a weak tier 1 female and a tier 0 child?

    There was nothing special about the mirror he bought. Nor was there anything special about the shop.

    Though, there was something special about the young girl.

    "A blessed."

    Corey mumbled softly as he observed the mirror shop with a curious gaze.

    When Corey noticed the small girl, he felt that she was different and unique.

    He didn''t know what was different about the girl who was a tier 0, and for the first few seconds, he was baffled and also intrigued.

    But, then he felt a tingling sensation in his right arm as he looked at the young girl, and that was when he realized why the young girl felt different and unique.

    She had an aura that felt both appealing and disgusting to him.

    It was strange.

    Extremely strange.

    Due to the tingling sensation in his right arm, Corey infered that the girl was a blessed.

    Though, the amount of blessed aura Corey could sense in the girl was not much.

    Corey did not know why, but he just had a feeling that the young girl''s blessed aura was below average.

    He had no way of quantifying an average blessed aura, so he had no idea what an average blessed aura signified.

    And, it was extremely frustrating to Corey.

    This was the first blessed Corey would encounter after his bloodline of sin got activated, and he was curious about how a blessed differed from other normal beings.

    He obviously did not n on watching the entire life of the young girl. He just had a feeling that something interesting would happen if he stayed behind to observe the young girl.

    ''I''ll observe the girl for seven minutes. After seven minutes, I''ll leave and make some ns regarding the girl.''

    Corey thought with a calcting glint in his eyes.

    Five minutes passed and Corey turned his head to his right with shock in his eyes.

    "Another blessed?"

    Corey could not believe his eyes when he noticed the aura of another blesseding towards the mirror shop.

    "This blessed¡­"

    "The aura of this blessed¡­ is higher than average."

    Corey''s eyes shined, and with expectation in his eyes, he waited with bated breath to see who the new blessed was.

    The desire to learn more about the unknown could be seen in Corey''s eyes.

    Twenty seconds passed and the blessed appeared in Corey''s baffled eyes.

    "What the?"

    A slight frown emerged in Corey''s eyes as he gazed at the blessed whose condition was not what he was expecting at all.

    In the crowded streets of the market of the Inner area, Corey observed a youngd of barely fourteen, bearing the unmistakable burden of hardship etched into every line of his countenance walk towards the mirror shop.

    The boy''s visage, once imbued with the innocence of youth, now bore the weight of suffering. The big dark circles under his eyes that told stories of pain and sadness. His hair, all messy and dark, covered a forehead that seemed like it had seen too much for someone his age.

    There was a haunting transformation in the features that met Corey''s gaze¡ªa subtle tragedy reflected in the pallor of thed''s skin, speaking volumes of the harsh treatment he had endured.

    His once-lively face seemed to have weathered years in mere moments, marked by the strain ofbor and the unmistakable scars that crisscrossed his arms and back, a testimony to his tumultuous past.

    Despite the visible fragility of his frame, Corey noticed a resilient spirit that emanated from the boy¡ªa quiet fortitude that refused to yield to the relentless hardships he had faced.

    Yet amidst the weariness and scars, there existed a peculiar uniqueness¡ªan anomaly that caught Corey''s attention¡ªthe boy''s eyes, a mesmerizing hue of amber.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    They held a depth that seemed to defy his age. Those eyes told a different story than the rest of him did. They showed a strength that wouldn''t give up, even after going through so much pain.

    "That''s the blessed?"

    Corey frowned slightly as he looked at the blessed who was a ve that had gone through untold hardships that most men would not be able to endure.

    "I thought Blessed were meant to have a peaceful, sessful and easy life?"

    [The life of a blessed is most timesplex and definitely not as simple as you think.]

    Once again, to Corey''s surprise and confusion, Nina replied to his confusion without him asking her.

    [Most times, a blessed life is always filled with tragedy and pain. And, it is this tragedy and pain that fuels their motivation to be something great in life.]

    Corey had an expression of realization when he heard Nina''s words, and with renewed interest, he observed the young ve who emitted a blessed aura that was above average.

    "Hey Kiefer!"

    The young girl who was a blessed jugged towards the young boy. The young boy who was known Kiefer lifted his head, and his amber colored eyes gazed at the young girl with a smile.

    "Calista."

    Kiefer weakly called out, and a worried expression appeared on the young and cute Calista''s face.

    "Did they hurt you again today?"

    A slight smile emerged on the lips of the young boy, Kiefer.

    "I''ll be fine don''t worry."

    Kiefer said, and before Calista could give a reply. His rough, bloody and dirty hands softly patted Calista''s head.

    "I still have to go a lot of shops, so please give me the payment alright."

    Unbothered by Kiefer''s dirty and bloody hands, Calista gazed at Kiefer''s amber eyes which contained emotions and feelings that a child should not yet possess.

    Calista bit her lips, and although she wanted to say a thousand words, she knew most, if not all of her words would have no effect on Kiefer and his situation.

    She stretched out her hands and Kiefer looked at her hands. In her left hand was a blue card, and in her right hand was a small sack.

    The moment Kiefer''s gazended on the small sack, a mouth watering aroma flowed into his nostrils, and his empty stomach rumbled.

    "I was able to make mom cook some food for you. Make sure to eat on time."

    Calista said, and Kiefer''s smile became a little bit brighter and wider.

    "Thank you. And please thank your mom for me."

    Calista nodded, then she pushed the sack and card into Kiefer''s hands before giving him a quick hug and running away.

    A slightly stunned expression appeared on Kiefer''s face, then he chuckled as he shook his head. He looked up to the sky for a few seconds, then he released a tired sigh before walking to a nearby shop.

    ''I''m so tired. Will I ever be free?''

 Chapter 288 287: Unique Soul and Physique

    Chapter 288 287: Unique Soul and Physique

    An entire hour passed after Kiefer left the mirror shop, and as Corey subtly followed and observed him, he was beginning to get frustrated.

    At first, he was curious about the story and life of the boy. After watching him for an hour, Corey was beginning to lose his interest.

    From what Corey had observed, the boy''s job was to collect payment from certain stores.

    Obviously, the stores were not giving the boy money for no reason. The boy was a ve who worked for a group called The Dread Vipers.

    The Dread Vipers were a notorious group which performed a lot of terrible deeds that was imaginable. One of the deeds that The Dread Vipers was to provide ''protection'' to certain stores¡­ at a cost obviously.

    The consequences of the shops not paying up the protection money was eitherplete annihtion of the shop and the family members of every employee of the shop.

    Or¡­ Every employee loses something valuable while keeping their lives.

    To Corey''s surprise, The Dread Vipers were a group which were quite famous in the Internal Area of the City of Sin.

    Their leader was a peak tier 3 who was considered to be an above average tier 3 due to his better than average foundation.

    The gang had a total of 53 members, and thirty of them were tier 2s. Ten of them were at the peak of tier 2, and they were also considered above average.

    When Corey heard this information, he found it a little bit strange that most of the top members had above average.

    Why?

    Because, that meant the attributes of the top members were most likely in the yellow star realm or the peak of the orange star realm.

    Due to racial limitations, humans could not go above the yellow star realm. Therefore, unless a human got external help from a powerful being, item or from something else, a human could never increase their stats past the yellow star.

    So, for a human to be considered above average, that meant the human''s attributes were in the yellow star realm or orange star realm at least.

    Most humans had their attributes in the red star realm, and Corey found it a little bit strange that The Dread Vipers had a lot of tier 2s that were higher than average.

    As for how Corey got all this information?

    Corey simply paid somebody for information on The Dread Vipers.

    "I think I''ll leave. There''s nothing really interesting about the boy."

    "He sometimes get beaten up, spat on, and abused from some owners of the shops. While some just gives him the money without interacting with him or even looking at him. Only the young girl and her mother showed the boy some goodwill."

    "Though, the only thing I found interesting about the boy was his perserverance."

    "He neverined nor did he show any sign of anger or hate at the owners that treated him poorly."

    "... Maybe, he''s just used to this sort of treatment?"

    Corey furrowed his brows as he ate an apple while sitting on the roof of a building.

    He threw the unfinished apple away and with a sigh, he stood up.

    "I guess it''s in the future something interesting would happen regarding the boy?"

    "I''ll probably hire some people to watch the boy and girl."

    Corey mumbled, then he took onest nce at the boy before taking a step to leave.

    [Corey. Stop.]

    A surprised and stunned expression appeared on Corey''s face when he heard Nina''s voice in his head.

    When it came to Nina, he had been surprised one too many times ever since he survived the first tribtion of hell.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Now, he didn''t even know what to think regarding Nina''s constant interaction with him.

    "What happened Nina?"

    Corey questioned.

    [Keep on watching the boy. I''ll advise you to take him as your subordinate.]

    "What?"

    A stunned expression appeared on Corey''s face when he heard Nina''s words.

    This was the first time Nina would say something like taking a subordinate, and Corey was immensely surprised.

    "Why do you say so Nina? What''s so special about him?"

    Corey asked.

    [He has an extremely special and rare physique and soul.]

    Corey raised his brows.

    "Rare and special physique and soul?"

    ''For Nina to call something rare and special. That means, it''s top tier¡­ Extremely top tier.''

    Corey looked at the young blessed.

    [The boy has a physique called The Celestial Verdant Physique and he has a soul called The Blossomheart Nexus Soul.]

    [The physique grants him an exceedingly high affinity with nts and the wood element. His soul gives him the ability to sense and recognize unique nts. His soul gives him the ability to naturally know the characteristics of a nt. Even if he''s just seeing it for the first time.]

    [He would also know how best to grow the nts, take care care of the nts, and use the nts.]

    [He''s almost like the perfect gardener.]

    A surprised light appeared in Corey''s eyes when he heard Nina''s remarks about the young boy.

    Never did he think that the young boy who he was growing bored of actually possessed such a talent.

    His talent was extremely useful, and if Corey was able to win the boy over, the boy would be extremely useful to him.

    "If I''m to guess, the leader of The Dread Vipers knows about the boy''s talent and he''s using the boy to find rare nts that can improve his stats or grant him extraordinary skills."

    A light smile appeared on Corey''s lips as he observed the young boy with renewed interest.

    "I guess I''ll have to meet up with the leader of The Dread Vipers very soon."

    ¡­

    Another hour went by, and to Corey''s relief, the boy finally went back to the headquarters of The Dread Vipers.

    "What a mess."

    Corey''s eyes glinted as he observed the headquarters of The Dread Vipers.

    The headquarters exuded an ominous aura, filled with the raucousughter of a group devoid of empathy.

    Men lounged carelessly, indulging in drinks and smoke, their demeanor reeking of arrogance. Around them and in the arms of some men were women who were either scantily d or totally naked.

    Their expressions conveying a mix of fear and resignation. It was a ce where exploitation thrived, a den of cruelty veiled by false power.

    And walking into this den was a young boy who had scars and wounds that would cause men to reel in disgust and fear.

    Surprisingly, this young boy walked into the den with no fear and resignation. Only¡­ exhaustion and a strange unbending will.

 Chapter 289 288: Negotiation

    <h4>Chapter 289 288: Negotiation</h4>

    SLAP!

    Bam!

    "What did I tell you about bringing an iplete payment?"

    In a room that spoke of opulence and depravity, a man who seemed to be in his fourties and had blonde hair spoke in a deep and indifferent tone as he gazed at a young boy who was coughing out blood as he slumped near a wall with a body sized imprint.

    The man walked away from his desk, and with cold indifferent eyes behind his shades, he walked towards the young boy.

    "Did I not ask you a question?"

    The blonde man removed his sses as he grabbed the head of the young boy and looked into the young boy''s amber eyes.

    "Ye- Yes you did¡­ Father."

    The young boy struggled to speak due to the immense pain he was feeling from the blonde man''s p.

    Meanwhile, a tinge of rage sparked in the eyes of the blonde man when he heard the word- Father.

    Bam

    Bam!

    A kicknded on the young boy''s skinny stomach and the immense force behind it mmed him into the wall once again.

    GAH!

    "Don''t you dare call me Father. I can never have such a useless and worthless son like you."

    Hearing the heartless words of the blonde middle aged man, no pain, anger or sadness could be seen in the eyes of the young boy. Only¡­ exhaustion.

    ''If I don''t call you Father, you''d treat me worse you psychopath.''

    The young boy thought, but didn''t dare such words out louds.

    "Ah."

    "Now. Answer my question."

    Disregarding the groan of pain that escaped the lips of the young man, the blonde middle aged man grabbed the boy by his throat and questioned once again. But this time, his voice was much deeper and colder.

    "And how do you expect him to speak if you hold his throat old man?"

    Apletely different voice resounded in the room, startling the blonde middle aged man and the young boy.

    The blonde man dropped the boy and turned to look at the neer who was sitting on his desk with crossed legs.

    "Who are you?"

    The blonde man asked with squinted eyes as he tried to inspect the stats of the intruder. A frown emerged on his face when he saw the stats of the intruder.

    ''A tier 2?''

    "I thought you''d ask how I got here."

    A light smile appeared on the lips of the intruder, then his gaze shifted to the badly injured young boy.

    "Well. If you canmit such acts to a young boy, somebody who is even your son. Then I should not be surprised if you don''t care about the lives of your subordinates."

    "He''s not my son."

    The blonde man spoke with an extremely cold and deep tone.

    The intruder shrugged nonchntly.

    "Well. You obviously don''t have the qualities of a father."

    The blonde man squinted his eyes as he observed the intruder.

    The intruder had so many striking qualities that should make him to be well known.

    Whether it be his visage which had a beauty that could not be described with mere words.

    Or, his dual colored eyes which exuded both an alluring and ominous gaze.

    Or, his physique which spoke of perfection.

    Or, his aura which exuded both immense self-confidence, pride and uniqueness.

    All of these characteristics were so unique that should have made the intruder extremely known in the Underworld.

    But, no matter how?much the blonde man racked his brain on the identity of the intruder, he could not think of anybody that was simr to the individual.

    "Who are you?"

    The blonde man asked once again with a tinge of caution in his tone.

    The time he had spent in the Underworld had taught him a lot of things. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    One of those things was to exert caution when dealing with the unknown. Especially an unknown that possessed such unique aura and characteristics.

    ''Even though he''s an early tier 2, his confidence bothers me.''

    ''I know there are some monsters that can fight above their tier. Is he one of them?''

    ''Even if he''s not, he might be part of a top tier force.''

    ''Somebody like this has to be special in some way.''

    The blonde man''s stance shifted slightly.

    Tap

    The intruder jumped off the table and with a smile, he pped.

    "Who I am doesn''t matter. It is what I want that matters."

    With a nonchnt tone, the intruder replied.

    "What you want?"

    The blonde man''s brows furrowed in confusion for a few seconds. Then a sh of realization appeared in his eyes.

    He nced at the young boy with amber eyes before shifting his gaze back to the intruder.

    "Impossible."

    The blonde man replied with a resolute tone and the smile on the intruder widened slightly.

    "Ohe on. Everything has a price. Just name your price old man."

    With a nonchnt tone, the intruder spoke.

    "He''s not for sale. Not for any price."

    The intruder tilted his head and his smile became slightly wider when he heard the resolute words of the blonde man.

    "Hmm. Well, a part of me was kind of hoping you would reject my request."

    "Cause you see¡­"

    An stifling pressure engulfed the room as the gaze of the intruder became exceedingly cold.

    "... You''re really ruining my image of fathers."

    A drop of sweat from the blonde mannded on the floor as he felt the unrestrained aura of the intruder.

    ''What sort of aura is this? It''s like I''m facing an extremely powerful warrior that has fought in countless battles.''

    ''But that''s impossible. He''s too young to have such experiences!.''

    Despite the thoughts running through the mind of the blonde middle aged man, he did not cower and instead got into a stance for a battle.

    A slight frown emerged on the face of the intruder when he saw the reaction of the blonde middle aged man.

    He turned his gaze to the young boy who was looking at him with untold levels of exhaustion and eptance.

    The intruder tilted his head slightly.

    "Do you want me to kill this man? Or do you want to take revenge and kill himself?"

    "What do you want me to do with this man?"

    "Say it, and if I find it reasonable. I''ll do it."

    A strange light which was unnoticed by the intruder shed in the eyes of the blonde middle aged man after the intruder spoke.

    The young boy looked at the blonde middle aged man then the intruder, and with a tone that sounded coarse and deep for a boy his age, the young boy spoke:

    "I don''t care what you do to him. I just want to be free and happy."

 Chapter 290 289: Mindéˆ¥æªš Eye

    <h4>Chapter 290 289: Mind''s Eye</h4>

    "I don''t care what you do to him. I just want to be free and happy."

    When the intruder heard the words of the young boy, a slight frown emerged on his face.

    "You don''t desire revenge?"

    "Are you not angry at this man?"

    "Don''t you hate him and the other people who made you live a terrible life?"

    "Don''t you want to torture him and kill him yourself?"

    The intruder questioned, and the young boy released a tired sigh as he sat with his back resting against the wall.

    "I hated him in the past. And I wanted nothing more than to see him die in the most painful and grievous way possible."

    The young boy nced at the blonde middle aged man who was his father, then he shifted his gaze to the intruder.

    "After all I''ve seen and experienced. I don''t desire revenge nor do I have any hate or anger."

    The young boy''s gaze moved to the floor.

    "Now¡­ I just want to be free and happy."

    A strange silence enveloped the room after the boy spoke, and the interest in the intruder''s eyes diminished significantly as he gazed at the young boy.

    "You just want to be¡­ free and happy?"

    A long pause enveloped the room for a few seconds.

    Just as the intruder was about to speak, his pupils constricted and he quickly moved to the side while a hexagon barrier appeared before. But¡­

    Puchi

    Blood spilled from the intruder''s shoulder staining the white tiles on the floor.

    A frown emerged on the intruder''s face as he looked at the bullet sized hole in his shoulder.

    ''It was quiet.''

    The intruder frowned slightly as he had this thought.

    "Oh? I was aiming for your head."

    "I''m surprised you could dodge it."

    The blonde middle aged man spoke with a tinge of surprise in his voice. In his right hand was a gun akin to a pistol. The gun had countless runes which pulsed with a blue light.

    "Normally, people who don''t focus on me don''t know when I fire my gun and they lose their lives. My gun is meant to be extremely silent."

    The blonde middle aged man spoke with an indifferent and emotionless tone as he stretched out his hand and a simr gun appeared in his left hand.

    Though, this time around, the gun had countless runes that pulsed with a red light.

    "Sorry to disappoint. But, my ears are quiet good."

    The intruder said while looking at the two guns with a tinge of intrigue.

    "I highly doubt that."

    The middle aged man said, and the intruder raised a brow.

    "I told you the boy is not for sale. But you''ve been acting all cocky for a damn tier 2."

    A pressure that was stronger than what the intruder exuded instantly filled the room and immense killing intentnded on the intruder.

    "Anyst words?"

    The blonde man asked and a sigh escaped the lips of the intruder.

    "Don''t die too quickly."

    A vein popped in the head of the blonde man and with anger in his eyes, he fired the blue gun.

    A blue light escaped the nozzle of the gun and at an extremely fast speed, it moved towards the intruder.

    Bam

    "You''d have to do better than that if you want to kill me."

    An emotionless voice resounded behind the blonde middle aged man and a smile appeared on the lips of the blonde man.

    To the intruder''s shock, the blonde man was not surprised or fearful when he said those words. Instead, the blonde man ced the red gun behind him and fired. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    Loud and multiple bullets erupted from the red gun, raining fire unto whatever was behind the blonde man.

    "Hmm?"

    A few secondster, the blonde man frowned and stopped firing.

    He looked to his left where he could see the intruder holding the side of his stomach which was bleeding.

    "Well this is a surprise."

    "I didn''t expect somebody like you would achieve a level three Mind''s Eye."

    The intruder spoke calmly without taking his eyes off the blonde man, and the blonde man smiled.

    "I can say the same for you. I didn''t expect you to possess a spatial skill."

    Despite the nonchnce in the tones of the two individuals, they were both extremely wary and solemn as they faced one another.

    The two of them had used abilities which neither of them expected and this caused both of them to be wary of one another.

    ''Since he has achieved a level three Mind''s Eye, I shouldn''t carelessly teleport.''

    ''He''d be able to perceive the spatial disturbance.''

    The light blue and deep violet eyes of the intruder shed with a solemn light as he gazed at the blonde man.

    It was well known until one became a tier 3, did one truly step unto a path of shedding their mortality.

    For every tier that one goes through, there''s always a reward. A reward that''s given to every individual in the same tier.

    Passing the tier 1 and tier 2 trials increases the physical abilities like strength, agility, stamina and so on of an individual.

    But, depending on the individual''s evaluation in the trials, the higher or lesser the increase in the individual''s physical abilities.

    Passing the tier 3 trial gave the individual something called The Mind''s Eye. The mind''s eye basically increased the perception and intuition of the individual, and it allows them to foresee immediate dangers and make split-second decisions inbat.

    It was for this reason that set apart tier 3 from tier 2''s and 1''s.

    Not only were the physical abilities of a tier 3 higher than that of a tier 2 and 1, their perception and intuition was immensely higher and it made it more difficult for a tier 2 to kill a tier 3.

    There were four levels of a Mind''s Eye, and the evaluation of an individual in the promotion trial determined what level of Mind''s Eye the individual gets.

    The first level of the Mind''s Eye was called Insightful Gaze.

    Individuals with this level of Mind''s Eye gained heightened sensory perception, allowing them to notice subtle details, patterns or emotions in their surroundings. They can anticipate simple actions or intentions based on observed cues.

    The second level of the Mind''s Eye was called Intuitive Vision: It was basically an enhanced version of the Insightful Gaze. Though, the difference was not minimal.

    The third level was called irvoyant Sight.

    Individuals with irvoyant Sight gained the ability to see glimpses of the future. The ability was not like True Future Sight, and was sometimes not urate. The ability was sporadic and usually urred when the individual was in danger.

    Asides from this ability, the individual''s perception and intuition was greatly enhanced. So enhanced to the point that they could sense disturbances to a certain extent.

    The fourth level was called Visionary Insight.

    Individuals with this level of Mind''s Eye achieve a more refined form of irvoyant Sight. They gained the ability to foresee specific events or oues with increased uracy. They can predict and prepare for future urrences with greater rity and detail. Their perception and intuition was also greatly increased.

    Information regarding the fourth level of Mind''s Eye was not well known due to its rarity. But, it was said that those with Visionary Insight even gave tier 4s and some tier 5s issues when it came to killing them.

    Attaining the third level of Mind''s Eye was a feat that most could not achieve. An average tier 3 would only have a level one Mind''s Eye, and one could imagine the surprise the intruder had when he realized that the leader of The Dread Vipers had a level three Mind''s Eye.

 Chapter 291 290: Capabilities of a Mindéˆ¥æªš Eye

    <h4>Chapter 291 290: Capabilities of a Mind''s Eye</h4>

    ''Even if he has a level three Mind''s Eye, I highly doubt he attained it himself. He''s not talented.''

    As the intruder had this thought, his light blue and deep violet eyesnded on the young boy who was hiding behind the desk in the room.

    A glint of realization shed in the eyes of the intruder.

    ''So that''s how he got a level three Mind''s Eye.''

    ''He most likely used the boy to locate a rare herb to attain a level three Mind''s Eye.''

    The intruder thought, then he looked at the wound at his waist and he frowned.

    ''The rate of regeneration is slow.''

    The intruder shifted his gaze to the two guns of the leader of The Dread Vipers and he squinted his eyes.

    ''The bullets of the guns possess small amount of mystic energy.''

    ''I guess I have to be more careful.''

    Just as the intruder had this thought, his eyes widened when he saw the blonde man raise his red gun.

    ''Crap.''

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    Countless bullet holes appeared in the walls of the fairlyrge room in the span of two seconds.

    The intruder''s pupils dted as he dodged or blocked every bullet that came towards him.

    As the intruder moved around the office while dodging the bullets, he heard the soft sound of the wind been disturbed.

    The disturbance was extremely subtle, so subtle that if not for his special and unique ears, he would never have heard the sound.

    He quickly moved his body to the side, dodging a familiar bullet.

    ''So the red gun fires a lot of bullets rapidly while the blue gun only fires a single shot.''

    The intruder inferred as he continuously dodged and blocked the bullets with an hexagon barrier.

    ''The leader is more calm than I expected.''

    ''I thought he''d behave more like a thug since he basically runs a gang.''

    The intruder gazed at the calm expression of the leader of the Dread Vipers and he frowned slightly.

    ''I should end this soon. I''m getting bored.''

    Just as the intruder had this thought, the leader of the Dread Vipers also had a simr thought.

    ''I don''t know who he is, but I should kill him quickly. He''s too strange.''

    Asides from the physical characteristics of the intruder, there was a particr reason the leader of the Dread Vipers was so wary of the intruder.

    The intruder had used a spatial skill.

    Possessing the ability to manipte space was only meant for tier 5 beings and above.

    The reward of sessfully passing the tier 5 promotion trial was the ability to manipte space.

    This was the natural and mostmon way of gaining spatial maniption for most individuals. But there were three cases where one could gain the ability to manipte space.

    The first was rted to blessed worlds. Assuming somebody wished for the ability to manipte space, then the person would get it.

    Just from this, one can imagine why powerful beings would be envious and covetous towards blesseds and their inhabitants.

    Imagine a tier 0 possessing the ability of a tier 5.

    It was quite unfair and iprehensible if one thought about it.

    The second method to acquire spatial maniption was by gaining a spatial skill crystal.

    This method was actually the mostmon way of getting spatial abilities. But this method was mainly for individuals affiliated with powerful organizations.

    One should know that getting a spatial skill crystal meant killing a being whose main ability was rted to space.

    Killing beings like that was always extremely difficult because they were usually high tier and extremely evasive.

    Only powerful beings or top tier organizations could gain spatial skill crystals, and for a low level individual to have a spatial ability, that meant he was affiliated to a powerful being or top tier organization.

    Thest method was if one was naturally born with spatial affinity. This urrence was extremely rare, especially for normal humans. And due to this, the Dread Vipers leader mind did not choose this possibility.

    His best option would be if the intruder used his wish for a spatial ability.

    His worst option and fears would be the second which was that the intruder was affiliated to a powerful organization.

    ''Hopefully, he wished for a spatial ability.''

    The leader of the Dread Vipers hoped. The instant he had this thought, his instincts screamed at him.

    His pupils dted and an image along with a whisper appeared in his eyes.

    ''sh Step.''

    A bright white light alongside a loud bang of thunder filled his eyes and resounded in his ears. Before he knew it, his vision spun and eternal darkness eventually enveloped him.

    GASP!

    The Dread Vipers leader gasped and his breathing was extremely erratic.

    His instincts kept on screaming at him, and he looked at the intruder who was about to take a step while holding a ck axe that had instantly appeared from nowhere.

    He knew what was about to happen and he needed to stop it no matter what.

    He raised his blue gun and without hesitation, he poured all his mana into the gun and fired.

    Despite the massive amount of energy that was poured into the gun, the gun made no sound when it was shot and with a speed that was faster than the blink of an eye, the energy bullet reached the intruder.

    PUCHI!

    Sound of metal tearing through flesh resounded in the room along with a cough. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    ''Is he finally dead?''

    The leader of the Dread Vipers took in deep breaths as he gazed at the profusely bleeding intruder.

    To the leader''s surprise, despite the massive amount of force behind the energy bullet, the intruder had not taken a step backward.

    He was still standing though with his head hung low and blood spilling out from his mouth and his left chest which had a massive hole in it.

    ''What is he? There''s no way he''s a tier 2. Tier 2''s don''t possess such capabilities.''

    The Dread Vipers leader thought, then his eyes widened when he heard an extremely soft whisper which was extremely familiar.

    ''sh Step.''

    In the blink of an eye, a bright white light shed in the room alongside a roar of thunder, and¡­

    Thud.

    A head filled with blonde hair made a loud thud as itnded on the office floor. It''s eyes shed with disbelief, fear and anger before darkness reced the light in its eyes.

 Chapter 292 291: Time Bomb

    Chapter 292 291: Time Bomb

    "What a fucking mess."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    A hoarse whisper resounded in the extremely silent office followed by a loud sigh.

    The intruder gazed at the headless corpse of the leader of the Dread Vipers as he slumped unto the floor with a loud thud.

    His breathing was erratic and heavy and with visible difficulty, he gazed at the fairlyrge hole in his chest and he frowned before releasing another deep sigh.

    "I was too careless and I underestimated him."

    A soft groan escaped the lips of the intruder as he looked at the hole in his chest which was slowly healing.

    ''I''m lucky.''

    As he looked at the healing hole, he could not help but exhale in relief.

    The energy bullet fired by the leader of the Dread Vipers was so powerful that even an average tier 4 would most likely die from it.

    The bullet was extremely fast, powerful, and also had an immense prating power.

    It also contained a lot of mystic energy and it had a homing ability.

    When the energy bullet was fired, he had tried to quickly ce his shoulder in the path of the bullet since it was going straight for his heart. But, even when he moved, the bullet still went for his heart and pierced through his chest, negating every defensive measure he had.

    He thought he was going to die since the energy bullet would surely prate his heart, but to his surprise, his heart became something like a mirage and it''s image became extremely faint.

    When that happened, his breathing immediately stopped and he swore he had died in that split second.

    Fortunately, his heart went back to normal and he survived the energy bullet.

    Albeit, barely.

    ''I''m grateful he didn''t target my head at least.''

    A shiver went through the intruder''s spine as he thought of how death was extremely close to taking his life a few minutes ago.

    Although, his heart was not prated due to reasons unknown to him, his body was thoroughly ravaged and is still being ravaged at the moment.

    The mystic energy from the energy bullet was rampaging and destroying his body.

    Luckily for him, his mana veins were no longer the same and was upgraded to something extremely better, or he''d have been crippled once again.

    Probably for life this time around.

    His skill, Dream Healing, was working furiously to heal his wounds and his new mana veins helped in reducing the damage he suffered from the mystic energy rampaging in his body.

    [You were careless.]

    A feminine voice filled with a reprimanding tone rang out in the intruder''s head, and a soft sigh escaped his lips.

    ''I know.'' He replied

    [No. You don''t know.]

    [Your inactive Void Phoenix Heart was forced to be activated. You only have two months left to live.]

    A stunned expression appeared on the face of the intruder, and just as he was about to question the feminine entity in his mind, he heard soft footsteps in front of him.

    He looked up and he saw the young blessed standing a few feet away from him with a wary, shocked and tired expression.

    "Who are you?"

    The boy asked and the intruder waved his hand as he replied while taking his gaze off the boy with a serious expression.

    "I''ll talk to youter."

    The young boy frowned, then his gaze moved to the fairlyrge hole in the intruder''s chest.

    He could see a dark grey heart beating in a rhythm that was both beautiful and also disconcerting in his eyes.

    The heart had a¡­ paramount feeling to it that made the young blessed slightly ufortable.

    The ufortable aura of the heart made the young blessed to not think about how the intruder''s heart was still in one piece.

    "I just wanted to know what your name was before you die."

    A stunned and baffled expression instantly appeared on the face of the intruder as he was taken aback to the extreme when he heard the young blessed''s words.

    He looked at the young blessed with raised brows and with an indifferent tone, he replied:

    "I''m Smile Reaper. And I''m not dying yet."

    The boy raised his brows and his gaze moved to therge hole in Corey''s chest.

    "Unless you have a powerful and extremely rare medicinal nt, I don''t think your constitution, no matter how high it is, would be able to help you with that sort of injury."

    The young boy said, but Corey ignored him and focused on Nina.

    ''What were you saying about me having only two months left to live?''

    Corey''s tone had a tinge of apprehension and impatience as he spoke, and the light in his gaze also contained these emotions.

    [When your heart was in danger, it forcibly activated itself so as to save itself from getting pierced.]

    [Normally, your heart was not meant to use any void force until it was activated. But it did, and your heart would continuously and forcibly pump out void force and a lot of energy into your body.]

    [And in two months time, your body would get overloaded and you would explode and die.]

    [You have to get promoted to the next tier and choose the Void Phoenix Heart from the next Paragon racial list so as to permanently activate your heart and gain control over it.]

    [You have only two months left before you be a nuke.]

    When Corey heard the words of Nina, a deep frown was etched upon his face and he instantly regretted the fact that he underestimated and looked down on the leader of the Dread Vipers.

    Ever since Corey saw the leader of the Dread Vipers, he had never felt an inkling of danger from him.

    Since their status screen no longer disyed numbers, Corey could not know whether his stats were higher than the stats of a being at a higher tier than him.

    So, he decided to rely on his instincts.

    And his instincts told him that the leader was not as strong as him, but his guns were dangerous.

    Corey had a hunch that his physical attributes and mana were higher than that of the leader, and he was right.

    His physical attributes were higher than the Dread Vipers leader, and his mana reserves was alsorger in quanitity and better in quality.

    But, what Corey had underestimated was the unique ability of all tier 3''s.

    Their Mind''s Eye.

    A level 1 and 2 Mind''s Eye would not have given Corey so much trouble, but the leader''s level three Mind''s Eye instantly made the Dread Viper''s leader to see Corey''s future actions, and he was able to act ordingly, almost taking Corey''s life in the process.

    After today''s fight, Corey engraved it in his mind to not underestimate beings who had a higher tier than him, because they might possess an ability or abilities which could kill him.

    His physical stats might be higher, and the quality and quantity of his mana might be better. But, the unique abilities of higher tier beings and their experience could be his downfall.

    ''Because of my mistake, I''ve be a ticking time bomb.''

    Corey released a sigh, then he looked at the young blessed whose eyes were wide open as he gazed at his hole filled chest with incredulity.

    "What''s your name kid?"

 Chapter 295 294: Unknowingly Making Enemies

    Chapter 295 294: Unknowingly Making Enemies

    Blergh!

    The sound of vile liquid hitting the ground resounded in Corey''s ears.

    He looked at Kiefer who was vomiting and a light smile appeared on his lips. His gaze shifted to the cause of Kiefer''s reaction- The corpses of the remaining members of the Dread Vipers.

    This was obviously not the first time Kiefer had seen corpses. But what he had never seen were corpses in the state of the Dread Vipers.

    Some corpses had so much boils, bumps and pus on their faces and bodies that one could not even see the faces of those corpses.

    Some had ck and blue blood pouring out from all their orifices. And in the body of those corpses, one could see something that was simr to a worm moving in the eyes and arms of those corpses.

    Some had strange looking insects and scorpions chewing on their bodies.

    There were more, but the state of the corpses were so bad that it was no surprise that a young boy like Kiefer would have such a reaction.

    One could see the expressions of fear and horror on the faces of most of the corpses, and Corey wondered if he had overdone it.

    To effortlessly kill every member of the Dread Viper outside, Corey had used abination of fog maniption, gue whispering and poison maniption.

    Fog maniption was used to blind, confuse and make sure the enemy did not escape.

    gue whispering was used to call forth the poison insects and diseases which slowly but surely killed every member of the Dread Vipers.

    Poison maniption was used to create a special type of poison that could destabilize the senses of every individual that was in the fog.

    The simultaneous use of the three skills on arge area and in a concentrated amount consumed more mana than Corey expected, especially the two maniption skills.

    But to his surprise, it only consumed 10% of his total mana.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    10% of his total mana was not little, and if Corey was right, 10% of his total mana was equivalent to 70% of his total mana when he was in the violet star phase as a tier 1.

    Therge difference between the violet star and ck star was surprising and slightly shocking to Corey, but he was nevertheless pleased.

    ''I need to leave here. I''ve been getting a premonition that I''ll regret it if I stay here for too long.''

    "Let''s go."

    Corey said and without waiting for a reply, he started walking off.

    Kiefer gazed at Corey''s broad back and a confused light shed in his eyes.

    ''He has spatial abilities, regenerative abilities, can control fog, poison and also insects.''

    ''How many abilities does he have?''

    Kiefer wondered just who his new master was.

    Sigh

    He released a sigh then ran after Corey.

    An hourter.

    Two cars, a pickup truck and a SUV drove into the vicinity of the headquarters of the Dread Vipers.

    Eleven men and two females got down from the car and a frown along with a shocked light instantly appeared on the faces of the group.

    "What''s this?"

    "Who dares to do this?"

    Murmurs instantly spread out as the facial expressions of the group became dark.

    "Find out if Kirk is still alive."

    A deep voice filled with restrained anger resounded and every member of the group instantly looked at a young man who looked to be in his early twenties.

    The young man was slightly tall and he also had a lot of tattoos, ear rings, nose rings, eye piercings and an extremely skinny body.

    His crimson eyes which were as sharp as shards of obsidian radiated a vicious light.

    If Corey was here, he would instantly recognize this man.

    "Yes master!"

    The men in the group quickly replied before the terrible wrath of their master was unleashed on them.

    "And see if his son is still alive or if his corpse is here."

    The skinny man with a lot of tattoos spoke once again, momentarily stopping his subordinates.

    "Yes master!"

    All the men quickly dispersed, leaving their master who was holding the two females by their waist with anger in his eyes.

    Some minutes went by and the men came back with fearful expressions.

    The skinny man nced at their expressions, then his gaze shifted to the head in one of his subordinates hands.

    The air instantly became heavy and a tier 3 pressure that was much greater than that of the leader of the Dread Vipers enveloped the surroundings.

    The men who were also tier 3 felt their hearts skip a beat due to immense pressure emanating from their master.

    One of the men came up and with a dry throat, he spoke:

    "We didn''t find the kid. He was probably taken."

    "Maybe the group that did this found out about the boy''s talent."

    With every word that was spoken by the man, the pressure in the surroundings increased and the two women screamed in pain due to the immense grip of their master.

    The skinny man threw the two women away, injuring them in the process, then he walked towards the group of men, causing resounding gulps.

    The skinny man ignored everybody and he picked the head filled with blonde hair.

    He turned it and when he saw the expression of disbelief and hate in the eyes of the head, his crimson eyes glinted with a vicious glint.

    "I don''t know who dared to do this to you my friend. But I swear to you, I''ll make them suffer."

    "By my name, I''ll swear I''ll make them suffer."

    The skinny man solemnly swore and a tattoo of a goat demon''s skull on the left side of the necks of all the males in the group shed with a ck light.

    If Corey was here, he would instantly recognize the skinny man with a lot of tattoos.

    He was the man who was the father of the unborn child of the female that killed herself.

    He was a member of the Legion of Nightmare.

    And, he was also the younger brother of Savage, the leader of the Legion of Nightmare.

    If Corey knew this, he would definitely curse.

 Chapter 296 295: Meeting Again

    Chapter 296 295: Meeting Again

    Inside a room in a fairlyrge building in the inner area of the city of sin, a man wearing an expensive looking red suit had a deep frown as he looked at the papersying before him on his desk.

    He took in a deep puff of the Cuban cigar in his hand, then he exhaled and released a sigh as he slumped into his chair.

    "Profits from the sales of Neon have gone downhill."

    "Although we tried to reduce quantity produced, it greatly affected the customers and we had a bacsh because of it."

    "More people than we ever expected were reliant on Neon and even when we tried to increase the price, Neon still got sold out quickly."

    The man in red suit took in another puff while looking at the ceiling with tired eyes.

    "I''ll have to stop selling Neon very soon."

    The instant those words left the man''s lips, the wooden door of his office flung to the wall at a tremendous speed.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    BANG!

    The wooden door broke apart and two individuals entered the room.

    Click.

    A click resounded in the room, then a cold voice followed.

    "Who are you guys?"

    The man in the red suit questioned with a chilling tone as he held a gun at the two intruders while standing.

    Two secondster, his eyes widened.

    "Didn''t I tell you not to point a gun at me again Oscar?"

    "Or do you want another manicure? I think your hands need one."

    An emotionless voice resounded in the ears of the man in red suit and the man trembled in fear and panic.

    "I''m sorry sir. I didn''t know you were the one."

    Oscar quickly dropped his gun as he gazed at one of the individuals who was one of the sources of his nightmares.

    ''So he''s alive.''

    Oscar thought as he gazed at the young man who possessed pure white hair, extremely ck eyes and a face that was inhumanely handsome.

    Anon.

    Oscar gulped softly when he realized that the current aura of Anon was vastly superior to his previous aura during their first meeting.

    ''I thought I might have a chance of defeating him. But¡­''

    Oscar made noint as he watched Anon walk over to his chair and seating on it like it was his from the beginning.

    Oscar moved to the seat at the other side of the table while giving a subtle nce to the second individual who was wearing a robe and a in white mask.

    ''Who''s that? From the skinny and short stature, that should be a kid?''

    A confused glint shed in the eyes of Oscar as he sat opposite his boss, Anon.

    Anon nced at Oscar, then his gaze shifted to the papers on the table.

    Seconds went by in silence and Oscar was beginning to get ufortable when Anon said no words.

    "I wasn''t expecting you Sir Anon. You could have sent a notice and I''d have weed you much better than this."

    Oscar said, trying to lighten up the mood.

    Anon nced at him then continued looking at the papers.

    "A notice is unnecessary. I cane whenever I wish."

    Anon replied indifferently and Oscar''s lips twitched.

    ''I''d prefer it if you don''t break down my door every time. It''s not exactly cheap.''

    Although, Oscar wished to say those words, he didn''t have the courage to do so.

    He didn''t want to go through unnecessary pain again.

    "Anyway, I see that you''ve not been cking off. You''ve gotten stronger."

    Anon said as he took notice of Oscar''s increase in strength.

    Oscar was previously a tier 1. But now, he was surprisingly a tier 3!

    Corey was truly surprised when he noticed this, but not shocked.

    Oscar controlled a somewhatrge force and he could find ways to easily increase his strength.

    Although, Oscar was a tier 3, he was weaker than the leader of the Dread Vipers.

    But his stats were surprisingly higher than the stats of an average tier 3 who just advanced.

    ''I guess Neon yed a role in that.''

    Anon thought with slight intrigue.

    "Thank you sir."

    Oscar smiled, pleased that Anon took notice of his increase in strength.

    Anon made a ''hmm'' sound, and he folded his arms.

    He repeatedly tapped hisrge biceps for a few seconds, then he spoke:

    "I came here to ask about Neon."

    "How has business been?"

    "What is the status of the Terror Queen and her organization?"

    "Has there been any major developments or news?"

    Anon asked the most important questions on his mind, and Oscar without wasting time brought out several papers from his inventory.

    He handed the papers over to Anon who raised his brows in curiosity as he grabbed them.

    "I had a feeling you mighte back, so I''ve beenpiling important information you would need and most likely be interested in."

    Oscar said and Anon looked at him with surprise on his face.

    "Thanks."

    Anon said, then he grabbed the papers and started opening them one by one.

    Anon used a single minute to read and understand every information that was in the paper, and when he was done, he closed his eyes.

    The papers mainly contained information on the Neon business and the Terror Queen.

    Unsurprisingly, the Neon business has been struggling and in fact performing terribly after the third month of his disappearance.

    The Terror Queen, Oscar, and Divine and his group members tried their best to make the Neon business stable. But, with the reduction in the production of Neon, there was not much they could do.

    Corey did not give anybody the full concoction method to produce Neon. He basically gave them 90% of the method, but thest ten % was extremely crucial.

    Neon could be produced with the 90% concoction method he gave the Terror Queen and the others, but thest 10% was what made Neon to permanently increase a tier 0,1 and 2''s stats.

    Without it, the increase in stats was always going to be temporary.

    Due to this, the Terror Queen, Oscar and the others involved in his Neon business suffered a bacsh after the stock he had left them finished.

    The Neon customers were obviously not satisfied with a temporary increase in their stats after consuming Neon, and there had been protests, riots and threats because of this.

    Luckily, there was Divine and his group members to calm all of this before it got much worse.

    But, things got much worse a month ago.

    Divine got captured and the remaining group members had to go in hiding.

    Oscar, the Terror Queen and the others who were involved in the production and distribution of Neon, no longer had the protection of a top and powerful group like Divine''s group.

    So with these, certain people started to rebel and there were even assassination attempts on Oscar and the Terror Queen.

    One of the main reasons as to why Oscar decided to increase his tier.

    His survival was at stake.

    People who knew about Neon and its effects thought that Oscar and the Terror Queen were trying to hoard all the Neon for themselves.

    And even if they weren''t, they all believed that Oscar and the Terror Queen knew theplete concoction method of Neon.

    And due to this, they had suffered quite a lot.

 Chapter 297 296: The Terror Queens Superior

    Chapter 297 296: The Terror Queen''s Superior

    As Corey read the papers, he was able to know just how difficult the lives of the Terror Queen and Usher had been in the past month.

    He wasn''t surprised when he realized that Oscar wrote in details just how exactly they had suffered, most likely an attempt to bring forth sympathy from him.

    From the papers, Corey knew that Oscar previously nned on removing his hands from Neon after this month ended.

    A decision which was not surprising to Corey.

    Assuming he had given Oscar, the Terror Queen and Divine theplete concoction method for Neon, most of what had happened would not have happened.

    Neon would still be in business and would even be more popr and produce more money and power for him.

    But did Corey regret his decision?

    No.

    No, he didn''t.

    Before Corey went to the evolution center, he did not have the confidence that he would survive the first tribtion of hell.

    If he died during the tribtion, then there was no point in there been Neon.

    If he took way too long in the evolution center, then a lot of things would definitely have changed in his Neon business and there was a possibility he would no longer be in control of his Neon business.

    He did not regret his decision and he knew he would make the same decision if he had the chance to again.

    Asides from the difficulty in the lives of Oscar and the Terror Queen, there were two pieces of interesting information that Oscar gave him.

    The first was an uingrge auction in the next three weeks.

    The second was information on the Terror Queen.

    Ever since Corey met the Terror Queen, she had told him that she was under a higher power.

    An organization so powerful that it even scared her, the Terror Queen.

    Corey had tried to use value points to figure out the identity of the force behind the Terror Queen, but the price of the information was so disgustingly high that Corey instantly dismissed the idea of using value points.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Corey told Oscar to try and figure it out the identity of the Terror Queen''s superior, and till the time of his disappearance, he had been unsessful.

    But now?

    Oscar had a clue.

    And the clue shocked Corey and even made him groan in frustration.

    Calista.

    Oscar''s clue led him to believe that the Terror Queen''s superior identity was Calista, the manager of the Underworld Emporium.

    There was a reason as to why Oscar had this thought.

    His spies had seen the most important subordinates and even Calista meeting up with the Terror Queen more than once.

    And this reason was more than enough for Corey.

    Corey did not believe that the Terror Queen possessed something that would make Calista, a bonafide tier 6 to personallye to the Terror Queen''s territory and also leave without causing a ruckus.

    Due to this, Corey was 70% sure that the Terror Queen''s superior was none other than Calista, the manager of the Underworld Emporium, and a genuine tier 6.

    ''I thought her superior would be somebody from one of the top five groups amongst the Underworld residents.''

    Corey sighed while rubbing his forehead.

    Never did Corey expect a tier 6 to be the Terror Queen''s superior.

    With this, Corey realized that a lot of things had to be changed.

    A tier 6 was a power he had to be wary of. And just the thought of what Calista could do made Corey groan in frustration.

    One good thing came out of the information given to him by Oscar though, and that was that his decision to visit Oscar first was right.

    If Calista was truly the Terror Queen''s superior, then there was a possibility the Terror Queen already knew about Neon, his identity as Anon, and¡­ his true identity as Corey.

    Although, Divine used a lot of value points to hide his information, it wouldn''t be surprising if Calista, a tier 6, still found out about his identity.

    Corey wouldn''t even be surprised if Calista''s people apprehended him the instant he entered the building where the Terror Queen stayed or they apprehended him while he was here.

    He didn''t know the full capabilities of a tier 6 nor did he have an inkling of how the minds of a tier 6 worked. He didn''t know how they thought and this irked him.

    ''Funny enough, the uingrge auction is held by the Underworld Emporium.''

    Corey frowned slightly, then a thought came to his mind and a few secondster, a gleam shed in Corey''s eyes along with a slight smile.

    ''This could work. I''ll make use of the auction.''

    Corey''s smile widened slightly as the gears in his mind worked at full speed.

    A few secondster, he exhaled softly then looked at Oscar who patiently waited for him topletely digest the information he had given him.

    Although, Oscar had given him valuable information on the status of Neon, the Terror Queen and Calista, he had none on the current status of the members of Divine''s group.

    It was sort of surprising to Corey that Oscar had absolutely no information on Rosa, Fatty ck Bonez, and the rest.

    Oscar''s informationwork was not the best and not too high leveled, but it was also something one could not ignore.

    Even if Rosa and the rest nned on hiding, it was surprising that they could do so in a matter that was so effective, clean and silent.

    Although, Corey was curious about the whereabouts and conditions of Rosa and the rest, he was not too eager to find them yet.

    He still felt slightly suspicious about the whole thing regarding Divine and his group.

    "I''ll need a room to stay in for days. Probably four days at most."

    Anon said, and Oscar nodded.

    "I''ll tell my people to prepare the best guest room for you."

    Oscar said and a slight smile appeared on Anon''s face.

    "You should probably do that yourself. Your guards are currently¡­ incapacitated."

    A shiver went through Oscar''s spine when he heard Anon''s words along with the light harmless smile.

    "Are they¡­ dead?"

    Oscar asked with a trembling heart.

    Hiring most of his subordinates were not cheap!

    They were not cheap at all!

    "They''re still alive. They''re currently asleep."

    Anon replied and a baffled expression appeared on Oscar''s face.

    ''Asleep?''

    Oscar thought but didn''t ask any questions.

    He was more than relieved that his subordinates were not dead.

    "Please follow me sir."

    Oscar stood and walked towards the door with Anon and Kiefer in tow.

 Chapter 298 297: New Index Finger

    <h4>Chapter 298 297: New Index Finger</h4>

    Inside one of the rooms in Oscar''s headquarters, Corey sat on a bed in a cross-legged position with a frown etched upon his face.

    "So I was right. It truly isn''t there."

    Corey''s frown deepened as he took notice of an abnormality in his status screen.

    -----

    *SKILLS*

    Talent Skill: Record, Focus, Eyes of Omniscience, Ears of Omniscience

    Title Skill: Eyes of Dreams and Nightmares (Passive-Active, Basic), Somnambulism (Passive), Dreamwalk (Active, Basic), Dream Healing (Passive-Active, Intermediate), Dreamfire Maniption (Active, Basic ¡ú Novice)

    Passive: Silent Steps (Intermediate), Paragon Body, Cosmic Soul

    Active: Super Jump (Intermediate), Lightning Movement Art (Ancient, Lv 2, Novice), Full Counter (Legendary, Novice), Hexagon Barrier (Master) Teleportation (Intermediate ¡ú Advanced), Miasmic Wind (Basic)

    Passive-Active: gue Whispering (Basic), Toxic Familiar (Basic)

    Knowledge Skills: Undercover (Novice), Lock Picking (Expert), Paragon Martial Arts (Novice ¡ú Intermediate), Herbal Knowledge (Novice), Anatomical Knowledge (Novice) Elemental Breathing Technique (Novice)

    Intents: Axe Intent (Basic ¡ú Intermediate), Killing Intent (Basic ¡ú Intermediate)

    Maniption Skills: Poison Maniption (Basic), Vibration Maniption (Novice ¡ú Advanced), Fog Maniption (Novice)

    Forbidden Skills: Soul Entropy (Basic), Cognitum Erasure (Transcendent), Painful Echo (Novice) n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Unknown Skill: Obscura Force

    ------

    [A/N: I forgot to add the skills he got from the Emporium treasury in the previous status screen. Sorry.]

    ------

    As Corey gazed at his status screen, there were a few things he realized he had overlooked and ignored.

    First of all, the forbidden skill section.

    His main attention was on the Cognitum Erasure skill which had a mastery that was at the transcendent stage.

    Corey was not shocked by this since he couldn''t count the number of times he had used this skill on himself in the first tribtion of hell.

    Having a transcendent mastery over Cognitum Erasure was not shocking to Corey, though, it was surprising.

    He never knew his mastery over the skill would be that high.

    What Corey did not know was that Cognitum Erasure was created to be used on other people, not on the owner of the skill.

    So many things could go wrong when using the skill with a poor mastery. But Corey had used the skill so many times that he had unknowingly attained a transcendent mastery over the skill.

    A feat which would shock the gods and immortals alike.

    One should not forget that the grades of skill mastery were:

    Basic, Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, Expert, Master, Unparalleled, Transcendent, Origin & Creation.

    Corey was on the cusp on attainingplete mastery over a forbidden skill and it was a feat which wouldpletely stun the top powers in the Universe.

    Asides from his transcendent mastery over Cognitum Erasure, Corey noticed something he had overlooked in the past.

    Corey looked at his right index finger which was different from all his other fingers.

    His right index finger had changed after he consumed the strange finger he took from the desert of mysteries.

    Corey recalled the pain he went through after he consumed the finger and he trembled.

    He never wanted to go through such pain again.

    As Corey observed his right index finger, he noticed it now had strange markings and carvings that changed irregrly.

    Asides from the changing carvings and markings, there were no other changes to his finger.

    "The Universal System did not include the abilities of the finger in my status screen. Is there a reason for that?"

    After Corey swallowed the strange finger from the desert of mysteries, his finger did not just change for appearance.

    He had gained abilities from the finger and those abilities shocked Corey to his core.

    One of the abilities he gained from the finger was the ability to alter the physical structure of any living being that was at his tier or lower with a touch.

    Although, this ability was extremely powerful, the ability had its drawbacks.

    It used something called soul essence and the rate in the change of his enemy''s physical structure was not fast.

    Though, if he poured more soul essence into the finger, he could speed up the rate of the physical alteration.

    Corey did not know what soul essence truly was, but Nina told him it was an extremely precious energy and he had a lot of it.

    In fact, she said he had way too much of it.

    And the reason was due to his baptism under the Eye of God in the first tribtion of hell.

    Although, Corey had a lot of soul essence, Nina told him he could use two different types of energies instead of his soul essence.

    Apparently, the natural regeneration rate of soul essence was extremely slow and using it for the finger''s ability was a waste in Nina''s eyes.

    The substitute energies were nightmare energy or dream essence.

    When Corey asked how he could get the two energies, Nina told him he had to enter the World of Dreams and Nightmares.

    When Corey heard that, his lips twitched.

    Although he could enter the world of dreams and nightmare anytime he wanted since he was a walker, he had held off on doing so for numerous reasons.

    The main one being that his instincts were telling him that he was too weak to survive the world of dreams and nightmares at his current level.

    Corey trusted his instincts on things like this. Besides, he had no reason to rush into the world of dreams and nightmares.

    Altering the physical structure of living beings at the same tier was not the only the ability that came with the finger.

    Corey could store nightmares and abominations in his finger.

    The number was limited though, and mainly dependent on Corey''s tier, physical capabilities, and soul capabilities.

    With Corey''s current tier, physical capabilities, and soul capabilities, Corey felt he could store up to 50 tier 3 nightmares and abominations in his finger.

    He could store more nightmares and abominations in his finger if they were lesser than tier 3 since the stress on him would be less.

    If the owner of the finger knew that Corey could store 50 tier 3 nightmares and abominations in just one finger as a tier 2, it would be shocked to its core.

 Chapter 299 298: Upgrades (1)

    <h4>Chapter 299 298: Upgrades (1)</h4>

    Corey was a tier 2, an early stage tier 2.

    No matter how high Corey''s physique was, Corey should not be able to store up to 50 tier 3 nightmares and abominations in his finger.

    If storing nightmares and abominations above a person''s tier required just a powerful physique, then it would be entirely reasonable for Corey to be able to store up to 50 tier 3 nightmares and abominations.

    But the requirements was not wholly dependent on a person''s physique, but also his soul.

    Especially the soul.

    Corey knew nothing about the soul nor did he know anything about his own soul.

    He only knew that his soul got upgraded to a cosmic soul.

    He didn''t know what that meant or how that benefited him.

    So, Corey waspletely ignorant about his own soul.

    Storing a nightmare or an abomination in the finger put more strain on the soul than the body and a demi-paragon with Corey''s current stats should only be able to store ten tier 3s in the finger.

    Not FIFTY!

    Corey did not know this. But who was he toin?

    "To find a nightmare I can store, I need to either go to the world of dreams and nightmares. Or enter people''s nightmares and find a tier 3 nightmare."

    "As for abomination."

    "Well, that''ll depend on luck I guess."

    Corey released a sigh, then he continued observing his changed right index finger.

    Altering the physical structure of living beings and storing nightmares and abominations were not the only things Corey could do with the finger.

    Corey could create create a nightmare or an abomination with the finger.

    And the best part?

    The nightmare or the abomination could grow alongside him.

    It''s tier would increase whenever his own tier increases.

    Whenever Corey stored a nightmare or abomination in his finger. The tier of that nightmare or abomination could no longer increase.

    Only by creating a nightmare or abomination could its tier increase.

    It''s just that creating a nightmare or abomination required two things.

    One- Aplete or almostplete body of a nightmare or abomination.

    Two- His finger.

    Yes.

    His finger.

    Corey had to cut off his changed finger, then feed it to a living or dead nightmare or abomination for it to be his creation.

    Corey was not going to permanently lose his finger.

    The nightmare or abomination could transform back to his finger, and in a way, they would be one.

    Although, having a nightmare or abomination that could tier up was great.

    There was just one drawback to it.

    He would not be able to store any other nightmare or abomination in the finger that was used on the nightmare or abomination that could tier up.

    Luckily for Corey.

    The owner of the finger had thirty fingers.

    THIRTY FINGERS!

    Corey was beyond words when he realized the significance of having thirty of this strange finger.

    The army that would be stored in those thirty fingers was unimaginable to Corey.

    Corey did not know if he would ever be able to find a lone finger like the one he found in the desert of mysteries.

    But he had hope, and he also desired to find as many fingers as possible.

    Even if he angered the owner as a result.

    It was beneficial to him and also to Rhea.

    Speaking of Rhea, she was still undergoing her evolution and he felt that in a week''s time, she should be done with hers.

    Which was strange, considering that he had spent six months undergoing the tribtion of hell.

    ''Well, she''s special. So I guess it''s not so surprising.''

    Luckily for Corey, Nina told him that when he was in the vicinity of a finger, he would sense it.

    And also, luckily for him.

    Rhea was the bane of all spirits and she could help him devour whatever remnant spirit was in each finger.

    Corey decided to name the finger, The Nightmare Finger.

    As for the ability to alter a living beings physical structure, he named it Polymorphing.

    Moving away from the abilities rted to the nightmare finger, Corey''s main reason for wanting to stay a few more days in a room was to look at a certain thing. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    His Library of Records, or the actual name, The Perceptual Nexus Repository.

    "I''ll probably still call it The Library of Records. Much easier to remember."

    Corey mumbled, then he entered the Library of Records.

    Corey vanished and his vision changed in a second.

    "What the fuck?"

    Corey eximed as he found himself floating in a dark space before a door.

    Around him were countless stars and far far far into the distance was a white star with chains.

    "This ce again."

    Corey eximed as he gazed at the white star with chains for a few seconds before looking away.

    He took a look at his surroundings and he realized that in front of him were three doors.

    The doors were all white and looked the same with the only difference been the different symbols at the top of the doors.

    The door at the left had the symbol of two sabers crossed against each other.

    The door in the middle had the symbol of an open book.

    The symbol at the right had the symbol of a hammer striking a cauldron.

    As Corey looked at the three symbols, information about the three doors and certain other things flowed into his mind.

    The left door was the virtual reality room where Corey had used tobat opponents he could not defeat in their first bout.

    The middle door was the library of records where all the records of everything he had seen and various other information were kept.

    The right door was the alchemy anvil, the new installment to the Perceptual Nexus Repository.

    As Corey perused through the information that flowed into his mind, his expression changed from surprise to happiness, then to frustration and then¡­ extreme disbelief.

    "This can''t be possible right?"

    Corey subconsciously spoke as his gaze moved from the alchemy anvil to the virtual reality room.

    "Right?"

    It turns out Corey had really underestimated the improvements that were made to his talent from theplete baptism of the Eye of God.

 Chapter 300 299: Upgrades (2)

    <h4>Chapter 300 299: Upgrades (2)</h4>

    When Corey got a notification from the Universal System that his Perceptual Nexus Repository had been upgraded, Corey did not actually know how.

    He didn''t know what the difference would be nor did he think the difference would be something huge since the way the Universal System said it was in a way¡­ nd.

    The main thing Corey was curious about when he decided toe into his Library of Records was the Alchemy Anvil.

    Since there was the word, alchemy in it, Corey was extremely curious about it and he wondered if the new installment could perform alchemy.

    Surprisingly, it could!

    The alchemy anvil could perform alchemy and concoct alchemical products for him!

    This was an extremely useful ability for Corey and he was ecstatic about it.

    Immensely so.

    But this was not the reason for Corey''s disbelief.

    Unfortunately, even though the alchemy anvil could concoct alchemical products, he would still suffer a tribtion.

    But the difference this time was that Corey could use the stars in this dark space to protect himself from the tribtion.

    The stars were not just for show!

    And they had their own uses!

    Though, Corey did not have total control over all the stars, so he could not use all their abilities.

    Heck, he didn''t even know all their abilities.

    Now.

    This was also not the reason for Corey''s disbelief.

    Unfortunately, Nina told him that if he used the stars to protect himself from the tribtion.

    He would catch the attention of the All-Father, the primogenitor of the Supreme Race.

    And his fate would be worse than death.

    Corey wanted to ask questions, but Nina told him not to ask any questions regarding the All-Father.

    Asking about the Paragon Ancestor was fine.

    But the All-Father?

    That was a no, no.

    Even though Corey could not use the stars to protect himself from the tribtion, he was still extremely pleased with the alchemy anvil.

    Asides from concocting alchemical products, the alchemy anvil could also forge weapons and equipment on its own.

    Not only could it forge weapons. It could also break down weapons to their base state.

    That is, it could break down a weapon into the materials that was used to make it!

    Corey could practically make any weapon he wanted and all he needed was materials and more knowledge.

    He needed to know more weapons, their design, theirposition and how to make them.

    He needed knowledge!

    The same went for the alchemical aspect of the alchemy anvil.

    Corey also needed the materials and knowledge on various alchemical products.

    But that was not a problem for him because he had a book of alchemy which was given to him by the Lord of Alchemy!

    The Paragon Ancestor!

    ''I need to learn more about cksmithing.''

    Corey thought, then his eyes moved to the virtual reality room.

    The main reason for Corey''s disbelief.

    The virtual reality room was the ce where Corey gainedbat experience.

    It was the ce that literally saved his life at the start of the apocalypse.

    Corey had always been awed by the function of the virtual reality room.

    But now, he was no longer awed. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    But stupefied.

    And why wouldn''t he be?

    When the virtual reality room basically gained a new function that would stupefy and cause envy and greed to surface even in the hearts of gods, demons, and monks alike.

    The new function of the virtual reality room was heavily reliant on the stars in the dark space and was rted to Corey''s skills.

    Corey could use a star to create a clone of himself which could only survive in the Perceptual Nexus Repository, and then assign a task to the clone.

    The task could be anything, or almost anything.

    After Corey assigns the task to the clone, the virtual reality room would create an environment that is suitable for the task of the clone, and the clone would continuously perform the task until perfection or until Corey tells it to stop.

    This ability was usually meant for the practice of learnt skills and learning of new skills.

    Sure, having a clone performing until perfection was good.

    But how did this help Corey?

    It was the clone that was practicing and learning the skills, not him.

    So, how did this ability help Corey?

    The next function of the virtual reality room was what made Corey have an expression of extreme disbelief.

    Even at this instant, Corey could still not believe it.

    Corey and the clone were basically the same entity. So, whatever actions performed by the clone, was also performed by Corey.

    To make it easier to understand, the clone''s actions were in a way done by Corey''s subconsciousness.

    Basically, Corey''s mind was performing these actions¡­ subconsciously.

    And due to this, whenever Corey performed the same task that he assigned to a clone, it would be much much easier for him to perform.

    And, it would be like he was remembering how to perform that task.

    Take for example, assuming Corey gave a clone the task of practicing the Paragon Martial Arts to perfection, and the clone was able to increase its mastery over the skill to the transcendent level.

    Whenever Corey fought using the Paragon Martial Arts, he would subconsciously remember how to improve the skill during the fight and the longer the fight goes on, the faster he would keep on remembering and the higher his skill mastery would go up until he reached the same level as the clone.

    By the way, Corey does not need a fight to increase his skill mastery.

    He could train and he would still remember the most efficient way to increase his skill mastery. Though, fighting made him remember much faster than training.

    It was simr to muscle memory.

    This ability was extremely shocking literally a cheat, and what made it much worse was that Corey was in a way lucky.

    Corey could see countless stars all around him and in his eyes, that meant countless clones.

    Normally, Corey should only be able to have ess to two stars due to his low tier which meant he could only create two clones.

    But due to theplete baptism of the Eye of God, Corey had ess to over 60% of all the stars here.

    And that 60% was a number Corey could not even count.

    ''Most likely in the tens of thousands or maybe a hundred thousand.'' Corey thought.

    Corey had ess to more than ten thousand stars and that meant, Corey could create over ten thousand clones.

    And that meant, Corey could create clones that will continuously practice all his clones!

    It was a cheat!

    A literal cheat.

    Corey did not have to take the hard route in practicing and improving his skills, thereby taking his precious time.

    He could be sleeping or doing something else and his mastery over his skills would continuously increase.

    Corey could even create a clone that would continuously battle different sorts of enemies and that would make sure Corey''sbat experience would continuously increase.

    If this would not induce greed, envy and anger even in the hearts of gods, demons, monks, and most likely even saints.

    Then Corey didn''t know what would.

    To make it worse, the virtual reality room had another ability that was literally heaven defying.

    Corey could decide to sacrifice a clone to instantly learn all that the clone had mastered.

    That means, if Corey badly needed to increase his mastery in a skill, he could decide to sacrifice a clone, which as a result sacrifices a star, and Corey would instantly attain the same level of mastery the clone had.

    Although, the clones used his soul energy to continuously perform the skills, Corey had an abundance of soul energy and his soul energy regeneration rate was also high.

    The virtual reality room was too much of a cheat.

    Corey''s breathing became slightly hurried and he realized that all the suffering he went through in the first tribtion of hell was worth it.

    Extremely worth it.

    For the first time in a long time, Corey was genuinely happy and proud of himself.

 Chapter 301 300: Upgrades (3)

    <h4>Chapter 301 300: Upgrades (3)</h4>

    Strange emotions appeared in Corey''s eyes as he gazed at the door leading to the virtual reality room for more than ten seconds.

    Corey eventually sighed, releasing the turbid emotions in him along with the sigh.

    "Thest one."

    Corey mumbled as he gazed at the door leading to the¡­ Library of Records.

    A confused glint shed in Corey''s eyes for a second as he observed the door.

    This was the first time Corey would be confused after looking at a door.

    He was not confused when he gazed at the Alchemy Anvil nor the Virtual Reality Room.

    Shock and disbelief were the prominent emotions Corey had when he looked at the two doors.

    But this time?

    Corey was slightly confused.

    Why?

    Because of the name of the room behind the middle door.

    The room was called The Library of Records and Corey found it strange because that was a name he randomly came up with.

    Corey thought the room behind the middle door would be called the Perceptual Nexus Repository, but surprisingly, it wasn''t called that. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "I guess this space should be the Perceptual Nexus Repository."

    Corey spoke softly as he looked around, then he shrugged.

    Worrying about the name of a room was not going to help him in any way.

    Corey decided to go through the information that appeared in his mind once again, and after going through the information, he realized that the Library of Records was the most important aspect of the Perceptual Nexus Repository.

    Sure it''s abilities were great and extremely useful, but it was slightly less appealing whenpared to the alchemy anvil or the virtual reality room.

    The Library of Records still retained its previous abilities like keeping the records of whatever he saw and whatever he recorded using the skill, Record.

    And, just like the two other aspects, the Library of Records also underwent an upgrade.

    In fact, it was probably the aspect that had the most important upgrade.

    Corey looked above the door of the Library of Records and his pupils underwent a change.

    Both his pupils became pristine white and his vision changed.

    He activated his Eyes of Omniscience.

    His Eyes of Omniscience had also undergone a change after the baptism of the Eye of God.

    Previously, Corey could only see the interior and details of whatever was in his line of sight.

    But now.

    He could see everything around him in a 20m radius.

    If he wanted to see a more detailed view of his surroundings, the area at which he could see would reduce depending on how detailed he wanted it to be.

    With the new upgrade in his Eyes of Omniscience, Corey was satisfied and happy with it since that meant an increase in hisbat ability.

    Moving on from the evolution of his Eyes of Omniscience. Corey focused on his observation on the space around the doors.

    No longer was the space surrounding the three doors empty and dark.

    Bright flowing rivers of different colors of energy flowed around the three doors, their movement possessed a strange charm which Corey had no words to define.

    There was only one word Corey could use to define this otherworldly movement of the energy.

    Beautiful.

    Corey had not seen so many things that he could call beautiful.

    But this.

    This made the top of his list.

    Corey shifted his focus from the beauty of the energy and its movement to the pattern of the energy flow.

    As Corey observed the pattern of the energy flow, he was not surprised to see that the Library of Records acted like the central hub in the Perceptual Nexus Repository.

    The energy flow started from all the stars he could control to a certain degree.

    The energy that flowed out of a star was different from that of another star.

    Though, it might have the same color, it was still different.

    The energy then moved from the stars to the Library of Records which then moved to the alchemy anvil and the virtual simtion room.

    "The Library of Records is like the brain, the CPU of this ce."

    Corey said as he gazed at the door to the Library of Records for a few seconds, before shifting his gaze to the stars in the distance.

    A frown along with confusion appeared on his face.

    One of the upgrades the Library of Records had was that the records in the library was increasing with every second, microsecond, nanosecond, and picosecond that went by.

    New books containing information he knew nothing about were being created at a rapid pace in the Library of Records.

    And where was this informationing from?

    The stars all around him.

    The stars were not only transmitting energy to the Library of Records, they were also transmitting information.

    And Corey had no idea where this information wasing from.

    How could stars transfer information?

    What were those stars?

    Were they even stars?

    What was the Perceptual Nexus Repository?

    What was that gigantic chained white star?

    What was this entire space?

    Corey had so many questions regarding this ce, but he had no answers.

    He felt slightly frustrated at hisck of knowledge but he knew that he would get his answers as he long as he got stronger and survived for a long period of time.

    Corey could ask Nina for the answers to these questions, but he didn''t want to depend on her too much.

    He was already used to not depending on her a lot, and he wanted it to be that way.

    Besides, what was the fun in having all the answersid bare in front of you?

    Life was a challenge and challenges, depending on how you see them, could be fun.

    Moving away from life and challenges.

    What was the importance of the consistent update of the records in the Library of Records?

    New knowledge and information.

    Corey did not know what information was actually been transmitted into the Library of Records.

    But, new knowledge can never be wasted knowledge.

    So, that was a bonus in Corey''s opinion.

    It didn''t help improve Corey''sbat strength. But, it would definitely help Corey in ways he didn''t know yet.

    The constant update of the records in the Library of Records was not the only upgrade the Library of Records got.

    A spirit of the Library of Records was born.

 Chapter 302 301: Spirit of The Library of Records

    Chapter 302 301: Spirit of The Library of Records

    A spirit of the Library of Records was born.

    The main and most important upgrade the Library of Records and even the Perceptual Nexus Repository had was the birth of the spirit of the Library of Records.

    Corey never knew that the Library of Records could produce a spirit.

    Heck, he didn''t even think it was alive!

    Although, when he thought about it. There was a time when a voice exined certain things about the library of records to him when he first entered.

    But, the voice sounded more like an android and Corey just took it as an AI.

    Turns out he was wrong.

    Corey did not know what to expect from the spirit of the library of records.

    Was it going to have its own personality?

    Was it going to be aggressive? Loyal? Arrogant?

    What would it look like?

    And most important of all.

    Was it going to be powerful and could it betray him and kill him?

    Various questions of curiosity arose in Corey''s mind as he gazed at the door to the library of records.

    Although, Corey did not have the answers to his questions. He knew one thing.

    The spirit was waiting for him.

    He could feel a gaze from behind the middle door and he knew it wasing from the spirit.

    Well, time to meet a Librarian spirit.

    Corey made a light smile, then he walked towards the middle door.

    He opened the door and when he saw a ck swirling portal behind the door, he raised his brows and entered without hesitation.

    Numerous and various bright colors shed into Corey''s eyes, almost blinding him in the process.

    The colors and their intensity continued changing randomly for an unknown amount of time, then it stopped.

    Thud.

    "Shit."

    Corey cursed as he felt a hard surface and instantly copsed on his knees.

    His vision swam and he almost felt like puking his guts out.

    His face changed countless times for a few seconds, then he gulped and released a soft sigh with his eyes closed.

    He opened his eyes and his vision returned back to normal.

    A strange expression appeared on his face when he saw a pair of small bare feet a few inches from his face.

    Corey looked up, and his expression became weirder.

    "What''s with that expression weak one?"

    A voice which undoubtedly belonged to that of a young male.

    An extremely young male¡­

    Flowed into Corey''s ears and Corey''s expression became much weirder.

    An expression Corey rarely made.

    Standing a few inches away from Corey was a young boy of 3 feet 9 inches.

    The boy looked like a five year old kid, and he had pure white eyes like Corey''s Eyes of Omniscience.

    He also had pure white hair and in his hand was a book.

    Corey might not have found thispletely strange.

    But, what he did find strange, were the clothes of the young boy and the serious expression he had.

    The boy was wearing a tuxedo.

    A pure, pristinely white tuxedo with a white bow tie!

    The only thing that was missing in the boy''s outfit were his shoes.

    He wore no shoes.

    A five year old handsome boy in a white tuxedo and a book in his hand.

    It was extremely strange.

    And also cute.

    Corey found it cute.

    "Are you perhaps deaf?"

    The boy tilted his head as he looked at Corey with a slight frown and a tinge of curiosity.

    Corey did not answer, but instead stood, then looked at the boy.

    The boy looked back at him.

    Corey looked down. The boy looked up.

    Corey found it ufortable looking at a boy who barely reached up to his knees, so he decided to sit.

    "At least you havemon courtesy."

    The boy said and Corey raised his brows.

    Even though the boy''s words were arrogant, Corey could not take him seriously since he was just a small boy whom he found cute.

    "So, you''re the spirit of the Library of Records I guess?"

    Corey questioned in a tone that was not really a question.

    He already knew the answer but he just wanted to rify.

    "Yes I am." The boy nodded.

    "And what a terrible name you gave this ce. Well, I''ve heard much worse before."

    The boy shook his head while releasing a soft chuckle.

    Corey''s expression changed slightly when he heard the boy''s chuckle.

    It was strange.

    It sounded more like the chuckle of an old man than that of a five year old.

    ''Please don''t chuckle again.'' Corey hoped.

    Corey looked away from the boy and decided to observe his surroundings.

    Something which he should have done from the onset. But, ever since he saw the boy, his attention was always on him.

    Deciding to shift his thoughts away from the boy, Corey focused on his surroundings.

    From the moment he entered the Library of Records, Corey knew the library of records had changed.

    And as he looked around, he was right.

    The library had changed.

    The first noticeable change was that the library of records was no longer in a room.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    They were literally in space, or to be more precise, the dark space which contained countless stars and the gigantic chained white star.

    Corey could see shelves which seemed to have no end either horizontally or vertically.

    There was no ceiling, walls or even solid ground in the Library of Records, and Corey found this¡­ sort of beautiful and peaceful.

    "Hey. I was talking to you."

    Just as Corey was enjoying the scenery, a figure appeared in the blink of an eye in front of him, with his voice sounding quite angry.

    Corey looked at the figure whose face expressed mild anger.

    ''Cute.''

    Corey thought and had the urge to pinch the young boy''s cheeks.

    And he did.

    Much to the boy''s shock and anger.

    "HEY!"

    The boy shouted and he tried to push Corey''s hand away but he was too weak.

    Corey''s hand barely budged and after a few seconds, Corey stopped.

    "You''ll pay for this."

    The boy said with narrowed eyes while rubbing his red cheeks.

    Corey shrugged nonchntly.

    "So, you said you''re the spirit of the library of records. What can you do?"

    Despite it seeming like Corey had not been listening to the boy from the beginning, Corey heard all that the boy said. But he chose to ignore all of it.

    "I asked you a question first. How were you able to create me and unlock the alchemy anvil?"

    "You''re too weak to have unlocked these things on your own."

    The boy asked and Corey shrugged.

    "Answer my question first."

    Corey said, and just as the boy was about to protest, Corey made a pinching motion with his hands.

    "Unless you want me to pinch and pull your cheeks again."

    The young boy went silent and his left eye twitched in anger.

    ----

    [A/N: Merry Christmas Everybody! I decided to upload ten chapters today since today is Christmas. It''s also an apology to all my readers. I wrote a lil bit of something in the Author''s Thought Box. Check it out if you wish.]

 Chapter 303 302: Functions of The Spirit

    Chapter 303 302: Functions of The Spirit

    The young boy remained remained silent for a few seconds and his gaze alternated between Corey''s smiling face and his fingers repeatedly.

    "You wouldn''t answer? Hmm?"

    Corey moved his fingers closer to the face of the boy who quickly took a step back.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "It''s because I was just born. Or else I''d have made you suffer for this disrespect."

    "Wait till I''m older you mortal."

    The young boy gritted his teeth as he looked at Corey with anger.

    But Corey just found it cute.

    "Speak. My patience is running thin."

    Corey said with his smile reducing slightly.

    The boy coughed then he adjusted his bow.

    "I am the spirit of the¡­ library of records and I can do many things."

    "I control and monitor the alchemy anvil and the virtual reality room."

    "I also control the amount of energy that should transmitted or used by the two facilities."

    "And I''m also in control of the library of records. I know of every record that is in the library."

    "Which means, I possess more knowledge than you. Dummy."

    The boy chuckled and Corey shivered.

    "Don''t chuckle again. You can probably produce a nightmare through your chuckle."

    Corey grimaced and the boy''s eyes widened in anger.

    "How dare you make fun of me?!"

    The boy shouted with ragged breath while pointing his finger at him.

    Corey''s lips twitched when he saw the boy''s anger.

    Did the boy really expect him to be afraid?

    He just found him cute.

    "So, basically, if I''m correct. You''re the one that makes everything in the Perceptual Nexus Repository work the way they''re meant to work right?"

    Corey asked, totally ignoring the anger of the young boy.

    The boy exhaled and inhaled deeply repeatedly in an attempt to reduce his anger, and after a few seconds, he sessfully did.

    To a certain extent though.

    "Yes. you''re right. I am basically the brain of the Perceptual Nexus Repository."

    The boy said, then he looked to his right.

    "I have always been the brain of the Perceptual Nexus Repository but I was¡­ asleep. And, it should have remained that way until you reached at least tier 7."

    The boy looked at Corey.

    "I don''t know how you were able to wake me up and unlock my consciousness at your current tier. But, you''re lucky I guess."

    "I can utilize the Perceptual Nexus Repository to its maximum efficiency."

    Corey stroked his chin after hearing the boy''s words. He looked to his right with a slight furrow of his brows, then he spoke:

    "Am I the one that is truly in charge of this ce or you?"

    Corey asked without looking directly at the boy.

    Though, his Eyes of Omniscience was activated. And, the boy knew.

    "You''re the one that is truly in charge. Unless you give me permission, I wouldn''t be able to control the alchemy anvil and the virtual reality room."

    "I''ll also need your permission to perform some other tasks in the Perceptual Nexus Repository."

    The young boy said calmly, and Corey nodded.

    "Another question. What would happen if you die or let''s say, you cease to exist?"

    Corey asked, and this time, he looked directly at the spirit of the Library of Records.

    The spirit looked back at him, his pure white eyes staring back at Corey''s pure white eyes.

    "If you so happen to kill me, something which is impossible at your current strength, the Perceptual Nexus Repository would still exist."

    "But, you''ll have to find a way to manually control the three facilities and all the stars."

    "Though I wonder if you''ll be able to use them to their full capabilities."

    The spirit tilted his head as he smiled at Corey with a provocative light in his eyes.

    He knew what Corey meant by asking thest question.

    Corey didn''t trust him and he wanted to know what the consequences would be if Corey found a way to destroy him.

    The spirit scoffed.

    It didn''t mind Corey''s thoughts. In fact, it somewhat approved of it.

    Somebody that was the inheritor of the Perceptual Nexus Repository should be cautious and also consider various possibilities.

    What slightly angered the spirit was that Corey thought he would be able to destroy him with his current strength.

    If it was that easy to destroy him, then he would have died a long time ago.

    Also, it didn''t harbor any thought on harming Corey.

    It was intrigued by Corey.

    Meanwhile, Corey smiled when he heard the words of the spirit, and he shifted his gaze away from the spirit and said nothing.

    Three seconds passed, and Corey spoke once again.

    "By the way, can you tell me what the Perceptual Nexus Repository is, and what this entire dark space and that chained white star is."

    Corey pointed at the chained white star which he could still see despite how far it was from him.

    The boy looked at the chained white star with furrowed brows for a second, then he shook his head.

    "Normally, I should have the answers to your question. But, i don''t have the answers you seek right now."

    The boy said, and Corey looked at him with raised brows.

    "Why?" Corey asked.

    "Because I was born way too early. I haven''t umted enough knowledge yet."

    The boy replied and Corey raised his brows higher before shrugging nonchntly.

    Just as he was about to stand and take a brief walk, the boy suddenly interrupted him.

    "By the way. There is something else that I can do."

    Corey looked at the spirit with curiosity.

    "I can perform inscriptions for you. Whether it is on your weapons, armor, or your body itself."

    "As long it''s on a solid material, I can perform inscriptions for you."

    Corey''s eyes shined as he looked at the spirit with a new gaze.

    A gaze of satisfaction.

    "I just need you to bring me whatever material I will need for the inscriptions. And, most important of all."

    "I need knowledge on inscriptions."

    "I need you to record books, scrolls, whatever it is, that contains knowledge on inscriptions."

    " I can perform inscriptions to not get bored of this ce too quickly."

    The spirit nced at a nearby shelve before shifting his gaze to Corey.

    "So, can you please get me knowledge on inscriptions and inscription brush and papers."

    The spirit looked into Corey''s white eyes, and Corey smiled.

    "Sure."

    A smile surfaced on the boy''s lips and he nodded.

    "Thanks."

    Corey chuckled, then he ruffled the hair of the boy.

    Much to the boy''s displeasure.

    "I have to give you a name. It''ll make it easier to converse with you."

    Corey said, and the boy looked at Corey with a slight frown.

    He didn''t know why, but his instincts were warning about something.

    "What name are you going to give me?"

    The boy asked with a tinge of confusion and expectation in its tone.

    He also desired a name.

    A name worthy of his status.

    Corey smiled.

    "I''ll name you Chucky because your chuckle is the worst I''ve ever heard."

    "..."

    The boy''s face became nk and he fainted.

 Chapter 304 303: Meeting An Old Friend

    <h4>Chapter 304 303: Meeting An Old Friend</h4>

    After speaking a little bit more with the despair-stricken Chucky who was brimming with lethal intent, Corey created a clone for each of his skill and gave them the task of learning and practicing it till perfection.

    Even passive skills were no exceptions.

    Also, Corey created three clones to stay in the Library of Records.

    The task of the first clone was to read every record in the Library of Records.

    The task of the second clone was to apany and converse with Chucky.

    There were two main reasons as to why Corey made this decision.

    First, Corey knew that Chucky could be bored of staying in the Library of Records.

    Corey knew what boredom could cause and how it could cause a human to start thinking ofpletely random and sometimes dangerous things.

    Corey was not sure if boredom could make Chucky have random and dangerous thoughts since he was not a human and was a spirit.

    Despite this, Corey still did not want to take the chance.

    His life was at stake here.

    The second reason was that Corey wanted to watch and observe Chucky''s actions at all times, or most times at least.

    Just like Chucky had guessed, Corey did not trust the spirit and since he could literally create a CCTV camera to watch Chucky.

    Why not?

    As for Chucky.

    Chucky was pleased and happy.

    It obviously knew that one of the reasons as to why Corey created a clone to converse and stay with him was to observe all that he did.

    But, Chucky did not care.

    It never expected Corey to create a clone to apany him and converse with him in the Library of Records.

    It was ready to spend an unknown amount of time in the Perceptual Nexus Repository inplete boredom. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    But, luckily for it, it had a ¡­ friend? Acquaintance?

    Regardless, Chucky was happy and in fact, he was a little bit touched by Corey''s decision.

    Thest clone Corey created was assigned a very special task.

    In fact, it was one of the most important tasks Corey had assigned to a clone.

    The clone was to read the records of the memories he removed himself in the first tribtion of hell.

    The ss world of the first tribtion of hell was a special ce because his passive talent skill, Record, did not work.

    Record was a skill which passively recorded everything that Corey saw into several books.

    But, when Corey checked the library of records, there was no record of what he saw in the ss world.

    No ss road.

    No deadly mirrors.

    No ss sky.

    Nothing.

    Absolutely nothing was recorded in the Library of Records and this was why Chucky had no idea how Corey could unlock the Perceptual Nexus Repository.

    Chucky knew of every record in the Library of Records, which meant that Chucky knew everything about Corey.

    Or, almost everything.

    Although Record could not record anything about the first tribtion of hell. He was able to record the multiple lives he lived in the first tribtion of hell.

    Which meant that despite Corey using Cognitum Erasure on his mind, he would be able to remember all that he went through in the lives he lived in the first tribtion of hell.

    Well, Corey wouldn''t exactly remember all that he went through.

    It''s more urate to say that Corey would remember those memories like he was watching a movie from a third person point of view.

    So, it wouldn''t exactly affect Corey as much as it would have if he had not removed the memories of his past lives.

    As for why Corey wanted to regain his memories of those lives?

    One word.

    Knowledge.

    No knowledge was useless and Corey knew he would learn a lot from the memories and they could be useful.

    "Alright Chucky. I''m off."

    Corey said as he looked at Chucky who was ying chess with his clone.

    Chucky frowned due to the name, but didn''t say anything about it.

    He had threatened Corey and even cursed him for giving him such a barbarous name.

    But all Corey did wasugh.

    It vexed him to no end.

    "What about to my question? How were you able to activate my consciousness and the Perceptual Nexus Repository?"

    "You said you''ll give me you answer after I answer your question."

    Chucky questioned with furrowed brows and Corey smiled.

    "I never said such. Remember very well Chucky."

    "Huh?" Chucky frowned, then he recalled Corey''s exact words.

    It''s expression changed when he realized that Corey never actually said he''ll answer his questions if he answered Corey''s.

    It had just assumed Corey would answer his questions if he answered Corey''s because that wasmon courtesy.

    "You barbaric animal."

    Chucky gritted his teeth in anger while looking at Corey with a zing inferno of anger in his eyes.

    Corey chuckled, then waved using two fingers.

    "Maybe next time huh?"

    Corey mockingly said, and without waiting for Chucky''s reply, he vanished leaving Chucky who was filled with curses and anger.

    -----

    Back in the Underworld, Corey appeared in the room given to him by Oscar. He looked around, then exhaled softly before standing.

    "I guess it''s time to see an old friend."

    Corey said while stretching his body.

    "He''ll probably shout at me a lot."

    Corey chuckled, then he walked out of the room.

    -----

    Standing in front of a familiar and beautiful mansion in the inner area of the city of sin were two individuals.

    The first was a male with arge build, extremely handsome face, violet and blue eyes, and a slight smile on his lips.

    This male was Corey.

    Beside him was Kiefer who wore a ck robe which barely exposed his amber eyes which had an intrigued light in them as he gazed at the mansion before them.

    Corey took a step forward and walked to the door of the entrance. But, then he stopped and looked at Kiefer.

    "It would be best if you stay at least ten meters away from the door. In fact, twenty meters is much safer."

    Kiefer looked at Corey with raised brows but didn''t ask any question and moved twenty meters away from the door.

    He then looked at Corey and waited to see why Corey told him to stay far away from the door.

    ''Was a fight going to happen?''

    Kiefer thought, but didn''t speak out loud.

    Meanwhile, Corey nodded after seeing Kiefer move away and he knocked on the door.

    KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

    His knock was extremely loud and Kiefer covered his ears since he was not expecting Corey to knock so loud.

    Three secondster,

    "WHICH BASTARD DARES TO RUIN MY CONCOCTION?!!"

    A shout filled with rage resounded in the ears of Corey and Kiefer, almost damaging their ears as a result.

    "Oops."

    Corey''s smile widened when he heard the rage filled voice, and in the next second, the door to the mansion flew at a great speed.

    Corey quickly moved to the side, dodging the door.

    His lips twitched and cold sweat appeared from his forehead when he felt a high amount of killing intent entirely on him.

    He looked at the source which was an average looking man wearing a green robe. He had wrinkles on his face, grey hair on his head and a long beard that had a pointed end.

    In his right hand was a staff with a green crystal at the top which was glowing with an eerie light.

    "Hello Master."

    Corey''s said with a wry smile on his lips.

 Chapter 306 305: Erectile Dysfunction

    <h4>Chapter 306 305: Erectile Dysfunction</h4>

    "Pedophilic ingrate?"

    Corey nearly stuttered when he heard the most absurd words he had ever heard from his master.

    His thoughts were jumbled and subconsciously, he looked at Kiefer who quickly looked away.

    Corey seeing this had an expression of realization, and he gritted his teeth.

    "I''m not a pedophile you old coot!"

    "Even if I was. Why would pick a boy over a girl?!"

    Corey could not believe that his master would think he was a pedophile.

    Of all the things he could ever be, a pedophile was not one of them!

    Just the thought of pedophiles made him sick to his soul.

    "Hmm. So, there''s a possibility you could be a pedophile and you''d go after young girls."

    Old man poison smiled.

    "We cant''t have that now. Can we?"

    Old man poisoned took a step closer to Corey and Corey had a terrible premonition.

    "This elixir I concocted is a very special elixir."

    Old man poison said with a smile, then he took a step forward.

    "The elixir would give you erectile dysfunction."

    "..."

    Corey blinked.

    "What?"

    Corey thought he heard wrong.

    No.

    He must have heard wrong.

    His master wanted him to be impotent?

    "You''re not deaf."

    Old man poison shed a dangerous smile and Corey cursed.

    "God damn it old man!"

    "Alright. You''re the best master in the whole world."

    "And yes. I''m the worst student. I''m an ingrate."

    "So don''t do anything rash you damn old man!"

    Corey shouted as he shifted his head away from old man poison who brought the conical sk close to Corey''s mouth.

    "When did I ever need you to tell me those things? Hmm?"

    "Of course I''m the best master and the you''re the most ungrateful student ever."

    "And as a master, I have to use the rod set your path right. Even if it hurts me to do so."

    Old man poison spoke with a tone that contained a tinge of emotional pain as he held Corey''s struggling neck with a smile.

    "Okay. I was lying. Doing this does not hurt me in any way. I enjoy doing this to you."

    Old man poisonughed and to Corey''s horror, he forcefully opened his mouth with his physical strength alone, then he poured the liquid in the conical sk down his throat.

    "Hmm! Hmm! Hmm!"

    "Hmm! Hmmmmm!"

    Corey grunted as he tried to stop himself from swallowing the liquid. But, no matter what he did, the liquid still went down his throat, and into his stomach.

    Cough! Cou-

    Gughh!!

    "Ah ah ah. We can''t have you coughing out your favorite drink."

    "It''ll make you extremely unique amongst men!"

    "You''ll stand out a lot whenever you walk amongst men!"

    "As for when you walk amongst women¡­"

    Old man poison had a mischievous smile as he looked at the space between Corey''s legs while covering Corey''s mouth.

    "Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!"

    Grunting sounds escaped Corey''s lips and old man poison raised his brows in amusement.

    "Oh. The whelp is angry."

    Old man poison mocked, then he removed his hands from Corey''s mouth and looked straight into Corey''s rage filled eyes.

    "What you going to do about¡­ whelp?"

    Old man poison mocked once again, and Corey gritted his teeth and roared.

    Veins popped out from his hands, legs and head as he used all the strength he had to break free from the bindings holding him down.

    Old man poison took several steps backwards while stroking his beard with an intrigued and amused look in his eyes.

    "You should probably stay behind me."

    Old man poison said as he nced at Kiefer who had a baffled and also terrified expression as he gazed at the rage filled Corey, then old man poison.

    After thinking about the old man''s words, Kiefer decided to move the entrance of theboratory which was far away from the duo.

    If Corey and old man poison were going to fight, then the farther he was from them, the safer he would be.

    Old man poison was slightly stunned as he gazed at Kiefer who had indirectly rejected his words and instead, done something which was somewhat smart.

    Somewhat.

    Meanwhile, Corey kept on grunting and roaring as he tried to destroy the bindings on his wrists and ankles.

    A few secondster, the bindings on his wrist snapped, surprising old man poison a little.

    Corey quickly removed the bindings on his ankles, and when he did. He dashed towards old man poison in rage.

    m

    Crash!

    Shatter! n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Huh?"

    The most baffled expression Corey had ever made in his entire life instantly appeared on Corey''s face when he saw himself on the ground a few meters away from old man poison.

    "Ohe on little piggie. Is this all you can do? Or are you just a useless, handsome and weak fellow?"

    "How do you expect to protect those closest to you with such weakness? Hmm?"

    "Oh wait. A woman can no longer be part of those you would care about."

    "You can''t use your penis again."

    "Hahahahahaha!!!"

    A wide smile filled with mockery surfaced on the lips of old man poison as heughed loudly.

    Rage resurfaced in Corey''s heart once again and he cursed as he stood.

    He dashed towards old man poison once again, and just like before.

    He found himself on the floor before he knew it.

    ''What the fuck is going on?''

    Corey''s eyes were wide open as he could notprehend what in the world was happening to him right now.

    One moment he was running towards the dastardly master of his.

    The next moment, he found himself on the floor.

    ''The bastard never touched me.''

    ''In fact, he never moved a muscle.''

    ''Whenever I run towards him. I find myself falling to the ground the next second.''

    ''What''s causing this?''

    ''Telekinesis? A formation? A spirit or unseen being?''

    Corey''s mind was in overdrive as he tried to make sense of what happened to him.

    He was slightly horrified that old man poison had an ability that could make him fall to the ground whenever he tried to move towards him.

    ''There has to be a way to ovee such an ability right?''

    ''Maybe I have to attack him from afar?''

    Corey thought, then he saw old man poison walk towards him.

    "Thest time you came. I could only give you general knowledge on poisons."

    "I could not teach you how to fight like a true poison expert."

    "Now, I''ll teach you how to fight like one."

    A wide smile appeared on the face of old man poison and Corey felt a shiver run down his spine.

 Chapter 307 306: How To Fight Like A True Poison Master

    Chapter 307 306: How To Fight Like A True Poison Master

    "How to fight like a true poison expert?"

    Corey had a baffled look on his face when he heard old man poison''s words.

    "To ease your fears, the elixir I gave you to drink does not give you erectile dysfunction."

    Old man poison said and Corey gazed at his little brother.

    There was no way he could figure out if his master was lying to him at the moment.

    His little brother wasn''t just going to stand when he was not thinking of anything sexual.

    Oh wait.

    It did.

    ''Controlling it is more difficult than controlling a child.''

    Corey''s lips twitched.

    "The elixir affects your nervous system and leads to impaired motor coordination and sensory disturbances. It disrupt the proper functioning of the brain regions responsible for coordination and bnce."

    "It''s the reason why you find yourself on the floor whenever you try to run towards me."

    "Your muscle coordination and sensory perception is fucked up. So, whenever you try to walk forward, you''re actually moving to the sides then you lose your bnce and fall pathetically."

    Corey blinked.

    It was that simple?

    Why didn''t he think of the possibility that he could have poisoned?

    Wasn''t his master a poison expert?

    Why was he thinking of other possibilities?

    "The elixir is a tier 5 elixir and it''s actually meant to make you dizzy and confused."

    Old man poison slightly furrowed his brows as he gazed into Corey''s clear eyes while stroking his beards.

    ''I guess I still have to improve the poison.''

    Old master poison thought, then he shrugged.

    "Anyway, haven''t you thought about something recently?"

    Old master poison said, and Corey frowned.

    "What?"

    Corey questioned immediately, still feeling irritated and angry at his master despite knowing that his master did not make him impotent.

    The impulse to punch his master''s face still reigned in Corey''s heart and he was doing his best not tomit that impulse.

    For now.

    "You''re unnaturally angry. You''re more angry than you would normally be."

    Old master poison said, and Corey immediately retorted.

    "That''s because you knocked me out without exining anything! Strapped me to a chair! Threatened to make me impotent! And-"

    Corey paused as a light of realization shed in his eyes.

    Just as old man poison said, he was unnaturally angry.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    His normal response would not be to shout and yell at his master after he told him about his possible altered emotions.

    He would have kept quiet and pondered on his master''s words.

    In fact, ever since he appeared in the vicinity of his master''s mansion. He had not been acting as his usual self.

    He looked at old man poison who had a slight smile and Corey''s eyes flickered.

    Corey exhaled with his eyes closed and a strange sense of rity surfaced in his mind.

    "Please exin master."

    Corey said with a tinge of solemnity and respect.

    Old man poison smiled.

    "You''re now learning to be respectful to your master. That''s also an improvement."

    Old man poison chuckled while stroking his chin with a satisfied expression.

    "There is a general rule that every poison expert must follow. That is if they value their lives."

    Old man poison walked away from Corey.

    He dropped the ss beaker on a bench, then he sat on a stool.

    "Normally, the physique of us poison users is usually average at best. We usually can''t fight in a hand to handbat with swordsmen, spearmen and so on."

    " We poison users would undoubtedly die if we engage in a frontal confrontation with a swordsman at the same tier."

    "Unless a poison user can create poisons that have a higher tier than that of his or her opponent. A poison user would 80% of the time die before their poisons kill the opponent in a frontal confrontation."

    Old master poison paused, then he took a ceramic bowl from the workbench close to him.

    He ced his right hand in the ceramic bowl and when he brought out his hand, a fistful of a whitish powdery substance could be seen in his hand.

    It resembled powder.

    "Because of this, poison users must always engage inbat with a home-field advantage."

    "The home of a poison user must be his or her safest ce."

    "This is my home."

    Old man poison gestured to his surroundings.

    "I have ced various sorts poisons in a 10 meter radius around my house. But¡­" Old man poison paused with a smile.

    "The poisons are not meant to kill or harm an individual. It''s meant to destabilize the emotions of an individual in a subtle way."

    "I can set the poisons to make a person to feel more rxed, irritated, angry, fearful and so on. Any emotion that would not make the person to think straight."

    "If an intruder dares to enter my house. That is when my poisons would have the intent to kill and harm."

    Old man poison said and Corey''s eyesnded on the white powdery substance in his master''s hands.

    He could sense that the white powdery substance was a poison. But, he sensed no lethal danger from it.

    "This poison is what I constantly spread in my home."

    "It doesn''t cause harm to an individual. But¡­"

    Old man poison paused, then he brought out a small ss bottle which contained a ck liquid from thin air.

    "Once I release this liquid into the air. It would instantly evaporate into vapor andbine with the poison in the system of whoever enters my home."

    "Alone, it''s a tier 4 poison."

    "Butbined with the powdery substance, it bes a tier 5 poison."

    Corey sucked in a cold breath when he heard his master''s words.

    A tier 5 poison was a poison that could even affect Corey and he could even die from it.

    He never knew his master''s home was so damn dangerous.

    If he had known, he would have thought twice before he decided to meet him.

    p!

    Old man poison pped, bringing Corey out from his thoughts.

    "Well, this can only be used in ces like your home or locations where you''ve previously prepared the poisons."

    "It can''t be used in direct and frontalbat against somebody who is stronger than you."

    "So my best advice when you''re facing somebody who is stronger than you in a direct confrontation is to run."

    "Run and set a lot of poisonous traps."

    Old man poison stood, then he walked towards Corey who was sitting in a cross-legged position.

    He crouched and looked straight into Corey''s eyes.

    "Never forget this my ungrateful student."

    Corey''s lips twitched.

    "You can be weak, but your poison should never be weak."

    "If your poison is strong enough. It can even kill gods, demons and immortals."

    ----

    [A/N: First extra chapter.]

 Chapter 308 307: Serious Trouble

    Chapter 308 307: Serious Trouble

    A few minutes passed after old man poison taught Corey how to fight like a true poison expert.

    Corey sat on a chair with his head inclined backwards and his eyes closed in thought. His mind reyed his master''s words for some seconds, then he released a soft sigh.

    He opened his eyes and he saw his master looking at arge ss bowl that contained multiple poisonous insects and animals.

    ''Sorry master. But I can''t always fight like a true poison expert."

    Corey thought with a slight smile as he gazed at his master.

    If there was one thing Corey could not bring himself to do. It was fighting like a true poison expert.

    Corey''s vast array of skills was extremely different from most poison experts. His stats were also extremely high and he could overpower most, if not all tier 2s.

    These differences would keep on piling up if he kept on improving himself at the same pace.

    He was not a normal poison expert and he would never settle to be a normal poison expert.

    He was beyond every true poison expert and his potential was much greater than that. Fighting like a true poison expert would be diminishing his potential, and he would not allow that.

    Although Corey knew he could not always fight like a true poison expert, his master had taught him some valuable lessons.

    ''Although I can''t always fight like a true poison expert, you''re right.''

    ''The home of a true poison expert should be his safest and most dangerous space.''

    ''And if I''m too weak to kill an enemy. Then, my poisons should not be weak.''

    Corey released a soft sigh, then he stood and walked over to his master.

    "Master."

    Corey called out and old man poison turned his neck slightly to his direction, his eyes still on therge ss jar which contained multiple poisonous insects and animals.

    "Were you concocting something before I came?"

    Corey asked as he stood beside his master. His gaze also moved to therge ss jar before shifting towards his master.

    "Yes¡­ A tier 5 poison."

    Old man poison nodded and a shocked expression along with a wry smile appeared on Corey''s face.

    "I''m sorry." Corey bowed.

    After hearing his master''s words, Corey truly felt apologetic for disturbing and ruining his master''s concoction process.

    Not only did he stop his master from sessfully creating a tier 5 poison, he had also endangered his master''s life.

    Concocting poisons was an extremely dangerous act even for poison experts like him and his master.

    Despite the fact that their ss and main abilities revolve around poisons, poison experts can also get injured or even killed by poisons they concoct.

    Concocting was a dangerous procedure because a single mistake can cause the poison to go out of control and the toxicologist concocting the poison would get poisoned instead.

    If the poison expert does not have an adequate poison resistance or did not make adequate preparations in the case that his or her poison concoction goes wrong.

    The the person could die or fatally injured.

    It was for this reason that most poison experts do not try to concoct poisons above their tier.

    In fact, to know just how impressive and monstrous Corey''s master was.

    The average poison expert rarely concocted poisons at the same tier as them.

    The difficulty and the danger in doing such was high. Talk less of concocting a poison at a higher tier than theirs.

    Corey''s master was not known as the greatest poison expert in the Underworld for no reason. It''s also for this reason that Divine wanted him to recruit his master into their group.

    Corey was 95% sure that his master had poison resistance like him. But he was not sure if his poison resistance was high enough to protect from a tier 5 poison.

    Corey did not know if his master''s poison resistance automatically increased like his with every tier he gained.

    If it did not, then Corey did not want to imagine how difficult it would be get a poison resistance that could resist the effects of a tier 5 poison.

    A tier 5 poison could affect tier 5s, and would definitely cause serious harm to a tier 4. So, Corey was a little bit worried that he might have caused serious injuries to his master without him knowing.

    If he did, then he would have to rethink his next set of actions after he leaves his master''s ce.

    "Are you okay master?"

    Corey asked with visible concern in his tone and old man poison looked at him with raised brows.

    "When did you start caring about this old man?"

    Old man poison looked at Corey with a suspicious expression. He then nonchntly waved his hand and said:

    "Anyways, I''m okay. I wouldn''t dare risk my life by creating a tier 5 poison without proper preparations."

    "And, the probability of it ending in failure was extremely high."

    Corey breathed a sigh of relief, then a thought came to his mind.

    "Why were you creating a tier 5 poison? Was it to test your skills? Or an experiment?"

    Corey curiously asked, and a solemn expression appeared on old man poison''s face.

    "Neither."

    Corey felt something was wrong.

    "Those bastards, The Devourers, want to kill me."

    Old man poison spoke with gritted teeth and a murderous aura around him.

    Corey''s face became solemn and he frowned.

    "They want me to join them and create a drug simr to a new drug that has recently appeared in the Underworld."

    Old man poison said, and Corey furrowed his brows.

    "What drug?" Corey asked.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Neon. Fucking Neon!" Old man poison shouted with an undertone of anger and killing intent.

    "..." Corey.

    "Neon is a fucking narcotic which can permanently increase the stats of tier 0s, tier 1s, tier 2s, and tier 3s."

    "When I heard about it, I was curious and tried to break down the drug and figure out itsposition."

    "After breaking it down, I was able to recreate most of the effects of the narcotic. But I could not make the drug permanently increase a person''s stats. The best I could achieve was a temporary effect."

    "I tried. Oh I tried so much to make the stat increase permanent to the point that I did not sleep for a whole month."

    "A FUCKING MONTH!"

    "I DID NOTHING BUT CREATE AND BREAK DOWN THE BLOODY DRUG!"

    "I WAS ALMOST DRIVEN TO MADNESS!"

    "If I ever find out who created that narcotic. I''m fucking going to strangle him to death while giving him a taste of my poisons."

    A dangerous glint shed in Old man poison''s eyes, and Corey took a step back with sweat pouring down his forehead.

    ''Oh Lord.''

    ----

    [A/N: Second extra chapter.]

 Chapter 309 308: Help

    <h4>Chapter 309 308: Help</h4>

    When Corey heard his master''s words, he wanted to desperately leave and curse.

    Never did he think his drug would have sleepless nights on his master, and his master would be filled with immense murderous intent towards the creator of the drug- Him.

    Corey''s skin crawled as he felt the fury and killing intent of his master even though it was not directed at him.

    ''If I knew what Neon did to him, I''d have never met him even if they beat me to death.''

    Corey thought with a wry smile.

    He was already regretting his decision to meet his master.

    Despite Corey''s current thoughts, he was extremely surprised by the ability of his master.

    His master had single-handedly deciphered theposition of Neon and also concocted Neon on his own.

    Corey was sure that it would require a team of skilled chemists below tier 5 to decipher theposition of Neon.

    The ingredients and method Corey used to create was special because it was in the book of alchemy that was given to him by the Paragon Ancestor.

    Alchemy was notmon in the Underworld and New Earth since it was forbidden to practice it by the Universe.

    ''I''m curious about his talent.''

    Corey was not able to check the stats and abilities of his master when he was a tier 1. But now that he could, he was curious.

    His master was extremely talented in concocting poisons and he was extremely sure that if his master knew and could practice alchemy, his potential would be extremely high.

    Corey''s eyes glinted with a calcting light.

    Corey looked at his master who was trying his best to calm down, and Corey carefully spoke:

    "So master."

    Old man poison snapped his head in his direction with rage filled eyes, almost frightening as a result.

    Almost.

    "What is it?" Old man poison growled, and Corey swallowed his saliva.

    He had to choose his next words carefully.

    "Is it because you could not easily recreate all the effects of Neon that the Devourers want to kill you?"

    Corey questioned while feeling slightly proud of himself.

    He phrased the question in a manner that would not make it seem like his fully ipetent. Thereby saving him from suffering his master''s wrath.

    Old man poisoned clicked his tongue in anger, then he walked to a nearby stool and sat while repeatedly tapping his finger.

    "You''re partially correct." Old man said, then he sighed.

    "After I told them that I could not recreate the most important effect of that bloody narcotic, they said I should join them and work with their chemists and poison specialists to try and perfectly recreate the narcotic or a narcotic that could permanently increase the stats of an individual."

    Old man stretched out his right hand and a water bottle appeared in his hand from thin air.

    "I rejected their because I knew that if I could not do perfectly recreate the drug alone. Then no other person in the Underworld could help me recreate it."

    Corey raised his brows and Old man poison drank from the water bottle.

    Old man poison abruptly stopped drinking from the bottle, then he made a gesture.

    "Also, I didn''t rejected them because if I knew that if I epted their offer, I would most likely not be allowed to leave alive."

    Bam

    "Even after I kindly rejected them. They kept on pestering me. They first told me about the absurd benefits I would gain if I epted their offer. But when I rejected, they started threatening me."

    Old man poison gritted his teeth as he clenched the unfortunate bottle which had suffered due to the previous m on the table.

    "Eventually, they started sending people to kidnap me. And there was a time they sent a powerful tier 4 and I had no choice but to kill him."

    Old man poison spoke with an undertone of anger, then he raised the squashed bottle to his mouth to take a drink.

    m!

    "Unfortunately for me. The person I killed was an important member of the Devourers. And now, it''s either I join them or they kill me."

    "And I''m definitely not joining that group of man eating monsters."

    Old man poison muttered a curse underneath his breath and Corey nced at the bottle in his master''s hands.

    He felt sorry for the bottle.

    It was all because of him that it was suffering.

    "And guess what?"

    Old man poison''s voice resounded in his eyes, making Corey to shift his gaze from the bottle back to his master.

    "What?" Corey asked while inwardly rolling his eyes.

    He knew that if he didn''t ask ''What?'', he would be in for a lot of suffering.

    ''Just tell me what you want to say without asking me to guess.''

    Corey thought, but didn''t dare to say it out loud.

    "All of this that''s happening to me is because of the bastard that created the narcotic."

    Corey''s heart skipped a beat.

    "I told those bastard Devourers to find the person that created the drug, but Prince, the fucking leader of the Devourers, said he couldn''t ess nor buy the information of the bastard that created the drug."

    "One of the richest and most important people in the Underworld could not ess nor buy the information of that bastard, and my life has been a fucking mess because of that!"

    "Now you see why I''m so angry at the bastard that created the drug and why I also want to kill him or her!"

    As old man poison spoke, everything in theboratory trembled and Corey was seriously starting to regret his decision to meet his master.

    ''I''m going to be so fucked.''

    Corey thought with a wry smile, then the gears in his mind spun for a few seconds.

    "I have a way that can possibly help you master."

    Corey said, and old man poison looked at him with raised brows and a dubious expression.

    "What way?"

    Old man poison asked, not immediately dismissing Corey''s nonsensical words of help.

    "You do know that I''m a member of Divine''s group right?"

    Corey said and old man poison tilted his head.

    "You are? Never knew." Old man poison squinted his eyes. "You were just a tier 1 a while back. How were you able to join them?"

    A stunned expression instantly appeared on Corey''s face when he heard his master''s words.

    Although he was not as famous as Divine and the rest in the Underworld. A lot of people have seen him with members of the group, and information about him been part of the group was not hidden.

    How could his master not have known at all.

    ''Does he leave his home at all?''

    Corey looked at his master with a baffled gaze. But when he saw a dangerous light sh in the eyes of his master, he quickly spoke.

    "Currently, Divine is imprisoned but I n on freeing him with the other members of the group. And for that, I''ll need your help."

    Corey said, while choosing not to answer his master''s question.

    "If you can help me free Divine, then Divine should have a way to protect you from the Devourers."

    "Even if he can''tpletely protect you, fighting with people by your side is much better than fighting alone."

    "So, what do you say master?"

    "You help me? I help you?"

    ----

    [A/N: Third extra chapter. Two chapters would be released in the next two hours.]n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

 Chapter 311 310: Anon or Smile Reaper

    Chapter 311 310: Anon or Smile Reaper

    ''WHAT THE FUCK IS SHE DOING HERE?!''

    An internal roar of frustration, anger and slight fear reverberated in Corey''s mind as he looked at the person he least expected to see and most definitely did not want to see.

    The manager of the Underworld Emporium, Calista!

    Never did he think that Calista, the manager of the Underworld Emporium and a renowned tier 6 would actually take out of her precious time by appearing in the headquarters of the Terror Queen.

    And from her words, she wanted to meet him and was most likely waiting for him to appear here for quite some time.

    He was not surprised that Calista was able to track his movements because ever since he heard from Oscar that the Terror Queen''s actual superior could be Calista, Corey knew he would most likely be monitored at all times from now on.

    Completely hiding one''s movement and location in the Underworld was an extremely difficult feat and is even believed to be an impossible feat.

    The number of hidden cameras, tracking devices, hidden magical surveince formations, and so on was so much to the point that whenever one thinks deeply about it, one would realize that the residents of the Underworld were like animals in a zoo.

    One''s mind could spiral into madness because of it.

    Despite the difficulty inpletely hiding one''s whereabouts, Corey had no desire to do such at the moment.

    In fact, he had already factored in the fact that Calista would know of his whereabouts.

    But, what he never expected was for Calista to personally appear in the Terror Queen''s office with a terrifying smile aimed at him.

    Corey guessed that there was a 90% chance of him encountering a tier 4 when he met the Terror Queen, and because of that, Corey did not want to take any chances in case a fight broke out.

    Corey did not want to underestimate anybody that was at a higher tier than him after his fight with the leader of the Dread Vipers.

    Whether his stats were higher, or he had better and more powerful skills. Corey did not want to underestimate people who had a higher tier than him.

    Especially in his case where his opponent was most likely going to be a tier 4.

    Corey might survive and even win the fight. But, why should he risk his life when he could use a better and safer method to ensure his safety.

    This was where his master came into the picture.

    Corey did not have many connections to people who were tier 4 or higher.

    The only person who was a tier 4 and he was close to, was his master.

    Corey''s n was to ask his master to apany him in meeting the Terror Queen and the remaining members of the group. In the instance that a fight urred, Corey nned on making his master fight in his ce.

    But now?

    His ns werepletely shredded into pieces.

    There was no way his master could protect him from a tier 6.

    In fact, he wasn''t sure if his master could protect himself.

    "Stop thinking so much young man ande take a seat."

    A calm and gentle voice flowed into Corey''s ears and mind, disrupting his chain of thoughts.

    Corey nced at Calista who was sitting on one of the couches with her legs crossed and slight smile on her face. Her eyes contained visible amusement which Corey noticed.

    Corey''s eyes flickered with an unknown light, then his gaze shifted to two individuals who were standing behind Calista.

    ''The Terror Queen and her daughter.''

    Corey eyes shed with a strange light as he observed the mother and daughter duo. Especially, the daughter.

    He could sense an aura of mysticism subtly emanating from her, and he knew what that meant.

    Her daughter was a tier 4.

    Corey was surprised when he noticed this, because he thought the mystic aura he perceived when he was outside belonged to the Terror Queen.

    And from what he knew, the daughter was previously a tier 2, and to increase from a tier 2 to tier 4 in such a short time could be attributed to a few things.

    Talent.

    Luck.

    Resources.

    Corey was not sure if the girl''s talent was extremely high since he had not inspected her stats. But, one thing Corey was sure of was that the girl was a blessed.

    Though, a blessed with a below average amount of luck.

    ''I didn''t know this girl was so full of surprises. Maybe I should have taken her with me a long time ago.''

    Corey thought with mild interest, then his gaze shifted to her mother, The Terror Queen.

    He was mildly surprised, disappointed, and curious as to why the Terror Queen was still a tier 3 when her daughter was a tier 4.

    Especially with the increased resources she had as the leader of a mildly powerful organization.

    He expected her to have be a tier 4 by now, and he was curious as to why she was not one yet.

    ''Maybe she gave most of the resources to her daughter to increase her stats and tier.''

    Corey thought, then he walked to the couch opposite Calista and sat.

    Despite all the thoughts that went through Corey''s mind, only two seconds had passed.

    The speed of his thought process was drastically different from when he was a tier 1.

    Corey sat down on the couch with his master sitting by his right and Kiefer sitting by his left.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Without looking at the duo, Corey could sense the solemnness and nervousness of the duo beside him.

    Which was not strange at all.

    They were right before a tier 6 which could kill them so easily!

    Why wouldn''t they be nervousness?!

    In fact, he was also slightly nervous!

    "To what do I owe the pleasure of you requiring my presence manager of the Underworld Emporium?"

    Despite knowing that in front of him was a true tier 6 which could kill him with the snap of a finger, Corey spoke with a calm tone, sounding neither fearful nor servile.

    Calista chuckled, then she reclined into the couch.

    "Why wouldn''t I want to meet the famous and undisputed master of poisons in the entire Underworld, a young boy which possesses the ability to locate and interact with extremely rare nts, andst but not least..."

    "Anon, the creator of Neon."

    Calista''s smile widened slightly.

    "What should I call you by the way. Anon or Smile Reaper?"

    Calista chuckled once more while taking a sip from a wine ss cup.

    And, Corey''s lips twitched.

    He knew he was a goner for sure now.

    ----

    [A/N: Fifth extra chapter. Next one would be uploaded in a few hours.]

 Chapter 312 311: Three Things

    Chapter 312 311: Three Things

    As the seconds ticked by, the air within the room thickened, wrapping around everybody in the room except Calista whose gaze still contained visible amusement.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    The stifling pressure in the room was mostly aimed at Corey and Corey did not need to look, to know the source of the pressure.

    Corey could feel a gaze filled with malicious intent, shock, and bafflementing from his right.

    He wanted to try and defend himself, but he decided not to.

    He knew that if he did, his master would beat him ck and blue even in the presence of a tier 6.

    Corey knew that it was only because of Calista that his master had not acted, nor had he said anything.

    And he didn''t know whether he should be happy or frustrated.

    "You seem to know quite a lot Mrs. Manager."

    Corey said with a wry smile and twitching lips.

    "Not really."

    "I mean, I still haven''t caught the thieves that stole from my domain."

    The smile on Calista''s lips widened, and Corey''s heart skipped a beat.

    Although he was slightly nervous internally, he didn''t show even an iota of it.

    Calista drank from her ss wine cup with her eyes staring at Corey without blinking. A slight frown which even Corey failed to notice, shed in her eyes in less than a second.

    She removed the ss cup from her mouth, and gestured it towards the Terror Queen who grabbed a nearby jug and refilled her cup.

    "Besides, Mr¡­ Anon. I can call you Anon right?"

    "It''s morefortable for me since I want to talk to the creator of Neon."

    Calista said while uncrossing her legs and leaning forward slightly, and Corey''s lips twitched.

    "Sure." Corey replied with a smile that was not a smile.

    Calista nodded, then she rested her back on the couch once again.

    "You know, instead of being angry at me. You should be thanking me instead."

    Calista drank from her cup while looking at Corey with smiling eyes, and Corey raised his brows."

    "Why should I be grateful towards you?"

    Corey questioned and Calista looked at Kiefer, making Kiefer''s heart to skip a beat and Corey to frown.

    "I''m the one currently preserving your life because of your previous actions."

    Calista spoke with a nonchnt tone and Corey frowned.

    ''Tell me what you''ve done and stop beating round the bush.''

    Corey thought, but didn''t dare say his thoughts out loud.

    "Please enlighten me Mrs. Manager."

    Corey said with a strained smile, and Calista slowly took a sip from her ss cup while crossing her legs once again.

    Three seconds passed, then she spoke:

    "You have done three things Anon which are quite remarkable if I might say."

    Calista raised three fingers with a smile.

    "You created a narcotic which can permanently increase the stats of tier 0s to tier 3s."

    Calista dropped a finger.

    "You killed this boy''s father who was a close friend to the younger brother of Savage, the leader of the Legion of Nightmare. Who is now earnestly seeking you for revenge by the way."

    Calista dropped another finger while chuckling softly.

    Meanwhile, Corey''s eyes were as wide as saucers the instant he heard Calista''s words.

    He now had a blood feud with the Legion of Nightmare, the strongest group in the entire Underworld?

    How?

    Why?

    And, what the fuck?

    Corey''s mind was all jumbled up with various thoughts and questions, and despite these questions, he knew the right answer to these questions.

    It was the consequences of his actions.

    Corey had taken an interest in Kiefer and he decided to save the boy so as to make use of him in the future.

    In the process, he had killed Kiefer''s father, who shockingly had a connection with an important member of the Legion of Nightmare, which resulted in him now having a blood feud with the Legion of Nightmare.

    Assuming Corey never decided to take Kiefer for himself, maybe, he wouldn''t be at odds with the Legion of Nightmare currently.

    But was Corey going to start ming anybody for his current predicament?

    No!

    Corey was not going to me Kiefer.

    Nor was he going to me Nina for telling him to take Kiefer for himself.

    And he definitely was not going to me himself for being greedy.

    Since this was the consequences of his actions, then so be it.

    He would find a way to cross the bridge when he got to it.

    Corey looked at Kiefer who was trembling slightly while subtly ncing at him with eyes filled with fear.

    Corey raised his hand, and Kiefer flinched and closed his eyes.

    He expected a terrible and resounding p of anger.

    But to his surprise, he felt a gentle pat on his head.

    He opened his eyes, and with a confused expression, he looked at Corey.

    "Don''t be afraid. Since you''re my property from now, I''m not going to let any harme upon you. Nor am I going to allow anybody to take you."

    "They''d have to step over my dead body before they can hurt you or harm you."

    "Nobody takes my property."

    Corey calmly said while looking into Kiefer''s amber eyes which stared nkly at him.

    Kiefer''s mind was currently a mess.

    "Awwn. Such touching and courageous words. Are you done?"

    Calista voice which was filled with mockery resounded in the room, and Corey exhaled deeply before he nodded.

    "Great." Calista nonchntly said while swirling her ss wine cup.

    "As I was saying, the third thing you''ve done is that you''re rted to Divine and his group who have been under a lot of heat recently."

    Corey frowned.

    "As you can see, you have quite a lot of people who want to so desperately meet you."

    "They either want to recruit you, enve you, kill you, torture you or use you for something else."

    "And guess what?" Calista''s smiled widened.

    "You''re to weak to prevent any of these people from doing these things to you."

    Calista mocked, but Corey was not fazed since it was true.

    "You know that information about anybody and anything in the Underworld can be gotten with the right price?"

    Calista questioned and Corey nodded slightly.

    "So guess who has been safeguarding your information from those who want you?"

    "Guess who has been protecting you for quite some time now?"

    Calista asked with an amused smile as she looked at Corey who had a slightly frustrated and annoyed expression.

    He actually had the urge to face palm right now.

    Corey exhaled once again, then he looked at Calista with an indifferent expression.

    "So, what do you want Mrs. Manager?"

    ----

    [A/N: Sixth extra chapter. Next chaptering up in a few hours.]

 Chapter 313 312: Proposal

    Chapter 313 312: Proposal

    "So what do you want Mrs. Manager?"

    The moment Corey asked this question, the atmosphere in the room became solemn and quiet for the first five seconds before a softughter resounded in the room.

    "I think you know what I want Anon."

    Calista chuckled softly while wiping away the tear that had formed in her left eye as a result of herughter.

    "There is only one thing you have that I''m interested in."

    Calista paused, and the smile on her face slowly vanished.

    "The concoction recipe for Neon."

    Calista emotionlessly spread out her hand and a fraction of her aura spread out into the room.

    Despite the stifling pressure that was emitted by Calista, Corey remained unperturbed and still maintained a nonchnt expression, slightly surprising Calista.

    Corey gazed at Calista for a few seconds, then he gave a subtle nce towards Kiefer who was having visible difficulty breathing.

    Corey looked back at Calista, then he waved his right hand towards her.

    Woosh.

    The sound of an object moving at a fast speed whistled through the air, and in the blink of an eye, the sound abruptly stopped.

    "I''m quite displeased by your actions."

    Calista''s voice which contained a tinge of slight anger resounded in the room.

    Hovering in front In front of her was a piece of folded paper which was a mere centimeter from touching the tip of her nose.

    "What''s to stop me from punishing you right now?"

    Calista asked while pushing away the sheet of folded paper with a finger, and looking at Corey with a calm expression.

    "That''s the recipe."

    Corey nonchntly replied while gesturing towards the folded sheet of paper.

    Calista raised a brow, then she held the sheet of paper.

    "It''s good I didn''t burn it then."

    Calista said, then she opened the paper and took a quick nce at its contents.

    A secondter, her eyes widened in astonishment and she eximed:

    "The most important ingredient of Neon which allows a person is a soul stone? A fragment of a soul stone?"

    Calista looked at Corey with visible surprise and bafflement, and old man poison also had the same expression.

    In fact, his was much more pronounced and Corey did not need to look at his master since his senses could pick his master''s extremely baffled and surprised gaze.

    "Yes, the most ingredient is a fragment of a soul stone."

    Corey nodded, then he turned towards his master.

    "You''ll need to use your mana to apply enough pressure on the fragment of the soul stone while boiling it at the same time at a temperature of at least 170 degrees Celsius so as to liquify the soul stone fragment."

    "You need a temperature of at least 170 degrees Celsius for a tier 1 soul stone fragment, 200 for a tier 2 soul stone fragment, and 270 for a tier 3 soul stone fragment. As for tier 0, at least 150."

    "Your control of mana has to be exceptional to do this quickly and efficiently, since there''s a likelihood of an explosion urring if something goes wrong."

    "Using a tier 1 soul stone fragment to concoct Neon can increase the stats of a tier 1 and tier 0 after they take Neon. A tier 2 soul stone fragment can increase the stats of a tier 2 and below. And so on."

    "Increasing the stats of a tier 3 is the limit of Neon, and the increase is not muchpared to that of tier 2 and below."

    Corey stopped, then he looked at Calista who had an intrigued glint in her eyes when she heard Corey''s words.

    "I have a proposal to make Mrs. Manager."

    Corey spoke calmly and Calista immediately became curious.

    "Let''s be business partners."

    Silence.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Every individual in the room became stunned the instant they heard Corey''s words.

    Calista was no exception either.

    "What makes you think we can be business partners? In fact, what makes you think you''ll still be in charge of selling Neon?"

    "I''m now in charge of Neon and I would produce it and use it as I wish. You cant'' sell and produce it anymore unless you want me to kill you right here and now."

    Calista''s mocking voice resounded in the room, and the tension in the room rose by several notches.

    Corey remained quiet for several seconds. Though, his expression still remained nonchnt.

    "I know you don''t need me anymore since you have the concoction recipe of Neon in your hand. But¡­"

    Corey paused and Calista raised her brows.

    "What if I told you that it''s possible to create another version that could permanently increase the stats of a tier 4?"

    Corey said, and Calista''s eyes widened.

    "IMPOSSIBLE!"

    Old man poison immediately stood and shouted.

    "Creating a narcotic like that would go againstmon sense!"

    "It''s alright when it only affects mortals. But if it can also affect mystical beings, then that would change and disrupt a lot of things!"

    "It would cause chaos!"

    Old man poison shouted despite the presence of Calista.

    Calista did not mind, and her gaze was constantly on Corey to spot any sign of lies and falsehood in his words.

    A subtle smile appeared on Corey''s lips when he heard his master''s words, but he said nothing.

    "Of course, the new version of Neon which I want to call Neon 2.0, is just an idea of mine. I''ve been thinking about it, and I''m 80% sure my idea would work out."

    Corey said, then he nced at old man poison.

    "But, I''ll need help to concoct Neon 2.0."

    Corey said, and Calista slightly furrowed her brows.

    "What kind of help do you need?"

    Calista asked with a curious tone, and a slight smile appeared on Corey''s lips.

    "I need good poison specialists, tier 4s or tier 5s that have a high level of control over mana and mystic energy, resources, a well equippedboratory, and whatever thing thates to my mind in the future."

    Corey nonchntly said, and Calista furrowed her brows while spinning the empty ss cup in her hands.

    "So, if I give you all of these and you''re able to create Neon 2.0. What then?"

    "We automatically be business partners and maybe friends?"

    "Do you really think I''d still allow you to freely run a business using Neon and Neon 2.0?"

    Calista mockingly asked with raised brows, and Corey shrugged.

    "Of course we use a system contract. And¡­"

    Corey paused, and Calista frowned slightly.

    "I want you to include the Neon recipe in your uing auction."

    Corey said with a smile.

    ----

    [A/N: Seventh extra chapter. I''m seriously tired right now. I''ve only slept for three hours today. I''ll sleep, then write the remaining three chapters. Goodnight people, and Happy New Year in advance.]

 Chapter 314 313: Six Seconds

    Chapter 314 313: Six Seconds

    The room, once a bustling warehouse, nowy vast and empty. Its towering ceiling, supported by exposed beams, stretched high above, catching faint rays of sunlight that filtered through dusty windows, casting a golden glow.

    Rows of metal shelves, now rusty and disorganized, lined the walls, bearing the marks of wear and tear. Empty crates, worn and scattered across the concrete floor, hinted at the space''s former industriousness.

    Despite its past activity, the room now exuded a sense of abandonment. Silence reigned where once there was hustle and bustle, broken only by asional creaks from aging structures.

    BANG!

    As the abandoned warehouse''s silence persisted, a violent sound from the door shattered the stillness. The door flew open, and almost flew to the wall in the distance.

    Luckily, it didn''t.

    Five figures emerged, their footsteps echoing against the deste walls. Among them, three men and two women entered, each disying varying degrees of visible injury.

    The first man, a slightly fat handsome man wearing a ruined blue suit, bore a bandaged arm held stiffly against his side while simultaneously holding a long and thin bone which he used as a walking stick. His handsome face showed signs of recent scuffles, bruises marring his jawline.

    Beside him, a second man who had a cold expression on his face filled with tattoos limped forward, a makeshift bandage wrapped around one leg. His disheveled appearance hinted at a recent struggle, his cold gaze darted around for any suspicious activity.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    The third man, slightly shorter with a weary countenance, had a cloth pressed against a wound on his forehead. In his right hand was a white sk and like a thirsty man who had just arrived from the desert, he took huge gulps from the sk, causing some of the liquid to pour unto the floor.

    His eyes whichcked the vibrancy of sight became slightly unfocused as a burp of satisfaction escaped his lips.

    The two women followed, each, also with their varying visible injuries.

    One of the women, petite and agile, moved cautiously, favoring one arm that hung awkwardly at her side. A sense of vulnerability tempered with resilience emanated from her demeanor. Although she had the least amount of injuries, if one observed her closely, one would notice shes of anger in her gaze.

    Thest woman, tall and poised, surprisingly had the most amount of injuries. Her body had so much blood that one could not be certain if it was hers or that of her enemies.

    Her blood red hair and eyesbined with all the blood on her body made her to seem like a goddess of blood and war.

    Her blood red eyes had a vignt look in her eyes as she observed the warehouse. In her right hand was a giant double edged blood axe with a blood red handle. The axe vibrated slightly and looked it was ready to cut asunder even demons, gods, and even immortals alike.

    The visualbination of the five spoke volumes of the adversities they had all gone through.

    "Do you want to really want to break down the door Rosa? And what if those bastards heard us?"

    The slightly fat handsome man reprimanded the woman with blood red hair and eyes.

    His limping body moved to a nearby crate and a sigh of satisfaction and exhaustion escaped his lips as he sat.

    "Why didn''t you easily open the door if you could Fatty? Hmm?"

    Rosa questioned as she also sat on another crate close to Fatty. Despite not expressing any sign of weakness, only a fool would think that she was not exhausted and injured from all they had gone through.

    "Oh Just shut up would ya. I don''t have the energy to argue with a crazy woman like you."

    Fatty ck Bonezzily waved his hand as he rested his back on another crate which he joined with the crate he was sitting on.

    Just as he was about to close his eyes, an object hit his cheeks causing him to curse out loud.

    "What the fuck bitch?"

    Fatty ck Bonez sat up and looked at Rosa with anger, and Rosa picked up another small stone.

    "Alright. Alright, you''re not a bitch nor are you a crazy woman."

    Fatty ck Bonez quickly said before Rosa threw the stone at him.

    He was too exhausted and injured to argue and fight with Rosa.

    Rosa looked at him with squinted eyes then she dropped the stone and released a deep and exhausted sigh.

    Fatty ck Bonezid back on the crate and also released a tired sigh.

    Complete silence filled the entire abandoned warehouse for a few seconds until the voice of Fattu ck Bonez broke the silence.

    "Hey Dave."

    Fatty ck Bonez looked at the blind man who regrly drank from his sk.

    Dave tilted his head in Fatty ck Bonez direction with raised brows.

    "Are you sure Smile Reaper is going toe today?"

    Fatty ck Bonez spoke with a tinge of exhaustion in his voice.

    "Cause I''m tired man. We''ve been fighting and running for how long now? Two months or is it a month now?" Fatty ck Bonez said with varying emotions of frustration, exhaustion and anger.

    "Two months and 10 days."

    A different voice corrected, and Fatty ck Bonez looked at the woman with the least amount of injuries.

    "Oh. Didn''t know you were keeping track of the time Melissa."

    Fatty ck Bonez sarcastically said, but Melissa gave no reply.

    Fatty ck Bonez shrugged, then he looked at Dave who had a slight frown on his face.

    "I checked our fate today, and I saw our pains reducing instead of increasing. So, I''m guessing he woulde today."

    Dave spoke calmly, and silence reigned for a few seconds.

    Although, Dave said that he believed that the newest member of their group woulde today because of his vision, nobody fully believed him because his vision could be interpreted in many ways and because he had previously said that they would meet him a few days ago.

    But where was he now?

    They surely didn''t know.

    "I hope you''re right today Dave cause I don''t think I canst much longer against those bastards anymore. I think I might actually be a bag of fat bones very soon."

    Fatty ck Bonez joked, but nobodyughed.

    They did not have the energy to spare augh nor where they in the mood.

    Although Dave knew that his group members did not fully believe him because of the past, he was sure that the Smile Reaper wasing today because he saw something else in his vision.

    Blood, Death, and a fog filled with poisonous insects.

    He knew that the Smile Reaper dealt with poison so he knew they were going to meet him today.

    As for when?

    He did not know.

    "Do you think he can actually help us in any way at all?"

    A deep and emotionless voice resounded in the room, causing everybody in the room to look at the man with tattoos on his face.

    "It''s not like we have a choice Triple X. Dave had a vision that only he could save us."

    Rosa replied while looking at the door of the entrance with slightly furrowed brows.

    "Besides, Divine trusted him and we all know that he isn''t weak. We just have to wait and survive."

    Rosa said, then she looked at Dave.

    "Can you check how long we have left before we''re exposed?"

    Dave nodded, then he closed his eyes for a few seconds.

    Three secondster, an extremely shocked expression appeared on his face and he quickly stood.

    "Six seconds! We only have six seconds!"

    ----

    [A/N: Eighth extra chapter. Next oneing up in some hours.]

 Chapter 315 314: Meeting Again

    Chapter 315 314: Meeting Again

    "Six seconds! We only have six seconds!"

    The instant Dave said those words, Rosa and the rest immediately stood with extremely shocked expressions.

    "Six seconds? What the fuck do you mean by six seconds?! That''s way too early!"

    Fatty ck Bonez shouted with an anxious expression as he alternated his gaze from Dave to the door of the warehouse.

    "Shut the fuck up and get ready for battle you fool! Do you want to die?!"

    Rosa shouted while looking around with vignt eyes and a solemn expression.

    "Fuck!"

    Fatty ck Bonez cursed and gritted his teeth.

    "I haven''t recovered enough damn it."

    Fatty ck Bonez cursed underneath his breath as he tightened the bone which he used as a walking stick.

    He looked around with a deep frown, then his gaze shifted to Rosa.

    "Do you know where-"

    Creak

    Just as he was about to speak, a soft creak resounded in the warehouse, causing all heads to snap in the direction of the sound.

    The door to the warehouse opened and a tall buff handsome man with deep violet and light blue eyes walked into the silent and tense warehouse.

    The man took two steps into the warehouse then he stopped and tilted his head.

    "I guess I''m not weed here?"

    His deep voice echoed in the warehouse and in the next second, sounds of gasps and thuds rang out in the warehouse.

    "What the fuck man? You scared the living hell out of us."

    Fatty ck Bonezughed as he spoke with a visible tone of relief.

    His eyes gradually widened as he observed the familiar and also slightly unfamiliar man.

    "What the hell man. Did you be more handsome?"

    p

    Fatty ck Bonez eximed and a p immediatelynded at the back of his head.

    "What the fuck?! Are you mad woman?!"

    Fatty ck Bonez cursed as he looked at Rosa whopletely ignored him.

    "Wee back Smile Reaper."

    Rosa said and Corey nodded.

    He looked at the conditions of his teammates and he raised his brows.

    "Seems like you guys have seen better days."

    Corey said and Fatty ck Bonez snorted.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Much better days. I miss all my bitches."

    Fatty ck Bonez said and he immediately felt killing intent aimed at him.

    Corey chuckled, then he looked at his back.

    "You guys cane in now."

    Corey said, much to the confusion of the entire group. Three individuals immediately entered the room.

    The gazes of the entire group were immediately drawn to two individuals who caused their expressions to be solemn.

    "This is my master, old man poison."

    Corey gestured towards the oldest in the group who wore a green robe and also had a slight frown.

    Surprise shed in the eyes of the group after Corey introduced the man.

    They all knew who old man poison was.

    And they all knew how much Divine wanted to have him in the group.

    Although they knew that Corey was a student of old man poison, they never expected him to be able to bring his master with him.

    In fact, they all expected Corey toe alone.

    "This is Selene, my ve."

    Corey introduced the only female amongst the three and the group were surprised once again.

    Another tier 4?

    Fatty ck Bonez eyes shined as he gazed at Selene with appreciation.

    Selene had flowing chestnut hair that cascaded down her shoulders, framing a heart-shaped face with almond-shaped, deep blue eyes that shimmered like moonlight.

    Her fairplexion wasplemented by a graceful stature, which was entuated by a slender, lithe frame.

    There was an ethereal quality to her presence which furtherplemented her beauty despite the indifferent expression she had.

    ''What a beauty.''

    Fatty ck Bonez eximed internally as he appreciated Selene''s beauty and Selene took notice of his stare. She nced at him for a second and she indifferently looked away.

    "This is Kiefer. My gardener and butler."

    Corey gestured towards the youngest looking and smallest amongst the trio, and the expressions of the entire group became strange.

    They alternated their gazes between Corey and Kiefer a few times. Then Fatty ck Bonez spoke with a strange tone:

    "Are you sure he''s actually your butler and not your¡­? Couldn''t you have gone for somebody older?"

    p!

    Fatty ck Bonez said and a pnded at the back of his head once again.

    "I swear I''ll turn you to bones you crazy woman!"

    Fatty ck Bonez swore as he gazed at Rosa with a rage filled expression.

    "Your blood does not even deserve to be among my blood collections."

    Rosa said, and without waiting for Fatty ck Bonez reply, she turned towards Corey.

    "We''re d you made it here safely Smile Reaper. We have a lot to talk about."

    Rosa said and Corey nodded.

    "Yeah. But first, your injuries need to be healed."

    Corey said, and walked towards Rosa.

    Everybody including old man poison, Kiefer and Selene raised their brows and looked at one another with raised brows.

    "Is one of them a healer?"

    Rosa asked as she looked at the trio that came along with Corey with visible surprise.

    If one of them was a healer, no matter how low leveled, it would help them a lot in their battle with their enemies.

    "No."

    Corey shook his head, and Rosa and the rest were baffled.

    "If none of them is a healer, how are our injuries going to be healed?"

    Rosa asked and Corey smiled as he stood before her.

    "He bent a little, held her right shoulder and closed his eyes.

    Rosa frowned slightly, but a three secondster, her eyes widened in astonishment.

    She raised her left arm and with a shocked expression, she saw the cuts and bruises she had on her arm heal.

    Not only was her body getting healed, her exhausted mind was slowly bing rejuvenated and she was no longer exhausted.

    Approximately fifteen secondster, her body waspletely healed of even its internal injuries, and she felt better than ever before.

    She looked at Corey with eyes filled with wonder and shock, and she said:

    "How?"

    Corey just smiled.

    ----

    [A/N: Ninth extra chapter. Thest chapter would be releasedter today. I can''t write it now cause I have to go to church. Happy Sunday to all of you.]

 Chapter 318 317: Stunned

    318 317: Stunned

    Shock

    Surprise

    Confusion

    Solemnity

    Apprehension

    And a tinge of anticipation.

    These were the emotions and reactions of Corey, Old Man Poison, and the rest as their gazesnded on the five tier 4s.

    Rosa''s shock and fear filled eyes shook, regaining a little bit of focus. She nced at the five tier 4s, then she looked behind her. Her pupils shook and her heart trembled when reflected in her eyes was the image of a wall that waspletely destroyed by a power so immense that the aura surrounding the wall still remained, sending shivers down the spine of Rosa.

    Nobody did not need to ask, nor did she need to be told. She knew that the attack was definitely not aimed at the wall but at her head.

    Corey had calmly moved her head away from the power or object that threatened to destroy in both body and soul.

    Rosa knew, she knew that no defensive treasure she had could protect her from such an attack. She was just a few centimeters from the grim reaper''s scythe, and this fact, shook her to the core.

    Not only did this shake her, it also angered her.

    She hated the fact that she was weak and an enemy almost took her life.

    She hated the fact that somebody who was a lower tier than her had to save her.

    She hated the fact that she was careless and had rxed her senses.

    Although she didn''t know how Corey knew about the attack when even Old Man Poison and Selene, two tier 4s, did not sense the attack until it was unleased. Rosa did not care.

    Only one thing was in her mind.

    Her enemies had almost taken her life.

    Her enemies had almost taken the life of a blood berserker through a sneak attack.

    She had almost died like a wild animal used as a target in recreational hunting.

    How disgraceful was that?

    How shameful was that?

    Her, a blood berserker would die in a ce that was not the battlefield?

    That would bring utter shame to her and her ancestors!

    Crack!

    An extremely soft crack resounded in the abandoned warehouse, one that everybody heard, but ignored and thought to be insignificant.

    Except Corey that is.

    Corey looked at Rosa who was grinding her teeth with her eyes repeatedly shing with an ominous light.

    Corey raised his brows in surprise when he felt the killing intent that was building up in Rosa, and after brief thought, he stopped holding her head and took a few steps away from her.

    "You missed Lilith."

    An indifferent voice echoed, breaking the silence that was caused by the appearance of the five tier 4s.

    Corey looked at the tier 4 who had spoken, and he took in his appearance.

    The individual was a male whose very presencemanded attention. He had a fairlyrge build and his amber eyes flickered like restless mes, a stark contrast to his zing red hair that cascaded down his back in fiery waves.

    He wore a ck leather coat lined with crimson ents. Around his neck was a small, glowing ruby. The most attention grabbing feature though was not any of these. It was a shifting me pattern that was on his forehead.

    A pattern that all the other four tier 4s had.

    "I wasn''t meant to Zephyr. He pushed her head."

    An enchanting voice that could fill men with a fiery temptation resounded in the abandoned warehouse.

    Corey looked at the female who had spoken and he observed her.

    She possessed the figure of a temptress, and her eyes which was a captivating sight, was set aze with colors akin to a zing inferno. Her flowing hair resembled moltenva, framing her captivating gaze. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Wrapped in a dress resembling dancing mes, and adorning her wrists were golden bangles which shook as she gestured towards Corey with her left hand which was holding a ck and red bow.

    ''That bow is dangerous.''

    Corey thought as he observed the bow with slightly furrowed brows.

    "Hmm. Who are you?"

    Zephyr asked with a tinge of intrigue as he observed Corey.

    He had not seen a unique individual like Corey in the list given to him by his superiors.

    In fact, not only was Corey not in the list, two other people were not in the list.

    ''I was never told that there would be two tier 4s in the group. Did the three of them just join the group or did they just appear here?''

    09:37

    Zephyr thought as he gazed at Old Man Poison and Selene with a tinge of frustration.

    ''What a hassle.'' Zephyr sighed.

    Meanwhile, Corey did not answer Zephyr. He chose to observe the the remaining two tier 4s.

    The third individual that caught Corey''s attention was another male.

    He stood as a portrait of enigmatic allure. His eyes, akin to smoldering coals, held depths that Corey found familiar. His ck hair, touched with crimson, fell around his face in waves, vibrant and full of life.

    His tall stature exuded a quiet confidence which most might not notice or ignore, but Corey noticed it and he was intrigued. d in attire that blended the modern with the martial, dark hues interwoven with threads, and by his waist was a sword with a red hilt and a brown wooden scabbard.

    Corey''s gaze lingered on the scabbard and the sword for a slightly longer period of time, and an intrigued light shed in his eyes.

    The fourth individual Corey looked at was also a male. He had a slightly skinny physique and his eyes which had a color akin to burning coals gleamed with disdain and indifference as he gazed at thembs before him.

    He wore a dark vest paired with crimson trousers, giving the illusion of a smoldering me. Around his neck was a pendant shaped like a zing sun.

    ''Weak.''

    Corey thought with disinterest, then he looked at thest individual, a female.

    Although possessing a body that was enchanting and sexy, her body shape and face could not bepared to that of Lilith, the female with the bow.

    Her eyes held a mesmerizing glow akin to dancing mes, with their color shifting between shades of red and orange. Her hair was styled in fiery braids, adorned with small golden charms.

    She wore a flowing robe with swirling patterns resembling fiery whirlwinds, ented with vibrant shades of red and orange. Her earrings were shaped like miniature mes.

    "Seen enough?"

    A deep voice filled with clear displeasure resounded, and Corey looked at Zephyr and nodded, stunning Zephyr and the remaining four.

    Corey looked at Rosa who had suddenly be quiet. Her breathing was so faint that if not because of his Ears of Omniscience, he would have trouble hearing her breathe.

    "You can take the one with a bow."

    Corey gestured at Lilith and she blinked twice.

    "I''ll take that one."

    Corey pointed at the male who wore a modern martial attire and he blinked twice.

    "Master, take the strongest."

    Corey gestured towards Zephyr and Old Man Poison blinked twice.

    "Selene. Take that female."

    Corey gestured towards the female with earrings, and Selene had a stunned expression.

    "As for the rest of you. Show that arrogant fool his ce, and when you''re done. Help whoever needs your help the most."

    Corey gestured towards the male with a skinny physique who had been looking at them with disdain.

    Everybody became stunned.

 Chapter 319 318: Gambare Gambare

    319 318: Gambare Gambare

    In the heart of an industrial district in the Inner Area of the City of Sin, an abandoned warehouse loomed, a relic of forgottenmerce. Inside its cavernous expanse, silence reigned with an almost tangible weight, suffocating any hint of sound. The air hung heavy, thick with dust motes caught in muted shafts of light that struggled to prate the high windows, casting elongated shadows across the deste floor.

    Numerous figures stood scattered amidst the vastness, their stillness eerie amidst the warehouse''s emptiness. Most, bore an expression etched with shock, their faces frozen in disbelief, eyes wide and unblinking as if trapped in an unending moment of horror.

    The usual symphony of abandoned spaces¡ªthe creak of rusted beams, the scurry of vermin, the whisper of wind through broken windows¡ªwas absent, reced by an unsettling absence of sound. Even the very walls seemed to hold their breath, bearing witness to the collective astonishment that had robbed the ce of its usual eerie hum.

    "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!"

    "I don''t think I''veughed this much in decades!! Hahahahahaha!!!"

    In the eerie stillness of the abandoned warehouse, a sudden eruption shattered the suffocating silence. Laughter, harsh and bitter, tore through the heavy air, wing at the stunned atmosphere like an unwee intrusion.

    Among the numerous figures frozen in disbelief, one¡ªpreviously caught in the grip of shock¡ªnow convulsed withughter. Their face contorted, a mask of incredulity and scorn, as the mocking guffaws spilled forth, disrupting the haunting quietude.

    It wasn''t theughter of mirth or joy; it was a sinister symphony,den with disbelief and dripping with disdain. Each derisive chuckle reverberated off the decrepit walls, bouncing off the dusty rafters and amplifying the unease that hung heavy in the air.

    "Yo! Dante! They say you''re the weakest man! Your strength is onlyparable to that of a tier 2! Are you sure you''re a tier 4?!"

    "Hahahahahahahaha!!!!"

    The skinny looking male whose disdain towards Corey and the rest was not hidden, mockinglyughed as he pped the shoulder of the male with a red sword at his waist.

    The male, Dante, did not give a response, but one could see his expression change to that of displeasure.

    "This is the first time I''ll be seeing this. A tier 2 looking down on five tier 4s whilemanding multiple tier 3s and tier 4s at the same time."

    The female with the earrings spoke with her arms folded. Her tone contained a tinge of disbelief, intrigue and displeasure as she observed Corey from head to toe.

    "I know right Aria! The tier 2 is the most talented clown I''ve ever seen!"

    The skinny maleughed once again, and Aria, the female with earrings chuckled softly when she heard the skinny male''s voice.

    Although it wasn''t funny, she couldn''t help but agree with him.

    "Enough Kane."

    Zephyr''s deep voice echoed in the abandoned warehouse and Kaneughter subsided.

    Zephyr had his arms crossed and his gaze fixated on Corey. It was clear to all that he was extremely displeased by Corey''s words.

    "I thought you were special. But I didn''t know your specialty was clowning."

    Zephyr said with disdain, and Corey raised his brows.

    "I know a clown stronger than the four of youbined."

    Corey said and the expressions of Zephyr and the rest changed.

    They knew who Corey was talking about. They didn''t need to be told.

    "You-"

    WHOOSH!

    Just as Zephyr was about to speak, the winds stirred and the warehouse shook. A bloody aura filled with immense killing intent instantly filled up the warehouse, and the expressions of everyone except Corey changed.

    All eyesnded on Rosa who stood with her head hung low and her red hair covering her face. The air around changed to a bloody red color and with an extremely calm tone that shook the hearts of the five tier 4s, she spoke without raising her head.

    "Are you ready to die?"

    The question, although, might seem like it was directed towards all five tier 4s. Corey knew, and one other individual knew who the question was actually meant for.

    And the other person that knew sensed an imminent danger, and she quickly ced her bow and fired an arrow conjured purely out of fire.

    WHOOSH!

    The temperature of the air increased as the fire arrow moved at a speed faster than the blink of an average mortal eye.

    Corey''s lips twitched as he observed the fire arrowing towards Rosa with lethal intent.

    Although it was not aimed at him, Corey knew he would definitely suffer if he stayed near Rosa. So, he did the next best thing, he teleported to a distant corner in the warehouse and he deployed all the best defensive techniques he had. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Dante and Zephyr looked at Corey and a shocked light shed in her eyes when they saw Corey teleport.

    Rosa whose mind was filled with controlled rage did not care about the disappearance of Corey. The only thing in her mind was Lilith.

    She grabbed her blood red double-handed axe and raised it. A bloody red glow filled the edge of the axe''s de and with a shout filled with rage, she hacked down on the fiery arrow.

    Bam!

    BOOOOOOOOOM!!!!

    WHOOOSHHHHH!!!!!

    An explosion so loud, a wind so hot and violent, and a shockwave so powerful rampaged the abandoned warehouse, destroying its roof and tearing down its walls.

    The ground broke apart and rubbles of various sizes flung in random directions.

    "Fuck!"

    "Are you trying to kill us all you crazy woman?!"

    Curses escaped the lips of every single individual, with Fatty ck Bonez voice sounding much louder than the rest.

    Dust and smoke filled the entire air of the destroyed abandoned warehouse, partially blocking the vision of most individuals in the destroyed building.

    A secondter, a blood red light shed in the obscure environment and whatter followed was a loud sound of an object mming into a hard surface.

    BOOM!!

    Another powerful shockwave shook the remains of the abandoned warehouse, partially clearing the dust and smoke in the air.

    Corey looked at the eastern part of the warehouse, and there he could see a bloodied Lilith whose left hand was visibly limp, struggling to get up.

    Her breathing was erratic and her gaze was hazy. The sound of soft footsteps resounded in her ears and she looked up, only to see a red haired and red eyed female demon with a blood red axe that could chop down anything before it''s edge.

    "Gambare Gambare bitch. I''m not even warmed up."

    Rosa said while twisting her neck to the side with a tone and an expression of extreme apathy.

 Chapter 320 319: Much Better

    320 319: Much Better

    The expressions of Zephyr, Dante, Kane, and Aria drastically changed when they saw Rosa inflict such heavy damages on Lilith.

    Although everything had happened so fast, it was not so fast to the point that they could not react.

    They chose not to help Lilith because she was a tier 4 and Rosa was a tier 3. Despite the aura and killing intent that was unleashed by Rosa, the four of them were not too worried.

    In their mind, no matter how powerful Rosa was, she was just a tier 3. A mortal.

    Lilith was a tier 4.

    Not only was she a tier 4, she was not your average tier 4.

    Although her physical strength might be considered average at best, her skills were not.

    The chasm between tier 3 and tier 4 was asrge as the distance between the sky and the earth.

    These were the thoughts that went through the mind of Zephyr, Kane, Aria, and Dante. Especially Zephyr and Kane.

    And Lilith knew this. And because she knew this, she wanted to curse each of them.

    Although the four of them did not take Rosa seriously because she was a tier 3, Lilith knew Rosa now possessed enough power to kill her.

    She was perplexed by howrge Rosa''s increase in strength was. She didn''t know what skill or sorcery Rosa used to achieve such arge increase in strength, but she could sense that it was temporary and not permanent.

    But what she had no idea of was how long the skill or ability she used wouldst. She just hoped it wouldn''t be too long.

    ''I know that using such a skill usually has negative side effects. I''ll make sure to kill you in the most vicious way possible bitch.''

    Lilith viciously thought with an utterly calm expression.

    She grabbed her left arm which got dislocated after she used her left arm to block Rosa''s powerful punch which sent her flying to thepletely destroyed wall behind her.

    ''She''s physically stronger and faster than me, but that''s okay. I''m not a close rangebatant. When I''m much farther away from my enemies is when I''m more dangerous. I need to create arge distance from her.''

    As Lilith had this thought, she also calcted her next moves and the scenarios that could ur in her head, and only two seconds had passed.

    Her right hand grabbed her left arm and just as she was about to shift the bones in her arm to its rightful position, a voice filled unveiled disdain and apathy flowed into her ears.

    "You''re really a fool aren''t you?"

    Lilith was about to look up, but in less than a fraction of a second¡­

    BAM!

    BANG!

    BANG!

    A vicious kicknded on Lilith''s face and she mmed into the remnant wall behind her, went through it, mmed unto the ground, tumbled more than fifteen times, then, she crashed into a nearby empty building, destroying the walls in the process.

    "Garghh!!"

    A huge amount of blood poured out from all of Lilith''s orifices. She grabbed her dislocated jaw which was overflowing with blood, then she heard a soft thud which was followed by the sound of slow but ominous footsteps.

    Lilith''s gaze shook and she looked up with visible fear in her gaze. The bloody red eyes of the female demon which was filled with utter indifference, disdain, and boredom, reflected in Lilith''s fiery red eyes.

    "You control mes but you can''t even warm me up. How disappointing."

    Rosa said with a tone filled so much disdain and indifference that something in Lilith snapped.

    The temperature of the air suddenly increased drastically and a roar unbefitting of Lilith''s stature and physique as a woman escaped her lips.

    "DIE BITCH!!!"

    "SUPREME ART: SUPREME INFERNO!"

    Just as she was about to use a forbidden skill which had a very high possibility of killing her, thest thing she heard was:

    "Fool."

    And thest thing she saw was:

    A bloody red glow at the edge of the des of a blood red axe.

    Swish!

    "Huh?"

    Lilith''s vision spun and a confused expression instantly appeared on her face.

    "What''s happening?"

    Lilith thought as she wondered why her vision was still spinning.

    Rosa said and before Lilith could respond, Rosa''s eyes glowed and a secondter.

    09:40

    A secondter, she felt something touch her head and the extremely familiar voice of the red eyed female demon appeared in her pupils.

    "Mystical beings are truly difficult to kill."

    Rosa said and before Lilith could respond, Rosa''s eyes glowed and a secondter.

    BANG!

    Lilith''s head exploded, sshing blood and brain matter unto Rosa''s face and body in the process.

    Rosa wiped off the blood on her eyes with her hand. She walked up to the headless corpse of Lilith, tore off the sleeve of her clothes and used it to clean her face and her body.

    After doing that, she looked at Lilith''s headless corpse and she shook her head.

    "And I thought she was strong. I can''t believe I almost died to somebody like her. My soul would have never been at peace."

    Rosa sighed, then she sat on a clean part of the floor with her back resting on the wall.

    "Even though my body is wrecked and exhausted. I somehow feel much better."

    Rosa chuckled as she looked at her right hand which was trembling and a few secondster, her eyes closed and her head fell to the side. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    She fainted.

    Although the price she paid for using such a power that gave her the ability to overwhelm Lilith was not light, she was satisfied.

    Immensely so.

    -----

    (Back At The Destroyed Abandoned Warehouse)

    "Damn. Never knew that crazy bitch was this strong."

    Fatty ck Bonez whistled and chuckled, breaking the silence and disbelief that hung in the air as they all watched Rosa overwhelm Lilith so much that Rosa could not so much as fight back.

    "Although I don''t know what''s going on inside the head of the new kid. I can for sure tell you that he''s not a clown and your expression looks more like an underpaid clown."

    Fatty ck Bonez said with a wide smile as he looked at Kane and Zephyr who had extremely solemn expressions.

    "So about it skinny clown? Wanna have a go at it?"

    Rosa raised his pinky and wagged it in a e here skinny'' gesture.

 Chapter 321 320: Ears Of Omniscience

    Chapter 321 320: Ears Of Omniscience

    Contrary to what Fatty ck Bonez, Corey and the rest thought, Kane did not curse them nor did he express the rage he was feeling.

    His expression shifted from one of solemnness to that of utter calmness. He nced at Fatty ck Bonez with a cold glint in his eyes, then he shifted his gaze towards Corey.

    Seeing Corey''s nonchnt expression, a confused light shed in his eyes.

    "Make sure you kill him Dante. Nothing less than that would be extremely disgraceful."

    Kane looked at Dante who although had a solemn expression still maintained an air of confidence.

    Although Kane''s voice sounded calm, Dante knew that Kane was angry¡­ really angry.

    Not like it bothered him though.

    Kane did not give a reply nor did he look at Kane. His expression and attitude did not show any sign of him having heard Kane, but Kane and everybody else knew he heard him.

    This would not be the first time Dante would give him such an attitude, and normally, Kane would have gotten angry and most likely gotten into a fight with Dante because of his attitude.

    But right now, he could not be bothered with Dante.

    He just wanted to kill a certain loud mouthed fatty.

    "Hey kid. Are you sure about your decision?"

    Old Man Poison asked without taking his eyes off Zephyr who was looking at Corey with furrowed brows.

    "I''ll survive Master. Don''t worry about me. In fact, I''m more worried about you."

    Corey said with a light smile while looking at his master. Hepletely ignored the gazes of Zephyr and Dante.

    Old man poison gave Corey a nce, then he chuckled.

    "Your nonchnce at our current situation is really something else."

    Corey smiled, then he finally looked at Dante.

    "Well, I think facing your anger is much worse than this."

    Old Man Poisonughed loudly, then he spread out his right hand and a staff with a green orb at its top appeared from thin air.

    "All of you should probably leave this ce. The air is about to get really bad."

    Old Man Poison said, and Corey smiled at Dante.

    "Well¡­ You heard him."

    Corey said, and Dante raised his brows.

    "Let''s take this somewhere else shall we?"

    CLAP!

    The instant Corey said those words, an extremely loud thunder p echoed in the destroyed warehouse and Dante''s eyes widened.

    Before he could react, he saw a hand filled with lightning sparks appear in front of his face and in less than a fraction of a second, the hand grabbed his face and he flew.

    BANG!

    A loud resounding bang spread out in the environment as Corey jumped with all his strength with Dante in his palm.

    BAM!

    The ground cracked as hended and just as he was about to keep on running, he felt Dante''s hand around his wrists and his firm leg stopping his run.

    "Can you not use lightning? It''s a really troublesome power."

    Dante''s voice flowed into Corey''s ears and Corey raised his brows.

    He looked at Dante who was nonchntly using one hand to remove his hand from his face, albeit slowly.

    ''His physical strength is higher than mine.''

    Corey thought, then he smiled.

    "I agree with you. Lightning is truly a troublesome power. I''ve faced somebody who could control it."

    Before Dante could give a response, he felt Corey perform a front leg sweep and Dante felt himself fall at a fast speed.

    He instinctively used one of his abilities and a secondter.

    BOOM!

    A loud explosion shook the surroundings and caused multiple cracks on the ground.

    Cough Cough

    A few secondster, the smoke caused by the explosion dissipated and a soft cough could be heard.

    "What''s with all of you and explosions really?"

    Corey''s voice rang out some meters away from the explosion.

    He wiped off the soot on his body with visible displeasure and a few secondster, he released a soft sigh.

    "Your response is really good. It seems you have morebat experience than the girl Rosa killed."

    Corey said as he observed Dante who calmly and nonchntly got up from the ground.

    Dante wiped off the dirt on his body with an indifferent expression, then he looked at Corey with a slight furrow of his brows.

    "Your strength, reflexes, and perception is not what a tier 2 should ever possess. What are you and why are you hiding your real tier?"

    Dante asked and Corey chuckled softly.

    He didn''t disdain nor mock Dante for his words and thoughts since he would also have the same thoughts if he was in Dante''s shoes.

    He had literally grabbed the face of a tier 4 and dragged him along with him. A feat that should be impossible for any tier 2.

    Although he caught Dante off-guard with the use of sh Step, he had still performed a feat that should not be possible.

    Also, when he was about to m Dante unto the ground, he sensed that Dante was about to execute a skill and he quickly teleported away.

    The timeframe he had was less than a second and he was lucky that his extremely high senses could perceive the huge amount of mana that gathered in Dante''s hand.

    Another reason as to why Dante fully believed that Corey was most likely not a tier 2 and was hiding his tier was when he saved Rosa from Lilith''s arrow.

    When it came to that, Dante could no longer attribute it to Corey''s senses being sharp. When he thought about it, it was like Corey knew beforehand that Lilith was going to shoot an arrow at Rosa''s head.

    When this thought went through Dante''s mind, his expression became more solemn.

    ''Maybe he''s actually a tier three and he has a level 4 Mind''s Eye, Visionary Insight?''

    Dante felt his thought was correct, and if Corey knew, he would honestlyugh.

    Corey obviously did not have a Mind''s Eye yet.

    In fact, the only thing he had that could show him visions of the future was his Tri-Pupil Eye, and that ability of his Tri-Pupil Eye was extremely sporadic and rare. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Ever since he got his Tri-Pupil Eye, he had only received a single vision of his future.

    How Corey was able to know about Lilith''s iing arrow was because of his Ears of Omniscience.

    Corey had heard when Lilith, Zephyr and the rest were 100 meters away from the abandoned warehouse, and he also heard Zephyr telling Lilith to kill Rosa.

    His Ears of Omniscience was not like his Eyes of Omniscience because his Ears of Omniscience was more of a passive ability than an active ability.

    Corey''s hearing ability had reached a level which he could not evenprehend, and he even had a feeling his Ears of Omniscience could hurt him like his Eyes of Omniscience if he was not careful.

    The passive state of his Ears of Omniscience greatly increased Corey''s hearing range, and if Corey wanted, he could increase it the more by infusing mana into his ears.

    But, Corey knew that could affect him if he was not careful.

    Currently, Corey should be running mad because even at this moment, he was constantly hearing things, and this was where his evolved soul came into ce.

    ----

 Chapter 324 323: Coward

    324 323: Coward

    "Poison!"

    Zephyr shouted with a tone filled with shock and disgust as he felt his body warning him of something foreign and dangerous in his system.

    He quickly jumped back, escaping from the range of Old Man Poison''s staff.

    His eyes glowed with a bright orange light, and he observed his body. His vision changed to an infrared vision, and when he observed his body, he noticed a ck substance subtly spreading around his internal system.

    ''If my body wasn''t so sensitive to my internal heat changes, I wouldn''t have known about the poison, and I would have died about thirty minutester.''

    Zephyr calmly thought, then he nced at Old Man Poison, who calmly twirled his staff with a slight smile.

    "People like you truly disgust me. You can never defeat an opponent with your own strength, and you have to rely on a cowardly thing like poison."

    Zephyr spoke with unveiled disgust and disdain, and Old Man Poison nonchntly cleaned his ears with his pinky.

    "Say something different will ya? I''ve heard something simr before."

    Zephyr''s expression became cold when he heard and saw Old Man Poison''s nonchnt tone and expression.

    He was tired of people weaker than him looking at him like he was an ant and not a threat.

    First, it was a tier 2.

    Now, it was a cowardly tier 4 who used poison to fight.

    The level of disrespect he received from these two individuals infuriated him.

    Whoosh!

    The air around Zephyr became warmer, and with a cold expression, Zephyr increased his body''s temperature to a very high degree. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    He intended on burning the poison in his body to nothingness.

    Although he had only fought one poison user, and that was when he was a tier 3, he learned from the fight and knew that a method to remove poison from his body was to increase his body temperature to the extreme.

    If the heat was high enough, any poison could be burnt.

    With this thought in his mind, he calmly and confidently increased his body''s temperature, and Old Man Poison raised a brow.

    Zephyr saw that, and he frowned. He was baffled.

    Just as he was about to speak, his expression changed, and he covered his mouth.

    COUGH!

    A torrent amount of ck blood spewed out from his throat, staining his hand and clothes in the process.

    Thud

    He fell on his knees, and his vision became hazy. His breathing becamebored, and his body became weak, with sweat dripping all over his body.

    Tap Tap

    "It seems you guys reallyckbat experience."

    Old Man Poison''s voice flowed into Zephyr''s ears, and Zephyr tried to look up, but he failed¡­ miserably.

    "The poison in your system is a mid-tier 4 poison, which is one of my favorites."

    Old Man Poison crouched and gazed at Zephyr with an emotionless expression.

    "I call the poison Thermic toxin. Under normal circumstances, the poison is meant to take a long time before it kills you."

    "Now, this is why I like the poison. The poison''s potency increases the more heat it is exposed to."

    Zephyr''s eyes widened the instant he heard Old Man Poison''s voice.

    His head snapped towards Old Man Poison. His facial expression contained an extreme amount of unconcealed shock, and his eyes shed with a light of realization.

    "It seems your underdeveloped brain canprehend what I''m saying. That''s good."

    Old Man Poison calmly spoke while nodding his head. He stood, and with a soft groan, he bent his back backward.

    "Damn. It''s not good to be old."

    Cough! Cough!

    Old Man Poison chuckled softly while shaking his head. He looked at Zephyr, who was coughing out another copious amount of ck blood.

    "As I was saying. The more heat the poison is exposed to, the more its potency increases."

    "Normally, when I use this poison, what increases its potency is when the opponent is worked up and fights in a prolonged fight. Since you''re a fire user, the poison''s potency would obviously increase the more we fought. But¡­"

    Old Man Poison paused, then he released a chuckle filled with mockery as he looked at Zephyr, who was struggling to remain on his knees.

    "You just had to release so much heat on the poison. Now the poison is most likely a tier 5 poison, you know."

    Old Man Poison softly exhaled, then he went to a nearby crate which was not destroyed and sat on it.

    "I thought I was going to have a very difficult fight, but this¡­ this is extremely disappointing."

    09:06

    Zephyr released a guttural groan of anger, and he raised his right hand.

    "Y-you c-coward!"

    Zephyr shouted, and mes appeared on his raised right hand.

    Old Man Poison raised his brows, and with a bored expression on his face, he pointed his staff at Zephyr.

    The orb on the staff and Old Man Poison''s glowed with a dark green light, and in the next instant, Zephyr''s eyes widened.

    GAHHHH!

    Zephyr screamed, and with a loud thud, he fell face t onto the ground.

    ARGHHH!

    Zephyr curled up in a ball while holding his stomach with a pained cry.

    "I wanted to give you a painless death, but since you don''t know your ce, I''ll make you regret yourst minutes in this life."

    Old Man Poison spoke with an emotionless expression as he gazed at Zephyr, who was screaming in pain and rage.

    Meanwhile,

    Zephyr was currently going through various emotions along with an unimaginable amount of pain.

    Old Man Poison had directed the poison to move into his mana core, which waspletelyprised of fire elemental energies.

    His mana core was the hottest part of his body, and it was so hot that a lot of the poison in his body evaporated. But, a minute amount survived, and they adapted to the heat in his mana core.

    The minute amount that survived and adapted shockingly multiplied, and they ravaged his mana core with ravenous ferocity.

    Zephyr gritted his teeth, and a secondter, heughed.

    Heughed so hard that Corey, Dante, Fatty ck Bonez, and the rest could hear despite how far they were.

    "You''ll die you coward! You''ll definitely die you coward! I promise you that!"

    Zephyr shouted with a delirious tone and expression.

    His mind was in shambles, and his will to live was no more.

    His mana core had cracks on it and was getting destroyed by Old Man Poison''s poison.

    Although he knew that there would be a treasure or herb in the House of Hellfire that would be able to heal his cracked mana core. He knew that the House would not use such a herb or treasure on him.

    He was not an important member of the House of Hellfire, nor was he the most talented individual in the House of Hellfire.

    Although he was a top talent in the House of Hellfire, he was not that important that the House would decide to use a precious treasure or herb on him.

    ''If it''s him, then they''ll definitely use everything they have to heal him.''

    Zephyr thought with a maddened grin as the image of a handsome ck-haired male with red and brown eyes shed in his eyes.

    He looked at Old Man Poison, who was looking at him with an emotionless expression.

    ''I''ll see if you''ll still have the same expression when the House makes all of you one of their targets.''

    Zephyr thought with a chuckle, then he coughed out another copious amount of ck blood, and a teardrop flowed down his left eye.

    "I wonder whether Father would care about my death."

    Zephyr mumbled, then the light in his eyes faded, and his breathing stilled.

    Zephyr died.

 Chapter 326 325: God Amongst Mortals

    <h4>Chapter 326 325: God Amongst Mortals </h4>

    ?As the fireballs neared Melissa, Fatty ck Bonez and Triple X, they all unleashed various methods to defend themselves from the onught of fireballs.

    Melissa had Boros, who erged to the size of a duplex, coil around her body.

    Fatty ck Bonez ced hisrge pair of bony hands in front of him and with gritted teeth, he braced for impact.

    Meanwhile, Triple X did not unleash a defensive method. Instead, his body sank into his shadow.

    Hiss! n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Boros hiss which contained a sort of otherworldly power and charm resounded in the environment, and with a sharp and cold glint, it opened its mouth to an unnatural degree and a strange devouring power erupted from its mouth.

    The fireballs which were moving to different parts of Boros body all converged towards Boros widely opened mouth and to Kane''s surprise, about 60% of his fireballs were devoured by the golden eyed white serpent.

    What caused him the most shock was that he lost his connection to the devoured fireballs.

    He lost his connection with his fireballs!

    "What the hell is that snake?"

    Kane voice contained visible shock and confusion as he looked at Boros who got bombarded by the undevoured fireballs.

    BOOM! BOOM!

    BOOM! BOOM!

    The intensity of the explosions and impact on Boros scales was so intense that the nearby buildings broke apart as a result.

    HISSSS!

    Boros hissed in pain and anger as its scales and skin was charred. Its golden blood stained the ground beneath it and as Boros looked at its golden blood on the ground, it hissed once again and looked at Kane in rage.

    Kane ignored the anger exuded by Boros and instead observed the damage done to Boros.

    He could see that the scales which were hit by his fireballs were charred, broken and some were evenpletely destroyed.

    As Kane was observing this strange creature, his eyes widened a few secondster when he saw the injuries on the white serpent heal at an unreal speed.

    "What the fuck?"

    The instant he said those words, his instincts screamed at him and without hesitation, he quickly jumped far away.

    BANG!

    A loud sound reverberated in the surroundings as arge pair of charred bony hands mmed into Kane''s previous location, destroying the ground in the process.

    "Shit."

    Fatty ck Bonez eximed after seeing that he missed the opportunity to kill Kane through a sneak attack.

    rm bells rang in his head and with wide eyes, he looked back, only to see an indifferent looking Kane looking at him.

    "Shit!"

    Fatty ck Bonez shouted with a panicked expression as he saw Kane instantly form a fireball in his hand.

    Just as Kane was about to throw the fireball, he noticed the shadow of his fireball subtly changing and without hesitation, he jumped away from where he stood.

    Swishh!

    A ck scythe emerged from the ground where Kane previously stood.

    "Tch."

    A sound of dissatisfaction emerged after the appearance of the scythe and a secondter, Triple X appeared from the shadow in the ground with the scythe in his hands.

    Fatty ck Bonez walked beside him and with a solemn expression, he said:

    "You missed your chance."

    Triple X nced at him with an emotionless expression, and with an indifferent tone, he said:

    "Didn''t you also?"

    Fatty ck Bonez twitched his lips but didn''t give a reply.

    His brows were furrowed deeply as he looked at Kane who also had deeply furrowed brows as he observed the two of them.

    "Do you think he has a level three Mind''s Eye? His perception and reactions are too good otherwise."

    Fatty ck Bonez questioned without taking his eyes off Kane and Triple X shrugged.

    "Do you think that''s what we should be worrying about?"

    Triple X emotionlessly asked and Fatty ck Bonez nced at the mes around them. His eyes shed with a slightly concerned light, then he brought his gigantic bone hands close to him and with a solemn expression.

    "You''re right. That is not what we should be worrying about."

    Fatty ck Bonez said and Triple X gave no response. Fatty ck Bonez exhaled, and with a light smile, he chuckled softly:

    "Let''s return that skinny clown back to the circus in hell X."

    Fatty ck Bonez said and Triple X slightly smiled.

    Bang!

    Both of them kicked off at the same time and with extremely focused expressions, they ran towards Kane.

    Seeing Fatty ck Bonez and Triple X running towards him, a light of dissatisfaction shed in Kane''s eyes.

    "Do you think tier 4s are just mere jokes?"

    Kane coldly spoke, and with a wide smile, he raised his hands.

    "Let me show you the power of a tier 4."

    Kane said and the eyes of Fatty ck Bonez and Triple X widened.

    "Inferno."

    One word.

    Just one word.

    And what followed was a scene of pure destruction.

    As the skill, Inferno, was unleashed in the abandoned industrial district, a torrent of intense mes engulfed everything in its path.

    Buildings and structures crumbled within a radius of two hundred meters, while the intense heat affected even farther, leaving a distinct mark on the environment.

    The mes consumed remnants of machinery, leaving behind andscape of charred ruins and ckened remnants.

    Seconds went by and the only sound that could be heard was the crackling of the mes and the crumbling of buildings and structures.

    Five secondster, a loudugh echoed in the mes of inferno.

    "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

    "THIS IS THE POWER OF A MYSTIC BEING!!"

    "THIS IS THE POWER THAT MORTALS LIKE YOU CAN NEVER REPRODUCE!!"

    "YOU THINK JUST BECAUSE YOU''RE CALLED AN ASTRAL BEING YOU''RE SPECIAL?!!"

    "YOU''RE NOT!!"

    "YOU''RE ALL MORTALS!!"

    "I AM A GOD AMONGST MORTALS!!!"

    Standing in the midst of the mes was a male wearing crimson trousers along with a dark vest. His eyes and hair now resembled and moved like that of a fiery me.

    Kane''s hands were spread out wide as he gazed at the kneeling duo before him. His eyes contained undisguised disdain and disgust as he looked at Fatty ck Bonez and Triple X.

    "Burn forever in the mes of hell you mortals."

 Chapter 327 326: Unique Ability Of A Tier 4

    <h4>Chapter 327 326: Unique Ability Of A Tier 4 </h4>

    ?In the heart of the scorched industrial district, a sea of mes danced with malevolent grace, casting an eerie glow that painted the surroundings in shades of crimson and obsidian. Amidst the chaotic inferno, two figures knelt with solemn and pained expressions, their forms outlined by flickering tendrils of fire.

    The once bustlingndscape nowy in ruins, with skeletal remains of industrial structures standing as solemn witnesses to the havoc unleashed. Charred debris scattered across the ground like mournful echoes of the district''s former vitality. The air quivered with the oppressive heat, distorting the horizon into wavering mirages.

    The two men, Fatty ck Bonez and Triple X, their bodies etched with the scars of both mes and conflict, knelt with strained breaths.

    Fatty ck Bonez''s body was covered in tattered, broken, and burnt bones of armor. On his body were severe burns, his skin blistered and ckened.

    The other, Triple X, marked by wounds inflicted by the unleashed Inferno, exhibited a mix of burns andcerations. Despite escaping into his shadow, the mes unleashed by Kane still affected him to a severe degree.

    As the mes roared around them, the disdainful figure responsible for the destruction was observed with unmasked contempt. His gaze, filled with icy disdain, surveyed the kneeling men as if reveling in the ruins of their existence.

    Fatty ck Bonez coughed out with a pained expression, and he looked at his surroundings.

    ''This is the unique ability of a tier 4.''

    Fatty ck Bonez thought with a strained smile as he gazed at the mes surrounding him with an absent expression.

    Fatty ck Bonez was not stunned nor surprised by the skill that was unleashed by Kane.

    It was not surprising, and he even expected such a powerful skill to be unleashed by Kane, who was better than an average tier 4.

    Tier 4s were stronger. Much stronger than tier 3s.

    Their immense physical strength, fast reflexes, high perception,rge mana reserves, and powerful skills powered by mystic mana were some of the reasons as to why the difference between a tier 4 and a tier 3 was so vast.

    One of the reasons why Rosa quickly killed Lilith was because she knew she could not give Lilith the chance to use her skills.

    The skills of a tier 4 were extremely powerful, especially when the skill was powered by mystic mana. And Rosa would definitely have sustained severe injuries if she had allowed Lilith to use her skills.

    But, the main reason why Rosa did not allow Lilith to use her skills was due to the unique ability of tier 4s.

    Just like tier 3s, which have the unique ability, Mind''s Eye, tier 4s also possess a unique ability.

    Tier 4s have a unique ability that''s somewhat simr to the ability of creation.

    The mystic mana of tier 4s can interact with the world naturally. Basically, this means that the skills unleashed by tier 4s using mystic mana can affect the world in a ''natural'' way.

    For example, if a tier 4 uses a water skill to unleash an attack or even defend himself or herself, the water created using the skill would remain and would be extremely simr to real water.

    Another example is if a tier 4 creates a mountain using mystic mana, the mountain would seem no different from natural mountains.

    While there are differences between real elements and objects or elements created using mystic mana, the differences are nigh indistinguishable to the mortal''s eye.

    As Fatty ck Bonez looked at the mes all around him, he now understood what truly set apart a tier 4 from a tier 3.

    He knew what was so different between a mystic being and an astral being.

    ''The ability to intricately affect and interact with the world.''

    Fatty ck Bonez thought, then he looked down.

    Assuming it was a tier 3 that unleashed such a skill as Inferno, the mes produced by the skill would have disappeared after some seconds since the mes were not real mes.

    But, the mes from Kane''s Inferno skill were still raging on with a ferocious intensity.

    ''Although the mes would go out after some time. Maybe, ten, twenty, thirty minutes or an hourter. It depends.''

    ''But we can definitely notst that long.''

    Fatty ck Bonez did not know. But what he did know was that they were fucked.

    The mes were trying to burn through their astral mana, which they deployed around their bodies to protect themselves.

    Although Kane was not controlling the mes, the mystic mana contained in the mes was more powerful than their astral mana, and they were having difficulty fending the mes off due to it.

    Not only that¡­

    ''Tier 4s can still control and manipte their skills, which have not been expelled by the world.''

    Fatty ck Bonez thought, then he looked at the mes all around him, and his lips twitched.

    ''Ah fuck.'' n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Fatty ck Bonez did not even want to imagine what their fate would be if Kane used all the mes around them to attack them.

    ''The mystic realm is basically a cheat. Cause what the fuck man.''

    As Fatty ck Bonez thought about how tier 4s and above could still control and manipte their skills which have not been expelled by the world, he realized that tier 4s and above did not need to expend so much mana when fighting.

    Just like Kane, they could just unleash a powerful skill and then control the remnants of the skills left in the world.

    No mana would be used to control the remnants of the skills unleashed. Which meant that tier 4s could fight for a very long time without expending so much mana.

    Fatty ck Bonez released a tired sigh, and just as he did, he felt the mes around him move. he looked at Kane, who had a wide grin.

    Despite the many thoughts that went through the mind of Fatty ck Bonez, only three seconds had passed.

    ''Where the fuck are you Melissa?''

    Fatty ck Bonez thought with a slightly anxious expression as he watched Kane send the mes towards him and Triple X.

    "Fuck!"

    Fatty ck Bonez and Triple X quickly jumped away, with Fatty ck Bonez eximing with a curse when he realized that there were more mes sent at himpared to what was sent to Triple X.

    "Fucking skinny bastard of a clown!"

    Fatty ck Bonez cursed with a vicious expression as he brought out more bones to protect himself.

    Just as he was about to shout the word ''Melissa,'' a loud hiss filled with anger resounded in the minds of Fatty ck Bonez, Triple X, and Kane.

    Kane grinned.

 Chapter 330 329: Ran Away

    <h4>Chapter 330 329: Ran Away </h4>

    ?"You''re not dead Smile Reaper."

    Although Fatty ck Bonez''s words made it seem like he wanted Corey to be dead, the relief and happiness in his tone could not be overlooked.

    "Of course I''m not dead Fatty. Do you think I''d choose to fight somebody I''m not confident in facing?"

    Corey replied with a chuckle filled with nonchnce and a tinge of confidence.

    Melissa and Triple X had surprised expressions upon hearing Corey''s words. They took in Corey''s appearance, and they noticed that aside from the blood stains. slight bruises and torn clothes on his body and face. Corey did not seem to have any other injury.

    Not only that, they could see in Corey''s hand a bloodied arm holding a sword with a red hilt.

    They recognized the sword and the clothes on the arm. Both belonged to Dante, the only man who held a sword and dressed like modern martial artists.

    Although they knew Corey was special since Divine recruited him when he was just a tier 0, they never expected him to be a monster.

    Their minds could not even fathom how a tier 2 could survive a battle with a tier 4. Talk less about survival. They could not even fathom how a tier 2 could kill a tier 4 without sustaining any grievous injuries.

    "Woah man. You killed that tier 4?"

    Fatty ck Bonez walked towards Corey with wide eyes as he observed him like a rare and valuable specimen.

    He pped Corey''s shoulder, and with a surprised tone, he spoke once again:

    "You even killed him without getting a serious injury. You''re really something else aren''t you."

    Fatty ck Bonez touched various parts of Corey''s body, and just as he was about to touch the red sword out of pure curiosity, Corey quickly moved the sword away.

    "Don''t touch the sword. As long as the owner is still alive, the sword won''t allow anybody else to touch it. It would release powerful fire elemental energies into your body, and your insides would melt."

    Corey said, then he raised the sword slightly.

    "This is why I''m not holding the sword but the arm of the tier 4."

    All eyesnded on the sword for a second before a light of realization shed in the eyes of Melissa, Triple X, and Fatty ck Bonez.

    "As long as the owner is still alive?¡­ The tier 4 isn''t dead?"

    Fatty ck Bonez asked with raised brows and a shocked tone.

    His expression, and that of Triple X and Melissa''s, was one to behold.

    Killing a tier 4 as a tier 2 was already a feat that was already heaven-defying in his eyes.

    But, cutting off the arm of a tier 4 was on another level in the eyes of Fatty ck Bonez, Triple X, and Melissa.

    Cutting off the arm of a tier 4 and stilling back alive meant that the tier 4 did not dare fight back for his arm or pride.

    Losing an arm could be considered an act of crippling, and regenerating an arm would require the ability of a very powerful and talented healer.

    Having one''s arm cut off is bad, but if they still have their arm with them, a good healer could still reconnect the arm.

    And depending on the ability and talent of the healer, the arm could either be fully functional or not.

    So, for Dante to not fight back for his arm and his precious sword especially meant Dante felt that he could lose his life or the price he would pay was not worth it.

    How could Fatty ck Bonez, Melissa, and Triple X not be shocked when they realized this?

    To them, it wasn''t long ago when Corey was just a tier 0 weakling. But now, he was a tier 2 who could cause a tier 4 to run for his life and leave behind his arm.

    "He''s not dead. He ran away before I could kill him."

    Corey replied with a shrug as he felt that it was rather unfortunate that he could not kill Dante.

    Although he had the capability to kill a tier 4 on the same level as Dante, he could not prevent them from escaping.

    He was not as fast as Dante, so he could not stop Dante from escaping. It was only with the use of sh Step that Corey was able to cut off Dante''s sword-wielding arm.

    As for why Dante did not fight back for his precious sword and arm?

    It was because of Soul Entropy and Painful Echo.

    During the entire fight, Corey always used Soul Entropy and Painful Echo.

    Soul Entropy shortened Dante''s lifespan and reduced his mystic energy with every sh that Corey unleashed on him.

    The reduction in Dante''s lifespan was not much. In fact, to Corey, it was little, extremely little.

    Corey was taking approximately 0.1% of Dante''s lifespan whenever he sessfully shed a part of Dante.

    0.1% might seem like a lot to some, but one should not forget that the number of times he was able to sessfully sh Dante was not much.

    Dante was physically stronger and faster than him, so the number of sessful shes hended on Dante was not much at all.

    But, despite this thought that Corey had, Dante did not take the skill, Soul Entropy lightly.

    The mere ability of Corey to reduce his lifespan as a mere mortal shocked Dante to his core, and he was afraid.

    Truly afraid.

    To know that a mortal had the ability to reduce the lifespan of a mystic being was extremely frightening.

    Such a skill was considered forbidden by the top powers of the Universe, and normally, a mortal like Corey should not be able to learn such an ability.

    Corey had no idea what forbidden skills were, nor did he know that a mortal like him should have never learned such an ability.

    Though, if he knew, he wouldn''t care one bit.

    As for why Corey was able to learn more than one forbidden skill?

    Corey would find out in the future.

    If all Dante had to worry about was Corey''s ability to reduce one''s lifespan, he definitely would not have run away.

    He would have been more careful and would have made sure that he avoided or defended Corey''s shes.

    Not only did Dante have to worry about Soul Entropy, but Dante also had to deal with another skill, Painful Echo.

    With every strike that Coreynded on Dante, the pain that Dante felt multiplied and magnified.

    At some point, the pain reached a point that Dante could no longer take, and he decided to run away from Corey.

    Although he was physically stronger than Corey, Corey could always predict what move he wanted to use, and it was almost like Dante was fighting an unparalleled martial art master who knew every move he was about to unleash and always had a counter to his every move.

    It was extremely frightening for Dante, and his decision to escape from Corey was one of the right choices he could have made. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    But unfortunately for him, Corey wanted his sword and Corey knew he could not stop Dante from leaving.

    So, he cut off his hand.

    Having one''s hand cut off was an extremely painful experience.

    But, when there was a skill like Painful Echo and Soul Entropy added to it, Dante went through the worst pain he had ever gone through and the pain made his body instinctively run away from Corey.

    A tier 4 running away from a tier 2 because of fear and pain was unheard of in the Underworld, and if people heard of this.

    Nobody would believe it.

    -----

    [A/N: There would be no second chapter today. I have a lot of schoolwork to do. Apologies.]

 Chapter 331 330: Golden Barriers

    <h4>Chapter 331 330: Golden Barriers </h4>

    ?Melissa, Triple X, and Fatty ck Bonez did not know how to respond to the fact that a tier 4 ran away from Corey, a tier 2.

    They could not believe it.

    In fact, their entire being did not want to believe it.

    It just sounded so ridiculous, and their minds instinctively made up reasons or excuses as to how Corey was able to aplish such a feat.

    They came to the conclusion that it was either Corey had an extremely powerful skill or weapon, or the wish he made was a wish that granted him an unimaginable power.

    Havinge up with this conclusion, the minds of Melissa, Triple X, and Fatty ck Bonez were at ease.

    The thought of a tier 2 having the physical strength and capabilities to kill a tier 4 was highly frightening to them.

    ''He''s like Divine. They''re both monsters.''

    This thought went through the minds of the trio, and they were extremely curious about the skills Corey had and the wish he made.

    Although they wanted to ask what his wish was, they didn''t. If they asked and Corey told them, they would have to tell Corey what their wishes were.

    "By the way, where''s Selene, Dave, and Kiefer?"

    Corey asked, and just as he was about to look around, he sensed a presence a few meters away from him.

    "We''re here."

    A charming and indifferent female voice flowed into the ears of Corey, Fatty ck Bonez, Melissa, and Triple X.

    They all turned to the source, and they saw Selene walk toward them with a drunken Dave and a slightly dazed Kiefer.

    Corey nced at each of them with his gaze staying a little bit longer on Dave. He shifted his gaze, and he looked in the distance with a slight furrow of his brows.

    "What are you looking at Smile Reaper?"

    Melissa asked when she noticed Corey gaze into the distance. She had been observing Corey ever since she saw Coreye back with the arm and weapon of a tier 4.

    So, noticing his gaze and slight frown as he looked into the distance, she was curious as to what the wonder kid of their group saw.

    Corey nced at her with a slight raise of his brows. Melissa rarely took the initiative to speak to him, but when he thought about it. He realized that it was not strange that she would suddenly develop an interest in him.

    Ignoring his surprise and suspicions, Corey pointed to the northwestern part of the abandoned industrial district.

    Specifically, the sky.

    "That part of the sky is strange. It''s abnormal."

    Corey wished he could use his Eyes of Omniscience to observe the part of the sky he was looking at. He didn''t know what was actually wrong with the sky, but his high perceptivity could sense arge amount of energy in that part of the sky.

    To be precise, arge amount of mystic energy.

    ''Is a tier 4 or higher hiding there and watching us?''

    Corey deeply frowned as this thought went through his mind.

    When he thought about it, he realized that it wouldn''t be surprising a mystic being would be watching them.

    The sh of energies and destruction done to the abandoned industrial district was not minor, and the noise caused as a result of the battles was not quiet at all. A mystic being had high senses, and it wouldn''t be surprising that a tier 4 or above would sense their fight.

    Although they were in an abandoned industrial district, there was no way a mystic being with high senses would not be able to perceive the battle that unfolded.

    Corey cursed himself for not thinking that their battle could be perceived.

    He totally forgot to take into ount that mystic beings nearby would be able to sense their battle, and as a result of his carelessness, a stealthy tier 4 or higher was most likely watching all their battles, and who knows what consequences they would face.

    Corey was most especially worried about the unknown mystic being seeing his abilities. He used his fog maniption abilities mainly not to allow his teammates and Dante''s teammates to see him fight, but if the unknown being was a tier 5 with powerful ocr skills, then his abilities might be exposed.

    ''I was careless.''

    Corey released a deep sigh as his mind thought of something worse.

    If the unknown mystic being was a tier 5, they could also be in trouble.

    He was absolutely sure that he and his teammates could not handle a tier 5, and the probability of them dying if the tier 5 decided to attack them was extremely high.

    "Your senses are unnaturally sharp Smile Reaper. I can''t believe you were able to notice my formations in the air."

    These words flowed into Corey''s ears, and Corey turned his head to Dave, who was looking at him with a surprised expression.

    Corey looked at Dave for a second, and then his eyes moved to the strange part of the sky.

    Without waiting for Corey to speak or give a reply, Dave snapped his fingers, and the strange part of the sky rippled.

    Corey''s eyes widened when he saw a strange translucent golden barrier filled with runes appear in the peculiar part of the sky.

    He turned his head to the side, and he saw the same barrier surrounding the entire abandoned industrial district.

    The entire abandoned industrial district!

    Corey''s eyes widened as he stared at the extremelyrge barrier with a stunned expression.

    "I knew you guys had forgotten that other mystic beings would be able to sense the fight here, so I set up an array and various formations around the entire industrial district."

    "If I didn''t, we would either be dead, or our fates would be worse than death."

    Dave spoke nonchntly, then took in a huge gulp from his wine sk and released a satisfied sigh.

    Corey took a while before his shock reduced. He stared at Dave with a strange gaze and hidden thoughts for a few seconds, and then he looked at Kiefer before looking at Selene.

    "Is she dead?"

    Selene nodded while giving Dave a short nce.

    Corey noticed that, and he raised his brows.

    He knew that Selene was telling the truth since he would immediately sense the moment Selene was telling a lie.

    Although he was curious as to why she nced at Dave, he decided not to ask.

    "Let''s pick up Rosa, then we meet up with Master." As Corey spoke, he looked at Melissa, then Triple X.

    He paused, and then his gazended on Fatty ck Bonez, who looked at him with raised brows.

    "Then we think of a way to release Divine from prison."

    Corey said with a slight grin, and Fatty ck Bonez''s eyes shone.

    ------- n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    [A/N: I don''t know if I''ll be able to write another chapter today since I''m so busy. School has begun and I already feel drained.]

 Chapter 332 331: I Have A Way

    <h4>Chapter 332 331: I Have A Way </h4>

    ?"So what''s next Smile Reaper?"

    Inside an isted residential building were eight individuals: Corey, Old Man Poison, Fatty ck Bonez, and the rest.

    All eyes were on Corey after Fatty ck Bonez asked the question that was on the minds of every single individual present¡­ including Corey.

    Corey nced at the faces of the people he had formed a sort of bond with ever since he was brought into the Underworld.

    If he was told in the past that there woulde a time when people higher tiered than him would sit and await his decision like he was their king or leader¡­

    He would not be surprised.

    Ever since the apocalypse started and Corey was given his talent, he always knew that he was destined for greatness.

    Although he acted like a fool and an idiot when the apocalypse started, he always had this feeling that he was special.

    This feeling did not juste from anywhere but from his talent, Omniscience.

    His talent instilled some sort of pride and belief in him from the beginning, and Corey had a few thoughts and questions rted to his talent.

    As Corey looked at his allies, his eyesnded on Rosa who was no longer asleep after he helped heal the injuries in her body.

    He rubbed his chin a few times with his brows slightly furrowed in thought. A few secondster, he stopped, then he spoke:

    "I need to know what exactly happened to Divine. What did he do exactly? What did he steal? How did he get captured? Where is he imprisoned? What''s his current status? "

    "Tell me everything you know."

    Corey questioned while leaning into the chair where he was sitting.

    Rosa rubbed her arms slightly, and she adjusted her sitting posture. She released a soft sigh, and her lips parted open to speak:

    "Divine-"

    "Let me take it from here Rosa. Although your injuries are healed, you still need to rest."

    Just as Rosa was about to speak, Dave interrupted with a light smile.

    Rosa looked at Dave with a slightly surprised expression, then she nodded and rested her back on the couch she was sitting on.

    "Hmm."

    Dave hummed a little bit, then he spread out his right hand, and a transparent stic bottle appeared in his hand.

    Seeing the bottle in Dave''s hand, Corey raised a brow at Dave,

    "It''s just water, and I''m thirsty."

    Dave said, then he took a gulp from the bottle of water. "Much better." Dave released a sigh of satisfaction; then he looked at Corey.

    "I''m sure you know that Divine was imprisoned because he was caught stealing an object from the mansion of the Underworld Lord of the Central Area of the City of Sin."

    Dave said with a questioning tone, and Corey nodded.

    "What you know and heard is not wrong. Divine tried to steal from the Central Underworld Lord, and he was caught."

    Dave said, and Corey furrowed his brows slightly. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "Divine told us a week before that fateful day that he had to take a certain object from the Central Underworld Lord, and you can imagine how shocked we were when he told us."

    "I asked him how confident he was that he wouldn''t be caught, and his exact words were: ''I would never do something that would cost me my life, nor would I do something where my chance of sess is low.''"

    Dave paused and took in another gulp from the water bottle in his hand. Meanwhile, Corey''s frown was slightly deeper as he pondered on the words Dave said.

    "Even though Divine was confident in his sess, I wasn''t. I could guess the consequences we would all face if he failed, so I told him I wanted to see the fate of his operation¡­"

    Dave took a brief pause, and a slightly bitter smile appeared on his lips.

    "But that arrogant fool told me not to check his fate. He said that if he always needed assurance from me for whatever action he wanted to perform, then he would always stagnate. He would never improve as a warrior and a leader."

    Dave chuckled softly with a tinge of bitterness in his voice.

    Although he knew that Divine''s words were not wrong at all, he still wished that Divine had allowed him to see his fate. As a result of his failure, he caused them a lot of pain, suffering, and difort.

    He knew that it was not Divine''s fault, but he was still slightly displeased regardless.

    Sigh

    Dave released a soft sigh. Then he took in another gulp from the bottle of water.

    "Divine didn''t specify what he wanted to steal, he only said that it was an extremely important object that would help us when we want to escape the Underworld."

    Corey raised his brows.

    "We don''t know how Divine failed, but he failed. Also, it was not made public as to where Divine was imprisoned, but I know that he was imprisoned in the Central Area of the City of Sin."

    Corey looked at him with a questioning expression, and Dave pointed at his eyes.

    "I divined his location. But I could only get a general location. I''m notpletely sure if he''s in the main prison of the Central Area "

    Dave said, and Corey rubbed his chin.

    "He was also sentenced to life imprisonment," Dave said, then he finished the remaining water in the stic bottle.

    Corey rubbed his chin with a pondering expression. He had a few thoughts and questions after what Dave told him. Some of those thoughts were not exactly good and could cause a dispute amongst the group, so he decided not to say anything yet.

    He looked at Dave and spoke: "Is that all you know?"

    Corey asked, and Dave nodded.

    "Information on Divine is so expensive to the point that even Divine would not be able to pay for it, which is not surprising since he literally offended the Central Underworld Lord."

    Dave said while gesturing with a pissed-off expression, and Corey released a deep sigh. He frowned deeply, and then he spoke:

    "We need to meet up with Divine so that we''ll know what to do and so that we''ll not make a wrong move. And we need to meet up with Divine in the next hour at most."

    "Although your barrier prevented people from sensing our battle, the remaining members from the House of Hellfire would know something is wrong when the people they sent don''te back."

    Corey said, and Dave and the rest nodded with solemn expressions.

    Although they were able to defeat the group the House of Hellfire sent to them, who was to say that a tier 5 would not be sent to them next time? Or worse, every member of the House of Hellfire that was currently present in the Underworld.

    Just the thought of such a future made all of them solemn and slightly nervous.

    "You''re right. But how can we meet him? Even if we use all of our Value Points, I don''t think we''ll be given permission to see Divine."

    Melissa asked with a curious tone, and Corey looked at her with a smile.

    "I have a way, don''t worry. It''ll probably cost a bit, though."

 Chapter 333 332: Central Area of The City of Sin

    <h4>Chapter 333 332: Central Area of The City of Sin </h4>

    ?A few meters before a majestic and towering gate stood a figure who possessed an unearthly handsome face, body, and aura. His deep violet and light blue eyes bore a visible light of curiosity as he observed the gate and wall before him.

    "So this is the gate and wall of the Central Area."

    The male figure, Corey, spoke with a tone filled with slight awe and curiosity.

    The gates, towering like sentinels of progress, were crafted from sleek, reflective, and precious materials that seemed to capture the essence of the city''s advanced aesthetic. The gates bore intricate patterns, a fusion of geometric elegance and technological precision.

    As Corey stepped closer, he noticed the symbols etched into the surface. Each symbol had a specific function and meaning, and Corey barely understood the meanings and functions of the symbols. Soft hues of ambient light emanated from the gates, casting an ethereal glow that hinted at the brilliance within.

    Corey''s gaze moved from the gate to therge walls that surrounded the entire Central Area of the City of Sin. The walls were entirely ck and made out of a material he had never seen before.

    Although there were no symbols or etchings on the walls, Corey knew the walls were extremely dangerous. The walls possessed an enormous amount of mystic energy and an unknown energy. The unknown energy was extremely strange to Corey, and although he was curious about the energy, he decided to remove his mind from it.

    He had a feeling that he was not yet at the level where he would be able to understand the unknown energy.

    Corey''s gaze shifted from the walls to the gate, and he took a few steps forward, then he stopped.?A certain symbol on the gate glowed, and in the blink of an eye, a light beamnded on Corey.

    Specifically, his left wrist, which had his U-Watch.

    His U-Watch made several beeping sounds, and a few secondster, it stopped, and the light beam receded.

    Adam felt a subtle vibration beneath his feet. The gates, equipped with responsive technology and magic, recognized his presence and gracefully began to part. A mesmerizing dance of interlocking panels unfolded, revealing a corridor that beckoned him into the city beyond.

    The air around the gates crackled with a sense of anticipation as if the very atmosphere held its breath in reverence. As Corey stepped through, he felt a gentle breeze carrying the city''s essence¡ªa blend of innovation, nature, human ingenuity, and¡­ purity.

    Looking back, Corey glimpsed the gates closing behind him, sealing off the utopian central area of the city of sins from the world outside. The transition from the ordinary to the extraordinary was marked by those majestic gates, a threshold between the known and the unknown.

    Corey''s heart quickened with a little bit of anticipation as he stepped through the gleaming gates, entering the central area of the city of sins. A ce where almost every Underworld resident and even official wished to enter and live.

    A ce that was considered a top masterpiece of the Underworld.

    A sense of wonder enveloped him, and his eyes widened at the breathtaking panorama that unfolded. Tall towers adorned with shimmering surfaces stretched towards the heavens, capturing the essence of a city that seemed to transcend the boundaries of imagination.

    The air, tinged with a hint of innovation and ''pure'' energy, filled Corey''s lungs as he stood along the meticulously crafted boulevards. His senses were on overdrive, absorbing the symphony of unfamiliar sounds¡ªsoft hums of electric vehicles gliding effortlessly, the subtle chirping of holographic disys, and the distant echoes ofughter from bustling cafes. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    ''What the hell?''

    This was Corey''s thought as he gazed at the Central Area of the City of Sin.

    When Divine told -

    "Please do not stand in front of the gate for a long time, Mr. Smile Reaper."

    An electronic voice flowed into Corey''s ears, disrupting his thoughts.

    He turned to his left, and he saw three humanoid androids looking at him with their cold and emotionless eyes. Corey turned to his right, and he saw three more humanoid androids staring at him.

    ''I was careless.''

    ''I was so shocked by the city that I failed to sense their presence.''

    Corey thought to himself, and then he nodded at the android that spoke and walked away from the gate.

    As Corey walked deeper into the Central Area, he received strange gazes from some people who wondered how a tier 2 could gain enough Value Points to enter the Central Area.

    Although they were curious, they did not really care.

    It wouldn''t be their first time seeing a tier 2e from the outer areas. A resident of the Central Area could have paid or gotten permission for Corey to enter the Central Area.

    Besides, what damage can a tier 2 cause to one of the safest and most secure ces in the Underworld?

    Corey could sense the stares and gazes he received from the people around him, but he didn''t care. He was more engrossed in the beauty and aesthetics of the Central Area.

    When Divine described the Central Area of the City of Sin, Divine definitely underwhelmed its beauty by arge degree.

    Every step he took felt like a journey into the unknown, and Corey couldn''t help but marvel at the fusion of nature and technology. Vertical gardens, suspended in mid-air, painted the cityscape with bursts of greenery. Smart benches adorned with interactive disys greeted him, showcasing the city''smitment to seamlessly integrating the digital and physical realms.

    As Corey ventured deeper, the city''s heart revealed itself¡ªa central hub adorned with architectural wonders. The skyline, adorned with kic light disys and holographic projections, left him in awe.

    The buildings, adorned with energy-efficient exteriors, seemed to pulse with life, echoing the vibrancy of a society that had embraced progress without sacrificing its connection to the environment.

    Parks andmunal spaces became oases of tranquility amidst the urban hustle. A sense of harmony prevailed as Underworld residents engaged in animated conversations, their faces illuminated by holographic interfaces that mirrored the vitality of the metropolis.

    Corey''s thoughts danced between disbelief and solemnity as he observed everything in the Central Area of the City of Sin.

    ''Divine was right. An Underworld resident should never live here.''

 Chapter 335 334: Interference

    <h4>Chapter 335 334: Interference </h4>

    ?At the heart of the Central Area of the City of Sin stood the central hub- a titanic structure that seemingly touched the heavens. Its sleek fa?ade, adorned with reflective surfaces, captured the luminescence of the city, creating an ethereal glow that pulsed with the rhythm of innovation.

    The central hub rose majestically, its height dwarfing the surrounding skyscrapers. As Corey stood before the towering structure, he felt a sense of awe wash over him. The hub''s colossal presence dominated the skyline, a symbol of the city''s ambitions of reaching new heights.

    As Corey observed the central hub, he squinted his eyes, and upon closer inspection, the intricacies of its design unfolded.

    Cascading waterfalls adorned the sides of the hub, creating a harmonious blend of nature and technology. Lattice-like patterns, woven into the colossal structure, seemed to channel both mystic energy and the unknown energy Corey sensed on the walls and gate of the Central Area.

    ''It''s almost asrge as the Emporium.'' Corey thought, and then he entered the building.

    As Corey entered the expansive atrium at the hub''s base, he was slightly stunned at the vastness within. Tall, slender pirs reached towards the ceiling, supporting an intricate web of transparent walkways that crisscrossed above. The air hummed with a faint resonance that only mystical beings and above, or beings with unique hearing abilities like Corey, could hear.

    A feeling of serenity and calmness permeated the atmosphere with every hum of the resonance, and Corey was slightly intrigued by this.

    Any normal mortal would feel at peace staying in this ce, but since Corey was anything but normal, he was not affected.

    ''Interesting.''

    Corey thought, then he continued his observation of the central hub''s interior.

    Elevators equipped with state-of-the-art technology ascended the towering structure, ferrying residents and visitors to its upper reaches. A panoramic view awaited those who reached the observation decks, offering a breathtaking vista of the city''s sprawlingndscape and the promise of a limitless future.

    As Corey gazed at the central hub''s interior, he could not appreciate its beauty andck ofplexity.

    "I''m not going to lie. This ce is actually beautiful. It can bepared to the Emporium."

    "I know right. Even I was surprised when I saw this ce."

    Corey''s eyes widened to its limit, and in less than a fraction of a second, he jumped forward and crouched in an offensive stance.

    "Huh? What sort of speed and reflex is that?"

    Corey''s eyes became cold as he gazed at the owner of the voice, and he saw a middle-aged man with red hair, red eyes, and a full beard. The man wore apletely red robe of a mage.

    Its surface danced with intricate patterns resembling swirling infernos, and the mes seemed to be in a perpetual state of motion as if they harbored the secrets of a living ze.

    The edges of the robe were adorned with shimmering threads that mimicked the glow of smoldering embers, casting an ever-present warmth around the wearer. Intricately embroidered sigils, radiant in hues of crimson and gold, adorned the hem.

    As the wearer moved, the robe responded like a living entity, and Corey had a suspicion that the robe could be¡­ alive?

    Although the robe of the middle-aged man stood out, what truly caught Corey''s attention was the symbol on the forehead of the middle-aged man.

    The symbol of a shifting me.

    The symbol was extremely familiar to Corey since it had not been a long time since he saw it.

    The symbol of The House of Hellfire. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    ''Why is a member of the House of Hellfire here?''

    ''And why does it seem like he was looking for me especially?''

    Corey thought as he gazed at the middle-aged man who was looking at his outstretched hand with a frown.

    "Your speed and reflex is not what a tier 2 should have. It''sparable to that of a tier 4."

    The middle-aged man questioned as he lowered his arm and looked at Corey with raised brows.

    "I''m sure you''re a mortal, which means you should be a tier 3."

    The middle aged man spoke while looking at Corey from up to down with an assessing gaze.

    "So, I''m curious. Why do you hide your true tier?"

    The middle-aged man asked, and Corey remained silent. He slowly stood and continued looking at the middle-aged man with a cold gaze.

    ''Record.''

    Corey activated the skill, Record, and rapidly changing numbers, letters, and symbols appeared in his left eye.

    "Who are you?"

    Corey asked with a cold tone. He nned on wasting as much time as possible so that his talent skill, Record, could analyze the middle-aged man before him.

    The middle aged man raised his brows at Corey''s question, then he chuckled.

    "You''re just a mortal, and youck respect. Such arrogance and confidence is rarely seen in mortals."

    The middle-aged man shook his head, and Corey''s heart rate increased a little. His stance subtly changed in a way that would allow him to react in the quickest way possible to any movement from the man.

    Corey did not need his talent skill to know the tier of the man before him. His senses and past experience allowed him to know that the man before him was not an ordinary mystic being.

    ''If I''m lucky, he''s an extremely powerful tier 4. If I''m unlucky¡­ he''s a tier 5.''

    Corey thought with a drop of sweat moving from his forehead to his chin. The drop of sweatnded on the ground, and the man noticed this.

    "Seems you''re not as confident and arrogant as I believed. Smile Reaper."

    The middle-aged man said with a smile, and Corey squinted his eyes.

    "You know me."

    Corey said, and the middle-aged man chuckled.

    "Why would I ever bother myself with a tier 2 if I don''t have business with him or her."

    The middle-aged man shook his head, and Corey''s mind raced with numerous thoughts and possibilities.

    "So what business does a powerful mystic being have with a low-level mystical being like me?"

    Corey asked with an emotionless tone, and the lips of the middle-aged curled up.

    "Why do you keep on asking me useless questions kid? Are you actually dumb or you''re trying to y dumb?"

    The middle-aged man spoke with a disappointed tone, but Corey remained silent.

    "Aren''t you here to meet the heir of The House of Divine?"

    The middle-aged man questioned with a smirk, and Corey''s eyes shed with a cold light.

 Chapter 336 335: What The Bloody Hell?

    <h4>Chapter 336 335: What The Bloody Hell? </h4>

    ?"Aren''t you here to meet the heir of The House of Divine?"

    The moment those words entered Corey''s ears, a horrifying conclusion came to his mind, and a cold light shed through his eyes.

    No words escaped Corey''s lips despite the urge to ask the question: "How did you know?"

    The only change in his expression was the slight frown and coldness in his eyes.

    "No words?"

    The middle-aged man asked with a light smile, but Corey was not provoked.

    "Well, I don''t need you to say anything." The middle-aged man paused, then he gestured to the side. "So, don''t do anything stupid ande with me."

    Corey nced at the middle-aged man''s hand, and then he looked around.

    He noticed that the gazes of most, if not all, of the people around them were on both of them. The gazes he felt were not only from the people he could see. He could also perceive the gazes of people who were from the top floors on him.

    When Corey noticed this, he frowned.

    A majority had stopped what it was that they were doing, and their gazes were filled with intrigue and curiosity as they watched a powerful mystic being speaking to an arrogant tier 2.

    It was not every time they saw a powerful mystic being take an interest in a tier 2.

    And, it was also not every time that they saw a tier 2 that was fearless before a mystic being.

    They were curious as to why a mystic being would take an interest in a weak tier 2. Not only that, they were interested in seeing how this confrontation would unfold.

    Most of them knew who the middle-aged man was, and they knew just how powerful and dangerous he was.

    To them, Corey was just an arrogant amoeba who didn''t know his ce.

    Corey could guess the thoughts in the minds of everyone who was watching the confrontation between the two of them.

    Not only did he know the thoughts that everybody had, but he also knew why the middle-aged man did not outright capture him with force.

    That was because of a rule: No fighting in the central hub.

    The rule was only made up of six words. However, the amount of respect and fear the residents had towards this rule was immense.

    Divine told him that was the number one structure where a fight was not allowed to ur no matter what.

    Those who failed to obey that rule all died terrible and painful deaths, and it was obvious that the middle-aged man also feared this rule.

    As for Corey, he could not depend on the rule to save himself.

    Although the rule disallowed fights from urring in the central hub, a fight could only ur between two equally strong men.

    A fight could only ur between two adults or two children.

    If there was a ''fight'' between an adult and a child, it would not be considered a fight. It would be considered a yful ''fight'', or a really funny joke.

    In this instance, Corey was the child, and the middle-aged man was the adult.

    Corey knew. Corey absolutely knew that if the man wanted, he could knock Corey out, and Corey would not be able to respond.

    -----

    Title: Ember Elder

    ss: Ember Magus

    Talent: Nil (Not a native of a Blessed)

    Affiliation: House of Hellfire

    Tier: Tier 5

    -----

    ''What a fucking mess.''

    This was Corey''s thought as he looked at the stats that mattered to him the most.

    Normally, Corey should not be able to use ''Record'' on the middle-aged man since the difference in tier was greater than two.

    There were a lot of changes that happened to Corey after he went through the baptism of the Eye of God, and one of them was his talent skill, Record.

    In the beginning, Record could, at most, analyze the stats of beings that were a tier above him. After using the skill evolution crystal, Record could analyze the stats of beings that were two tiers above him.

    Now, Record could analyze the stats of beings that were three tiers above him.

    ''Now, what do I do?"

    This was the main question on Corey''s mind as his mind spun on ways he could escape the Ember Elder of the House of Hellfire.

    "Seems you''re not taking me seriously, kid." N?v(el)B\\jnn

    The Ember Elder''s voice flowed into his ears, and in the blink of Corey''s eye, the Ember Elder vanished from his spot, and Corey''s pupils constricted.

    An inch.

    Just an inch away from Corey''s eyes were the red eyes of the Ember Elder, and Corey''s heart skipped a beat.

    ''So fast!''

    Despite the shock, fear, and thoughts that went through Corey''s mind and heart, his response did not even show a hint of any of these.

    The instant the Ember Elder vanished from his eyes, his body immediately activated one of his skills.

    The time difference between the disappearance of the Ember Elder and the activation of his skill was almost negligible. Such a thing would not have been possible, no matter how quick Corey''s reflexes were.

    It was only possible through the use of a star of consciousness, and as Corey''s main mind was filled with different thoughts and emotions, the star of consciousness he assigned to control his body''s reflexes instantly activated the best skill to use in such a situation.

    As the Ember Elder stood before Corey, he stretched out his hand, wanting to grab Corey. But to his shock, Corey vanished, and the Ember Elder sensed a familiar and also unfamiliar energy radiating from Corey.

    "Spatial energy? Teleportation?"

    The Ember Elder blurted out in shock as he turned to his right, where Corey stood with sweat running down his head.

    Corey exhaled and inhaled deeply and roughly as he felt exhausted and in pain from using the skill, Teleportation.

    Cough!

    Corey coughed out a mouthful of blood, and he fell to one knee. Countless cuts appeared on all parts of his body, and a deep sense of confusion appeared in Corey''s eyes.

    "Wha- What the bloody hell?"

 Chapter 339 338: Divine?

    <h4>Chapter 339 338: Divine? </h4>

    ?Seconds went by as Corey went up the stairs along with the tier 6. At first, he was tense since he had no idea what the tier 6 wanted. Butter, he calmed down and thought about the behavior and the way the tier 6 interacted with him from the moment he appeared.

    The behavior of the tier 6 had been strange ever since he appeared. He did not force Corey to expose his status window, nor did he try to capture Corey for himself.

    The tier 6''s behavior insinuated that he meant Corey no harm despite their vast power difference. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Although Corey''s feelings and the conclusion he came to, meant that the tier 6 most likely meant him no harm. Corey did not let down his guard, no matter what.

    A thought came to Corey''s mind, then hemunicated with Nina:

    ''Can I see what you showed him on my status window Nina?''

    Corey requested, and a status window appeared a secondter.

    -----

    *BASIC INFORMATION*

    Name: Corey Junior Zane

    Race: Demi-Human (Giants)

    Brand Level: 3

    Affiliation: House of Divine (Semi)

    ss: Poison Warlock

    Talent: Void Mage

    Language: English

    Title(s): Nil

    Tier: 2

    Level: 200

    *ATTRIBUTES*

    Strength: Green Star [20%]

    Agility: Green Star [20%]

    Dexterity: Green Star [20%]

    Constitution:?Green Star [20%]

    Intelligence: Green Star [20%]

    Endurance: Green Star [20%]

    Astral Mana: Green Star [20%]

    Free A.P: 10%

    *Hidden Attributes*

    Luck: ???/100

    Charisma: ???/100

    Wisdom: ???/???

    *SKILLS*

    Talent Skill: Void Teleportation (Semi)

    Passive: Silent Steps (Intermediate)

    Active: Super Jump (Intermediate), Hexagon Barrier (Master), Miasmic Wind (Basic)

    Passive-Active: gue Whispering (Basic)

    Knowledge Skills: Herbal Knowledge (Novice), Anatomical Knowledge (Novice)

    Maniption Skills: Poison Maniption (Basic), Fog Maniption (Novice)

    *RESISTANCES*

    Fear Resistance- Level 4

    Poison Resistance- Level 3

    *EQUIPMENTS*

    Dual Battle Axes ¨C Orange Grade

    Wind Swords- Orange Grade

    *PET/MOUNT*

    Nil

    *SYSTEM REMARK*: An Above Average Tier 2. Work harder, and you may surpass your limits and unlock your bloodline of the giants.

    ----

    Corey''s eyes widened slightly as he gazed at the tampered status window before him.

    ''That''s a lot of changes.'' Corey thought with surprise and a tinge of relief.

    Nina made so many changes to his status window, and if he started listing down all of them, it would take so much time.

    Although he wanted to ask Nina about specific changes she made, he decided not to since it might take a lot of time.

    He also wanted his whole attention to be on the situation he was currently in.

    "You know."

    The familiar voice of the tier 6 flowed into his ears, and Corey''s full attention was on him.

    "When Divine told me that a tier 2 would be the one toe here most likely, I didn''t believe him at all."

    "Divine?" Corey was stunned.

    The Tier 6 stopped climbing the stairs, then he turned towards Corey with a small smile.

    Corey expected him to continue speaking, but he didn''t, and Corey was slightly frustrated.

    "What do you mean by what you just said?"

    Corey asked, and the tier 6 waved his index finger.

    "Wrong question."

    The Tier 6 spoke with the same small smile, and Corey frowned.

    Corey looked down, and the gears in his mind spun for a second.

    "Who are you?"

    Corey looked at the tier 6 with a deep frown, and the tier 6 chuckled.

    "Most residents of the Central Area know me, but since you''re not a Central resident, it''s not surprising that you don''t know me."

    The tier 6 said, and then he continued walking up the stairs, which seemed to have no end.

    "I''m the guardian of the central hub of the Central Area. Apart from the Lord of the Central Area, I possess the highest authority in the Central Area."

    "You can call me Vice-Lord."

    The tier 6 calmly said, and Corey''s eyes shed.

    "How do you know Divine? And what is your rtion to Divine?"

    Corey asked the two most important questions on his mind, and the Vice-Lord gave him a nce.

    [I''m an ally of Divine.]

    The Vice-Lord mentally transmitted, and his words stunned Corey.

    "What?"

    Corey stayed rooted on the spot and subconsciously spoke out loud.

    His eyes bore a mixture of disbelief and confusion at the words of the Vice-Lord, and the Vice-Lord chuckled.

    "You''re confused."

    The Vice-Lord spoke with a tinge of amusement in his tone, and Corey responded:

    "Of course I am."

    The Vice-Lord chuckled once again, then he mentally transmitted to Corey once again:

    [Divine helped me with something in the past, and we became allies.]

    [Although I knew that Divine was unique and a troublemaker, I never expected him to even think of robbing the home of the Lord of the Central Area.]

    [In fact, he almost put me in serious trouble with the Lord in the process.]

    The Vice-Lord paused, and Corey released a relieved sigh.

    They had reached the end of the stairs.

    [Normally, I can reduce the sentence or punishment given to a criminal in the Underworld, but Divine''s crime was something I could not reduce at all.]

    The Vice-Lord said as they walked in apletely white corridor. The corridor was in, and it also had no doors or any other object.

    ''Creepy.''

    Corey thought as he walked behind the Vice-Lord.

    [I spoke to Divine, and he told me that somebody from his group members would show up.]

    The Vice-lord paused, and then he gave Corey a nce.

    [He said a tier 2 would most likely be the one toe.]

    The Vice-Lord said, and Corey furrowed his brows.

    [I was baffled when he said that a tier 2 would most likely be the one to visit him. I thought it was a n of his or something else. But, after looking at your status window, I now know you''re not a regr tier 2.]

    [You''re unique, just like the remaining members of his group.]

    The Vice-Lord said, then he stopped.

    Corey also stopped, then he looked at the front and saw a white elevator door.

    "You have a permit to see him right?"

    The Vice-Lord asked out loud, no longermunicating mentally with Corey.

    Corey nodded, and the Vice-Lord nodded also.

    "Enter the elevator, and it''ll take you to Divine."

    The Vice-Lord gestured towards the elevator door, and with a ''ding,'' the door parted open.

 Chapter 340 339: Ninaéˆ¥æªš Mistake?

    <h4>Chapter 340 339: Nina''s Mistake? </h4>

    ?"Enter the elevator, and it''ll take you to Divine."

    As the door to the elevator opened, Corey nced at it before shifting his gaze back to the Vice-Lord.

    "Anything I should know before meeting Divine?"

    Corey asked, and the Vice-Lord shrugged.

    "Nothing really. The cells of every prisoner here are kept in a different space, so you wouldn''t be able to meet any other prisoner aside from Divine." The Vice-Lord paused, and then he nced at Corey''s U-Watch.

    "That is, as long as your permit is for Divine''s cell and no other prisoner''s cell."

    Corey nced at his U-Watch, and then he walked to the elevator. Just as he was about to enter the elevator, he stopped.

    "Just out of in curiosity." Corey paused, and the Vice-Lord raised his brows.

    "What would happen if I enter the elevator and I don''t have a permit?" n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Corey asked, then he turned to the Vice-Lord with an emotionless expression. "Would you be the one to stop me?"

    The instant Corey finished speaking, the atmosphere became tense, and the Vice-Lord became expressionless.

    He gazed straight into Corey''s eyes, and to his surprise and confusion, he felt a strange feeling.

    A strange sense of inferiority.

    The more he looked into Corey''s eyes, the more peculiar the feeling became, and he frowned.

    "If you enter without a permit, I won''t be the one to stop you. The systems and formations in the elevator and the surroundings would eliminate you to the point where not a single part of your body and soul would exist."

    The Vice-Lord spoke calmly and emotionlessly, then a secondter, his eyes became cold, and he unleashed a small fraction of his aura.

    "Although the systems and formations would kill you, I''ll make sure to kill you myself since that means you take me for a fool."

    Corey''s expression did not change despite the aura of the Vice-Lord. He made a ''Hmm'' sound, then he walked into the elevator, which closed a few secondster.

    Seconds passed, and the Vice-Lord did not move an inch from where he stood. His brows were deeply furrowed with visible confusion as he remembered the emotionless eyes of Corey and the strange sense of inferiority he felt.

    "Why was I feeling inferior to him?"

    He mumbled, and a few secondster, he shook his head.

    "It was most likely a mistake. How can I, a tier 6, feel inferior to a tier 2."

    The Vice-Lord released a soft sigh as he came up with a reason for such a feeling. He gave the elevator onest nce then he walked away.

    Meanwhile, as Corey stood in the elevator, which felt like it wasn''t moving at all, various thoughts came into his mind.

    Ever since he arrived in the Central Area of the City of Sin, he observed and became aware of various things.

    A few shook him, some gave him some ideas, while some intrigued him.

    Currently, the main thing on Corey''s mind was the time he felt his luck reduce.

    Corey looked at his left palm, and numbers slowly appeared.

    Karmic Luck Value ¡ú 733.21

    ''It reduced by 56.21?''

    Corey frowned as he looked at his new luck value. His previous natural luck value was 789.42, but now, it was 733.21.

    Corey did not know how to feel with this sort of reduction, and he didn''t know if the amount removed was small or what it actually meant.

    He had not encountered any lucky opportunity, nor did he see any lucky treasure around him. The only thing that came to his mind was that the reason his luck was reduced was because of the appearance of the Vice-Lord.

    ''My luck reduced after I tried to teleport, and then the Vice-Lord appeared to save me from the Ember Elder.''

    Corey''s brows furrowed slightly as a pondering expression slowly surfaced on his face.

    ''I think the reason why the reduction was a lot was maybe because it was a tier 6 that came to save my life, and I''m a tier 2?''

    Corey''s brows became more furrowed. He rubbed the middle of his brows, and then he released a sigh.

    ''Am I right Nina?'' Corey asked.

    [Surprisingly, yes.]

    Nina replied with a tinge of surprise in her tone, then she continued:

    [The reason your luck was reduced was because your life was in danger, and the amount that got deducted was not even that much, in my opinion.]

    [Normally, your luck would have been reduced by more than half because manipting the thoughts of a tier 6 is not easy, and it requires a lot of energy from the heavens. You''re lucky that the tier 6 was affiliated with Divine, which made it easier for his thoughts to be manipted.]

    [Assuming the difference in your tiers was not so much, the amount of luck that was deducted would not be so much.]

    Nina said, and Corey''s expression became strange.

    This was the first time he heard that the thoughts of people could be influenced by the heavens.

    Nina only told him that unreasonable events and urrences could ur when the life of a blessed with enough luck is in danger. She never told him that the thoughts of people could be influenced by the heavens.

    His main mind was about to subconsciously have a thought, but he quickly pushed such thoughts to a Star of Consciousness.

    He didn''t want Nina to hear his thoughts since he felt that she most likely made a mistake with what she just said and that if she knew his thoughts, she would be more careful with her words in the future.

    Corey remained silent, and then he looked at the ceiling of the elevator.

    "Hopefully, the Emporium manager did not y any tricks on me."

    Corey mumbled as he remembered the annoying deal he made with the Emporium manager to get the permit to see Divine.

    "Although the deal isn''t too disadvantageous for me, I''d have preferred not to make such a deal."

    Corey released a sigh, and just as he sighed.

    Beep

    He heard a beeping sounding from his U-Watch, and he nced at it before ncing at the door to the elevator, which opened.

 Chapter 341 340: Betrayed

    <h4>Chapter 341 340: Betrayed </h4>

    ?The door to the elevators opened, and when Corey saw what was before him, he raised his brows.

    In front of Corey was a white pathway that was 50m long, and at the end of this pathway was arge and thick ck metal door with countless locks and chains on it. Corey observed therge door and then looked around for a few seconds.

    Although it seemed like there was nothing from where he was to therge metallic door, Corey could perceive magical fluctuations all around him.

    He guessed that the magical fluctuations he sensed were the formations and systems the Vice-Lord talked about. He knew that if the formations and systems attacked, nothing could save him.

    Corey released a sigh, and then he walked out of the elevator and took a step onto the white pathway.

    He heard the sound of the elevator door closing, and he turned around.

    "The elevator didn''t go away. That''s good."

    Corey mumbled, and then he continued walking towards therge metallic door.

    As Corey walked, his U-Watch would beep at certain times, and although confused, Corey guessed that the formations and systems around him were checking if he had the authorization to get closer to therge ck metallic gate.

    Luckily for Corey, he faced no issue, and after walking for approximately a minute, he stood before therge metallic door.

    Beep Beep Beep

    His U-Watch made continuous beeping sounds, and Corey frowned and raised his hand.

    The moment he raised his arm, a light appeared from his U-Watch, and to his surprise, bafflement, and intrigue, therge and thick metallic door with the locks and chains turned translucent.

    Before Corey could be in awe of the mechanism behind the ''disappearance'' of therge and thick metallic door, his eyes caught sight of what was behind the door, and he raised his brows.

    "Huh? It''s you?"

    A familiar voice flowed into his ears, and his lips curled into a smile.

    "Long time no see Divine."

    Corey said as he gazed at the pitiful state of the source of the voice.

    Behind the incorporeal form of therge ck metallic gate was a prison cell so bright that an average tier 3 and below would most likely go blind or temporarily lose sight after looking at it.

    Luckily for Corey, his eyes were beyond ordinary, so this amount of light did not affect him at all.

    However, Corey could not help but wonder why the Vice-Lord did not tell him about the extremely bright light he would encounter.

    Pushing such thoughts to a Star of Consciousness, Corey observed the room.

    It did not even take up to a second for Corey to finish his observation of the room, and Corey could onlye up with a single word for the room.

    Empty.

    The prison cell was utterly white, and apart from Divine, who was chained up inside, there was no other thing inside the room.

    It was just apletely bright white room.

    Corey tried to find the source of the bright light, but to his surprise, he realized that the source of the light was the walls.

    "Interesting."

    Corey softly spoke, then he looked at Divine, who was looking at him with a strained smile.

    "I think you''ve seen better days."

    Corey spoke with an amused tone as he gazed at Divine, whose current condition could be summarized into one word.

    Terrible.

    His once robust frame now bore the scars of relentless torment, with contusions marring every visible inch of his exposed skin.

    Deep, purplish bruises painted a harrowing mosaic on his face, blending with swollen eyes that spoke of the countless beatings he had received.

    Chains clung to his emaciated limbs and body, and when Corey nced at his feet, Corey saw his bleeding toes, which were absent of their nails and some flesh.

    Tattered remnants of his clothing hung from his battered form, and Corey could have sworn he saw his little brother from therge hole in the middle of his shorts.

    Corey calmly looked away, and he looked into Divine''s eyes.

    Unsurprisingly, despite the physical toil, a flicker of resilience and confidence lingered in his hollow gaze, and Corey, seeing that, smiled.

    Cough Cough

    "Took you long enough toe."

    Divine coughed, then he spoke with a light smile as he rested his chained and battered body on a white wall.

    "How did you know I''ll be the one toe meet you?"

    Corey asked with folded arms, and Divine chuckled.

    "Dave gave me a prophesy before my attempted robbery. He said a man with otherworldly dual-colored eyes would see me in apletely white room."

    Divine paused, then looked into Corey''s light blue and deep violet eyes. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "I didn''t understand what his prophesy meant in the beginning. But, when I was brought here, I remembered his words, and I remembered Rosa telling me that you had dual-colored eyes after your istion in her home."

    "After I remembered this, I knew you were the one he referred to in his prophecy."

    Divine said, and Corey was slightly surprised.

    He thought that hising to meet Divine was part of Divine''s n or something extraordinary that Divine came up with.

    But, surprisingly, it was all because of Dave''s prophesy.

    ''The power of prophecy huh''

    Corey rubbed his chin, then he released a soft sigh and spoke:

    "What happened to you?"

    Corey asked the most important question on his mind, and Divine''s smile widened slightly.

    "Like the great and astute captain that I am, I was able to get information on the whereabouts of the Lord of the Central Area. I also got information about his home."

    As Divine spoke, his smile widened little by little.

    "I got so much information before I attempted the robbery, and nothing should have made me fail."

    Divine paused, and then he released a soft chuckle.

    "But guess what, I failed. The Central Lord was in his home like he had been waiting for me from the moment I stepped into the Central Area."

    Divine chuckled once again, then he looked into Corey''s eyes and spoke with a cold tone.

    "I was betrayed."

 Chapter 342 341: Traitor

    <h4>Chapter 342 341: Traitor </h4>

    ?"I was betrayed."

    Three words.

    Just three words were spoken by Divine, and Corey could sense the emotions in Divine''s voice and eyes.

    Coldness.

    Anger.

    Disbelief.

    Disappointment.

    And, the most hidden one of all¡­ Pain.

    Although Divine tried his best to hide his pain, Corey could perceive it.

    Ever since he got the Eyes of Dreams and Nightmares, his keenness to the emotions of anybody beneath tier 4 increased, and due to this, Corey could sense Divine''s pain.

    ''Maybe when I get stronger, I''ll be able to perceive the thoughts of more powerful beings.''

    Corey thought while folding his arms, and Divine''s voice flowed into his ears.

    "You don''t seem so surprised."

    Divine asked, disrupting Corey from his thoughts.

    Corey looked at Divine for a few seconds, then sighed softly.

    "I already guessed as much."

    Corey said, and Divine raised his brows.

    Without waiting for Divine to speak, he continued:

    "When I entered the central hub of the Central Area, I encountered an elder of the House of Hellfire. He knew I wanted to meet up with you, and it looked like he was waiting for me specifically."

    "The only people that knew I would meet you were Fatty ck Bonez, Melissa, Rosa, Dave, Triple X, my master, my gardener, and my ve."

    "I know my master, gardener, and ve are not traitors since they had never met a member of the House of Hellfire before me."

    "That means the person who told the House of Hellfire about my n to meet you has to be either Fatty ck Bonez, Rosa, Melissa, Dave, or Triple X."

    Corey took a slightly long pause, then looked straight into Divine''s eyes and spoke out a thought that came to his mind.

    "There might not just be one traitor. There might be two¡­ or more."

    Corey spoke with an emotionless tone, and Divine looked down.

    A tense silence filled the air, and despite the aura released by Divine due to the emotions he was going through, Corey still maintained an indifferent expression.

    Five seconds passed, and Divine still did not say anything. Corey was beginning to feel annoyed and frustrated, so he spoke:

    "Can you not wallow in your despair, sadness, anger, or whatever bullshit you''re feeling right now. I can''t stay here forever you know."

    Corey ruthlessly said without caring about Divine''s feelings, and Divine looked at him.

    A smile appeared on Divine''s face, and then he chuckled softly.

    "You''re as ruthless as I expected you to be. Maybe even more ruthless."

    Divine said, and Corey scratched the side of his head with an annoyed expression.

    "What is your n now?"

    Corey dismissed Divine''s previous words and asked while tapping his pronounced biceps.

    Divine chuckled once again, then he released a soft sigh and looked up. His eyes shed with a calcting glint, and a few secondster, his gaze shifted towards Corey.

    "I forgot to ask. How did you get a permit to visit me?"

    Divine asked with a curious light in his eyes, and Corey raised his brows.

    "The manager of the Emporium gave it to me."

    Divine''s eyes widened slightly when he heard Corey''s words, and with a shocked tone, he asked:

    "That crazy woman gave you a permit?"

    Corey nodded, and a baffled expression appeared on Divine''s face.

    "When did you be buddy-buddy with her?"

    Divine asked, then a secondter, his eyes widened, and he gazed at Corey from his head to his toes with a light of realization.

    "Don''t tell me she took an interest in your body, and you guys are now fucking?!"

    Divine questioned with a shocked tone, and Corey''s face changed. A vein popped in his forehead, and the urge to punch Divine ck and blue filled his entire being.

    "Shut the fuck up you stupid fool!" n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Corey shouted, enraged and annoyed, and Divine looked taken aback.

    "Alright, alright, man. Take a chill pill."

    Divine instinctively tried to raise his hands, but the nging of his chains made him stop.

    He released a soft sigh, and then he looked at Corey with a strange expression.

    "You know you didn''t have to react that much, right? If you weren''t fucking the manager, then you should have just said so."

    Divine paused, and Corey''s lips twitched.

    The strange expression on Divine''s face did not dissipate even as time passed. It only became stranger, and his following words depicted why:

    "Could it be that you''re still a virgin kid?"

    Divine asked strangely, and Corey''s lips twitched repeatedly.

    The urge to strangle Divine was extremely strong, and if not for the barrier separating him from Divine, he would have let loose that urge.

    "Ah. So you''re still a virgin!"

    Divine''s expression was one ofplete shock and bafflement, and Corey closed his eyes with an annoyed expression.

    "How are you still a virgin? Don''t you want to be a man? With a physique and face like that, you can bag any girl there is."

    "You also have the money to pay for a beautiful, sexy, and powerful babe. You have the face, physique, money, and power. Why the fuck are you still a virgin?!"

    "You can even fuck Rosa if you want! She''d definitely allow you!"

    "SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!"

    Just as Divine was about to continue speaking, Corey shouted at the top of his lungs, and the air, mana, and surroundings shook slightly.

    "I''m on a time limit you dimwit! I can''t stay here forever!"

    "So fucking tell me what your n is you bloody fool!!" Corey shouted with an annoyed and angered tone and expression.

    A flicker of surprise shed in Divine''s eyes for a second when he felt how powerful Corey''s shout was.

    "Don''t be so angry, kid. I was just so happy to see a friend after so long."

    Divine replied with a chuckle as he looked at the frustrated and annoyed expression of Corey.

    Divine chuckled once again, and then his expression slowly changed. He sat up straight, and with a solemn expression, he looked into Corey''s eyes.

    "After I leave, you can fill me in on the details as to why you''re so close with the Emporium manager."

    Divine said, then his eyes moved to Corey''s U-Watch, and Corey noticed.

    He looked at his U-Watch with a confused expression, and before he could speak, Divine spoke:

    "Contact the Emporium manager."

    ------

    [A/N: Sorry for not uploading in the past few days. I fell ill. My initial n was to upload a lot of chapters before the end of the month, but I don''t know if it''s possible anymore. Hopefully, I find the energy and time to do it.]

 Chapter 343 342: A Show

    <h4>Chapter 343 342: A Show</h4>

    ?"Contact the Emporium manager."

    When Divine''s words flowed into Corey''s ears, Corey raised his brows and looked at Divine with a slightly baffled expression.

    "I can''t call anybody in this ce."

    One of the few things he had tried when he entered this weird space was reaching out to his master and Kiefer. However, when he tried to contact them, he realized thatmunication through the U-Watch was not allowed.

    "The manager of the Emporium isn''t anybody."

    Divine said, and Corey''s brows furrowed slightly. He shook his head slightly, and then he attempted to call Calista.

    "Call the Emporium manager." [A/N: Corey does not know the actual name of the Emporium manager.]

    Coreymanded, but his U-Watch beeped before an automated voice disturbed the silence of the prison.

    [CHECKING AUTHORIZATION TO CALL A HIGH-LEVEL UNDERWORLD OFFICIAL]

    [USER HAS ENOUGH AUTHORIZATION]

    [ATTEMPTING TO CALL THE MANAGER OF THE UNDERWORLD EMPORIUM]

    [PLEASE WAIT¡­]

    Corey was surprised when he heard the automated words from his U-Watch.

    He had tried calling his master and Kiefer while walking to Divine''s cell, and he was told thatmunication was banned due to his location.

    But now, he could call the manager of the Underworld Emporium?

    "If you have the contact and permission of one of the most important individuals of the Underworld, you can call them from anywhere in the Underworld."

    "ces like the main prison of the Central Area wheremunication is banned would not stop you frommunicating with them."

    "Calista is one of the most important individuals in the Underworld Emporium, and since you''re close to her, I expect her to have given you permission to call her anytime you want."

    Divine exined while looking at Corey''s beeping U-Watch.

    Meanwhile, Corey''s lips twitched when he heard Divine say he was close to Calista.

    "I''m not close to her."

    Corey rified, and Divine looked at him with a smile. He gave no reply and instead looked at Corey''s U-Watch.

    "Let''s just hope she answers your call."

    Divine said, and Corey looked at him with raised brows.

    "What do you n on doing?"

    Corey asked while he tried to figure out Divine''s reason for wanting to speak with the manager of the Emporium.

    Divine looked at Corey with a smile, and?then he shrugged nonchntly. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "Risk my life."

    Corey wore a baffled expression, and when he tried to question Divine, a familiar female voice flowed into the ears of Corey and Divine.

    [Now, why is it that the rate you''re calling me is more than that of my exes, Smile Reaper? In case you don''t know, I''m not interested in weaklings.]

    Hovering a few centimeters from Corey''s face was a hologram that projected the image of Calista, who wore a slightly displeased expression on her immacte face.

    Corey ignored her words, and instead, he looked at Divine with an expression that said: ''Didn''t I tell you that there was nothing between us.''

    Divine ignored Corey and looked at the hologram hovering above Corey''s U-Watch.

    "Long time no see Manager."

    Divine spoke out loud, and Calista raised her brows in slight surprise.

    [You''re still alive Divine?]

    Calista asked while Corey turned his arm so that Calista could look at Divine.

    Divine chuckled when he heard Calista''s words, and with a slight smile filled with zero warmth, he spoke:

    "You want me to die that badly huh?"

    Calista leaned back onto the chair she was sitting on, then she tapped the table before her and replied:

    [Not yet. I still need to find the thieves who stole from my domain.]

    Calista said, and then her gaze shifted towards Corey, who maintained an indifferent expression despite her gaze.

    [You guys are amongst the top of my list of suspects, and I can''t have any of you die until I find my properties.]

    Despite her words, Calista showed no sign of anger or displeasure. In fact, she was utterly calm, and this bothered Corey slightly.

    Meanwhile, Divine chuckled with an indifferent tone, and with a smile, he spoke:

    "I told Smile Reaper to call you so that I can make a deal with you."

    Calista raised her brows.

    [You want to give back what you stole from me for your freedom?]

    Calista asked with raised brows, and Divine''s left eye twitched.

    "I didn''t steal from you," Divine replied with a frustrated tone, and when he saw that Calista was about to speak, he quickly said:

    "I want to give you and the Underworld a show. An interesting show."

    Both Calista and Corey had baffled expressions, and the gears in their minds spun as they tried to figure out the meaning behind Divine''s words.

    [What do you mean?]

    Calista asked, and Divine''s smile widened.

    "For my freedom, I''ll fight any tier 5."

    "..."

    [...]

    Corey and Calista were stunned the instant they heard Divine''s words, and for a second, they thought they hadheard wrong despite their superb hearing abilities.

    [What did you say?]

    Calista questioned since she could not believe her ears at all.

    Divine wanted to fight a tier 5?

    As a tier 3?

    Calista could not believe it! And neither could Corey!

    When Divine told him he nned on risking his life for his freedom, his mind thought of many possibilities.

    He thought maybe Divine nned on deceiving Calista.

    He thought maybe Divine nned on telling Calista an important secret of his.

    He thought maybe Divine nned on ckmailing Calista.

    He had so many thoughts and ideas!

    But what his mind never thought of was Divine fighting a tier 5!

    Although it was just a difference of two tiers, the difference between a tier 4 and a tier 5 was as vast as the distance between the stars and the earth.

    Fighting a tier 5 as a tier 3 was not the same as a tier 2 fighting a tier 4.

    A tier 4 could be described as a low-level mystic being.

    But a tier 5¡­

    "You heard me, Mrs. Manager. Have a meeting with your people and tell them I''ll fight any tier 5 as a show for the Underworld."

    "If I win, I gain my freedom. And if I lose, I die."

    "Regardless of the result, you can make a profit from the fight."

 Chapter 344 343: Deal

    344 343: Deal

    After Divine''s bold deration to fight a Tier 5, the atmosphere between Corey, Calista, and Divine was charged with a mix of tension, disbelief, and anticipation.

    Corey''s brows furrowed in concern, his expression reflecting his worry for Divine''s safety. He couldn''t shake off the feeling of apprehension, knowing the immense risks involved in such a challenge. Yet, beneath the worry, there was also a sense of respect for Divine''s bravery and determination. Divine himself exuded an air of confidence and resolve, his demeanor unwavering in the face of uncertainty. Despite the gravity of his decision, there was a sense of purpose in his stance, a determination to see his n through to fruition. His gaze held a glint of determination tempered with a hint of excitement for the challenge ahead.

    Calista, on the other hand, remainedposed but intrigued. Her usually stoic demeanor betrayed hints of curiosity and calction as she considered the implications of Divine''s proposal. While she maintained her calm exterior, there was a flicker of excitement in her eyes, a recognition of the potential benefits and the thrill of the spectacle.

    [You''re offering quite the spectacle. If we were to arrange such a match, it would draw considerable attention and profit indeed. But the question remains: why should I agree to this?]

    Although Calista knew the benefits she would gain from Divine''s proposal, she was still skeptical.

    She knew Divine was unique, but to bepletely honest, she didn''t have that much faith in Divine.

    Fighting a tier 5 as a tier 3 wasplete madness.

    Assuming Divine chose to fight a weak tier 5, the chances of his survival would increase.

    But would Divine be given the chance to fight a weak tier 5?

    Absolutely not.

    The Lord of the Central dislikes Divine, and his current condition is proof of how much the Central Lord dislikes him.

    Aside from the Central Lord, she herself would not allow Divine to fight a weak tier 5.

    Putting aside her prejudice towards Divine, she would prefer it if Divine fought a tier 5 that was not below average.

    The fight had to be brutal, interesting, and extremely bloody.

    She wanted a fight where Divine would struggle, and his life would be in constant danger.

    She also did not want a fight where Divine was dominated to the point where he would not be able to put up a fight at all.

    The fight had to be bnced and unbnced, and she was a thousand percent sure that the remaining high-ranking Underworld officials would also have the same thoughts as her.

    All these thoughts appeared in her mind in less than a second, and despite her internal decision to ept Divine''s proposal, her facial expression showed none of it.

    Only pure skepticism.

    "Because you know I''m capable. Because you understand the potential gains. And because, deep down, you''re intrigued by the prospect."

    Divine''s response was immediate and full of unwavering confidence, and Calista chuckled.

    [I guess you''re not wrong.]

    Calista paused, and then she nced at Corey.

    [I''ll have a meeting with the others. Wait here until I call you to tell you the results of the meeting.]

    Calista said, and before Corey or Divine could give a response, the hologram vanished.

    "She definitely can''t wait for the opponent they choose to chop off my head."

    Divine''s light-hearted voice, along with his chuckle, filled the air, and Corey looked at him.

    A pondering glint shed in his eyes, and then he asked with a slightly worried tone: "Are you sure?" n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Although it might seem like Corey was truly worried about Divine''s life and death, the truth was that he did actually.

    But it wasn''t out of friendship or emotions.

    No

    It was because he needed Divine''s help to sessfully leave the Underworld. Divine knew things he did not, and he also had methods and abilities to aplish certain things he could not do.

    Corey hated to admit it. But, he needed Divine''s help to sessfully leave the Underworld.

    And if Divine died in his fight with the tier 5, it would ruin a lot of Corey''s ns, and he might also have to stay in the Underworld for years.

    Divine turned to face Corey, his eyes glinting with determination. "I know the risks, Corey. But sometimes, you have to take a leap of faith to seize an opportunity."

    Corey shook his head slightly, and then he released a soft sigh.

    "At least you seem confident."

    Divineughed out loud, and then he smiled widely. "I never do something I''m not confident in aplishing. I have a lot on the line, after all."

    With hisst words spoken in a soft whisper, Divine then released a sigh. He faced Corey, and then he smiled.

    "Why don''t you tell me what has happened since the time I was gone."

    Divine said, and then Corey told him of every event that happened.

    Especially his deals with Calista, the group''s encounter with the House of Hellfire, how Neon was doing, and so on and so forth.

    Hours passed, and both Corey and Divine were engrossed in their conversations.

    Divine experienced various emotions as he listened to Corey''s descriptions of events that had happened in the outside world while he was imprisoned.

    Although Corey had an indifferent expression as he spoke, it was both intriguing and exhrating for Divine since, apart from his torturers, it had been a long time since he had any sort of human interaction.

    "I''m telling you, man. You have to lose your virginity! You can even lose it to Rosa. I''m one hundred percent sure she''ll agree to have sex with you."

    "Would you shut the fuck up and stop bringing up my virginity? Are you fucking gay?"

    "How can I be gay you dimwit?! I want you to have sex with a woman! A WOMAN!"

    Amongst the conversations the duo had, they also had conversations about Corey''s virginity. A conversation which irked Corey to no end.

    Time went by, and before Corey or Divine knew it, approximately ten hours passed, and the beeping of Corey''s U-Watch disrupted the conversation of the duo.

    The holographic figure of Calista appeared before them, and with a light smile, she said:

    [Your request to fight a Tier 5 was approved. And it''ll take ce during the time period of the battle against the chosen ones.]

    [So, be d Divine, you''re a free man now. Though, you''ll be under probation.]

 Chapter 345 344: Loophole

    345 344: Loophole

    Divine and Corey did not show any signs of surprise, disbelief, or relief when they heard the words spoken by Calista.

    Divine knew that the chances of his proposal being epted were disgustingly high. From his calctions, he knew that he had a 98% chance of his proposal getting epted.

    Although some high-ranking Underworld Officials ''liked'' him, he was not really liked by the majority of the high-ranking Underworld Officials.

    He knew that most would ept his proposition since the benefits and entertainment they could gain from it were not little by any means. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    He had also exined a few things to Corey, so Corey was also not surprised when Calista told them of the result of the meeting.

    "Why did you guys take so long? I thought you guys would have used an hour at most."

    Divine questioned with his voice containing a tinge of annoyance. A secondter, his expression changed to one of mild amusement and mockery.

    "Let me guess. You guys were enjoying our conversation, right?" Divine mockingly spoke, and then his gaze shifted to Corey. "Don''t you guys also agree that Smile Reaper should lose his virginity very soon?"

    "I swear down I''ll beat you to a pulp in the future." Corey viciously said while looking at Divine with unveiled anger, annoyance, and frustration.

    Divine chuckled, then he dismissively waved at Corey, and Corey''s left eye twitched.

    Calista raised her brows slightly, and then she nced at Corey before shifting her gaze back to Divine.

    [You''ll be on the special watchlist of the Underworld. If you break any rules, fight anybody, or cause a fight, you''ll be sent back to the Central Prison.]

    Calista ignored Divine''s words and exined the terms of Divine''s probation. At first, Divine had a nonchnt expression, but his eyes widened when he realized the gravity of her words.

    "Wait! Are you saying I can''t defend myself if somebody attempts to kill me?!"

    Divine had an extremely pissed-off expression, and despite the gravity of the situation and his words, Corey took delight in his current emotions.

    [Yes. You can defend yourself in a fight, but you can''t fight back. That was the decision we ended up with.] Calista nonchntly replied, and Divine''s eyes widened to the extreme.

    "What the actual fuck?! Why would you fucking put such a rule for me?! What if I die before the fight?!"

    Divine could not believe what he was hearing. Although he knew that the majority of the high-ranking Underworld Officials did not like him, he did not think they would y such a card on him.

    21:24

    Him not having the authorization to fight back irked him to no end, and he hated it. How was he going to fight for his life if a tier 4 or tier 5 tried to attack him?

    Divine gritted his teeth, and with a tone filled with restrained anger, he shouted:

    "Who the fuck even came up with such a rule.?!"

    Calista raised her brows in amusement, and with a soft chuckle, she replied:

    [I think you know who.]

    Divine clicked his tongue, then he released a sigh and reclined unto the wall behind him.

    The Lord of the Central Area.

    Only the Lord of the Central Area had so much hate for him. And he was also the only one that would set up a rule that would put his life in danger.

    [Besides, if you can''t survive till the day of your battle. There''s no point in you fighting a tier 5.] Calista said, and Divine furrowed his brows.

    "What bullshit are you spouting now? What if a tier 5 or an extremely powerful tier 4 is sent to attack me?"

    Divine, for once, did not think that the Lord of the Central Area would not take advantage of such a rule and send multiple tier 4s or tier 5s to attack him.

    Although they might not kill him, they would definitely injure him and tire him out before his match with the tier 5.

    ''The Lord of the Central Area might not be the only one to send tier 4s and tier 5s against me.'' Divine thought with calm and cold eyes as he looked at the holographic image of Calista. ''She might even send people to kill me.''

    Calista''s lips curled up to form an amused smile when she noticed Divine''s cold gaze.

    [No tier 5 would be allowed to attack you. Though tier 4s can¡­ And their strength does not matter.]

    Calista smiled as she spoke, while Divine frowned as numerous thoughts appeared in his mind.

    "What of tier 6s and above?"

    A voice that none of them expected resounded in the ears of Calista and Divine, and they both looked at Corey, who had an indifferent expression.

    "You said that tier 5s would not be allowed to attack him. What of tier 6s and above? Are they also banned from attacking him?"

    Corey asked once again when he realized that neither Divine nor Calista responded to his first question even after five seconds had gone by.

    What Corey did not know was that both Divine and Calista were surprised at his question.

    Divine never thought to ask such a question since he didn''t expect a tier 6 or above to go out of their way and attack him.

    Tier 6s were usually arrogant, and to act against those below them, especially a tier 3 like him, was beneath them. They usually sent their underlings or people below tier 6 to attack anybody who was below tier 6.

    This was the thought that appeared in the minds of Divine and even Calista.

    Even Calista did not think a tier 6 would go out of their way to attack a tier 3, no matter how special the tier 3 was.

    It was just beneath them.

    But with Corey''s question, they both had a frightening thought.

    What if the Lord of the Central Area decided to be shameless and attacked Divine?

    When this thought went through Calista''s mind, she remembered that the Lord of the Central Area, who proposed such a rule, precisely said that tier 5s would not be allowed to attack Divine.

    He didn''t say anything about tier 6s and above.

    The Lord of the Central Area might not have meant anything when he made such a rule, and she might actually be overthinking it.

    But, the truth of the matter was that there was a loophole in the rule the Lord of the Central Area proposed, and the chances of the Lord of the Central Area using it were not low.

    It''s either I''m overreacting, or there''s a deeper plot to this.''

    The gears in the mind of Calista turned, and then she nced at Corey before facing Divine.

    [We''ll have another meeting. So wait.]

    Without waiting for a response from either Divine or Corey, she disconnected the call.

 Chapter 346 345: Me, Myself, and I

    <h4>Chapter 346 345: Me, Myself, and I </h4>

    Time went by, and unlike thest time, when it took ten hours before Calista returned, it only took Calista thirty minutes this time around to return. She informed both Divine and Corey that the loophole was fixed and that Divine was free to go.

    She did not satiate their curiosity about whether the Lord of the Central Area nned on taking advantage of the loophole in the rule he proposed. But, if one could delve deeper into her eyes, one would notice a calcting glint hidden deep in her eyes.

    Although Divine should have been pleased with his freedom, he was extremely annoyed with the rule that stated he could not fight back if he was attacked.

    That meant he could only run, defend himself as his life depended on it- which it did, or rely on his group members to protect him.

    Divine did not like any of the options given to him, and though he knew how powerful and special his group was, he knew that the only person he could truly depend on was himself.

    Although Divine did not like the options he had, since he had no other choice, he had to deal with it somehow.

    They both left the central prison and on their way out, they encountered a surprised Vice-Lord.

    The Vice-Lord had so many things he wanted to say, but knowing that his rtionship with Divine was not known to the public and even to certain high-ranking Underworld officials, he kept quiet and only escorted them out of the central hub.

    On their way out of the central hub, both Corey and Divine thought they would encounter the members of the House of Hellfire.

    One of the goals of the House of Hellfire was to kill Divine, who was an heir to the House of Divine. And, knowing Divine''s current situation, they both expected the House of Hellfire to take full advantage of it.

    Divine and Corey were one hundred percent sure that the rule limiting Divine from fighting back was now known to every important group, individual, and organization.

    It''s not like Divine was liked enough to the point that the high-ranking Underworld Officials would decide to hide such information.

    What most people did not know was that most of the high-ranking Underworld Officials were sickos who desired entertainment.

    Entertainment in the form of the sufferings of other people.

    Divine knew this, and he knew that most high-ranking Underworld officials would take pleasure in seeing him run away from the vultures who woulde attacking him because of the rule imposed on him.

    Due to all of these, Divine was sure that a lot of people knew about his situation, and he expected the days before his battle to be filled with tension, blood, and sweat.

    "Why do you think nobody has tried attacking you?"

    As the duo walked to a taxi rank, Corey questioned calmly as he nced at their surroundings.

    Although some people tried to hide it, Corey could sense that there were more gazes on them, and some of those gazes contained malicious intents.

    To be honest, Corey was a little bit worried. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    If every single individual with malicious thoughts towards them attacked, Corey did not know how he was going to protect Divine and himself.

    Though most of the people with malicious thoughts were tier 3s, some were tier 4s, and they were not weak.

    Corey could decide to abandon Divine and leave the Central Area, a ce that was crawling with powerful enemies.

    But would Corey do such?

    Absolutely not!

    Divine was his main hope of leaving the Underworld quickly, and if he abandoned him, that meant he''d have to spend a longer time in the Underworld. And he definitely did not want that.

    "They probably n on attacking me the moment I leave the Central Area," Divine replied while rubbing the middle of his brows with an annoyed expression.

    He nced at Corey, and a light smile formed on his lips. "You can leave me if you want. I can find my way out of this messy situation."

    Corey gazed at Divine, and although Divine had a light smile, Corey could perceive that Divine''s words were not spoken lightly.

    There wereplex emotions mixed into his words. Emotions which he tried to hide, but Corey could sense them.

    The emotions he perceived were not clear, and he did not know what those emotions were, but he was able to perceive two emotions.

    Sorrow and Pain.

    ''Don''t tell me he has trust issues, and he doesn''t believe that anybody would truly stand by his side again?''

    ''Did the fact that somebody from the group betrayed him hit him harder than I expected?''

    Corey frowned deeply, and when Divine caught a glimpse of his frown, he released a soft internal sigh.

    ''Can one not have true friends in this life filled with endless battles, blood, sweat, and death?''

    "Why are you suggesting such a stupid thing to me?"

    Just as Divine was about to release a deep sigh, Corey''s voice flowed into his ears, and he looked at him.

    "If I go back to the group and they find out I left you behind in such a precarious situation, what do you think they''d do to me?"

    Corey said, and Divine blinked repeatedly with a nk expression.

    "They''ll eat me alive." Corey paused, and with a soft voice, he continued speaking: "Although there''s a traitor in the group, that does not mean that all of them would betray you."

    Divine''s eyes widened. " How- How did you-?"

    "It''s written all over your face, fool." Corey gazed at him with mocking eyes, and then he shook his head disappointedly. "I don''t understand why you''re so down because somebody betrayed you¡­ It''s part of life."

    Divine looked down for a few seconds, and then he looked up.

    "You''ll probably not understand since you don''t have friends or people you trust."

    Corey''s lips twitched. "Now that hurts, you know. I have friends, you know."

    Divine''s eyes widened in shock. "Who?"

    Corey''s lips twitched when he saw Divine''s shocked expression.

    Was it so surprising that he had friends?

    Corey nced at Divine once again, and when he saw Divine''s expression, which was literally saying: ''Tell me who your friends are!''.

    Corey felt annoyed.

    "Me, myself, and I."

    Corey replied emotionlessly, and Divine blinked repeatedly before he erupted into a full-blownugh.

    Corey felt irritated and annoyed as he heard Divine''s loudughter. He also felt the weird gazes thrown at them due to Divine''s loudugh, and his irritation and annoyance increased.

    He pushed down the urge to punch Divine, and with an emotionless face, he continued walking in the direction of a taxi rank, leaving theughing Divine behind.

 Chapter 348 347: Taxi Driver (3)

    Chapter 348 347: Taxi Driver (3)

    ??As the sleek taxi glided effortlessly through the bustling streets of the beautiful city of the Central Area, it seemed to embody the very essence of progress. Its smooth, aerodynamic exterior shimmered in the ambient glow of neon lights, reflecting the vibrant energy of the metropolis.

    Inside, the cabin was a sanctuary offort and technology. Plush, ergonomic seats cradled both Corey and Divine in a luxurious embrace, while interactive disys provided real-time information about the city''sndmarks and attractions. The hum of the electric engine was barely perceptible, a testament to the vehicle''s eco-friendly design.

    The taxi navigated thebyrinthine streets with precision, the taxi driver seamlessly weaving through traffic with the grace of a dancer. Some pedestrians paused to watch in awe as the futuristic vehicle passed by, their faces illuminated by the soft glow of its headlights.

    As the taxi cruised past towering skyscrapers and verdant parks suspended in mid-air, it offered both Corey and Divine a panoramic view of the city''s stunning skyline. Holographic billboards shed messages of hope, progress, and safety while drones zipped overhead, delivering goods with unparalleled efficiency.

    At every turn, the taxi encountered a symphony of sights and sounds¡ªa testament to the harmonious blend of nature and technology that defined the utopian city of the Central Area. From the tranquil gardens to the bustling markets, every corner of the metropolis pulsed with life and vitality.

    "You didn''t drive like this thest time I was your passenger."

    Corey could not help but speak out his thoughts when he realized that they were about to reach their destination.

    He didn''t know how to describe it, but the way the taxi driver drove, and the view he saw as he drove was¡­ different.

    How could driving in a different manner offer¡­ satisfaction?

    Corey did not know, but he was curious.

    Divine also looked slightly intrigued as he gazed at the taxi driver, who had a slight smile.

    He was also curious¡­ But he was curious about something else.

    "How can my driving be average when the one and only Divine is in my taxi."

    The taxi driver chuckled, and the expressions of both Corey and Divine slowly changed.

    "Who are you? And what do you want?"

    Divine asked extremely calmly and indifferently as his eyes shed with a threatening glint.

    Usually, it should not be strange that an individual would know who he was since he was amongst the top 5 wealthiest people in the Underworld.

    Well¡­ That was before he was imprisoned, and 95% of his value points were seized due to his crimes.

    Moving back to the taxi driver.

    Divine always felt that the taxi driver was weird.

    He didn''t know how to exin it. He just felt like the mannerisms and behavior of the taxi driver were unlike most taxi drivers.

    Divine was not sure if Corey knew since he had never boarded a taxi in the Central Area before.

    This was obviously not Divine''s first time using a taxi in the Central Area, so he knew how most taxi drivers behaved¡­ and, most especially, moved.

    Although it was subtle and most people wouldn''t notice, the way the taxi driver moved was silent and¡­ dangerous.

    From the moment he saw the taxi driver, he knew he was not normal.

    The taxi driver seemed entirely unbothered by the cold auras of Divine and Corey. He turned the steering wheel to his right, and a few secondster, he parked by the side of the road.

    With a light smile, he switched off the ignition and faced Corey before shifting his gaze to Divine.

    "I''m here to make a deal with you."

    Divine raised his brows, and an intrigued light shed in his eyes.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "Speak."

    Divine folded his arms while observing the taxi driver, and if one were to look at certain injuries on his body. They would notice that it was slowly healing.

    The taxi driver didn''t seem to take notice of this, and with a light-hearted smile, he spoke:

    "I know about your current situation and predicament¡­" The taxi driver paused, and then his eyesnded on the injuries on Divine''s body for a second before shifting his gaze toward Corey, who had an indifferent expression.

    "You can''t fight the people who n on attacking you. You can only run away or depend on Smile Reaper, who''s just a tier 2."

    Corey raised his brows.

    The taxi driver faced Divine, who had an intrigued smile. "You might not know, but there are a lot of people waiting for you outside the gates of the Central Area."

    "Some of them are your enemies, while some of them were hired by your enemies. They are approximately fifty in number. Maybe they are more, who knows." The taxi driver shrugged, then he continued while pointing at Corey.

    "He can''t protect your life since he''s just a tier 2, and there are a lot of tier 4s in the group."

    Corey nced at the taxi driver''s finger, and then he looked at the taxi driver.

    "So, what deal do you want to make?"

    Corey asked, but the taxi driver only gave him a nce before shifting his gaze back to Divine.

    "My boss has told me to help you leave the Central Area safely."

    The taxi driver said, and Divine chuckled while shaking his head softly: "But?"

    "But my boss wants to know what you wanted to steal from the house of the Lord of the Central Area."

    The instant the taxi driver finished speaking, Divine''s smile widened.

    "Who is your boss?"

    Divine questioned, and the taxi driver shrugged.

    "Dunno. Never met him or her." The taxi driver nonchntly said, and Divine raised his brows.

    "I work for an organization, and I usually get odd jobs like this. Though, this is the first time I''ll receive a job directly from the boss."

    The taxi driver said, and Divine was curious.

    "Which organization do you work for?"

    The taxi driver shook his head, and with a small smile, he replied: "Can''t say."

    Divine rubbed his chin, then he nced at Corey, his eyes shing with a calcting glint.

    "So, is it a deal or no deal?"

    The taxi driver asked. Divine saw a subtle nod from Corey, and he chuckled.

    "It''s a deal."

 Chapter 351 350: Realization

    Chapter 351 350: Realization

    ??"Let''s go. We need to meet my boss, then you can safely leave the central area."

    The moment the taxi driver said these words, Divine raised his brows, and then he folded his arms.

    "Hold up right there pantyhose. I never said I was going to meet your boss first."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    The taxi driver, who was just about to take a step forward, paused. His left eye twitched when he heard what Divine called him. He faced Divine, and with a neutral expression, he spoke:

    "That was the deal we made. You tell my boss what it is you wanted to steal from the Central Lord, and he gives you safe passage out of the central area."

    Divine chuckled, and with a tone devoid of any yfulness, he said:

    "And you think I trust and believe you? For all I know, this can all be an borate trap to kill me and my friend."

    Corey nced at Divine.

    "This is what you''ll do. Take the two of us out of the central area, and then I''ll meet your boss."

    The taxi driver frowned slightly, then he chuckled softly. "If you want, I can take you out of here, and you can leave the Central Area on your own."

    A cold light shed in Divine''s eyes, and Corey nced at the arms of the taxi driver.

    They didn''t need the taxi driver to tell them what he meant by his words explicitly. He was basically telling them that he and his boss were their only hope of leaving the Central Area safely.

    The taxi driver did not need to force the two of them to do as he said. Their choices wereid bare before them:

    They could either follow the taxi driver to his boss.

    Or

    They could go back to the surface and figure out a way to leave the central area.

    If they chose to go back to the surface, they might eventually figure out a way to leave the central area. But, they were extremely certain that it was going to be bloody and dangerous, and it would also involve them exposing some of their secrets or hidden powers.

    "Alright. Lead the way."

    After thinking about it for a short while, Divine gave his reply. He gave Corey a nce, and Corey nodded.

    The taxi driver had a smug smile, and without saying a word, he walked.

    Divine and Corey looked at each other, and they both shrugged nonchntly and followed the taxi driver.

    As the trio walked into the depths of the sewers of the central area of the city of sin, Corey decided to observe his surroundings- The Sewers.

    Never in Corey''s entire life did he think there would be a time when he would find himself in the sewers. In fact, he rarely, or should he say, never thought of the sewers.

    I mean, who in the world actually cared about the sewers?

    But with every step he took and observation he took note of, he found himself amazed.

    Unlike the central area of the city of sin, which was beautiful and full of bright lights, the underground sewers were entirely different. The underground sewers were a stark contrast to the brilliance of the city above- a realm cloaked in darkness and mystery.

    The sewers were a web of narrow passages and expansive chambers lined with slick, moss-covered walls that glistened in the dim light. The air was heavy with the scent of dampness, decay, piss, and shit. The stench in the sewers was so pungent that tier 2s and tier 3s with a weak tolerance would find themselves vomiting their insides.

    asional shafts of light pierce through grated openings above, casting long shadows that danced across the murky waters below. The sound of rushing water echoed through the tunnels, reverberating off the ancient brickwork and filling the air with a haunting melody.

    Despite the darkness, the sewers were not devoid of life. Corey noticed bioluminescent algae that clung to the walls, casting an eerie glow that illuminated their path ahead. Rats scurried through the shadows, their eyes gleaming in the darkness as they navigated thebyrinthine passages in search of sustenance.

    asionally, one might stumble upon forgotten relics of the city above¡ªa rusted grate, a discarded piece of machinery¡ª

    remnants of a bygone era that now lie forgotten beneath the earth.

    Whenever Corey came across these relics, he was slightly curious because he noticed that these relics were ancient. He knew that if he decided to study the relics, he mighte across some forgotten, hidden, or unknown knowledge and discovery.

    But that was not his business.

    He didn''t have the time nor the energy to spare to start investigating the secrets of the sewers.

    Maybe somebody else would.

    Maybe a blessed, for example.

    Graffiti adorned the walls, a testament to the resilience of those who call this hidden world home.

    Yes, home.

    Surprisingly, Corey discovered clues that hinted that some people lived in the sewers.

    He was extremely surprised by this discovery, and his curious nature wanted to meet these sewer dwellers. He wanted to converse with them, ask them why they chose to stay in the sewers, how they survived in the sewers, and ask them what they ate.

    Although he wanted to meet these sewer dwellers, he decided not to derail from their current objective.

    As he continued following the taxi driver along with Divine, he noticed a few more things.

    Runes.

    There were hidden runes that were camouged on the walls. If one did not have a keen eye or a high perception to the flow of energy, he or she would not be able to notice the runes.

    Even Corey struggled to see the runes with his Eyes of Dreams and Nightmares.

    Another amazing thing that Corey noticed was something that even surprised him.

    He realized that even amidst the decay and darkness, there was a sense of beauty to be found in the sewers. In the intery of light and shadow, in the rhythmic flow of water, there was a certain poetry¡ªa reminder that even in the depths of the earth, life finds a way to flourish.

 Chapter 353 352: Oath

    Chapter 353 352: Oath

    ??After Ariana spoke, the sewers were engulfed by silence. Seconds went by, and the silence was eventually disturbed by a drop of waternding on the hard surface ground.

    A calcting glint shed in Divine''s eyes, and deep in his eyes was an emotion that was hidden so well that no other person around noticed.

    Bafflement and Suspicion.

    Multiple thoughts went through Divine''s mind, and four seconds went by. He looked up, and then he released a soft sigh.

    "You said you want to make a deal with me, but the stance of your underlings says otherwise."

    Divine nced at the three assassins- Erik, Luna, and Raphael who had indifferent expressions as they watched and observed his movements as well as that of Corey.

    Divine looked at the taxi driver, and the taxi driver ced his finger on his forehead and gave a mock salute. He chuckled, then he walked to an open space and joined the encirclement on Divine and Corey.

    "See." Divine made a gesture towards the taxi driver. " I don''t think you want to make a deal. I feel like you just want to have the information you desire, then you''ll kill me."

    A light smile appeared on Ariana''s lips. "If you can tell me what it is that you wanted to steal from the house of the Central Lord, I''ll give you safe passage out of the Central Area."

    "I don''t believe you."

    Without even wasting a single second to think, Divine gave his reply. Just as Ariana was about to speak, Divine spoke, and his words froze Ariana.

    "Swear on your tattoo."

    Divine pointed at the crescent moon tattoo on Ariana''s wrist. Without waiting for a response, he pointed at each and every one of the assassins.

    "I want each and every one of you to swear on the crescent moons on your body."

    Divine''s voice was filled with indifference and mockery, and the faces of Ariana and her underlings changed.

    "How did you-"

    "How did I know about your little assassin secret?"

    Divine interrupted, and a baffled expression appeared on the faces of Ariana and her underlings.

    They all had expressions of wanting to know how Divine was able to know something that was only known to the members of their organization or valuable individuals who have had business with their association.

    "It doesn''t matter. All that matters is our deal and your intentions."

    To the annoyance of Ariana, Erik, Luna, and Raphael, Divine did not reveal how he came to possess such knowledge. Killing intent shed in the eyes of Erik, Luna, and Raphael, and Corey nced at them.

    Ariana chuckled, and with a cold smile, she said: "You''re just as I heard."

    "Unpredictable and full of surprises."

    Divine raised his brows. "I take that as apliment. Thank you."

    Ariana shook her head, and to Corey and Divine''s surprise, she made a ''stand down'' gesture to her underlings and said:

    "Swear on your crescent moon."

    "What?!"

    Erik, Luna, Raphael, Corey, Divine, and the taxi driver all had extremely wide eyes the instant they heard Ariana''s words.

    "Why should we swear on our crescent moons for something as trivial as this?"

    Luna, the female with the silver ring, eximed with a disbelieving tone, and Ariana''s gaze became cold.

    "Are you questioning my orders?"

    Luna flinched, and with gritted teeth, she shook her head.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "I won''t dare."

    "Good." Ariana nodded. "Now, you''ll all swear on your crescent moons."

    "All of you." Ariana''s gazended on the taxi driver, and the taxi driver nodded with a frightened expression.

    "I swear upon the mark of the crescent moon not to attack the chosen one of the House of Divine if he upholds his part of the deal. May the light of the moon guide my path and illuminate the darkness that threatens our world. So mote it be."

    A ck light shed on the forehead of the taxi driver, Luna, Erik, and Raphael, and both Corey and Divine had dumbfounded expressions when they heard the oath made by all four individuals.

    "Are you satisfied now?"

    Ariana asked with a light, cold smile, and Divine furrowed his brows.

    "What about you? Why don''t you make the same oath?"

    Divine asked, and Ariana chuckled.

    "Cause I don''t feel like."

    Divine''s lips twitched, and just as he was about to speak, Ariana walked towards one of the human-sized holes in the walls.

    "Follow me."

    Corey and Divine looked at each other with unveiled bafflement in their eyes. Divine shrugged, and then he entered the human-

    sized hole. Corey nced at the taxi driver, and then he also walked into the human-sized hole.

    After Corey walked into the hole, Erik, Luna, Raphael, and the taxi driver also walked into the human-sized hole. Three seconds after they all walked into the hole, the hole closed, and there was a subtle change to the atmosphere and environment, a change which would not have gone unnoticed by Divine or Corey.

    (In the human-sized hole)

    "Since you''re so distrusting of us, what I''ll do is this. I''ll take you close to our underground exit of the Central Area, and then we''ll make our deal."

    Ariana''s soft voice echoed in the surprisinglyrge passageway, and Divine, who had a surprised expression as he observed his surroundings, looked at her.

    "Since your people swore on their crescent moon, I believe you. But, I have to ask, why did your people surround us in the beginning?"

    Divine asked with a curious tone, and Ariana made a gesture.

    "I''ve heard a lot of things about you Divine. I know just how powerful and cunning you can be. I had to take precautions to make sure you didn''t try anything that would be detrimental to me."

    "But you know I can''t attack anybody until I''mpletely free, right? So, how would I have done anything to you?"

    Divine''s brows were furrowed in confusion, and Ariana shrugged.

    "You''re an extremely cunning individual Divine. You cannot be treated with nonchnce."

    "Hmm." Divine rubbed his chin, and then he looked at Corey.

    The taxi driver, who was observing both Corey and Divine, noticed Divine giving Corey a nod. To the taxi driver''s extreme surprise, Corey vanished from his sight.

 Chapter 354 353: Illusion

    Chapter 354 353: Illusion

    ??Ever since he met up with his boss and fellow colleagues, the taxi driver''s eyes had always been on Corey.

    Although he constantly mocked Corey and showed expressions of disdain whenever he looked at him, he was always on guard around Corey.

    He hated to admit it, but Corey''s presence made him feel extremely¡­ ufortable.

    No other person felt what he felt whenever he looked at Corey or whenever Corey''s indifferent and cold eyesnded on him. Maybe it''s because he was the weakest in his group.

    Maybe it''s because he was still a mortal, so he could perceive that although Corey was a mortal¡­ He was greater than a mortal.

    He was akin to a divine being in his eyes, and this baffled and also scared him deeply. Though, he showed none of it outside.

    The average tier 3 who did not have the experience and low amount of pride the taxi driver had would never have been able to perceive this distinct and subtle presence and quality about Corey.

    Everybody, no matter the tier or individual, would always have this feeling that Corey was not the average mortal.

    If it was somebody who was below Corey in tier, the conclusion they woulde to is that Corey was of a higher tier than them.

    If it was somebody on Corey''s tier, the conclusion they woulde to is that Corey probably possessed powerful skills or weapons. Depending on the individual that is.

    If it were somebody who was higher than Corey in tier, they would not think deeply about Corey''s unique aura, presence, and qualities.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    They would just assume that Corey was special but not too special.

    Usually, the pride they had due to being of higher tier than Corey would naturally create a barrier or indifference toward wanting to learn more about Corey''s uniqueness.

    Or to be more precise, their pride would not make them cautious of Corey.

    This is the normal behavior anybody with a higher tier than Corey would have, and it''s something even Corey would have.

    Why should a tier 4 be cautious of a tier 2 just because of his unique aura and qualities?

    In fact, why would Corey be cautious of tier 1 or even tier 0 for that matter?

    He could fight a tier 4 survive. So why would Corey ever be cautious of a tier 1 or tier 0?

    This mindset was what every single individual would have as long as they were of a higher tier and had pride and confidence in themselves.

    Only those who have been beaten, humiliated, and almost killed by those beneath them would be able to rid themselves of this mindset.

    And the taxi driver has had such an experience before.

    Where he was beaten ck and blue by a tier 1 as a tier 3.

    Because of this experience, the taxi driver had somewhat developed a cautious nature, and when he realized the feeling he got from Corey, he did not choose to ignore it like most people would.

    When they entered the hole in the wall, his eyes had been on Corey throughout, and he wasshocked to the core when he saw Corey vanish before his eyes.

    p!

    Puchi!

    The sound of a thunderp and metal tearing through flesh resounded in his ears, and the taxi driver turned his head.

    His eyes widened when he saw sparks of electricity around Corey''s body and a bloody axe in his right hand.

    ''Whose blood?''

    The taxi driver thought, then his gaze shifted to the ground where he saw the unmistakable figure of Luna, the female with the silver ring lying on the floor.

    Copious amounts of blood spewed out from her headless neck, staining the spotless floor.

    The taxi driver''s gaze shifted once again, and he saw Luna''s head. The expression of shock and confusion was still visible on her face, and the taxi driver also had the same expression.

    "H-How?"

    He stuttered as he looked in another direction.

    "B-But?"

    He stuttered once again as the unmistakable image of Luna reflected in his eyes.

    The Luna he was seeing was whole and healthy, and she also had an expression of shock and confusion on her face.

    The Luna he was seeing was the same Luna he had been seeing from the moment he met his boss and fellow colleagues.

    As for the headless corpse of the other Luna, he could not fathom where in the world she came from.

    "What''s the meaning of this?"

    "What''s the meaning of this?!"

    Two voices.

    Both asking the same question, but with different tones.

    The taxi driver looked at Ariana who was fuming with unrestrained murderous intent, and he felt a chill run his spine.

    He had never felt such a dense amount of murderous intent in his life before.

    "Why are you behaving like a fool, Mrs. Ariana? You know exactly what is going on here."

    Divine''s voice filled with mockery, and a slight tinge of relief resounded in the ears of all who were still alive, and the taxi driver looked at him.

    "Why did you kill one of my people?! Answer me!"

    The air turned dark and chilly as Ariana''s fury changed the atmosphere in the room, making Divine have a subtle change in his expression.

    She was more powerful than he expected.

    Tap

    "You don''t believe I can handle her?"

    Just as different thoughts were about to go through Divine''s mind, he felt a firm hand on his shoulder, and Corey''s voice flowed into his ears.

    Divine looked at Corey who nonchntly swung his battle axe, removing the blood on the axe as a result, and Divine chuckled.

    "Since you''re my friend, I should have faith in you. True friends should always have faith in one another."

    Divine smiled, and then he made a gesture toward Ariana.

    "Why don''t you stop acting and dispel the illusion around us. We can see your people clearly¡­" Divine gazed to his right where there was nothing but a dirty wall, and he smiled.

    "Besides, I think your people want to kill us in the most painful way possible. I can sense it¡­ Their mes of rage and hate."

    Divine shifted his gaze to Ariana, and when he saw the stony look on Ariana''s face, Divine smiled.

    Divine patted Corey, and with a calm and free tone, he said:

    "My life is in your hands now¡­ friend."

 Chapter 355 354: Faith

    <h4>Chapter 355 354: Faith</h4>

    The air was rife with tension, bloodlust, and a sh of auras.

    Corey stood in front of Divine with his dual battle axes by his side. His gaze was sharper than that of a hawk as he looked at Ariana who had a neutral expression.

    Although she seemed calm and indifferent on the outside, Corey could feel the bloodlust directed toward him, and it made him smile.

    He looked to his right, and although nobody was there, Corey''s eyes stated otherwise.

    In Corey''s eyes, he could see a cloud of nightmares and dreams hovering in the spot he was looking at. To everybody, and even Corey, there was not a single living being or even object in the direction he was looking at.

    The taxi driver, Divine, and Ariana all took notice of Corey''s gaze, and they all experienced different emotions.

    The taxi driver was confused. No matter how much he looked at the spot Corey looked, he did not see or discover anything.

    To him, Corey was just looking at the wall. But, with all that happened recently, he knew that Corey was seeing something he could not see.

    This frustrated him and pissed him off. But, it also reinforced the feeling he had towards Corey which was that Corey was not a normal mortal.

    Meanwhile, Divine was relieved.

    From the moment he saw Ariana and her underlings, he already knew there was something wrong.

    His eyes were special since he had something that could be described as heat vision, but it was a lot better than heat vision.

    Divine could see the heat emanating from an individual''s body, and he could also see other types of mes in an individual''s body.

    For example, the mes of rage and the mes of hate.

    When they encountered Ariana and her underlings, Divine realized that something was wrong with all of Ariana''s underlings.

    None of them emitted even the faintest amount of heat. Not only did they not emit any body heat, but they also did not possess other mes that other humans usually possessed.

    At first, Divine was confused by this.

    Unless all of Ariana''s underlings were non-living beings or undead, Divine could not fathom how it was possible for her underlings not to possess any sort of heat or mes.

    This confusion onlysted for a short while though.

    When Divine was observing Ariana''s underlings, he noticed a faint amount of heat radiating from a certain part of the wall.

    Divine almost dismissed this faint amount of heat he noticed, but then he saw two more heat radiations on other parts of the wall, and he eventually figured out what was going on.

    An Illusion.

    Divine ascertained that he, Corey, and possibly the taxi driver were ced in a powerful illusion. When he realized this, Divine was more worried than relieved or calm.

    He wasn''t sure if Corey had a skill or the ability to realize that they were in an illusion. In fact, he was worried that Corey would not have a way to know the actual positions of Ariana''s subordinates.

    If Corey had no way of knowing their actual locations, then Divine knew that they were fucked.

    Disregarding the fact that Ariana and all her subordinates were tier 4, Divine did not even know how Corey would be able to fight all of them if he could not locate Ariana''s subordinates'' actual positions.

    But surprisingly, Corey gave him a signal. An extremely subtle signal that no other person noticed.

    The moment when both of them shrugged earlier, Corey subtly pointed at the actual position of one of Ariana''s subordinates, and Divine noticed it.

    No other person noticed this, and although it took Divine some time to understand what Corey meant by his gesture, he eventually knew, and he was relieved.

    Though he was relieved, Divine was not confident that Corey would be able to defeat Ariana and all her subordinates.

    Not only did they outnumber them, they were also in the mystic tier.

    Divine knew Corey was strong, but he didn''t know if Corey was strong enough to defeat a tier 4. Talk less of four tier 4s.

    However, theck of faith Divine had in Corey wasreduced when he saw Corey kill one of Ariana''s subordinates so decisively and quickly.

    When Corey asked him: "You don''t believe I can handle her?"Divine did not know why, but his faith in Corey skyrocketed, and he had this strange confidence in Corey that he woulde out as the winner.

    But, despite this faith that Divine had in Corey, Divine decided toy out some countermeasures in case of Corey''s failure.

    Meanwhile, Ariana was a jumbled mess as she could not figure out if Corey and Divine were able to realize that they were in an illusion. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    If it was only Divine who figured out that they were in an illusion, she could attribute it to his uniqueness.

    But Corey, of all people. A tier 2 mortal, for that matter, knew they were in an illusion. Not only did he know, he was able to figure out the actual location of Luna and kill her.

    His speed.

    His physical strength.

    And his skills.

    They all shocked Ariana to the core, and she realized that she had underestimated Corey way too much.

    Her brows furrowed in contemtion, and a few secondster, she waved her hand, giving the signal to Erik and Raphael to attack.

    "Kill him."

    Her voice was rife with anger and blood lust as she gazed at Corey. Her gaze shifted in Divine''s direction, and with a cold smile, she said: "Break his legs, arms, and astral core. Cripple him thoroughly."

    "Damn, Do you hate me that much?"

    Divine joked, and the air instantly became hot.

    mes engulfed Divine and an exquisite armor made out of mes appeared around Divine.

    "I leave this in your hands, Smile Reaper. Don''t let them kill me."

    Divine patted Corey''s shoulder, and Corey''s lips twitched. Just as he was about to speak, his expression changed, and he quickly pushed Divine away from him. After pushing Divine away, Corey jumped, but an object wrapped around his right leg and he was flung to the wall.

    BAM!

 Chapter 357 356: Ruthless

    <h4>Chapter 357 356: Ruthless</h4>

    Corey''s eyes shed with annoyance as he watched his prey get dragged far away from him. He took a step forward, wanting to run after his prey. But, just as he took that step, his expression changed.

    He looked down, and he saw thin wires surrounding his body. A curse escaped his lips, and in the next moment, Corey was flung to the wall.

    Bang.

    Crack

    This time around, Coreynded with his two hands on the wall and did not get mmed into the wall like a ragdoll. However, the force of thending almost broke his arms.

    Just as Corey was about to drop to the floor, he saw the wall be dark, and his expression changed.

    Multiple shadow spikes emerged from the wall, and Corey immediately vanished.

    "Hmm?"

    A baffled sound resounded from therge shadow on the wall. In the next moment, the shadow spikes sank back into therge shadow on the wall.

    CLAP!

    Just as therge shadow was about to move, the loud sound of a thunderp shook the sewers, and the shadow shook.

    ng!

    The sound of metal hitting metal resounded once again, and in front of the shadow were two individuals.

    Ariana and Corey.

    Corey''s pure white eyes were filled with extreme annoyance and frustration as he pushed his dual battle axes with all his strength.

    Meanwhile, Ariana''s eyes were filled with rage and also indifference as she calmly blocked Corey''s axes from moving a single inch forward.

    "Seems you guys really care for one another."

    Corey spat with unveiled disgust, and Ariana smiled coldly.

    "You''re not a tier 2. Who are you?" Ariana calmly asked, and Corey smiled mockingly.

    Woosh.

    He spun to his right, and just as he did, he saw two extremely thin wires in his previous position and a shadow spike emerging from his previous position. The moment Coreynded, he sent a sh of dreamfire towards the shadow beside Ariana.

    Without looking at the result of his attack, he started running. He ran to an ''empty'' part of the wall, and he sent out another dreamfire sh.

    The instant he sent out the sh, his fingers moved, and three needles blitzed through the air with an uncanny uracy.

    As Corey ran to the spot where he sent a dreamfire sh, the taxi driver was crawling toward his fallen crossbow.

    Tears, snot, hate, and fear could be seen on his face as he crawled.

    "I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I hate you."

    The taxi driver incessantly mumbled, and just as his hand touched the crossbow, his eyes widened to the limits. The blood vessels in his eyes popped like a balloon, and blood spewed out from his nose like a waterfall.

    Gahhh

    The taxi driver coughed out a mouthful of blood, and a secondter, his eyeballs went inside of his head, and his headnded on the ground with a loud thud. By the side of his neck were three needles, and the veins and arteries in his neck turned ck.

    Step Step Step

    "Damn. This guy is truly ruthless as fuck. He''s giving you a slow and painful death."

    Standing beside the body of the taxi driver was Divine. In his hands were a can of soda and a paper bag of popcorn that only the gods and devils knew where he got them from.

    He poured some popcorn into his mouth, and then he shook his head.

    "Although I''m a kind and loving soul, I cannot help you since I was banned from fighting."

    Divine drank a little bit of his soda, and then a light of realization appeared in his eyes.

    "Oh, wait. I was banned from fighting. Would helping you still be considered a part of my ban?" Divine pondered briefly then he nonchntly shrugged. "Mehh. Doesn''t matter anyways."

    Divine harmlessly smiled, and then he jumped and sat on the taxi driver''s back.

    "Gahh!" The taxi driver groaned in pain and Divine chuckled. "Let''s enjoy the show, shall we? My friend is truly the most interesting person in the world." N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Divine softly patted the taxi driver''s head, and he threw some popcorn into his mouth with a smile.

    Meanwhile, during the conversation between Divine and the taxi driver, Corey is in a dangerous fight with Raphael, the Phantom, the master of disguises.

    After Coreyunched his poisonous needles at the taxi driver, Corey no longer focused on him and instead focused on Raphael, the person who had been disturbing him with the thin wires.

    Corey would have preferred to kill Erik who was constantly hiding in his shadows first. However, he could easily touch and attack Raphaelpared to Erik, who was hiding in his shadows.

    Or so he thought.

    After heunched at Raphael, Corey ran straight toward Raphael, wanting to engage him in short-rangebat. But to Corey''s surprise, Raphael brought out a pair of pistols and fired them.

    Corey cursed, and he quickly rolled to the side. Even though Corey rolled to the side the moment Raphael fired the pistols, he still felt the bullet zoom past his ears, and his eyes widened.

    Despite his Eyes of Omniscience and Focused State, the speed of the bullet was still so fast that he could barely keep track of it.

    The bullet was also extremely quiet, so quiet to the point that if one did not have unique ears like his, they would not even hear the sound of the bullet being fired and the bullet moving.

    ''Wait. Did he just fire one bullet?''

    ''He has two guns!''

    Corey''s eyes widened in realization, and then, he heard a ''Pop'' to his left. As Corey tried to turn his body, his ears heard the sound of an object piercing through his left shoulder and the sounds of blood spewing out of his body.

    Before Corey could react, a strange force emerged from the bullet that pierced through his body, and Corey staggered, almost falling on one knee.

    Cough

    Corey coughed out a mouthful of blood and a curse escaped his lips.

    "Son of a bitch."

 Chapter 358 357: Bait

    Chapter 358 357: Bait

    ??As Corey staggered backward, a searing pain ripped through his left shoulder, apanied by a deafening roar that drowned out the chaos around him. He stumbled, his vision swimming as he struggled to maintain his bnce, his hands instinctively clutching at the source of agony.

    The bullet had torn through his flesh with brutal force, leaving behind a ragged, crimson-edged wound that oozed blood in pulsating rivulets. The skin around the entry point was mottled with dark bruises, a stark contrast to the pallor that had washed over Corey''s features.

    His breath came in ragged gasps, each inhtion aborious effort as he fought to quell the rising tide of panic and pain. Every movement sent a jolt of agonyncing through his injured shoulder, a constant reminder of the violence that had shattered his world in an instant.

    Corey''s senses reeled, the world around him blurring into a chaotic whirlwind of sound and motion. Nausea churned in the pit of his stomach, threatening to overwhelm him as waves of dizziness washed over him in relentless session.

    Despite the pain and disorientation, Corey forced himself to focus, his gaze locking onto the figure responsible for his current condition. Anger burned within him like a smoldering ember, fueling his determination to survive and win despite the odds stacked against him.

    With grim resolve, Corey pushed through the haze of pain. He ground his teeth so hard that all could hear the grating sounds caused by his actions. A roar of anger escaped his lips, and he ran toward Raphael.

    In the distance, Divine raised his brows when he saw Corey''s actions. Meanwhile, Raphael scoffed with unveiled disdain, and he fired a bullet at Corey.

    As Corey ran towards Raphael with his mind in overdrive, he was able to keep track of the bullet. After taking seven steps, lightning sparks appeared on his body, and his body instantly zapped to the right.

    Woosh!

    A silent bullet appeared in his previous position, and it flew straight into the wall in the distance. As Corey ran, he made a decision.

    He increased the range of the hearing ability of his Ears of Omniscience, and when he did, his mind was instantly filled with a lot of different sounds. Corey''s stars of consciousness filtered out the unnecessary sounds, and a momentter, he heard a familiar sound.

    Pop

    A sound akin to the sound of a tiny balloon popping filled Corey''s ears, and without hesitation, Corey swung his right axe to his right using his only good hand, his right hand.

    ng

    Surprisingly, the bullet carried a lot more force than he expected, and he was almost pushed back as a result.

    "Argh."

    Corey shouted and mustered up more strength to finally push the bullet back. The instant he pushed the bullet away. Corey looked down, and he saw two thin wires around his body. He cursed.

    "Fucking he-"

    Woosh Woosh! Woosh! WOOSH WOOSH!

    Corey''s mind was almost a jumbled mess as he found himself spinning in the air like a ragdoll. He cursed and used his hands to protect the back of his head.

    A couple more spinster, Corey felt his body flying haphazardly through the air, and before Corey knew it.

    BANG!

    "Sh- Shit."

    Corey''s eyes almost popped out of his sockets as his body collided with the wall. Although his vision was hazy, Corey saw the outline of a figure calmly walking towards him.

    ''This is hard man.''

    Corey thought as his body fell to the ground, causing a grimace to form on his face. His breathing was extremely rough as he struggled to stand. He wiped off the blood from his lips, and he released a tired sigh.

    He looked to his right, and there he saw his dual battle axes on the ground far away from him. Corey shook his head and took a battle stance.

    "Come!"

    Corey shouted, and he saw a grin on Raphael''s lips.

    Corey furrowed his brows, and a secondter, his eyes widened. He turned to the back and just as he was about to jump to the side, the sound of metal tearing through flesh resounded in the ears of every single individual.

    Cough

    "Crap."

    Corey mumbled as he looked at three shadow spearsing out from his body. All three shadow spears missed his vitals, but with therge holes caused by the spears, he was going to die of blood loss if left unchecked.

    "Why don''t you jump now rat? Why don''t you act smugly now ant?"

    A voice filled with mockery, anger, and frustration flowed into his ears, and a few secondster, a figure emerged from the shadow in front beneath him.

    "You finally came out little coward. Do you live in your shadows?"

    Corey smiled widely as he looked at Erik who had finally appeared from his shadows. He looked at the shadow spears in his body, and he winced.

    "Getting stabbed hurts."

    Bang!

    "You still have the guts to make jokes?!"

    Erik shouted with an expression filled with rage as he mmed Corey to the wall. Corey groaned in pain as the shadow spears pierced deeper into his body.

    Corey chuckled, and the instant he did, a powerful punchnded on his face.

    Bam

    Bangn/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    The punch whipped Corey''s head backward, and the wall cracked as a result of the collision.

    Bam

    Another punchnded on Corey''s face and another.

    And another.

    And another.

    And another.

    And another.

    And another.

    And another

    And¡­

    Erik let out all his anger as he punched Corey with enough force that wouldn''t kill him. Despite Corey''s study bodily defense, Corey was still a tier 2 and would die if he took multiple full-

    powered punches from a tier 4.

    Meanwhile, as Ariana watched Erik vent his anger on Corey, she felt uneasy and anxious for some reason.

    She looked at Divine, and she saw him sitting on her dying subordinate while eating his popcorn with a fascinated expression.

    Divine perceived her stare, and he looked at her and waved. He gestured towards the drink in his hand, and he said:

    "Thirsty?"

    Ariana frowned deeply, and then she turned her attention back to Erik and Corey. The uneasiness in her heart was getting stronger as time passed.

    As she observed Erik and Corey, she noticed something. She sensed a dense amount of fire energies on Corey''s hands. Her eyes widened in realization, and she shouted:

    "Get out of there Erik!"

    "What?" Erik paused his beating and looked back with a baffled expression. He saw the expression of horror on Ariana''s face, and he was baffled even more.

    "Don''t go anywhere, Erik. How about I give some light to the darkness in you."

    Corey''s apathetic voice flowed into Erik''s ears, and Erik finally heard something he had been ignoring due to his anger.

    His ring instincts.

    Just as he was about to instinctively sink into his shadows, a pair of searing hot hands grabbed his arms, and he screamed, "Leave me alone!"

    "No."

    Corey smiled widely, and in the next moment, mes that were as beautiful as an aurora engulfed Erik, the Silent Striker.

    -----

    [A/N: So, I have a very important announcement to make. Please check Author''s thought.]

 Chapter 360 359: Orb of Illusion

    Chapter 360 359: Orb of Illusion

    After Corey and Divine''s brief conversation, Corey took some minutes to recover his energies to a satisfactory level.

    Although the amount of mana he had was stupidlyrge for a tier 2, using sh step, Dreamfire, Focus, and Vibration Maniption multiple times in a row against mystic beings had drained nearly eighty percent of his mana.

    sh step, Dreamfire, Focus, and Vibration Maniption were skills that were not meant for the average tier 2 or even most exceptional tier 2s.

    The amount of mana that was required for a single use of sh Step and Dreamfire would drain the mana from a tier 2s mana core and cause severe injuries to the person.

    ''Not only did I use sh Step, Dreamfire, Focus, and Vibration Maniption. I also used Teleportation.''

    Corey released a sigh as he used his dream energies to heal his injuries. As he circted his dream energy throughout his body, he found out that his proficiency with the energy was increasing.

    Although it was minute, it would shock any knowledgeable person if they knew that Corey''s proficiency was increasing with every cirction of his dream energy.

    However, such a thing did not surprise Corey.

    He knew exactly why his proficiency with his skills was increasing despite him not actively trying to learn and improve his skills. The same thing had happened during the fight, and his proficiency with his Dreamfire, sh Step, Vibration Maniption, Eyes of Omniscience, Ears of Omniscience, and Focus increased during the fight.

    The increase was not enough to push his skills into the next level, however, it was an increase.

    ''My stars of consciousness are truly defying.'' Corey mused with a slight smile on his lips.

    He knew that with every battle he fought or any action that required him using his skills and even energies, the proficiency of his skills would keep on increasing.

    Haaa

    Corey exhaled a soft sigh as his body felt better, and he looked at Divine.

    "What are you doing?"

    Corey asked with a baffled tone as he looked at Divine who was going through Ariana''s corpse.

    "Looking for loot." Divine replied with a grin as he shamelessly touched and searched Ariana''s corpse.

    "Shouldn''t the loot be mine?"

    Corey raised his brows, and Divine coughed with an embarrassed expression.

    "Of course they''re yours. I just want to make sure that it''s safe to loot the corpses."

    Divine shamelessly gave a nonsensical reason with a straight face, and Corey looked at him dead in the eyes.

    Divine coughed once more but did not stop searching Ariana''s corpse. Corey saw this, and shook his head.

    Although Divine was a greedy person, he knew that Divine would not stoop so low to cheat him of what is his.

    Corey stood and was about to walk towards the incapacitated taxi driver. But just as he was about to take a step, Divine eximed loudlty.

    "What the hell! She had such a useful treasure on her?!"

    Corey turned, and looked at Divine with curiousity. For Divine to say such words, that must mean the item was exceptional.

    He moved towards Divine.

    "What''s that?"

    Corey asked as he looked a strange orb in Divine''s hand.

    The orb was about the size of an orange, and it emitted a soft, ethereal glow that constantly shifted through a spectrum of colors. The change waspletely random and in fact, it was also confusing.

    At one point it would emit a deep blue glow, then it could change to purple the next second, or even gold or silver.

    Not only that, Corey''s inhuman senses could perceive a strange, unknown, and powerful energy in the orb.

    "This is an artifact that can cause extremely realistic illusions. It was what she used to produce the illusions of her team members. But that is not why I''m so excited."

    Divine paused with a wide smile and a gaze that waspletely filled with desire as he stared at the orb.

    "The illusions caused by the orb can even affect tier 6s. Although the tier 6 might notice if they suddenly be suspicious."

    Corey''s eyes widened, and he suddenly looked at the orb withplete shock and also a tinge of desire.

    "Are you sure you''re not mistaken? This can be a life-saving treasure if used properly."

    Corey spoke with a serious tone, and Divine nodded.

    "Of course I''m certain."

    Divine nodded, then he shifted his gaze from the orb to Corey.

    "I really want and need this orb, please give it to me and I promise to give you something of simr value. You can tell me what you want and if the value is the same as that of the orb, I''ll get it for you."

    Corey furrowed his brows in contemtion when he heard Divine''s words.

    Because he was the one that killed Ariana, her belongings belonged to him, and if he wanted, he could take the orb and Divine would not be able to protest.

    The orb was extremely useful and powerful for somebody like him who was still a mortal. He could use it to protect himself from beings like Calista who were tier 6.

    Having a treasure with such capabilities was definitely not going to be easy to find. Who was to say that he would find a treasure that could save his life from tier 6s.

    Corey''s heart was telling him to reject Divine''s proposal and take the treasure for himself. However, his mind was telling him something else.

    "Sure thing Divine. I''ll give you the orb and in return, you''ll pay me back in the future. I don''t need anything urgently at the moment."

    Divine''s eyes widened, and in the blink of an eye, the orb vanished.

    "Thanks man."

    Divine chuckled with a happy smile, and Corey nodded.

    Although the orb was extremely useful and powerful, Corey chose to give Divine for two reasons.

    The first and main one was that he had an inkling that the heavens wanted the orb to fall into Divine''s hands.

    Corey remembered feeling Divine''s luck reducing when they met the taxi driver. Back then, he was curious as to why his luck had reduced. But now, he was 99% certain that it was because of the orb Divine''s luck reduced.

    What was the coincidence that an artifact that could affect tier 6s would be in the hands of a tier 4 like Ariana?

    And what was more strange was that the owner of the artifact turned out to have evil intentions towards them.

    Kill the person who ns on killing you.

    Get a powerful artifact.

    And don''t feel bad or guilty about it.

    ''How convenient.''

    Corey shook his head slightly with a soft chuckle. He was truly curious on the machinations of the heavens now.

    The second reason as to why he relinquished the orb to Divine was because he noticed that the orb had a slight w.

    Well, it was a w that should truly not be counted as a w.

    He and Divine were able to see through the illusions were able to see through the ollusions of the orb¡­ and they were not Tier 6s.

    Although he did not know how Divine was able to see through the illusions, he knew that if the two of them could see through the illusions, then the orb was not so great.

    His Eyes of Dreams and Nightmares was what enabled him to see through the illusions, and if an individual had a simr ability, then it would be extremely dangerous for him if he used the orb. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    There was a possibility that the individual would do what he did, and use his faith in the orb tounch a sneak attack on him.

    With these two reasons, Corey chose to¡­ ''sell'' the orb to Divine.

    "Hey."

    Divine''s voice flowed into his ears, and he turned.

    "What about him? You said you can use him to figure out the location of the Assassin headquarters."

    Divine gestured at the taxi driver who had a nk gaze and barely moved an inch.

    Corey looked at the taxi driver, "Oh."

    "I''ll deal with him now. Then we can leave this ce."

 Chapter 361 360: Lets Leave

    Chapter 361 360: Let''s Leave

    "I''ll deal with him now. Then we can leave this ce."

    When Divine heard Corey''s words, he could not help but have a curious expression.

    He knew that Corey was definitely not a normal human, tier 2, or even living being. What he had seen some minutes ago had definitely shattered his beliefs and views on certain things.

    He knew that Corey had his secrets, however, he was beginning to wonder if Corey''s secrets were greater than his secrets.

    ''I wonder if he even fought with all of his strength against the Assassins.'' Divine thought as he watched Corey approach the taxi driver.

    ----

    Meanwhile, as Corey approached the taxi driver, his mind was currently on a thought he just had.

    ''I hope the Assassin group does not have a way of knowing if the mind of one of the members has been tampered with.''

    A slight frown appeared on Corey''s face as he pondered on this issue for a few seconds, then he shrugged with an indifferent expression.

    ''If they do, then we''ll just deal with it when the timees.''

    Corey''s n on using the taxi driver to find out the location of the Assassins'' headquarters was actually simple and required just two skills.

    Cognitum Erasure and Toxic Familiar.

    Cognitum Erasure was the skill which had the highest proficiency among all his skills. Its proficiency level was at the Transcendent level and using the skill was as easy as walking for Corey.

    [Cognitum Erasure: This tome contains a forbidden power that can erase specific memories and knowledge from individuals, altering their understanding of the world.]

    This were the exact words on the que which held the tome of the Cognitum Erasure.

    The description was correct, and if one thought about it, erasing specific memories from an individual''s mind should require one to read the mind of the individual right?

    Then shouldn''t that mean that Cognitum Erasure was a memory erasure skill and also a mind-reading skill?

    This was Corey''s exact thought before he training with the skill.

    However, Corey realized that he was wrong.

    With his high proficiency of the skill, Corey knew how Cognitum Erasure.

    To remove a certain memory from a person''s mind using Cognitum Erasure, he just had to think about it while holding the person.

    He could not see the person''s memories, however, he would have an instinctive awareness of what the person knew, and he could choose to erase the memories he wanted.

    Although it sounded simple, Corey would confidently say that it was.

    Making even a slight mistake could cause more memories to be removed, or the individual might even develop mental problems or at worst, death.

    However, because of Corey''s transcendent skill proficiency, the chances of Corey making a mistake was little.

    ----

    Corey crouched and stared at the taxi driver with apathetic eyes. Although the driver tried to hide it, Corey perceived his gaze briefly shifting towards him for an instant.

    The taxi driver had been tied up and also had his powers sealed by Divine. In other words, the driver was as harmless as a newborn child.

    Corey grabbed the driver''s hand with his right hand and closed his eyes.

    He activated Cognitum Erasure and the moment he did, a ck light appeared on his right hand.

    The ck light engulfed the taxi driver and Corey was briefly surprised by the fact that the taxi driver was not aware of the presence of the ck light.

    He didn''t know why, but he knew that the taxi driver was not faking it and was truly not aware of the presence of the ck light.

    Although Corey was curious about this strange fact, he didn''t think about it too much and instead put such thoughts into one of his stars of consciousness.

    Corey focused on his main consciousness which was suddenly filled with information on what the taxi driver knew.

    The specifics were not known to him, however, he knew that if he wanted, he couldpletely remove the taxi driver''s knowledge on how to talk or even walk.

    Corey focused on the information which was rted to the first meeting he had with the taxi driver, and also his meeting with Divine.

    Hepletely erased the taxi driver''s memories of him ever meeting him and Divine. Although the taxi driver still had some memories about the two of them, in his memories and mind, he had never met him and Divine.

    The moment Corey erased these memories from the mind of the taxi driver, the taxi driver''s eyes became nk and empty.

    Corey saw this and with slightly furrowed brows, he gave him a karate chop to his neck, knocking him out cold.

    Thud

    Seeing the unconscious taxi driver, Corey then moved to the next phase of his n.

    He spread out his left palm, and a ck smoke appeared in his left palm. The ck smoke churned for a few seconds, then it became liquid, and after another few seconds, it turned to a ck crystal.

    Crack

    Crack

    The crystal cracked, and a few secondster, a ck centipede with green legs came out of the ck crystal.

    The ck centipede looked around for a few seconds, then it started crawling around Corey''s palm.

    When Corey saw the ck centipede, he furrowed his brows.

    ''The time it took to summon a toxic familiar took too long. Not only that, I can feel that if the distance between the centipede and me grows too much, I''ll lose my connection with the centipede.''

    ''Although it won''t die because of this, I won''t be able to sense its location or what it perceives until I get closer to it. In fact, if it dies before I get close to it, I''ll lose all the information it has gathered and would only know that one of my familiars is dead.''

    Corey frowned deeply.

    ''I need to raise the skill proficiency to a satisfactory level quickly. The basic level is too trash.''

    After having this thought, Coreymunicated with Chucky, the spirit of his Library of Records. He briefly exined what he wanted, and Chucky instantly got his stars of consciousness and his Perceptual Nexus Repository to work.

    After doing this, Corey grabbed the neck of the taxi driver and brought him closer to him. He ced his palm close to the ear of the taxi driver, and a secondter, the centipede crawled into the ear of the taxi driver and nestled itself in the taxi driver''s brain.

    Corey made sure the centipede was perfectly hidden, only then did he drop the unconscious taxi driver.

    Although there were a lot of inconsistencies in his n, and also a lot of things that could go wrong. Corey was not really bothered.

    If anybody figured out that the taxi driver''s mind had been tampered with or that there was a poisonous centipede in the taxi driver''s brain, the first person they''ll think of would be Divine, and not him who was a ''normal'' tier 2.

    Corey stood and dusted his palms. He looked at Divine who had a thoughtful expression.

    "We can now leave.N?v(el)B\\jnn

 Chapter 362 361: Without Cost?

    Chapter 362 361: Without Cost?

    "We can now leave."

    After those words drifted into Divine''s ears, his gaze shifted from the unconscious taxi driver to Corey.

    Despite hearing Corey''s words, his mind was still on what Corey had just done to the taxi driver.

    To him, Corey only knocked out the taxi driver using a strange method, and then he allowed a ck centipede to enter the head of the taxi driver.

    Although it seemed like the ck centipede was Corey''s way of knowing the location of the Assassins'' headquarters, he didn''t know why, but he just had a subconscious feeling that the centipede was not all that Corey did.

    Knowing he was not going to get any answers just by thinking so much on it, he could not help but ask.

    "Was that the centipede your method of knowing the location of the Assassins'' headquarters?"

    Corey nced at Divine. A thoughtful expression appeared on his face as he wondered if he should expose an ability of his to Divine.

    ''I''ll just answer his question but I won''t say anything more.''

    Although it seemed like some seconds had gone by because of his thoughts, only a single second had gone by.

    His mental capabilities were increasing as time went on. "You''re right. It is."

    Corey nodded, and Divine furrowed his brows.

    "But even if your centipede is able to locate the Assassins'' headquarters, what about us? Won''t the taxi driver report us to their headquarters?"

    Divine questioned with a tinge of worry in his tone. Normally, he would not be worried by any group in the Underworld, however, since the only thing he could was defend himself in any battle before his battle with a tier 5, Divine was now afraid of going into unnecessary battles.

    In fact, he was more worried than he was showing it since he didn''t like how powerless he currently was.

    "Don''t worry about it."

    Corey replied with an indifferent tone, and Divine''s eyes widened slightly. His gaze alternated from Corey to the unconscious taxi driver, then to Corey once again.

    "Your centipede has mind altering abilities?" Divine eximed with a shocked tone and wide eyes.

    Corey raised his brows at Divine''s behavior. Although he was curious, he didn''t think too much about it and chose to push the matter to one of his stars of consciousness.

    A secondter, he shrugged nonchntly in response, "Who knows."

    "This¡­ This¡­"

    Divine continued to alternate his gaze from Corey to the unconscious taxi driver, almost like he could not believe what he was hearing.

    It took some time, but he finally calmed down and looked at Corey with a serious expression.

    "Hey, as a friend, I''m going to tell you this and I hope you take my warning seriously."

    Corey raised a brow.

    "Never tell a person you don''t trust about this ability of yours. Abilities that can affect the mind are very rare and once word of a person having this ability gets out, the person can be captured and then enved or worse¡­ be killed."

    Divine spoke with a serious tone and Corey furrowed his brows.

    "You say it''s rare, but I''m sure a lot of people would have wished to have one or two abilities that can alter the mind, are you saying all those people would be targets of extremely powerful people?"

    Corey asked, and Divine stared at him for a few seconds before he released a soft sigh.

    "Let''s walk as we talk, I don''t want to stay here for even a second longer." Divine said, while looking at his surroundings with a disgusted expression.

    Corey agreed with a nod. He too wanted to leave the sewers.

    "Instead of walking, let''s run in case more members of the Assassin groupe looking for us." Corey said, and Divine nodded.

    They began running, and after a few seconds, Divine''s voice resounded in his mind.

    {I''ll talk to you using the Mind-Link skill since what I''m about to say should not be heard by just anybody.}

    Corey was slightly taken aback when he heard Divine''s words. It seemed like what Divine was about to say was somewhat sensitive.

    Corey gestured for Divine to continue speaking.

    Divine looked around for a bit as he ran, then he spoke:

    {You already know that there are beings from outside our that have established their forces on New Earth right?}

    Corey nodded, {I do. Why?}

    {Before I delve deeper into that, have you ever heard of a blessed?}

    The instant Corey heard the words, "Blessed", his eyebrows shot up. Luckily for him, he and Divine were running, so Divine did not notice the change in his expression.

    {Blessed?} Corey questioned to be sure he heard correctly.

    Divine nodded, {Yes, a Blessed. Have you heard of it before?}

    Divine asked once again, and Corey shook his head.

    {No. I''ve never heard of a Blessed. What is a Blessed?}

    Corey asked, and Divine''s expression became more solemn.

    {A Blessed is a that is favored by the Universal System. It is a where every inhabitant of the is given an opportunity to make any wish they want¡­ New Earth is a Blessed.}

    Corey''s eyes widened slightly at the shocking information he just received from Divine. Multiple questions arose in his mind, and he felt that he would need an entire day to answer all his questions.

    ''Does a Blessed have anything to do with the heavens?''

    Corey thought with slightly furrowed brows. But a secondter, he felt he was wrong based on what Divine said and what he knew.

    ''A Blessed is a that is favored by the Universal System¡­ And the Universal System was created by the Ancestor of the Supremes¡­ Then that means¡­''

    A deep frown immediately appeared on Corey''s face as he ran.

    ''... that a Blessed is actually a that is favored by the Supreme Ancestor¡­ But what can a have to make a being like the Supreme Ancestor favor it?'' n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    ''And most importantly, are the wishes we make truly free and without cost?''

 Chapter 363 362: The Main Reason

    Chapter 363 362: The Main Reason

    Nothing is given out for free.

    This was a statement that Corey and a lot of experienced people knew to be the truth, and was also like a Universalw.

    Corey knew this.

    A lot of people knew this.

    However, despite knowing this supposedw, very few were suspicious about the appearance of the Universal System and the wishes they were granted for ''free''.

    If one thought about it, since nothing was given out for free. How could actual powers, powers that had the potential to destroy a city, a world, and who knows, an entire universe.

    How could such powers be given out for free?

    How could billions of people in a world¡­

    No!

    Trillions of beings in a world be given the opportunity to make any wish they wanted without any cost?

    Corey had to consider the possibility that even animals could have been given given the opprotunity to make a wish. Although, he had no idea how that was going to be possible.

    Sure, Corey knew that those who wished to be gods, the strongest humans, and whatnot were tricked by the system, there were people like him who had made wishes that could propel him to heights he could not even fathom.

    What was the price?

    What price did he pay for such a wish to be granted?

    Or what price was he going to pay in the future for making such a wish?

    Corey did not know, but he suddenly became anxious and worried.

    ''Even if I''m suspicious of my talent, the system, and everything, what can I do? It''s not like I can fight the Supreme Ancestor who created the Universal System and most likely granted us our wishes.''

    Anxiety briefly appeared on Corey''s face as he thought about the hidden dangers he was most likely carrying or was going to face in the future.

    It almost felt like a guillotine was hanging above him.

    Corey became lost in his thoughts, but a few secondster, a strong jerk on his body shook him.

    "What the hell man. Get a grip of yourself. Why were you so lost in your thoughts."

    Divine spoke out loud with a worried and baffled expression as he held Corey''s shoulders. Corey''s lips parted open for a few seconds, then he closed it and shook his head.

    "Sorry about that. I was just so surprised by what you said."

    Divine raised a brow and spoke directly into Corey''s mind, {You mean about the Blessed? Why were you surprised?} n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Divine furrowed his brows, then a thought appeared on his face and realization dawned on him, {Did you somehow realize the consequences of New Earth being a Blessed?}

    This time around, Corey was the one to raise a brow. His consciousness pirs got to work, and his mind pieced every bit of information he had recieved from Divine about New Earth, the System, and so on. A secondter, he came up with an answer.

    {The Outsiders?}

    Corey''s asked with a slightly unsure tone, and Divine''s eyes brightened.

    {So you actually realized the consequences of our being a Blessed.}

    Divine smiled, then he looked around. Apart from the assional rats and the sewage water, there was nothing else around.

    "Let''s go. Don''t get distracted this time around." Divine spoke out loud, then he started running.

    Corey said nothing and started running also. When he caught up to Divine, Divine spoke,

    {Just as you thought, although it''s a good thing that our is favored by the Universal System, this causes powerful beings outside our to be jealous, greedy, and curious.}

    Corey frowned when he heard this, {So, does this mean that the reason why tier 6s, tier 5s, and the likes are in our is because of jealousy? Fear? Greed? And Curiousity?}

    The more Corey thought about it, the more he felt like there had to be something more to this.

    Sure, beings born in a Blessed had an advantage since they could wish for abilities, skills, and powers that were extremely rare or even forbidden.

    ''But¡­ shouldn''t powerful beings like them also know that nothing is given out for free? Surely they know about the Supreme Ancestors and the Supremes right?''

    Corey thought with a deep frown. He suddenly had to consider another possibility that the Supremes and Paragons might not be well know even among top powers like Calista, the Manager of the Underworld Emporium.

    If beings like Calista were not aware of the presence of Supremes and Paragons, then it was not going to be good for him since he might find it difficult to acquire information on the Supremes and Paragons as he got stronger.

    Divine took a turn as he ran. He nced at Corey, only to see a deep frown on Corey''s face. A pondering expression appeared on his face for a few seconds, then he released a soft sigh.

    {You''re notpletely wrong¡­}

    Divine paused, and Corey nced at him,

    {Since we''re given the chance to make any wish we want, somebody can wish for skills that have the ability to even destroy a. So, some beings be fearful and jealous.}

    {Although it is somewhat scary to have powerful beings like Calista, the manager of the Emporium, to be fearful and jealous of you. It''s not so bad, since you know that those beings would most likely choose to kill you.}

    Divine paused once again, then his expression became solemn.

    {However, what is more scary is when these beings be greedy and curious¡­ then their cruelty knows no bounds.}

    A dark expression appeared on Divine''s face. Corey nced at Divine, and he noticed Divine having a disgusted expression.

    {Imagine tier 6s, tier 7s and above choosing to study the inhabitants of a Blessed using whatever means they had just because of their greed for the abilties granted by the Universal System and their maniacal curiousity.}

    {The atrocities and cruelty these beings would perform would scar you, Smile Reaper¡­ It would scar you.}

    Divine shook his head, wanting to rid his mind of the vicious and inhumane scenes he had seen in the past.

    Meanwhile, Corey had an extremely dark frown on his face as his mind immediately went to his sister. He was suddenly gripped by a strong sense of anxiety as he could not help but wonder if he had finally found the main reason the pope had taken his sister?

    To perform experiments on an inhabitant of a Blessed?

    Corey felt his blood boil with an immeasurable rage. He was barely able to stop himself from losing himself to the boiling rage in his heart.

    {What I''m about to tell you is a secret that is only known to the top factions or beings with immense power and influence.}

 Chapter 364 363: A Game

    Chapter 364 363: A Game

    {What I''m about to tell you is a secret that is only known to the top factions or beings with immense power and influence.}

    The instant Divine''s voice flowed into his ears, Corey''s rage reduced and he looked at Divine with a curious expression. Although his rage had not died down, it had reduced by a considerable amount.

    Divine perceived his gaze, and he pondered briefly before speaking,

    {There is actually a very important reason why there are so many foreign forces on our.}

    Divine paused, then he continued,

    {They want the core of our world.}

    Corey had a baffled expression the instant he heard Divine''s words. Although this was the first time he was hearing that the core of a world could be¡­ taken?... He knew that anything was possible nowadays.

    {Why do they need the core of our world? How is it going to help them?}

    Corey asked the most important questions on his mind, and Divine shook his head softly as he ran.

    {They want our world''s core because it would be able to grant them any wish just like us.}

    Corey''s eyes widened in surprise, and he could not help but exim.

    {If the world''s core can grant anybody wishes like us, what''s stopping them from destroying our and taking it?}

    A slight smile appeared on Divine''s face when he heard Corey''s question. That was the same question he also asked the first time he heard about the core of their world.

    {The Universal System is what is stopping them from destroying them to take the world''s core.}

    Divine exined with a smile, and Corey furrowed his brows in confusion.

    {I don''t understand. Exin.}

    Divine chuckled, {Think about it. Since our world is favored by the Universal System, won''t it know that powerful beings would be able to use the world''s core to obtain a wish of theirs?}

    Corey''s frown became deeper.

    {The Universal System obviously knows this, so it came up with an extremely simple solution.}

    Divine chuckled softly when he thought of the solution the Universal System came up with.

    {It made sure that only the denizens of the Blessed would be able to obtain the world''s core. If an outsider tries to take it, he or she would be killed by the Universal System.}

    Corey''s eyes widened slightly, {Only an inhabitant of the Blessed can take the world''s core?}

    Divine nodded, then his gaze became slightly cold and dark as he said his next words.

    {It might seem like this rule by the system was foolproof and was meant to act as a deterrent towards the outsiders. I mean, beings like them who spent thousands of years to reach their levels would surely not want to die right?}

    Divine chuckled, then he clicked his tongue in irritation.

    {If you had such thoughts, then you''re so wrong¡­ Those outsiders found a way to circumvent the rules of the System.}

    {And what they did was extremely was simple.} Divine paused, then a dark smile appeared on his face, {Basically, you just have to ask yourself this question¡­ What is a denizen? When is one considered a denizen of a?}

    Corey''s eyes widened in shock the instant he heard Divine''sst words. He had an inkling of what Divine was going to say next, and if he was right- and he was sure he was, then everything about his world just got more and moreplicated.

    {I''m sure you''ve guessed it right. However, I''ll still say it¡­}

    A grim expression appeared on Divine''s face as he continued speaking,

    {Since only a denizen, an inhabitant of a Blessed could take the world''s core, then why not create our own denizens?}

    Corey''s gaze darkened.

    {To be seen as a denizen of a world, the system says that the person has to be born in that world, and not only that, the person was meant to have a family tree of at least three generations.}

    The moment Corey heard these words which basically confirmed his thoughts, he could not help but feel a massive headache iing.

    A question hung at the tip of his lips, and although he was somewhat afraid of the answer he''ll receive, he knew he had to get it.

    {Divine.}

    Corey called out, and Divine looked at him.

    {Do you know when the outsiders came into New Earth? How long has it been?... 10 years? Or more?}

    Although Corey knew hisst question was a dumb one, he had to ask to know if the information he got from Ashley when he was still in his school, was actually wrong.

    ording to Ashley, the first group of outsiders came into New Earth ten years ago.

    However¡­ since the main goal of the outsidersl was to create denizens that would be loyal to them by procreation, how would ten years be enough.

    And just as he suspected, Divine''s next words confirmed what he feared.

    {What? Did you just say ten years?}

    Divine was baffled, stunned, and then heughed.

    {A century man. The outsiders have been in New Earth for 100 years.}

    Corey could not help but hold his forehead while feeling a terrible ''headache''. The main reason why he was so worried about how long groups like the Temple of mes had been on earth was because of the strength they would have.

    A ten year old force would have not the same number of people,nd, knowledge, allies, and so on,pared to that of a century old force.

    At the end of the day, his main goal was to save his sister then destroy the Temple of mes, however, if the Temple of mes had been on New Earth for a hundred years instead of ten¡­ He would need to be careful since their foundation on New Earth would definitely be much stronger than what he previously thought.

    {I''m curious, why did you say ten years man?}

    Divine''s voice filled with curiousity flowed into Corey''s ears, disrupting the thoughts of his main consciousness.

    {The person who told me about outsiders also told me that the outsiders have been around for ten years.}

    Divine raised his brows, then he shook his head with a chuckle.

    {Well, that''spletely wrong. It''s either the person was deceived or the person was trying to deceive you. But, to be honest, I think the person was deceived or just received apletely wrong information since very, very, very, very few people know how long these foreign forces have been in our.}

    {They have spread their roots all over our, and to be honest, I believe we''re nothing more than livestock and chess pieces to them.}

    {We''re basically ignorant pawns with the ability to transform not only our lives from being a pawn to a queen or even a king- the most important chesspiece. Not only that, we also have the ability to transform their lives with our world core.}

    {To be honest Smile Reaper,we''re all in a game¡­ and the Underworld prisoners are major, important, and ignorant chess pieces of this vast game of chess that is being yed by these powerful people.}N?v(el)B\\jnn

 Chapter 366 365: We Have Arrived

    Chapter 366 365: We Have Arrived

    {Isn''t it obvious. We''re going to be EXP for the Half New-Earthlings when our time is up.}

    The moment Divine transmitted these words, Corey was taken aback and he stared at Divine with a tinge of confusion in his eyes.

    {EXP? What do you mean?}

    Although Corey had an inkling what Divine meant, it was always better to ask rather than make assumptions.

    {Well¡­} Divine paused, {... We, who are New-Earthlings and not Half New-Earthlings, don''t have the bloodline of outsiders in us. We were not born and raised from childhood by the outsiders, so there''s no way those who are truly in charge of the Underworld cannot use us to obtain the core of New Earth.}

    A soft chuckle which was simr to that of a scoff escaped Divine''s lips.

    {Although they cannot use us to obtain the world''s core, what they can do is use us as a whetstone to sharpen the Half New-Earthlings. We''re basically here to not only weed out the weak and useless Half New-Earthlings, we''re also here to make them stronger.}

    {When it''s time for the world''s core to be obtained, the rulers would have no use for us and we''ll be given to the Half New-Earthlings with potential as EXP¡­ We''ll be killed and our soul stone would be used to strengthen the chosen Half New-Earthlings.}

    {The useless Half New-Earthlings would also be killed, and their soul stones would also be used to strengthen the chosen Half New-Earthlings.}

    Divine chuckled as an image formed in his mind. He could imagine the faces of those who had no desire to escape the Underworld, and those who even chose to have a family.

    {When can one obtain the core of New Earth}

    Corey asked, and Divine shrugged.

    {I don''t know. It''s usually random. However¡­} Divine raised a finger, {When the opportunityes to obtain the world core, it is also when our world wants to ascend to a higher world.}

    Corey looked at Divine with a confused expression, {A world can ascend?}

    Divine nodded, {Yes, a world can ascend. A world has to ascend for many reasons actually.}

    Divine raised a finger, {First of all, a world has to ascend to be stronger and more stable, because if it doesn''t. Anybody that is powerful enough would be able to cause severe damage to the world. Imagine a fight or war urring with several people having this level of power, the world would eventually be destroyed.}

    Divine raised a finger, {First of all, a world has to ascend to be stronger and more stable, because if it doesn''t. Anybody that is powerful enough would be able to cause severe damage to the world. Imagine a fight or war urring with several people having this level of power, the world would eventually be destroyed.}

    Corey furrowed his brows slightly. Although what Divine said made sense, he was still surprised that a world could evolve.

    {Also, a world has to ascend so that the quantity and quality of mana in the world would increase. The higher the quality and quantity of mana in the world, the more we New Earthlings would benefit from it.}

    Corey raised a brow, {Benefit from it? How?}

    {Well, from what I know, we should have a stat boost whenever we''re in New Earth. Also, I think our stat limit would increase slightly which means our talent would also increase . Although the increase was dependent on the grade of our world''s ascension.}

    Corey raised a brow, {There are also grades when ites to a world''s ascension?}

    Divine nodded,{Let me exin. There are different sses of worlds when ites to the strength of the world, stability of the world, and the quantity and quality of mana the world possesses.}

    {The lowest ss of a world is called A Manaless World, and this type of world is usually not even included in the ssification of worlds. They are usually worlds that have either not undergone an awakening by the Universal System, or their potential is so low that the Universal System abandoned them.}

    Corey raised a brow with a tinge of surprise in his expression. However, he noticed an oddity in Divine''s words.

    {You first said grade, why are you now calling it ss?}

    Divine smiled.

    {Grade is used to define the result a world achieved during their ascension.} N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Divine exined, and Corey frowned. Although he could understand the overall gist of a World''s Ascension, it was still abstract to him.

    {As I was saying, after a Manaless World, the next ss of a world is called an Astral World.} {After an Astral World is a Mystic World.}

    {As for what''s after a Mystic World, it''s not so simple and straightforward.}

    Corey raised a brow, {What do you mean?}

    Divine scratched the side of his head, and a few secondster, he answered.

    {Well, to put it simply, a world can either choose to be a Divine World or an Immortal World. It actually depends on a lot of factors to be honest, and exining all of it right now would not be easy.}

    Corey frowned slightly, then he shrugged.

    {Now that I''ve said something about the sses of worlds, let me exin the grades of a world''s ascension.}

    Divine paused, and then he continued.

    {The grade of a world''s ascension can be ssified into, Minor Ascension grade, Major Ascension grade, and Supreme Ascension grade.}

    {The three grades are basically the results a world got during their ascension. And the higher the grade, the better the rewards that are granted to a world and its inhabitants.}

    Divine nced at Corey, then his gaze shifted to the front and his eyes brightened.

    {Our world is an Astral World, and when it''s time for it to ascend, it would ascend to a Mystic World. When it bes a Mystic World, the damage caused by Mystic Beings would reduce, and if our world somehow achieves a Supreme Ascension grade, then the damage that even tier 6s would cause would reduce.}

    {You might not know this, but there is a suppression on every Outsider that is a Mystic Being in our world. The higher their tier, the stronger the suppression. Most Mystic Beings Outsiders are not able to unleash their full power since our world doesn''t want to get destroyed from the countless fighting that are urring in it.}

    Divine said, and Corey nced at Divine.

    {If our world ascends, doesn''t it mean that stronger beings would be able toe into our world?}

    Corey asked, and Divine nodded.

    {But you don''t have to be so worried. Worlds don''t usually undergo ascension unless a high percentage of its denizens are strong enough¡­ Although we might be weaker, we wouldn''t be so powerless.}

    Corey nodded, and countless thoughts went through his mind. Surprisingly, he had learned so much about the Underworld and his world. There was so much information that Corey knew he could not take any of it lightly.

    The stars of consciousness in his mental space zed brightly as they worked and ruminated over every single piece of information Divine had just given him.

    ''Could it be that Divine told me all of this because he now trusts me?'' Although Corey was not sure, he had a feeling this was the case.

    Some minutester, Divine''s voice reverberated in his ears.

    "Stop here. We''ve gotten to the ce."

 Chapter 367 366: The Warlock Class

    367 366: The Warlock ss

    "Stop here. We''ve gotten to the ce."

    Divine''s voice drifted into Corey''s ears, and he came to an immediate stop. He looked around, and when he saw nothing but walls around him, he raised a brow.

    "Here?"

    Divine nodded

    "Yep. Here." Divine pointed up, and Corey looked up with a frown.

    "Are you sure? And what if we end up in a trap or one of the locations of the Assassin group?"

    Corey stared at Divine with a slight frown. If they ended up in the den of their enemies, then he would be the one to suffer most since Divine was not allowed to fight.

    "I''m sure. I have a skill that allows me to track and notice the heat signatures of people around my power level. I was able to track the remnant heat signatures of the assassins you just killed, and I used that to get us to this ce without encountering a trap or a dead end."

    Corey raised a brow.

    "But what if the heat signatures led us to the headquarters or a hideout of the Assassins? I''m sure that''s where Ariana and her group would have mostly gone."

    This was Corey''s main concern, and it was not unfounded at all.

    Although Divine had the ability to perceive the remnant heat signatures of Ariana and her group throughout the sewers, Corey was sure that a majority of the remnant heat signatures would lead to the headquarters of the Assassins or a hideout.

    They could use Divine''s ability to track the location of the Assassin Headquarters, however, they were both sure that there would be traps and most likely guards on the route to the Assassin Headquarters.

    "Of course I also thought of what you just said¡­." Divine smiled, then he continued, "... So, what I did was topare the route of Ariana and her group to that of our group."

    "Huh?"

    Corey was confused, and Divine chuckled.

    "I can track the location of every member in our group through this skill of mine¡­" Divine paused, and then he pointed at the ceiling of the sewer once again, "... I know where Fatty ck Bonez, Dave, Rosa, Melissa, and Triple X are..."

    Corey frowned.

    Meanwhile, Divine paused once again, then he put his two fingers together.

    "So what I just did was to make sure that the remnant heat signatures I tracked led in the direction of the group. I also had to consider a lot of other factors, however, that''s basically the gist of it."

    Divine shrugged in a nonchnt manner, making it seem like what he did was not a big deal. However, the smug expression on his face betrayed his arrogant thoughts.

    Meanwhile, Corey had a slight frown on his face due to the fact that Divine said he could track the location of every member of their group through his skill.

    Divine who had a smug expression and was also expecting a response from Corey had a baffled expression when he heard nothing from Corey.

    He looked at him, and when he saw the slight frown on Corey''s face, he became confused and also curious. However, a secondter, his eyes widened slightly in realization.

    "Are you ufortable about the fact that I said I can track every member of the group?"

    Divine asked, and Corey looked at him with unveiled surprise in his eyes.

    "How did you know?"

    Divine scoffed, then he looked at the ceiling above them.

    "I''ve dealt with countless people like you. You should learn to trust people. Being wary of everybody and everything is extremely stressful and not good for your mental health."

    Divine scoffed once again with a tinge of anger in his tone. Corey became confused why he suddenly became angry.

    "Also, if you''re extremely worried about that. You don''t have to worry too much about it. I can''t track you down even if I wanted to."

    Corey raised his brows.

    Divine turned, and then he poked Corey''s chest.

    "Your body does not give out any heat into the surroundings."

    "Huh?" Corey became baffled, and Divine exined.

    "It''s not like your body does not give out heat or that you''re a corpse which has no heat. No. It''s more like your body utilizes every bit of energy it has, and doesn''t waste a single unit of energy."

    "This happened after you advanced to tier 1. It''s like the reward you got for advancing to Tier 1 was to get a perfect body in energy utilization. You don''t know how shocked and confused I was when I noticed this."

    "How can there be a body that doesn''t waste even a single unit of energy. No matter how small, I''ll be able to perceive the energy lost in the form of heat. And even if the energy was in the form of a cold energy. I should still be able to perceive the energy lost. However¡­"

    Divine poked Corey''s chest once again, but this time, with a little bit of more force.

    "However! You emit not a single bit, strand or unit of energy. Absolutely nothing.Do you know how insane that is? Immortals would even kill you to possess such a body. That''s why I''m not even surprised by your excellent mana control or some things that you do."

    Corey raised a brow, and although he tried to hide it, a smug smile could not help but appear on his face when he saw how frustrated Divine was.

    Divine noticed this, and a vein popped in his forehead. He gritted his teeth in anger, and then he shoved Corey with a little bit of force.

    "Fuck off you lucky bastard. I''m guessing it''s your Warlock ss that gave you this benefit. I always knew that the Warlocks were one of the greatest beings in the Universe, but I didn''t know they had such a special body."

    Divine cursed once again, and Corey raised a brow.

    "You know about the Warlock ss?"

    Divine nodded, "I do. Your Poison Warlock ss is not the only Warlock ss there is. Although you''re the first Poison Warlock I''ve ever heard of, it''s not actually strange to me that there is a Poison Warlock ss."

    "There are other Warlock sses?" Corey was once again taken aback. He had gotten so much information from Divine in the past fifteen minutes that he could not believe it.

    Divine nodded once again, "Yes, there are other Warlock sses."

    "There is a Blood Warlock ss, an Elemental Warlock, a Sword Warlock, a Spear Warlock, an Archer Warlock, an Illusion Warlock. There are more, although these are the ones I can remember at the moment."

    Corey''s eyes widened slightly in amazement, but before his mind could drift into his thoughts, Divine raised a finger.

    "Oh yeah, there''s onest Warlock I forgot to mention¡­ There''s also a Supreme Warlock."

    "Hm?" Corey raised his brows.

    "I think the Supreme Warlock is like the strongest Warlock amongst the other Warlocks. I actually don''t know how the Supreme Warlock ss is obtained. I''ve just heard of it before."

    "Maybe as you progress in your tier, you''ll know more about the Warlock ss."

    Divine said, and Corey nodded slowly. He was still a little bit taken aback by what he had just heard about the Warlock ss from Divine. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "Alright. I think we''ve stayed here for too long. Let''s join the others."

    Divine smiled, and Corey nodded once again.

    He looked up, and after thinking about it briefly, his eyes turnedpletely white.

    ''I guess Divine was right. It''s safe. There''s nobody above us.'' Corey thought, then he deactivated his Eyes of Omniscience.

    "Hey. Move back a little bit."

    Divine''s voice drifted into Corey''s ears, and he turned to look at Divine.

    His eyes widened slightly when he saw a ball of fire hovering above Divine''s palms. Without hesitation, he summoned his Hexagon Barrier and moved back.

    Divine chuckled with a wide smile, and he threw the fireball at the ceiling.

 Chapter 369 368: Reunion

    369 368: Reunion

    After the brief and ''innocent'' interaction between Corey and Divine, they left the abandoned and extremely quiet ce they found themselves in.

    Their walk was silent and none of them said a word since they were pre-upied with their thoughts.

    Divine was mainly thinking of how to retrieve or delete the recording Corey had of him. If it was when he was stupidly rich, this would not be an issue since he could make a request for the recording to be deleted from Corey''s U-Watch.

    However, his value points had been seized and it would take him some time to regain a portion of his previous wealth.

    ''Fucking hell. Why did I make such a mistake.'' Divine thought while chewing on his fingers with a nervous expression.

    He could already imagine how Rosa and mainly Fatty ck Bonez were going to tease him and use the recording if Corey ever exposed it.

    As Divine was having several thoughts, Corey''s mind was mainly still on all the information Divine had given him ever since they were in the sewers.

    After going through the information in his mind, Corey knew he was now on a time limit.

    Although it might take a long time before the world decides to ascend, it might also not take a long time at all.

    Corey could not take any chances, and he had to speed up his ns. He was still weak, and since he already knew that New Earthlings like him were basically EXP for the chosen Half New-Earthlings, he knew he had to leave the Underworld with Divine''s help no matter what.

    Speaking of Half New-Earthlings, Corey also noticed something odd.

    He remembered Divine telling him that a method of discerning a Half New-Earthling from a New-Earthling was by the presence or the absence of a talent.

    Corey knew there were a lot of factors he would have to consider if he chose to use this method. However, the odd thing he figured out was that he had seen Divine''s stats in the past and he vividly remembered Divine not having a talent or to be more precise, Record was unable to determine Divine''s talent.

    ----

    [Name: Divine

    Race: High Elemental Human Hybrid

    ss: Child of Ice and Fire

    Talent: Unable To Determine

    Level: 379

    Tier: 3]

    ----- n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    This was what Corey saw the first time he ever tried to use Record on Divine. Back then, he remembered being confused since that was the first time he saw such a thing.

    However, that was before his baptism under the Eye of God and his soul ascended to be a Cosmic Soul.

    Now that his soul had reached an unfathomable level, what Corey saw was¡­

    Level: 397

    Tier: 3]

    ----

    ording to Record, Divine had no talent. And apart from finding it strange that Divine had no talent, Corey also noticed that the way Record wrote the word, Nil, was in Italics.

    If Corey went ording to Divine''s previous words, then there was a chance that Divine was either an outsider or a Half New-Earthling.

    There was also another possibility that Divine just refused to make a wish for whatever reason, or the wish he made did not result in him getting a talent.

    There were so many possibilities, and Corey knew he could not make a rash decision just because of the fact that Divine had no talent.

    Although a part of Corey wanted to give Divine the benefit of the doubt, a part of him was also suspicious of Divine.

    And the main reason was that Divine knew way too much for a Tier 3, and¡­ Divine''s family.

    Divine came from the House of Divine, and he was an influential figure in the House of Divine. Corey had never heard of ''The House of Divine'' throughout his time on earth, and based on the fact that the House of Hellfire which was their enemy could send a powerful tier 5, The Ember Elder, to the Underworld as one of the guardians of the chosens, Corey had a feeling that the House of Divine was not a family that was based on New Earth.

    This was the main reason Corey was also suspicious of Divine despite all that he had said and all that he had done.

    However, Corey knew that there might be a reason for all of these, and he had to be calm and not behave rashly just because of his doubts.

    He would wait, and if Divine did anything suspicious in the future or attempted to betray him in the future. Corey would make sure he was ready for it.

    ''No point in being paranoid or overly suspicious. I''ll see what he does from now on.'' Corey nced at Divine who was mumbling some iprehensible and nonsensical words even to Corey''s Ears of Omniscience.

    Corey looked away, and then his eyes shed with a calcting light, ''Besides, I also need him to escape the Underworld.''

    Corey looked up at the artificial sky of the Underworld.

    ''Although I have recorded the map of the Underworld through Record, I know that I''ll still need Divine to escape. Not only does he possess more knowledge than me, escaping alone as a tier 2 or even tier 3 is impossible.''

    A second after Corey had this thought, his ears perked up and he looked straight ahead. His Ears of Omniscience had picked up on a subtle sound from far away.

    Corey frowned slightly, and Divine also had a subtle change in his expression. However, a few secondster, their frowns and wariness reduced.

    "CAPPPPPP!!!!"

    A smile involuntarily appeared on the faces of Divine and Corey when they saw Fatty ck Bonez running towards them with tears in his eyes and his arms spread out wide in a hugging manner.

    Corey looked behind Fatty ck Bonez and he saw Rosa, Melissa, Dave, Triple X, his ve- Selene, his master- Old Man Poison, and his butler and gardener- Kiefer, approach them with a relieved smile on their faces.

    In less than five seconds, Fatty ck Bonez reached the two of them, and without hesitation, he gave Divine the tightest bear hug Divine had ever received.

    Divine choked while repeatedly tapping Fatty ck Bonez''s shoulders.

    Corey chuckled softly when he saw this.

    Their group was finally back together and it was time for them to cause a lot of shit storm in the shit hole called The Underworld they were in.

    Finally man. Can''t believe I took so long before I brougth back the group.

 Chapter 372 371: Aye Aye Captain

    372 371: Aye Aye Captain

    As the entire Underworld was filled with mor, anxiety, excitement, and a little bit of madness. The streets of the Outer Area, Inner Area, and Central Area became smaller and a lot less space due to the high number of Underworld residents on the streets.

    Conversations about the matches that was most likely going to take ce, the possible result of these matches, the rewards, and the Outsiders they were all going to flowed throughout the streets of City of Sin.

    As the Underworld residents walked to the Amphitheater, two men were in a somewhatrge and beautiful house in the Inner Area.

    The two men were seated at a dining table with multiple tes in front of the two males. The tes in front of one of the males was empty, however, the grease stains and crumbles on the tes showed that the tes were just used.

    Meanwhile, in front of the other male were also multiple empty tes, however, one could see a te filled with chicken directly in front of the male. In the male''s hands was a half eaten chicken leg.

    Although the two males had extremely different appearances and looks, what they both had inmon was their extremely handsome looks, and their dual-colored eyes.

    These two males were Corey and Divine.

    Divine took a bite from his chicken leg, and then he chewed with an extremely satisfied expression. After chewing and swallowing to his satisfaction, he looked at Corey who had a pissed off expression as he sat with his chin on his clenched hands.

    Divine saw this, and then his lips curled up.

    "Yo." He called out.

    Corey looked at him with a raised brow.

    Divine''s lips curled up the more. "Are you ready to pop some ass cheeks?"

    "What?" Corey furrowed his brows with a confused expression.

    "I asked if you''re ready to p some ass?" Divine took a bite of the chicken in his hands. His gaze was one of mischievousness.

    Meanwhile, Corey was absolutely baffled.

    "What the fuck. Has your anxiety finally turned you to a crazy gay ass motherfucker?"

    "Woah, chill out man. Control yournguage, there are children watching us."

    Corey''s lips twitched, "You stupid fool, we''re still in my house. Where the fuck are the children?"

    Divine chuckled, then he gestured to the walls around them with the chicken bone in his hand, "Haven''t you ever heard that the walls have ears. There are children everywhere."

    Corey''s left eye twitched, "... Get the fuck out."

    "Awwn,e on man. I''ve not finished eating. We still have time so I don''t know why you''re rushing. We still have more than an hour." Divine''s expression was one of utter nonchnce and disinterest. He grabbed another chicken. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    ''One more chicken to go!'' Divine thought with an excited expression.

    "You have got to be kidding me. Do you think we''ll be able to get good seats if we don''t go get to the Amphitheatre early?" Corey rubbed the middle of his brows with a frustrated expression.

    Divine waved the chicken in his hand nonchntly, "Why are you so bothered. We can buy the best seats if we want to or we can at least buy good seats. We absolutely don''t have to rush."

    Corey''s lips twitched, and he clenched and unclenched his fingers repeatedly. He suddenly felt like punching somebody.

    "It seems you''re forgetting that you''re now poorer than a temple rat, Divine. I have the money, but there''s no way I''ll waste my money on seats."

    Divine was about to take another bite from his chicken, however, when he heard Corey''s words, realization dawned on him and he paused.

    "Damn it."

    Divine cursed, and he quickly put the entire chicken in his mouth. He grabbed the other chicken, and quickly approached the door.

    "What are you waiting for? Be fast and stop dilly-dallying around. I want a good seat in the Amphitheatre. There''s no way I''m going to seat in a terrible ce for days!"

    Bang

    Corey released a frustrated sigh as he watched Divine leave the house while mming the door shut.

    He stood, and then he calmly walked to the door, opened it, and then closed it. He paused, and his gazended on Divine who stood in front of a Mini Van.

    A light smile containing a tinge of mockery appeared on his lips. He approached Divine, and then he patted him on the shoulder.

    "What''s wrong? Are you about to get kidnapped?" Corey mockingly asked.

    Divine slowly turned toward him, and when he did, Corey noticed a strained smile on his lips.

    "I thought we were going to walk." Divine said through his teeth.

    Corey raised his brows, "I never said we were going to walk."

    Divine clenched his fists with a smile.

    "Oh, I also got us some good seats. The Emporium Manager was a huge help." Corey patted Divine on the shoulder with a smile, and then he walked toward the mini van.

    The door automatically opened the instant he stood before it, and six familiar faces could be seen.

    Melissa, Dave, Triple X, Kiefer- his butler and garderner, Selena- The daughter of the Terror Queen, and Old Man Poison- his master.

    Corey nodded, and then he entered.

    The mini van was a technologically and magically advanced mini van with a ten seater. The moment Corey stepped into the mini van,he could perceive the multiple runes, formations, and arrays inside the mini van, and Corey was a little bit surprised by the presence of so manyplex runes in the mini van.

    "What are you doing cap? Why are you standing out there like a foo- uhm, like a statue."

    Divine''s right eye twitched, and he looked at the passenger''s seat. Fatty ck Bonez''s stupid looking smile appeared in his sight, and a light smile appeared on Divine''s lips.

    "Wanna die , Fatty?"

    Fatty ck Bonez chuckled nervously, and without saying anything, he looked away and started whistling.

    Divine shook his head and released a soft sigh. Just as he was about to take a step, a voice drifted into his ears.

    "Enter the fucking car, Cap. Haven''t you wasted enough time?"

    Divine''s mouth opened, and he looked at Rosa who was in the driver''s seat with a baffled and stunned expression. He raised his finger and wanted to say something, however, after thinking about it, he just released a tired sigh and entered the mini van.

    He sat beside Corey, and when he heard Corey''s chuckle, he released a sorrowful sigh.

    "You guys don''t treat me like the captain at all."

    Pat

    Corey patted his shoulder, and with a light smile, "That''s not true. We respect the money and fame you have. However¡­" Corey chuckled softly, "... You''re now a pauper."

    "Fuck you man." Divine pped Corey''s hand away, and everybody chuckled.

    "Fucking hell, let''s fucking go. Are we not going to bete?" Divine shouted with an embarrassed expression, and everybody chuckled once again.

    "Aye Aye Captain." Fatty ck Bonezughed, and Rosa started the ignition and drove off.

    Unedited chapter

 Chapter 373 372: Im Beginning To Regret The Day I Met You

    373 372: I''m Beginning To Regret The Day I Met You

    As the group of ten went to the Elevator of the Underworld in the Inner Area, the atmosphere in the minivan was no longer one of jokes andughter, but of seriousness and solemnity.

    The entire group was focused on Divine who was about to give them information on the Battle of Chosens.

    "So, let me first say this. I was not able to find out what exactly we''re going to do in the Battle of Chosens since I''ve lost all my wealth." Divine started while having a frustrated expression.

    Before his imprisonment, he was like a billionaire, and he could use his wealth to buy any information that could be bought. However, now that he was a pauper, his sources of information refused to work with him since he was not able to provide anything of value.

    Divine continued, "I don''t know how the Battle of Chosens is going to take ce. I don''t know if it''s just going to be a tournament where we''ll have to fight several people at multiple stages. It can be a tournament, or it might be like the Clown Games we partook in. And just know that if The Clown is the one in charge of the Battle of Chosens, it would be something crazy."

    The entire group furrowed their brows in contemtion when they heard Divine''s words. They knew how crazy and mad The Clown was because of The Clown Games. If it was like Divine said, and The Clown was the one in charge of the Battle of Chosens, they knew they had to be extremely careful.

    "Although I wasn''t able to obtain any information on the format of the Battle of Chosens, I was able to obtain some information on the Outsiders, the people from outside the Underworld."

    Everybody stared at Divine with a focused expression. Divine rubbed his hands together with a slightly nervous smile.

    "There are a lot of Outsiders that are going to participate in the Battle of Chosens, and it''s honestly surprising." Divine exhaled deeply "So that you guys would not get confused, I''ll start listing out the groups that came from the Outside you most likely know about."

    Divine nced at Corey, and Corey noticed this. He furrowed his brows in confusion.

    "The four temples are going to participate in the Battle of Chosens."

    Corey''s brows shot up, and his body became tense.

    "The Temple of mes, The Temple of Water, The Temple of Earth, and The Temple of Darkness are going to participate in the Battle of Chosens."

    Divine nced at Corey since he knew that Corey had a history with the Temple of mes. Although he didn''t know what exactly that history was, he was sure it wasn''t anything good.

    He was worried that Corey''s mental state would be affected, and his emotions would get the better of him in the Battle of Chosens.

    When he observed Corey, although it seemed like Corey was calm and collected, Divine could see Corey''s hands trembling and his breathing was slightly hurried.

    Corey saw his gaze, and he looked at Divine with an emotionless expression, "I''m fine."

    Divine furrowed his brows. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "I said I''m fine." Corey spoke once again, however, his tone was slighter deeper than normal. Divine''s brows furrowed deeper. Although he wanted to say some things, he decided not to after thinking about it.

    It was obvious to the others that there was something wrong, however, they were not going to ask. They also had their secrets and pasts.

    Divine released another sigh, and then he continued, "Apart from the Temples, there are Guilds, ns, Tribes, Family Houses, Ancient Families, Empires, Kingdoms, Associations, and several groups from our world."

    Everybody became baffled and surprised when they heard the long list of outside organizations that were going to participate in the Battle of Chosens.

    There were so many of them.

    "For the guilds; the Adventurers Guild and The Hunters Association from outside our world are going to participate."

    "For the tribes; the Beast Tribes and the Werewolves are going to participate."

    "For the ns; The Gold n, The Bone n, The Blood n, and The Martial n are going to participate."

    "For the Sects; The Artic Ice Sect, The Aurora Holy Land, The Deep Earth Sect, The Pleasure Sect, The Supreme Sword Secret, The Profound Saber Sect, The Beast Taming Sect, and The Divine Spear Sect are going to participate."

    "For the Association; The Mage Association and The Association of Artisans are going to participate."

    "For the Family Houses; The House of Hellfire, The House of Dragons, The House of Phoenixes, and The House of Vampires are going to participate. The House of Dragons, House of Phoenixes, and House of Vampires are split into several families, but most people choose to call them by these names out of convenience."

    "For the Kingdoms; The Heavenly Wind Kingdom, The Scorching Sun Kingdom, and The Supreme Sea Kingdom are going to participate."

    "For the Empire; The Celestial Spirit Empire, The Supreme God Empire, and The Mortal Empire are also going to participate."

    "For the Ancient families, I wasn''t able to obtain their names or titles since they''ve been secluded for years. But from what I was able to get, these families are from the previous era of our world. Although I don''t know how true this information is."

    "Thest group are groups made from the elites of our world. I mean groups formed by the presidents, billionaires, and extremely powerful and influential people of our world before the Apocalypse."

    "Apart from the Ancient Families and thest group, all the other groups are from outside our."

    The instant Divine finished speaking, the entire minivan became extremely quiet. In fact, the minivan had stopped moving.

    Corey, Melissa, Fatty ck Bonez, Dave, Rosa, Old Man Poison, Keifer, and even Triple X stared at Divine with their mouths wide open.

    Absolute shock, absolute disbelief, and absolute anxiety could be seen on each of their faces.

    "Cap." Fatty ck Bonez called out.

    "Yes?" Divine looked at Fatty ck Bonez with a raised brow.

    "You were joking¡­ right?"

    Divine raised a brow, and then he chuckled nervously, " I was not. Why do you think I was nervous a few minutes ago?"

    "We should be fine¡­ I think and I hope."

    Everybody gulped.

    "Can''t we choose not to participate in the Battle of Chosens?"

    Fatty ck Bonez asked, and everybody looked at Divine with a gaze filled with hope.

    However, Divine shattered their hope in the next second, "Because of the reputation we''ve attained, we''ll have to participate. Only Kiefer would not be allowed to participate."

    Everybody gulped, and Fatty ck Bonez cursed, "I''m beginning to regret the day I met you."

    Unedited chapter

    Anon22

 Chapter 375 374: A Song

    375 374: A Song

    As the audience in the Amphitheatre saw the image of The Clown, the entire Amphitheatre became silent and it became filled with fear and anxiety.

    All the Underworld residents could remember the Clown''s Games, and how sadistic and dangerous it was.

    The Clown''s Games were extremely strange and from the names it would seem harmless, however, the games were anything but harmless.

    As each Underworld resident recalled the games they partook in, a shiver ran through their bodies.

    They didn''t know what The Clown had in store for them for the Battle of Chosens.

    ¡ª-----

    As the Amphitheatre became quiet after the appearance of The Clown, the Clown''s smile vanished slowly and a confused expression appeared on his face.

    {So, none of you missed me? I feel hurt, you know.}

    The Clown wiped an imaginary tear from his eye, but the Amphitheatre remained silent.

    {Tsk, you guys are no fun. Why are you guys so tense? It''s the Battle of Chosens! It''s meant to be enjoyed!}

    The Clown spread out his arms, and then he chuckled with a wide smile. He then pointed at the screen, and moved his face extremely close to the screen.

    {Since you guys are so tense, let''s do something to calm your nerves.}

    The Clown rubbed his chin with a pondering gaze, and a few secondster, he snapped his fingers and eximed,

    {I know! I know what we can do!} The Clown chuckled loudly, and then he spread out his arms, {Let''s all sing a song! A very interesting song which should calm your fucking nerves!}

    The instant every Underworld resident heard The Clown''s words, they all shivered especially when they saw the madness and unfocused gaze in the eyes of The Clown.

    The Clown suddenly took several steps to the back, and then he stopped. His stance suddenly changed, and he brought out a stick from the inner pocket of his jacket.

    The Clown waved the stick, and then he bowed. His behavior and attitude was like that of a Conductor.

    {Before we start singing, I have to tell you that my voice is not really that good. I mean, it''s better than the sound a woman makes when she chokes on my dick, but it''s just not that good.}

    The expressions of everybody became weird.

    {Now, the song goes like this.}

    The Clown waved the stick in his hand.

    {Cardi had a little dog, little dog, little dog.} n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    {Cardi had a little dog,his fur was ck as night.}

    {Everywhere Cardi went, Cardi went, Cardi went.}

    {Everywhere Cardi went, the little dog was sure to go.}

    {He followed her to work one day, work one day, work one day.}

    {He followed her to work one day, and then he broke herputer.}

    {Oh, what a time did they have at work!}

    {Later, on that day, on that day.}

    {Later, on that day, the two of them went home.}

    {And do you know what Cardi did? Cardi did? Cardi did?!}

    {She took a knife and stabbed the little dogggg!!!}

    {She stabbed the little dogggg!!!}

    {Repeat after me!}

    {She stabbed the-}

    The Clown abruptly stopped, and then he emotionlessly gazed at the screen.

    The Amphitheatre became so silent that if a pin dropped, every single person would hear.

    Every single person, including the over hundred Mystic Beings had extremely strange and disgusted expressions as they watched The Clown.

    None said a single word, however, they all had the same thought.

    ''The Clown was mad.''

    It was irrefutable and nothing could convince them otherwise.

    Meanwhile, The Clown slowly approached the holographic screen, and his face became extremely close to the screen that his eyes which were filled with madness and so many other emotions could be vividly seen.

    {I thought I said you guys should sing.}

    Nobody said a word.

    {I see¡­} The Clown paused, and then he suddenly smiled, {I guess you guys want today to be yourst day.}

    The Clown suddenly chuckled, and then he suddenly brought out a device with a red button at the top.

    Everybody became baffled when they saw the device.

    {I have ced bombs under every seat in the Amphitheatre. Since you guys chose not to sing, I guess everyone can meet the little dog in heaven.}

    The Clown suddenly paused, and then heughed.

    {Oh wait, you guys are definitely not going to heaven. You''re all going to hell!... Just like me!.... HAHAHAHAHAHA}

    As The Clownughed, the Amphitheatre was instantly filled with immense fear, panic, and horror.

    Some tried to stand, but shackles suddenly appeared from their seats, and wrapped around their arms and ankles.

    Everybody including the Mystic Beings became shackled, and screams of rage, disbelief, shock, and fear reverberated throughout the Amphitheatre.

    The Mystic Beings, Corey, and several other people tried to destroy the shackles using their strength, however, they realized something that truly frightened them.

    Their mana and energies were sealed.

    Although their physical strength was not sealed, the metal that the shackles were made out of were so powerful that none of them were able to destroy it.

    As they kept on trying to destroy the shackles, they realized another horrifying fact.

    As they used more and more strength, stamina, and energy to destroy the shackles, they were not able to recover the stamina and physical energies they used.

    The Amphitheatre was suddenly filled with screams, and there were some who started begging for their lives.

    The Mystic Beings were so enraged that despite the loss of their Mystic energy, the pressure they oozed out made the Amphitheatre more difficult for people to breathe and move.

    {Nighty night night.}

    The Clown suddenly said with an extremely wide smile, and the eyes of everybody widened in horror as they watched The Clown press the red button.

    The Amphitheatre became silent, and a second passed.

    Two seconds passed.

    Three seconds passed.

    Four seconds passed.

    Five seconds passed, but nothing happened.

    Six seconds passed, and the shackles on everybody retracted back into the seats.

    Everybody became confused, but before they could question their sanity, The Clown suddenlyughed.

    {HAHAHAHA!!! EEEIII HAAAHHAAA!!! KIIIIEEEE!!!! HAHAHAHAHAAHA!!!}

    {FUCK I''M DYING! HAHAHAHA KIEEKKK!! HAHAHAHA! I''M DYING!!! HAHAHAHA!!! I''M GOING TO DIE OF LAUGHTER! KIIEEUU!!! HAHAHAHAHA!}

    {FUCKKK!!!}

    Everybody stared nkly at the holographic screen which showed The Clown rolling on the floor while holding his stomach.

    Hisughter which was made up of iprehensible sounds reverberated throughout the Amphitheatre.

    The Clown continuedughing for at least a minute, and then he stopped. However, he seemed out of breath.

    {Oh yeah, where was I.}

    The Clown adjusted his red tie, and then he cleared his throat.

    {Oh yeah, I was exining what the Battle of Chosens was going to be about.}

    "..." Everybody.

    The Clown chuckled with a smile, {You know what, instead of me telling you everything in such a boring manner, why don''t I allow you guys to experience it, then I''ll exin.}

    The Clown suddenly waved his hands in a dramatic manner, {The Battle of Chosens would take ce in a shattered dimension called The Ancient Dimension, The Dimension of The Old Ones.}

    {So, without further ado¡­ Begone from my presence!}

    The Clown waved his hands with ir, and in the next second, so many Underworld residents vanished.

 Chapter 376 375: Am I In Hell?

    376 375: Am I In Hell?

    After The Clown announced where the Battle of Chosens was going to take ce, Corey perceived spatial energy from his seat. He could fight it and choose to oppose the spatial energy that was about to engulf his body, he decided not to since that would not be wise on his part.

    However, he felt that the spatial energy around his body was somewhat different from the spatial energy he felt during the Death Race he partook in with Divine, Rosa, and Fatty ck Bonez.

    A second after the spatial energy engulfed his entire body, Corey finally noticed why he felt that the spatial energy was different from the spatial energy of the Death race.

    It was of better quality, it felt purer and at the same time¡­ malevolent and chaotic?

    Corey was baffled by this discovery.

    Before he could ponder on the strangeness of the spatial energy, he heard an extremely strange sound directly inside his mind.

    Ohn!

    Corey felt like something was taken from him. This something felt intangible and also extremely familiar. However, for some reason he could not connect the dots and figure out what the sound was, and also what was taken from him. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Just as he was about to push this thought and strange feeling to all his stars of consciousness, he suddenly felt a stabbing pain in his head, neck, and left arm.

    The pain seemed to go past his high pain tolerance, and it made him feel like when he was just a tier 0 who had not even killed a single revenant.

    He was about to scream, however, the spatial energy had already engulfed him and it performed its duty.

    He vanished.

    All he felt was a blur, and countless colors of blinding light engulfed his vision for a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a second.

    Thud

    Corey felt his body hit a solid object, however, it also felt like his body hit nothing. He felt extremely disoriented, and his vision became a blur.

    He inhaled and exhaled deeply for a few seconds, or at least, what he felt was a few seconds. After what seemed like forever, he was finally able to get himself.

    Luckily for him, the extremely strange and unfathomable pain he felt when he was in the Amphitheatre had dissipated.

    He could still feel the lingering effect and remnant of the pain in his body, however, he could bear it this time around.

    ''What the hell was that pain? My pain tolerance was like a child before the pain, and it seemed to even go past my pain tolerance.'' Corey suddenly shivered, ''... I don''t want to feel that pain again.''

    Although Corey had this thought, he had a feeling he would not be able to escape the pain in the near future.

    He opened his eyes, and at first, all he saw was darkness.

    ''Are my eyes still trying to adjust to the surroundings because of the pain and the blinding lights I saw?'' Corey wondered, and then he realized something about himself.

    He realized that he was lying t on the ground, and his back was against the ground. He was not standing, nor was he in a sitting position like he was in the Amphitheatre.

    Corey shook his head, and then he moved. He ced his hand on the floor and attempted to push himself off the ground.

    However,

    Crack!

    The sound of something breaking drifted into his ears, and Corey was stunned.

    He looked at his hands, and a baffled and stunned expression instantly appeared on his face.

    He realized that he was sitting on bones.

    "What the?"

    Corey looked around, and then he saw it¡­ He saw where he was, and he had never seen such a ce before.

    There were only a few words that could be used to describe his surroundings.

    Malevolent.

    Evil.

    Horrific.

    Nightmare.

    Any word that could be associated with evil was what could only describe what Corey saw.

    Corey looked around once again to be sure there was no danger, and after his brief observation, he came to the realization that he was in a Temple.

    The Temple was extremely dark, so dark to the point that if not because of his Eyes of Dreams and Nightmares, he would most likely not be able to see a thing.

    The nearly absolute darkness was broken only by the sickly, pulsating glow of crimson symbols which were etched into the walls.

    The symbols seemed to writhe and twist, as if they were alive. And whenever Corey looked away from a symbol for a split second or shifted his focus from a symbol, the symbol would change.

    Corey found the symbols iprehensible, however, what he knew and could sense clearly was the malevolent intent in the symbols.

    The walls themselves were slick with blood, and the stones of the wall seemed to always produce more and more blood as if the very stones were bleeding.

    And the floor, oh the floor.

    The floors were littered with bones which cracked, crunched, shattered, and broke as Corey stood.

    Skulls of humans, skulls of animals, and skulls of creatures Corey could not identify were piled in grotesque altars at the corners of the room.

    What Corey found extremely creepy was the fact that the hollow eyes of some skulls were staring at him with an usatory gaze. It almost seemed like the skulls were alive and were using him of disturbing their rest.

    Another thing that Corey noticed was that the bones were arranged in patterns. Corey guessed that the pattern was either for a ritual or was just simply the result of the Temple''s chaotic influence.

    Apart from the bone altars, he also saw statues, nightmare inducing statues that seemed to be dead and also not dead. They pulsed softly, as if the stone were merely a shell containing something far more sinister within.

    These statues depicted creatures that defied logic and sanity. They were statues of creatures, of beings he had never seen before.

    Some of the strangest statues he saw had bodies with too many limbs, faces with too many eyes, or no eyes at all, and mouths filled with rows of needle-like teeth.

    Corey''s gaze shifted from these statues to the next thing he noticed.

    In the center of the Temple was a massive altar. The altar was carved from obsidian and drenched in blood. On the altar were the remains of countless sacrifices, with their bodies torn apart and arranged in a grotesque manner.

    Corey''s senses perceived a dark energy around the altar. The energy was familiar and also unfamiliar at the same time.

    Corey made a mental note to avoid the altar for the time being.

    Not only could Corey perceive the strange dark energy around the altar, he could also perceive the extremely minute vibrations in the air around the altar due to his Vibration Maniption skill.

    As Corey saw all of this, his Ears of Omniscience picked up on an extremely soft sound. Not only that, a liquid dropped on his forehead.

    He quickly looked up and took a defensive stance, fully expecting to see a monster or an enemy above him.

    However, what he saw waspletely out of his expectations.

    Above him were corpses of humans, animals, and creatures Corey had never seen before. The corpses were twisted and mutted beyond recognition, and they hung from rusted chains that dangled from the high, vaulted ceiling.

    Some of the corpses seemed recent, their bodies still dripping with blood, while the others were nothing more than mummified husks, their faces frozen in eternal screams of agony.

    Corey felt the air behind him move, and his face scrunched up in immense disgust.

    The wind that just blew caused Corey to perceive the stench of decay and decay that had filled the Temple.

    As Corey pinched the bridge of his nose in disgust, his eyes suddenly widened in realization.

    ''Wait? Wind?''

    Corey quickly turned, and looked behind him.

    To his relief, he found no monster, but the entrance of the Temple.

    Just like the interior of the Temple, the entrance was also something out of a horror story, and could not be described as normal at all.

    The entrance was a gaping maw, lined with jagged teeth-like protrusions, making it seem like the Temple itself was a living creature waiting to devour anyone foolish enough to enter.

    ''How funny would it be if the Temple was actually alive, and was a living creature?'' Corey thought with a nervous smile.

    He then looked away from the entrance, and released a nervous sigh.

    His gaze shifted to everything that was around him, and he could not help but speak with a suspicious tone, "Am I in hell?"

    This was the only exnation Corey had when he saw his surroundings.

    Apart from hell, he could not think of any other ce that would be so¡­ evil.

    Three seconds after Corey spoke, a holographic image appeared in front of him.

    Corey was at first taken aback, however, when he saw who was in the image, his tensed nerves rxed slightly.

    The holographic image showed The Clown smiling like the mad man that he was.

 Chapter 377 376: The Dimension of The Old Ones

    377 376: The Dimension of The Old Ones

    As Corey stared at the holographic image of the mad smile of The Clown, he just had a feeling that The Clown was going to say something mad or crazy once again.

    One just had to look at his surroundings for one to know that The Clown was a sadistic and cruel man.

    One of the books that Corey recorded from the Library of the Inner Area had information on the Battle of Chosens. The book mentioned how the previous Battle of Chosens had taken ce, and also some of the past winners or record-achieving events that urred in the previous Battle of Chosens.

    In the book, it was mentioned that the Battle of Chosens was usually done like a tournament where there would be knockout stages, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and then finals.

    The tournament could be done in various formats, like for example, maybe a two on two, two on one, three on two, battle royal, capture the g, and so on.

    Although the formats of the tournament were usually different, it was usually a structured tournament that always took ce in the Amphitheatre.

    But now?

    The Clown decided to say; ''Fuck it all! I''m going to do it my way!'',and he was truly doing it his own way.

    Just like how he had changed the Amphitheatre battles to The Games of The Clown, he also decided to change the Battle of Chosens to something far more¡­ sinister and evil.

    Corey had no clue where he was, however, there was no way it was somewhere good. Despite Corey''s thoughts on The Clown and where he was, he knew he just had to survive no matter what.

    {Alright, since most of you should be awake by now, let me give you a brief description of where all of you are.}

    {All you useless and unfortunate people are in a shattered dimension called The Ancient Dimension or what I prefer, The Dimension of The Old Ones.}

    {The Dimension of The Old Ones is in one word¡­ Chaos!}

    {I am not sure, but I believe that the shattered dimension you unfortunate souls are in is a dimension where the people in it worship or should I say worshiped beings they call The Old Ones. Heh. Who the fuck calls themselves The Old Ones, they sound like a bunch of grumpy and shitty old men. Maybe I should put a smile on their faces whenever I see them.}

    {I mean, I am called The Clown for a particr reason aren''t I? Hehehehehe}

    {Cough Cough.}

    {Oh yeah! I was talking about how unfortunate you useless fools are!}

    {Heh.}

    {So, as I was saying, The Dimension of The Old Ones is an extremely chaotic dimension. There are multiple bizarre and dangerous locations in this ce, ces even I would struggle to survive in. Can you believe it?! Do you know how dangerous a ce has to be for me to say it is dangerous?!}

    {Crazy shit honestly.}

    {Let me give you fools examples of some of the dangerous ces you could encounter. Hmm¡­ There''s a ce filled with Volcanoes, a sea ofva, and fire monsters, but now that I think about it, that ce is not really dangerous.}

    {There''s also a ce where there''s lightning, thunderstorms, and extremely dangerous tornadoes. The lightning, thunderstorms, and tornadoes never stop, so it can be dangerous for some of you. But I was able to survive that ce with ease, so it wasn''t so dangerous. The tornadoes made it somewhat difficult and annoying since I was always blown away. But I survived easily, soooo, yeah, that ce isn''t difficult.}

    {There''s a dead jungle, a ce filled with nothing but ice and a lot of snow, there''s also a ce where the ground changes every single time. Oh yeah, that ce was really strange when I think about it. It was a ce filled with mountains made of stones, rocks, metals, and even sand. Truly a strange ce. It was not really dangerous, but it was strange.}

    {There''s also an extremelyrge ocean. I don''t know much about that ce since I''m not really a fan of water, you see. My father used to drown me till I was out of breath, sooo, yeah.} n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    {Oh yeah! Now I remember the two ces that almost killed me. One was a ce where time had no meaning. Time in that ce was extremely distorted, and anybody without the ability to manipte or control time to a certain degree would not notice the difference. However, those who are familiar with time would notice how time would sometimes be slow or extremely fast in that ce.}

    {Gravity is also distorted there, and even thews of physics are also distorted in that damned ce. You might be staying on a t surface in one moment, but in the next moment, you might find yourself standing on a vertical surface, you might even find yourself submerged underwater or in a sea ofva after some time.}

    {I call that ce The Nexus of Madness. It most likely has another name though.}

    {The second ce that almost killed me was a Labyrinth. Thinking about that damn ce gives me the creeps.}

    {Hmmm. I think that''s all?}

    {Oh, there are also Temples of those beings they call "The Old Ones". They''re extremely strange temples though. If any of you find any of the Temples, my advice would be for you to leave it behind if you''re weak.}

    {I think I''m meant to give you unfortunate souls more information, but it has slipped my mind.}

    {Hmm, let me think.}

    {Oh, now I remember, this is actually the main information I''m meant to give you guys from the beginning.}

    {There are a few things you should note.}

    {One, whenever you hear a bell chime, it means you guys would be randomly transported to any ce in the Shattered Dimension. It can be any of the ces I previously mentioned, or it might even be a ce I''ve never been to. Who knows, and who cares?}

    {The bell chime urs at extremely random times. It can ring after an hour, after a day, after a week, or it might not even ring at all. So, once you hear the bell chime, be prepared to get transported to another ce in the shattered dimension.}

    {Two, if you don''t want to be teleported to a random ce, then you''ll need to obtain a stone called An Ancient Stone. I guess they call it an Ancient Stone because of the shattered dimension''s name.}

    {The Ancient Stones have a specific number of usages, and it depends on the type of ancient stone you find. The more lines an ancient stone has, the higher the number of uses it has. The ancient is a dark purple stone, and whenever the bell chime rings, a line on an ancient stone in a person''s possession vanishes.}

    {Ancient stones are very rare actually, and if you''re lucky, you can find them when you kill a monster or in an extremely random ce. Oh yeah, I heard that one can also find ancient stones in the Temples. However, how many of you weaklings can survive a temple of The Old Ones?}

    {Another way by which you can avoid getting teleported to a random ce is by finding a settlement. Most settlements have extremelyrge Ancient Stones that are meant to protect the people in the city from getting teleported to a random ce in the shattered dimension.}

    {So, if you''re not in a city and you don''t have an ancient stone, then I can only say you''re royally fucked.}

    {Number three, none of you can use your weapons or artifacts. Everything in your system inventory and even spatial rings, for those of you cheaters who have them, have been sealed.}

    {However, I am magnanimous and thoughtful, so I provided all of you with a weapon. Okay, actually, I didn''t. Those high and mighty fools that you all saw were the ones that provided the weapons for all of you.}

    {Your weapons are a growth type of weapon, and they grow by feeding on the blood and souls of monsters and people you kill.}

    {Also, if any of you survive, you guys can use the weapons you have as your main weapon or you can use it to upgrade your weapons once you leave this ce.}

    {Number four, if you want to leave this ce, you have to reach and climb the extremelyrge golden staircase. You don''t have to ask me where the staircase is, most of you should have seen it by now. It can literally be seen from anywhere in the shattered dimension.}

    {There is a portal at the top of the golden staircase, and the portal leads back to your home, the Underworld.}

    {Number five, if you want to climb the golden staircase you need to find and obtain a stone called an Ascension Stone.}

    {Number six, you all have four months to leave this shattered dimension. If you don''t get to the top of the golden staircase, the portal will close and you''ll be stuck here till you find a way out yourself.}

    {Number seven, you can''t die since those boring and cowardly old fools would throw a fuss if all their so-called "Chosens" died in this ce.}

    {However, there is a price for death, and the price is random for everybody. The Dimension of The Old Ones is what would determine the price one must pay when they die.}

    {And with this, I have given you everything I''m meant to give you.}

    {Oh, and by the way, this is a recording.}

    {I hope all of you die with a smile on your faces.}

    Once again, this would be the only chapter I''ll be posting today.

    I''m tired and feeling sleepy man.

    Anon22

    Creator''s Thought

 Chapter 378 377: Massive Luck Reduction

    378 377: Massive Luck Reduction

    After The Clown''sst words, the holographic screen before Corey disappeared, and Corey pondered briefly on all that The Clown had said before looking around him once again.

    To Corey, The Clown had given them more information than he expected. Corey expected the amount of information that The Clown would give them to be so small that it would most likely not be of any help to any of them at all.

    However, to Corey''s surprise, The Clown had given them a lot of information. Although Corey knew that there was most likely a lot that The Clown had not told them, it was still more than enough for Corey.

    From what he just heard from The Clown, he knew he was in a Temple of the Old Ones or the Temple of an Old One, he wasn''t sure.

    He had absolutely no clue who these Old Ones were, but from what he could see around him, they were most likely evil beings.

    The Clown had warned them, or to be specific, had warned weaklings to not enter a Temple, however, here he was.

    Corey was not sure at what power level The Clown determined one was weak.

    He was a tier 2, and by all rights, his tier was too low for him to participate in the Battle of Chosens. From what he read and was also told by Divine, most of the Chosens would be TIer 3s. There would be tier 4s, and maybe even tier 5s among the Chosens.

    There was even a possibility that he would be the only tier 2 to participate in the Battle of Chosens, and the main reason for this was because he was part of Divine''s group, and also because of Calista, the Underworld Emporium Manager.

    When it was announced that the Battle of Chosens was going to take ce in a week, Calista had called him at some point to tell him that she was going to include him in the Battle of Chosens.

    When he asked her why she wanted him to participate, she gave him no answer, and Corey found it strange.

    He nned on concocting Neon 2.0 with Calista''s help, and Neon 2.0 would be able to permanently increase the stats of Mystic Beings. If he was sessful, Calista would make a lot of gains, so for Calista to include him among the list of participants in the Battle of Chosens was extremely strange to Corey.

    What if he died? Or what if he became crippled and could not concoct Neon 2.0 anymore?

    There were a lot of things that could go wrong, however, he was not truly against it since he also wanted to experience how powerful the Chosens of forces outside their were.

    It wasn''t like he nned on dying. He still hadn''t saved his sister and killed the Pope of the Temple of mes.

    So when Calista informed him of her n he didn''t argue or throw a fuss because of this.

    However, after hearing from The Clown that they could not die in the Dimension of The Old Ones, he now knew why Calista included him among the list of participants in the Battle of Chosens.

    If he died in the Dimension of The Old Ones because he was weak and because of his low tier, then he would not truly die. However, he would pay a price. Although he wasn''t sure what the price would be.

    Another thing that Corey realized in the information that The Clown gave them, was that although his system inventory was sealed and he could only bring out a single weapon from it, his Tri-Pupil Eyes was obviously not sealed.

    His Tri-Pupil Eyes had a storage space inside of it, and ny-nine percent (99%) of his belongings was inside his Tri-Pupil Eyes, so he still had ess to all his weapons and items.

    However, despite this advantage that he had, he did not n on making use of it unless he had no choice.

    He was sure that all of them were being watched, and if he brought out a weapon or an item from thin air, it was obvious that he would be interrogated either during the Battle of Chosens or after the Battle of Chosens.

    Either way, it was still dangerous for him since gaining the attention of The Clown, the Outsiders, and the rulers of the Underworld was not going to be good for him.

    After going through everything that The Clown had said, Corey knew that his main priority was to obtain an Ancient Stone.

    If the bell chimed and he was without an ancient stone, then there was a possibility of him getting transported to a ce that could kill him. Luckily for him, he was in a ce that might also have an ancient stone.

    As for the Ascension stone, he decided to leave that forter. Since there the Clown had mentioned settlements and cities, then that meant there were locals of the shattered dimension, or at least, people who had lived in the shattered dimension for a long time.

    If he could not find an ancient stone in this temple, then his next destination would be to find a settlement with an Ancient Stone.

    Despite having all these thoughts, barely three seconds had passed, and Corey decided to push any extra thought to his stars of consciousness.

    There were two things that were mainly on Corey''s mind, and these two things required Corey''s immediate attention.

    The first was that as he stood in the Temple, he finally figured out why the dark energy at the altar was familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.

    The familiarity of the dark energy came from his Nightmare Finger.

    The Nightmare Finger was his right index finger which had changed after he swallowed the strange finger he took from the Death Race and almost became a cripple as a result of storing the finger in his Tri-Pupil Eyes.

    Corey had not had a chance to use the Nightmare Finger for some time since it was not really useful for him at the moment. Also, he had pushed almost everything about the Nightmare Finger to the back of his mind since he was not sure when he would be able to find or even get a clue on the location of another Nightmare Finger.

    However, here he was, standing close to a Nightmare Finger, or at least something that was rted to a Nightmare Finger.

    It was almost unbelievable, and Corey found it strange and coincidental.

    Apart from the Nightmare Finger which most likely was what he was sensing at the altar, the second thing that was mainly on his mind was the immense pain and loss he felt before he was teleported to the Dimension of The Old Ones. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Corey vividly remembered how terrible the pain he felt was, and he also remembered the feeling of losing something that was intangible.

    Now that he at least had some time to ponder on what it was he felt, the stars of consciousness in his mind spun and zed furiously as he tried to figure out what had actually happened to him back then.

    [Check your luck stat.]

    Nyssa''s voice interrupted his thought process, and Corey was stunned and confused. He curiously checked his luck stat, and what he saw made him open his mouth in disbelief.

    {Luck: 789.42 ¡ú 100.01}

    Sorry I didn''t upload yesterday. I was so freaking tired and had a terrible headache. I knew that if I wrote with how I was feeling, I was going to write rubbish.

    Anon22

 Chapter 380 379: Elemental Runes

    380 379: Elemental Runes

    If a knowledgeable person were to look at Corey''s status screen andpare it to what it was on the day of the announcement of the Battle of Chosens, he or she would begin to question theirmon sense and all that they knew.

    The changes to Corey''s status screen could only be described in one word- Unbelievable.

    -----

    After the announcement of the Battle of Chosens, Corey knew that he had to improve his stats and skills as much as he could before the Battle of Chosens began, and he did what majority of the Underworld residents did- He trained.

    He absorbed as many elemental stones as possible to increase his attributes, however, he obviously could not max out his attributes despite absorbing quite a lot of elemental stones.

    Due to his attributes surpassing the universal limit of Violet Star, he needed way more elemental stones to bring up his attributes by even a single percent.

    Apart from improving his attributes, he put more energy into his stars of consciousness so that the rate at which they improved his proficiency of his skills chose increased to a ridiculous degree.

    He chose not to focus on every skill during the week before the day of the Battle of Chosens. Instead, he chose to focus on skills that could help him.

    For example, he chose to improve his profiency in his Dreamfire Maniption skill, Super Jump skill, Lightning Movement Art, Full Counter, Hexagon Barrier, his Poison Warlock skills, Teleportation, The Paragon Martial Arts, his knowledge skills, his intents, his maniption skills, and his forbidden skills.

    He also learnt new skills which he obtained from the records of the Library in the Inner Area of the City of Sins, and due to him learning two particrly difficult skills, he got a new title-Arcane Elemental Runeweaver.

    After ''looting'' every single bit of information in the Inner Library, there were a lot of skills he could have chosen to learn, however, he chose to learn just four new skills.

    The first skill he learnt was a skill called Infinite Mirage. Infinite Mirage was a very useful skill that allowed him to create a field of ''infinite'' illusions.

    He could create a field of illusion which would show an ''infinite'' number of himself to anybody that was in his field, he could even show an entire city, he could even make it seem like they were underwater, he could literally make an illusion anything he wanted. His imagination was the only thing limiting him.

    Although anybody with this skill could make a realistic illusion of anything, the more illusions the person created and the more detailed it was, the more mana it required and the more mental strain it put on the person''s mind.

    However, Corey was hardly bothered by this.

    With his mana stat literally breaking the Universal Limit, his mana pool was absurdlyrge to the point that it could rival the mana pool of some elite tier 4s and even some tier 5s.

    Also, he possessed the Celestial Mana Veins, and the benefits of the Celestial Mana Veins were absolutely wondrous. Not only did it make his mana extremely pure and also of much better quality, it also increased his Mana regeneration speed.

    As for the mental strain?

    That was the absolute least of Corey''s worries. He had thousands of stars of consciousness, and his stars of consciousness could share the mental strain with absolute ease.

    The second skill that Corey decided to learn was called ''Phase''. Just like the name, Phase gave Corey the ability to make his entire body became intangible. It was simr to the abilities of his Ghost Gloves, however, it was also different.

    Instead of bing something like a ghost, Phase gave Corey the ability to exist in another ne, allowing him to bypass certain objects and also physical and energy attacks.

    With his Intermediate skill proficiency, he could use Phase to avoid the attacks of tier 4 beings. However, the more powerful the attack, the more energy he used to maintain Phase.

    Thest two skills which Corey actually wanted to learn ever since he read about it in the Inner Library, was rted to runes and elements.

    Infinite Mirage and Phase were extremely costly skills if one wanted to rent the skills books from the Inner Library to learn about the skills. However, what was more costly were books, not skill books, books that contained knowledge on runes and the elements.

    These books were written by Pam, the leader of one of the top five groups of the Underworld- The Darkness Destroyers.

    She was also the one who had written The Fundamentals of Magic that he recorded from the Outer Library.

    These books were one of the most expensive books in the Inner Library, and they were extremely valuable to Corey.

    One thing Corey knew about his skill set was that although he had a lot of skills, his skills were not extremely powerful skills.

    His skill set was versatile.

    However, after reading Pam''s books on runes and elements, he was able to develop two really important skills- Arcane Elemental Runeweaving and Runic Transmutation.

    Although he did not possess an extremely high affinity or talent to any of the elements like Divine for example, with Arcane Elemental Runeweaving, Corey could now control elements like fire, water, ice, and the likes, using runes. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Although there were a lot of strengths and benefits with Arcane Elemental Runeweaving, it also had its weaknesses and drawbacks.

    Controlling and manipting the elemental runes in the air was not as easy as one would think, and if he was, for example, fighting Divine and he tried to control the fire elemental runes around them, he would not be able to due to Divine''s extremely high affinity and talent when it came to the fire element.

    The second rune rted skill was called Runic Transmutation. With this skill, if Corey held an ordinary stick, he would able to temporarily transform the stick to a ming sword, a lightning spear, an actual sword, or even anything as long as it was rted to an element.

    He could also do the same even without an object. He could weave the runes, and create a ming sword or an elemental weapon.

    Not only that, he could temporarily transform elements that were not controlled by others into another element. However, Corey would rarely use this ability because of how much mana it took, the staggering amount of mental energy it took, and also because of some other limitations.

    Moving aside from runes, another thing that Corey did was to use one of his two skill evolution crystals.

    I''m sorry for not posting for the past two days. I''ve been busy and I was too tired to write.

    Anon22

    Creator''s Thought

 Chapter 381 380: Changes To The Hexagon Barrier

    381 380: Changes To The Hexagon Barrier

    When it came to the two skill evolution crystals he stole from the vault of the Underworld Emporium, Corey was torn between what skill he should use a skill evolution crystal on.

    The first skill he used a skill evolution crystal on was his talent skill- Record. This was what allowed him to be able to see the stats and information of beings that were a tier above his tier.

    He was tempted to try and use a skill evolution crystal on another talent skill like Eyes of Omniscience, and¡­ he fell into that temptation.

    However, when he tried to use the skill evolution crystal on his Eyes of Omniscience, the Universal System told him that the Eyes of Omniscience or any other talent skill could not be upgraded anymore using a skill evolution crystal.

    After failing to upgrade his Eyes of Omniscience, Corey fell into a deeper dilemma. Choosing a single skill out of the many skills he had was difficult.

    He had maniption skills, he had intents, he had skills rted to his title- Walker of Dreams and Nightmares, he had one of his most used skill- The Lightning Movement Art, he had Full Counter, he had his ss skills, he had the Teleportation skill, he had his self created skill- Hexagon Barrier, and he had the four new skills he learnt- Infinite Mirage, Phase, Arcane Elemental Runeweaving, and Runic Transmutation, he also had his forbidden skills.

    He had so many skills that trying to choose a single one to upgrade was immensely difficult. However, after giving it some thought, Corey decided to narrow down his decision to the skills he would actually need for the Battle of Chosens.

    He knew that the Battle of Chosens was not going to be a walk in the park, especially for him since he was still a tier 2. He knew some Chosens would most likely be tier 4s- Mystic Beings, and despite his exceedingly high stats for a tier 2, he could not take tier 4s or any Mystical Being lightly.

    He needed to preserve his life.

    It was after having this thought that Corey knew the skill he needed to upgrade using the skill evolution crystal.

    If there was one thing Corey knew he wascking in, it was Defense.

    With his new title, Arcane Elemental Runeweaver, his offensive abilities had increased by arge degree, however, his defensive abilities were stillcking.

    The only defensive skill he had was his self-created skill- Hexagon Barrier, and if Corey was being honest with himself, it was a somewhatcking.

    Against beings at his tier and tier 3 beings, it was sufficient. However, against Mystical Beings, it was sorelycking.

    If he wanted to at least improve his chances of survival in the Battle of Chosens, Corey knew he had to either improve his Hexagon Barrier skill, or find a better defensive skill. And unfortunately, all the defensive skills he saw in the Inner Library were either not suitable for him or not satisfactory for him.

    And with this thought, Corey decided to upgrade his Hexagon Barrier skill using the skill evolution crystal.

    When he did, he thought the skill was just going to change to a better skill. However, to his surprise and slight disbelief, the Universal System told him he could create the uprades he wanted to the skill.

    The Universal System did not give him a list of choices/skill upgrades to choose from, no, it told him that whatever upgrade he wanted the Hexagon Barrier would be assessed, and if it was feasible and permissible, it would be granted. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    What this meant was that any upgrade he thought of, any idea he had, or any imagination he had for the Hexagon Barrier skill, could be granted.

    It was somewhat unbelievable and baffling.

    However, when the Universal System told him that it was because he created the skill without a skill book, skill crystal, a skill tome, a skill scroll or any other thing of sort.

    It was more like a reward for creating his own skill.

    Regardless of how he felt, Corey''s mind worked on so many things he wanted as an improvement to his Hexagon Barrier Skill. After thinking about it, these were the changes and upgrades he wanted and were epted for the Hexagon Barrier Skill.

    The first; He wanted the heaxagon barrier to be able to adapt to the nature of the attack it faces. For instance, it can be more dense and solid against physical attacks, and more absorptive and reflective against magical or elemental attacks.

    For the second; He wanted the hexagon barrier to be able to have a simr ability as his ''Phase'' skill. The reason why he wanted this ability was for the barrier to be hidden and to not be sensed. With this ability, he could keep the barrier around him for as long as he wanted, and it would remain hidden to even some tier 5s.

    For the third; He wanted the hexagon barrier to be able to umte energy from the attacks it blocks and when he wanted or when it reaches its limit, he would be able to release the umted energy in a controlled nova st.

    For the fourth; He wanted the hexagons on the hexagon barrier to be able to detach from the barrier, and he would be able to control them.

    For the fifth; He wanted the hexagon barrier to be able to autonomously defend against attacks even without will.

    For the sixth; He wanted the hexagon barrier to be able to form hexagonal constructs that could act as sentinels around him. The sentinels would be able to autonomously defend against attacks, counterattack by releasing the umted energy in them, and repair the barrier if needed.

    ----

    These were the upgrades Corey wanted for his Hexagon Barrier skill, and although he wanted to add more, the Universal System did not agree and refused a lot of his suggestions.

    Despite the Universal System refusing most of his request, Corey was more than happy with the upgrade. His Hexagon Barrier was now called a Hexagon Nova Shield, and the difference between the two could not be put into words.

    There were more changes to his list of skills. For example, his Intents, his maniption skills, and the Paragon Martial Arts, and it was all of these changesbined together that gave Corey the confidence to tell Nina he wasn''t going to die in the Dimension of The Old Ones.

    "Impertinent and foolish human, you have stayed in this sacrednd for far too long. Kill yourself this instant and we shall consider sparing your pathetic soul."

    Unedited chapter.

 Chapter 382 381: Insufficient Information?

    382 381: Insufficient Information?

    As Corey was somewhat distracted by the changes to his skills, the most annoying and disgusting voice he had ever heard resounded in the temple.

    "Impertinent and foolish human, you have stayed in this sacrednd for far too long. Kill yourself this instant and we shall consider sparing your pathetic soul."

    The voice was a mix of an adult male''s voice, an adult female''s voice, a young boy''s voice, a young girl''s voice, a baby''s voice, an old man''s voice, an old woman''s voice, and abination of the roars of beasts and monsters he had never heard of before.

    There was no symphony in the mixture of voices. Cacophony, dissonance, disharmony, discord, and chaos was what one would hear when this voice was heard.

    Those who were mentally weak would be insane or even choose to kill themselves because of this voice, and for Corey who had the Ears of Omniscience, what he heard and experienced was much worse.

    Not only could he hear the multiple voices in the single voice that just spoke, he could also hear the screams of pain, horror, despair, and fear in the countless voices that were contained in the main voice.

    If not for his stars of consciousness which shared the brunt of these voices and emotions, he would currently be a dead man or an insane man.

    It irked him, it disgusted him, and it annoyed him.

    Corey''s face changed to one of irritation.

    "Oh. How admirable. You are a weak, impertinent, and foolish human, but you still stand before my voice. I guess you could be a useful sacri-"

    "Quiet!"

    Corey growled, and with pure irritation and disgust in his eyes, he gazed at the bone altars in front of him.

    Despite the irritation and disgust he felt the first time he heard the voice from the bone altars speak, he did not stop whatever being or thing that was speaking from the bone altar to stop speaking since he thought it might give him some information unknowingly.

    However, it had just said more annoying things, adding more to his disgust and irritation.

    Some might have been caught off guard or scared to the core if they saw the mouth of every single skull of the bone altars move like they were speaking. However, Corey was not surprised by this at all.

    In fact, from the moment he saw the bone altars, he knew it had life in them.

    With his Paragon senses, his Cosmic soul, and the increase in his proficiency of the forbidden skill- Soul Entropy, Corey knew that the bone altars were not just pure bones the first time he saw them.

    At first he wasn''t sure why he perceived life from the bone altars, and since he never perceived any movement or any other thing from them, he assumed that maybe he had been wrong.

    However, now that he heard the voice and observed the bone altars more, he could sense a familiar energy from the bone altars.

    It was an energy most would be familiar with, but would not notice because of their inadequate senses and knowledge.

    The energy was Soul Energy. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    After reading everything that was in the Outer Library and Inner Library, Corey knew a little bit about Soul Energy.

    Soul Energy was what was contained in soul stones, and although he wasn''t sure if the bone altars would have a soul stone- since it would be weird, he knew that there was a soul in the bone altars.

    There were countless souls in the bone altars but they all felt¡­ dead and lost.

    ''Although I can sense multiple souls due to the different soul energies in the bone altars, I can sense one particr strong and powerful soul energy in all the bone altars.''

    Corey''s eyes shed with a cold and calcting glint as he gazed at the bone altar directly in front of him that had be oddly silent after his outburst.

    ''If I''m correct, then that means¡­'' Corey''s gaze shifted from one bone altar to another bone altar, ''... The bone altars are a single entity.''

    Just as Corey had this thought, the irritating voice resounded in the temple once again.

    "It seems you desire death and chase it with a stupendous zeal."

    Corey was about to give a reply, but then he perceived a vibration from every single bone altar around him.

    In the next moment, the bone altars trembled and then they moved at a speed faster than Corey expected.

    In less than three seconds, the bone altars came together, and what followed was a loud grating sound.

    Corey frowned.

    He wanted to attack, but he chose to wait and observe since he did not perceive any threat from whatever monstrosity was about to be formed.However, he perceived a tinge of mystic energy in the bones. It was faint, but it was still there.

    Three secondster, a true monstrosity was before him.

    Corey looked up, ''What in the fuck?''

    A few meters in front of Corey was a monster he could not describe properly.

    The monster was a pile of skulls that had joined together to form arge and round ''head'' of skulls. There were also two arms that were made of skulls protruding from the ''head''.

    ''It basically looks like an extremely round head with arms protruding from its sides.'' Corey thought with his gaze containing a hint of intrigue and curiosity in them. Despite the monstrosity that was before him, he still did not feel threatened by it.

    Corey became curious about something, ''Record''.

    He used Record, however, something he never expected to happen, happened.

    ''What?... Does that mean it''s three tiers above me?'' Corey''s expression changed, and his gaze became more serious.

    However, just as he had this thought, Chucky''s voice resounded in his mind.

    {That is not the reason, Master. It''s because there''s insufficient information about this ce in the Perceptual Nexus Repository.}

    The instant Corey heard this, a baffled and confused expression appeared on his face.

    Insufficient information?

 Chapter 383 382: Nature of Your Talent

    383 382: Nature of Your Talent

    {That is not the reason, Master. It''s because there''s insufficient information about this ce in the Perceptual Nexus Repository.}

    When Corey heard these words, he became so shocked and confused that for an instant, hepletely forgot about the pile of bones in front of him.

    Although this happened, he regained hisposure due to the actions of one of his stars of consciousness, which was responsible for controlling his body if his main consciousness was unable to.

    However, Corey was still immensely shocked and baffled by what he heard.

    Sure, he knew that despite him having the talent- Omniscience, he was far from being Omniscient.

    When the apocalypse began, and he was given his talent, he remembered that he hadined about how useless his talent was since it did not give him immense knowledge or any Omniscient ability.

    However, that thought changed when he discovered his talent skill- Record.

    Record seemingly had the ability to give him every single piece of information about whatever being he was able to Record.

    Not only did Record give him information on the stats of any being he was able to Record, but Record was even able to give him detailed information on the external and internal structure of the being.

    In fact, if he Recorded a being long enough, and he was much stronger than the being, Record could even give him the behavioral habits of the being and even the age of the being.

    When Corey realized this at some point in the Underworld, he came to realize that Record was most likely the core ability of his talent- Omniscience.

    Even if he was meeting a new beast, monster, person, thing, or being for the first time and had no information on it, Record had the ability to give him this information as long as he looked at the person long enough.

    Corey had not be an Omniscient being who knew every single thing after getting his talent, no, what he became was a being who could obtain information of a being from seemingly out of nowhere. The only requirement was to look at the being long enough.

    Corey had always wondered how and where Record always got its information from, however, since he knew he was not going to be getting an answer from anybody at his current level of strength, he just pushed it to the back of his mind.

    For him, Record most likely got the information from the Universal System, or maybe it even got it from the Supreme Ancestor since the Supreme Ancestor was the one who created the Universal System.

    Although he had always been curious, he was not really bothered by it since Record was a powerful ability, and he was still weak. In his mind, he knew he would be able to figure out more about Record and his talent as he got stronger.

    However, now that Record failed to work, and Chucky just told him that the reason was due to insufficient information about the shattered dimension- The Dimension of The Old Ones, he knew he needed answers.

    ''What do you mean by insufficient information, Chucky?''

    {It''s also strange to me, Master. I don''t know why, but whenever you try to Record the monster in front of you, I always received a feedback from the Perceptual Nexus Repository that there''s an error, and after digging deeper, I found out that it was because there''s insufficient information about the shattered dimension you''re in.''

    Despite Chucky trying to exin, Corey was still confused.

    ''How is that possible? I know that I''m far from Omniscient, but shouldn''t Record be Omniscient? Shouldn''t it know about every single being that''s weaker than me, at my tier, and at most three levels higher than me?''

    {I-I''m just as confused as you, Master. I thought so too.}

    When Corey heard the confused and slightly anxious tone in Chucky''s voice, his expression became weird, and a weird thought appeared in his mind.

    ''Did¡­ Did Record break because I tried Recording this monster?''

    {No! How can it be broken just because you tried to Record the monster in front of you?!}

    Corey was slightly taken aback when he heard the anger in Chucky''s voice. Although it was more of a joke rather than a question, it seemed to surprisingly anger Chucky.

    Corey became curious.

    {I''m sorry.} Chucky apologized, {It''s just that¡­ since you woke me up before you reached tier 7, most of my memories are sealed, and I don''t have the knowledge and information I''m meant to have.}

    Corey raised his brows as he could vividly feel the anxious tone in Chucky''s voice. Was he meant to feel pity because of that?

    ''Well, I''m not going to apologize for ''waking'' you up early. What''s done is done. Besides, haven''t you heard that waking upte is bad for your health?'' Corey replied indifferently with a mental shrug.

    Chucky said nothing, but he heard a scoff of contempt from himter on, and the connection between them went silent.

    Barely two seconds had passed since Chucky spoke to him, and just as he was about to focus on the pile of bones in front of him, Nina''s voice resounded in his mind.

    [I wasn''t sure if I should tell you, but after thinking about it, I think I should.]

    Corey became confused, ''Tell me what, Nina?''

    [About the nature of your talent.]

    Corey''s gaze sharpened, and his expression became serious. If there was one person he was sure would know about his talent or the reason why Record was not working, he was sure it was Nina.

    Although he knew he could have asked her, he had made it a habit to not depend on Nina. In fact, unless it was rted to Hell, The Paragons, and The Supremes, he rarely asked her anything since he didn''t want to depend on her so much. He also knew that Nina liked itwhen he rarely asked her questions and chose to figure out the answers himself.

    Because of this, he was surprised when Nina chose to tell him about the nature of his talent.

    ''Go on.'' He said, with a tinge of curiosity and anxiousness in his heart.

    [The thing is, your talent is not really Omniscience.]

    Corey tilted his head slightly and frowned, ''If it''s not Omniscience, then what is it?''

    [The truth is that those¡­ things you call Stars of Consciousness¡­ are actually the Soul Origins of the dead gods of your Universe.] n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

 Chapter 384 383: What In The Absolute Fuck?

    384 383: What In The Absolute Fuck?

    [The truth is that those¡­ things you call Stars of Consciousness¡­ are actually the Soul Origins of the dead gods of your Universe.]

    The moment Corey heard these words, his expression instantly morphed into one of confusion and a tinge of¡­ wariness.

    ''I don''t understand. What do you mean the¡­ ''stars of consciousness'' in the Perceptual Nexus Repository are Soul Origins of the dead gods of my Universe? What is a Soul Origin? And what or who are the dead gods?''

    As Corey asked these questions, numerous other thoughts and questions went through his mind. However, despite having so many thoughts and questions, there was a specific thought he kept on having.

    ''Am I safe?''

    [I won''t tell you what Soul Origins are right now since you''re not at the level to start dealing with souls.]

    Nina''s voice flowed into his mind, and Corey noticed that he became less anxious and calmer.

    [You know that-]

    Just as Nina was about to speak, the pile of bones in front of him interrupted and shouted with unveiled anger in its disgusting voice.

    "Human! How dare you ignore me! Since you wish for death''s call, I shall-"

    "Silence!"

    CLAP!

    A single word and a single p resounded loudly in the temple, and something unbelievable happened.

    The soul in the pile of bones was shocked.

    Nina was slightly surprised.

    Meanwhile, Corey''s pure white eyes were frighteningly cold as he gazed at the pile of bones with his palms touching one another.

    "What- How-?"

    The soul in the pile of bones stuttered with extreme shock, disbelief, and a tinge of fear in its voice. It looked down, and with its multiple eyes, it could see the fine cracks on its body that were spreading rapidly.

    It shook and trembled slightly.

    "You''re a pile of bones. Behave like it, and keep quiet."

    The instant Corey said these words, the pile of bones shook intensely, and in the next second, it crumbled apart into fine dust.

    Every single skull became fine dust, and the temple became eerily silent.

    Corey slowly lowered his hands, however, the coldness in his pure white eyes did not decrease. Instead, it increased.

    He looked down, and a secondter, every bone that was on the floor moved. In a fraction of a second, the bones straightened, and then every single bone pointed at Corey.

    Corey saw this, and he instantly scoffed. He raised his right leg, and then he stomped the ground.

    Vibration Maniption

    The ground vibrated, and a secondter, every single bone on the ground turned into dust.

    "Impossible! What sort of sorcery is this?!"

    Corey looked up, and his gazended at the altar.

    Standing right beside the altar was a figure made out of mist and a ck light. The figure''s shape was not constant, and it continuously changed from that of a man to a woman, to a child, or to a beast.

    However, what was constant was the expression of despair and horror that every single face had.

    Corey knew this was the main soul of the pir of bones, and he also knew that the despair and horror on its constantly changing face was not the expression of the main soul, no, they were the emotions of the countless souls that the disgusting soul had tortured and devoured.

    When the figure saw Corey''s pure white eyes that were filled with utter indifference and disgust, it shivered¡­ It felt like he was not looking at a human but something else.

    Corey tilted his head slightly, "You got any other disgusting magic trick up your sleeve?"

    The figure''s constantly changing face morphed into one of anger, and he roared, "I don''t know who you- What?"

    "Yeah, a bber mouth all through and through."

    The figure''s eyes widened in disbelief as Corey instantly appeared in front of it while it was speaking. The figure did not need to ask, it knew how Corey had done it, it knew that Corey had teleported.

    However, Corey''s act of teleporting shocked him to his core.

    It was about to speak, however, its instincts screamed at it, and its eyes instantly locked onto the most beautiful me it had seen in its entire life. The me was in the right hand of the human, but despite the beauty, its instincts warned it of its iing death.

    It tried to move, however, the human in front of it moved at a speed that shocked it once more, and the human grabbed him.

    "How-"

    It was about to ask how the human was able to hold it, however, it saw a faint ck light on the human''s left hand, and it felt a searing pain in his soul.

    Before it could even react, the mes on the human''s right hand engulfed him, and he screamed.

    "AAAATTTIIIHHHJJGGGG!!!!"

    Its scream was nothing like that of a human or even a beast, no, it was chaotic and had no order in it. Purely abination of sounds that should never bebined.

    "STOP! STOP! STOP! I''ll do anything you want! I''ll give you anything you want! Is it knowledge?! Wealth?! Power?! I''ll give everything to you!"

    The figure pleaded, and Corey scoffed, "I refuse."

    After saying these words, Corey increased the output of his dreamfire, and the figure screamed in immense pain once again.

    He jumped back, and a secondter, the ground beneath him shattered and Corey crashed into a wall of the temple, broke through it, and flew out of the temple with a being a few inches in front of him.

    18:41

    "I curse you! I curse you human! I curse you to the end of the world! I curse you to all the Old Ones! I curse you to the holy father!"

    A wide smile instantly appeared on Corey''s lips, and he raised his left hand.

    "I''m immune to curses you disgusting piece of shit."

    After saying these words, another dreamfire appeared on his left hand, and he increased the output of his dreamfire. The output of his forbidden ability- Soul Entropy, was also increased at the same time.

    The figure''s scream increased, and just as it was about to die, it roared.

    "RASSSSHHHHAAARRRRR!!!!!"

    The figure let out a final scream of pain, anger, and unwillingness, and a secondter, it dissipated like smoke.

    Despite the death of the figure, Corey was not happy, relieved, or even rxed. Instead, he furrowed his brows deeply, and a pondering and solemn light shed in his eyes.

    Three secondster, his Eyes of Omniscience saw something beneath him, and his eyes widened in shock and disbelief.

    He stretched out his hand and grabbed the Nightmare Finger that was on the altar. The instant, he did, his Tri-Pupil Eyes glowed, and the finger vanished.

    Even before the Nightmare Finger was stored in his Tri-Pupil Eyes, he had already used a skill- Super Jump.

    He jumped back, and a secondter, the ground beneath him shattered and Corey crashed into a wall of the temple, broke through it, and flew out of the temple with a being a few inches in front of him.

    ''What in the absolute fuck is this thing?''

    -----

    [A/N: Important Announcement in the Author''s box below. Please check it out.]

    So, I want to tell all of you before it''s toote that I''ll be going for my Youth Service in my country on the 28th or earliest 26th of this month.

    I''ll be in the camp for three weeks, and I won''t be able to write during that period.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Camp ends on September 17, so let''s just say that I should be back by November 1test... Hopefully nothing happens to dy when Ie back.

    So, yeah, that''s all. I hope you all have a wonderful day.

    Anon22

 Chapter 386 385: Last Meal

    386 385: Last Meal

    From the moment he found himself in the Dimension of the Old Ones, Corey''s belief in his talent- Omniscience, had wavered considerably.

    Not only did Record not work on the abominations in the temple, he even found out that his Eyes of Omniscience could notpletely see through the body of the abomination in front of him.

    When he cut off the legs of the abomination and was about to unleash a barrage of attacks on the abomination, he saw the chaotic energy in the abomination''s body be even more chaotic.

    When he saw this, he wasn''t sure whether the abomination nned on unleashing a skill, or if it nned on doing something else. However, he then felt a tinge of danger from the abomination, and he quickly escaped.

    The abomination unleashed multiple energy beams at him, and he attacked the weak points of every energy beam he could attack.

    He missed some, however, the autonomous defensive function of his Hexagon Nova Shield blocked the energy beams he was not able to block.

    In the beginning, the hexagon shields were barely able to block an energy beam, and most of the energy beams that were meant to be blocked by his hexagon shields broke through the hexagon shields with ease, and then they mmed into different parts of Corey''s body.

    The energy beams of the abomination were not just normal and powerful energy beams, each energy beam possessed the ability of decay, and each energy beam could even decay the hexagon shields.

    Although this continued for some time, the special ability of the hexagon shields to adapt to the nature of the attacks that struck it showed how useful and effective it was. The hexagon shields eventually adapted to the strange nature of the abomination''s energy beams.

    Although Corey''s hexagon shields were able to adapt to the decay effect of the abomination''s energy beams, the power behind the energy beams was still too powerful for his hexagon shields to conveniently block the energy beams.

    Luckily for Corey, his skill- Dream Healing, was able to prevent the decaying energy in the energy beams from causing too much damage to his body.

    ''Let''s end this.''

    Corey''s eyes shed, and lightning bolts appeared around his feet.

    sh Step

    CLAP!

    A loud thunderp resounded, and in less than the blink of a mortal''s eye, Corey appeared in front of the abomination with his axe swinging towards the ''neck'' of the abomination.

    Corey''s pure white eyes gleamed coldly as he swung his axe with an eerie focus.

    However, just as the axe was about to touch the abomination, his eyes widened as his Eyes of Omniscience picked up on something that he never expected.

    Bam!

    The ground around the abomination cracked apart, and arge amount of dust appeared around the abomination. A figure flew out of the dust, and the figure tumbled a few times beforeing to a stop.

    Corey wiped his bloodied lips as he held the handle of his axe which he used to stop himself from rolling continuously.

    His eyes contained visible disbelief and confusion as he wiped his lips.

    Before three seconds passed, his pure white eyes widened once again, and without hesitation, he teleported.

    Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

    Multiple bangs reverberated from his previous position, and Corey who was a few meters away frowned deeply as he stared at the source.

    Standing in his previous position was the abomination, however, it was nowpletely different.

    Instead of having thirty eyes on its body, it now had fifteen long human arms on the right side of its body, and fifteen long bestial arms with deadly ws on the left side of its body.

    This was what Corey saw when he was about to cut off the neck of the abomination. The thirty eyes on the abomination instantly transformed into arms, and two of these armsunched attacks on him.

    If not for the autonomous defensive ability of his Hexagon Nova shield, he would have sustained grievous injuries. ''This is truly an abomination. How does an eye change to an arm in an instant? What or who created this thing?''

    Although Corey felt pressure facing this abomination, a part of him still felt excited since he was fighting something that waspletely unknown and strange.

    As Corey continuously healed his body with his dream energy, his gaze was entirely on the abomination which was also looking back at him with its locust eyes.

    The abomination growled, and a secondter, Corey''s left eye twitched.

    His Eyes of Omniscience could see the energy in the abomination getting riled up and moving chaotically. His left leg moved forward slightly.

    ''What do you have for me this time around?''

    As soon as Corey had this thought, another change happened to the abomination.

    The arms on the abomination changed.

    The arms receded into the body of the abomination, and each arm was reced by long tentacles with razor sharp jaws. In the blink of a mortal''s eye, every single tentacle moved towards Corey.

    Corey''s eyes shed when he saw this. He had a feeling that his Hexagon Nova Shield would not be able to protect him from the jaws of the tentacles. Also, he could feel the axe in his hand almost reaching its limit. It was barely holding because of his axe intent.

    Although it seemed like he was cornered, Corey knew he was anything but cornered. In fact, the actions of the abomination had given him an opportunity.

    Why?

    The abomination had unleashed all its tentacles at Corey.

    He instantly teleported once again, however, this time around, he teleported close to the abomination once again.

    Just as Corey appeared close to the abomination, his Ears of Omniscience picked up on a soft sound that was released by the abomination. It almost sounded like a sound of surprise and slight shock.

    Corey raised his axe that was covered in axe intent, and without hesitation, he swung it at the body of the abomination.

    CHIEUEHEIEI!!!!

    The abomination made a strange loud sound as his axe was about to descend on the abomination, however, before his axended on the abomination.

    Three tentacles close to Corey suddenly transformed and changed to the red and ck eyes of the abomination. The eyes glowed, and they instantly released three energy beams that were filled with the power of decay.

    It was close, way too close, and Corey could do nothing about it.

    The three energy beams moved toward Corey at frightening speeds, and in a fraction of a second, each beam pierced a hole in Corey''s body.

    Corey coughed out a mouthful of blood, however, he still tried to swing his axe at the abomination.

    Despite his determination, the abomination''s eyes shed with mockery and disdain, and the three eyes and two more tentacles transformed into arms with ws. The arms moved, and a secondter, each w went through Corey''s body with ease.

    His heart.

    His right chest.

    His stomach.

    And his right and left shoulder.

    Blood poured out of Corey''s mouth and nose, and his body swayed.

    ng

    His axe fell to the ground, and his body was then raised into the air.

    The abomination made a strange sound which sounded like augh, and it brought Corey closer to its mandibles to devour him. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Crunch

    A loud crunch resounded as the abomination crushed Corey''s head with its powerful mandibles. However, the expression of the abomination changed a secondter.

    It looked at Corey''s headless body, and to the abomination''s bafflement, Corey''s body suddenly transformed into a being made out of hexagonal shapes, and a secondter, it shattered.

    The abomination blinked.

    "Hope you enjoyed yourst meal."

    These were thest words the abomination heard before the world spun in its eyes and then all it saw was darkness.

    I''m back everybody. I survived my mandatory service, and it was both stressful and fun.

    Because of the long break, I want to start releasing bonus chapters for a cheap price.

    So, for every 15 powerstones, I''ll be releasing bonus chapters.

    We already have 40 powerstones, so at 55 powerstones, I''ll release a bonus chapter.

    Also, for every 5 golden tickets, I''ll be releasing a bonus chapter.

    Anon22

 Chapter 387 386: Changes To The Axe

    387 386: Changes To The Axe

    As the abomination breathed itsst, an eerie silence engulfed the mountaintop that bore witness to the battle between Corey and the abomination.

    This silence was only disrupted by the subtle howling of the wind, and the sound of a liquid dropping onto the floor.

    Corey stood before the headless corpse of the abomination with the blood of the abomination dripping down his axe.

    Just like the abomination, its blood was not normal and was extremely strange. The blood of the abomination continuously changed from red to ck, and it also had the decaying property of the abomination''s energy beams.

    Whenever the abomination''s bloodnded on the floor, the floor decayed slightly, and visible cracks could be seen.

    Just as the abomination''s blood caused subtle damage to the ground, it was also damaging Corey''s axe.

    Visible fine cracks could be seen running through the de and handle of Corey''s axe, making it seem like the axe would shatter anytime soon. However, Corey''s axe intent and exceedingly pure mana prevented that from happening.

    Corey had a deep frown as he watched the cracks on the axe increase as the seconds went by. Although a part of him wanted to abandon the axe since it was a red grade weapon and it was also limiting him greatly, he knew it would be foolish to do so.

    If his axe was destroyed, he would not be able to use any of his personal weapons since the weapons of every contestant were meant to be sealed. If he brought out any of his personal weapons, he was sure he was going to be interrogated the moment he left the Dimension of The Old Ones.

    In fact, he was sure that some forces would already be interested in him if they had been watching his fight with the abomination.

    Two minutes passed, and Corey finally noticed the change he had been waiting for.

    The cracks on his axe stopped spreading, and a few secondster, the blood was slowly absorbed into the axe.

    A ck, red, and silver glow appeared around the axe, causing Corey to raise his brows curiously.

    Just as the glow was fading away, a strange thought appeared in his mind, and he was slightly surprised and taken aback by this thought.

    He furrowed his brows, and then his gaze shifted from the axe to the corpse of the abomination.

    His pure white eyes shed with a calcting glint, and a few secondster, he approached the corpse of the abomination. He lifted the axe, and then he put the axe inside the bleeding neck of the abomination.

    A soft hum resounded from the axe as it trembled slightly. As the axe continued trembling, Corey noticed that the blood in the corpse of the abomination was reducing, and as the blood reduced, the axe in his hand was undergoing a change.

    As this continued, the red, ck, and silver glow on the axe brightened. Approximately five minutester, the glow around the axe slowly dissipated, and the absorption of the abomination''s blood stopped.

    Corey''s gaze had never left his axe, and although he did not fully understand the changes that had urred to his axe, he made sure to Record every single thing.

    The red, ck, and silver glow finally vanished, and Corey was finally able to see the changes that had urred to his axe.

    The axe was no longer a one-handed battle axe, but a massive two-handed battle axe.

    The silver des were bigger and sharper, however, the handle changed from a metallic silver handle to a reddish-ck wooden handle.

    On the reddish-ck wooden handle were four crimson symbols that Corey found somewhat familiar.

    At first, he couldn''t remember why he felt like the symbols were familiar, however, one of his stars of consciousness recalled where he had seen such symbols before.

    ''In the temple¡­ These four symbols were among the countless symbols that were on the walls of the temple.''

    Corey remembered seeing countless symbols on the walls of the temples, and one thing he noticed about these symbols was the fact that they were always writhing and twisting, almost like they were alive, and whenever he shifted his focus from a symbol, the symbol would change.

    The symbols he saw in the temple were one of the strangest symbols he had ever seen in his life, and four of these symbols were on his axe.

    ''I wish to study these symbols.''

    Corey stared at the four crimson symbols on his axe then he shifted his gaze to the temple some meters in front of him.

    He released a soft sigh.

    ''Although I want to study these symbols, I don''t really have that much time to waste. I have to leave this ce in a month at least or my chances would reduce drastically.''

    Corey remembered The Clown saying that every contestant had four months to leave the Dimension of The Old Ones. However, Corey knew he had to leave in a month no matter what.

    Why?

    He had less than two months left to live because of his Void Phoenix Heart which had been activated prematurely.

    18:43

    Although he was a walking time bomb, he was calm.

    Corey stared at the four crimson runes on the axe for a few seconds, and when he did, his eyes widened slightly as a stream of information appeared in his mind.

    His stars of consciousness processed the information in the blink of an eye, and his eyes brightened.

    He knew the functions of the crimson runes on his axe.

    The crimson rune that was the closest to the des of the axe gave the axe the power of decay. If Corey ever activated the crimson rune, every strike of his would be imbued with the power of decay.

    Corey decided to call this crimson rune the Rune of Decay.

    The second rune gave the axe the ability to unleash an energy w attack. If the rune of decay was activated alongside this second rune, the w attack would also have the power of decay.

    Corey decided to call this rune the w Rune.

    The ability of the third rune was actually simpler than all the other runes. The rune increased the sharpness and durability of the axe by absorbing more energy from the owner of the axe. The more energy that was provided to the rune, the stronger and sharper the axe became. However, there was a limit to this increase.

    Corey decided to call this rune the Rune of Empowerment.

    The fourth rune gave an ability that Corey would have never thought of. When activated, a translucent hand would appear outside of the axe, and it would immediately attach itself to Corey''s hand like a handshake.

    This ability might appear useless or strange, however, Corey knew the main use of this ability. It was an ability that allowed him to recall his axe if it was ever far away from him.

    The translucent hand did not have a limit, it could stretch infinitely. However, activating the crimson rune required mana and mental energy, and the longer the translucent hand was activated, the more mana was used.

    Corey decided to call this rune the Hand Rune.

    ''Apart from the fact that the axe is now as strong as a Green grade weapon, it also has four abilities...'' Corey smiled, ''... It''s a good thing I can keep this axe.''

    Corey shifted his gaze from the axe to the corpse of the abomination, and after a brief internal contemtion, he stored the corpse of the abomination in his Tri-Pupil Eyes. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    A light smile appeared on his lips, and then he walked toward the temple in the distance.

 Chapter 388 387: True Nature of Omniscience (Bonus Chapter)

    388 387: True Nature of Omniscience (Bonus Chapter)

    As Corey approached the temple in the distance, he distributed some of his thoughts to his stars of consciousness while also assigning some tasks to his stars of consciousness.

    Although there were several things he wanted to do, for example, he wanted to study the body of the abomination, study the crimson symbols on his axe, and know more about theyout of the mountain he was on and what was around the mountain.

    He also wanted to study the Nightmare Finger he had kept in his Tri-Pupil Eyes. However, despite having all these thoughts and desires, there was a singr thought that was mainly on his mind.

    ''Nina, please continue what you were telling me about the true nature of my talent.''

    To Corey, nothing was more important than knowing what the true nature of his talent was. Ever since the beginning of the apocalypse, Corey always had a feeling that the wishes that were given to the inhabitants of New Earth were not given wishes for free.

    It was not really an instinctual feeling, but more of mon sense.''

    A lot of people knew that nothing was given out for free, especially if that thing was something precious. No matter what, there would be a price for such a precious thing.

    However, every single New Earthling was given the opportunity to make a single wish, and there was seemingly ''no limit'' to the wish one could make.

    Because of this, Corey was able to obtain a very powerful talent called Omniscience without paying a price.

    Or had he paid a price and he did not know?

    The act of Nina telling him that he had the soul origins of the dead gods of his universe in him made Corey''s minde up with so many thoughts, and each thought was not positive or optimistic in any way.

    [Corey¡­]

    When Corey heard Nina''s voice, he was slightly taken aback.

    This was the first time Nina had called him by his name.

    [... I know you''re worried, however, you still need to calm down. If you''re not calm, you gain nothing.]

    "I''m calm," Corey replied immediately with a stoic expression.

    [You''re not. Your mind is a mess. It''s obvious you''re not calm at all. Your energy flow is a mess, and your sea of consciousness is a raging storm.]

    Corey furrowed his brows slightly.

    "Tell me about the true nature of my talent."

    [...]

    [Fine.]

    [Just like I said before, those ''things'' you call your Stars of Consciousness are not actually stars or objects, they''re the soul origins of the dead gods of your universe.]

    [I''m sure the Paragon Ancestor already told you that the Supreme Ancestor is a Multiverse Conqueror. The Supreme Ancestor loves to conquer universes, especially universes with high potential. After conquering these universes, he either chooses to nurture them or absorb them to increase his strength.]

    [ording to what I know, your universe is a universe with high potential, and the Supreme Ancestor chose to conquer and nurture your universe.]

    [The gods of your universe fought against the Supreme Ancestor, and most of the gods of your universe perished in battle. Some were allowed to live, however, they were now under the rule of the Supremes and the Supreme Ancestor.]

    [The Supreme Ancestor created the Universal System, and then he slowly began to introduce it into the worlds of your universe.]

    [Once you leave your world, you would most likely encounter ces where they''ll refer to the dead gods of your universe as The Ancient Gods or The True Gods, and the gods who were made after the creation of the Universal System would be referred to as The New Gods.]

    [The core ability of your talent is Record. Currently, Record gives you the ability to obtain the information and stats of anybody who is at a lower tier than you, at the same tier as you, and those who are three tiers above you.]

    [What you don''t know is that Record does not just obtain this information from anywhere, it actually obtains it from the soul origins of the dead gods in you¡­ and also a part of the Universal System.]

    [The reason why Record can show you the stats and information of beings that you record is because the soul origins of the dead gods are able to analyze the beings you record, and due to the immense knowledge and experience each dead god has, the analysis is extremely urate.]

    [Once the soul origins of the dead gods analyze the beings you record, the Universal System thenputes the analysis for you to be able to see it as you see your status window.]

    [Because of your talent, you actually have a minute and almost negligible authority of the Universal System. It''s also why your Brand level increased by a single level after you obtained your talent.]

    From the moment Nina started exining the true nature of his talent, Corey had stopped walking, and he waspletely focused on Nina''s words.

    He waspletely certain that what Nina was telling him was something he would most likely have never found out unless he reached a very high realm of power.

    He wasn''tpletely sure, but he had a feeling that very few people knew about the presence of the Supremes, and also about the fact that the Universal System was created by the Supreme Ancestor.

    Not only did he know that most of the original gods of his universe were dead, but he also knew that everybody in his universe was not in control of their destiny.

    In fact, there was a possibility he was also the same.

    "So¡­ Is there a possibility of these dead godsing back to life? Is there a possibility of their soul origins influencing my decisions? And are these soul origins a threat to my life?"

    These were the main thoughts Corey had the moment Nina told him about the true nature of his talent, and this was also his main fear.

    Just thinking about how there was a multitude of unknown dead gods in his body filled him with a fear he rarely felt.

    He knew nothing about gods. He did not know what they were capable of nor did he even know what their tiers were.

    However, what he did know was that he was no match for a god, dead or alive.

    So, somebody contributed 35 golden tickets. Which means I have to upload 7 bonus chapters.

    We''ve also passed 55 power stones, which means I have to upload 8 bonus chapters in total.

    This is the first bonus chapter.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    I really appreciate all of you that voted for my book. Thank you so much, each and every one of you.

    Anon22

    Creator''s Thought

 Chapter 389 388: Once a... (Second Bonus Chapter)

    389 388: Once a... (Second Bonus Chapter)

    As Corey stood a few meters from the Temple of The Old Ones with his axe pointing at the ground, the wind howled, causing Corey''s clothes to flutter.

    "So¡­ Is there a possibility of these dead godsing back to life? Is there a possibility of their soul origins influencing my decisions? And are these soul origins a threat to my life?"

    A few seconds passed after Corey asked this question, and then Nina gave her reply.

    [I wouldn''t tell you that there''s no way the dead gods cane back to life since one of the teachings of the Queen Mother is that there is a possibility for even the impossible to ur.]

    "You''re not helping. Is there a way or not? Be straightforward, we''re talking about my life."

    Corey''s voice contained a tinge of annoyance as he spoke. Although he understood what Nina meant, it did not help him in any way.

    If he went by her words, then there''s a possibility that the dead gods in him could be revived. What sort of danger would he face if the dead gods were revived?

    He didn''t know, but he knew it would not be anything pleasant.

    [... The chances of the dead godsing back to life are lower than zero¡­ The only method I know of that could bring the dead gods back to life is something that should never happen.]

    Corey raised his brows, "What method?"

    [You would die if I told you. However, if the dead gods in you are brought back to life, not even the Paragon Ancestor would be able to save you.]

    Corey felt a chill run down his entire being and soul when he heard her words.

    To him, the Paragon Ancestor was the strongest being he had ever encountered and the strongest being he knew.

    However, Nina just told him that the Paragon Ancestor would not be able to save him if the dead gods were brought back to life through a particr method.

    How could he not be afraid?

    How could he not be fearful?

    Was he truly safe?

    [Stop worrying about such things and don''t bother yourself about it. I''ve already told you, the chances of that happening are lower than zero¡­]

    [... Besides, there''s a simple solution to your problem.]

    "What?"

    [Be strong enough to the point that even though the dead gods are revived, they would not be able to do anything to you.]

    Corey''s eyes shed, and then a light smile appeared on his lips. He wasn''t sure why, but that statement reduced the fear he had.

    "You''re right. I just have to be strong enough."

    [Good.]

    When Corey heard this, a mental image of Nina smirking appeared in his mind.

    ''I don''t even know what she actually looks like.'' Corey thought.

    [You also asked if the soul origins can influence your decision or if they''re a threat to your life.]

    Nina continued.

    [Well, the soul origins should not influence your decision at all, and from what I''ve seen, they''re not a threat to your life.]

    [The soul origins in you are more likeputers that only know how to perform specific functions. The soul origins have no personalities or memories of the dead gods. They just have information stored in them¡­ They''re harmless.]

    "Hmmm." Corey stroked his chin with a pondering light in his eyes.

    A few secondster,"What of the Perceptual Nexus Repository? Chucky? And the gigantic white chained star in my sea of consciousness? Can you tell me about all of them?"

    In the past, Corey never nned on asking Nina about these three things that had always been on his mind. A part of him did not want to depend on Nina even when it came to knowledge and information, he wanted to learn and figure out some things on his own.

    However, he knew he needed to know about these three things at least to make sure he did not have a time bomb in himself.

    [The Perceptual Nexus Repository, hmm¡­] Nina paused for a few seconds, [... To be honest, I''m notpletely sure about the Perceptual Nexus Repository. It''s something new to me.]

    [The virtual reality room and the alchemy anvil are abilities I did not expect your talent to have. Especially the alchemy anvil.]

    Corey tilted his head to the side slightly, "Is the alchemy anvil that good?"

    [It is. You''ve not used it yet so you don''t know how good it is.]

    "Hmm." Corey furrowed his brows slightly, then his gaze traveled to his axe.

    [As for Chucky, I''m notpletely sure about him, but my guess is that he''s the spirit of the Universal System.]

    Corey''s head snapped upward, and his eyes widened to the limit, "What?!"

    [Like I said, I''m notpletely sure and I cannot tell you all the details since it would lead to a discussion about the Supreme Ancestor. However, I think Chucky is actually the spirit of the Universal System¡­ or a part of the spirit of the Universal System.]

    "..."

    "What the fuck?"

    Corey''s mouth remained open as his mind struggled toe to terms with the fact that there was a high possibility that the little kid in his mind was the spirit of the Universal System.

    Not only was he carrying the soul origins of the dead gods of his Universe, but there was a possibility that he was also carrying the spirit of the damned Universal System?

    It was absolutely unbelievable.

    [As for the gigantic chained white star in you¡­ that is also a soul origin.]

    Corey regained hisposure when he heard Nina''s words. However, what she said confused him.

    "If it''s a soul origin, why is it chained and why is it also extremely big?"

    [...]

    Corey waited, but even after a minute passed, he received no response from Nina.

    "Nina?" He called out worriedly.

    [That soul origin is your soul origin.]

    Corey tilted his head and blinked with a confused expression, "Mine?"

    [...Yes¡­ It''s yours.] n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "Oh¡­" Corey frowned slightly, "... Mortals can also have soul origins right?"

    [... Yes. Every mortal has a soul origin. It''s not just meant for gods.]

    "Hmm¡­ Then is it normal for my soul origin to berger than that of a god? Or is it because I''m a Demi-Paragon or is it because I was baptized by The Eye of God that my soul origin isrger than that of a god? Is this one of the benefits?"

    [...]

    Despite his curiosity, Nina became silent and did not give a reply. This time around, Corey was curious, worried, and also slightly annoyed at Nina''s silence.

    "I''d prefer it if you actually responded to me instead of keeping quiet."

    [... Sigh¡­ The reason why your soul origin isrger than the soul origins of the other gods is not because you''re a Demi-Paragon, and it''s also not because you were baptized by The Eye of God.]

    [You were once a god of your universe, and you were also one of the strongest and most dangerous gods of your universe. However¡­ you died to the Supreme Ancestor.]

 Chapter 390 389: The God of Assassins (Third Bonus Chapter)

    390 389: The God of Assassins (Third Bonus Chapter)

    If one were to ask Corey how many times he had been shocked in his entire life, he would say a lot of times.

    If one were to ask him how many times he had been shocked to the point of being speechless and frozen, his reply would be quite a lot of times.

    If one were to ask him how many times he had been shocked to the point where he actually forgot to breathe, his reply would be- how can you be shocked to the point where you actually forget to breathe?.

    However, the moment Corey heard Nina''s words, hepletely forgot to breathe and his flow of energy stopped for a few seconds. Luckily for him, his stars of consciousness took control of his bodily activities.

    A few secondster, Corey returned from his stupor, and his stars of consciousness brightened and burned with intensity as countless thoughts and questions appeared in his mind.

    His main consciousness and every single star of consciousness focused mainly on the words Nina had just told him.

    [Corey.]

    Nina called out, but Corey did not respond. His pure white eyes zed with a blinding light that seemed to keep on growing brighter and brighter with every second that passed.

    [Corey.]

    Nina called out once again, but just like before, there was no response from Corey. Instead, Corey started sweating profusely and his breathing became more forced and uneven. Despite all of these, Corey''s expression was one ofplete focus and also a tinge of coldness. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    [Sigh¡­ Corey!]

    Corey shook. His body wobbled, and blood flowed out of his nose and mouth. He fell to his knees while inhaling and exhaling forcefully and roughly.

    [You almost killed yourself.]

    Nina calmly spoke as Corey slowly came back to his senses. After what seemed like forever but was actually ten seconds at most, Corey finally regained some modicum of control over his body and mind.

    He exhaled and inhaled deeply for a few more seconds, and then he sat on the ground in a cross-legged position.

    "What did you mean by what you said?"

    Coreypletely ignored what Nina said about him almost killing himself. Although he knew that what she said was true, he did not care.

    [I wanted you to figure out yourself, but since it hase to this, I guess I have no choice but to tell you¡­]

    [... I obviously don''t know everything, but from the moment I entered your body and developed a mutual rtionship with you, I analyzed your entire body and also your mental space. Your body was nothing special, however, your mental space was¡­ somewhat special.]

    [Although I was surprised by the presence of the soul origins of the dead gods of your universe in your mental space, it was not as surprising as the presence of your soul origin.]

    [Usually, a mortal like you should not be able to see their soul origin, or any soul origin for that matter since it''s apletely abstract concept that most powerful beings barely understand.]

    [However, your soul origin was not hidden, and it wasrger than the soul origins of even the soul origins of some powerful gods. I was extremely baffled and confused in the beginning, however, after I studied your soul origin and also obtained some information from The Queen Mother and The Realm of Paragons, I finally knew why your soul origin wasrger than the soul origins of some gods.]

    Corey''s gaze sharpened slightly, and he subconsciously sat up straight.

    [Just like I said before, you were once a powerful and dangerous god of your universe, but you died at the hands of the Supreme Ancestor.]

    [In your past life, you were once The God of Assassins in your universe. When I read the information The Realm of Paragons had on you, I was able to know why you were one of the strongest gods in your universe.]

    [Unlike regr assassins, you were not just an assassin that had weak defenses, strength, and the like. You were more¡­ bnced, and your foundation in the past was truly above average.]

    [It was said that there were rumors that the past you obtained a powerful cultivation technique that not only gave you the ability to manipte darkness to a certain degree, it also gave you the ability to use the darkness element to strengthen your physical body and soul.]

    [It was because of all of these that the past you was one of the strongest and most dangerous gods of your universe, and it''s also one of the reasons why your soul origin is bigger than the soul origins of the other dead gods in your mental space.]

    [When the Supreme Ancestor invaded your universe, you were among the people who chose to confront and fight him. However, despite your strength, you died.]

    As Corey heard all that Nina said, he had a deep frown on his face that was filled with confusion. He said nothing for a few seconds, butter on, he released a soft sigh.

    "I have a lot of questions."

    17:54

    [I know. Ask away and I''ll answer those I can answer.]

    Corey nodded slowly.

    "First of all, you said there''s no way for the dead gods in me to be revived¡­ but here I am, alive and well. Kindly exin how I''m alive if the dead gods in me cannot be brought back to life."

    [I knew this would be your first question.] Nina softly chuckled, [I also had this same question when I realized that you were once the God of Assassins, and I decided to ask The Queen Mother.]

    Corey squinted his eyes slightly when he heard this.

    [What she told me was that the Paragon Ancestor is one of the reasons behind your¡­ ''resurrection''.]

    "What? The Paragon Ancestor brought me back to life?" Corey was baffled.

    [No, The Paragon Ancestor did not bring you back to life. ording to The Queen Mother, The Paragon Ancestor interfered with the ns of The Supreme Ancestor, and as a result, your past self was able to avoid a True Death.]

    [I don''t know the details at all since I wasn''t there. But The Paragon Ancestor is one of the reasons as to why you''re currently alive.]

    Corey gave no response when he heard this, and his brows furrowed deeply in contemtion for a minute. He exhaled deeply, and then he spoke once again.

    "I don''t have any recollection of my past life as The God of Assassins. Would I be able to regain my memories? Or is the God of Assassins probably still alive in me? Would he want to one day take over my body?"

    [...]

    Nina remained quiet for a few seconds, and Corey found himself bing slightly tense. Whenever Nina chose to remain silent after he asked a question, she always dropped a bombshell.

    Five more chapters to go. I''ll try to write two more before I sleep this night.

    Anon22

    Creator''s Thought

 Chapter 391 390: Forget (Fourth Bonus Chapter)

    391 390: Forget (Fourth Bonus Chapter)

    Corey''s heart rate increased slightly as he waited for Nina''s response. He didn''t know why, but he had a feeling that she was once again going to drop a bombshell.

    A bombshell which a part of him wanted, and another part of him feared.

    [First of all, you can never regain the memories of your past lives.]

    Corey raised his brows in surprise.

    [If you ever see or encounter the memories of your past self, it would be like you''re watching a movie. There would be no recollection, and there would be no feelings or emotions of the past.]

    [There mighte a time when you''ll see the memories of your past self, however, it would be like you''re watching the life of a stranger. So you don''t have to be worried about your memoriesing back and you bing a different person because of the memories.]

    Corey was pleasantly surprised when he heard this. He was almost certain that what he was going to hear from Nina was going to be something that would not be in his favor.

    "Well, that''s good. Although I''m curious about my past life, I don''t want to change. This is my life, and I have a family and people I care about. I don''t want my past life''s memories to affect my feelings towards those I care about."

    [Hmm.] Nina hummed, and Corey stood.

    "Well, I have learned a lot today, and though I want to ask some more questions, I''d rather ask them at another time."

    Corey dusted his body, and then he grabbed his axe. Just as he was about to take a step forward, Nina spoke,

    [I haven''t answered yourst question.]

    Corey raised his brows, "Myst question?"

    [You asked if your past self was still alive and if he would want to take over your body.]

    When Corey heard this, he frowned.

    For some reason, his mindpletely ignored thatst question he asked Nina, and he had a feeling that it wasn''t normal.

    [To tell you the truth, I went through your memories from the moment you absorbed me into your body. I did it so that I could know the type of person I was dealing with.]

    Corey frowned slightly.

    [Corey¡­ can you remember your true self?]

    The instant Nina asked this question, Corey staggered backward and his eyes widened to the limit in pure shock.

    Memories started pouring into his mind and with every second that passed, the shock and disbelief that he felt increased.

    He remembered.

    He remembered his encounter with his¡­ true self?

    He remembered how he had fought with his true self who was chained to the bottom of his sea of consciousness. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    How?

    How had he forgotten something so important and significant?

    Corey staggered once again and held his throbbing head.

    "How?... Who?... What?..."

    "How did I forget?... Who made me forget?... What made me forget?"

    Corey''s voice came out as a low growl which was then followed by a soft grunt.

    [I don''t know what happened. But what I know is that the current you is more like a mixture of your past life and your current life.]

    [Your calmness, indifference, cruelty, pride, and coldness are not traits one can develop as a tier 2 or somebody who is not even close to a hundred years old. You got all these traits after your past self and your current self got mixed together.]

    Corey frowned deeply, "Mixed together? What do you mean by mixed together? I don''t remember meeting my other self after my first meeting with my other self. How could we have gotten mixed together and I wouldn''t know? Why did I forget about my other self in the first ce?!"

    Corey felt his emotions getting riled up after realizing that his memories had been tampered with and that he was most likely getting yed by a being or his past self at the moment.

    ''What a fucking shitty situation.'' Corey clenched his fists in anger.

    [I don''t know why you forgot about your other self, and although I have my hypothesis, I can''t tell you about it.]

    [Also, if I''m correct, you started forgetting about your past self after you failed to protect your sister.]

    Corey felt a painful tug in his heart when he heard Nina''s words. He clenched his fists in anger as memories of thest time he saw his sister appeared in his mind.

    A few secondster, Corey released a soft sigh.

    "I just want to ask a single question Nina, how difficult is it to be as strong as the Paragon Ancestor?"

    [...]

    [The only equal the Paragon Ancestor has is the Supreme Ancestor. There''s a reason why their races are called Paragons and Supremes.]

    [To be as strong as the Paragon Ancestor or the Supreme Ancestor is one of the most difficult feats in all of existence.]

    "..."

    Corey looked at his axe for a few seconds.

    "Can I be as strong as the Paragon Ancestor through the Universal System?"

    The instant Corey asked this question, both Corey and Nina did not know, but reality around them paused for a millionth of a second.

    Nina remained quiet for a few seconds, and then she replied,

    [...No, you cannot.]

    A grin instantly appeared on Corey''s face the instant he heard Nina''s words.

    "Life''s good isn''t it?"

    [...]

    Corey chuckled softly, and then he walked toward the temple. As he approached the temple, there was apletely random and seemingly insignificant memory his stars of consciousness recalled.

    When he wanted to be a tier 1, the Universal System gave him a list of sses to choose from:

    [Heir of the Ancient Spear God]

    [Arcane Mage]

    [Poison Warlock]

    [Heir of the Ghost King]

    And, [Night Assassin].

    Although he chose the Poison Warlock ss, he could not help but be curious as to what his path would have been if he had chosen Night Assassin as his ss.

    Would he have gone on the same path as he did in his previous life?

    ''Maybe the main reason why the Universal System put the ss among the list of options was because of my past life.''

    A glint shed in Corey''s eyes, and then he stared at the ghost gloves on his hands.

    ''Although I don''t really care about my past self, I still need to know more about my past self¡­'' Corey clenched and unclenched his fists.

    ''... I think I should try and look for information on the Ghost King. I have a feeling that I''ll be able to find something about my past self since there should be a sort of simrity or connection between ghosts and assassins¡­ Right?''

 Chapter 392 391: Connection (Fifth Bonus Chapter)

    392 391: Connection (Fifth Bonus Chapter)

    After assigning several of his thoughts to his stars of consciousness, Corey entered the temple once again.

    He stood at the entrance of the temple and then he observed the temple carefully. He reduced the power behind his Eyes of Omniscience so that he would not see the essence of something he was not meant to see.

    For instance, the crimson symbols on the walls of the temple.

    He could still remember the immense pain he felt when he used his Eyes of Omniscience to look at the void.

    After looking around for almost a minute his gazended on the altar. At the base of the altar was a glowing palm-sized dark purple stone with six lines on it.

    Corey''s eyes brightened slightly when he saw the stone. He deactivated his Eyes of Omniscience, and then he approached the altar.

    "So this is an ancient stone. It has six lines which means it can be used six times."

    Corey curiously observed the dark purple stone in his hands, and after observing it for a few seconds, he put it inside his trouser pockets. When he ced it inside his pocket, part of the pocket transformed into a zip, and the pocket was zipped tight.

    "I don''t know if the ancient stone would be able to prevent me from getting teleported to a random ce if I keep it in my Tri-Pupil Eyes. Even if it doesn''t, I can''t take the risk."

    Despite knowing that every participant was being observed, Corey was not bothered that those observing him could hear what he said.

    One of the reasons why he could speak out loud when talking to Nina or when mentioning certain things about his abilities, skills, or even secrets, was because of Nina.

    He had previously spoken to Nina about the possibility of people overhearing their conversation if he ever spoke out loud in public or even in private. However, Nina told him that she could prevent any sound froming out of his mouth, therefore no one would be able to hear him.

    Corey shook his head softly, and then he looked around once again.

    He walked close to one of the walls, and after thinking about it, he activated his Eyes of Omniscience to observe everything that was happening in the temple, especially the constantly changing crimson symbols on the walls.

    Corey nned on recording the symbols, and then he would assign a star of consciousness to decipher what the symbols meant and their functions.

    Ten minutes passed, and Corey finally recorded all the crimson symbols.

    There were more crimson symbols than he expected, and the more he observed the crimson symbols, the more certain he was that learning the crimson symbols would not be so simple even with his stars of consciousness.

    "I guess I should leave."

    Although the curious part of Corey wanted to fully explore the temple, he knew that it would be foolish of him to keep on staying in the temple.

    Who knew what abomination or danger he might encounter if he stayed in the temple for too long.

    Corey stepped out of the temple, and a gentle wind blew his hair and clothes, Corey enjoyed it for a few seconds before he walked to the edge of the mountaintop.

    "Wow, this is one damn high mountain," Corey eximed as he gazed at the scene at the edge of the mountaintop.

    There were multiple mountains and hills around the mountain he was on, however, the majority of these mountains were shorter and smaller than the mountain he was on.

    Corey tried to look for any sign of life or danger, however, he saw none or to be more precise, he could not see or perceive anything of the sort from such a height.

    "Where do I go now?"

    Corey pondered, and then he recalled something important.

    "Nina, please in what direction is the Infinity Crystal?"

    [An Infinity Crystal is to the north of you. I don''t know the exact location.]

    [You should be able to sense the Infinity Crystal clearer once you go down the mountain.]

    "Oh. Is that so." Corey grinned, and then he walked closer to the edge of the mountaintop, "Let''s go down then."

    After saying these words, Corey took another step, and then he fell off the mountaintop.

    Woosh!

    The wind around him howled as he fell, and just when it seemed like he was going to keep on falling without stopping, a tform of hexagonal shapes appeared beneath his feet, and Corey stood in midair.

    "Although I''m not flying, being able to walk on air is very cool."

    Corey chuckled, and then with a thought, numerous hexagonal shapes appeared in front of him, forming four steps. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    This was one of the changes he made to his hexagon barrier, and he loved it.

    Corey kept on walking down the mountain through the use of his hexagon nova shield, and as he walked, his dark violet and light blue eyes observed the mountain and his surroundings.

    From what he could tell, he was in a region filled with mountains and hills, and he could sense a dense amount of earth elemental energy in the environment.

    Apart from the presence of earth elemental energy, he could also sense several energies that were malevolent and evil. Most of these energies came from the mountain that carried the Temple of the Old Ones.

    Apart from the presence of various sorts of energies, Corey was mainly looking for any sign of life. However, he found none, and he found it strange and also not strange at the same time.

    He would not be surprised if the presence and aura of the Temple of the Old Ones scared off other beasts or abominations.

    When Corey crossed halfway through the mountain, his expression experienced a slight change.

    He felt a faint connection with something in the distance, and he instantly knew what this connection was.

    It was the master-ve connection he had with his ve, Selene.

    ----

    [A/N: Please check out the Author''s Thought Box below. It''s very important please.]

    So, hello everybody. To not make this too long, I actually need help.

    So, this month I thought I was going to make some money from Webnovel, but I didn''t. For those that don''t know, one has to make at least $200 on Webnovel before Webnovel pays, and I made around $150st month so I didn''t get paid this month at all.

    To be honest, I''m extremely broke at the moment. Like, I literally have no money, and I''m also owing people money. I''m in debt.

    I''ll be moving to a new ce very soon because of my mandatory youth service, and I don''t have any money to rent a ce to stay at. I can''t borrow money from anybody again because I''ve already borrowed from all the people I can borrow from.

    So, please, if any of you can just please donate gifts to my book, I''ll be really grateful.

    I need to make $50 dors before the end of this month so that it can be added to the $150 I madest month, and Webnovel would finally pay me $200, which I can then use to at least rent a ce to stay.

    And I just f*cking remembered, at the end of it all, when ites to gifts, Webnovel takes 75% of whatever gift you donate to my book, which means I f*cking need a total of $200 in gifts... Ah God, what the actual f*ck man!!!

    I''m scared honestly, like very very very scared of what would happen when I have to move by the end of the month. How would I survive.

    I''ve never begged for help on this tform before, but please, I really need all your help at this point. I want to write badly, but everytime I want to achieve something in my writing, I always encounter a sort of setback.

    So please everybody, and anybody who can please help, please help in whatever way you can. Thank you.

    By the way, I''m still going to write all the bonus chapters I promised. I know I''m not in the right state of mind at the moment, but I have to be a man of my word regardless.

    Anon22

 Chapter 393 392: Selene (Sixth Bonus Chapter)

    393 392: Selene (Sixth Bonus Chapter)

    "Hmm, she''s was also teleported to this ce?"

    Corey mumbled in surprise as he looked in the direction of the connection he felt with Selene. The connection was faint and he knew that if he went back up the mountain he would not be able to sense her at all.

    He also knew that Selene could also perceive him.

    "Hmm."

    Corey stroked his chin with a pondering expression for a moment, and then he kept on going down the mountain.

    "Although where she''s located is not in the direction of the infinity crystal, it would be nice to have a teammate in case I ever need help."

    Corey nonchntly shrugged, and then he increased his speed of descent down the mountain. Another thing he could sense through his connection was that Selene was inbat.

    "I guess I should hurry in case something unexpected happens."

    ----

    Meanwhile, approximately ten kilometers away from Corey''s position was Selene who was inbat with numerous monsters that resembled mountain goats, but the difference between these monsters and mountain goats was not little at all.

    These monsters stood at nearly seven feet tall, their furs were thick and matted, blending perfectly with the rocky terrain. Their twisted horns were longer and sharper than any natural goat''s, spiraling in jagged arcs that shimmered faintly with an eerie metallic sheen.

    Their cold blue eyes showed signs of an intelligence and malice that normal mountain goats should never have.

    Their hooves, while cloven, were reinforced with dark, stone-like ridges, allowing it to move silently across even the most treacherous mountain ledges. Spiked ridges ran down their spines, and their elongated, muscr limbs suggested immense strength.

    Beneath their thick coat of fur, patches of rough, stone-like skin could be seen, making it seem like the beasts have been fused with the mountain itself.

    When Selene first appeared in the Dimension of The Old Ones, she instantly fainted due to the immense strain that was put on her mind and body due to the extremely long and powerful teleportation from the Amphitheatre of the Underworld.

    This was the case for a lot of people, especially those who did not have a high spatial talent or spatial affinity.

    After waking up, she found herself in an empty cave. At first she was confused and disorientated, the holographic image of The Clown appeared in front of her.

    After hearing the words of The Clown, she was no longer confused and knew what she had to do.

    Find an ancient stone as quickly as possible.

    Unfortunately, there was no ancient stone in the cave she was in, however and fortunately for her, there was also no monster inside the cave, so she left the cave.

    After leaving the cave, she didn''t know what to expect from a shattered dimension called The Dimension of The Old Ones, however, she was expecting it to be¡­ fun or at least interesting?

    She knew it was a strange thought, but the prospect of seeing another world that was not the Underworld intrigued her. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    For all her life, she had lived in the Underworld. She was born in the Underworld and grew up in the Underworld. The Underworld was all that she knew, but her father always told her when she was little that there was a world outside of the Underworld, and that the Underworld was not everything.

    Her father always told of a world filled withrge bodies of water, mountains,rge green fields, animals running about, immense droplets of water falling from the sky called rain, an actual sun, a moon, a sky filled with actual clouds, earthquakes, tsunamis, and so on.

    Her father always told her of all these things when she was younger, and she always enjoyed them. However, as she grew up, everything her father told her were just imaginations she struggled to keep in her mind.

    They were like fantasy to her.

    A part of her wanted to see and experience the outside world. She wanted to seerge bodies of water where one could swim and where one could see a lot of creatures in them. She wanted to feel the rain. She wanted to see the real sky. She wanted to seerge green fields with trees and nts, and animals running about.

    She wanted to see a world where one did not have to fight constantly.

    She actually wanted to see these things, however, the Underworld did not have all of these.

    What the Underworld had, was all that she knew.

    But when it seemed like she was most likely going to die with the fantasy world her father had described to her, The Clown came.

    Instead of the normal Amphitheatre games that usually urred in the Underworld, The Clown introduced new games, and some of these new games had some of the traits of the fantasy world her father had told her about.

    For example, the death race, and now, the Battle of Chosens which was urring in shattered dimension which almost like another world.

    Or to be precise, it was another world to those who were born and had lived their entire lives in the Underworld.

    Selene and some other residents of the Underworld who were participants of the Battle of Chosen were actually excited and also anxious about being in another world.

    It was their opportunity to see something different, to experience something different, and a part of them were actually grateful and thankful to The Clown for the opportunity he had given them. To them, he was much better than the previous Director of The Underworld.

    The same was true for Selene who had been told stories of a different world by her father.

    Meanwhile, if The Clown knew of the thoughts some of the Underworld residents had towards him, he wouldugh loudly.

    Why?

    Because that wasn''t part of his ns at all.

    Meanwhile, after Selene left the cave with a slightly excited heart due to prospect of experiencing a new world, she was immediately awed by the presence of the countless number of mountains around her.

    She had seen mountains before, but not mountains that were this high andrge. She was extremely curious about all of the mountains, and a part of her wanted to climb the tallest mountain she could see, but she knew that would be foolish.

    Regardless of her what her heart wanted, she knew that she had to find an ancient stone or a settlement with an ancient stone.

    However, she did not know where to go.

    ----

    [A/N: This is an unedited chapter. No light to edit it before myptop dies.]

    Hello everybody, sorry for not posting for so long. There was no light and I was nning on uploading five chapters at once, but they took the light when I was on three.

    Regardless, I want to give a big and massive thank you to every single person that donated gifts to my book, especially Ryan_Houtz who dropped two magic castles.

    I''m extremely grateful. So, so, so, so grateful to all of you. I was not sure if I''d even receive a single response even with what I wrote since I know everybody already have a lot to do with their lives and nobody is obligated to help, so you don''t know how shocked and surprised I was when I woke up to two magic castles and other gifts.

    I don''t need any other gift since two magic castles is equal to $200, which means I would get $50 from it after Webnovel takes their cut. Although, if any other person wants to still give gifts, I still appreciate it and I''d be very grateful.

    Because of the massive help @ Ryan_Houtz gave me, I''ve decided to create a character for him and put him in my novel. He should appear in the Dimension of The Old Ones. [God help my creativity.]

    Also, there would be no more bonus chapters until further notice since I have like 12, 13, or 14 bonus chapters I''m meant to give out. You guys really exceeded my expectations, and I''m shedding both tears of joy and sleepless nights over here.

    But on a more serious note, thank you so much everybody. I really love you guys, and I also want to do my part by writing good and banger chapters from now on.

    Anon22

 Chapter 394 393: Mountain Goats? (Seventh Bonus Chapter)

    394 393: Mountain Goats? (Seventh Bonus Chapter)

    If there was one thing Selene wished was given to them before they entered the Dimension of The Old Ones, it was a map of the shattered dimension.

    Selene had zero information on the shattered dimension, and she had no idea on where to go. For all she knew, whatever path she took after leaving the cave could be fraught with untold and immense dangers.

    However, she had no choice but to pick a path.

    Deciding to bank on the most important information she had of this ce, Selene chose to take the path that was in the direction of the golden staircase she could see from where she was.

    Although she was a little bit fearful of the unknown, she had lived in the Underworld all her life and danger was nothing new to her.

    As she moved down the path that led in the direction of the golden staircase, she also used the opportunity to sightsee and observe the mountains around her in awe and excitement.

    In the first hour, she had been excited and intrigued by the mountains around her. However, after she saw nothing else, not even a sign of an animal, beast, monster, or even another human, she became bored and also slightly worried.

    Was she the only living being in this region filled with nothing but mountains?

    Minutes after she had this thought, she saw another living being. Although it was something she never expected.

    It resembled an animal she had never seen physically, but she had seen such animals in images.

    ''Is that a¡­ goat?... A mutated goat?''

    This was her thought as she observed the extremely strange looking goat that was standing with ease on the mountain. What surprised Selene was the manner in which the goat stood on the mountain.

    It was extremely bigger than the goats she saw in some images. It also had spikesing out of its spine, and it had rock like skin beneath its brown fur. It''s horns also seemed metallic.

    It barely had enough ground to stand, and it stood with the side of its body hugging the mountain side while chewing on a dry grass.

    ''What an odd animal. How is itfortable while eating and standing like that?''

    Selen''s eyes sparkled with curiousity, and just as she was observing the mountain goat, the moutain goat noticed her. It''s blue eyes glowed with a tinge of intelligence and also coldness as it stared at Selene. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Selene did not know why, but she felt a chill run down her spine as she gazed into the cold blue eyes of the goat.

    Mahhh!!!

    The goat bleated, and then to Selene''s surprise and bafflement, it jumped towards her with its metallic horns pointed her.

    It jumped three times to reach the ground, and when it did, it bleated once again and ran at its fastest while emitting a malicious intent.

    Selene raised her brows in surprise as she watched the goat run towards her at a speed that was extremely slow in her eyes.

    Although her skill- Scan, did not work on the beast, she could feel that the beast''s strength was like that of a tier 1. Although, an above average tier 1.

    Regardless of how absurd the stats of the beast in front of her was, since it was still a tier 1, there was no way it would be a match for her.

    She was a tier 4, a mystic being. Although she was still an early tier 4, that did not matter in the slightest when it came to a tier 1.

    Even if Corey''s stats at tier 1 were all in the ck star, he would not be able to defeat a tier 4 no matter what. The difference between a tier 1 and a tier 4 was as great as the difference between heaven and earth.

    When Selene saw the beast approach her with a malicious intent, although she was curious, she decided not to waste too much time on the beast and kill it.

    The weapon that she was allowed to use in the shattered dimension was a long sword, however, it was extremely weak and fragile.

    A red grade longsword would never be able to handle mystic energy, and what she wielded was mystic energy, not astral energy.

    She decided to kill the strange goat to see just how much improvement its blood and soul would have on her longsword.

    With an effortless swing of her sword, she killed the goat, and just as The Clown said, her longsword was strengthened after she killed the goat with her longsword.

    However, the improvement was little and not much at all.

    She was disappointed, however, she also didn''t expect much since it was just a single tier 1 beast she killed.

    Just as she was about to store her sword away and keep on moving, she felt vibrations all around her. She was stunned and confused, and then she looked at the mountains and hills all around her.

    Everything was trembling, and even the ground was no exception.

    A terrible feeling of crisis emerged in her heart and she knew she had to leave where she was. So¡­ she ran.

    Although she was a mystic being, she trusted her instincts which had been formed after numerous deadly and dangerous encounters in the Underworld.

    Her speed was incredibly fast, and in less than ten seconds, she had already crossed a kilometer which was not surprising since her specialty was in her speed.

    As she ran, she looked behind her, and what she saw made her heart to skip several beats.

    Several meters behind her was a herd of simr looking goats. Most of these goats were weaker, possessing strength that was below that of a tier 4, however, the sheer number of the goats sent a chill across her soul.

    What made it worse for her was that she could sense a few goats that possessed the strength of a tier 4, and she knew that she would be fucked if she was caught by these goats.

    What Selene didn''t know was that a goat was never alone, it was always part of a herd, and if a single goat of a herd dies, the entire herd would know and one would have to face the wrath of a herd of goats.

    Unfortunately for her, the goat she encountered could be a considered a child that could not control itself. Assuming it was an older goat, Selene would not have been attacked by the goat as long as she did not get too close to the goat or the feeding ground of the herd.

    This was what led to the beginning of her suffering in this region of mountains.

    Unedited chapter

    Anon22

 Chapter 395 394: Need Help? (Eighth Bonus Chapter)

    395 394: Need Help? (Eighth Bonus Chapter)

    The fight between Selene and the mountain goats began after all of the goats unleashed abined earthquake ability that reached where Selene was and disrupted her movement.

    Because of their surprisingly powerful skill, Selene had to stop running and engage the mountain goats inbat.

    She observed and analyzed the herd of mountain goats, and she counted about a thousand mountain goats. A number which might seem small to some, but was anything but small.

    Bolts of lightning appeared on her hands, and with a low shout, she swung her hands at the herd.

    The ground shattered and broke apart as her lightning shes made out of mystic mana approached the mountain goats at a speed that most of them could not respond to.

    The lightning shes appeared in front of the goats at the forefront of the herd, and before a lightning sh touched the goats at the front of the herd, the remnant lightning bolts turned the weak goats at the front to ash.

    Mahhhhh!!!

    The goats bleated in shock and disbelief as they could only helplessly watch the enormous lightning engulf their bodies,pletely turning them to ashes.

    The lightning shes continued moving forward, killing the weaker mountain goats with ease. However, when it seemed like the lightning shes were going to continue their unimpeded carnage, a loud bleat filled rage and maliciousness.

    MAHHHHHH!!!

    MAHHHHHH!!!

    MAHHHHHH!!!

    It was not just a single bleat but three bleats.

    Selene''s eyes widened slightly when she saw three mountain goats that wererger than the rest jump a few meters in front of the lightning shes.

    BANGGGG!!!

    BOOOOOOOOM!!!!

    The instant the mountain goatsnded, the ground trembled intensely, and to Selene''s surprise, threerge and thick rocky walls emerged from the ground, effectively blocking the two lightning shes.

    Crumble

    17:57

    The lightning shes vanished after failing to destroy the rocky walls, and the rocky walls also crumbled apart after the disappearance of the rocky wall.

    Selene''s eyes widened in surprise when she sensed how easily the three mountain goats were able to control the earth element.

    ''Their control of the earth element is high.''

    Just as Selene had this thought, her instincts red to life, and she instantly looked up, only to see over twenty mountain goats flying at her.

    "I thoughts goats couldn''t fly?!"

    Selene eximed with wide eyes, but she had no time to rest. The nearest goat was a few meters from piercing her body with its metallic horns.

    Luckily for her, the goat had the strength of a tier 2. Higher than the first goat she encountered, but not too high.

    Without hesitation, she swung the longsword in her left hand.

    She fully expected to kill the goat in a single swing, but to her shock and disbeleif, what she felt and heard was not the sound of metal cutting through flesh, but¡­

    ng

    "What?"

    Selene was shocked, and her gaze travelled to the glowing metallic horns of the goat that had blocked her casual attack.

    ''Its horns are strong enough to block a casual swing of mine with this sword?'' n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Selene''s gaze shifted to her longsword, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw cracks form on the longsword.

    Mahhhhh!!!

    The goat bleated, and then it tried to impale Selene with its horn stupidly strong horns. However, how could Selene allow such a thing?

    She nonchntly covered her hands in mystic energy, grabbed a horn of the goat, and with a frown, she stabbed the chest of the goat with her longsword.

    Mahh

    The goat let out a bleat of pain and resignation as it breathed itsst.

    All of these happened in less than three seconds, and when the remaining goats saw the death of one of their herd members, their blue eyes glowed and became a darker shade of blue.

    The goats bleated once again as they fell towards Selene with their metallic glowing with a faint golden hue.

    Selene saw this, and she frowned. She nced at her sword, and though she could perceive that it was about to undergo a change, she chose to store it away in her inventory.

    "I work better with my feet anyway." She mumbled, and then she ced her left leg forward.

    A de appeared from the tip of her boots, and a secondter, lightning bolts engulfed her entire feet.

    "Second Dance of The Lightning Valkyrie- Fall of The Lightning Valkyrie."

    CLAP!

    The instant she said these words, an extremely loud thunderp resounded from where she stood as she jumped high into the air.

    Mahh?

    A goat felt its bestial instincts warn it of danger, however, it could not react as a boot with a de appeared a few inches from its head, and then¡­

    BANG!

    The body of the goat exploded into a rain of gore, and for the following three seconds, every single goat followed suit and exploded into a rain of gore as Selene performed one of the most beautiful and deadly dances of a lightning valkyrie.

    If Corey were here, he would be amazed by the beauty of the martial arts she had just performed.

    As the the blood of over twenty mountain goats rained down, Selenended on the ground with her body not stained by a speck of dust or by a drop of blood. She had covered her entire body with a faint amount of mystic energy since she hated being dirty.

    As the sea of blood rained down on her, Selene was about to shift her focus on the three powerful goats, however, she suddenly felt something above her.

    She looked up, and her eyes widened in disbelief when she saw arge number of rocky shards hovering above her.

    "Shit."

    She cursed, and without hesitation, lightning bolts appeared beneath her feet once again.

    "Fifth Dance of The Lightning Valkyrie."

    The instant the shards of rocks started moving, she unleashed the fifth dance of the lightning valkyrie which was a defensive move of The Lightning Valkyrie Art.

    Her legs and body moved in a manner that was simply beautiful and majestic at the same time. Despite the countless number of rocky shards that wereunched at her, she deflected or dodged most of the shards, and the injuries she sustained were mainly superficial and surface skin injuries.

    The moment all the shards were dealt with, shended on the ground. However, the instant her feet touched the ground, her instincts screamed at her.

    Her head snapped to her back and she tried to dodge, however, it was toote.

    Puchi!

    A pair of twisted dark metallic horns pierced her torso, and she coughed out a mouthful of blood. She looked at the goat that had injured her, and she realized that it was one of the three powerful goats of the herd.

    She could notprehend how it hadunched a sneak attack without her being able to sense it, however, that was not her major concern at the moment.

    "Shit." She cursed, and then she raised her left hand.

    Her longsword appeared in her hand, and she stabbed the goat before it could escape. With killing intent in her eyes, her longsword moved at an extremely fast speed, and to her relief, the goat was not able to dodge the attack.

    The longsword reached the torso of the goat, however, and to Selene''s immense disbelief¡­

    CLANG!

    CRACK!

    SHATTER!

    Her longsword shattered, leaving nothing but a faint scratch on the rocky skin of the goat.

    MAHHHH!!!

    The goat bleated loudly with anger evident in its tone, and to Selene''s horror, the goat raised its head and attempted to swing her around like a ragdoll.

    Selene knew that if she ever allowed that to ur, her condition would worsen, and her chances of survival would diminish greatly.

    The goat raised her up into the air and she grabbed its horns in an attempt to disrupt its movement despite the pain she felt.

    Mahhh!!

    The goat bleated in annoyance, but just as it was about to swing its head, a light shed in the eyes of the goat and Selene, and to Selene''s confusion, shock, and disbelief, she saw the goat getting split into two.

    "Need help?"

    She turned her head, and then she saw the one person she both hated and hadplicated feelings toward.

    Her master, Corey with arge double-handed battle axe in his right hand.

    Unedited chapter.

    I wanted to at least write the following chapter and upload it four chapters at once so that the fight against the "mountain goats" would end, but they just had to take the light, and myptop would soon die.

    Sigh

    I''ll try to write five chapters tomorrow... if they bring the light that is

 Chapter 396 395: Mah? (Ninth Bonus Chapter)

    396 395: Mah? (Ninth Bonus Chapter)

    Selene had a stunned expression as she stared at the face of her master who knelt in front of her with indifferent eyes.

    She slowly turned her head in the direction of the goat that had the strength of a tier 4, and when she saw how it had been cleanly cut into two, disbelief shed in her eyes.

    She had felt the rocky skin of the goat, and she knew how difficult it would have been for her to damage it. But her master had cut the goat with a single attack?

    Was her master truly a tier 2?

    "Earth to Selene?"

    Corey''s voice resounded in her ears, and she became startled. Her gaze shifted towards Corey''s exceedingly handsome face which bore an expression of slight confusion and curiosity.

    Her mind nked for an instant as she became mesmerized in Corey''s light blue and deep violet eyes, but she then shook her head softly.

    Her lips parted open slightly, "Can- Can you please heal me?"

    "Hmm?" Corey raised a brow, and then he looked at her bleeding stomach.

    "Oh. Your constitution should be high enough for aplete natural recovery, although it''d take a few hours." Corey stroked his chin softly, and then he ced his right hand on Selene''s stomach.

    He used Dream Healing on her, but when he did.

    ~Ahh~

    Selene moaned, and her eyes opened wide while she covered her mouth with an embarrassed expression.

    Corey raised his brows slightly, and said calmly, "Quite a beautiful moan you have there. Make it a little bit louder and softer and it would be sexier."

    Selene''s eyes twitched, and the urge to beat the living daylights out of Corey filled her heart. Unfortunately for her, she was his ve and she also wasn''t sure about the type of person he was.

    Without caring about the thoughts and feelings of his ve, Corey continued healing her through Dream Healing.

    Four secondster, he stopped and stood.

    "Although I haven''tpletely healed you, it should be more than enough."

    "Huh?" Selene stared at her stomach in surprise, and then she looked at Corey who was now facing the goats.

    He obviously heard Selene''s thanks, but his mind was on something else. The strange behavior of the goats.

    From the moment he killed the goat that was about to gravely injure Selene, he had been expecting the other goats to attack him, but despite the fact that a ''lot'' of time had passed since then, none of the goats attacked him.

    In fact, when Corey observed the goats, he noticed that the weakest ones had slightly fearful expressions and were trembling slightly.

    He became extremely confused.

    His gaze shifted to the stronger goats, and then he noticed wariness on their faces and posture. What he also noticed was that the goats were not looking at him, but at the axe in his hands.

    ''What?''

    Corey stared at his axe in confusion, and then he shifted his gaze back to the goats. The gears in his mind spun as he tried toe up with an exnation as to why the goats were seemingly fearful and worried about his axe.

    ''It can''t be because it''s at the same level as a green grade weapon right?'' Corey thought, and then another thought came to his mind.

    ''Wait¡­ Is it because of the abomination I killed? Is it because my weapon has the aura of the abomination I killed?''

    Corey''s eyes glowed with fascination and curiosity when he realized that this was most likely the answer.

    He was sure the goats were not afraid of him since the power and aura he exuded was that of a tier 2, although that of an extremely powerful tier 2.

    ''This is interesting. Can my axe cause the beings of this shattered dimension to be fearful or weary of it? Is there something more to these weapons that were provided to us?''

    ''What if my axe was upgraded after I killed a monster like these goats? What difference would it make? How much does the monster I kill with my axe affect the upgrades my axe receives?''

    ''So many questions and thoughts, but no one to give me an answer or a hint.. Sigh¡­ I really need information.''

    Corey released another soft sigh, and then after thinking about it, he stored his axe in his system inventory.

    ''It would be bad if my axe upgrades after I kill some mobs like these goats. I should use it against unique and powerful monsters of this realm.''

    p!

    Corey pped, attracting the attention of the goats and Selene who was confused from the moment Corey sent his axe into his system inventory.

    "We don''t have all day, do we?" Corey grinned slightly, and then his eyes turned pure white.

    Sparks appeared around his feet, and a secondter,

    sh Step!

    CLAP!

    A loud thunderp resounded, and Corey''s movement was akin to lightning.

    Mahhh

    One of the tier 4 goats bleated as it could clearly seeing towards it at a fast speed. The ground beneath it moved, and a wall of rocks and stones instantly formed in front of it.

    The weaker goats in front of it were sted to the side due to the formation of the rocky wall, and some sustained injuries because of this.

    The tier 4 goat would not have harmed the members of its herd on a normal day, however, the threat it felt from Corey''s approaching figure caused it to abandon any sense of camaraderie.

    Corey''s eyes shed when he saw this, Let''s try something new shall we?''

    A grin appeared on Corey''s face, and the instant he was approximately four meters away from the wall, he slid to a stop, and then¡­

    Dreamfire

    Killing Intent

    Vibration Maniption

    These three skills engulfed his hand, causing his hand to have an azure, silver, violet, and red color. A secondter¡­ he punched with all his might.

    BANG!

    The ground beneath his feet broke apart and the air trembled as a vibrating me moved towards the rocky wall of the tier 4 goat.

    In the blink of an eye, the vibrating me collided with the rocky wall, and two secondster, it¡­ crumbled into dust.

    Mahh?

    The tier 4 goats and Selene had wide eyes as they saw the rocky wall crumble to dust.

    Before the tier 4 goat couldprehend what had just urred, the vibrating me reached it. At first it panicked, but then it remembered its bodily defenses and it knew how powerful it was, so it calmed down.

    However, a strange force engulfed its body and its body started trembling intensely without its control.

    At first it was bearable, but then its rocky skin started crumbling apart. It bleated in pain and tried to stop this strange force, but it could not.

    Before it knew it, its rocky skin crumbled entirely with an azure, silver, and violet color burning the insides of its body.

    Mahhhhh!!!

    The goat bleated in pain, and then it looked in the direction of the other tier 4 goat for help. However, to its shock and disbelief, it saw the human who was the cause behind its suffering standing over the shattered corpse of itsrade.

    It temporarily forgot the pain, and then it looked around, only to see that most of the members of the herd were now corpses.

    Mah?

    The goat bleated onest time before its body crumbled apart, and it saw the light of the world no more.

    Unedited chapter.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Sorry I''m just uploading, light is not stable over here at all.

    Anon22

    Creator''s Thought

 Chapter 398 397: Desert? (Eleventh Bonus Chapter)

    398 397: Desert? (Eleventh Bonus Chapter)

    It all happened so suddenly.

    In one moment, they were joggin on top of a rocky ground while being surrounded by mountains and hills, in the next moment, the ground and mountains trembled.

    A second after the trembling, the rocky ground turned into a sandy ground, and the mountains got absorbed into the sandy ground, making it seem like there was a terrifying beast beneath the sandy ground devouring the mountains.

    The ground trembled once again, and dunes, new nts, and various other objects appeared on the sandy ground.

    Bot Corey and Selene were stunned into silence as they stared at the unbelievable change that had urred around them.

    "What- What the hell just happened? Did the bell ring and we didn''t hear it?" Selene asked while looking around with a slightly fearful and wary expression.

    Corey frowned deeply, and a pondering light shed in his eyes, "The bell did not ring. I have an ancient stone."

    "You already have an ancient stone?" Selene eximed in surprise, and Corey nodded.

    "I was teleported to a Temple of The Old Ones that The Clown spoke about. It had an ancient stone."

    Corey did not mind telling her that he had an ancient stone and that he was teleported to a Temple of The Old Ones since she was his ve. Although there was nothing that stopped her from telling another person this, there was an extremely simple way to prevent this.

    "Don''t tell anybody that I have an ancient stone and that I was teleported to a Temple of The Old Ones¡­ This isn''t a request but an order."

    Selene felt the ve mark in her thrum to life, and she quickly nodded before it started hurting her if she did notply. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "I won''t."

    The ve mark went back to returned back to its dormant state, and Selene released an internal sigh of relief.

    Corey nodded slightly, and then he observed his surroundings. His eyes turned pure white for some seconds, and then they reverted back to normal.

    He turned to look at Selene.

    "We''re not going straight anymore. We''re now turning to the left."

    "The left?" Selene subconsciously looked to her left before turning to face Corey, "Why are we going to the left now?"

    "Cause that''s where what I want is."

    Corey replied calmly, and then he started walking. Selene quickly followed.

    "We''re not going to run anymore since we have zero information on the desert. For all we know, there might be monsters beneath us."

    Selene''s lips twitched, and she nced at the sandy ground. Although she had some questions like what did Corey see or encounter in the Temple of The Old Ones, or how did his axe be so powerful, and most especially, what was he looking for exactly.

    Although she had all of these questions, she chose to remain silent. Her rtionship with Corey at the moment was merely that of a master and ve, nothing more.

    ''Maybe I''ll get to know why he''s so strong for a tier 2, and maybe some of his other abilities the longer I stay with him.''

    Selene thought, and then she looked around. Due to her being a tier 4, the distance at which she could see was high and what she could perceive was also high¡­ Although not as high as Corey''s.

    The duo kept on walking with a vignt expression for at least twenty minutes, and during this period, they encountered no danger.

    Apart from some non-deadly nts that could grow in deserts and regions with very little water, some small insects and animals, dunes, rocks, and bones of some monsters and beasts, they saw nothing else.

    The sun above them was scorching hot, and if an average tier 2 or below found themselves in this desert, they would find themselves immensely dehydrated and the heat would make it difficult for one to think and function properly.

    Fortunately for Corey and Selene, they hardly felt the effects of the sun.

    Selene was a tier 4 who controlled mystic mana. She just had to cover herself with her mystic mana and she was safe from the effects of the sun.

    As for Corey, his quality of mana was immensely pure and of extremely high quality. His mana reserves was also extremely high and his mana absorption rate was extremely high to the point that despite covering his entire body with his mana, his mana never reduced by even an iota.

    Although both Corey and Selene had not encountered any danger since the environment abruptly changed, they did not let down their guard.

    They knew in their guts that this desert was not a safe ce. The presence of the bones they saw was proof of it. They just had to make sure they were not caught off guard when the danger arrived.

    The duo kept on walking for another twenty minutes, and this time around, Corey was beginning to have thoughts of increasing their pace.

    Through the connection he felt with the infinity crystal, he knew the infinity crystal was still far away.

    "I think we should increase our pace. Not only do we need to find the object I''m looking for, we also need to find an ancient for you."

    When Selene heard this, a part of her became relieved. She had been worried that Corey did not care about the fact that she had no ancient stone, but it seemed like she had thought wrong.

    She nodded, "Let''s go."

    With that, both of them started jogging with a high level of caution and wariness in their hearts.

    Approximately fifteen minutes after they started jogging, they encountered a strange sight that forced them to stoppletely.

    "What the hell?"

    Selene eximed with a tone filled with disbelief, and these were the same words that were at the tip of Corey''s tongue.

    In front of them were countless fishes and aquatic animalsying t on the ground. However, what was strange about these fishes and aquatic animals was that they were not moving and each of them were like statues.

    Unedited chapter.

    Anon22

 Chapter 399 398: Aquatic Stone Beasts? ( Twelfth Bonus Chapter)

    399 398: Aquatic Stone Beasts? ( Twelfth Bonus Chapter)

    Ever since the apocalypse began on New Earth, Corey had seen a lot of strange scenes that one would have never seen on a normal day.

    He had faced corpses possessed by ghost like entities- Revenants.

    He had seen a titanic abomination that sent shivers down his spine.

    He had seen a sea that was so hot that it turned all that touched it to stone.

    He had seeen a pile of skullse together to form a disgusting abomination.

    He had seen quite a lot of things, and if he was told to rank all that he had seen in terms of strangeness, he would have ranked the titanic abomination he encountered in the ck sea first.

    However, what he was currently seeing was about to change his ranking of strangeness.

    Approximately twenty meters from him and Selene was a sea of stone-like beasts. These stone-like beasts were aquatic and Corey could even see fishes that looked like stones and were still.

    Corey could also see some octopi, crabs, and even some sharks, but all of them were made out of stones.

    "What in the great fuckery is this?"

    Selene could not help but exim with a tone filled with shock, bafflement, and also wariness.

    Corey did not answer, but his Eyes of Dreams and Nightmares had changed to his Eyes of Omniscience from the moment this strange scene came into his view.

    He observed the aquatic animals that seemed to be like statues, and his Eyes of Omniscience brightened as he infused more mental energy and mana into his eyes.

    However, despite doing this, all that he was able to see was little¡­ extremely little.

    Corey frowned, "I''m notpletely sure, but I think these things are alive."

    "They''re alive?" Selene eximed with a deep frown as her innermost worries came to pass.

    Corey shook his head slightly, "I''m notpletely sure. I might be wrong, but I perceived a very faint energy in them." n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Selene looked at the aquatic beasts and frowned with a tinge of worry on her face, "So¡­ what are we going to do now?"

    Corey gave no reply and stared at the aquatic stone beasts in the distance.

    When he tried to analyze the aquatic stone beasts, the only thing he was able to see with his Eyes of Omniscience was that there was an extremely faint and tiny flowing energy in the bodies of the aquatic stone beasts.

    21:40

    One could choose to ignore this extremely faint energy, however, Corey knew he could not since the scene before them was extremely strange.

    From what he could see, there were at least five thousand aquatic beasts in front of them. That was a lot of aquatic stone beasts.

    ''Apart from the fact that itspletely strange and baffling for fishes and aquatic beasts to be in the desert, the fact that I cannot estimate their power levels and the fact that I also find it extremely difficult to see through the stone of the aquatic beasts is also worrying.''

    Corey furrowed his brows. His biggest worry was if the aquatic stone beasts had the ability to move.

    Although he wasn''t sure about the power levels of the aquatic stone beasts, facing five thousand enemies was not going to be easy even if they were tier 1 or tier 0.

    Even an ant could bring down an elephant.

    ''What''s worse would be if each of them were as powerful as a tier 3, tier 4 or even higher.''

    "Master?"

    Selene''s voice flowed into his ears, and he looked at her.

    "Let''s try to find another path. We''ll try and see if we go around the aquatic stone beasts."

    Selene''s eyes brightened in relief. A part of her was worried that Corey would still decide to go forward and walk in the midst of the aquatic stone beasts.

    Although the aquatic stone beasts were not moving, Selene knew that if they suddenly started moving while they in their midst, she and Corey could die depending on the strength of the aquatic stone beasts.

    ''Luckily for me, I have a smart and cautious master.'' Selene thought with a relieved smile.

    Corey saw this, but he said nothing. He turned to his right, and said, "Let''s go."

    Selene followed, and the two of them kept on walking while making sure to keep at least a twenty meter distance from the aquatic stone beasts.

    This continued for exactly twenty four hours, and the expressions of both Selene and Corey had changed from one of calmness and wariness to graveness and a tinge of fear.

    They had alternated between walking and jogging as they tried to find a path that would allow them to go around the aquatic stone beasts, however, after moving for exactly twenty four hours, they came to a horrifying realization.

    The aquatic stone beasts they had previously thought to have a number of five thousand or ten thousand waspletely wrong. In the past 24 hours, they had not stopped seeing a single aquatic stone beast. And both Corey and Selene knew what this meant¡­ There were hundreds of thousands of aquatic stone beasts. Maybe even a million aquatic stone beasts or more than a million aquatic stone beasts.

    They had not gone deeper and were just seeing the first row of aquatic stone beasts. The thought of countless more aquatic stone beasts filled Selene and even Corey with fear.

    What sort of desert were they in?

    "Master¡­ Can''t we go back? Is the object you''re looking for that important?"

    Selene and Corey sat opposite each other on two rocks they had stumbled upon. Their faces contained visible seriousness and graveness as they both stared at the ground.

    After Selene spoke, Corey nced at her, then his gaze shifted to the sky.

    Another oddity about where they were was that despite twenty four hours having gone by, it had not gotten dark even once.

    ''I guess it''s not surprising that thews of this shattered dimension are different from New Earth.''

    Corey released a soft sigh, and then he looked at Selene.

    "The object is very important to me."

    Selene''s expression changed slightly, and she could not help but be slightly restless. With Corey''s answer, she already knew what Corey''s next course of action would be.

    "Although it''s very important to me, it''s not important to you¡­ You can leave if you want to."

    "Huh?" Selene looked at Corey in surprise. She tried to figure out if Corey was joking or if there was another meaning to his words like- If you go, I would kill you or punish youter on.

    "Why are you looking at me like that. I''m not an unreasonable person, so don''t be surprised." Corey stood, and then he looked at Selene.

    "Just make sure not to die on your way out of here, and find an ancient stone too."

    Corey was just about to leave, but Selene''s voice drifted into his ear.

    "I''ll follow you."

    Corey turned and looked at her with raised brows.

    "Why the change of mind?"

    Selene shrugged, "Since The Clown said that we can''t die, I figured I should at least follow you. Who knows, I might find a treasure for myself if I follow you and we survive¡­ My father always told me that in our world, with dangeres opportunity¡­ And I intend on seizing that opportunity."

    Corey stared at her for a moment, and then his lips curled up slightly.

    "Good."

    Corey turned in the direction of the sea of aquatic stone beasts, and then with a soft exhale, he took a step forward.

    "Let''s go."

    Unedited chapter

 Chapter 400 399: Rain? (13th Bonus Chapter)

    400 399: Rain? (13th Bonus Chapter)

    As Corey and Selene crossed the twenty-meter distance they had constantly maintained from the sea of aquatic stone beasts, their senses were on high alert for any change in the sea of aquatic stone beasts.

    Corey activated his Eyes of Omniscience and he was able to see everything that was urring around him in a fifty meter radius.

    Although Selene did not have an ocr-rted skill or ability, the fact that she was a mystic being meant that her natural visual skills were high.

    Moments passed, and the distance between the duo and the sea of aquatic stone beasts was barely up to a meter.

    With a slightly anxious heart, the duo approached the sea of aquatic stone beasts and entered.

    Fortunately, there was no change in any of the sea of aquatic stone beasts, however, Corey and Selene did not lower their guards in the slightest.

    Selene stared at Corey, and without looking back at her, he nodded. He could see her through his Eyes of Omniscience. Seeing Corey nod, Selene released a soft sigh, and then they walked deeper into the sea of aquatic stone beasts.

    They kept on walking and walking, and four days went by.

    Unfortunately, the fear and worry that Corey and Selene had before they entered the sea of aquatic stone beasts came to pass.

    The deeper they walked into the sea of aquatic sea beasts, the more they realized how dangerous their actions were.

    From what they could see, the number of aquatic stone beasts was in the millions. Despite walking for four days, Corey and Selene had not stopped seeing aquatic stone beasts, and they could not help but wonder what would happen if these beasts were actually alive.

    Fortunately, no single aquatic stone beast had moved or changed in any way, making their journey to the location of the Infinity Crystal safe and sound.

    Another thing they were also fortunate about was the fact that their bodies could function without sleep for a long time, and despite walking for four days non-stop, they felt no exhaustion.

    Although they felt no exhaustion, that did not mean that they enjoyed walking for four days in a desert while being surrounded by strange aquatic stone beasts.

    "Master, how long before we get to your destination?"

    Selene had decided not to ask this question for a long time, but this time around, she felt she needed to ask.

    They had been walking for four days without stopping and they had still not reached the location of what her master was looking for.

    It was absurd if one thought about how her master had felt a connection with whatever it was that he was looking for on the first day he arrived in the shattered dimension.

    How powerful was her master''s connection to this object that he could sense it even over hundreds of kilometers?

    Meanwhile, despite hearing Selene''s question, Corey remained silent for a few seconds before he answered,

    "We''re much closer now. It should take some hours before we reach the ce instead of days."

    When Selene heard this, she released a soft sigh of relief. However, she then muttered with a slightly worried tone, "I just hope that we''ll be able to find an ancient stone before the bell rings."

    Corey heard this, but he said nothing.

    Although he also wished for them to find an ancient stone before it was toote, his mind was currently on something else.

    A feeling.

    He did not know why but he had a strange feeling that he had to¡­ run?

    This feeling was extremely strange, and it was one of those fleeting feelings one would have but would ultimately choose to ignore it.

    However, his multiple stars of consciousness picked up on this, and he knew feelings like this were something he could not just ignore.

    He was a Demi-Paragon with the soul origins of the dead gods of his universe in him, and his soul origin of his past life as a god.

    If somebody like him ever had fleeting feelings or thoughts, he knew he had to take these fleeting feelings and thoughts seriously.

    ''I have to run? Is there an iing danger?''

    Corey thought with a deep frown as he pondered on this feeling.

    He looked around, but he saw nothing with his Eyes of Omniscience, and he became confused.

    ''Is the dangering from beneath us?'' Corey thought, and then he looked down with a frown while walking.

    However, despite looking down, Corey could not see more than twenty meters beneath them. There was an immense and dense amount of earth elemental energy in the ground, and his Eyes of Omniscience could not see through it at all.

    ''Ever since I came here, I''ve encountered so many things I''ve not been able to see through.''

    It was easy for Selene to notice Corey''s expression and the fact that he was looking at the ground with immense focus. She already knew that Corey had an ocr ability, and although she didn''t know what it did, her instincts told her it was powerful.

    "I can''t see anything."

    Corey shook his head with a slightly frustrated expression, and Selene tilted her head to the side slightly.

    "Then what''s the problem? Why do you look and sound frustrated?"

    Corey rubbed his neck and released a soft sigh, "Cause I have a feeling we might be in danger, but I can''t see anything that''s dangerous around us¡­ apart from the aquatic stone beasts that is."

    Although Corey knew that he could not ignore this feeling, how was he to know where to run to? How was he to know in which direction the danger wasing from?

    What if the danger wasing from the front and he ran straight towards it?

    That would be running straight into the scythe of the Grim Reaper.

    Meanwhile, Selene frowned slightly when she heard Corey''s words. She already knew that her master was special and from what she knew, the instincts of special people could not be ignored.

    Just as she was about to speak, the corner of her eyes caught sight of something in the distance.

    She squinted her eyes to get a better look at it.

    "What''s that?" She pointed, she couldn''t see it clearly.

    Corey nced at her, then in the direction she was pointing at. He squinted his eyes, and a few secondster, his eyes widened slightly.

    "It looks like a¡­ mountain," Selene said with an unsure tone.

    "It''s a mountain made out of metals, not stones." Corey corrected with his tone containing surprise, curiosity, and also a tinge of joy.

    The connection he had with the nearby infinity crystal led to that particr mountain. Although it was far, most likely a thousand kilometers away from where he was, this just went to show how high and big the mountain in the distance was.

    "That''s where we''re going. That''s our destination."

    Selene''s eyes widened slightly, and her expression was one of relief when she heard Corey''s words.

    "Finally," She released a sigh of relief, "I wonder if we''ll be able to find our way back."

    She mumbled, and then she looked behind her. She was about to look away, but then her eyes caught sight of something strange in the distance.

    "What''s that?... It looks like the sky is darkening?" She asked with curiosity in her tone.

    Corey raised his brows, and then he also looked back. When he did, his eyes caught sight of the sky bing dark hundreds of meters away from them.

    The instant he saw this, the same feeling that told him to run, came back. Corey frowned and his expression became solemn.

    He squinted his eyes, and his Eyes of Omniscience zoomed in on the dark sky in the distance. Due to the distance, what he saw was faint and not clear, however, he was able to discern the images he saw.

    And when he did, he furrowed his brows in confusion.

    "Is that¡­ rain?"

    The instant Corey said this, his gazended on a nearby aquatic stone beast, and his eyes instantly widened as a terrifying thought appeared in his mind.

    Without hesitation, he turned and shouted.

    "Run!"

    Unedited chapter. I n on writing three more chapters today, hopefully there''s no disturbance. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

 Chapter 401 400: Run! (14th Bonus Chapter)

    401 400: Run! (14th Bonus Chapter)

    "Run!"

    The instant Corey said this, the sandy ground beneath his feet flew due to his unbelievable and precise instant eleration to his top speed.

    Selene was taken aback, but her reaction was not slow. She instantly followed after Corey, and to her surprise, she had to exert a lot of effort to catch up to him.

    His speed was ridiculously fast for a tier 2!

    "What''s going on?!"

    Selene shouted the instant she caught up to Corey, her tone containing anxiety and confusion.

    Corey''s expression was one of solemness, coldness, and extreme determination as his arms and legs moved with an otherwordly coordination.

    "The reason why the sky over there is dark is because it''s raining!"

    Corey shouted with a calm and severe tone, and Selene was baffled.

    "Raining?... If it''s just rain, then why are we running away?!"

    Selene was confused. When did rain be something they must be afraid of?

    Wasn''t it just water falling from the sky?

    "I''m not worried about the rain! I''m worried about the effects the rain would have on the aquatic stone beasts!"

    Selene''s eyes widened the instant she heard Corey''s words, and her heartbeat spiked up in fear. A tier 0 human would have an had heart attack if their heartbeat spiked up the way hers did.

    She looked at the aquatic stone beasts around them, and a lump formed in her throat as the terrifying realization dawned upon her.

    The stone beasts around them were aquatic beasts.

    "Oh fuck."

    "If you understand, run with every fucking thing you have!"

    sh Step!

    Without waiting for a reply, white lightning sparks appeared around Corey''s feet and with a loud thunderp, his speed drastically increased, shocking Selene.

    ''Why is it simr to the movement art of the Dance of The Lightning Valkyrie?'' n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Selene had this thought but she didn''t dwell on it. Blue lightning sparks also appeared around her feet, and in the next second, her speed also increased by arge amount.

    Stride of The Lightning Valkyrie!

    Due to both of them using lightning skills, with every step they took and every lightning bolt that was left in their wake, the sand beneath their feet turned to ss, and if a mortal were to look in the direction of Corey and Selene, all they would see would be two lights- White and Blue, moving at iprehensible speeds while dodging several aquatic stone beasts that appeared in their paths.

    After Selene used her movement art, she caught up to Corey with some effort, and she was even able to surpass him- albeit by a few meters.

    Selene could not remember thest time she ran as freely as she was currently running. It felt new and exhilirating for her.

    However, for Corey? it was nothing new.

    From the moment the apocalypse started while he was in his school, escaping was an intricate part of him. He was already used to it.

    Five minutes passed, and the distance they covered was immense, however, the danger Corey felt was also increasing with every second that passed.

    He could feel goosebumps on his skin as his instincts warned him of an impeding danger, but he maintained his calm and collected expression.

    He assigned the control over his body to his stars of consciousness while his main consciousness turned his neck and looked back.

    When he did, his pure white eyes widened in disbelief when he saw how close the ck clouds in the sky had gotten to them.

    He turned his head, and then his main consciousness regained control over his body. His eyesnded on the metal mountain in the distance, and he knew they would not be able to make it to the mountain before the rain reached them.

    The light in his Eyes of Omniscience brightened as the stars of consciousness in his mind burned with intense ferocity as they tried to figure out a path to survival.

    His mental energy was depleted and regenerated at a frightening speed.

    Two secondster, Corey stretched out his hand to the sky, and twenty meters in front of them and approximately ten meters above them was a tform made out of hexagons.

    Corey had made an extremely long road out of his hexagon barrier!

    Selene saw the tform in front of them, and she was startled. Where did ite from?

    "Jump on the tform and run on it! We don''t have time!"

    Corey''s voice resounded in her ears, and she nced at him, only to see him jumping to the tform with ease.

    The ease at which he jumped surprised her since a normal tier 2 could never jump as high as he did, but she immediately dispersed that thought since she knew that her master was not a normal tier 2.

    However, there was another much more important thought on her mind as she stared at the road of made out of hexagons.

    ''Did he create this?... By himself?"

    Selene could not help but find herself shaken by how much of a monster her master was.

    ''The level of mastery, the mana quantity and quality, and the enormous mental energies that would be required to instantly create this is unbelievable¡­ What exactly is my master?''

    Selene nced at Corey''s figure who was in the air for a second before her gaze shifted to the tform. Barely three seconds had passed, and she knew she didn''t have anymore time to waste.

    She jumped to the tform with ease, and when shended on the tform, Corey was already sprinting away with white lightning sparks around his feet.

    Seeing this, blue lightning sparks appeared around her feet, and her body instantly moved. When she did, she was surprised at how sturdy the tform was.

    A part of her had been worried that the tform might shatter if ran on it with all her might due to her been a tier 4, however, it seems her worry was all for naught.

    Another five minutes passed, and as Corey and Selene ran without stopping even for a single second, the sky above them darkened, and countless drops of water rained down on them and the desert beneath them.

    The instant Corey and Selene felt the rain on their bodies, their expressions experienced a significant change, and a few secondster, Selene looked down while Corey observed what was urring beneath them through his Eyes of Omniscience.

    And unfortunately, their worst fear came to pass.

    As it rained and poured down on every single aquatic stone beast on the desert, a change began to happen to the aquatic stone beasts.

    The stones on their bodies cracked, and they began to move.

    Millions of aquatic stone beasts began to move.

    Unedited chapter.

    Anon22

 Chapter 402 401: Strange Sound (15th Bonus Chapter)

    402 401: Strange Sound (15th Bonus Chapter)

    As the sky above the desert darkened and a heavy downpour of rain fell on the desert, severe changes were beginning to ur to the desert, and to both Corey and Selene.

    Corey and Selene watched with wide eyes as the bodies of the aquatic stone beasts began to crack and peel apart. As the stones on the bodies of the aquatic stone beasts fell, the aquatic beasts began to move.

    The fishes pped their tails repeatedly while their mouths opened and closed as if they were gasping for air. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    The octopi moved their tentacles in a haphazard manner while moving around in circles.

    The crabs snapped and opened their ws repeatedly.

    Both Corey and Selene saw this, and then they saw the aquatic beasts dive into the ground which had be mud due to the rain.

    To the shock and disbelief of Corey and Selene, they could see countless and numerous fishes, crabs, and various other aquatic beasts swimming in the mud beneath them like they were swimming in the sea.

    The sight of it was extremely disgusting and unnerving.

    Although the duo observed all of these, they had not stopped running for a single second, however, their speed had drastically reduced.

    "What in the world is this?! What is happening beneath us?! And WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS RAIN?!"

    Selene''s voice reverberated through the heavy rainfall, flowing into Corey who had decided to increase the effect of his Ears of Omniscience.

    He clearly heard Selene''s words and he was not surprised by the panic and fear her voice contained.

    He also was slightly worried. He looked up with cold and calcting eyes.

    ''This is a fucked up world. Why would I ever think that the rain would be normal rain?''

    From the very moment the first raindropnded on the bodies of Corey and Selene, they knew that something was amiss with the rain, and it did not take long for them to know the strangeness of the rain.

    Every single raindrop thatnded on their bodies felt like it was a truck that wasnding on them and not a drop of water.

    The passive mana skin they had created around their bodies to protect themselves from the sun did notst more than five seconds before they shattered, causing both Corey and Selene to feel just how heavy the raindrops were.

    Although a single truck falling on them was something they could handle, countless number trucks falling on them were way too much for them.

    If it was just this, it would just be barely manageable for both Corey and Selene, however, what made it worse was the fact that rain also emitted a sort of gravitational force that slowed down the cirction of their mana.

    The gravitational force did not only affect the cirction of their mana, but it also affected their physical body. They were basically running under a powerful gravitational force.

    Because of this, Selene found out that she could no longer keep using her movement art- Stride of The Lightning Valkyrie.

    Because of the rain, her mana expenditure was extremely high, and it wouldn''t take long before her mana ran out because of this.

    Corey was not any different. Even though he was a demi-paragon and the quality and quantity of his mana were extremely high, he found out that his mana expenditure had also increased by arge amount, although, the increment was not asrge as Selene''s.

    Corey frowned, and then he stopped executing The Lightning Movement Art. His pure white eyes flickered in thought, and a secondter, he increased the mana around his mana skin by arge amount.

    Although he used 10% of his mana to create this mana skin, and he only had approximately 50% of his mana left, he knew he had to strengthen his mana skin. He could endure the raindrops which felt like trucks dropping on them, however, he didn''t want to take any chances with the rain.

    Who knew what other effect it might have on them the longer it touched their bodies.

    ''Strengthen your mana skin by pouring more mystic mana into it. We don''t know if the rain would affect us in any other way the longer it touches our bodies.''

    Corey mentally transmitted, and Selene was taken aback for a second before she then eventually nodded.

    One of the abilities that was given to both the master and ve by the ve scroll that was given to Corey by the Terror Queen was the ability tomunicate mentally between the master and ve.

    However, the ve needed to request permission from the master tomunicate mentally with the master.

    Without hesitation, Selene poured more of her mystic mana into her mana skin which prevented the rain from touching her body. After she did this, she was only left with 30% of her mystic mana.

    Executing the movement art of the Lightning Valkyrie took a lot of mana from her, and after adding about 30% of her mystic mana into her mana skin, her mana reservoir was now barely at 30%.

    Unfortunately for her, her control over her mystic mana was nowhere close to that of Corey whose mana control was close to perfection. Her mana quality was also the same- nowhere close to Corey''s mana quality, therefore her mana expenditure from the moment they started running was much greater than Corey''s.

    Although Selene and Corey had prevented the rain from touching their bodies, they could still feel the force behind every raindrop as it collided with their mana skin, and they had to quickly fill up or fix any opening or damage that was done to their mana skin.

    As Corey ran at a speed that was both baffling and shocking to Selene and those who were watching from the Underworld, his Eyes of Omniscience and focus were mainly on thend beneath them.

    The sight of countless beasts swimming about in mud was spine-chilling and extremely disgusting even to Corey, and he could not help but wonder what their fate would have been if they had remained on the ground.

    ''Fortunately, I trusted my instincts and hypothesis.''

    Apart from the fact that fishes, octopi, sharks, and several other aquatic beasts were not meant to be swimming in mud, there were several other things Corey noticed as he observed the ground below them.

    ''First of all, they''re extremely aggressive. Their eyes are red and a lot of them are attacking one another, causing the ground to be filled with blood.''

    ''Most important of all, their power levels.'' Corey squinted his eyes,''I couldn''t sense their power levels before, but now that I can sense their power levels.''

    Corey''s gaze moved from one aquatic beast to another, ''Most of what I can see have power levels that are simr to that of tier 2¡­ Some have power levels of a tier 3.''

    Corey furrowed his brows slightly, ''But I can''t see any aquatic beast that has the power level of a tier 4 or above?''

    Despite not seeing any aquatic beast with a power level of a tier 4 or higher, Corey was 99% sure that there were aquatic beasts that were as strong as tier 4s or maybe even tier 5s.

    In a ce that was as strange as this, there would only be tier 2s and tier 3s?

    That was not possible at all.

    ''Although, it''d actually be nice and surprising for once if there was no tier 4 or tier 5.''

    Corey thought with a wry smile, and then his gaze shifted to the mountain of metals in the distance. His brows furrowed with a tinge of worry and uncertainty in them.

    ''We''re still far away from the mountain. Would my mana reserves be able to hold out until we reach the mountain?''

    Corey knew that although his mana control, mana quantity, and mana quality were extremely high, his mana expenditure this time around was greater than his mana recovery, and he was worried that his mana would run out before they could reach the mountain of metals.

    He knew that if that happened, their fates would be much worse.

    He inhaled and exhaled deeply, and then his expression became one of conviction and calmness, ''I just have to make sure such a thing does not happen no matter what.''

    Just as Corey had this thought, his Ears of Omniscience picked up on a strange sounding from the ground below them.

 Chapter 403 402: Killer Whale? Tier 5? (16th Bonus Chapter)

    403 402: Killer Whale? Tier 5? (16th Bonus Chapter)

    The Dimension of The Old Ones.

    The Dimension of The Old Ones was a world that was filled with monsters, abominations, and even ces that defied meaning andmon sense.

    Encountering something that would either baffle or horrify the mind was something that wasmon to the inhabitants of the shattered dimension. However, there were certain ces even the inhabitants of The Dimension of The Old Ones designated to be death zones or forbidden zones.

    These death zones were ces every inhabitant was warned about from the moment they became old enough to leave their various settlements, and one of the death zones was called The Morphing Expanse of The Multitude or in short, The Morphing Expanse.

    The Morphing Expanse was not called a death zone because of how thend continuously reshaped itself atpletely random and unpredictable times. It was called a death zone because no matter what terrain The Morphing Expanse changed to, it always had countless numbers of monsters.

    When it became and of mountains, hills, and rocky ground, it had countless numbers of beasts called Capra Ferox. These beasts were the goats Corey and Selene fought.

    What Corey and Selene didn''t know was that the previous terrain of hills, mountains, and rocky grounds had countless Capra Ferox. However, most Capra Ferox stayed inside the mountains and hills, and unless one encroached on their territory, they would choose not to attack.

    However, this was not the same when The Morphing Expanse became a desert, what one encountered was not the Capra Feroxes, but Aqupides.

    The Aqupides were much more terrifying beasts than the Capra Ferox. Not only were their numbers as vast as the sand of the desert, but they were much more vicious and acted purely based on their instinct which was to kill and devour.

    -----

    "Hmm?" Corey frowned and looked down.

    Although the countless number of aquatic beasts and the strange energies of thend prevented him from seeing past fifty meters, there was nothing obstructing him from perceiving the sounds produced in the ground.

    Despite his Ears of Omniscience picking up on a different sound that was produced in the ground, he saw nothing.

    ''Be careful and alert. Something might happen.''

    Corey warned Selene just in case, and Selene was taken aback. She nced at Corey and then at the ground. She exhaled slightly and then looked up. Unlike Corey whose control over his body was unparalleled due to his stars of consciousness, Selene''s control over her body was just a little bit better than average.

    Running while looking down was something she could not do without her speed reducing.

    Despite the heavy rain and gravitational force that limited their speed greatly, they still ran at a speed that would stun an average tier 3. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    As Corey ran while keeping his gaze on the muddy ground, something entered his range of vision, and a secondter, his eyes widened in pure shock and disbelief.

    ''JUMP TO THE SIDE!''

    Corey''s shout shook Selene''s mind, and for a fraction of a second, she was dazed. Luckily for her, her mind was already on alert and the second she recovered, she instinctively jumped to the side with everything she had.

    When she did, her eyes widened in disbelief and realization¡­ She had jumped off the tform Corey created.

    ''What the fuck did I just do?''

    Selene questioned her state of mind and also how stupid she was as she fell. Although she had fallen, she was not too worried, she could fly.

    Just as she was about to manipte the mystic mana in the air so that she could stop her fall, she felt a presence from below, and the tform made of hexagons that reflected in her pupils shattered in the blink of an eye.

    ''What in the world?''

    Selene''s pupils slowly moved up as she gazed at a killer whale with terrifying spikesing out of its back and spikes on its tails.

    Yes, tails.

    The killer whale had two tails instead of one, and these two tails had spikes on them. Its giant mouth was opened wide as it soared into the sky, allowing one to see the terrifying teeth it had.

    As Corey and Selene gazed at this creature, they could sense it, and they knew it. They knew that this killer whale had the power of a tier 5.

    ''We''re so fucked.''

    Selene thought with a tinge of despair in her gaze as she watched the killer whale dive back into the muddy ground.

    A second after she had this thought, her expression changed to one of determination and resolve. Although one of her worst fears hade to pass, how many times had she been in danger ever since she was born?

    How many times had she found herself in near-death situations?

    21:43

    Although this near-death situation was definitely out of her pay grade, she wasn''t going to give up just because of a damn fish.

    She exhaled lightly, and then she manipted the mystic mana in the air so that she could stop her descent into the sea of Aqupides.

    However, when she tried to manipte the mystic mana in the air, she found out how absurdly difficult it was. The rain had made manipting the mana in the air so difficult to the point that it would require all of her focus just to keep herself afloat.

    Before a seed of despair had the opportunity to be nted in her heart and mind, she collided with something that caused her body to jerk upward and her eyes to roll inward.

    Bang

    Her heart rate spiked up in that instant, and the instant she regained her senses, Corey''s voice resounded in her ears.

    ''Jump and run!''

    Selene was stunned, and she quickly looked around.

    Her eyes widened slightly when she saw that what she had collided with a hexagon tform. She looked in Corey''s direction and saw him running on another tform made of hexagons.

    Meanwhile, a few meters above her was another tform of hexagons that she was meant to jump to and run on.

    When she saw this, she could not help but be stunned.

    ''What sort of monster is my master?''

    Unedited chapter

    Anon22

 Chapter 404 403: Care-FUL! (17th Bonus Chapter)

    404 403: Care-FUL! (17th Bonus Chapter)

    Not knowing about Selene''s thoughts, Corey ran while making sure that his tform and Selene''s tform were stable and sturdy enough for them to run on.

    Despite the fact that he had just used up around 6% of his mana reserves to create the tforms and that he was continuously using his mana to extend and keep the tforms from disappearing, Corey maintained his calm and cold expression.

    His stars of consciousness worked furiously as they pushed Corey''s body to the limits so that he could regenerate as much as mana as quickly as possible.

    ''This is bad¡­'' Corey stared at the sandy ground, ''A tier 5 attacking us was not something I ruled out, but it was something I did not hope for.''

    Corey frowned, as he could not help but wonder what other monstrosities were hiding in the depths of the desert.

    For the first time in a long while, Corey truly felt frustrated at the inability of his Eyes of Omniscience to see through the sea of monsters and the desert.

    ''Hopefully, a tier 6 or higher does not attack us.''

    Corey knew that his actions from the moment he left the Temple of The Old Ones were not wise, and would be considered stupid by some. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    He was a tier 2 with stats that were not maxed out, and also some self-imposed limitations. But despite being a tier 2, he still decided to look for an infinity crystal in and he had no information on.

    He knew nothing about the power system of this world, he knew nothing about the type of monsters he was going to face to obtain the infinity crystal, he knew nothing about how powerful the monsters he was going to face were, he knew nothing about the type of environment the infinity crystal was located at.

    He knew absolutely nothing, but he still chose to go in the direction of the infinity crystal.

    For all he knew, there could be a tier 8, a god, an immortal, or a being so powerful that he would not even have a chance to raise his weapon before he breathed hisst.

    There were so many things that could go wrong, however, Corey still chose to look for the infinity crystals for two reasons despite all of these.

    First of all and most importantly, a massive amount of his luck was used to bring him to this location, and from the discussions he had with Nina in the past, for such a thing to happen, meant there was an opportunity here for him, and he had the capability to grab this opportunity.

    There was no way a lot of his luck would have been deducted just to be brought to a ce to die.

    Second of all, The Clown did not define this ce as an absolutely dangerous ce. Corey wasn''t sure about how powerful The Clown was or what sort of abilities The Clown had, however, he had a feeling that if The Clown did not define this ce as an extremely dangerous ce, then there was a possibility of there not being an iprehensible being in the direction of the infinity crystal.

    As these thoughts shed in Corey''s mind for a second, he looked up and gazed at the mountain of metals in the distance.

    ''At our current speed, we should be able to reach the mountain in forty-five minutes. But¡­'' Corey stared at Selene who was a few meters behind him while running with all that she had. His gaze shifted to the sea of monsters below them.

    ''... But that is if we''re able tost till then and if nothing unexpected happens.''

    Corey released a frustrated sigh, and then a smile of indifference appeared on his lips.

    "I wonder what I''m going to find when I get to that mountain of metals."

    Although Corey''s voice was drowned by the rain, the rain seemed to be heavier for a moment as if it was angered by Corey''s nonchnce at his current situation.

    Corey noticed this, and although he was slightly curious and surprised by this, he didn''t care. He continued running.

    Minutes went by, and to Corey''s surprise, nothing happened even after thirty minutes had gone by.

    There was no attack on them, and despite the countless killings and fights that were urring among the sea of aquatic monsters below them, no aquatic monster chose to attack them.

    Although there was no attack on them, their mana reserves were running low. Keeping a powerful and dense mana skin around their entire body was not an easy feat in terms of the constant mana supply that was needed and the mental focus that was also needed.

    ''I''m about to say something, but would I jinx it if I say it?''

    Corey frowned in thought, and then a few secondster, his right eye twitched.

    ''You''ve got to be kidding me. I didn''t even say anything!''

    Corey almost cursed out loud when his Ears of Omniscience picked up on another strange sounding from the sea of aquatic monsters below them.

    ''Watch out. Iing danger approximately thirty meters in front of us.'' Corey''s voice resounded in Nina''s mind, and her expression changed to one of concern.

    For the past thirty minutes, the relief and joy that filled her heart when nothing attacked them or disrupted their escape were immense, however, Corey''s words were like a bucket of ice-cold water that snuffed out her joy and relief.

    She was worried. Her mana reserves were extremely low- 10%, and she was extremely worried that she would be forced to use a powerful attacking skill to protect herself if a powerful monster attacked them.

    ''Is it the previous tier 5 whale?''

    She asked, and Corey furrowed his brows in thought.

    ''I don''t think so, it feels like there are multiple monsters that are about to attack us.''

    Selene''s brows changed to one of extreme concern, ''Multiple monsters?''

    ''I''m not sure, just be care-FUL!!!''

    Corey''s shock-filled voice boomed in Selene''s ears, and her instincts screamed at her.

    She was about to die.

    Unedited chapter

    I''ve currently moved to another state, and because of that, I would not be able to write properly for some days.

    Anon22

 Chapter 405 404: Reaching The Mountain of Metals (Bonus Chapter)

    405 404: Reaching The Mountain of Metals (Bonus Chapter)

    It all happened in a sh.

    No, that was wrong, it was faster than the speed of a sh.

    It all happened in an instant.

    All Selene knew was that her instincts screamed at her, and that she was about to die. She was already mentally and physically exhausted, and despite Corey''s warning beforehand, what wasing for her was too fast for her to react to.

    ''I''m about to die.''

    Just as she had this thought, and was about to put up ast second struggle of defiance, her vision changed.

    ''Huh?''

    She had been staring at the mountain of metals in the distance, and in her vision was still the mountain of metals, however, she knew that something was wrong.

    The mountain of metals felt closer, and she felt that her position had¡­ changed? Also, her instincts were no longer screaming at her?

    Selene frowned, and then she turned to her left to nce at Corey, however, she was shocked when she saw nothing to her left.

    BANG!

    BOOM!

    Quuuuiiiiiooooooohhhhh!!!!

    An extremely strange and loud sound resounded throughout the desert, and Selene''s eyes widened in a mixture of fear, disbelief, and shock as she closed her ears.

    Her head snapped to the right and the fear, disbelief, and shock in her eyes instantly increased to the limit.

    Reflecting in her eyes was the figure of Corey holding a bloodied axe with a titanic tentacle falling a few meters to his right.

    Some meters in front of Corey were multiple titanic tentacles iling around in a haphazard manner.

    As Selene''s gazended on the tentacles, her breath stopped in her throat.

    ''Another tier 5!''

    She eximed with her expressions showcasing the amount of fear, shock, and disbelief that was in her heart.

    Countless questions and thoughts appeared in her mind, and her mind was momentarily overwhelmed by all of them.

    Not even a second passed, and before she could rx and ponder on these questions and thoughts, Corey vanished from her gaze and appeared in front of her.

    "What the fuck!"

    She shouted while taking a step back with a shocked expression, but Corey did not bother exining and directly grabbed her right hand.

    ''Fly to the mountain! My mana reserve is extremely low!''

    Selene''s eyes widened as Corey''s voice resounded in her mind, and she was about to protest by saying that flying was extremely difficult because of the rain, however, when she saw Corey''s pale face and bloodied lips, she kept shut and pulled Corey close to her.

    Corey grabbed her waist, and Selene started flying immediately.

    Her lips tightened as the strain on her mind and body was extremely high due to how difficult it was to manipte the mystic mana in the surroundings.

    Corey also knew how difficult it was for her to fly, however, they had no other choice. His mana reserves was barely at 2%, and his body was also stressed out.

    One of the skills of his Tri-Pupil Eyes was the ability to swap the position of him and another object that was in his sight, whether living or non-living.

    That was what he used to swap his position with that of Selene, and when he did that, he had to dodge the tentacle attack while simultaneously attacking it.

    He knew that he had to deal a lethal blow to the tier 5, so he used the rune of decay, the w rune and the rune of empowerment of his axe, he also used axe intent, vibration maniption, soul entropy, painful echo, and dreamfire on his axe.

    Using so many skills should have drained his mana reserves dry, but his high mastery over most of his skills, and his almost perfect in his mana usage helped him to negate the mana cost by a ridiculous degree.

    After unleashing all of these skills, he was able to see the weak points on the tentacle through his Eyes of Omniscience, and then he shed at the tentacle and cut it off.

    ''Luckily for me, my Eyes of Omniscience was able to see through the outer body of the tentacle, unlike the abomination I fought in the temple.''

    After having this thought, Corey turned and looked at the tentacles behind them. To his slight surprise, the tentacle was not following them to unleash it''s fury at them.

    What Corey did not know was that the titanic octopus was more of a mindless beast that operated more on its instincts, and after unleashing so many skills especially his forbidden skills- Soul Entropy and Painful Echo, the titanic octopus became extremely fearful of Corey due to the immense pain it felt.

    ''That''s surprising and strange, but very much wee.''

    Corey shrugged, and then he focused on Selene and the monsters swiming in the desert below.

    Although he wished to help Selene by transferring some of his mana to her or by improving her mana flow, he could not due to his extremely low amount of mana.

    All he could do was just to make sure that no sneak attacks wasunched at her.

    ''Hopefully nothing attacks us.''

    Corey thought, and then a premonition appeared in his mind.

    ''Did I just jinx us?''

    Corey smiled wryly, and then he looked around with a wary gaze.

    Fortunately or unfortunately for him and Selene, nothing attacked them. However, after seven minutes, Selene could no longer continue.

    ''I can''t continue anymore, my mana core is almost empty.''

    Selene''s voice resounded in Corey''s mind, and Corey nced at her.

    ''It''s fine, I''ve recovered enough.''

    Corey replied with a calm gaze. He had recovered approximately 17% of his mana, and it should be more than enough for both of them to reach the mountain.

    Corey stretched out his hand, and a tform made out of hexagon barriers appeared under them. Coreynded on the barrier, and Selene instantly fell from the sky. She tried tond properly but from her posture, it was obvious, she would fail miserably.

    Luckily for her, Corey caught her.

    Selene nced at him while inhaling and exhaling heavily. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    ''Focus on recovering your mana, we might need it when we reach the mountain.''

    Selene nodded, and Corey started running while carrying Selene. Some minutester, the duo reached the mountain of metals and Corey was fascinated by what he saw.

    -----

    [A/N: Unedited chapter.]

    Hi guys, so I''m back once again.

    I want to apologize for not posting for over 10 days. I just got paid two days ago, and I just settled down like three or so days ago.

    Once again, I want to appreciate all of you that donated gifts to me, especially Ryan_Houtz. You guys don''t know just how much your donations have helped me.

    I''ve been able to settle most of my debts and I also have a roof over my head at the moment. Thank you so much all of you.

    Writing would be more constant now, and there should not be anymore long break for a long time.

    Once again, Thank you so much.

 Chapter 406 405: The Mountain of Metals (Bonus Chapter)

    406 405: The Mountain of Metals (Bonus Chapter)

    Beyond the shifting sands of The Morphing Expanse, Corey and Selene gazed at the towering and sky-piercing mountain of metals with fascination.

    Instead of rock and dirt, The Mountain of Metals was made out of countlessyers of metallic ores, alloys, and crystalline minerals. Its jagged cliffs gleamed in the dim light, casting reflections that seemed to shift and ripple, as though the mountain itself was alive.

    Copper veins threaded through silvery steel, ckened iron, and gleaming gold, while some sections were made out of bronze, cobalt, and tinum.

    The mountain''s surface was uneven, with sharp ridges and jagged outcrops that jutted out at odd angles, creating a maze of treacherous peaks and deep ravines. Some areas were smooth as polished steel, while others were coarse with rusted metal shards that crunched when stepped on like brittle bones.

    Along the mountain''s spine were towers of twisted metals that rose high into the sky, some were bent and warped as if they were melted by intense heat, while others were sharpened into spires that pierced the heavens.

    As Corey and Selene gazed at the mountain of metals, they were both awed since they had never heard of a mountainpletely made out of numerous types of metals.

    The value of the mountain was immense!

    It was a gold mine.

    NO!

    It was a resource mine¡­ A mine of countless resources!

    What made the mountain of metal more valuable was the fact that they had not entered the mountain, who knew what rare ore, metal, and mineral they would be able to find inside the mountain.

    Selene''s eyes zed with visible greed and desire.

    Corey was no different, however, there were two different emotions in his gaze.

    Joy and Anxiety.

    [An Infinity Crystal is inside the mountain.]

    Nina''s voice resounded in his mind, and he nodded subtly.

    ''I know¡­'' Corey''s gaze shifted from the peak of the mountain to the ground, ''The Infinity Crystal is underground¡­ and just as I expected, it''s an Earth Infinity Crystal.''

    Corey''s eyes shed with a pondering light as he had this thought. He slightly furrowed his brows for a few seconds before shrugging.

    ''Although I''d have preferred getting something like a fire, lightning, or wind infinity crystal, an earth infinity crystal is also extremely important.''

    21:45

    Corey exhaled once again, and then he observed the mountain once again. When he did, he noticed something he had seen, but ignored due to the beauty and uniqueness of the mountain.

    Monsters.

    Corey could see different and numerous monsters on various parts of the mountain, and as he observed the monsters, a slight chill crept up his spine.

    At the base of the mountain were scorpions, however, these scorpions were mutated and extremely different.

    There were scorpions that had golden exoskeletons along with bronze ws or even golden ws.

    Some had exoskeletons made out of tinum.

    Some had exoskeletons made out of silver.

    There were so many varieties, and Corey was 90%sure that the main reason behind all these changes in the bodies of the skeletons was due to the various metals on the mountain.

    Apart from the scorpions, Corey could also see mutated reptiles on the mountain. Each of these reptiles had metals as parts of their bodies, for example, some had metallic skins, some had metallic ws, and some had metallic teeth.

    There were several other mutations, and although Corey was curious and had a faint desire to study these monsters, he quelled his desire since he knew what was more important.

    ''I guess I should be expecting my fight with either a beast, human, monster, abomination, or whatever to have an extremely high defense and also sharpness.''

    Corey furrowed his brows slightly as he had this thought. If there was one thing he hated, it was fighting an enemy or opponent with high defense since there was a possibility of the fight bing longer than usual.

    Although the scorpions and reptiles he saw were weak and posed no threat to him, he would be a fool to not consider the possibility of stronger scorpions and reptiles.

    Corey exhaled slightly, and then he looked behind him.

    Approximately four hundred meters away from both him and Selene, the desert filled with countless Aqupides.

    Corey could still see the Aqupides fighting, butchering, and killing themselves while the rain poured down on them with reckless abandon.

    Corey shifted his gaze to the sky above them, and his pupils reflected the sight of a blood-red sky filled with silver clouds.

    To Corey''s bafflement and intrigue, there was no sun in the sky.

    ''This is not the first time I''ve noticed this, but if there''s no sun or moon in the sky, then what is the source of light that shines upon this shattered dimension?''

    An intrigued light shed in Corey''s eyes, and after trying to figure out an answer for a minute or two, he gave up with a light shrug.

    He gazed at the desert once again, and then he nced at the mountain of metals in front of them.

    ''I don''t know why, but luckily for us, that bizarre rain does not reach this ce.''

    Corey nced at Selene who was sitting beside him, and when he saw her sitting in a cross-legged position with her eyes closed, he spoke through the ve seal,

    ''When you''ve fully recovered your mana, tell me so we can start moving.''

    Selene''s eyelids trembled slightly, and then she nodded.

    Corey nodded, and then he looked around once again before resting his back on the gigantic rock they were currently hiding behind.

    Corey closed his eyes, and his breathing became extremely faint.

    If one were to see Corey, one would think he was sleeping since he was not sitting in a cross-legged position. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    However, Corey''s mind was on a lot of things, especially everything that Nina told him after he killed the abomination of the temple, and also what dangers he mighte across in his attempt to acquire the Earth infinity crystal.

    -----

    Time went by, and approximately five hourster, Selene told Corey she had fully recovered and was ready.

 Chapter 407 406: A Dangerous Cave (Bonus Chapter)

    407 406: A Dangerous Cave (Bonus Chapter)

    After Selene fully recovered her mana and health, she and Corey started walking in the direction of the infinity crystal.

    ording to what Corey could sense, the infinity crystal was located inside the mountain, however, it was underneath the mountain.

    Corey could see countless caves on the mountain, and one of the caves was his destination. He knew that the caves were the homes of the beasts and that there was also a very high likelihood that the caves were teeming with monsters.

    Although with his Ears and Eyes of Omniscience, he could avoid caves that were teeming with monsters, he knew he could not fully depend on his Ears and Eyes of Omniscience.

    After using his senses to look for the closest cave that had the least monsters, Corey and Selene sneaked into the cave.

    Luckily for them, they were able to easily avoid the senses of the monsters since they were much weaker than them. They entered the cave with their senses on full alert, and to Corey''s relief, his senses were not wrong.

    The entrance of the cave was not filled with monsters, unlike some other caves. With his Eyes of Omniscience activated Corey walked with Selene by his side.

    At first, Corey and Selene were wary and cautious of their surroundings, however, as they kept on walking deeper and deeper into the cave, their wariness and cautiousness turned into greed and desire.

    If there was a third person with them, he or she would also experience the same thing.

    ''So many rare metals and ores!''

    Selene could no longer hold it in any longer as she gawked at the cave that was filled with multiple glowing metals.

    ''Adamantium, Mithril, Orichalum, Vibranium, Stygian Iron¡­ What the fuck is this ce?!''

    Fortunately for Corey, despite Selene''s shock at the sight of so many rare metals, she chose not to speak aloud and spoke telepathically instead.

    Corey stared at her, and when he saw her slow down almost to the point of stopping with her eyes fixed on the cave walls with visible greed, he stopped.

    ''Don''t take anything. You don''t know what changes might ur to the cave or entire mountain if you take something from it.''

    Selene who was about to lose all sense of decorum, paused with wide eyes. Although she knew that the possibility of what Corey said to ur was not high, it was also not low.

    Ever since she arrived in the shattered dimension, and especially ever since she started following Corey in his search for a particr object, she knew that the shattered dimension did not followmon sense.

    Just like Corey said, who knew if the monsters in the cave and outside the cave would be able to sense if unknown beings like them took a piece of the mountain?

    Who knew if the cave would suddenly copse on them because of that?

    In fact, what if the entire mountain was alive?

    What if the entire mountain was just a body part of a beast or abomination?

    The mere thought of it sent shivers down her spine.

    Selene took several steps back while wiping away the non-existent sweat from her forehead.

    ''Thank you, Master. I almost made a mistake because of my greed.''

    Corey furrowed his brows slightly, and then he shrugged, ''Let''s go. Just be careful and alert.''

    Selene nodded, and then she hastily caught up with Corey who had started walking.

    After catching up, she subtly nced at Corey, and a thought came to her mind.

    ''There are so many precious and rare metals and ores here, but Master still chose not to take any of it. In fact, I don''t think he sees them as something valuable and precious.''

    She furrowed her brows slightly with a pondering expression.

    ''If these metals and ores are not precious enough for him, then what exactly is Master looking for? How valuable and how important is it to him?''

    Just as Selene had this thought, she noticed a change in Corey''s expression. Just as she was about to ask what was wrong, a sound resounded in her mind, and her expression instantly changed.

    Crack

    "Wha-"

    She looked down and subconsciously eximed, however, her words were cut short when Corey instantly grabbed her arm, and a secondter, her vision changed.

    Crack!

    Her eyes widened as her mind felt slightly dizzy. Her instincts screamed at her, and she quickly looked around.

    When she did, her eyes widened the more.

    She realized that they were no longer in their previous position. They had moved at least 50m further into the cave.

    ''Did we just teleport?''

    Another crack resounded in her ears, and she hastily turned around. When she did, her mouth was wide open.

    The ground beneath them had crumbled apart, and only a dark and wide hole could be seen from where she was.

    Her heart rate quickened.

    "What the hell?" She eximed.

    "Focus, it''s not over."

    Corey''s voice resounded in her ears, and she quickly turned to face Corey. His solemn expression reflected in her pupils, and her lips parted open to speak.

    However, just as she was about to speak, she saw Corey''s pupils constrict, and then without saying anything, he grabbed her arm.

    Before she could think, her vision changed and a stronger wave of dizziness impacted her mind.

    She felt her feet touch a hard surface, and she shook her head. However, just as she shook her head, she heard Corey curse with a rare tinge of shock in his tone.

    "Shit."

    Once again, Selene was about to speak, she wanted to ask what was wrong, what was going on. However, before she could, her vision changed, and a much stronger wave of dizziness impacted her mind.

    This time around, Selene felt slightly sick, and the urge to puke out her insides formed in her mind.

    Although she had this urge and was not able to focus on her surroundings due to Corey''s constant teleportation, if she could focus, her mind would be gripped by fear due to the sight of what was going around them.

    The number of times Corey had teleported was exactly six times, and in those six times, the danger they had dodged was bing increasingly more dangerous.

    Corey teleported deeper into the cave once again, and just like before, the instant his feet was about to touch the ground, the ground crumbled apart, and Corey was forced to teleport once again.

    ''What the fuck is going on? I can''t even sense any beast, monster, abomination, or even any living thing around us. What the fuck is destroying the ground?''

    Despite the frustration and annoyance that was in Corey''s heart, his expression was calm and cold, and his eyes contained a calcting glint in them.

    Just like before, his feet were about to touch the ground and the ground instantly crumbled to reveal a dark and seemingly bottomless hole.

    Not only was the hole dark and seemingly bottomless, it also produced a suction force that was slowly absorbing the mana in the surroundings and it was also emitting a gravitational force that was slowly getting stronger.

    21:46

    Corey stared at the hole, and his instincts warned him that the hole contained something dangerous.

    ''I can''t keep on doing this.''

    Corey teleported once again, and then he turned around.

    ''I have to leave this cave. It''s too unpredictable.''

    Just as Corey had this thought, he teleported midair andnded on a hexagon barrier. When he did, his expression changed slightly.

    ''Manipting the mana in the surroundings is even difficult for me. I''m using at least 300% more mana to produce my hexagon barriers.''

    ''This is even worse than the rain of that strange desert in terms of mana maniption.''

    Barely a second passed as Corey had this thought, and in the next second, he teleported once again. However, this time around, he teleported in the direction of the entrance of the cave.

    Corey was about tond on a non-crumbled part of the ground, however, before his feet could even touch the ground, his eyes widened when his Eyes of Omniscience saw what had happened all around the cave.

    The entire ground of the cave had instantly crumbled apart.

    Unlike before where it was only where he touched that crumbled apart, this time around, the entire ground of the cave had crumbled apart.

    Not only did the entire cave crumble apart, but Corey felt a massive increase in the suction and gravitational force of the hole below him.

    ''Ah, crap.''

    Corey cursed inwardly, and he decided to make ast-ditch effort. He used everything he had to teleport to the entrance of the cave. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    He activated his Eyes and Ears of Omniscience to the limit.

    He circted his mana to the limit of what his body could allow.

    He also pushed his stars of consciousness to increase his proficiency and knowledge of spatial skills.

    To Corey''s relief, hisst-ditch effort worked, and he found himself a few meters away from the entrance of the cave.

    Blood poured down from his nose, eyes, and ears. His breathing wasbored, and sweat poured down his forehead as he held onto a protruding sharp metal ore in the cave wall.

    Despite all of this, his gaze was cold and calm. Two seconds went by as he tried to catch his breath and reduce the strain on his body, and then he moved towards the cave entrance.

    Just as Corey was a meter from the cave entrance, his eyes widened, and his head snapped to the ceiling of the cave.

    ''You have got to be fucking kidding me!.''

    Corey cursed inwardly, and when he did, the ceiling of the cave crumbled and fell towards him.

    Corey tried to teleport out of the cave entrance, and although he knew the damages he would sustain would be extremely dangerous and could maybe leave him crippled, he knew he had no choice.

    With gritted teeth, Corey pushed his Celestial Mana Veins once again, and he circted his mana to teleport.

    Fortunately and to his relief, it worked.

    Unfortunately, what he didn''t expect was for the entrance to also crumble apart and for a dense amount of earth elemental energy to stop his teleportation from taking him outside.

    Corey''s body mmed into the metal debris, and he instantly lost consciousness and fell into the hole with Selene who had also lost consciousness a long time ago.

 Chapter 408 407: A Different Dimension

    408 407: A Different Dimension

    At the center of a dimension inside of the shattered dimension, a young man with a face and body that could put the beauty and physique of most immortals, gods, sages, and divinities to shamey sprawled on the floor, his body limp and still.

    The only indication of life was the faint rise and fall of his chest.

    The young man was d in gray trousers, gray boots, and a ck t-shirt that had cuts and tears in several ces. His immensely handsome face had dried blood stains along with a few cuts and bruises that were slowly healing with every second that passed.

    Beside the young man was a young woman with ck hair and a beauty that would be considered to be a 7/10 among females that were at her power level.

    The young woman''s condition was simr to that of the young man. Shey sprawled on the floor with her body limp and still. Just like the young man, the only indication of life was the faint rise and fall of her moderately sized chest.

    The femayoung woman was dressed in a skin-tight ck trouser and slightlyrge blue shirt. Besides a few bruises and the bloodied nose that she had, her condition could be considered perfect.

    These two unconscious individuals were Corey and Selene.

    Rustle

    A few seconds went by, and then a faint wind blew across the bodies of Corey and Selene, causing their hairs to flutter slightly.

    Tap

    After the wind, a soft tap resounded. However, Corey and Selene remained unconscious.

    Rustle n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    The wind blew once again, and it was also followed by another soft tap.

    Tap

    "Ugh."

    This time around, a soft groan resounded after the soft tap.

    Corey frowned deeply, and his eyes slowly fluttered open. He grabbed his head with his right hand, and then he ced his left hand on the floor to support himself.

    He groaned once again, and after a few seconds, he exhaled softly. He slowly lowered his right hand, and then he looked around.

    When he did, a stunned expression appeared on his face.

    "Where - the - hell - am - I?"

    Corey slowly said these words with his eyes filled with disbelief and confusion as his deep violet and light blue eyes gazed at his surroundings.

    Corey blinked again, his mind struggling to process the sight before him. He was no longer in the shattered dimension¡­ or was he?

    Instead, he stood on a vast continent that seemed to stretch endlessly in every direction, the horizon barely visible in the distance.

    The ground beneath him was solid, but the material was unlike any stone or earth he had ever seen¡ªdark, almost obsidian-like, with veins of molten energy coursing through it. The surface had a slight, eerie glow, illuminating the path ahead, but it gave off no warmth. It was cold¡ªunnervingly so.

    Above him, the sky¡ªor what passed for a sky¡ªwas an endless expanse of deep ckness, a void that stretched endlessly into the unknown. It was as if the entire dimension was hanging in the very fringes of space itself, suspended between worlds. And hanging in that vast darkness weres¡ªmassive, looming, and impossibly close.

    Some were rocky, with jagged cliffs and violent storms visible from where he stood, while others were gas giants, swirling with colors of orange, blue, and green, like gigantic marbles floating in the sky.

    asionally, asteroids floated by, somezily drifting, others streaking across the ckness like silent missiles. He could see entire fields of them in the distance, colliding, splitting apart, and forming endless belts of debris.

    Closer to him,rge meteoroids glowed faintly as they streaked across the sky, their fiery tails leaving trails of light that quickly faded into the cold abyss. The space between thes seemed almost alive with these celestial objects¡ªchaotic, violent, yet strangely beautiful.

    Despite the vastness of the dark space above him, Corey felt as if the atmosphere was thin¡ªtoo thin to befortable. Each breath felt slightlybored, as if the very air wasced with something unnatural, alien, and at the same time¡­ familiar?

    He looked down again, his eyes scanning the continent he stood upon. The terrain was rugged and uneven, with jagged cliffs and deep ravines cutting through thendscape. Massive craters, likely from meteors that had struck the ground, dotted thend, some still smoldering with a faint orange glow. In the far distance, Corey could make out towering mountain ranges that seemed to pierce the dark sky, their peaks lost in the shadows of the loomings above.

    Here and there, enormous chunks of what looked like shattereds or moonsy scattered across thendscape, as if remnants of a forgotten war between celestial bodies. Some hovered a few feet off the ground, defying gravity, rotating slowly in ce. Others jutted from the earth, jagged and broken, towering over thend like ancient monoliths. Strange, glowing symbols were etched into some of therger rocks, pulsing faintly as if with an ancient, forgotten power.

    Corey slowly turned, his gaze taking in the entire scene. It was deste, barren, and silent. The only sound was the faint hum of energy that seemed to resonate from thend itself and the asional rumble of distant meteoroids mming into the.

    The air felt dense with tension, as if the very dimension itself was on the verge of copsing under its own weight. A feeling which Corey rarely felt surfaced in his heart as he stared at all of these- Insignificant.

    Corey felt insignificant in the face of it all. Whatever this ce was, it was not made for mortal beings- it was a realm that existed beyond normalprehension.

    "Where the hell am I?" he muttered again, his voice barely above a whisper.

    His eyes turned to Selene, still lying motionless beside him. The sight of her brought him back to the present, snapping him out of his awe.

    They needed to move¡ªthis ce felt wrong, dangerous. It wasn''t just the environment; there was something lurking here, watching, waiting. He could feel it in his bones and soul.

    He stretched out his hand, about to reach out to Selene, but he stopped and his head snapped to the sky above him. His senses picked up on something above him, and it felt... dangerous.

    "As expected, you woke up before her despite you being at a lower level of existencepared to her¡­ But I guess it shouldn''t be surprising since you also have an infinity crystal in you."

    The instant Corey heard these words, his pupils constricted way past its limits.

 Chapter 409 408: Who Are You?

    409 408: Who Are You?

    Corey could count the number of times he had actually felt true fear.

    One was the first day their entire world changed. He could remember the fear he had when he faced the first revenant he encountered.

    He could remember the unnatural fear he developed towards doors because of the monsters he encountered behind the doors of his dormitory.

    He could also remember the fear he had when he faced a mere fraction of the killing intent of the Defying Paragon, the Ancestor of Paragons.

    Last but not least, he could remember the despair that threatened to swallow him whole when he realized that he would not be able to save his sister and that his parents died.

    His experience with a fraction of the killing intent of the Paragon Ancestor was the second biggest fear he had ever experienced, and his failure to save his family was his biggest.

    After his experience with the Paragon Ancestor and with his fear resistance, a part of him felt like he would rarely be able to feel fear.

    However, the instant Corey heard the words of the being above them, fear gripped his heart.

    Corey looked up and saw the appearance of the being who spoke. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    The being had a goat head with six horns. Two horns facing the front, two facing the back, and two facing upward. It had four eyes- Two eyes that were positioned normally, meanwhile, the remaining two were arranged in a rather strange way.

    An eye was ced close to the being''s left ear, while the other was arranged close to the being''s right ear.

    Its left eye was pure ck, and its right eye was deep brown.

    If one were to stare at the pure ck and deep brown eyes of the goat-like being, one would sometimes see flickers of cruelty, viciousness, and wickedness in the pure ck eye of the goat-like being. Meanwhile, in its right eye which was deep brown, one would notice that in the pupil of the eye, there was an image in the pupil that was usually changing.

    Sometimes, the image would show a tall and huge mountain. A secondter, it would change to a, then it would change to a t continent, which wouldter change to a vast desert or and filled with hills and mountains.

    Its left eye was ever-changing.

    Although the being had the head of a goat, it had the torso of a human that would put that of the Greeks and most gods and immortals to shame. Its chest, abdomen, and back had beautifully streamlined muscles that rippled with overwhelming strength even as the being stood without visibly moving a single muscle.

    However, despite having the torso of a human, the being had four arms, with each hand possessing ws that seemingly possessed the power to rip apart anything to pieces.

    Just like its head, the being possessed the legs of a goat and not that of a human. Its brown hoofs produced slight ripples as the being stood in the air almost like it was standing on solid ground.

    The only clothing that was worn by the being was brown fur that seemed to have been gotten from the body of a dead beast. Even the fur emitted a powerful aura.

    As Corey stared at the being that stood above him with its four arms crossed, Corey knew that he was absolutely fucked.

    He could feel it. He didn''t need Record, he didn''t need his Eyes of Omniscience, he didn''t even need his Paragon senses. His entire being, straight from the depths of his soul to the tip of the hair on his skin could feel it.

    The being above him was something he could not defeat.

    Apart from the Wandering Paragon, the titanic abomination in the ck sea, and the Paragon Ancestor, it was the most dangerous and strongest being he had ever encountered.

    Worst of all, Corey could sense a familiar and yet unfamiliar energy from the being.

    It also has an infinity crystal in it.''

    Corey''s gaze flickered with multiple emotions as he came to this realization, with frustration being the majority of his emotions.

    ''Although a part of me expected something like this, I also wasn''t expecting this¡­ Why would the heavens deduct from my luck by putting me close to the location of an infinity crystal that''s already possessed by a being that seems to be stronger than an average tier 6?''

    ''Are the heavens secretly trying to kill me or is there a way for me to actually kill this being?''

    When Corey had this thought, the fear that was in his heart decreased. Maybe there was actually a way for him to kill this being?

    ''What if it''s weakened? Or if it has a weakness I can take advantage of? Like maybe there''s an object I can destroy to kill it or severely weaken it?''

    Corey subtly looked around for anything that seemed out of the ordinary, however, everything seemed out of the ordinary in this strange dimension he was in.

    The urge to activate his Eyes of Omniscience appeared in his heart, but he stopped himself. Who knew if the goat-like being would choose to attack him because he activated his Eyes of Omniscience.

    Besides, he also needed to know more about the beast.

    "Are you done thinking, Disciple of The Old Ones and Possessor of an Infinity Crystal?"

    Corey''s eyes widened slightly once again when he heard the words of the goat-like being. When did I be a disciple of The Old Ones?

    Despite having this thought, Corey tried to maintain hisposure and expression, however, the keen eyes of the goat-like being noticed the subtle change in his expression easily.

    It tilted its head slightly, "You''re surprised. I wonder why¡­ Did you think I won''t be able to perceive the disgusting stench of The Old Ones on you?"

    The goat-like being nced at Corey''s right index finger, and Corey noticed it, but he chose not to look at his finger.

    "Or did you think I wouldn''t be able to sense the familiar energy of an infinity crystal in you?"

    "Although I must say¡­ Your infinity crystal is quite a sinister infinity crystal. It makes me wonder how in the world you were able to absorb it considering how weak you are¡­ I''m curious, was it The Old Ones? Did they help you to absorb the infinity crystal?..."

    The goat-like being mumbled with an intrigued tone.

    "... How interesting, how very interesting. Are you that important to The Old Ones?"

    The goat-like being gazed at Corey with a slightly intense stare, and Corey felt a shiver run down his spine.

    Without backing down, he stared back at the goat-like being, and then he exhaled softly before asking,

    "Who are you?"

 Chapter 413 412: Paragon Martial Arts; Cosmos Cleaver

    413 412: Paragon Martial Arts; Cosmos Cleaver

    "What?"

    Corey''s expression changed to one of shock, disbelief, and confusion the instant he heard Selene''s words of betrayal.

    Of all the reactions he expected from Selene, choosing to betray him was not one of them.

    Sure, the fact that their enemy was a being whose aura merely sent shivers down their skin was extremely disturbing and scary. From what he knew, Selene was not the type of person to cower just because of such a thing.

    ''Or was I wrong?'' Corey''s eyes flickered with a strange glint in his deep violet and sky blue eyes.

    ''Besides¡­''

    Just like Corey,The Capra King had a surprised and also amused expression as he stared at Selene, who although had a fearful light in her eyes as she stared back at the Capra King, also had a resolute expression.

    The Capra King slowly looked at her from the sole of her feet to the hair on her head, and then he slowly said, "You wish to submit to me?"

    Selene nodded, and then she pointed at Corey.

    "Yes, I do. He''s the one who provoked you. He''s the one you have business with. He''s the one that wants to take one of your possessions. He''s the one that has something you have. He''s also the one that truly wants to kill you."

    "I don''t want to kill you. I was sleeping when he provoked you. I don''t want to take what you have, and I don''t have anything you''d want."

    "So, allow me to serve and submit to somebody as great as you, Capra King."

    Selene inhaled and exhaled deeply due to the fear and nervousness she felt deep within her. This nervousness was not due to the fear of the Capra King who was monstrously powerful, but due to anotherpletely different reason.

    ''If he doesn''t ept me, then I''m doomed. Master would definitely not ept me back, and the Capra King would definitely not protect me.''

    ''I''m taking an extremely huge gamble over my life here, and I hate it.''

    Selene tried to calm down, but the longer the Capra King went without speaking, the more fearful and nervous she became.

    The Capra King stared straight into her eyes, and his four eyes seemed to see through her thoughts.

    Five secondster, the Capra King smiled, and then he leaned backward slightly.

    "You said you do not have something I want, but you do."

    Selene was stunned, and she could not help but stutter in a fearful tone.

    "I- I do?"

    The Capra King nodded with a light smile.

    The gears in Selene''s mind went wild as she thought of every item she possessed that would catch the attention of the Capra King, however, she came up with nothing.

    No item she possessed was worth the attention of a being like the Capra King.

    ''Or do I actually have an item that''s actually powerful or extremely special that even the Capra King desires?''

    Selene thought with a slightly worried and also excited glint in her eyes. Knowing that she would not be able to find an answer on her own anytime soon, she decided to ask since the Capra King showed no signs of speaking further.

    "What do I possess that you desire, Capra King?"

    With the same smile, the Capra King replied, "Your body."

    The instant Selene heard the words of the Capra King, she was stunned for a moment before it changed to relief and nonchnce.

    She bowed slightly, "Giving you my body was also part of what I included when I submitted to you, Capra King."

    The Capra King tilted his head slightly, and if one were to observe the eyes of the Capra King, one would notice a tinge of surprise and confusion sh in his eyes.

    The Capra King tilted his head once more, and this time around, he stared at Corey who had an expression of pure indifference and calmness.

    To the Capra King''s surprise, Corey did not even seem to be staring at either him or Selene who had just betrayed him. Another thing that surprised and intrigued the Capra King was that Corey''s eyes had turned pure white, and he had the feeling that Corey was trying to peer deep into his body even though Corey was not staring directly at him.

    The Capra King furrowed his brows slightly, and then he shrugged. He shifted his gaze to Selene.

    "Since you want to be my ve, thene to me."

    Selene''s eyes brightened when she heard this, and without ncing at Corey, she approached the Capra King.

    Since the Capra King already epted her, she was not worried about Corey attacking her out of anger since the Capra King might be enraged if he did such a thing.

    Some secondster, Selene stood in front of the Capra King, and then she bowed. The Capra King stared at her for a second, and then he gestured to his left-hand side.

    "My Lord."

    "Hm?" The pupil of the Capra King''s second left eye moved, and Selene saw it staring at her.

    "Do I have to join you in your fight against him?" Selene gestured at Corey who remained seated in a cross-legged position.

    The Capra King turned to look at her, and to Selene''s surprise, he scoffed.

    "And why would I need the help of a weakling like you?" n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Selene''s mouth opened, and she wanted to refute the words of the Capra King. But after thinking about it, she chose to shut up.

    The Capra King did not say anything when he saw that Selene had no response.

    He shifted his gaze toward Corey, and when he saw Corey''s cold and indifferent pure white eyes staring right at him, he was intrigued for a few seconds, but when he saw no movement from Corey, he chose to close his four eyes.

    An unknown amount of timeter, the Capra King snapped his eyes wide open, and then he stared at Corey who was slowly getting up.

    The Capra King grinned lightly, and then he slowly lowered his leg. The rock he sat on slowly went back into the ground, and the Capra King dusted his four hands at the same time.

    "You''re finally going to attack. I was beginning to get tired of waiting."

    The Capra King said, but he received no response from Corey.

    The Capra King watched with a tinge of excitement as Corey raised his Genesis Armament, and then he gathered so much energy into his Genesis Armament that it surprised the Capra King.

    Although the Capra King did not know what move(s) or skill (s) Corey was about to use, he could sense a lot of different energies gathering around and inside Corey''s Genesis Armament.

    He saw a strange me cover the Genesis Armament, and then he saw a multitude of colors engulf the Genesis Armament, with one color in particr that gave him goosebumps.

    Just as the Capra King was beginning to get excited, Corey''s deep voice resounded throughout the dimension they were in.

    "Paragon Martial Arts; Cosmos Cleaver."

 Chapter 414 413: Paragon Martial Arts

    414 413: Paragon Martial Arts

    Paragon Martial Arts

    One of the rewards Corey received after he sessfully passed the trials was the Paragon Martial Arts.

    The Universal System registered the Paragon Martial Arts as an unranked skill, but to Corey, the Paragon Martial Arts was an extremely powerful martial art, which was not surprising, considering the fact that it was a martial art that was meant for Paragons.

    Just as Corey expected, the Paragon Martial Arts was not easy to master. In fact, it was one of the most, if not the most difficult skill to master among all the skills he had.

    However, unlike what Corey expected, the Paragon Martial Arts was not a Martial Art that focused purely on a single weapon like a sword for example or a spear.

    Unlike other martial arts Corey read either in novels or in the Inner and Outer Libraries of the Underworld, the Paragon Martial Arts was a martial art that consisted of several moves thatbined the essence of several weapons together. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    The Paragon Martial Art consisted of ten martial art techniques, and each of these techniques seemed simple on the surface, but they were not simple at all.

    The foundation technique was called Celestial Flow.

    Celestial Flow taught one how to seamlessly use various types of weapons or even their fists and bodies as weapons. It focuses on fluid transitions between strikes by using different weapons such as swords, spears, axes, hammers, or chains, without breaking the flow of movement.

    Apart from the fact that Celestial Flow taught a Paragon how to use multiple weapons in battle without breaking the flow of movement, Celestial Flow also taught one how to use a weapon as another weapon.

    For example, a Paragon could swing a hammer like a sword, and the hammer would cut the individual instead. A Paragon could also swing their spear just as one would swing a hammer, and the spear would crush the person instead.

    ording to Nina, very few Paragons are able to aplish the second stage of Celestial Flow since it requires one to have the intents of the said weapons.

    Corey was still in the first stage of Celestial Flow since the only weapon intent he had was the axe intent.

    However, even if one had sword intent, saber intent, spear intent, axe intent, and the like, very few races and beings would not be able to perform the second stage of the Celestial Flow technique because of their physique.

    Very few races had a simr physique to that of the Paragons.

    The second technique of the Paragon Martial Art was called Void Spiral.

    The third technique was called Shattered Heavens.

    The fourth technique was called Phantom Mirage.

    The fifth technique was called Eternal Divide.

    The sixth technique was called Abyssal Chain Dance.

    The seventh technique was called Cosmos Cleave.

    The eighth technique was called Starbound Tempest.

    The ninth technique was called Voidbreaker Assault.

    And the tenth technique was called Paragon''s Judgement.

    Unlike other martial arts where the higher the level of the technique in a martial art, the more powerful it is, and the more difficult it is to perform, the Paragon Martial Art was not like other martial arts.

    Apart from the ninth and tenth technique, each technique of the Paragon Martial Art was unique in the sense that one might not have mastered the third technique or the second technique, but would have mastered the fifth technique.

    Due to hisck of intents and weapons, and most especially, the fact that Corey was still a demi-paragon and not a true Paragon, Corey''s mastery in most of the techniques could be considered rudimentary at most¡­ at least to him.

    However, if there was technique he had a ''high'' level of mastery in, it was the seventh technique- Cosmos Cleave.

    The main reason why he had a ''high'' level of mastery in Cosmos Cleave was because,

    -----

    Cosmos Cleave: A powerful downward strike thatbines the might of heavy weapons like axes and the finesse of des. The user channels their energy into the weapon, creating an arc that slices through space itself, cutting enemies and even disrupting nearby energy fields.

    -----

    Although Cosmos Cleave seemed simple on the surface, a Paragon needed a huge amount of energy that was extremely pure, theplete physique of a Paragon, and sufficient understanding of space.

    In essence, one needed sufficient strength and sufficientprehension in the matters of space.

    One might think that from the definition alone, Corey had the requirements to use Cosmos Cleave, however, he was far, extremely far frompleting the requirements to use Cosmos Cleave.

    Not only did he not have theplete physique of a Paragon, his understanding of the space element was rudimentary and shallow, especially to true Paragons who had unlocked their Void Phoenix Heart.

    22:24

    The technique was called Cosmos Cleaver for a reason.

    ----

    Despite the immense strain and pain that his body was going through as he manipted the mana in his body so as to unleash Cosmos Cleaver, Corey had a feeling that it would not be enough.

    No, he knew it was not a feeling.

    He knew it was not going to be enough, so he unleashed everything he had.

    ----

    Dreamfire

    Dream Healing

    Elemental Breathing Technique

    Axe Intent

    Killing Intent

    Poison Maniption

    Vibration Maniption

    Soul Entropy

    Painful Echo

    Arcane Elemental Runeweaving

    Rune of Decay

    Rune of Empowerment

    ----

    Although using so many skills at once put immense strain on Corey''s body and his mana veins, there was a reason the mana veins of a Paragon were called Celestial Mana Veins.

    Another thing Corey noticed was that manipting the elemental runes in the air was immensely difficult.

    99% of the runes in the dimension was filled with the earth element, and because of this, manipting the elemental runes in the dimension was extremely difficult.

    However, the quantity of his mental energy was immense and although it was difficult, he was able to manipte the runes.

    He covered his axe with metal runes to make it sharper and sturdier, and then he covered his axe with fire runes to augment his dreamfire.

    After doing all of this, Corey knew it was now do or die. This was everything he had, and if it did not work, well¡­ he was not strong enough then.

    One of the things Corey rarely did was shout or say the name of his skill out loud. However, this time around, he did not know why, but his entire being could not retain the name of the seventh technique of the Paragon Martial Art.

    He had to proim it to the world, and¡­ so he did.

    He swung down.

    "Paragon Martial Arts; Cosmos Cleaver."

    Corey was a little surprised when he heard his voice reverberate throughout the dimension, and for an instant, he had hope and belief.

    He had this strange belief that what he had just unleashed would be enough to kill the Capra King.

    And so, with this seed of belief in his heart, his bloodied pure white eyes stared unblinkingly as the most massive arc of ming energy blitzed through the dimension of the Capra King.

    In the blink of a mortal tier 0 human''s eye, the massive arc of ming energy reached the Capra King, and as Corey watched with bated breath, the Capra King suddenly stretched out one of his right hands, and his voice resounded in Corey''s mind.

    "How disappointing."

    Unedited chapter

    Anon22

 Chapter 415 414: All He Heard & Saw

    415 414: All He Heard & Saw

    "How disappointing."

    The instant Corey heard these words that were spoken by the Capra King, his breath stopped and his heart skipped a beat as his pure white eyes witnessed a scene he had thought of, but desperately wished not to happen.

    Corey watched with unblinking eyes as the Capra King calmly raised one of his hands the instant the massive arc of energy appeared before him.

    An expression of pure and utter disappointment appeared on the face of the Capra King as he slowly clenched his hand.

    Corey''s massive Cosmic Cleaver shed against the hand of the Capra King, and an extremely loud screeching sound resounded throughout the dimension, making it seem like two metals were rubbing against one another.

    Corey''s Cosmic Cleaver brightened and the mes that made up the Cosmic Cleaver tried to go past the Capra King''s hand. However, despite the ir and ferocity of the mes and the different energies, the massive arc of the Cosmic Cleaver failed to go through the hand of the Capra King.

    As the Cosmic Cleaver shed against the hand of the Capra King, the expression of the Capra King changed from one of disappointment and indifference to one of slight astonishment and disbelief.

    Two secondster, the Capra King had enough. With a soft shake of his head, he clenched his hand, shattering the massive arc of the Cosmic Cleaver like fragile ss.

    Corey''s pupils trembled slightly when he saw this, and Selene was no different.

    Meanwhile, the Capra King slowly clenched and unclenched his hand while having an intrigued and surprised expression. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Is that all you''ve got?" The Capra King asked without taking his gaze away from his hand.

    Corey kept quiet, and his shaky gaze which was filled with numerous emotions stared at the Capra King with a calm expression, however, he was anything but calm internally.

    A secondter, his Ears of Omniscience picked up on a sound from the Capra King.

    Drip

    It was extremely subtle, and if not for the fact that his Ears of Omniscience could pick up on the faintest of sounds, he would not have heard it.

    And then he saw it.

    His Eyes of Omniscience gave him a bird''s eye view of what was happening in a 200m radius around him, and because of that, he could see it clearly.

    The nasty injury on the hand of the Capra King.

    The Capra King''s hand was burnt and there was a nasty gash on his palm that showed his dirty brown bone, and Corey saw the Capra King''s blood. It was dark brown.

    Corey could also see the Capra King''s skin squirm, almost like it wanted to heal itself. However, the Capra King''s hand failed to heal itself at a fast rate, and Corey knew why.

    His poisonced mana from his Poison Infinity Crystal.

    However, he knew the poison from his Poison Infinity Crystal and also Poison Maniption was not enough to kill the Capra King.

    Although this was the case, the Capra King had a surprised expression as he stared at his gravely injured hand.

    After what seemed like forever to Corey, but was just eight seconds at most, the Capra King finally looked away from his injured hand and stared at Corey.

    He looked at Corey from up to down, and some secondster, his surprised expression changed to that of disappointment.

    "Your breathing is uneven and forced. Your muscles squirm almost like they''re in pain. Your heartbeat is faster than normal. Your eyesck the same focus and rity that it once had. And your legs tremble due to weakness."

    "Look, you''re even using your Genesis Armament to steady yourself so that you won''t fall."

    The Capra King shook his head once again with his two lower arms crossed, and then he nced at his injured hand.

    "You called the move you unleashed, Paragon Martial Arts; Cosmos Cleave¡­"

    The instant the Capra King finished saying these words, his body trembled without his control, and a stunned expression appeared on his face before he chuckled.

    "What an arrogant and powerful martial art. Just speaking the name invoked a feeling of fear and awe deep in my soul. Only in the presence of the Old Ones have I ever felt like this, but just saying the name of a martial art made my entire body, soul, and being, feel fear and awe."

    The Capra King suddenly chuckled once more while covering his face with his upper left hand.

    "Paragon Martial Art¡­ Paragon Martial Art¡­ A martial art that is above all other martial arts."

    The Capra King slowly lowered his hand, and then he stared at Corey with eyes that showed immense greed, desire, and hunger.

    "Now you have three things I want¡­ The infinity crystal in you, your knowledge of the Paragon Martial Art, and¡­ your body. The energy in your body is extremely pure, purer than anything I''vee across."

    "I so much want to devour you."

    The Capra King brought out his tongue which to Corey''s slight surprise, was longer than he expected, and then the Capra King slowly licked his lips.

    Corey frowned when he saw this, "That''s gay."

    The Capra King tilted his head to the side, and then he shook his head slightly.

    "Although I don''t know what ''gay'' means, I couldn''t care less."

    The Capra King was about to take a step, but Corey quickly spoke.

    "Gay means when a male is sexually attracted to other males and not females, or when a female is sexually attracted to other females and not males."

    The Capra King paused and frowned in disgust, "Even the Old Ones are not so demented to go against the natural way of things in terms of procreation."

    Corey was about to reply, however, the instant he blinked, his pupils suddenly constricted to a needle point as the face of the Capra King appeared directly in front of his face.

    "I guess you''ve recovered enough right?"

    Corey''s mouth remained open for a second, and before his main consciousness could ovee the shock of the sudden appearance of the Capra King the stars of consciousness that were in charge over his body controlled his body.

    His hands moved, instantly cing his axe in front of his body. The first thing Corey heard was the sound, a sound so loud that Corey''s ears instantly bled as a result of the sound.

    Then the next thing he saw in his Eyes of Omniscience was a blur. He saw the upper left hand of the Capra King move, and then he saw nothing else.

    When his main consciousness came back to his senses, he saw himself flying, and a few secondster, he crashed into the ground with an extremely loud BANG!

    Unedited chapter

    Anon22

 Chapter 416 415: Weak & Helpless

    416 415: Weak & Helpless

    BANG!

    The instant Corey crashed into the ground, his eyes could not help but bulge out and he started coughing furiously.

    Blood poured out of his nose and lips, and his gaze became slightly hazy. His breathing became uneven and forced for a few seconds, and then he wiped the blood from his lips with his left hand while gripping his axe tightly with his right hand.

    ''I was hoping he was going to keep on speaking while allowing me to recover more, but I guess that was a pipe dream.''

    Corey coughed once again, and then he inhaled and exhaled deeply once again before looking up.

    ''If the stars of consciousness I assigned to take control of my body in the case of an emergency failed to act on time, I would have sustained more grievous injuries.''

    ''But even with that, just the force from the attack was more than enough to send me flying.''

    Corey nced at his axe and he saw cracks at the spot where the Capra King had punched.

    ''Luckily it didn''t shatter.'' Corey thought, and then he stood. Barely seven seconds passed as he had all of these thoughts, and in those seven seconds, Corey was fully expecting the Capra King to attack him once again.

    However, he could see the Capra King standing in the exact same spot where he punched him. Although the distance between them was more than 200m, Corey could still see the Capra King having a surprised expression as the Capra King stared at him.

    ''Just the force from the Capra King''s casual punch was enough to send me flying for more than 200m. What if I experienced his real punch? Won''t I die instantly?''

    Corey gripped his axe tightly. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    ''Well¡­ I guess I''m fucked.''

    "I must say¡­. Although you''re weak, your reflexes are so much faster than beings who are even more powerful than me."

    Despite the distance between them, the Capra King''s voice resounded in Corey''s ears. Corey gave no response and just stared at the Capra King with cold eyes.

    Focus

    Corey activated Focus since he knew that he would need it more than ever against the Capra King.

    ''Hopefully, Focus helps me to respond to the speed of the Capra King.''

    Just as Corey had this thought, the Capra King continued speaking.

    "Although your reflexes are abnormal, it won''t save you."

    Corey saw the Capra King clench his upper left hand, and then he raised it.

    ''Does he want to punch from such a far ce?''

    Corey shifted his stance to a defensive one, and then he ced his axe defensively in front of him.

    "You bore me, Disciple of The Old Ones."

    The Capra King suddenly said, and just as Corey was expecting a punch, his Ears of Omniscience picked up on an extremely subtle sound from beneath his feet.

    Before he could choose to focus on the sound, for the second time in a row, Corey''s pupils constricted to the extreme as the distance between him and the Capra King was instantly shortened from more than 300m to less than a meter.

    Without giving Corey the time to think about what had just happened, the Capra King punched him.

    Corey''s eyes widened as rm bells rang out continuously in his mind, and he instantly ced his axe in front of him.

    Just as the Capra King''s fist was approximately ten centimeters from touching the axe, the air flickered and countless tightly packed tiny hexagons appeared between the Capra King''s fist and the axe.

    The Capra King''s eyes flickered when he saw this. He increased the power behind his punch slightly, and the countless tiny hexagons shattered instantly.

    The countless tiny hexagons did notst two seconds, but that was enough for Corey to prevent himself from suffering a grievous injury.

    In those two seconds, Corey instantly used the skill, Super Jump, to distance himself from the Capra King.

    However, despite doing this, Corey found out that there was not enough time to fully distance himself from the Capra King.

    The speed of the Capra King''s fist was just too fast.

    BANG!!!

    Corey''s body flew backward like a rocket, and he tumbled multiple times. As his body crashed and rolled on the ground multiple times, Corey''s main consciousness and his stars of consciousness worked furiously on various things.

    His stars of consciousness worked to stop his body from tumbling on the ground, to heal his body, and to recover his mana at the fastest speed possible while also healing his body at the same time. Meanwhile, his main consciousness was furiously thinking of the strangeness of what happened before the Capra King''s fist met him.

    ''How did the distance between me and the Capra King reduce so drastically?''

    ''I know that the Capra King is fast, extremely fast, but¡­ the Capra King did not move. I saw it clearly, I was the one that moved.''

    ''But how''s that possible?''

    ''I know that the Capra King did not use anything rted to space since I''d have felt it instantly. So how did I move to the Capra King without me knowing, and at such a ridiculous speed again?''

    Corey frowned deeply, and then the right side of his face mmed into the ground.

    ''Wait¡­ I remember hearing an extremely subtle sound beneath my feet. What was it? It''s unlike anything I''ve ever heard before.''

    ''Do I have to experience it once again to know what exactly it is or how the Capra King is able to make me move without my knowledge?''

    ''Even if I say yes, can my axe survive another blow from the Capra King? It might shatter if the Capra King decides to punch seriously.''

    ''I hate this¡­ I hate this feeling of being weak and of being helpless.''

    Just as Corey had this thought, his body came to a stop, and his main consciousness took control over his body.

    He found himself kneeling on the floor while using his right hand to hold his axe that was deep inside the ground. Arge cut could be seen on the ground in front of Corey.

    Corey barely used a second, and then he saw the Capra King. The instant he saw the Capra King, the Capra King smiled at him, and then he stretched his lower right hand behind him.

    Corey frowned when he saw the Capra King''s smile and action, and then he heard, felt, and saw it.

    He heard the same subtle sounding from the ground, and then his left hand felt it- an extremely subtle vibration.

    Before he could think about this strange sound and feeling, he experienced it once again.

    Faster than the blink of an eye, he found himself right before the Capra King, and before he could move, the Capra King''s lower right hand grabbed his neck.

    The Capra King pulled him up, and with a grin, he swung him like a whip and mmed him to the ground.

    Unedited chapter

    Anon22

 Chapter 417 416: Fuck You

    417 416: Fuck You

    BOOM! BANG!

    Corey heard these two distinct and loud sounds a second after the Capra King mmed him into the floor like a ragdoll.

    His eyes rolled to the back of his head, and blood poured out of his nose and mouth without him having to cough it out.

    For an instant, Corey truly lost consciousness, but his stars of consciousness and his powerful main consciousness instantly brought him back, and the first thing he saw were the moving asteroids and the stationarys and stars in the distance.

    For a fraction of a second, Corey wondered if those asteroids,s, and stars were real. Although he was curious about this, his mind was mainly on another thing.

    ''So that''s what it was¡­''

    Corey''s mind recalled the sensations he felt before the Capra King grabbed his neck and whipped him on the ground like a ragdoll.

    ''I felt the ground vibrate slightly, and then I had an extremely subtle and iprehensible sound from the ground. It was after all of these that I found myself in front of the Capra King.''

    ''... I was not the one that moved¡­ It was the ground. It was the earth beneath my feet that moved.''

    Although it seemed iprehensible and unimaginable that it was the ground that moved, especially at a speed that was faster than he could react, Corey knew that his assumption was 99% right.

    He was extremely familiar with the sensations of vibrations since he had the skill- Vibration Maniption, and there was no way he was going to doubt what he heard and especially what he saw with his Ears and Eyes of Omniscience.

    Most importantly, the Capra King had the Earth Infinity Crystal. The Capra King was not a Paragon so he obtained the actual benefits of an infinity crystal which granted one an extremely high talent and affinity with the element or type of infinity crystal.

    With the benefits that an Infinity Crystal brought, what was to say that the Earth Infinity Crystal did not give the Capra King the power to manipte the Earth in ways that the average human mind could not fathom?

    ''Since he can manipte the earth to instantly shorten the distance between us, then what I have to do is simple.''

    Just as Corey had this thought, he felt a hand around his neck, and then he felt himself getting pulled up.

    His deep violet and sky blue pupils reflected the face of the apathetic Capra King.

    "You know¡­ Despite all that I did to you, your eyes remain the same. They remain cold, apathetic, and calcting. Your eyes contain no sign of despair, anger, frustration, or even excitement¡­ Just a deep frigid coldness and calcting light in them."

    "I hate those eyes¡­ They remind me of the Old Ones."

    The Capra King moved his lower left hand, and then he grabbed Corey''s axe. Corey''s gaze flickered. He tightened the grip on his axe.

    The Capra King chuckled with an expression of disdain when he saw this.

    "Your weapon has saved you twice. I wonder what would happen if you suddenly lost your weapon? Can your body withstand my casual punch?"

    The instant the Capra King said this, he tightened his grip on Corey''s axe, and with a casual swing of his lower left arm, he took the axe from Corey and threw it casually. The axe flew so fast to the point that after a few seconds, Corey lost sight of his axe.

    Corey nced at his flying axe, and then he shifted his gaze back to the Capra King.

    ''I used all my strength to hold onto my axe, but he took it from me so easily. The difference between our physical strength is too much.''

    "Your eyes remain the same despite taking your Genesis Armament from you¡­" The Capra King suddenly smiled, "... I wonder what is giving you the confidence to maintain such a gaze before me, Disciple of The Old Ones¡­"

    "...Do you have a special ability that was given to you by the Old Ones? Or can you call upon the Old Ones to save you from me or fight for you?"

    The smile on the Capra King went up slightly, and then he brought Corey closer to his face.

    "You see, I actually wish you''re able to call upon the Old Ones to either summon an avatar here or to take over your body. I have a score to settle with them, and killing their precious disciple or their avatar would fill me with immense joy."

    Corey''s lips parted open to speak, however, to Corey''s disbelief, the Capra King spun him in the air and threw him.

    BOOM!

    BANG!

    Due to the immense strength that the Capra King used, Corey almost broke the sound barrier, and in the blink of an eye, his body mmed into the ground and he tumbled on the ground once again, causing multiple craters to form.

    A dust cloud was formed as a result of this, and a loud coughing sound could be heard from the dust cloud.

    In the dust cloud, Corey clenched the ground tightly with his left hand while holding the left side of his stomach as he coughed out copious amounts of blood and also parts of his internal organs.

    22:26

    ''Who the fuck doesn''t allow one to give a reply in a conversation? At least allow me to give my reply when you talk to me, you stupid goat.''

    Corey coughed out another mouthful of blood before taking deep breaths. He released a soft sigh, and then he stood.

    Corey cursed once again, and then he staggered slightly while trying to stay on his feet. The injuries his body sustained just from the throw of the Capra King were extremely serious, and if he were to start mentioning all the injuries he had, even a doctor would be horrified.

    Only because of his Paragon Physique and his dream healing skill which he kept activated at all times was he able to remain standing, and alive.

    His vision blurred for a few seconds, but then he shook his head slightly, and he saw the Capra King staring at him with a light smile.

    The Capra King said nothing this time around, and then he stretched out his hand with the same light smile, however, a few secondster, his smile slowly vanished as a look of confusion shed in his eyes.

    Corey chuckled, and then he tapped his feet on the ground softly. When he did, the air rippled and arge hexagonal tform appeared beneath his feet.

    The distance between the hexagonal tform and the ground was barely a centimeter, and if one was not observant or if Corey chose to hide the hexagonal tform, one would think that Corey was standing on the ground.

    The Capra King''s expression changed slightly when he saw the hexagonal tform, and then he stared at Corey.

    Corey smiled, and then he raised his right hand and showed him the middle finger.

    "Fuck you."

    The instant Corey said these words, Corey saw the Capra King''s figure blur, and a secondter, he appeared in front of him.

    Before he could respond or react, the Capra Kingnded a solid uppercut on Corey''s stomach, sending him flying up in the air. Without allowing Corey tond on the ground, the Capra King jumped and gave Corey a tremendous bicycle kick on his stomach once again.

    I wanted something significant to happen in this chapter, but my mind has not been in the right ce since yesterday because of some personal issues.

    I''m not sure if it''ll work out, but I n on ending the fight in 3 chapters or at most 4 chapters. So, yeahhh.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Also, I''ll be giving out some information regarding privilege chapters in some days. Privilege chapters should be out from next month.

    Anon22

 Chapter 419 418: Four Weapons

    419 418: Four Weapons

    Fifth Technique of the Paragon Martial Arts; Eternal Divide:A technique where the user executes a split-second parry with a weapon, redirecting iing attacks while simultaneouslyunching a counterattack using the same motion. The redirected energy is absorbed and unleashed back at the opponent in the form of shockwaves or shes.

    ----

    "Paragon Martial Arts; Eternal Divide"

    Simr to the time Corey used the seventh technique of the Paragon Martial Arts, Cosmos Cleaver, Corey realized that he could not contain the name of the Paragon Martial Art in him.

    He had to shout it out, he had to proim it, and he did so without hesitation.

    Unlike what one would expect from such a grand name like Eternal Divide, the fifth technique of the Paragon Martial Arts was actually a counter technique, a parrying technique to exin it simply.

    Eternal Divide was a technique that Paragons how to perform a split-second parry which then led to a powerful counterattack in the form of a shockwave or a sh.

    What made the Eternal Divide different from a normal parrying technique was that the energy of the redirected attack is absorbed by the Paragon, and then it can be released in the form of a shockwave, sh, or punch.

    Absorbing and releasing the energy of a redirected attack is mainly performed by the Devourer''s Stomach and the Celestial Mana Veins.

    Due to the fact that Corey did not possess the Devourer''s Stomach, he was only able to absorb a fraction of the energy of the Capra King''s punch, and even the little fraction he absorbed contained more energy than he expected.

    Knowing that he could not contain the energy in him for too long, Corey decided to release it in the form of a shockwave.

    The Capra King''s surprise increased the more when he felt Corey release a shockwave that made him take a step back.

    The Capra King tried to bnce himself, but Corey did not n on giving him the opportunity at all.

    Without hesitation and without caring about his internal injuries and screaming body, Corey unleashed a second and a third attack with lightning-quick momentum.

    Paragon Martial Arts; Cosmos Cleave

    Paragon Martial Arts; Shattered Heavens

    ----

    Third Technique of The Paragon Martial Arts; Shattered Heavens: A technique where the userbines a powerful upward strike with an axe, sword, fist, spear, etc. After which, chains or whips bind them mid-air, immobilizing the enemy for a finishing blow in the form of a quick spear thrust aimed at the heavens.

    ----

    The instant Corey parried the Capra King''s fist by striking the Capra King''s wrist upward, Corey instantly used the seventh technique of the Paragon Martial Arts: Cosmos Cleave.

    However, unlike before, Corey did not unleash a massive arc of ming energy at the Capra King. Only a fourth of the massive arc of ming energy was released the instant Corey performed the seventh technique of the Paragon Martial Arts.

    The Capra King''s eyes widened when he saw Corey performing Cosmos Cleave at such a close range, and without hesitation, he ced his four arms in front of his body to block the arc of ming energy that was released by Corey.

    He still vividly remembered how dangerous and sinister the first Cosmos Cleave was. His injured upper right hand had not fully healed ever since he blocked the first Cosmos Cleave with his bare hand.

    A familiar screeching sound the instant the energy arc of Cosmos Cleave collided with the arms of the Capra King, making it seem like two metals were rubbing against each other.

    Following his rudimentary understanding of the third technique of the Paragon Martial Arts; Shattered Heavens, Corey did not wait or lose momentum, and he instantly unleashed an upward sh with his axe.

    For the first time since he appeared in the dimension of the Capra King, Corey''s axe touched the body of the Capra King, and he found out just how disgustingly dense and hard the body of the Capra King was.

    Corey''s axe which was coated with multiple colors and a ming energy as a result of him using all his skills barely managed to leave a slightly deep cut on two of the Capra King''s arms.

    Although his strength and his axe were insufficient to cut through the body of the Capra King, the first move of Shattered Heavens was not to kill, but to send an enemy flying in the air, and to the shock of the Capra King, he found himself flying at a speed he did not expect.

    The Capra King found himself stunned and full of disbelief.

    Seeing the Capra King up in the air, Corey immediately stretched out his left hand at the Capra King, and in the blink of an eye, multiple chains of hexagon barriers appeared around the Capra King, and a secondter, they bound the Capra King tightly.

    Although he did not have an actual chain or whip to bind the Capra King, his hexagon barriers could do the job for him.

    The Capra King stared at the hexagon barriers with slight intrigue, and then with a light smirk, he flexed his muscles and the hexagon barriers around him instantly shattered like ss.

    The Capra King was about to move, but before he could move, and to the disbelief of the Capra King, more hexagon barriers appeared around him, and they bound him once again.

    The Capra King''s eyes shed with anger, and just as he was about to destroy the hexagon barriers, Corey''s deep voice resounded throughout the entire dimension.

    "Paragon Martial Arts; Shattered Heavens."

    ''A new technique of the Paragon Martial Arts?'' N?v(el)B\\jnn

    The Capra King''s head snapped in Corey''s direction, and his eyes shed with confusion when he saw Corey holding a ck spear in his right hand.

    ''Where did the speare from?''

    Just as the Capra King had this thought, he saw Corey thrust the spear and his instincts instantly sent him rm bells.

    The Capra King''s eyes slowly widened as he saw a massive pir of multicolored ming energying at him at a speed that was considered fast even for him.

    The Capra King roared, and with a swing of his arms, he instantly shattered the hexagon barriers that bound him.

    More hexagon barriers appeared and tried to bind him once again, but his unrestrained aura destroyed every single hexagon barrier before they could even fully form.

    The Capra King stretched out his hands, and a secondter, the massive pir of multicolored ming energy reached him.

    Corey watched with blood pouring out of his eyes, nose, and mouth as the massive pir of multicolored ming energy engulfed the Capra King.

    Despite seeing this, Corey did not breathe a sigh of relief. His eyes remained focused and his stars of consciousness worked at maximum capacity to try and heal the severe damages that Corey''s body sustained as a result of him using three techniques of the Paragon Martial Arts without stopping.

    A second after the massive pir of multicolored ming energy engulfed the Capra King, Corey heard it.

    The Capra King''s voice reverberated throughout the entire dimension, and the asteroid,s, stars, and even the t continent he stood on¡­ trembled.

    "The King''s sh."

    The instant Corey heard this, Corey saw a thin line appear in the massive pir of multicolored ming energy, and a secondter, the pir split apart.

    Corey froze, and with wide eyes, he watched as the thin line split collided with the t continent and thergest fission he had ever seen in his life appeared 200m beside him.

    There was no loud sound. There was no massive explosion. Just a simple cut that almost split apart a section of the t continent.

    Corey slowly looked up. Then he saw the Capra King standing in the air, holding four weapons in his hands.

    Two golden swords in his upper right and left hands.

    Two golden spears in his lower right and left hands.

    When Corey saw this, he blinked repeatedly, and then he could not help but chuckle with visible frustration in his eyes.

    "So you use weapons too, huh."

    Corey sighed.

    "Hahhh¡­ I''m so fucked."

 Chapter 420 419: Youve Got To Be Kidding Me

    420 419: You''ve Got To Be Kidding Me

    ''Why in the world would you have a weapon, no, not even a weapon. You have four weapons, you damn goat?!''

    ''A goat does not use weapons, it uses its horns. You bloody have six horns, are they meant for decorations?''

    Countless thoughts shed in Corey''s mind as he stared at the four weapons of the Capra King with a frustrated and exasperated gaze.

    Corey released a soft sigh, ''I guess it''s n C now? Or is it n D or E?''

    What the Capra King didn''t know was that from the moment he gave Corey time to unleash his strongest attacks, Corey made multiple ns in case he failed to kill the Capra King with his most powerful strike.

    However, many of those ns had to be either scrapped or changed as the Capra King used him as a punching bag and a whip.

    Although his strongest attack failed to kill the Capra King, Corey knew that he still had a 1% chance to kill the Capra King because of one particr reason.

    The Capra King''s pride and confidence.

    Even though his strongest attack failed to kill the Capra King, and it waspletely obvious that his speed, strength, and defenses were nothingpared to the Capra King, the Capra King still chose to toy around with him and did not kill him.

    ''Or it could be that the Capra King is being cautious.''

    ''He thinks I''m the disciple of the Old Ones, and from what he said, there''s a possibility that the disciples of the Old Ones can use a special ability given to them by the Old Ones or they can summon an avatar of the Old Ones to fight for them.''

    ''Maybe the Capra King is wary of such a thing happening, so he wants to take his time and kill me slowly while making sure that the Old Ones would not interfere.''

    ''Or maybe he''s just that confident and sadistic.'' Corey shrugged nonchntly.

    Corey knew that he could take advantage of the Capra King''s immense pride, confidence, and misunderstanding tounch an unsuspecting attack on him, and his n worked.

    He used Eternal Divide to perform apletely unsuspecting parry, and then he performed Cosmos Cleave and Shattered Heavens without taking a single break.

    Although some would say that it was foolish of him to use the Ancient Spear since there was a possibility that his battle with the Capra King was being watched by those in the Underworld, he didn''t care.

    He chose not to ask Nina if their fight was being recorded since to him, he would not change his actions even if he was being watched.

    22:28

    Not only did Corey not want to die, whether temporary or permanent, but Corey also wanted the Earth Infinity Crystal no matter what.

    ording to his calctions, there was approximately a 5% chance that the Capra King would die from his attack, a 25% chance that he would be gravely injured, a 65% chance that he would only sustain normal injuries, a 90% chance that he woulde out unscathed, and a 10% chance that somethingpletely unexpected would happen.

    Corey''s stats and assumptions werepletely based on his calctions and what he had seen, and he knew that his information on the Capra King waspletely shallow, so a lot of things could go wrong.

    Despite already calcting that somethingpletely unexpected would happen, what Corey never anticipated was the Capra King using weapons.

    ''Not only does he use weapons, he seems to be proficient with the sword and spear from his stance.''

    Corey''s knowledge of weapons and martial arts was extremely high as a result of the Paragon Martial Art.

    Corey exhaled a breath of turbid air, and then he gripped his axe which he was using to help him stand.

    He nced at the Ancient Spear, and a pondering glint shed in his eyes for a second and then he sent it into the storage space in his Tri-Pupil Eyes.

    Corey shifted his gaze to the Capra King who was up in the air. A light smile appeared on his lips when he saw the cuts, burns, and blood on the body of the Capra King.

    Although none of the Capra King''s injuries were serious, injuring a being as strong as the Capra King was a big achievement for Corey.

    A secondter, a provocating smile appeared on Corey''s lips.

    "Capra King, I thought you were powerful. Why then do you need four weapons to deal with a being as weak as me?"

    "Why don''t you put away your weapons, and I''ll put away mine. Let us have a fistfight instead."

    Corey stretched out his left hand, and with the same provocating smile, he pointed at the Capra King with two fingers and made a "Come here" gesture.

    The Capra King''s left brow twitched, and his body swayed slightly.

    rm bells rang out in Corey''s mind, and without hesitation, he teleported away.

    SHIIIING

    Corey who was no longer in his previous location had goosebumps as he stared at a 30m fissure and the Capra King who was the cause of the fissure.

    The Capra King slowly lowered his upper right hand, and then he stared at Corey. His mouth parted open, and then he spoke.

    However, the instant he spoke, he vanished, and Corey''s eyes widened to the limit. He felt a disturbance in the space behind him.

    "You think you''re the only one that can manipte space?"

    The Capra King''s voice rang out from his previous position, and a secondter, Corey spun around while cing his axe in a defensive position.

    CLANGGGG!!!

    "Garhh."

    Corey flew while groaning in pain. His left hand was twisted in an unnatural way, and one could see his bones that were threatening to pop out of his skin.

    Before Corey could even touch the ground, the Capra King appeared above him, and with cold, indifferent eyes, he stared straight into Corey''s pure white eyes.

    Realization dawned upon Corey the instant he stared into the Capra King''s eyes.

    ''He''s serious now. He wants to kill me, but he wants to torture me by beating me up like a sandbag.''

    The instant Corey had this realization, he heard an extremely subtle sound, and his right hand moved, cing his axe directly in front of his body.

    CLANGGG!!!

    CRACK!

    BANG!

    Corey''s body mmed into the ground with so much force that he bounced off the ground, and the Capra King gave him a roundhouse kick that mmed him right back into the ground.

    Corey coughed out multiple mouthfuls of blood, and his eyes widened as he struggled to breathe in and out.

    Step

    Step

    The sound of the Capra King''s footsteps resounded in Corey''s ears, but Corey''s mind and eyes were on something else.

    ''My Axe.''

    The handle of his axe was ruthlessly cut apart, and a part of his axe shattered due to the immense force that was behind the Capra King''s swing.

    Corey frowned deeply as he stared at his axe that was a few meters to his right.

    Meanwhile, the Capra King stood over Corey with cold, apathetic eyes, and with a snort, he kicked Corey so that he could see his face.

    "Any more funny words to say before you die?"

    The Capra King asked with a cold tone, and Corey smiled and then chuckled with his blood-filled lips.

    He was about to speak, but then he caught sight of something and his expression changed to one of surprise and disbelief.

    ''You''ve got to be kidding me.'' n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Unedited chapter

    Anon22

 Chapter 421 420: Last Resort

    421 420: Last Resort

    ''You''ve got to be kidding me.''

    For a moment, Corey forgot about the Capra King who stood over him with four menacing golden weapons, and the disbelief and surprise on his face were not hidden at all.

    The Capra King frowned slightly when he saw Corey''s expression. The two eyes by the side of his head moved, and he saw it.

    He heard the sound of thunder, and the hair on his body straightened.

    Without wasting a single second, the Capra King ced his two swords above his head. A secondter,

    CLAP!

    KABOOM!!

    "Shit!"

    An extremely loud and powerful explosion resounded from the Capra King''s position, and Corey cursed as the powerful shockwaves mmed into his body, sending him flying once more.

    A second after the explosion resounded, the voice of the Capra King flowed into Corey''s ears.

    "Although I somewhat expected you to do this, since you didn''t act even after so long, I thought you were sincere about being my ve especially when you saw how vast the difference in my power and the power of the Disciple of The Old Ones is."

    The Capra King nonchntly said as he stared at Selene who was gritting her bloodied teeth while trying to push down her lightning-coated feet on the Capra King.

    With the same indifferent expression, the Capra King pushed back Selene while crossing his golden swords above his head.

    Selene''s expression changed.

    "Although you almost caught me off guard, you''re just way too weak."

    Selene''s instincts screamed at her, and she instantly tried to back away. However, the Capra King instantly let go of one of his swords and grabbed her left leg.

    "I never said you could go. A traitor like you should be punished."

    The Capra King tightened his grip on Selene''s leg, almost breaking her bones. Just as Selene was about to scream, the Capra King swung her in the air a few times, and then he mmed her on the ground.

    Karrghhhh!!!

    22:29

    Selene''s eyes rolled to the back of her head, and she lost consciousness. Before she could enjoy the bliss of losing consciousness, the Capra King stepped on her stomach, causing her to cough out blood mixed with spit.

    Her hazy eyes nced at the Capra King''s feet before shifting towards the apathetic face of the Capra King.

    "You''ve reached a higher state of existence unlike the Disciple of The Old Ones, but you have nothing¡­ There''s nothing special about you, and you''re below average in my eyes."

    The Capra King indifferently said, and then he pointed his spear at Selene''s chest.

    "Worthless and pathetic beings like you do not deserve to breathe the same air that I breathe."

    Selene''s eyes widened in fear when she saw the Capra King thrust his spear at her heart. She wanted to move, but the Capra King''s feet were just too heavy for her to move.

    Just as her life was about to sh before her eyes, she heard an extremely familiar voice in her mind.

    ''DON''T RESIST.''

    Before she could think about what these words meant, Selene felt a foreign spatial energy engulf her body, and just as the Capra King''s spear was about to pierce her heart, she vanished.

    However, when she vanished, a rock with flickering silver runes appeared in her previous exact spot, and the Capra King''s already descending spear shattered it to pieces.

    The Capra King''s eyes flickered with visible surprise. He turned to his left, and he looked in the distance.

    ''She was teleported so far away?''

    The Capra King thought, and then he shifted his gaze towards the shattered rock. He frowned for a second, and then he looked at Corey.

    "You did that?... You swapped her position with a rock?"

    The Capra King asked curiously, and Corey smiled.

    He was happy that the Capra King chose to ask questions since that gave him more time to heal and recover his energy. Even a second was precious to him.

    "I did. Although I find it quite foolish of her to attack you despite how weak she is, I can''t let her die. She''s still my ve and I gave my word to her mother."

    "Is that so?" The Capra King questioned sarcastically with an indifferent expression, and Corey''s lips twitched slightly.

    "Are you curious how I was able to swap here with a rock?"

    The Capra King suddenly smiled, and Corey had goosebumps when he saw the smile.

    "Not really."

    Corey was about to speak, but just as his lips parted open to speak, he saw the Capra King''s lower right arm blur, and a secondter, he coughed out a mouthful of blood.

    Corey''s eyes widened in disbelief, and he looked down, only to see one of the Capra King''s golden spears piercing right through his stomach.

    ''So fast. I couldn''t even react when he threw the spear¡­ I would have died a long time ago if he just decided to do this to me.''

    ''All the countless invisible hexagon barriers I put around my body were shattered to pieces instantly.''

    ''This is bad¡­ ''

    A light smile appeared on Corey''s lips, and then he staggered slightly. He tried to remain on his feet, but he was way too weak.

    He instinctively stretched out his right hand to try and use his axe as a stand, but a secondter, he remembered that his axe was on the ground.

    ''... Ah, shit.''

    Corey cursed internally as he slowly fell to the ground.

    ''The axe contains a familiar type of energy?... What is-... Oh, it''s the energy from an infinity crystal.''

    ''The energy is making it harder for me to heal myself¡­ I''m bleeding out.''

    ''I guess this is really it huh?... I have no other choice¡­ I was hoping I wouldn''t have to, but I have to use myst resort.''

    Despite the grievous injury he had, Corey''s expression was calm. No sign of panic or despair could be seen on his face. However, only Corey knew that he was feeling a little bit fearful internally.

    And this feeling of fear was mainly because of what he nned on doing next.

    Step

    Step

    Step

    The Capra King suddenly appeared beside him, and Corey stared into the eyes of the Capra King.

    "Although you were weak, Disciple of The Old Ones, you used some intriguing abilities while being annoying at the same time."

    "As the catalyst for my evolution, I''ll choose to remember you, Disciple of The Old Ones."

    When Corey heard the Capra King''s words, he could not help but chuckle. The Capra King frowned slightly, and then he tilted his head with a curious expression.

    "Who said I''m going to die? Death can have me when I allow it."

    The Capra King became stunned and was about to speak, but then he caught sight of an object appearing from thin air in the palm of Corey''s right hand.

    The Capra King turned and stared at the object with an intrigued expression.

    "What''s that?"

    "This?" Corey turned and nced at the vial that contained a faint golden liquid in it. Corey chuckled once again.

    "If it was in some video games or novels of my word, this would be a high-level healing potion. But as an alchemical product, this is a Golden Lotus Restoration Dew."

    The Capra King frowned. He did not know why, but his instincts were warning him of an impending danger. He looked around, but he saw nothing that could be the source of the danger.

    ''It doesn''t look like it''s the strange liquid that''s in his hand. So why are my instincts warning me of an impending danger?''

    The Capra King''s frown deepened, and then he stared at Corey.

    "You said this is a healing potion. Do you think I''ll just allow you to drink this liquid and heal yourself? Besides, I know you have a self-healing skill."

    Corey smiled when he heard the words of the Capra King. He released a soft sigh, and then he stared at the dark space above them.

    "You''re not wrong, but you''re wrong about one thing¡­" Corey shifted his gaze, and then he stared directly into the eyes of the Capra King. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "The main reason I brought the elixir out was not to heal myself, but to summon a tribtion."

    The Capra King was stunned, "Summon a tribtion?"

    The instant he said these words, the space above them instantly cracked like it was a mirror.

 Chapter 422 421: Supreme Tribulation Eye

    422 421: Supreme Tribtion Eye

    CRACK!

    The sight of the vast and dark space cracking apart like ss was something Corey was sure he would never forget. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    ''Am I going to face a lightning tribtion like what I''ve read in some novels?''

    ''I don''t know what I''m going to face but just the aura from above is enough to make me feel goosebumps.''

    Although in the depth of Corey''s heart, he knew that he was afraid, his expression remained calm. He nced at the Capra King, and he saw the Capra King having an expression filled with shock, disbelief, and a tinge of fear as he stared at the cracked space above them.

    The gears in his mind spun at an iprehensible speed as he tried to fathom how the presence of a mere liquid was able to summon a tribtion.

    ''From my knowledge about the outside world, I know that only beings that are about to be tier 7s would undergo a tribtion.''

    ''It''s also the same thing for we inhabitants of this cursed dimension. Only those who are about to be Principalities and Powers undergo tribtions.''

    ''So how can a mere liquid invoke a tribtion?''

    The Capra King snapped his head toward Corey, and a deep frown could be seen on his face as he stared at Corey.

    "What is that liquid? How is it able to summon a tribtion?"

    Corey chuckled, and he shrugged nonchntly, "I told you, it''s just a healing potion."

    The Capra King was about to speak, but his head snapped to the cracked space above. When he did, his expression changed to one of shock, disbelief, and fear.

    "A SUPREME TRIBULATION?! YOU SUMMONED A SUPREME TRIBULATION?!"

    "A Supreme Tribtion?"

    Corey mumbled with a slightly surprised expression. He looked at the cracked space, and he noticed that there was a change.

    He saw an eye. Arge white pupilless eye

    It was thergest eye Corey had ever seen, and for a second, Corey felt like it seemed familiar. He furrowed his brows slightly, and then he recalled where he had seen the eye.

    ''The face of the All-Father.''

    ''This was one of the eyes of the All-Father.''

    Corey''s expression changed, and a tinge of fear could not help bute across his face.

    ''Don''t tell me that''s actually the All-Father.''

    Just as Corey had this thought, he noticed a change in the white pupilless eye above them.

    He saw a bolt of lightning streak across the eye, and then the bolt of lightning increased from one to two. Then from two to three, and then from three to four.

    The four lightning bolts swam across the white pupilless eye, and with every movement of the four lightning bolts, the sound of the loudest thunder Corey had ever heard resounded across the dimension,

    As Corey stared at the four lightning bolts with visible awe and fear, the Capra King shouted.

    "FIVE?! FIVE?!!!"

    "WHY IS THERE A LEVEL 4 SUPREME TRIBULATION?!!"

    "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?!"

    Corey looked at the Capra King, and he could clearly see the fear and panic in the gaze of the Capra King, and though he wanted to feel pleasure in the fear and panic of the Capra King, the glowing pupilless eye above him did not give him such an opportunity.

    ''This is my first time hearing about a Supreme Tribtion. I need to know more about Tribtions and what type of Tribtions there are.''

    Just as Corey had this thought, the Capra King suddenly took a step back while looking at Corey with visible anger.

    "I hope the Supreme Tribtion kills you slowly."

    Without waiting for Corey''s reply, the Capra King suddenly vanished from his spot and appeared far away from Corey with visible worry and fear on his face.

    ''If it were a normal lightning tribtion, I''d have killed that son of a bitch. But a Supreme Tribtion is far from a normal lightning tribtion. Even if I kill him, the Supreme Tribtion would just change its target from the bastard to the environment itself.''

    ''Thou shall not take the prey of a Supreme.''

    The Capra King recalled a famous quote that was once told to him by an Outsider, and he could not help but shiver slightly as he gazed at the Supreme Tribtion Eye above.

    ''Hopefully, the Supreme Tribtion does not damage my dimension too much. This dimension is what hides me from the gaze of the Old Ones.''

    Just as the Capra King had this thought, the Capra King saw a change in the movement of one of the white bolts above.

    ''It''s about to begin.''

    The instant the Capra King had this thought, Corey''s voice flowed into his ears, and his words stunned him.

    "Hey Capra King, aren''t you too far away? Why don''t you watch me die up close? I''m sure it''s going to be a st."

    "Hmm?"

    The Capra King frowned, and just as he was about to think of the strangeness of Corey''s words, the lightning bolt fell from the Supreme Tribtion Eye.

    CLAP!!!

    The Capra King looked up and blinked, and the instant he did, his eyes widened and he froze.

    ''Wha-''

    Before the Capra King couldplete his thought, the lightning bolt from the Supreme Tribtion Eye struck him.

    "WHAT? ARGHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

    The Capra King screamed so loudly that the entire t continent trembled intensely, making it seem like it was undergoing a massive earthquake.

    The Capra King felt so much pain that for an instant, he wished to kill himself. However, the confusion and rage he had toward Corey was so immense that he gritted his teeth and forced himself to bear the pain of the Supreme Tribtion.

    Meanwhile, Corey who was now in the previous location of the Capra King had goosebumps as he stared at the Capra King who had small white bolts of lightning streaking around his entire body.

    If one were to see Corey now, he or she would notice that instead of the pure white eyes of the Eyes of Omniscience, or deep violet and sky blue eyes of his Eyes of Dreams and Nightmare, his eye was nowpletely different.

    His pupil was no longer circr but triangr, and not only was it triangr, it was golden. Meanwhile, his sclera was now silver.

    Corey''s present eye was the Tri-Pupil Eye of the Paragons.

    Unedited chapter

    Anon22

 Chapter 425 424: Gained Benefits

    425 424: Gained Benefits

    As Corey stared at the headless corpse of the Capra King, he tightened his grip on his shattered axe without taking his gaze off the Capra King''s headless body.

    Despite having cut off the Capra King''s head, Corey was still wary and cautious because he wasn''t sure if the Capra King would suddenly heal himself, or if he would still be able to move, or if his body would suddenly unleash an automatic self-defense ability, or if the Capra King would suddenly explode.

    There were so many things that could happen, and the fact that Corey had multiple Stars of Consciousness made him start overthinking about what could happen even after he cut off the head of the Capra King.

    Fortunately, and to Corey''s relief, Corey noticed a ck and brown glow on his axe, and a secondter, his axe started trembling. N?v(el)B\\jnn

    An instinctive feeling flooded his mind, and he took a fraction of a second to understand the feeling, and when he did, he released a sigh of relief.

    ''My axe¡­ or should I say my Genesis Armament is about to get an upgrade and it wants to absorb the blood essence of the Capra King.''

    Corey nced at his trembling axe, and he knew that if he chose not to feed his axe the blood essence of the Capra King, it would still experience an upgrade, however, the upgrade would be inferior.

    Corey nced at his Genesis Armament for another second, and then he approached the Capra King''s corpse.

    He crouched, and contrary to what one would think, he did not stab his axe inside the body of the Capra King.

    His eyes turned pure white, and two secondster, he ced his right hand on the Capra King''s sr plexus. A faint red sharp light appeared on his hand, and then he pierced into the Capra King''s sr plexus.

    Axe Intent

    Corey''s fingers moved slightly, and a secondter, he pulled out an object from the Capra King''s sr plexus.

    When the object was brought out from the body of the Capra King, the dimension trembled. The t continent, the stars, asteroids, and the mountains in the distance also trembled.

    Corey was not bothered by this. Instead, his gaze was on the object in his palm.

    At first nce, the object took the shape of a brown pearl, but when one blinked, it could be a mountain, a t continent, an asteroid, a world, or a small and unassuming stone.

    "An Earth Infinity Crystal¡­ I truly did it."

    A genuine smile of happiness appeared on Corey''s lips, and a secondter, he transferred the Earth Infinity Crystal into his Tri-Pupil Eyes.

    After ensuring multiple times that the Earth Infinity Crystal was safely stored in his Tri-Pupil Eyes, he finally stabbed the corpse of the Capra King with his axe, allowing it to absorb the Capra King''s blood essence.

    As Corey watched his axe greedily absorb the blood essence of the Capra King, several thoughts ''slowly'' appeared in his mind.

    He thought back to his fight with the Capra King, especially the moment when the Capra King baited him into attacking by feigning a near state of death.

    He was grateful for the fact that he chose to listen to his fear and wariness, or he''d be a truly dead Demi-Paragon.

    Although he made it seem like the only precautions he took were activating Phase and Hexagon Nova Shield, however, he chose to activate one more skill.

    Infinite Mirage

    He created a powerful illusion that affected a radius of only 10m, and while it seemed like he was actually running toward the Capra King, he had gone around the Capra King so as to strike him from behind while his illusion distracted him.

    If the Capra King was not baiting him, then fine.

    If he was baiting him, then he had taken all the precautions he could take.

    Fortunately for Corey, the Capra King was not only physically exhausted but mentally exhausted or he''d have seen through the illusion at a nce.

    "Another lesson I learned in this fight is that no matter how powerful I be, I must not be arrogant nor must I toy with my enemy,"

    "Who knows what ns my enemy or enemies might have even if they''re weaker than me."

    Corey made sure to engrave this lesson to heart as he stared at the corpse of the Capra King.

    ''I''m very sure he was stronger than most tier 6s and maybe some tier 7s. But he fell because of his pride and cautious nature.''

    Corey sighed softly, but a secondter, a light smile appeared on his lips.

    "Apart from the Earth Infinity Crystal and the upgrade of my Genesis Armament. I was able to obtain something else¡­"

    Corey''s smile became brighter, and his gaze turned to one of curiosity, desire, and greed as he stared at the corpse of the Capra King.

    "... The body of the Capra King."

    There was one thing Corey realized about the shattered dimension of the Old Ones after his battle with abomination at the temple, and that was about the presence of abominations and nightmares.

    His Nightmare Finger, which Corey just came to realize because of the Capra King, was a finger of the Old Ones or at least one of the Old Ones.

    His Nightmare Finger had the ability to store abominations and nightmares, and because of his tier, his physique, and the power of his soul, he could store 50 tier 3 abominations.

    His Nightmare Finger could also create a Nightmare or Abomination that could grow alongside him, however, he needed aplete corpse of a Nightmare or an Abomination, and one of his Nightmare Fingers.

    For a long time, Corey had been thinking of how to find an abomination or nightmare, and in his mind, he guessed that he would only be able to find an abomination or a nightmare in the World of Dreams and Nightmares.

    However, ever since he came to the shattered dimension of the Old Ones, he had encountered two abominations.

    The guardian of the temple of the Old Ones, and the Capra King.

    Corey could choose to absorb the corpses of the Temple Guardian and the Capra King, but there was no way he would do such a thing since he was still weak.

    The Temple Guardian was as powerful as a tier 4 and would most likely cause issues for a weak tier 5. He could try to absorb the Temple Guardian, however, there was no reason for him to do such a thing. It was risky, and he did not see the need at the moment.

    As for the Capra King, there was no need to even think about it. It was stronger than most tier 6s and even some tier 7s. He would definitely die before he could even absorb the corpse of the Capra King into his single Nightmare Finger.

    ''Although I can''t absorb the Temple Guardian and the Capra King now, their bodies would be preserved inside my Tri-Pupil Eyes.''

    ''Also¡­'' Corey grinned, ''... I was able to get another Nightmare Finger from the temple of the Old Ones.'' Just as Corey had this thought, his axe stopped absorbing the blood essence of the Capra King, and it underwent an evolution.

 Chapter 426 425: Weapon Grading System; Upgrade

    426 425: Weapon Grading System; Upgrade

    The instant his axe stopped absorbing the blood essence of the Capra King, he could feel his axe emit immense satisfaction and ecstasy. A pure ck and dirty brown glow engulfed his axe, and Corey squinted slightly.

    He could feel his axe changing its structure and size, and he could also feel the axe bing much stronger.

    A few secondster, his new axe appeared before him, and when Corey saw the appearance, he became slightly stunned.

    The handle of the axe was now longer, making the axe almost as tall as Corey. As for the des, they reduced slightly and the color of the des was now dark silver.

    The axe''s color also changed. Its handle was no longer only reddish ck, brown curved lines could be seen running throughout the handle. The handle was no longer wooden, but metallic, and the metal was so strong that Corey could not cause a dent on it even when he squeezed it with all he had.

    On the metallic handle, two more runes could be seen, and these runes were pure ck. Corey stared at the runes for a second, and then he stared at the des of his axe.

    At the center of both des was not just a metallic handle, instead, it was the skull of the Capra King with a single horn protruding out of the top of the skull.

    Corey nced at the skull, and then he shifted his gaze to the corpse of the Capra King.

    "Hmm."

    Corey stroked his chin, and then his gaze went back to the two runes.

    The first he noticed was something he had expected. His Genesis Armament was as strong as an Indigo Weapon. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    The grades for weapons and items were- Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet.

    As Corey remembered the grading system of weapons and items, he could not help but shake his head slightly. The item grading system was simple, iplete, and strange at the same time.

    Red-grade items are items meant for Tier 0s.

    Orange-grade items are meant for Tier 1s.

    Yellow-grade items are meant for Tier 2s.

    Green-grade items are meant for Tier 3s.

    Blue-grade items are meant for Tier 4s.

    Indigo-grade items are meant for Tier 5s.

    And Violet grade items are meant for Tier 6s.

    ----

    ording to what Corey read about the grading system of weapons in the Inner Library of the City of Sin, red-grade items, orange-grade items, yellow-grade items, and green-grade items were usually called Mortal Grade Items or Astral Grade Items.

    The reason why they were called Mortal Grade Items or Astral Grade Items was that such items could only channel astral energy and not mystic energy or higher forms of energy. If an Astral Item were to channel mystic energy, the likelihood of the item getting destroyed was extremely high, depending on the grade of the item.

    Meanwhile, Blue-grade, indigo-grade, and violet-grade items were called Mystical Grade Items because they could channel mystic energy, and the higher the grade, the more mystic energy the item could hold.

    As for the grading system for weapons and items above the Mystical Grade, Corey had no idea. There was no mention of weapons above the Mystical Grade, however, Corey had an idea of what the next grade was.

    Immortal Grade

    Another thing about the weapon grading system was that Astral Items were not meant to have the ability to cause severe damage to Mystic Beings. A green-grade weapon could not harm a tier 6, however, Corey was able to use his Genesis Armament which was previously a green-grade weapon to damage the Capra King.

    This was due to all his skills, his mana quality and quantity, his extremely high efficiency in his usage of mana, and most especially, his axe intent.

    However, after the upgrade of his Genesis Armament, his axe was now his highest graded equipment.

    ''Although my Genesis Armament is a Mystic Item, I won''t be able to bring out its full potential because I don''t have Mystic Energy.''

    Although Corey had this thought, he was not worried at all. As a Demi-Paragon, and with his ''talent'' and all the skills he had, he was sure that very few mortals would be able to use a Mystic Item as well as he did.

    "Also¡­ I got two extra runes on my Genesis Armament."

    A light smile appeared on Corey''s face as he stared at the two ck runes on his Genesis Armament.

    Unsurprisingly, the two runes were rted to the abilities of the Capra King,

    The first rune allowed Corey to manifest rocks and boulders in the air which he could then use to attack his enemies. The more mana he uses, the more rocks and boulders he can manifest.

    Corey called this rune the Earth Manifestation Rune.

    The ability of the second rune was something Corey did not expect, and if he was being honest with himself¡­ he loved it.

    The second rune allowed Corey to send out the two des of his axe, and if he wanted, he could split the two des into six parts.

    Which meant, he could shoot out twelve mini weapons.

    However, if he chose to do this, he would have to use his mana to regenerate back the des of his axe.

    Corey called this rune, the Division Rune.

    To Corey''s slight surprise, the skull of the Capra King was what regenerated the des of his axe, and it was the sole horn at the top of the Capra King''s skull that manifested the rocks and boulders in the air for him.

    "These two runes can help me against multiple enemies."

    Corey shifted his gaze to the Capra King''s corpse, and then he crouched and stored the corpse in his Tri-Pupil Eyes.

    After storing the corpse, he saw two objects on the floor. A dark purple stone with five lines and a golden stone.

    "An Ancient Stone and an¡­ Ascension stone?"

    Corey stared at the golden stone with a curious expression for a few seconds before shifting his gaze back to the ancient stone.

    When he saw the number of lines on the ancient stone, he furrowed his brows slightly.

    "The ancient stone I got from the temple has six lines, but this one has five?... Is it because my ancient stone is from the temple?... Are ancient stones from the temples of the Old Ones more valuable than the other ancient stones?"

    Corey wondered, but a few secondster, he shrugged nonchntly.

    "Not like it matters anyway. I''ll give Selene the ancient stone." Corey mumbled, and then he stored the ancient stone and ascension stone in his inventory.

    After doing this, he looked around, and when he saw the multiple cracks running through the t dimension, the falling asteroids, meteorites, and stars, and the crumbling mountains and hills in the distance, he was not surprised.

    All these phenomena had been urring from the moment he killed the Capra King, but he chose to ignore them and focus on the changes to his axe instead.

    He had killed the Capra King, and the dimension was about to copse because of the death of the Capra King.

    "I guess I should meet up with her. She might be terrified or she might be cursing me with all her heart."

    Corey chuckled softly, and then he formed a triangle with his palms, and a secondter, he vanished.

 Chapter 427 426: Why Would I Run?

    427 426: Why Would I Run?

    (In a certain part of the Capra King''s dimension)

    "Shit, shit, shit, shit!"

    "I''m going to fucking die!"

    Selene cursed out loud as she forced her injured leg to move. She looked up, and when she saw the falling asteroids, and meteorites, she could not help but grit her teeth in fear.

    She looked behind her, and her pupils reflected the sight of an asteroid that was approximately 200m away from her. The sight of the asteroid sent shivers down her spine when she recalled just how close she had been to the asteroid when it fell.

    The earth trembled once again, and she staggered slightly. She looked down, and when she saw the countless cracks that went as far as her eye could see, she could not help but mutter.

    "Don''t tell me he really killed the Capra King?"

    Selene knew that it was beyond absurd for her to think that her master, who was merely a tier 2, would have killed a being like the Capra King, however, the sight of the crumbling of the dimension was enough proof for her.

    She knew that if the Capra King was still alive, there was no way he''d allow his dimension to crumble apart.

    ''Also, I saw that weird eye that sent shivers down my spine. What was that eye? What was that lightning? Don''t tell me that''s a skill of Master?''

    Serene shivered slightly as the thought of her master summoning such a thing was more than iprehensible to her. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Let''s say that eye is one of his skills¡­ Won''t that mean that he''s most likely incapacitated? I''m sure the requirements for a skill like that would be extremely high¡­ Especially since he''s just a tier 2."

    Just as Selene had this thought, a figure suddenly appeared in front of her, and her instincts instantly kicked in.

    Without hesitation, she took a step back and kicked the figure.

    Grab

    "Not only did you betray me, now you want to kill me?"

    Selene''s eyes widened, and then a wry smile appeared on her lips, "Master."

    Corey tilted his head to the side with an indifferent expression, "Oh? Now I''m your master?"

    Selene coughed and looked away with an embarrassed expression, "I''m sorry I did such a thing without informing you. I didn''t want the Capra King to notice that it was nned."

    Corey raised his brows, "It''s not like it mattered at the end. Your sneak attack failed¡­ miserably."

    Selene''s left eye twitched, and although she so wanted to speak, she had nothing to say. She knew that Corey was right and that if not for him, she would have died.

    She also knew that if Corey chose to, he could have left her to die at the hands of the Capra King. She was extremely weak against the Capra King, however, she was not affected by this.

    Unlike Corey, she knew her limits, and she knew that no matter what she did, there was no way she would be able to kill the Capra King who was as strong as some tier 7s.

    She knew that she wasn''t talented nor was she special like Corey. She also knew that fighting a tier 6 or a tier 7 was basically inviting the Grim Reaper to take her life.

    So, there was no way she was going to be affected by her inability to kill the Capra King.

    "Two reasons."

    Corey let go of Selene''s leg, and then he raised two fingers. Selene took a step back and looked at Corey with a confused expression.

    "There are two reasons why I saved you back then and why I''m not killing you right now."

    "The first is because of my promise to your mother."

    Selene''s expression changed slightly.

    "Your mother went as far as making you my ve just so that I''ll have a reason to protect you or should I say that, the payment she made for me to protect you is that you became my ve even without your knowledge."

    "You and your mother are my ves, and if you die here, then who knows what your mother might do in the future."

    Selene looked down while clenching her fists.

    "The second reason is because I already knew or should I say I was 90% certain that you were faking it since if I die, you die. The Capra King did not mention anything about the ve seal, and neither did you¡­ Luckily for you, you chose to attack the Capra King and you almost died as a result."

    Selene''s left eye twitched.

    Corey took a step forward, and then he held her shoulder. She looked up.

    He grabbed her left hand, opened her palm, and then he ced the ancient stone of the Capra King in her hand.

    Selene stared confusedly at the dark purple stone in her left hand for a few seconds before it clicked for her.

    She looked at Corey, "An ancient stone?"

    Corey nodded without a change in his expression.

    Selene closed her fist, and she said sincerely, "Thank you."

    Corey hummed, and then he looked around with an indifferent gaze.

    "The dimension is about to copse¡­ and if we wait for it to copse, we''ll find ourselves at the Mountain of Metals."

    Selene furrowed her brows and stared at Corey with a suspicious gaze, "Are you sure? What if we die?"

    Corey shook his head slightly, "Don''t worry we won''t. We just have to avoid the falling asteroids and the fissures formed as a result of the earthquake."

    ''I made sure to ask Nina about it. My knowledge of space and time is still very rudimentary after all.'' Corey added in his heart.

    Selene released a sigh of relief. However, a secondter, she froze and looked at Corey with slightly wide eyes.

    Corey smirked, "Seems you''ve realized."

    "What if the destruction of the Capra King''s dimension causes amotion in the Mountain of Metals? And if it does, doesn''t that mean that the monsters of the Mountain of Metals would be disturbed? What if they attack us? And what if there''s an extremely strong monster?"

    "Won''t we have to fight another dangerous monster?"

    The more Selene spoke, the more nervous and fearful she became at the thought of leaving the Capra King''s dimension. However, Corey merely smiled.

    Selene saw Corey''s smile, and she felt like punching his overconfident face, however, she took in a deep breath and asked with a solemn expression.

    "So what''s the n? Are we going to run? Teleport out of there? Hide? Or what?"

    Corey chuckled, and with a smirk on his face, he said:

    "Why would I run when the Mountain of Metals is literally a mountain of extremely rare resources?"

    "What?" Selene.

 Chapter 428 427: Fusing With The Earth Infinity Crystal

    428 427: Fusing With The Earth Infinity Crystal

    Despite the fact that Corey was her master, Selene could not stop herself from staring at Corey like she was looking at a madman.

    A part of her understood why Corey would not want to give up on the Mountain of Metals. Just like he said, it was literally a mountain of resources, and just a mere cave contained so many rare and precious metals that could make her the richest individual in the Underworld.

    If just a single cave had so many precious metals and ores, then the thought of what the entire mountain would have could not be imagined.

    However, despite all of these, Selene knew that it would be extremely foolish for Corey to want the resources of the Mountain of Metals.

    The sheer number of monsters in the Mountain of Metals was more than enough for even a tier 5 or a low-level tier 6 to restrain their greed, talk less of a tier 2.

    "I know that the Mountain of Metals has so many precious resources, but you shouldn''t allow your greed to cloud your thinking. Treasures are not worth it if we''re not alive to enjoy them."

    Selene tried to convince Corey, but Corey just smiled. He patted Selene''s head, and without saying anything, he sat in a cross-legged position.

    Selene stared at him with a frown and was about to speak, but Corey beat her to it.

    "Stop worrying too much. I know what I''m doing."

    Before Selene could speak, Corey stretched out his right hand, and the Earth Infinity Crystal appeared in his palm.

    The instant the Earth Infinity Crystal appeared, the destruction of the dimension paused, and Selene''s eyes widened as she stared at the Earth Infinity Crystal in awe.

    "What- What''s that?"

    She asked, but Corey ignored her and stared at the Earth Infinity Crystal with a solemn gaze.

    This was the second Infinity Crystal Corey wasing in contact with, and unlike the Infinity Crystals that were located on New Earth, this Infinity Crystal was a whole and not a fragment.

    However, unlike his Poison Infinity Crystal, the Earth Infinity Crystal was a Mystic Infinity Crystal. Luckily for him, he had unlocked his Celestial Mana Veins and he also had Nina who was willing to help him.

    Unlike what one might expect, Corey nned on absorbing the Earth Infinity Crystal immediately so that he could reach his stat limit while gaining Earth Resistance at the same time. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Normally, if a Paragon wanted to progress to a new stage, realm, or tier in power, he or she would need an Infinity Crystal to progress, however, if the Paragon was not in possession of one, he or she would have to undergo a tribtion of hell in order to progress.

    However, if a Paragon finds an Infinity Crystal after undergoing a tribtion of hell, the Paragon can either choose to use the Infinity Crystal to advance to a new realm or the Paragon could choose to use the Infinity Crystal to strengthen his already existing realm.

    Corey chose to use the Earth Infinity Crystal to strengthen himself, and although some would say that his actions were stupid, he knew it wasn''t.

    Why?

    Because the Earth Infinity Crystal is not the only infinity crystal in the shattered dimension of the Old Ones.

    There was another infinity crystal in the shattered dimension, and Corey nned on obtaining it next, though he had no idea where it was.

    Also, fusing with the Earth Infinity Crystal where he could not be watched by those in the Underworld was a positive for him.

    Corey stared at the Earth Infinity Crystal that was randomly changing its shape, and then hemunicated with Nina.

    ''You''re sure I won''t die right?''

    [Ask me one more time and I swear I''ll make you an eunuch.]

    Corey''s lips twitched.

    ''You don''t have to get so riled up. It''s bad for your health and beauty.''

    [Seems like eunuchs are your role models?]

    Corey chuckled with a wry smile, and then he released a light sigh.

    [Just swallow the infinity crystal and I''ll do the rest. Luckily for you, you''ve unlocked your Celestial Mana Veins so you won''t die from absorbing the infinity crystal that has a lot of mystic energy in it.]

    "Is that so?"

    Corey mumbled softly, and a secondter, he brought the Earth Infinity Crystal to his mouth, and to Selene''s disbelief, he swallowed it.

    Corey tensed up, and without hesitation, he closed his eyes and focused on his body.

    Corey had expected an extremely painful reaction from the moment he swallowed the Earth Infinity Crystal, however, what he experienced was a mild difort at first.

    But three secondster, his expression changed when he felt a change in his sr plexus. He felt movement from his mana veins, arteries, and veins. Even some of his soul energy moved towards his sr plexus, and then he felt it.

    "Keugh."

    Corey arched his back while grunting with a pained expression. He gritted his teeth fiercely as he felt his entire being form a connection with the Earth Infinity Crystal, and the process was more painful than he expected.

    He could remember clearly that when the Paragon Ancestor fused the poison infinity crystal with his body, it was not painful at all. However, this time around, he felt that if not for his high pain resistance, he would have screamed out loud.

    Corey''s arteries, veins, and mana veins could be seen, and a brown glow could be seen moving about in each of them.

    After what seemed like forever, the pain stopped and Corey finally felt a profound connection with the Earth Infinity Crystal.

    Corey exhaled a turbid breath of air, and then he looked at his hands. He clenched and unclenched them multiple times, and then a smile appeared on his face.

    He did not need his status window to tell him what his current stats were since he could feel it clearly.

    ''I have reached my stat limit,'' Corey''s smile widened slightly, ''...Now, I just have to get the second infinity crystal, leave this ce, and then I can undergo my evolution to be a tier 3.''

    Corey smiled once again, and then he decided to open his status window.

    ------

    *ATTRIBUTES*

    Strength: ck Star {47%) ¡ú ck Star {100%}

    Agility: ck Star {47%) ¡ú ck Star {100%}

    Dexterity: ck Star {47%) ¡ú ck Star {100%}

    Constitution: ck Star {47%) ¡ú ck Star {100%}

    Intelligence: ck Star {47%) ¡ú ck Star {100%}

    Endurance: ck Star {47%) ¡ú ck Star {100%}

    Astral Mana: ck Star {47%) ¡ú ck Star {100%}

    *RESISTANCES*

    Fear Resistance ¡ú Lv 7

    Pain Resistance ¡ú Lv 8

    Poison Resistance ¡ú Lv 4

    Mental Maniption Resistance ¡ú Lv 8

    Earth Resistance ¡ú Lv 4

    Metal Resistance ¡ú Lv 2

 Chapter 429 428: Mystic Force; Changes

    429 428: Mystic Force; Changes

    ------

    *ATTRIBUTES*

    Strength: ck Star {47%) ¡ú ck Star {100%}

    Agility: ck Star {47%) ¡ú ck Star {100%}

    Dexterity: ck Star {47%) ¡ú ck Star {100%}

    Constitution: ck Star {47%) ¡ú ck Star {100%}

    Intelligence: ck Star {47%) ¡ú ck Star {100%}

    Endurance: ck Star {47%) ¡ú ck Star {100%}

    Astral Mana: ck Star {47%) ¡ú ck Star {100%}

    Mystic Force: {¨C}

    *RESISTANCES*

    Fear Resistance ¡ú Lv 7

    Pain Resistance ¡ú Lv 8

    Poison Resistance ¡ú Lv 4

    Mental Maniption Resistance ¡ú Lv 8

    Earth Resistance ¡ú Lv 4

    Metal Resistance ¡ú Lv 2

    -----

    "Huh?"

    Corey''s brows shot up in surprise as he stared at his status window.

    "Metal resistance? Mystic Force How?"

    Corey mumbled softly, and Nina''s voice resounded in his mind.

    [For the mystic force, it''s not surprising. The infinity crystal you fused has an unfathomable amount of mystic energy in it, and although you couldn''t absorb the mystic energy because you''re not a tier 4, a mystic being, your Celestial Mana Veins were able to adapt to the mystic energy.]

    [It transformed the mystic energy to Mystic Force for you, which means that when you use your mana, it''d have traces of Mystic Force in it, making it much stronger.]

    [The reason why there''s no number in front of it is because Mystic Force cannot be graded.]

    [In fact, your Astral Mana stat is actually more than what your status screen shows because you have two infinity crystals, but since you''re still a mortal, you can''t bring out the full potential of the infinity crystals. Only true immortals can.]

    Nina paused and waited for Corey to take in all that she had said. Although she knew that even if she kept on talking without stopping, Corey would still be able to understand and listen to all that she had said, the sight of Corey subconsciously opening his mouth was a rare sight that was satisfying to her.

    Corey''s mouth remained open for a few seconds before it changed to a slight grin.

    The most surprising thing from everything that Nina said was that he now had ess to Mystic Force.

    Apart from Mystic Energy, Mystic Force was an ability that was unique to Mystic Beings. It was what allowed their mystic energy-fueled attacks to be so dangerous.

    Not only did it cause greater damage, but it also made injuries caused by mystic energy to be more difficult to heal. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Assuming Corey had his previous Regeneration skill and not his dream healing skill, the rate at which he was able to heal the injuries caused by the Capra King would be much slower.

    Not only would he have to use a significant amount of his extremely pure mana to expel the Capra King''s energy that wasparable to mystic force that had invaded his body, but he would also need to heal the actual damages done to his body, and that would have taken so much time.

    This was one of the reasons why the Dream Healing Skill was an extremely powerful skill that Corey was extremely grateful to have.

    As for his astral mana, he could sense it. He knew that the changes to the quantity and quality of his mana could not be measured in terms of numbers.

    If he were to put it into words, increasing his mana stat through the infinity crystal was so much better than increasing his mana stat by absorbing elemental stones.

    It just felt so different.

    When he had only the poison infinity crystal, his mana had a sinister attribute to it that made it more difficult for his enemies or opponents to heal from, although it rarely showed since he either killed his enemy with ease or faced enemies that were much stronger than him.

    However, after absorbing the Earth Infinity Crystal, his mana felt¡­ heavier and more solid?

    He couldn''t exin it in words, but he knew that if he unleashed an attack with his mana, it would feel heavier than even the mana of tier 4s and maybe even tier 5s.

    If he was right, his mana was six times heavierpared to before.

    Also, ording to Nina''s words, only when he became a true immortal would he be able to use the infinity crystals to their full potential, and when he thought about it, it was not surprising.

    From the moment he became a Demi-Paragon and fused with the poison infinity crystal, his body refused to absorb mana from the infinity crystal and not from the atmosphere, and no matter how much he absorbed from the poison infinity crystal, the energy in it never got depleted.

    In fact, it felt like he had merely absorbed a spec of dust in a vast cosmos.

    If the title- Infinity Crystals, was actually true, the energy in each infinity crystal should be infinite, and only a being like the Paragon Ancestor or the Supreme Ancestor would be able to use the Infinity Crystals to their full potential.

    ''True Immortal huh?''

    [If you''re done thinking, let me exin why you were able to obtain metal resistance.]

    [There are some elemental infinity crystals that would give a Paragon more than a single elemental resistance. The majority of metals are found in the earth, and this makes the connection between metals and earth extremely close.]

    [For instance, if you fuse with an ice infinity crystal, you''ll also gain water resistance, but it''d be of a lower level.]

    Corey furrowed his brows slightly when he heard this, and he could not help but ask.

    ''If what you said is true, then shouldn''t I have gotten wood resistance also? I mean, the connection between earth and wood should be higher than that of metals right?''

    [You''re partially right. But one thing you should know is that there are some variations when ites to infinity crystals. The Earth Infinity Crystal you absorbed is not the only Earth infinity crystal in existence, there are more, and there are different types of Earth Infinity Crystals.]

    [For instance, one might give a Paragon metal resistance just like yours, while another one might give a Paragon wood resistance, and another might be a pure Earth Infinity Crystal and would only give a Paragon earth resistance.]

    [Most Paragons and even Supremes don''t care about this. Any infinity crystal is a great source of strength for any race, and any knowledgeable being would dly take any infinity crystal they''re able to obtain.]

    "Hmm." Corey stroked his chin with a pondering expression for a few seconds, and then he shrugged nonchntly.

    ''You''re right. The only thing that matters is getting an Infinity Crystal.''

    Corey slowly stood with a light smile, and then he looked at Selene who was staring at him like she was looking like a monster.

    Although she had no idea what the treasure Corey swallowed was, the energy it gave off sent shivers down her spine.

    The energy was so immense to the point that Selene even felt like there was a massive mountain hovering above her, wanting to crush her to pieces.

    To her, the amount of energy in it felt¡­ infinite and unfathomable.

    However, to her shock, disbelief, and fear, Corey swallowed the treasure and he came out fine, no, not fine¡­ stronger.

    Much stronger.

    His aura itself seemed to have caused the surroundings to be heavier.

    "Just what are you?"

    Corey chuckled, and then he chopped her forehead, "Your master."

    Selene subconsciously winced while holding her forehead with her right hand. Corey shook his head slightly, and then he looked at his status window once again.

    ''There are some other changes to my status window, mainly my level which is already maxed out, and the proficiency of some of my skills, although I don''t really care about all of that.''

    Corey frowned as he suddenly thought of the Capra King''s weapons.

    ''It''s a pity the Capra King stored his weapons before his death. If he didn''t, I''d have had extra weapons to use for an absurd idea of mine.''

    Just as Corey had this thought, he felt a change in the spatial stability of the dimension, and he quickly pulled Selene closer into a side hug.

    "We''re about to leave. Be alert and careful."

    Selene nodded, and then countless visible spatial cracks formed in the air.

 Chapter 432 431: Shrinking The Mountain of Metals

    432 431: Shrinking The Mountain of Metals

    Runes, Formations, and Arrays.

    There were many professions that one could learn. For example, one could be a cksmith, one could be a cook, one could be a beast tamer, one could be a cook, and one could be a businessman.

    Bing a formation, array, or rune specialist was a profession most without a talent or affinity for runes would choose not to learn despite the benefits it had.

    Unlike cksmiths where one could try their hardest to learn by repeatedly forging weapons, learning runes, formations, and arrays was harder.

    Corey had no idea if he had a natural affinity or talent for runes, but what he did know was that he had a cheat that could allow him to learn about runes with ease.

    His Eyes of Omniscience allowed him to see runes, and his stars of consciousness made his mental capabilities extremely terrifying.

    To Corey, regardless of whether he had a natural affinity for runes, it did not matter. The gift that was given to him by the Universe and the All-Father was all that mattered to Corey at the moment.

    Another reason why his talent was extremely unfair to so many people was because of Chucky, the spirit of the Library of Records.

    Chucky could create formations and arrays in advance for him, and since he had left a clone to interact with Chucky to not make him bored, Corey also learned about runes, formations, and arrays from Chucky.

    The stone with runes which exchanged ces with Selene was one of the already prepared formations Chucky had made. The metal b he also gave Selene was also one of the formations Chucky had made.

    ''Creating this formation might take some time. Thirty minutes at most?... Hmm¡­ Let''s try and make it twenty.''

    Corey twisted his neck to the side, and then he raised his two hands, and a secondter, his fingers moved until they moved so fast that only the afterimages could be seen.

    Corey''s pure white eyes stayed wide open as he stared at the set of runes before him with immense focus.

    To an average being that had no knowledge of runes or could not see runes, it would seem like Corey was just moving his hand at an extremely fast speed like a madman, but to those knowledgeable about runes and also those who could see runes, Corey''s actions would leave an unreasonable amount of shock in their minds that they might even die because of it¡­ almost.

    15:08

    To an average being that had no knowledge of runes or could not see runes, it would seem like Corey was just moving his hand at an extremely fast speed like a madman, but to those knowledgeable about runes and also those who could see runes, Corey''s actions would leave an unreasonable amount of shock in their minds that they might even die because of it¡­ almost.

    Those who could see runes would be able to see Corey drawing a thousand runes per second with utmost perfection, and all these runes wouldbine to form a part of a formation that should not be done by a tier 2, but a tier 6 at least.

    Not only was Corey using his extremely pure mana to fuel the formation, a feat that would drain the energy of an average tier 4, Corey was also manipting the runes that dealt with space.

    Spatial runes were one of the mostplex runes that would prove difficult for even some tier 5s and tier 6s to master and manipte, but as a tier 2, Corey manipted the spatial runes with ease.

    With every second that passed, Corey''s eyes would spew out light as his hands became faster till it seemed like Corey had no arms.

    Seventeen minutester, Corey''s hands stopped mid-air, and if one were to observe Corey''s arms, one would notice the bulging veins that ran across his arms, especially his hands.

    Corey released a deep turbid breath, and he used his arms to wipe away the sweat from his face. Corey was drenched in sweat, however, a smile could be seen on his lips.

    ''I used seventeen minutes instead of my nned twenty minutes.''

    A few momentster, the air in front of Corey flickered to life, and the sky above the Mountain of Metals brightened.

    Three seventy-meter (70m) wide formation circles appeared around Corey, and they slowly spun in the air while brightening the area around the Mountain of Metals.

    One formation circle was ced in a horizontal position, and the remaining two formation circles stood at opposite sides in a vertical position with Corey at the center.

    Corey nced at each formation circle, and then he nodded with a satisfied expression.

    Without saying a single word, he gestured in a falling motion with his two fingers, and the two vertical formation circles fell. They stopped at the middle of the Mountain of Metals, appearing at the right side and left side of the Mountain of Metals.

    Meanwhile, the horizontal formation circle remained in the same position, above the Mountain of Metals.

    A few secondster, the rotation of the three formation circles increased, and a few secondster, the Mountain of Metals trembled intensely. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    The trembling continued, and three secondster, the Mountain of Metals reduced in size, although it was noticeable at a nce. However, ten secondster, it became noticeable.

    The trembling of the Mountain of Metals became more intense, and a minuteter, the trembling stopped, and a massive hole could be seen in the position of the Mountain of Metals.

    The Mountain of Metals was nowhere to be seen, and the formation circles slowly dissipated.

    Corey stood on top of a hexagon tform. In his right hand was a miniature size of the Mountain of Metals, and on his face was a grin.

    "It worked."

    Corey could not contain his joy and relief as he held the mini-sized Mountain of Metals. Although he had been 95% certain that the formations would work, a 5% uncertainty was still an uncertainty.

    A swirling ck portal appeared beneath the Mountain of Metals, and Corey immediately transferred the Mountain of Metals into the storage space of his Tri-Pupil Eyes.

    Corey looked down, and then he saw the massive hole that was a result of the disappearance of the Mountain of Metals.

    Just as he expected, he could see some precious metals and ores in the hole, but he was not really interested in them since the Mountain of Metals had better ones or had the metals and ores he could see in the hole.

    Corey slowly lowered himself, and then he caught sight of Selene standing on a hexagon tform with a nk expression.

    The metal b filled with runes that he gave her was to protect her from the force, energy, and spatial maniption that reduced the size and weight of the Mountain of Metals.

    Since he already knew that Selene was going to be inside the mountain to obtain as many precious metals and ores as possible, he had subtly ced a hexagon barrier underneath her feet so that she wouldn''t be caught by surprise and fall.

    Coreynded in front of her, and although he was curious as to why she had such an expression, he didn''t really care.

    "Let''s leave. I noticed a city in the distance. If we''re able to find beasts or monsters we can use as mounts, it''ll reduce how long we''ll have to travel drastically."

    Selene blinked, and then she shifted her gaze from Corey to the massive hole beneath them, then back to Corey.

    Her mouth opened and closed, and when Corey saw this, he furrowed his brows slightly.

    After thinking of how best to say what was on her mind, she finally spoke.

    "You said you were going to take a long time to finish the array?"

    Although these were not the words she wanted to say, she dared not spill out the countless ''curses'', swearing, and ''abuses'' she had rained on Corey in her mind.

    Meanwhile, Corey raised his brows when he heard her words, "Didn''t I take a long time? Seventeen minutes is quite a long time."

    Selene''s lips twitched, and she wisely chose to not give a response or else she wouldn''t be able to control herself.

    She turned and looked at the massive hole that had precious metals and ores. Her eyes shed with desire.

    "Can I please take some of the metals and ores over there? I wasn''t able to take a lot of precious metals and ores."

    ''Since a certain freak finished creating three extremelyplex formations in seventeen minutes!'' She added in her mind.

    Corey''s eyes shed in understanding, and then he chuckled softly, "You may."

    Selene''s eyes brightened, and she quickly jumped into the hole below them, her voice flowed into Corey''s ears as she fell.

    "Thank you, Master."

 Chapter 437 436: Pamela

    437 436: Pam

    (Pam''s POV)

    For months, maybe even years, Pam could not recall thest time her surroundings were not enclosed by walls, her arms were not cuffed and sealed, her legs chained, and her sight blinded.

    She thought she was going to rot away without having a chance to fight, but then to her surprise, she was given freedom, and the only price she had to pay was to partake in the Battle of Chosens.

    It sounded absurd, insane, and too good to be true.

    But unlike what she expected, she was given freedom and she found herself in a strange dimension called The Dimension of The Old Ones.

    She heard the words of The Clown, and so many questions popped up in her mind, but there was none to answer her.

    Only the dense fog around her was herpanion. She was a little confused, but then she saw the faint image of a city in the distance and she decided to stay there for the time being knowing that she needed information and knowledge regarding the strange dimension she was in.

    Although she encountered some annoying situations because she was an ''Outsider'' and a tier 4 female, she was able to live fortably'' in Gravenborn City.

    She stayed in Gravenborn City for 11 days, and she learned a lot about the city and the dimension she was in. Although she could have left the city after a week, she remained for an extra four days for one reason only.

    The runes told her to stay.

    Ever since the day her entire life changed, her eyes changed and she was not only able to see the mana and runes in the air, the runes were able tomunicate with her.

    Her affinity with runes was so high to the point that if she wanted, she would see the runeposition of a person and not the person itself. The runes she saw would show her what skills the person had, his or her race, the tier of the person, and whatever secret ability the person had. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    It was a terrifying ability, and she rarely used it unless she encountered a powerful foe or somebody that piqued her curiosity. She knew that if she depended on the ability, she could eventually stop seeing people as flesh and blood but as runes instead.

    From the moment she appeared in the dimension of The Old Ones, the runes of the dimension constantly spoke to her, and she knew that there were a lot of opportunities for her to grow stronger¡­ much stronger than she currently was.

    However, the runes also told her that somebody important wasing to the city and that she just had to wait.

    It was the first time that the runes would tell her that somebody important wasing and that she should wait, and she was immediately curious.

    There were times the runes would warn her of iing danger, of the intentions of a person, or of artifacts that were secretly powerful or valuable. However, this was the first time the runes would tell her that somebody important wasing.

    How could she not be curious?

    So she waited. The runes guided her and told her to wait outside a particr outdoor restaurant on her 11th day in the city, and then she felt it.

    The first thing she felt was a mana so pure and so different that it caused her to tremble. She snapped her head in the direction of the source, and her light green pupils reflected the image of the most handsome man she had ever seen in her life.

    However, what caught her attention was not his beauty, but the mana she could senseing from the man. It was of such a high quality and purity that for an instant, her body subconsciously craved the mana.

    The other thing she noticed was that his aura subtly influenced the runes and mana in the environment. They seemed to be more¡­ obedient?

    ''He''s not a human¡­ No human should have such mana quality and purity.'' This was the first conclusion she came to, but then she had another thought, ''Or is he an immortal?... What''s his tier?''

    This was the other conclusion she came to. If the man was actually a human, then it would make sense that the man was of a high tier.

    However, when she focused more on the man, her eyes widened in disbelief and shock when she sensed the man''s tier.

    ''He''s a tier 2?''

    Pam felt like she was finally running mad. Just as she was about to question her sanity, the man paused with a frown, and then he stared back at her.

    Slowly, the man''s eyes widened in disbelief as he also stared right back at her.

    Seeing the shock in the man''s eyes, she didn''t know what to think.

    ''What did he sense?''

    This was the only sensible thought she could make, and then she could no longer hold in her curiosity.

    Her light green eyes changed, and it was no longer green but silver. Her silver eyes glowed, and at the center was a swirling deep purple and midnight-blue dust, giving them the appearance of miniature gxies.

    At the center, her pupils were etched with faint, intricate rune patterns that shifted and glowed softly. Surrounding the irises were faint golden rings that pulsed like a heartbeat.

    Gaze of the Seraph

    To her surprise, the instant she used her ocr skill, the man''s eyes changed and it became pure white.

    Her eyes flickered, but before she could formte a thought, she almost eximed out loud in extreme shock and horror.

    ''What the hell?!''

    Reflecting in her gaze were the runepositions of the man, but what she saw almost caused her to run mad. She had no choice but to hurriedly reduce the intensity of her ocr skill to the lowest level, but even such a thing was too much for her mind.

    She understood none of the runes. It was the mostplex set of runes she had ever seen, and she could not get an iota of information from the man.

    Blood slowly fell from her eyes, and she deactivated her ocr ability. She closed her eyes, and then she got up and approached the man who also had an expression filled with disbelief.

    A few momentster, she stood less than a meter in front of the man, and she could not help but blurt out.

    "Who are you?"

 Chapter 438 437: Shes A Monster

    438 437: She''s A Monster

    ''Who am I?''

    ''That''s what I should be asking you.''

    ''What sort of a monster are you?''

    Corey remained silent for a full seven seconds, his mind entirely preupied with the strangeness of the woman before him.

    His stars of consciousness red brightly as they came up with several hypotheses, each one more insane than thest. After a full seven seconds, the woman was about to speak, but Corey eventually came to a decision, and that was to check out her stats.

    With a thought, he instantly used Record on her. His left eye changed, and the woman''s eyes widened in shock and a tinge of fear. She took a step back and stared at Corey with visible fear and disbelief.

    "What? How?"

    She asked, but Corey''s mind was on the translucent screen before him.

    ----

    Name: Pam Valecrest

    Race: Arcane Human

    ss: Rune Sage

    Talent: Unlimited Energy

    Tier: 4 *ATTRIBUTES*

    Strength: Violet Star

    Agility: Violet Star

    Dexterity: Violet Star

    Constitution: Violet Star

    Endurance: Violet Star

    Mana: ¡Þ

    ----

    ''Unlimited Energy? Infinite Mana? Rune Sage? Arcane Human? Violet Star?''

    ''What the fuck is this?... She''s a monster.''

    Corey''s expression changed multiple times as his gaze remained fixed on the translucent screen before him.

    ''Did she wish for unlimited energy? What''s a Rune Sage? What''s an Arcane Human?''

    He had so many questions he wanted to ask, and he suddenly became wary of the woman before him.

    ''The racial limitations of normal Humans is yellow star, High Humans is green star, Ascended Humans is Blue star, and Primordial Humans is Indigo Star.''

    ''ording to what I learned in one of the most expensive books in the Inner Library, the human race has not been able to achieve an evolution that would allow them to break the racial limitation of being able to reach the Violet Star realm.''

    ''In fact, ording to what I read, the number of Primordial Humans are so few that in the entire universe, they could actually be counted.''

    ''But here I am, witnessing a human who has achieved the Violet Star realm. How did she do it? Is she actually an inhabitant of New Earth?''

    Corey''s expression became solemn as he focused on the translucent screen before him.

    ''Would she be stronger than the Capra King?''

    ''What would happen if I face her?... Would I lose?''

    ''Just who is she?''

    Barely three seconds had gone by from the moment Corey used Record on her, and after regaining a fraction of his calmness andposure, he shifted his gaze back to Pam, although he had seen some of her stats, he could not help but ask solemnly.

    "Who are you?"

    Pam stared at Corey with a deep frown, and her expression also became more solemn as she stared at Corey.

    ''He scanned me and was able to see some of my stats even with all the protections I have¡­ Even though I tried to block it in the next second, just that second was all he needed to some of my stats.''

    ''He was able to scan me, but I wasn''t able to scan him.''

    ''What a monster¡­ Who the fuck is he?''

    Pam''s eyes shed with wariness, and just as she was about to speak, a voice resounded in the ears of both Pam and Corey.

    "Ah! No wonder you looked familiar. You''re Pam, the leader of The Destroyers of Darkness."

    ''The leader of The Darkness Destroyers? That Pam? Wait¡­'' Corey froze as he suddenly recalled something, ''She also wrote the book on Fundamentals of Magic, and I also learned from her about runes through the books she wrote.''

    ''I never expected her to be a monster.''

    Pam shifted her gaze from Corey to Selene who stood beside Corey with a surprised and baffled expression.

    ''I was so shocked and awed by his presence that I failed to notice her presence. Who is she by the way? She seems normal, unlike this monster beside her.''

    "Who are you?" She asked with a tone of pure curiosity.

    "I''m Selene," She gestured to herself, and then she gestured towards Corey, "And he''s Smile Reaper, my Master."

    Selene had noticed the strange reaction of both Corey and Pam and though she had no idea what was going on, she wanted Pam to know that Corey was her master.

    09:55

    Although she had no idea why she had such a thought, it just naturally came to her. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Meanwhile, Pam was slightly taken aback by Selene''s words, she never expected to hear such a thing from Selene but after thinking about it, she nodded slightly and mumbled.

    "I don''t know if it''s a blessing or a curse for you to have such a monster as your Master."

    "Monster?" Selene tilted her head with a slight frown, but Pam ignored her.

    She looked at Corey who had been silently staring at her throughout the conversation, and then she smiled slightly.

    "I''d love to get acquainted with the two of you¡­ if you don''t mind."

    Corey nced at her for a second, and then he nodded his head slightly.

    "We don''t mind."

    Pam''s gaze brightened, and she pped her hands, "Alright. Do you guys want something to eat? A ce to rest? Or do you have something you have to do?"

    Pam asked since she had no idea what their ns were. If not for the runes telling her to wait behind, she would have never encountered the two of them in Gravenborn City.

    Corey nced around, and then he slowly said, "We were nning on going to the City Hall¡­ We''re new here."

    Pam was slightly taken aback, and then she chuckled, "I guess I should have expected that."

    "Well, I can help you with the citizenship process. It''ll be much faster if I go with you."

    Corey nodded slightly, "Thanks, we''d like that."

    Pam''s smile widened a little, and then she turned, "Let''s go then."

    Both Corey and Selene followed Pam from behind, and when Selene saw that Corey and Pam were no longer talking, she could not help but ask Corey what was on her mind.

    ''What happened back there?''

    Corey remained silent and gave no response for a few seconds before he finally responded.

    ''She''s strong. Extremely strong¡­ I''m not confident in a fight against her.''

    Selene''s eyes widened in disbelief, and she almost stood rooted on the spot.

 Chapter 439 438: Importance of a City Registration

    439 438: Importance of a City Registration

    ''Master is extremely wary of Pam? Why?''

    ''I know that Pam is powerful since she''s a leader of one of the top five organizations of the Underworld, but for Master to be extremely wary of her, and for him to have such a reaction from the moment he set his eyes on her, that means Master takes her very seriously.''

    ''...Maybe even more seriously than the Capra King?''

    Although Selene knew that it was absurd of her topare Pam, who was a tier 4, to the Capra King, who was as strong as a tier 6 and even some tier 7s, Corey''s reaction made her think otherwise.

    ''Hopefully, we don''t have to fight her. I''m tired of fighting people who can kill me with a flick of her finger.''

    ''Wait¡­ What am I saying?... Aren''t I a tier 4 also? I should have a chance¡­ right?'' n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Unfortunately, Selene found herself wondering how the world had changed so much for her.

    ''Sigh¡­ Ever since I started following him my view on a lot of things has been shattered¡­ There''s nomon sense when ites to him anymore.''

    As Selene became lost in her thoughts, Pam led them to the city hall, and unlike what one would expect, no words were spoken between Corey and Pam.

    Corey''s mind was instantly filled with countless battle simtions against Pam. Meanwhile, Pam''s mind was filled with countless thoughts of Corey.

    To her frustration, she knew nothing about Corey, but she was certain that Corey already knew something about her. She just wished what he knew was not too important.

    The fact that she lost to Corey in their ability to obtain information fueled her frustration and also her excitement.

    Momentster, the trio found themselves in front of an unassuming building that had a que at the top saying, City Hall.

    They entered, and unlike what Corey and Selene expected, the ce barely had people in it. From what Corey could see, there were only four people in it.

    Two seemed to be male guards.

    One seemed to be a female cleaner, and thest was a female who sat behind an ordinary-looking table.

    Corey looked around with raised brows, and he could not help but wonder.

    ''She said that if she came with us the registration would be less stressful, but from what I can see, nothing hints about stress in this ce.''

    Corey nced at Pam, and she felt his gaze. She looked at Corey and when she saw his expression, she instantly knew what was on his mind.

    She chuckled softly, "I know what''s on your mind, and no, I did not lie to you. Normally, if Outsiders like us want to be citizens of Gravenstone City or any established city, the normal thing is for us to undergo a series of tests and also a ritual at the end of the day."

    Corey and Selene raised their brows at the same time and eximed at the same time.

    "Tests? Ritual?"

    Pam nodded.

    "Yes. The tests are done for them to know how strong you are, what your abilities are, and also for them to have an idea of your personality."

    Corey tilted his head to the side slightly with furrowed brows.

    "What''s the point in doing all of these?"

    "Can''t they just ask us?" Selene could not help but also speak what was on her mind.

    Pam smiled faintly, "Well, ording to them. We''re not the first Outsiders to arrive in their world, and there have been past Outsiders that caused the destruction of some cities and settlements in the past. This is just a way of them taking precautions against potential powerful Outsiders with evil tendencies."

    "And what if I choose not to reveal everything that I have? What will they do? In fact, what if I decide to just attack this ce or do whatever I want in this city? If I had the power, I could choose to do so without undergoing the registration." Corey spoke with a tinge of confusion in his tone.

    Pam nodded without a change in her expression, "I also had the same questions, but what you failed to ask was why it''s necessary for you to register yourself in a city."

    Corey''s pupils flickered.

    Without waiting for a response from Corey, Pam spoke,

    "The reason why registering in a city is very important is because without registering in a city, you won''t be able to make use of the Ancient Stone of the city."

    "After you go through all the tests, you''ll be under an unknown probation period, but you''ll be given a temporary Ancient Seal."

    "The temporary Ancient Seal would allow you to be anchored to the ancient stone of the city, but if the city lord or any other person with the authority, he or she can choose to exclude you from the benefit of the ancient stone with ease."

    "If you satisfy or please the city lord or those in power, you''ll undergo a ritual and be given a permanent ancient seal."

    "I have a permanent ancient seal, and no matter where I am, I wouldn''t be teleported to a random ce when the bell chimes."

    Corey''s eyes shed as he stared at the symbol at the back of Pam''s hand.

    The symbol looked like the letters G and S joined together beautifully.

    "Seems there''s a lot I have to learn about this ce."

    Corey spoke calmly, and Selene''s smile widened slightly. She was about to say something, but she paused and pped her head.

    "Oh yeah, there''s another reason why it''s extremely important for you to register yourself, and this reason is mainly for this city."

    Corey and Selene raised their brows.

    "The dead can rise in this city."

    Corey and Selene''s eyes widened in shock and disbelief, and Selene immediately eximed loudly.

    "What the hell?!"

    Pam chuckled, and then she nced at the four people in the city hall who remained quiet and were watching them with neutral expressions.

    "If somebody dies in Gravenstone City or in that dense fog that''s outside Gravenstone City, they be undead or in our words, zombies."

    "Because of this, there are rituals and methods that are done by certain people of the city to prevent this."

    "This is also why of all the cities, Gravenstone City is one of the cities that ce extreme importance on city registration. Assuming one of us dies and we be zombies that have retained a lot of our abilities, it would be a disaster for Gravenstone City."

    "With the registration system in ce, those in power are able to know when an important or powerful person bes a zombie and they''re able to take precautions."

    "Normally, you''d have to go through a lot of annoying tests if I were not here, but now that I''m here, I can vouch for you guys and you guys can obtain a temporary ancient seal."

 Chapter 440 439: Dont Lie

    440 439: Don''t Lie

    After listening to Pam''s exnation, Corey finally understood why it was extremely important for one to register themselves in a city.

    Not only did it help the leaders of a city know who could be a potential threat to the safety of the city, but it also helped them to gain a sort of control over the uncontroble element called Outsiders.

    To Outsiders like him, if he wanted, he could choose tomit mass ughter since ording to The Clown, they would not truly die and they were also not of this world so they had no attachments to this world.

    Finding an ancient stone was not easy at all. Take, for example, Corey had killed a herd of Capra Feroxes but not a single one of them dropped an ancient stone.

    He had to kill a Temple Guardian and a being that was stronger than an average tier 6 to get an ancient stone.

    If one had to face deadly monsters like the Temple Guardian or the Capra King, then Corey was sure that very few would have an ancient stone.

    This meant that to avoid being teleported to a random ce, one would have to be connected to a city or a settlement to obtain at least a temporary ancient seal.

    ''As for the permanent ancient seal, I don''t know why, but I''m not fullyfortable with it. At least I have an ancient stone so I don''t need to be worried.''

    Corey thought, and then he recalled the peculiar situation of Gravenstone City.

    ''Dead people cane back to life as zombies¡­ No wonder the fog outside the city felt familiar but also unfamiliar at the same time. The fog''s aura is simr to the aura of Triple X¡­ The aura of death.''

    09:59 N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "Thank you for helping us. It''s much better for us if we don''t have to take lengthy tests."

    Pam smiled faintly, and then she gestured with her right hand, "Don''t worry about it. I already said I''d like to be acquainted with somebody as talented as you."

    Corey''s eyes flickered slightly, and then a faint smile appeared on his lips.

    "Likewise."

    Pam nodded with the same smile, and then she turned towards the woman who sat behind a desk.

    Knowing what she had to do the woman did not wait for Pam to speak, and she directed her attention towards Corey and Selene.

    A slightly dazed expression could be seen on the woman''s face as she stared at Corey''s handsome face. With a slightly vacant expression, she spoke:

    "I''ll need your full names, tier, battle prowess, elemental affinity or affinities, and the type of Genesis Armament you both have¡­ Oh, Genesis Armament is the growth weapon you lucky Outsiders were given when you appeared in our world."

    When he heard the woman asking about their Genesis Armament, he wondered if she was also going to ask for the grade of their Genesis Armament, but she didn''t.

    Numerous hypotheses appeared in Corey''s mind, and after thinking about them thoroughly, he came to a conclusion.

    ''They probably didn''t ask about the grade because from my tier, and how long we Outsiders have spent in the shattered dimension, I should not have encountered any powerful monster that would either upgrade my Genesis Armament to a high grade or give my Genesis Armament powerful abilities.''

    ''I''m a tier 2, and to them, even if I''m talented just like Pam said, then at most, I''d have killed a weak tier 4 by sheer luck. This is the norm.''

    ''Nobody would have ever expected me to kill a Temple Guardian, and surely, absolutely no one would have expected me to kill a being like the Capra King.''

    ''My Genesis Armament is as powerful as an Indigo-grade weapon, and its destructive power is not small. If I''m right, my Genesis Armament alone is enough of a threat to Gravenstone City¡­ It might also incite the greed of various people.''

    ''She also called us Lucky Outsiders. Maybe Genesis Armaments are not somon among the inhabitants of this world. I guess I''ll have to be careful in revealing my Genesis Armament until I know more.''

    Corey was about to give his reply, but then a familiar voice resounded softly directly inside his mind.

    ''Don''t lie. Say the truth but not the whole truth. Don''t look at me.''

    Corey barely restrained himself from looking at Pam, and in that fraction of a second, his stars of consciousness brought up many hypotheses as to why Pam would tell him to say the truth.

    He was certain that she already knew he was much stronger than an average tier 2, however, he was not certain how much she knew.

    ''She should have known that most people who like us who can fight way above our tier would choose not to expose our actual battle prowess.''

    ''She knew that I''d most likely lie about my battle prowess, but for her to tell me not to lie, then that means they have a way of knowing if I''m lying or not.''

    Corey nced at the woman, and then he nced at the two male guards and the female cleaner who were in the building.

    ''Could it be one of their abilities? Or is it an object?''

    Barely a second passed after Pam spoke directly into his mind, and he decided to push the fact that Pam could speak directly to his mind even with all his defenses to the back of his mind.

    ''Could it be an ability of her ss, Rune Sage?... She''s a true monster.''

    Corey could not restrain his smile, and to everybody in the building, it was like he was giving the woman a smile that almost made her blush.

    "Name is Corey Zane, tier 2, Genesis Armament is an axe, battle prowess is a low-level tier 4. As for my elemental affinity, I''m not sure."

    Corey answered everything truthfully except his battle prowess.

    He told them his battle prowess was a low-level tier 4, and in a way, he was lying and not lying at the same time.

    He deliberately used the term ''low level'' since technically, if he fought a low-level tier 4 being, and the stats of the being were in the Violet Star realm like Pam, then it''ll be extremely difficult.

    To Corey, what was more important in a fight were the stats and skills of an opponent, not his level.

    After Corey finished speaking, the woman took a subtle nce to the side for a fraction of a second before looking back at the paper that was in front of her.

    She grabbed the quill that was beside the paper, and Corey noticed that there was no ink bottle. However, he also noticed something else.

    ''The female cleaner huh?''

    The woman writing down his information had taken a nce in the direction of the female cleaner. Although his Eyes of Omniscience were not active so he didn''t have a bird''s eye view of everything around him, he knew the exact positions of the two male guards and the female cleaner.

    ''If they have an object that can tell if one is lying or if they have abilities that can tell if one is lying, then I should also assume that such a thing would not only be avable in the city hall of various cities.''

    ''I''ll have to be careful with my words in the future.''

    Corey thought as the woman took his information and then Selene''s information. After doing all of these, they all left the city hall.

 Chapter 441 440: Orange Juice

    441 440: Orange Juice

    After leaving the city hall, Pam asked Corey and Selene what they nned on doing next, and when Selene mentioned that they had to look for a ce to rest, Pam asked if they did not mind staying in her ce.

    Although Corey was still wary of Pam, she had helped them with the city registration, she had no ill intent towards them, and most importantly, she knew more about Gravenstone City and the dimension of the Old Ones than them.

    Corey needed information, and he hoped to get some free information from Pam.

    "Do you guys want anything? I have water, orange juice, coffee, tea, beer, alcohol, fruits, and some snacks¡­ Oh, if you by chance want something to eat, then I can cook something for you. I always make sure to stock up my kitchen with food."

    Pam asked both Corey and Selene as they sat in the parlor of Selene''s house.

    The parlor had four couches, a table, a firece, and ck curtains. Also, unlike the outside walls, the inside of the house was painted white, a stark contrast to the ck and dark atmosphere in the streets of Gravenstone.

    When Corey and Selene heard Pam''s words, they could not help but stare strangely.

    "What?" Pam chuckled.

    "You know that people like us rarely eat right? We don''t have to eat since we can live off mana. I can''t even remember thest time I ate."

    Selene spoke with a strange expression. The concept was now somewhat strange to her. When it came to consuming food or drinks, it was either water or alcohol, not orange juice, tea, coffee, snacks, or actual food.

    In a dimension as strange and dangerous as the Dimension of The Old Ones, it was strange to both Corey and Selene to be offered actual food, snacks, orange juice, and tea.

    Meanwhile, Pamughed when she heard Selene''s words. Selene was not the first and neither would she be thest person to speak out on her ''strange'' habit.

    "Although my body does not food, I like the taste of it, and I don''t want to forget how I used to eat as a human just because I got some powers¡­ Besides, I love cooking."

    Pam chuckled with a bright smile, and Corey and Selene were dazed by Pam''s happy smile.

    Corey came out of his dazed state a secondter, and then he spoke, "I''d like some coffee and some fruits."

    Pam raised her brows and stared at Corey strangely, "Who eats coffee and fruits at the same time."

    Corey raised his brows slightly, "Me."

    Pam''s lips twitched, "Coffee and fruits don''t go together."

    "Says who?" Corey raised his brows the more, and Pam felt her fingers twitch. She wanted to say something, but after thinking about it, she chose to exhale softly, and then she mumbled under her breath.

    "That''s what cultists eat."

    This time around, it was Corey''s lips that twitched.

    ''Who the hell is a cultist? And how do you know what cultists eat?''

    Deciding to ignore Corey who had shown a red g, she turned towards Selene with a smile.

    "What about you, Selene? What would you like to eat?"

    Selene had a conflicted expression under Pam''s gaze. On one hand, she was more used to alcohol and water, and on the other hand, she was also curious about what orange juice tasted like.

    10:00 n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Pam nodded with a relieved smile, "Good. At least you''re not like some weirdos."

    ''Why are you speaking like we''re close friends, Mrs. I love to eat and cook.'' Corey''s lips could not help but twitch.

    With a light smile, Pam went into the kitchen, and a few minutester, she came back with two trays. She ced the two trays on the table in front of Corey and Selene.

    Corey picked up his mug of coffee, and Selene picked up her cup of orange juice. They both drank out of their drinks and when they did, their eyes widened.

    "So sweet!"

    Selene eximed, and she gulped down the cup of orange juice so quickly that before one could blink, the drink ''vanished'' from the cup.

    Selene smacked her lips, and she closed her eyes in euphoria as she savored the taste of the orange juice.

    She opened her eyes some secondster, and then she looked at Pam with a slight blush on her cheeks.

    "Can- Can I have some more?" Selene shyly asked, and Pam chuckled.

    "Sure thing. Why not."

    With glittering stars in her eyes, Selene gave the ss cup back to Pam.

    Corey nced at Selene with a strange expression, and he could not help but ask.

    "Is this your first time tasting orange juice?"

    Selene blushed slightly, and then she nodded, "Yep."

    "Wow," Corey eximed softly, and then he took another sip of his hot coffee.

    ''It''s the best coffee I''ve had.''

    Corey thought, and then he also chose to savor the lingering taste of the coffee on his tongue, though he did not express his like Selene.

    Some secondster, Pam came back with another tray, and on this tray were three jugs.

    "I overheard your conversation with Corey, and I decided to bring three fruit juice¡­" Pam paused, and then she ced the tray on the table before gesturing at the three jugs.

    "This one here is orange juice, this one is pineapple juice, and this one is grape juice."

    Selene''s eyes shone like stars, and she quickly poured herself another cup of orange juice. She still had the lingering taste of the orange juice on her tongue.

    She would finish the orange juice first, and then she''d try the remaining drinks!

    Pam chuckled when she saw Selene''s reaction, and then she looked at Corey who was also looking back at her.

    She smiled faintly, "So, is there anything you want to say?"

    Corey nodded, and then he took a sip of his coffee before speaking.

    "I want to know what those tattoos I''ve been seeing on the bodies of the inhabitants of the shattered dimension are. I have some knowledge of runes, so I know those are not normal tattoos¡­ They are runes."

 Chapter 442 441: Tainted (1)

    442 441: Tainted (1)

    "I want to know what those tattoos I''ve been seeing on the bodies of the inhabitants of the shattered dimension are. I have some knowledge of runes, so I know those are not normal tattoos¡­ They are runes."

    The instant Corey said these words, Pam''s eyes flickered, and then she smiled faintly.

    "I''m quite surprised you know about runes. Not everybody knows about runes."

    Corey nodded, "Your books helped."

    Pam furrowed her brows, and a few secondster, her eyes widened slightly in realization.

    "The books I published in the Underworld?"

    Corey nodded, "Your book on Fundamental Magic in the Outer Library and your book on runes taught me a lot."

    Pam smiled, "Thanks. I''m happy my books were able to teach somebody about runes. Very few would be interested in runes and the intricacies of magic, and I don''t know why the Underworld made my books expensive."

    Corey raised his brows when he heard thest part of her sentence. Although he was curious, he was more curious about the tattoos he saw on the bodies of the inhabitants of the shattered dimension.

    "First of all, those you see with tattoos are called The Tainted."

    "In case you don''t know, the inhabitants of the dimension of The Old Ones are not like us. They don''t have the Universal System. Their cultivation system is much differentpared to ours."

    Corey''s eyes flickered, ''It''s just as I expected¡­ The energy the Capra King and the Temple Guardian used was simr to mana but it was also different from mana.''

    "I call the tattoos on the body of the Tainted, Rune Tattoos because the cultivation system of the inhabitants of the dimension of the Old Ones is based on their tattoos which are actually runes like you said."

    "ording to what I know, normally, each inhabitant gets a unique rune tattoo when they turn 18. There are several factors that determine the type of rune tattoos a child would get after 18, and most of the time, the child usually undergoes several tests."

    "The tattoos are carved onto their bodies through rituals that involve the bone, ash, and blood from in creatures. After getting a rune tattoo, the child bes a Tainted and he or she would have ess to Chaos energy. The rune tattoo can give a Tainted the ability to manipte certain elements, it can grant an increase in the physical strength of a Tainted, or it can allow a Tainted to transform into monsters."

    "The rune tattoos and chaos essence are powerful, but theye at a great risk. The tattoos feed on the Tainted''s mental state, and it can react violently when the Tainted is under stress. The tattoos respond to the Tainted''s emotions or desperation, and they can warp or evolve unexpectedly if the Tainted''s mental state is unstable."

    "Overusing the rune tattoos can lead to a condition where the Tainted would lose control, and his or her mind would be unstable, sometimes resulting in temporary insanity or physical mutation."

    "There are six stages in the rune tattoo system of the Tainted." n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "They call those in the first stage are called Novice of the Mark or Novice in short. To be a Novice, one has to go through a ritual where the bone, ash, and blood from monsters are used to inscribe a tattoo on the body of an 18 year old."

    "Novices gain a single Primary Rune Tattoo that grants them a basic power, like elemental maniption, bodily transformation, or heightened physical abilities. Once a Novice is in a heightened emotional state such as fear or anger, they can be stronger¡­ Basically, they''re like Berserkers."

    "Those in the second stage are called Bearer of the Fractured, or the Fractured in short."

    "Fractured is one of the most defining stages in the rune tattoo system of the Tainted because Tainted''s develop a different type of power called Chaos Mark."

    "Chaos Marks allows a Tainted to have more abilities, and it also allows them to be much stronger. However, although the Chaos Marks grants a Tainted more power, they are more sensitive to emotional swings, thereby affecting a Tainted''s mind and body."

    "For a Novice to be a Fractured, a Novice would have to survive battles, and it must involve an intense emotional experience, such as rage, fear, or despair duringbat. In such a state, the Tainted''s Primary Rune Tattoo would be pushed to its absolute limits, causing the Rune Tattoo to fracture and split, creating new Chaos Marks."

    "The third stage is called Seeker of the Devouring or Seekers in short."

    "At this level, Tainteds learn Essence Devouring, an ability that allows them to absorb the essence from a defeated enemy, and they temporarily gain their traits."

    "Although Seekers temporarily gain more power when they devour the essence of an enemy they killed, Seekers don''t only absorb the powers and abilities of the enemy, they also absorb the personalities of the devoured enemy, and this can lead to heightened aggression, paranoia, or other mental influences."

    "For a Fractured to be a Seeker, he or she would have to find an opponent, whether monster, beast, or another Tainted, kill the opponent, and then consume a portion of their opponent''s essence after victory."

    "For a potential Seeker, the opponent they face and kill is very important to them because they would be able to permanently obtain all of the opponent''s abilities, and depending on the difference in physical abilities, the potential seeker might also be much stronger than an average Seeker."

    "Take for example, if a Fractured killed a powerful Seeker, then he would gain morepared to one who decides to kill another Fractured to progress to a Seeker."

    "However, just like the previous stages, once a Fractured absorbs the essence of his or her defeated enemy, they would not only absorb the abilities of the enemy, but the personality of the enemy. Because of this, it''s not strange for a Seeker to have a split personality, though, I got to learn that the Tainteds have found a way to stop themselves from losing control."

 Chapter 443 442: Tainted (2)

    443 442: Tainted (2)

    After Pam spoke about the Seekers, she paused, and then she poured herself a cup of grape juice. She drank it with a contented expression, and then she nced at Corey who was staring at her without blinking.

    His expression was t, expressionless, and if a stranger were here, they would think that Corey had gone brain-dead. Meanwhile, Corey''s mind was on the information that Pam had just given him, and he was waiting for her to continue.

    Fortunately, she did not keep him waiting, and she continued speaking with a tinge of enthusiasm and excitement in her tone.

    "After the Seeker, Tainteds in the fourth stage are called Harbingers of the Taint or Harbingers in short."

    "The main obstacle for the Tainteds who want to reach this stage is that they have to find an ancient rune to fuse with. Tainteds who are about to be Harbingers unlock an ability called Rune Melding, and this allows them to fuse their Rune Tattoos with a different type of rune called Ancient Runes."

    "I don''t know much about Ancient Runes, but from what I could gather and learn, Ancient Runes are distinct because of their color. They''re either ck or Red."

    Corey''s expression froze for a second, and his mind went back to his Genesis Armament.

    "It''s also said that Ancient Runes are runes of the Old Ones, and they can be gotten from the Temples of the Old Ones or the Ancient Stones of Cities, Viges, and other established settlements."

    "However, the Ancient Stone of settlements is usually limited in the number of runes a Tainted can fuse with, unlike the Temples of the Old Ones which is said to have countless number of ancient runes."

    Corey''s eyes glowed subtly as he pondered on Pam''s words.

    ''The ancient stone of a city, vige, or an established settlement has an ancient rune? Does that mean that the difference between an individual ancient stone and a city ancient stone is not little?''

    Corey was certain that his ancient stone and Selena''s ancient stone had no ancient rune, however, the same could not be said for his Genesis Armament.

    ''My Genesis Armament is filled with red and ck runes¡­ Are they ancient runes?'' Corey could not help but wonder.

    "You might not fully understand what I said about the Ancient Runes, but if you go to the ancient stone of Gravenstone City, you''ll understand. As for the temple, even I am not allowed to enter."

    Corey''s brows rose in slight surprise.

    "Now, where was I again?" Pam mumbled while snapping her fingers, and then she stopped while eximing.

    "Yeah, I was talking about Harbingers."

    "As I was saying, Harbingers are Tainteds that have fused their Rune Tattoo with an Ancient Rune, and when they do this, they usually be much stronger in terms of physical strength, they gain more abilities, and their original tattoos be moreplex."

    "However, there''s a high risk of death during melding, and even if one sessfully melds, Tainteds usually suffer in two ways."

    "The first is that Harbingers usually suffer a permanent physical or mental scar, and most of the time, they experience elerated aging. Because of this, a lot of Tainteds are wary of old men and women since there''s a high possibility of them being Harbingers."

    "Harbingers are weird to me because even though they''re old, their life span does not decrease, but increases."

    "Tainteds in the fifth stage are called Dreadkeepers of the Ancients or Dreadkeepers in short."

    "Dreadkeepers are seen as legendary figures, and a Dreadkeeper would be treated with immense respect throughout the dimension of the Old Ones."

    "When ites to Dreadkeepers, this is where Tainteds be envious of we Outsiders. Just like me, you were also given a weapon that can evolve, and Tainteds call such weapons, Genesis Armaments."

    "My knowledge of Genesis Armaments iscking, so I can''t give you any concrete information about them. However, what I do know is that Harbingers desire to have a Genesis Armament so that they can be Dreadkeepers."

    "For a Harbinger to be a Dreadkeeper, he or she must bind themselves to an Ancient Weapon. Those seven massive weapons are examples of Ancient Weapons, they''re the only Ancient Weapons I''ve seen. I''ve also heard and read that every Temple has an Ancient Weapon."

    "A Tainted would have to lock their Rune Tattoos to the Ancient Weapon. Whenpleted sessfully, the Dreadkeeper would be able to manipte the Chaos Energy on a grander scale, and they can even open minor rifts to summon creatures from another dimension¡­ I don''t know what this unknown dimension is."

    "If a Tainted fails to sessfully bind their Rune Tattoos to an Ancient City, they''d be permanently bound to the Ancient Weapon for eternity. Their body and soul would be tortured for eternity."

    "However, for those that have a Genesis Armament, they can decide to nurture their Genesis Armament to their desired grade, and then they can fuse with it without any side-effect."

    "Andst but not least, thest stage is called Ascendant of the Abyss or Ascendants in short."

    "There''s not much information on this stage, but after pulling every string possible, I was able to get some information about Ascendants."

    "ording to what I know, Ascendants be embodiments of chaos, and they can take multiple forms. They can distort time,plete control over chaos energy, and they can also manipte the environment."

    "As for the cost, I only know of one. If they use too much chaos energy, it could lead to physical and mental dissolution into the shattered dimension."

    "Oh yeah, I almost forgot¡­ A Novice isparable to a tier 1, a Fractured to a tier 2, a Seeker to a tier 3, a Harbinger to a tier 4, a Dreadkeeper to a tier 5, and an Ascendant to a tier 6."

    Corey''s expression became slightly strange. He didn''t know why, but he expected¡­ more.

    Pam saw his expression, and she instantly understood what was on his mind. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "A piece of advice, don''t underestimate these people. The weakest Novice would have physical stats that areparable to a tier 1 with stats in the Green Star realm¡­ And that is just the weakest."

    Corey nodded with a slightly solemn expression when he heard Pam''s words.

    ''It might seem weird and stupid of me to want my potential enemies to be more powerful, but it was an instinctual response.''

    ''To him, how could a ce that has a Nightmare Finger and beings called The Old Ones be ordinary."

 Chapter 444 443: Principalities and Powers

    444 443: Principalities and Powers

    It took a while for Corey to process his thoughts on the information Pam had just given him. If there was anything he felt after listening to Pam, it was immense curiosity, intrigue, and a desire to know more about the Rune Tattoo System of the dimension of the Old Ones.

    Nina had once told him that there was no way he could be as strong as the Paragon Ancestor and the Supreme Ancestor if he relied on the Universal System, and if one thought about it, it made absolute sense.

    How could he use a creation of the Supreme Ancestor to be as strong as the Supreme Ancestor?

    Would somebody like the Supreme Ancestor who had lived for countless years be so dumb or nonchnt to allow such a thing to ur?

    Another ring problem one might ignore but should not ignore was that the Wandering Paragon, the Old Man who gave him his Poison Infinity Crystal and the blood essence of the Paragon Ancestor, told him that the Paragon Ancestor was the strongest being across the Multiverse.

    The Paragon Ancestor also told him that the Supreme Ancestor was a conqueror, and what he conquered were universes.

    So, how could he use a system that was limited to a single system to be as strong as the Supreme Ancestor or the Paragon Ancestor?

    This was an issue that Corey had issued to three stars of consciousness to work on.

    The only cultivation system he knew of was the Universal System that made it ''easy'' for them to be strong. They just had to absorb enough soul stones to advance from one tier to another.

    At first, one might say that the Elemental Breathing Technique given to him by the Paragon Ancestor was a cultivation technique, but it was not.

    The elemental breathing technique only taught him how to absorb the elemental energy from elemental stones to strengthen himself. It did not have realms or stages like the cultivation novels he had read in the past or the Rune Tattoo System he just learned from Pam.

    Although Corey desired a cultivation system that would make him as powerful as the Paragon Ancestor, he knew that there was a simple solution.

    He just had to ask the Paragon Ancestor for a cultivation technique.

    However, he chose not to for a very stupid reason. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    He didn''t want to take the same path the Paragon Ancestor took to be who he currently was. If he did, what would make him distinct from the Paragon Ancestor?

    It was a very stupid reason because he was a mortal with no knowledge about the intricacies of power, but his pride wanted to be distinct from beings like the Paragon Ancestor and the Supreme Ancestor.

    Corey knew this, and he decided to do just one thing¡­ Wing it.

    He''ll keep on getting stronger, and as he gets stronger, he believes that he''lle upon a path that will make him stronger.

    Fortunately, he came across another cultivation system- The Rune Tattoo System.

    Corey had zero ns of having rune tattoos, however, he wanted to study it. He wanted to know everything about it.

    This was the first cultivation system he wasing across apart from the Universal System, and he knew that he had to learn everything about it as fast as possible while he was in the dimension of the Old Ones.

    So many questions appeared in his mind. For example:

    Why were those with rune tattoos called Tainteds?

    Why was it that there was a cost or side effect to those that became Tainted?

    What was chaos energy?

    How was it different from mana?

    What was mana actually?

    How many types of energies are there?

    How does one fuse with a weapon?

    And who were the Old Ones?

    Corey had so many more questions, and he had a feeling that getting the answers to these questions would not be easy.

    After approximately five minutes, Corey came out of his thoughts, and then he looked at Pam who was calmly sipping from a cup of fresh hot tea.

    He nced at Selene, and he found her slowly enjoying the snacks in front of her. She had been surprised, taken aback, and almost overwhelmed by the information Pam had given them, but she was not like Corey and she did not have as many questions as Corey had.

    Corey slowly exhaled, and then he asked another question that was on his mind.

    "What of the monsters? Do they have grades?"

    Pam slowly nodded with the cup of tea in her mouth. She calmly took a sip, and then she continued.

    "Just like the Rune Tattoo System, there are six grades of monsters."

    "The lowest grade of monsters are called Lesser Abomination. Second-grade monsters are called Greater Abomination. Third-grade monsters are called Nightmares. Fourth-grade monsters are called Titans. Fifth-grade monsters are called Principalities, and Sixth-grade monsters are called Powers."

    "A Lesser Abomination is simr to a Tier 1 monster, but the stats of a lesser abomination are always at least in the yellow star realm."

    "A Greater Abomination isparable to a Tier 2 monster."

    "A Nightmare isparable to a Tier 3 monster."

    "A Titan isparable to a Tier 4 monster."

    "A Principality isparable to a Tier 5 monster, however, a Principality is so strong to the point that it can even kill an above average Tier 6 monster or human."

    "A Power isparable to a tier 6, and just like Principalities, they''re extremely powerful to the point that they can also kill a tier 7."

    "In case you don''t know, the difference between a tier 6 and a tier 7 is as vast as the difference between the heavens and the earth."

    ''So the Capra King was a Power?'' Corey had this thought when he heard Pam''s words.

    ''I wonder why the inhabitants of this dimension cannot go beyond tier 6? Or can they, but it''s not publicly known?''

    Corey thought with a slightly curious expression, and some secondster, he looked at Pam and asked the third most important question he wanted to know.

    "When we came to this city, the guard at the gate said these exact words; ''I wee you to Gravenstone City¡­ The Forsaken and Cursed City of the Old Ones.'' What did he mean?''

 Chapter 445 444: History of Gravenstone City; Starfallen

    445 444: History of Gravenstone City; Starfallen

    "What did he mean by that?"

    Pam softly repeated Corey''s words while sipping from her cup of tea. She took another sip, and then she slowly dropped the cup of tea.

    "To answer your question, let me start by telling you about the history of Gravenstone City I was able to obtain through the books in the library."

    Pam rested her back on the chair, and then she crossed her legs by cing her left leg on top of her right leg.

    "A long time ago, Gravenstone City was a fortress founded by a legendary order known as The Chainbearers. They were a group of seven Ascendants, and they were devoted to sealing an ancient entity known as the Starfallen. It was said that the Starfallen was a being from outside the shattered dimension who had been summoned during a cataclysmic ritual that destroyed the original fortress and a fourth of the shattered dimension."

    "To prevent it from unleashing more devastation, the Chainbearers sacrificed themselves by embedding their souls into their Genesis Armaments which are the seven chains you see anchoring the city. Legends say that the chains cannot be broken or moved unless the entity beneath awakens, in which case, the chains would shatter, allowing the Starfallen to reim its form."

    At this point, Corey could not help but interrupt Pam.

    He raised his hand, "Sorry, sorry, but I have a question."

    Pam stopped speaking, and then she nodded, signaling for Corey to continue.

    "You said that the seven chains were the Genesis Armaments of the Chainbearers who were Ascendants¡­"

    Pam nodded, and Corey frowned.

    "But how''s that possible? I clearly remember you saying that the seven chains were Ancient Weapons, not Genesis Armament."

    Pam nodded once more, and then she spoke, "You''re right. I was also confused when I read this, and unfortunately, I wasn''t able to get a satisfactory and concrete answer."

    "I was told that it''s because the Chainbearers died and the Old Ones were also involved."

    Corey''s frown deepened for a second, but then his expression went back to normal and he gestured for Pam to continue.

    "Recently, there have been tremors that shook the cliff and the city, and the citizens here live with the unnerving reality that each tremor they feel is not a natural earthquake but a sign of the Starfallen stirring below."

    "It''s said that the battle between the seven ascendants and the Star Fallen was so great that it caused great changes to this region of the shattered continent that they changed the name of this region from the Chainbearers Region to the Starfallen Region."

    "I heard that there''s a danger zone called The Morphing Expanse where thend is always changing. It can be and filled with mountains at one point, then it can randomly change to a desert that rains."

    "I also heard rumors that there''s a Principality in the Morphing Expanse."

    ''He''s not a Principality, but a Power.'' Corey thought while resisting the urge to speak out loud. To his relief, Selene did not say anything in response to Pam''s words.

    However, what Corey did not know was that Selene was savoring and enjoying the never-ending snacks and fruit juice. Although she was also paying attention to Pam''s words, since her mouth was filled with pineapple juice, and Corey did not tell Pam that they went to the Morphing Expanse, she decided to keep shut and enjoy her drink and snacks.

    10:04

    Not knowing of Corey and Selene''s thoughts, Pam continued speaking.

    "Apart from the Morphing Expanse, the fog you see outside is also a danger zone. It''s called the Fog of Death."

    "There are many existences rted to death in the Fog of Death. There are a lot of zombies, ghouls, death knights, ghouls, and even various types of ghosts like specters and wraiths in the fog."

    "Ghosts?" Selene paused what she was doing, and stared at Pam with a stunned expression.

    Pam nodded, "Yes, ghosts¡­ Are you by chance¡­ afraid of ghosts?"

    Selene paused for a second, and then grabbed a snack and took a bite from it while shaking her head.

    "Not at all, not at all." She mumbled softly.

    ''She''s scared of ghosts.'' Pam and Corey thought at the same time.

    Pam shook her head softly, and then she continued.

    "Apart from those monsters I just mentioned, I also heard that there''s a Principality in the depths of the fog, and the Principality''s mere presence makes the fog more dangerous."

    "The reason why that guard said Gravenstone City is a cursed and forsaken city of the Old Ones is because no citizen of Gravenstone has been able to be an Ascendant. In fact, there''s only one Dreadkeeper, and he''s getting old."

    "The citizens of Gravenstone believe that they have been cursed and forsaken by the Old Ones because no matter how much they try, they have not been able to produce another Dreadkeeper, talk less of an Ascendant."

    "Also, there are times when thousands of monsters would attack the city, and then they''ll have to fight a bloody fight to protect their city." Corey''s brows furrowed slightly, and he could not help but ask the most important question on his mind.

    "Do we have to go through the Fog of Death or the Morphing Expanse to leave the Starfallen Region?"

    ''If I have to face another being like the Capra King in the Fog of Death, then I''d rather go back to the Morphing Expanse and try to escape through the desert.''

    ''There''s no way I''m trying my luck with another powerful being like the Capra King.''

    Just as Corey had this thought, he saw Pam nod, and he could not help but curse out loud.

    "Fuck!"

    He was about to grit his teeth in anger, but then he heard Pam chuckle.

    "What?" Corey frowned deeply, and Pam chuckled the more.

    "You''ll have to pass through the Morphing Expanse or the Fog of Death to leave the Starfallen Region if you do not have at least a temporary ancient seal. Luckily, you''ll be getting your temporary ancient seal tomorrow."

    Corey''s frown reduced, but a slight frown could still be seen on his face. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "What do you mean?"

    Pam smiled, "A benefit of the ancient stone of a city is that you can use it to teleport from one city to another city, but you need at least a temporary ancient seal."

    "A temporary ancient seal needs permission to use the ancient stone of a city to teleport to another city, but a permanent ancient seal doesn''t need permission."

    ''Do I need to get a permanent ancient seal?... I can only imagine how stressful it''ll be for me to acquire permission to use the ancient stone of another city or even Gravenstone City if Pam was not here to help.''

 Chapter 447 446: Pamelas Thoughts And Conclusion

    447 446: Pam''s Thoughts And Conclusion

    ----

    Name: Corey Junior Zane

    Race: Demi-Paragon

    ss: Poison Warlock

    Talent: Omniscience

    Tier: 2

    ATTRIBUTES

    Strength: *****

    Agility: *****

    Dexterity: ***** n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Constitution: *****

    Intelligence: *****

    Endurance: *****

    Mana: *****

    -----

    ''Interesting.''

    Pam thought with her eyes shining in immense curiosity and happiness. Despite the internal injuries she had, her mind was more focused on the runes she could see before her.

    ''Did you think I''d give up on trying to know your stats after you know mine? I hate losing more than anything, and there''s no way I''ll allow you to have a massive advantage such as having more info about me when I know nothing about you.''

    A wide grin appeared on her lips as she kept staring at the runes in front of her with a sense of immense aplishment.

    To her surprise and disbelief, the joy of being sessful in obtaining some of Corey''s stats filled her with so much joy that she almost had the urge tough out loud.

    After her first failure in obtaining Corey''s stats, she decided to change her approach to not only getting closer to Corey but also obtaining Corey''s stats.

    Instead of being forceful and direct, she decided to be subtle and slow.

    Although one of her reasons for trying to befriend Corey was to slowly scan him and peel away his defenses, she truly wanted to befriend Corey.

    Corey was the most unique, talented, and dangerous being she had ever encountered. Also, since he was not an enemy, she wanted to be friends with him if possible.

    To her, being friends with a talented and unique being like Corey would have more pros than cons.

    Knowing what she had to do, she slowly, carefully, and subtly peeled away at Corey''s defenses while they were in the city hall, on the road, and in her house.

    The main reason she exined the Rune Tattoo System in detail to Corey was to waste as much time as possible and to also distract him.

    From what she had seen, Corey was the type of person that was interested in learning about something new just like her, and she knew that giving Corey new knowledge was going to be effective in distracting him.

    The tea she drank was not a normal tea, instead, it was the liquid from a fruit called Spirit Fruit. The liquid had the ability to calm her mind and increase her spiritual abilities.

    The liquid was extremely rare, and usually, she did not need it. But when it came to Corey, she realized that she had to constantly drink it or she would fail to see some of Corey''s stats and Corey would eventually realize which could then cause a fierce reaction from him.

    Fortunately and to her immense relief and joy, she seeded, and in front of her were Corey''s stats.

    Pam wiped the blood away from her lips, and then she nced at the runes in front of her with a curious expression.

    ''His full name is Corey Junior Zane, and he''s actually a tier 2.''

    Although Pam wished to talk out loud, she couldn''t take that risk even if she could manipte the runes in the air to conceal her voice. She had a feeling that Corey would be able to notice that something was amiss even from the parlor.

    ''Now, what''s a Demi-Paragon, or no¡­ I''m meant to be asking what a Paragon is. I have heard of Demi-Humans. They are humans with the blood of beasts in them, and this makes them have some of the physical characteristics of beasts.''

    ''Apart from his inhuman looks and his unique eyes, he lookspletely human. However, his mere presence alone proves that he''s not¡­ No human emits such perfection.''

    ''But what is a Paragon? I''ve never heard of them before¡­ I love this¡­ I love discovering new things.''

    A bright smile appeared on Pam''s lips as she focused on the runes that made up the word Paragon.

    Another reason why Pam was so curious about Paragons was that even the runes that made up the word Paragon were moreplex than the remaining runes in front of her. It made her realize that Paragons were unique existences and in her current house was one.

    ''His ss is Poison Warlock, so he uses poisons to fight. That''s something I didn''t expect, but poisons can also enable him to kill an enemy higher tiered than him, so that makes sense.''

    ''As for Warlocks, I''ve read about them before, and what I know is that Warlocks are beings that are extremely talented both physically and magically. It was said that Warlocks was a top-grade ss, and Warlocks were well¡­ built for wars and battles. They''re living entities of destruction, and it''s also said that a single Warlock can change an entire war.''

    ''He has an interesting Race, an interesting ss, and¡­'' Pam''s eyes slowly moved toward the next row of runes, and her smile widened slightly, ''...His talent is also insane.''

    ''Omniscience huh?''

    Pam furrowed her brows in contemtion, ''Does that mean that he knows everything? No, that''s wrong¡­ He had no idea of the Rune Tattoo System, or is it because the Rune Tattoo System is limited to this dimension?''

    ''Hmm¡­ This is the most confusing part of his stats. I don''t understand it, but I have to be careful if we ever fight.''

    Pam decided to push the matter of Corey''s talent to the back of her mind, and then she shifted her gaze to the runes that signified Corey''s attributes.

    ''Out of everything I expected to get, his attributes were meant to be the easiest thing to get¡­ But it was one of the most difficult things for me to get, and I don''t understand why.''

    ''My attributes are in the Violet Star realm, the peak of attributes, and if he''s just like me, his attributes are also meant to be in the Violet Star realm. From the runes and his presence, I can see that Paragons are not normal races, and they''re a high-level race, so Corey should be able to reach the Violet Star realm and I should be able to see it with ease, but I could not.''

    ''Could his attributes also have another secret to it? Are his attributes in the Violet Star realm? Or¡­ are they in a realm that''s higher than the Violet Star realm?''

    Pam''s eyes slowly widened as she had this thought. A part of her was telling her that it was absurd for her to have such a thought, but another part of her was telling her otherwise.

    However, a big part of her heart and mind was telling her that she was right. Corey''s attributes were in a realm that was either different from what they used or was above the Violet Star realm.

    After Pam''s experience with the Rune Tattoo System, she would not be surprised if Corey was using a different cultivation system other than her which was using the Universal System.

    ''I must be right because I don''t see any other reason why I should not be able to see his attributes. I''m familiar with the runes of the Violet Star Realm, and if his attributes were in the Violet Star realm, I''d recognize it at a nce.''

    ''Regardless¡­'' Pam smiled happily once again, ''I learned a lot.''

    After having this thought, she snapped her finger and another cup appeared in her hand while the other cup disappeared. Inside this new cup was actual tea.

    She took a sip, and then she started walking to the parlor, ''Now, I just have to see the type of character and personality he has.''

    With a happy hum, she went to the parlor.

    Meanwhile, if Corey were to know all of these, his first reaction would be to question Nina and ask how she allowed such a thing to happen.

    Hmmm... I''m beginning to like Pam.

    Anon22

 Chapter 448 447: Leaving Gravenstone City

    448 447: Leaving Gravenstone City

    Three days went by after Corey and Selene''s arrival in Gravenstone City. Just as Pam said, Corey and Selene were able to get their temporary ancient seal the following day.

    Not having to go through the long tests and probation period was something Corey really appreciated. He was on a timer, and wasting even a day in a city he had no desire to stay in was not something he wanted.

    Obtaining the ancient seal was a simple thing that was done in the city hall. It was a short ritual where a prayer is said to the Old Ones, and then a liquid made from the bone, ash, and blood of a monster is used as ink to draw a seal that closely resembled the letters ''G'' and ''S'' joined together in an entric manner.

    The seal was on his palm, and if he wanted, the seal would be invisible and not be seen.

    After obtaining the temporary ancient seal, Corey decided to obtain more knowledge by going to the library.

    Once again, Pam made it easier for him to use the library, and although Corey was curious as to how she was able to gain the power to influence a lot of things, when he thought about her strength, he realized that it was not so surprising anymore.

    Although some might find it strange that Pam was helping him so much for no benefit at all, Corey was not bothered.

    Since she wanted to be acquainted with him, then he had no qualms with it. There''s no way he''d reject bing acquainted with somebody as talented and powerful as Pam.

    After reading all the books in the library of Gravenstone City, Corey also decided to chat and be acquainted with some citizens of Gravenstone.

    There were information that could not be obtained from books and libraries.

    Also, Corey came to realize that he, Selene, and Pam were not the only Outsiders in Gravenstone.

    At first, he was a little bit surprised when he encountered another Outsider, he realized that it was not surprising for there to be another Outsider.

    ording to what he knew, there were more Outsiders in Gravenstone in the first seven days since they came to the shattered dimension, but because of the difficulty of the Primal Expanse and the Fog of Death, a lot of Outsiders chose to leave.

    The ones that remained were Outsiders who believed that they could either benefit or find an ancient stone from the Primal Expanse, the Fog of Death, or Gravenstone City itself.

    With all of these, three days passed, and Corey''s next destination was a city called Stormhold City. Stormhold City was in a region called, Raging Sky Region.

    The Raging Sky Region was called the Raging Sky Region because of its danger zone. The danger zone was called Raging Sky, and it was a ce where lightning fell without pause, tornadoes appeared as frequently as a female''s mood swings, and thunder rumbled continuously.

    ording to Corey''s calctions, Nina''s suggestions, and the faint connection he felt toward the remaining three infinity crystals, the Raging Sky dangerzone had an infinity crystal, and it was most likely a lightning infinity crystal.

    Stormhold City was the city closest to the Raging Sky dangerzone, and Corey nned on going there to get into the danger zone.

    He just hoped that there was no extremely powerful monster like the Capra King in the Raging Sky, however, he knew that this was just wishful thinking on his part.

    The possibility of there being a monster, abomination, or being as powerful as the Capra King was not low at all. In fact, it was exceedingly high.

    Infinity Crystals could transform a carp to a dragon.

    ----

    On a normal dark and stormy day of Gravenstone, Corey, Selene, and Pam stood in front of the ancient stone of Gravenstone City..

    The ancient stone resembled arge boulder that was at least ten times Corey''s height. Therge ancient stone was dark purple, and it had countless ck runes that glowed softly as it hovered a few centimeters above the ground.

    Standing beside the ancient stone was a tall man wearing a brown T-shirt, ck pants, and ck boots. The man''s left arm was filled with rune tattoos that reached his neck, and at the back of his left hand was a red rune tattoo that gave off a much different aurapared to the remaining rune tattoos.

    This man was a Harbinger!

    The fourth stage of the rune tattoo system!

    The man''s expression was stoic and expressionless as he gazed at Corey, Pam, and Selene.

    "Where do you n on going?" The man asked with a voice that was much deeper than normal.

    His gaze was mainly on Pam, and Pam nced at Corey. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Corey answered calmly, "Stormhold City."

    The instant Corey spoke, Pam''s eyes widened slightly, and she looked at Corey with a surprised expression.

    "You''re going to Stormhold City?"

    Corey nodded, "Yes I am. Is there a problem?"

    Pam shook her head slightly, "None at all. It''s just that I also nned on going to Stormhold City, I didn''t expect you to also go Stormhold City¡­ I thought we were going to go our separate ways after this, but it seems like we''ll still be seeing ourselves in Stormhold."

    Corey stared at her for a full good three seconds, and Pam''s lips twitched.

    "What?"

    Corey looked away, "Nothing."

    ''Who knows whether you just lied, and the reason why you acted surprised and said you were also going to Stormhold was because I said I''m also going to Stormhold.''

    ''If you were actually acting, then you definitely deserve an award.''

    Corey silently added in his heart, and then he gazed at the Harbinger, and calmly said.

    "Stormhold City, please."

    The Harbinger nced at Pam, and when he saw Pam nod, he touched the ancient stone with his left hand. A red glow appeared on his hand, and then a ripple spread across the ancient stone.

    The Harbinger turned and gazed at Corey, Pam, and Selene, and slowly said.

    "Walk into it."

    Corey and Pam nodded, and then they all approached the ancient stone and walked into it. The ancient stone rippled like water, and a red glow engulfed the entire ancient stone for three seconds before receding.

    The Harbinger slowly removed his hand, and then without a change in his expression, he left.

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