The Deceiver

Rayne's expression was grim.

No one liked being watched in secret, with their every move exposed, even if Roger didn't seem hostile.

The scariest part was that he hadn't noticed Roger's presence at all. Even the Soul Eye hadn't detected a trace of him. He had no idea how Roger had managed it.

Was this the strength of a Legendary Demon Hunter?

Seeing Rayne's change in expression, the corners of Roger's mouth twitched, as if he were about to smile. He walked over to the altar, his gaze falling on the open book atop the corpse being used as a sacrifice. He began reading it carefully.

Rayne followed him, wanting to see what was written in the book, but Roger raised a hand to stop him. "This is the Book of Loki. You can't read it."

As he spoke, he closed the book.

"The Book of Loki?"

Rayne noticed a design on the book's cover: a black skull mask surrounded by blood-red radiance, with eerie red light flashing in its eye sockets.

Roger explained, "Loki is the evil god worshiped by the Shadow Dancer. They revere him as the 'God of Murder,' but apart from his followers, we generally call him 'The Deceiver.'"

"The Deceiver is an extremely powerful god, possessing Divine Duties such as 'murder,' 'trickery,' 'lies,' 'conspiracy,' and 'strife.' The Book of Loki contains his doctrines and is used in sacrificial rituals and by believers in prayer. It carries a trace of faint divine power. Anyone who isn't a believer but reads this book will be bewitched and become his follower if their will isn't firm enough."

"Even if their will is strong enough to resist becoming his follower, reading it several more times will still cause mental derangement and turn them into a madman."

Rayne felt a chill in his heart. Fortunately, he hadn't read it.

Roger seemed to know this evil god very well. He continued, "One reason The Deceiver was able to secretly develop so many followers and become a powerful god was his reliance on the Book of Loki's bewitchment."

"This Book of Loki should have been made recently. It has only undergone a few sacrifices, so its effects aren't that strong yet, and the number of times it can be used is limited."

"The people you killed were probably all bewitched by this Book of Loki and became followers of The Deceiver."

Rayne couldn't help feeling puzzled when he heard this.

When Esberg had taken him to kill people and tried so hard to recruit him, why hadn't he simply shown Rayne the Book of Loki?

Roger seemed to have guessed what Rayne was thinking. He glanced at him and said, "The Book of Loki can alter a person's faith, but its effects vary in strength depending on their previous beliefs. This is especially true for followers of the Goddess. Before reading the Book of Loki, they should first break down their mental defenses by performing acts in accordance with The Deceiver's doctrines. Murder and deception, for example, can both please The Deceiver."

"I see." Rayne suddenly understood.

As for why he hadn't later been forced to read the Book of Loki or used as a sacrifice, that had probably all been Ramsey's doing rather than something ordered by Esberg.

At that moment, Rayne suddenly realized that Roger really had been following them from the shadows the entire time. He had heard Ramsey's words, which was why he could guess what Rayne had experienced.

Roger circled the altar once. His pupils widened slightly, as if he were inspecting something.

Finally, Roger looked at Rayne and shook his head. "You may have gotten yourself into serious trouble."

Rayne was utterly confused. "Master Roger?"

"The Shadow Dancer you just killed must have committed several murders recently to fulfill his doctrines and please his god. He also performed a sacrificial ritual, which earned him The Deceiver's response." Roger pointed to a blood-painted symbol on the altar. "This is the mark left behind when a god responds to a believer."

"That Shadow Dancer had only recently received the response. The Deceiver's attention may not have moved away from him yet, and then you killed him."

Rayne finally understood. Holy shit.

He backed away several steps in fright, wanting to get farther from the altar, afraid that lightning might descend from the heavens and strike him dead.

Seeing Rayne's frightened appearance, Roger actually smiled. "You don't need to be so nervous. You're a mortal. In a god's eyes, you're less than an ant. Even if you killed several of his followers, you'd merely be a slightly larger ant. Why would he waste divine power on you?"

"Besides, this is within the Empire, under the protection of the Goddess of Magic. The Deceiver wouldn't dare reveal his traces so easily."

Rayne felt somewhat reassured, but Roger suddenly changed tack. "However..."

Can't you just finish what you're saying in one go? Rayne suddenly realized that Roger, who always presented himself as cold and ruthless, was actually a very tsundere sort of man. He liked teasing people, and he had a particularly long-winded way of speaking.

"However what?" he asked cooperatively.

"Gods won't act against mortals, but their followers will."

Roger pointed at Rayne. "When you killed that Shadow Dancer, the lingering aura of divine power on him transferred to you. Because you aren't a believer, it formed a Strife Mark. If another follower of The Deceiver approaches you, they'll be able to sense this mark. They'll do everything they can to kill you and please their god."

"The Strife Mark? Where is it?" Rayne searched himself from head to toe but found no sign of any mark.

"This kind of mark is formless. We can't see it."

Rayne was speechless. When he killed Esberg, he had kept the Soul Eye active the entire time. Apart from absorbing the soul, he hadn't seen anything transfer onto himself.

There had been no abnormal phenomenon in Esberg's soul, either.

It seemed that the Soul Eye wasn't omnipotent. At the very least, it couldn't see the aura of divine power.

"You don't need to worry too much. The Strife Mark won't last forever. It'll disappear after some time." Roger rarely offered words of comfort.

"How long will the mark last?"

Roger replied, "That depends on how much divine power remains. It usually lasts for several years, though it may dissipate after just a few months. It depends on your luck."

"Several months, or even years? That's far too long! Master Roger, is there any way to remove the mark ahead of time?"

Roger shook his head. "Only gods can manipulate divine power. I can't do anything."

Rayne was overcome with a headache.

He was still an ordinary person, not even a Transcendent. If he encountered an evil god's follower or a Shadow Dancer assassin, how was he supposed to deal with them?

Not one of those followers or assassins was easy to deal with. Worse, they hid among ordinary people and could strike without warning. By then, he might not even know how he had died.

As luck would have it, there happened to be a group of Shadow Dancer assassins in Longsand City who were plotting something major.

Anxiety welled up inside Rayne, and his desire for power suddenly grew urgent.

I must become a Transcendent as soon as possible. At the very least, I need some ability to protect myself. I don't want to be assassinated for no reason.

"Master Roger, what should we do with this place?" Rayne pointed at the altar. This place was connected to a god, and he didn't dare tamper with it recklessly.

Roger, however, looked completely unconcerned. He replied casually, "Just burn it down. Or you can notify the Church and let them handle it."

Rayne chose to burn it down without hesitation.

He turned and left the basement, then found a pile of wooden furniture and miscellaneous items upstairs and stacked them beside the altar. He also carried Esberg's several corpses in from the road outside the estate and poured half a barrel of lamp oil from the kitchen over everything.

Rayne took the oil lamp from the wall and threw it through the basement entrance. Flames quickly erupted inside.

Before leaving, he didn't forget to take the bag of banknotes with him.

Roger saw the money bag in Rayne's hand but said nothing. After the two of them left, a raging fire soon erupted throughout the estate. The entire house went up in flames, visible from far away in the night.

Rayne returned to the city as quickly as he could, but he found that no matter how fast he went, Roger could always follow effortlessly beside him, making almost no sound as he walked while still having enough breath to talk.

"Rayne, what are you planning to do now?"

"I want to become a Transcendent." Rayne answered honestly.

"That won't be easy." Roger sighed, as if recalling his own past. "However, judging by my standards, you have a very good chance of passing the Soul Transformation Ritual. With sufficient preparation, it shouldn't be a problem."

Rayne said nothing. In fact, he had already begun considering undergoing the Soul Transformation Ritual.

Passing the Soul Transformation Ritual was the prerequisite for becoming a Transcendent. It would awaken the soul's ability to fuse.

The ritual was simple. All he had to do was inject the Soul Devouring Potion into the artery in his neck.

The Soul Devouring Potion was an Alchemical Drug that cost a great deal of money. Its main ingredient was Soul Devouring Grass, which had once helped humanity resist the Blood Soul Curse. In essence, it was a deadly poison.

In the early days, humanity's sages simply consumed Soul Devouring Grass directly. Failure meant death, and the mortality rate exceeded ninety percent.

Now, people used the Soul Devouring Potion for the Soul Transformation Ritual. It was far less dangerous. Even if the ritual failed, they would only lose around ten years of their lifespan and suffer from a weakened soul for three to five years.

Although this was cruel, it was still far better than dying on the spot.

Once injected, the Soul Devouring Potion would act directly on the soul in the brain. The pain was extreme, comparable to the most terrifying torture in the world. One had to rely entirely on their own willpower to endure it until the soul completed its transformation.

During the ritual, the Soul Devouring Potion would be injected continuously. The longer one endured, the greater the dosage injected and the better the effect of the transformation. After becoming a Transcendent, they would also have more professions to choose from.

However, most people couldn't endure until the transformation was complete. Only a minority could pass the ritual, with a success rate below thirty percent. Among those who passed, more than half only underwent an initial transformation and couldn't choose a Transcendent profession capable of casting spells.

Rayne hadn't yet decided which profession he wanted to pursue. Before that, he needed to undergo a Soul Test.

The so-called Soul Test involved touching an alchemical creation called a Soul Grinding Stone, which simulated the effects of the Soul Devouring Potion and produced intense pain.

If he could withstand the pain caused by the Soul Grinding Stone, he could then proceed with the Soul Transformation Ritual.

Soul Grinding Stones were available in many alchemy shops, and their use was free. He would go test himself tomorrow.

Late that night, Rayne and Roger returned safely to the Basil Inn. People were still playing cards in the lobby, and none of them paid the slightest attention when the two entered.

Rayne was about to return to his room when Roger called out to him. In a low voice, he said, "Rayne, once you pass the Soul Transformation Ritual, if you're interested in becoming a Demon Hunter, come find me. Join my School. I can guarantee your safety until the mark disappears."