Causality

"This ability's most distinctive feature is that it has something of the flavor of dreams coming true and wishes being fulfilled..."

"But that also means I have to truly understand something in depth."

The wish was the foundation; the fulfilled outcome was the choice he made.

Truman turned his gaze toward the forest beyond the city-state. At that moment, he could already see the Snake of Mercury.

"Let's call it 'Causality.' I am the cause, and he is the effect. Perhaps it should be connected to the Spirit World, too." The Spirit World was said to contain every possibility of the past, present, and future. It had the "causes" Truman needed in abundance.

Truman pressed two fingers to the Book of Dreams and refined this second branch of authority under Dream.

As this ability took shape, much of the fog before Truman's eyes seemed to disperse.

"I see you." That was the cause. Truman learned of the Snake of Mercury's existence and the nature of his abilities, linking the two of them through fate.

"A distant visitor from the Spirit World will happen to appear where the Snake of Mercury is, disrupting his state."

That was the effect Truman chose.

Crack!

The God of Fortune's eyes snapped open. His luck plummeted, and his Spirituality sounded an alarm.

The next instant, a Spirit World Creature opened a door to the Spirit World and entered the real world. But under the Snake of Mercury's gaze, its luck ran out and misfortune overtook it. A passing Spirit World Demi-god devoured it.

He had used his ability to influence the world, sending ripples through fate.

At that moment, the God of Fortune's unique fate could no longer remain concealed. It was revealed to the world.

"Not good!" The God of Fortune could even sense the luck he had accumulated over hundreds of years rapidly dwindling at a terrifying rate.

Someone was trying to influence him through fate!

"Why stay so far away, God of Fortune? I think we could be friends." Truman spoke softly, his tone friendly.

But every symbol on the Snake of Mercury seemed ready to burst. They flickered erratically as he tried to flee.

"Spatial Barrier!" Truman reached out and grabbed. The space around the Snake of Mercury became a cage, trapping him inside.

The Planeswalker's mastery over space had already reached an extraordinary level.

"Hiss!" Red light flashed in the Snake of Mercury's eyes. Fate shifted, and he slipped out before the cage could fully form.

He glanced at Truman. Truman shuddered, an inexplicable sensation rising in him.

If not for the Book of Dreams, that single glance might have drained all his luck and filled him with misfortune—to the point where he could choke to death just by drinking water.

Truman instinctively reached out. He activated the Marauder Pathway's "Trojan Horse of Destiny" ability several times, stealing the Snake of Mercury's luck.

Hiss! So this was what it felt like to be lucky!

Truman almost felt as if the whole world revolved around him.

It was the kind of terrifying luck where he could walk outside and stumble upon a Demi-god's Characteristic, or bend down and pick up an Angel's material.

It was... incredible!

But just then, light and shadow rippled across the Snake of Mercury.

"Fate Loop"!

The Snake of Mercury had locked his luck into a loop. Truman's attempt to steal it triggered the mechanism, setting it off.

The flickering light and shadow came to a halt. Truman's illusion faded, bursting like a bubble.

"What a shame!" Truman couldn't help feeling disappointed. Who wouldn't want to be lucky all the time?

The Snake of Mercury, caught in the Fate Loop, had no interest in fighting. He opened a door to the Spirit World and left.

"What an incredible Snake of Fate!" Truman couldn't help exclaiming. "Much more powerful than Ouroboros."

"...Forget it. I probably can't beat him, and even if I did, I couldn't kill him." Truman watched the Snake of Mercury leave through the Spirit World and made no move to stop him.

With the Book of Dreams, Truman could now forcibly raise the power of his Mystical Items by one level, bringing their corresponding abilities up to Sequence One.

The limits of "Causality" and "Illusionary Dream" were even harder to fathom. They depended entirely on how much power he could draw upon.

But that was the Snake of Mercury—a true lucky man, with a "Reset" that was practically a divine ability.

Most importantly, the Elf King might be watching right now!

And indeed, the Elf King's gaze had fallen on this city-state as soon as the God of Fortune arrived.

"Another Angel!" The Elf King was in poor condition as well. The Thunder around him had dimmed considerably.

"That Sun has been plotting this for a long time!" The Elf King's voice made the entire Elf Palace tremble.

"I even suspect he was born not much later than we were. He only revealed himself because we were so badly weakened this time!"

"Foolish Aurmir! He betrayed Lilith and gave the Sun an opening!" The violent Elf King even felt like marching on the Giant King's Court.

"The Sun God is truly a formidable opponent!" Queen of Calamities Cohinem said gravely.

She handed the Elf King the Slate that the Elven guards had brought in.

"This is the Sequence Potion." The Slate recorded a Potion Formula.

Missionaries had already spread low-Sequence Potion Formulas, and one had now made its way to the Elf King.

"This is blasphemy!" Thunder raged, blazing with destructive light. "A Potion that blasphemes against the Gods!"

"But we can no longer destroy it!" Queen of Calamities said coolly. "We must take control of the Potion's inheritance!"

"I intend to send an envoy to the Kingdom of the Sun God!"

The Elf King fixed his gaze on Queen of Calamities, forced himself to calm down, and waited for her to explain.

"If you don't go, the other Ancient Gods will rush to go in your place!" Queen of Calamities continued coldly. "Potions are the future! Use the Mystical Items in the Elf Treasury to obtain the relevant Potion Formulas."

"Within a hundred years, every Elf must advance through this method to stabilize their mental state!"

"Then, in a few hundred years, our people won't fall behind the other supernatural races!"

Rarely, the Elf King suppressed his own fury and considered the matter. In the end, he nodded.

He likely had his own concerns.

Blasphemy was aimed at the Gods, of course. But could that Sun really have become an Ancient God through this Potion Sequence?

Wouldn't that mean the Sun was far more stable than that Dragon—or than he was?

"Send the newcomer, Alnia!" the Elf King ordered.

God of Beauty Alnia had once been the Subordinate God of the Vampire Lilith. Now that Lilith had "died," she had defected to the Elf King and gained his protection.

"Very well!" The entire Elf race sprang into action. Led by God of Beauty Alnia, a group of Elves equivalent to Sequence 5 set off for the Kingdom of the Sun God.

Much the same was happening elsewhere. The Ancient Gods soon obtained the Potion Formulas spread by the missionaries and made the same decision.

Potions were the future of their races.

Every Ancient God could recognize this, whether out of a desire to probe their secrets or to strengthen their people.

Every race sent an envoy to the Kingdom of the Sun God, carrying a vast number of Mystical Items or Beyonder Characteristics.

The impact of the Potion System on the current age had only just begun.