"The Nighthawks had me stay here so I could draw you people out. I just don't get it. I told Upton this morning not to contact me, so why did you come again? Aren't you afraid of getting caught?"
Lynch complained.
The man felt somewhat in the wrong. He just thought the things Lynch had said were unlikely.
Especially the part about Klein being a Beyonder.
"Oh, right. Let me tell you, Klein may suspect me, but he quite likes me. I peeked at his letter. He wrote to his captain that as long as he could draw you people out, he planned to recommend me to the Nighthawks squad and make me a clerical staff member.
"He thinks I reached out to stop him because I was worried about his safety. He believes I was just accidentally dragged into this matter, and he feels sorry for me."
Lynch said with an amused expression.
The man immediately looked around warily.
Lynch snorted.
"Enough. I already worship the Lord, so naturally I won't join some Nighthawks squad. I'm not interested!"
Only then did the man breathe a sigh of relief.
He looked Lynch up and down, a flicker of envy in his eyes.
Official Beyonders were treated completely differently from wild Beyonders like them. If they were caught, they'd be locked up.
Lynch actually had an opportunity like that. That was so awesome.
If it were him, he'd definitely betray the Lord...
No, no, no! He absolutely hadn't thought that!
"Fine, I'll get going. I'll report our conversation to Mr. Z. And a word of warning: someone else is about to sneak into your room."
With that, he immediately leaned out the window and left.
Lynch carefully got to his feet and fished the revolver out from under his pillow, holding himself perfectly still.
Only when his bedroom door was quietly opened did he raise the revolver.
"Sir, what are you doing?"
The other man immediately raised both hands.
"I just got the wrong room."
Who would believe that?
"I believe what you're saying, but my revolver might not. Come outside with me. Don't make me say it twice!"
Lynch raised his gun and walked forward. The man quickly backed away, keeping a few steps between them.
At that moment, a neighbor in the room next door coughed. Then someone started talking.
Before Lynch could reassure the other man, Leonard's voice came from downstairs.
"Ah, the threat of fear, the crimson hope.
"At least one thing is true: this life flies by."
Sleepiness seemed to fill the air. Lynch couldn't help yawning, but then he perked up.
The energy in the Stone of Myriad Phenomena was draining so fast it frightened him.
Leonard, please stop using your Beyonder Ability. I can handle this myself.
At that moment, the man in front of him came around, crouched down, and tried to get away from Lynch. But he quickly froze.
There was another man behind him, holding a revolver.
Klein.
He yawned and said helplessly, "Dunn said this was my assignment. How did it end up at your place... Oh, right. You're sleeping in my room."
Klein immediately looked delighted at Lynch's misfortune.
Lynch ignored him. Together, he and Klein herded the man downstairs, where Dunn and the others took over.
They stood by the doorway, listening to Leonard recite poetry as they waited for the outcome.
Klein still held his revolver, ready in case something went wrong. He seemed much calmer, while Lynch looked rather nervous. He even covered his ears, as if worried about something.
In fact, he was doing his best to keep Leonard's ability from affecting him. He really didn't have any energy to spare.
About ten minutes later, things finally quieted down outside.
Dunn came over and knocked on the door.
"All right, you two can come out. It's over now... Mm, don't worry. We're fine."
Dunn glanced at Lynch and couldn't help offering a word of comfort.
Inwardly, he marveled at Lynch's sincerity toward his friends. It must have been hard for him to wait inside for the outcome.
Lynch would probably rather stand shoulder to shoulder with his teammates in battle, or take on every danger for them, just as he always did.
Thinking of this, Dunn's expression softened further.
"By the way, Lynch, I tried to pull you into a dream earlier, but it didn't work. Were you awake then?"
After following the man over, Dunn had tried to draw both Lynch and Klein into a dream. He had succeeded with Klein, but not Lynch.
Lynch fell silent for a moment, then didn't hide the fact that someone had come by earlier.
"It was the organization I reported to you. They sent someone over and told me to hand over the Antigonus Notebook. They don't believe it's a fake."
Dunn nodded.
"I'll give it to you on Monday. Be careful when you deal with them."
Lynch said that wouldn't be a problem,
and Dunn turned to Klein.
"That man was from the Hermit Order. They lost the Antigonus Notebook and are looking for it now... Anyway, Klein, Lynch, you now have the chance to choose to become Beyonders yourselves. You can choose any Pathway except the one bestowed by the Goddess."
Lynch listened as Dunn explained the Hermit Order, but he was distracted when he heard his name.
"Me too?"
He asked in surprise.
Dunn nodded.
"When you contacted the Big Meat Church earlier, you were actually only a step away. Now you've run into this matter too. I think becoming a Beyonder would help you better handle things and assist us in finding the Antigonus Notebook, as well as cracking down on the Big Meat Church."
Lynch didn't care whether he would be assisting them. As long as he could become a Beyonder, that was all that mattered.
But...
Lynch fell silent.
He watched Klein, standing beside him, excitedly ask which Sequence 9 Potion formulas the Nighthawks squad currently had. Then Klein showed an eager expression when he heard about the Seer Sequence.
Even though he tried hard to suppress it, Lynch, who had read the original novel, still saw through him.
"Think it over. Give me your answer on Monday."
Dunn nodded, indicating they should consider it carefully.
Lynch finally broke his silence. "Captain, could I wait a little longer? I'd like to build up some more merits. Maybe I'll be able to exchange them for the Pathway bestowed by the Goddess!"
Dunn smiled.
"Of course. You can even change your mind later. But I have to tell you that the Pathway bestowed by the Goddess is much better. At the very least, it's safer than other Pathways."
Lynch nodded in agreement.
But he didn't take it to heart.
The Pathway bestowed by the Goddess might be good, but to become a god, he'd have to kill the Goddess. Did he have that kind of nerve?
He still had to find a way to generate a Pathway.
Once he had enough energy and generated a Pathway, he could find a way to pretend he'd stumbled upon a formula during some mission, then take the Potion like it was a pleasant surprise. Wouldn't that be great?
Why take someone else's Pathway?
Of course, he couldn't say that. He couldn't even bring it up.
He put on an eager expression and nodded, saying he'd definitely find a way to build up his merits and become an amazing Beyonder like the captain and Leonard.
Dunn smiled but said nothing.
Instead, Leonard shrugged and kindly advised him,
"If you're not fond of studying, I wouldn't recommend this. This Pathway doesn't improve your memory. It might even make it worse. I can never remember those poetry collections, and I'm about ready to despair from having to memorize all these poems!"
Before you continue