Sequence 9 Generated

Wednesday, just after midnight.

Lynch suddenly felt the Stone of Myriad Phenomena stir while he was asleep. He woke at once, first keeping his eyes closed as he sensed his surroundings. Only after confirming that no one in reality had done anything to him did he touch the Stone of Myriad Phenomena with his mind.

"What? The Pathway has been roughly generated, and the Sequence 9 Potion formula is already here?"

Lynch was overjoyed. He almost shouted aloud.

He was so excited. He had been here for a week, and Klein had already become a Beyonder, while he was still an ordinary person. It was really starting to worry him.

He immediately touched the Stone of Myriad Phenomena with his mind again and carefully examined the Pathway it had generated for him.

The Stone of Myriad Phenomena had even given his Pathway a name: Myriad Phenomena.

Sequence 9: Mimic.

Formula: A Potion formula from any Sequence 9 Pathway will do.

Ability: You can mimic a nearby Beyonder you have come into contact with and use the abilities of that person's Sequence 9 Pathway.

Rule: You can only mimic one Pathway at a time. Switching to a different Pathway requires a one-hour cooldown.

As for the cost: During the process of mimicking someone, he might pick up some of the habits of the Beyonder who provided that Pathway. He would have to stay alert and hold on to himself if he wanted to remain clear-headed.

Looking at this Pathway, Lynch felt a little lost. It seemed pretty powerful and definitely suited him, but the side effect was a bit too much.

He actually had to stay clear-headed at all times, and might pick up the other person's habits while mimicking them. Wasn't that a little terrifying?

What if something went wrong...

Forget it. Fortune favored the bold. What Potion didn't come with its share of problems?

Besides, if he had the Stone of Myriad Phenomena generate another one now, who knew how long it would take? He was desperate to become a Beyonder.

This was the one.

And taking this Potion would be interesting, too.

He could advance by taking Potions from other Pathways. If he stayed with the Church of the Goddess, wouldn't that mean he wouldn't have to buy any of the Potions himself?

Lynch was very pleased with that.

He had the Stone of Myriad Phenomena continue generating the later stages of the Pathway, then jumped out of bed, satisfied, and headed to the washroom to clean up.

But as soon as he entered the washroom, he sensed someone appear behind him.

It was the man in the black robe.

"Why are you here again? Don't you know Klein is a Beyonder? He might notice you!"

Lynch couldn't help speaking up.

The man snorted, amused by Lynch's ignorance.

"A Beyonder won't know someone's here unless he activates his Spirituality!"

But Klein was different from everyone else!

His Spirituality was stronger. For all Lynch knew, he had already sensed something.

If Klein had become a Clown, he might already be standing here.

"Fine. I'm not a Beyonder, after all. Tell me, respected Beyonder, what are you here for?"

Lynch asked in a displeased tone.

"I'm here to tell you everything's ready. I think Upton will head out around noon. When he does, notify Klein and have him bring the Beyonders over!"

The man spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.

After he finished, he prepared to leave. But after glancing at Lynch, he couldn't help sneering, "You weren't so scared you couldn't sleep, were you?"

Was Lynch going to let him insult his character?

"I was excited! I finally get to serve the Lord. I have to succeed this time. I won't bring shame upon the Lord again!"

Lynch raised his head, wearing an expression of unwavering devotion that said, You don't know a thing. The man's mouth twitched.

Damn, if he were that good with words, maybe he'd be in charge of something, too!

"I'm leaving. Stay here by yourself!"

The man didn't plan to say anything more to Lynch. He simply jumped out through the washroom window.

Lynch washed his face and tidied himself up before opening the washroom door.

Just as he expected, Klein was standing outside with a revolver raised in his hand.

He'd known this would alert Klein. That guy had been right at his door. It would have been strange if Klein hadn't reacted.

"What happened? I felt a disturbance in my Spirituality just now."

Klein held up his revolver and looked behind Lynch.

There was no one in the washroom.

"Don't ask. It was someone from the Big Meat Church—the people I reported to the captain before. He came to tell me they're planning something big. If I really want to join them, I should go to the address they give me when he sends word."

Lynch wiped his face, looking concerned.

Then he shook his head. "Klein, could you ask for leave for me? Something feels off. I'm going to find someone to keep an eye on them. I might be late this morning."

Klein lowered his revolver and hesitated. "Do you need me to go with you?"

"No. I don't think you want us both getting docked pay. Besides, there probably isn't any danger. And I won't have anyone watch the Beyonders. I'll only have someone keep an eye on my informant. He might know something about this."

Lynch returned to his room and changed. He nodded to Klein, then left the house.

But when he reached the door, he bowed to Klein apologetically.

"Sorry. I'll take care of this as soon as I can. I won't let this kind of danger come knocking again."

Klein opened his mouth. It honestly hadn't even occurred to him.

Besides, Lynch hadn't done it on purpose. He'd gotten dragged into this because of Klein.

Seeing how serious Lynch looked made Klein feel a little uncomfortable.

"It's fine..."

He awkwardly managed to get one word out. He was about to say something else to comfort the guy, but Lynch was already gone.

"Why'd he have to get so sentimental? If Rozanne saw that, who knows what she'd say!"

Klein muttered under his breath, but quickly headed to the washroom to get ready.

Once he was done, he gripped his revolver and took a public tram to Zolant Street.

Meanwhile, Lynch—the very man who had put Klein on edge—was having breakfast with Mountbatten in his office.

Mountbatten's men had already received word that Upton had been moving around a lot lately, apparently contacting people. The operation they were planning was set to take place today.

Thinking about the second-class merit he would receive if the operation succeeded, Mountbatten almost wanted to throw a grand banquet so Lynch could enjoy himself.

He had just hinted to Lynch that he had a lovely young woman at home—his sister, who was about Lynch's age—and that Lynch might want to meet her.

But Lynch had refused.

Mountbatten wasn't handsome at all, so his sister probably wasn't pretty either.

So even when Mountbatten swore up and down that his sister was beautiful, Lynch pretended not to hear.

"Trance, honestly, you've never met my sister. She's the prettiest girl in our whole neighborhood!"

Sure. There was probably only one girl in your whole neighborhood, and it was your sister, right?

"Enough of that. Our friendship doesn't need to be maintained that way, Mountbatten. I'm friends with you, not your sister. Don't talk about her like she's a piece of merchandise. I believe in the Goddess, and I think a girl's opinion matters more when it comes to marriage!"