While Moros buried himself in the vast collection of Magic Tomes stored within the Mage Guild, the United Nations' special affairs organization, Moth to Fire, was officially established under the leadership of the Mu Continent after being reviewed and approved by several major powers.
Moth to Fire was led by the Moth to Fire Council, whose members were concurrently served by the rulers of the Mu Continent and the major nations.
At this point, before the First Great Collapse had arrived, Moth to Fire occupied a position similar to that of the World Health Organization, mainly handling matters related to Collapse Energy.
However, its actual authority was extremely limited.
When backed by the major powers, Moth to Fire could fulfill its duties; but when those powers withheld their support or turned indifferent, Moth to Fire's influence and ability to act would be severely constrained.
Even so, compared with the other organizations under the United Nations, Moth to Fire still held a high status and considerable authority.
At the very least, Moth to Fire, whose leaders were concurrently served by the rulers of various nations, possessed advantages and influence in every regard that other United Nations organizations could not match.
At the very least, the other organizations under the United Nations would never learn what had truly happened in the so-called "terrorist attack" in Y City.
After two years of exhaustive searching that yielded nothing, the Mu Continent decided to lower the priority of hunting down Moros.
The Powerful Councillors of the Mu Continent, including the council members, believed that after such a long search without any trace of Moros, there was little point in continuing to cling to the matter.
More importantly, as the various research institutes delved deeper into Collapse Energy, a series of results began to emerge one after another.
Compared to that, the manhunt, which had failed to make any substantive progress for so long, was naturally pushed aside.
That was precisely why records related to the Y City incident existed in Moth to Fire's database.
If this had been two years earlier, forget an organization under the United Nations like Moth to Fire—even several powerful nations across the Eurasian Continent and the North American Continent would never have been able to breach the Mu Continent's intelligence defenses and learn of the Y City incident's
related information.
When the files concerning the Y City incident were entered into Moth to Fire's database, they did indeed draw the attention of several other nations.
Those countries conducted a screening of their citizens, and the reasoning behind it was simple.
Since the Mu Continent had discovered someone with supernatural powers, those countries began to wonder whether similar beings existed within their own borders.
After all, the existence of supernatural powers posed an enormous potential threat to national security.
Naturally, the rulers of those countries also coveted supernatural powers, and that was an important motive behind the screening operation that could not be ignored.
However, after a series of screenings and investigations, those countries failed to discover a second person with supernatural powers.
They invested vast amounts of manpower and resources into the screenings, only to find nothing.
Meanwhile, their research into Collapse Energy also made tremendous progress.
As the research deepened, many properties of Collapse Energy were gradually uncovered.
Under such circumstances, Moros's existence gradually came to be seen by those countries as an example of a human exceptionally compatible with Collapse Energy.
And the value of a Collapse Energy adapter was naturally entirely different from that of someone with supernatural powers.
For national-level forces, if they truly wanted to find Collapse Energy adapters, they could do so as long as they were willing to pay a certain price.
To say nothing else, simply causing a Collapse like Cocolia had done could screen out a group of Collapse Energy adapters with extreme efficiency.
However, to one senior researcher within Moth to Fire, Moros's existence was particularly eye-catching.
As one of the foremost scholars in the scientific field, this mature woman with waist-length curly green hair made a startling discovery after carefully examining the files on Moros.
That little fellow who had played the leading role in the Y City incident had not used the power of Collapse at all!
"Klein! You didn't hear anything just now, did you?"
Inside the First Research Institute, Dr. Mobius asked her assistant in a sinister tone.
"No, Doctor. Yawn..."
Yawning, the green-haired assistant answered Dr. Mobius's question through sleepy eyes.
Hearing Klein's answer, a radiant smile bloomed on Mobius's lips.
"Very good, Klein. Get ready. We're going to the Second Research Institute."
Thinking of the "Collapse Energy adapter" blood sample stored in the Second Research Institute, anticipation flickered in Mobius's eyes.
"Oh, all right, Dr. Mobius."
Snake, Six Years, and Dusk Street
Dr. Mobius was indeed notorious within Moth to Fire for her contempt for human ethics, but given her status, obtaining a blood sample from a "Collapse Energy adapter" was no difficult matter.
After personally testing the blood sample, an intrigued smile appeared on Mobius's lips.
"As expected..."
Looking at the data in the test results, which differed subtly from that of an ordinary Collapse Energy adapter, Mobius's interest in Moros grew even stronger.
"Humans truly have limitless possibilities."
However, considering that Moth to Fire's long pursuit of Moros had produced no results whatsoever, Mobius understood that she would not be able to come into contact with this little fellow, who represented another direction of human evolution, anytime soon.
Her eyes shifted, and Mobius swiftly scribbled a string of numbers onto the back of the lab report.
"Klein! Go prepare a blood sample according to these figures."
"Doctor?"
Upon hearing Mobius's request, Klein instantly understood what her doctor intended to do.
"Don't worry."
Meeting Klein's blue-green eyes, Mobius's lips curved into a dangerous smile.
"Klein! You won't tell anyone, will you?"
"Oh, all right, Dr. Mobius."
Moros had no interest in what was happening on Earth.
If it had been after the Second Collapse, Moros might have worried a little about whether his Demiplane would be discovered.
But now, when even the First Collapse had yet to arrive and the Divine Key was not even at the stage of creating a new folder, he refused to believe that he would be found while hiding in his Demiplane and building up his strength.
It had to be said that hatred was a remarkably powerful force.
Driven by his desire for revenge against the councillors, Moros spent six years without the internet or social interaction, able only to focus on studying.
Although he could develop Graveyard City through the territory management panel, the prolonged isolation and study were undoubtedly an immense challenge for Moros.
Although Graveyard City contained all kinds of undead troops, they were not truly living beings and could not satisfy a normal human's social needs.
However, Moros's efforts had not gone unrewarded.
After spending six entire years immersed in the Magic Guild Level 5, Moros had not only learned to cast spells normally without the Hero Panel's assistance, but had also restored himself from the player-like state caused by his skyrocketing hero level to that of a normal Ashan World spellcaster.
Although Moros's knowledge still had enormous gaps, and in many areas he knew even less than an apprentice mage.
At the very least, he could now freely wield the power within his body and display the strength expected of a high-level spellcaster of the Ashan World.
That fully proved the value of his effort and dedication.
Closing the Magic Tomes spread across the table, Moros slowly walked over to the Mage Guild's window.
It was time to settle this grudge!
Staring at the terrifying form of the Spectral Dragon circling above Graveyard City, its body shrouded in black mist, undisguised hatred filled Moros's eyes.
That hatred came from the past, and now he would seek justice for that past.
Are you ready?
Manifesting his Spellbook from the Hero Panel, Moros lightly ran his fingers across the pages that recorded powerful fifth-level magic as he asked himself inwardly.
Yes. I am ready.
Recalling the grueling studies of the past six years and looking over the Spellbook filled to the brim with notes, Moros answered firmly in his heart.
Someone once asked a question: could technological advancement eliminate poverty and evil?
The answer was obvious.
The complexity of human nature meant that even in the Pre-Collapse Civilization, where technology far surpassed that of the twenty-first century, poverty and evil remained unsolvable problems.
It could even be said that such highly advanced technology had made the distance between people greater and the divide deeper.
Even on the Mu Continent, where technology was the most advanced in that Pre-Collapse Civilization, the rulers indulged in decadent luxury while the people at the bottom still struggled day after day just to afford three meals.
Dusk Street, that chaotic district, was a microcosm of that society.
Beyond Dusk Street lay a seemingly orderly society governed by law, at least on the surface, under the leadership of the Mu Continent government.
However, Dusk Street itself was another world entirely.
There were no constraints of law, no limits imposed by rules—only naked survival of the fittest.
All kinds of people gathered here, from criminals to drifters, from beggars to thieves.
It was a lawless place, a place where laws and rules had vanished completely.
Yet for Moros, who had just left the Demiplane, this place became his first destination.
After opening a passage to the Demiplane and leading an undead army in a direct assault on Y City, Moros knew full well that the Mu Continent government had blacklisted him.
Therefore, a lawless place like Dusk Street, practically the Pre-Collapse Civilization's Hell's Kitchen, became Moros's only choice.
He needed intelligence on what had happened after he left Earth.
Only by learning the necessary information could Moros complete his revenge.
In this place where the locals were exceptionally "honest," the residents had seen all manner of things and were long accustomed to people concealing their identities.
So even though Moros was currently dressed in a black robe that practically announced I have something to hide, the residents of Dusk Street found nothing strange about him.
On the contrary, after exchanging glances, quite a few of them silently followed the mysterious figure completely shrouded in black robes.
Moros's black robe was enchanted equipment taken from the Mage Guild.
Its exquisite craftsmanship and meticulous materials were immediately obvious to the sharp-eyed residents of Dusk Street.
"Heh."
Sensing the punks following behind him, Moros sneered.
He had been looking for a few unlucky souls whose spirits he could read to learn how the world had changed after he left.
Yet these overconfident punks had come to him of their own accord. They were practically gifts delivered to his doorstep.
Thus, Moros changed direction and chose a deserted alley.
Seeing this, several more alert punks sensed that something was wrong, but they had already reached the point of no return.
After all, many people had seen them following Moros.
If they suddenly gave up now, would that not be an admission of weakness?
In a place like Dusk Street, where the strong devoured the weak, showing weakness was tantamount to death.
Therefore, even after sensing something amiss, those punks could only grit their teeth and follow Moros into the alley.
Weakness Curse!
The instant the last punk entered the alley, Moros's spell descended upon them before they could react.
With Moros's current spellcasting ability, his magic was far beyond what ordinary people could withstand.
In an instant, the punks felt the world spin before collapsing helplessly to the ground.
Twilight Wine
When Moros emerged from that dark, deep alley once more, the ill-intentioned gazes immediately vanished without a trace.
His neat clothing made it plain that the punks who had followed him into the alley had caused him no trouble whatsoever.
That level of strength was enough to make the vast majority of ordinary street punks in Dusk Street wary of him.
As for the truly ruthless figures, they would never target a complete stranger over a single valuable garment.
No one made a deal where the risk and reward were so utterly disproportionate.
Apponia...
Gazing at the somewhat dilapidated monastery in the distance, Moros hesitated for a moment before ultimately deciding not to visit its owner.
Before you continue