Become Lv.2!

Something felt off...

Why had I recently stopped wanting to go outside?

I had clearly promised to help out at Mrs. Ritchie's bakery for a day and play with the children at Hall Orphanage...

I had promised Chairman Elvis that I would attend the next Academic Salon of the Truth Society.

But I... had done none of it.

Why?

Idrila did not know what had happened.

She only felt as though she had fallen into a still, wave-less sea, submerged by a heavy cold.

Everything she saw was veiled in misty vapor. Sounds were no longer clear, and her vision was no longer sharp.

Every day seemed unchanged from usual, yet an inexplicable sense of doubt always rose from the depths of her heart.

What exactly is wrong with me?

That question inevitably arose in her mind, but it was swiftly wiped away, leaving her to muddle through each day.

She completed every morning prayer by rote, ate by rote, prayed to the gods by rote, lived by rote...

Until now.

Someone stood before her and, before that misty curtain of water, broke it with a single finger--

The world changed.

Shattered, shattered, shattered.

All the haze, coldness, confusion, and stupor...

All of it shattered beneath that gentle tap.

She dazedly raised her head. Her unfocused gaze gradually gathered, falling upon the face of the person before her.

He was a young man dressed in prison clothes.

The tattered prison uniform could not conceal his bearing. He was confident, calm, and composed; compared to a prisoner, he looked more like a scholar long immersed in numbers and calculations.

...Could he be a follower of [Truth]?

Judging by the activity of the magic within him, hmm... he was a Sequence 9 Beyonder?

Had he awakened her from that chaotic state?

Why had she been so muddleheaded?

Countless questions arose in her mind, leaving her in a mess.

She looked at the young man. Her voice was lost, and obvious confusion covered her face.

"Wh-what happened to me? I haven't seen you in the church either... May I ask who you are?"

Sure enough, she knew nothing either.

What exactly was that force controlling her...?

Ron recalled the gray mist that had surged forth just now and transformed into a lance stabbing toward him, and a chill ran down his spine.

He had estimated the durability of [Fantasy Dissolution]. At present, [Fantasy Dissolution] would probably break only after destroying one War Puppet and one Corpse Shell.

But... merely some magic clinging to Idrila had forced [Fantasy Dissolution] to collapse completely, and it had not even managed to wear away all of that magic--

Then just how powerful was the mastermind controlling Idrila and the knights of the Scorched Earth Sanctuary?

This was absolutely not someone Ron could provoke right now!

No... [Fantasy Dissolution] had already been destroyed. He had to get a method for dealing with loss of control from Idrila quickly.

Otherwise, once the mastermind arrived, he would have no choice but to go back...

After pondering for a moment, Ron looked at the saint before him.

"I'm a messenger," he said, taking out the crumpled letter. "You can call me Ron."

A messenger?

Idrila took the confidential letter from Ron with some confusion. The familiar texture of the paper immediately told her where it had come from.

"The Society?" She accepted the letter from Ron, her brows drawing tighter.

"It is actually a personal letter from Chairman Elvis... No, why is there blood on this letter too?"

Her nose twitched faintly, and her eyes immediately sharpened.

"Human blood... Has something happened to the Society?"

She instinctively examined Ron. Only after seeing that he was completely unharmed did she relax enough to open the envelope.

As she read, her expression changed.

At that moment, Ron saw a fleetingly complex expression on her face--

Helplessness, sorrow... and the relief of having expected this all along.

In the end, those complicated emotions condensed into a long sigh from the girl's lips.

"...As expected."

Idrila sighed, sorrow showing between her brows.

"That muddled state really was abnormal... But I never imagined Father Suul had done this to me.

I never thought there would truly come a day when I might have to take up arms against my brothers and sisters in the church."

Yet she did not grieve for long. After lowering her eyes for only a moment, she pulled herself together and looked at Ron.

"Forgive my bluntness... but you do not seem to be a member of the Truth Society? I have never seen you in the Society.

Although you are my savior, and I truly should not pry into your secrets, I cannot help being curious--

Bread does not fall from the sky for free. Delivering this letter into my hands must have cost you no small effort...

May I ask what you wish to receive in return?"

A clever person...

She was judging my faction and identity, while also estimating how much compensation I would ask from her over this matter?

Ron looked at Idrila, who had swiftly sorted out her thoughts, and remained silent for a moment before saying,

"Receive? No, no, I ask nothing of you..."

As he spoke, pure devotion appeared on his face.

"Because this is a trial... a trial bestowed by a hidden existence."

Ron was not satisfied with merely the reward of "easing loss of control."

He wanted Idrila—and even more people he might meet in the future—to willingly give more to him.

Then, as an "Angel"...

The agent of a hidden existence might be the best identity for him in this era.

It was easier to disguise than an Angel, yet it would likewise make others reveal reverence toward him out of fear.

Though no one could prove that this Angel truly existed... who could prove that It did not?

After all, [Fantasy Dissolution] and [Vector Manipulation] were even harder for this era to comprehend than an Angel's blessing.

Having already prepared his speech, Ron met Idrila's puzzled gaze and said in a low voice,

"I accepted Its trial--

It told me that as long as I delivered this letter into your hands, I would obtain what I needed: a method to ease Beyonder Loss of Control."

"So, I retrieved this bloodstained letter from the prison below the third floor and followed Its will to deliver it into your hands..."

A hidden existence? What hidden existence?

A demigod, an Angel, or even a god?

How could that be possible!

Idrila's face filled with astonishment. She could never have imagined that a mere Sequence 8 Beyonder like herself could become entangled in the schemes of a hidden existence.

She instinctively wanted to refute Ron and rebuke him for making such an outrageous joke. But when she remembered that beneath her feet lay the infamous Corpse-Limb Prison, her whole body suddenly trembled, and a chill crept down her spine.

As the church of [War], the Scorched Earth Sanctuary punished criminals with extreme severity. Sequence 9 Beyonders of [War] patrolled the prison at all times.

Not to mention the Corpse-Limb Prison, specially constructed by Beyonders of Sequence 7 and above, and the other monsters imprisoned within it...

There was no question about it. If a mere Sequence 9 came here, he would not last even a day, much less escape from prison.

And he had even broken her muddleheaded state!

Though she did not know how Suul had affected her, even as a Sequence 8 Beyonder, she had been powerless to break free of that state. Yet Ron had shattered it with a single finger...

His magic reaction was only at Sequence 9!

Could he really be the agent of a hidden existence?

But why?

At that thought, Idrila's face immediately turned deathly pale, and a flicker of fear passed through her eyes.

She could not understand what in the small Evening Bell City was worthy of such an existence's attention...

But she immediately recalled a saying that had once circulated within the Society.

"They are beyond all conjecture, for you and I are merely mortals."

Idrila fell silent.

After a moment, she finally came back to herself and gave Ron an apologetic smile.

"My apologies for thinking for so long...

Though in your eyes, this is all a trial set by that hidden existence, whether or not it was Its will, I should repay you in both sentiment and reason."

She stood and walked to the window, bathing herself in sunlight.

"Beyonder Loss of Control comes from the power flowing through our blood--

Potions bring not only the grace of the gods, but also madness and contamination from the unknown."

As she spoke, she raised her pale arm. The glaring scars were exceptionally obvious, and blood still faintly seeped from them.

"This is the contamination that the [War] sequence must bear...

The wounds torn by this sharp weapon did not truly come from a weapon, but from the Potion I have yet to fully digest, from the contamination hidden behind power."

She looked at Ron, a trace of seriousness in her voice.

"Although you may have the blessing of a hidden existence and show no signs whatsoever of having suffered contamination...

This gift will not exempt you from the risk of loss of control forever. Of course, I do not possess a way to ease loss of control permanently either.

But if it is only a one-time temporary measure..."

As she spoke, she solemnly clasped her hands before her chest and murmured a prayer of unknown meaning.

She poured out all her spirituality, and the pearl earring on her right earlobe glowed with a soft radiance.

This was the Beyonder item she had requested from the church, the "Glimmer Earring." It could enhance its user's Beyonder abilities, but would consume spirituality several times faster.

Still, since this was a trial for a hidden existence, no matter the cost, there was no reason not to use it.

The next moment, an illusory droplet of brilliant golden liquid fell from the earring, hovering above her palm and forming a holy dewdrop.

"As a Sequence 8 [War Chaplain], the Beyonder ability I excel at most is helping Warriors cleanse contamination and invigorate their spirits."

Her face had turned slightly pale. She found a small glass bottle in the room, filled it, and handed it to Ron.

"This is the [Consecrated Dewdrop] I condensed using my ability. Drinking it can soothe the soul and ease loss of control--"

As she spoke, a note of confidence entered her voice.

"At least for Beyonders below Sequence 7, the effects of this dewdrop will be immediate."

Got it.

A smile could not help appearing on Ron's face.

His guess had been correct... In the Potion Era, Beyonders faced the risk of losing control at all times. How could there be no means to fight it?

This Evening Bell Saint was even a perfect match for the task; her Beyonder ability itself excelled at easing loss of control...

With this dewdrop, becoming an Lv.2 Superpowered would clearly be effortless!

Just as Ron's heart surged with excitement, he suddenly heard several heavy footsteps.

The next moment, he saw Idrila's expression change.

"Oh no!"

Looking out the window, she suddenly noticed something, and panic filled her face.

"I was careless and lost track of time... This morning's prayer has already passed!

I missed morning prayer without explanation. The Flame-Chasing Knights must have noticed something!"

Flame-Chasing Knights?

Following Idrila's gaze outside, Ron discovered more than a dozen knights in cloaks, moving like statues as they headed toward the tower.

They looked exactly like the two knights standing guard by the spiral staircase.

"Suul must know as well. He controlled me because he wants to sacrifice so many people to complete the Fire-Chasing Ritual. He will probably arrive soon too..."

Idrila muttered to herself, her face growing paler.

"He is a Sequence 7 [War Overseer]. He can make the Flame-Chasing Knights even stronger...

This is terrible. Why am I only a Sequence 8 [War Chaplain]?!"

Idrila's brows were tightly furrowed, and her tone was urgent.

"Without the aid of a Sequence 7 Beyonder skilled in combat, or someone of an even higher sequence, how can we escape their encirclement and defeat Suul..."

Only then did Ron notice that, in Magic Vision, the Flame-Chasing Knights were all brimming with brilliant red light.

Clearly, this did not come only from their own Beyonder traits, but also from a higher-sequence Beyonder—from the enhancement Bishop Suul had bestowed upon them as a [War Overseer]!

Looks like the trouble ahead won't be small...

But how do we escape the encirclement?

I'll just become Sequence 7!

"No need to worry," Ron said with a soft laugh as he looked at the frowning Idrila. "It has given me guidance."

"Guidance?"

"It said that I would obtain the power to contend against a Sequence 7 Beyonder... in the very next moment."

"...?"

Idrila froze.

Ron offered no further explanation. Instead, he tapped the manual's light screen and selected [Enter World Save].

[Current World Saves: Superpowered Era, Potion Era (Loaded)]

[World Save "Superpowered Era" selected. Joining world...]

Ron's vision went black for an instant.

The scent of gardenias vanished from beneath his nose. Before him was no longer the saintess's bedchamber, but his own cramped little apartment.

Taking out the small vial of golden liquid, Ron drank it without hesitation.

The Dimensional Update Manual immediately displayed a glowing screen:

["Beyonder Loss of Control (65%)" had been purified by Mysticism Influence. Setting updated to "Beyonder Loss of Control (5%)".]

Ron immediately switched his profession back to Superpowered and tried activating Vector Manipulation, whose Loss of Control was only five percent—

That sluggish sense of losing control, like fine sand slipping away through his fingertips, was finally gone!

Even though Ron had yet to unlock Vector Manipulation's Ability Model to ten percent, his Personal Reality, which had been suppressed for far too long, immediately began to expand...

New text appeared in the Dimensional Update Manual:

[Your profession "Superpowered" has advanced: Lv.1—"Lv.2!]