Advancement to [War Overseer], the Gray Mist Returns (5k2)

An investigation commission?

Ron raised his brow and carefully studied the gaunt man before him.

A distinct chill seeped from this man, as though he were an ice sculpture carved from a glacier—

Taking a closer look at his features and sensing that chill, Ron understood exactly what he was. Clearly, he was a transcendent of the [Death] sequence!

When Ron had first drunk the "Gravekeeper" Potion, the surging pollution and loss of control had turned him deathly pale, like a corpse.

Yet the gaunt man before him looked far more terrifying than Ron had at the time.

He must have endured even more severe and intense transcendent pollution.

Sequence 8? Or Sequence 7?

Ron looked at the man with great interest, while Idrila beside him froze, seemingly startled.

"Are you... Father Harvey?"

Father Harvey? Idrila knew him?

It seemed he truly was from the Lost Church, and he even had a name. Ron fell thoughtful as Father Harvey gave a stiff nod and said:

"It is me. You should understand that I do possess the Potion formula for [Death] Sequence 7. Even if the transaction is not conducted within the Society, I can guarantee that I can afford the payment."

"Now, are you willing to accept my investigation commission? If you are, come with me now. I will take you to the Lost Church—"

"This..." Idrila hesitated. "But you have yet to tell me what exactly you want investigated—"

"..."

Father Harvey was clearly taken aback. He fell silent for a moment, seemingly organizing his words.

"Well... this is a—an investigation commission concerning a magical tomb."

Only then did his speech return to normal, and he said coldly:

"A [Gravekeeper] reported to me that a pit suddenly appeared in the cemetery under his watch, with Corpse Shells crawling out of it.

"After activating Magic Vision, one can clearly see that the tomb has been thoroughly tainted by death magic.

"I intend to enter the tomb and investigate what exactly caused its mutation—"

"But I alone am not enough. As a transcendent of the [Death] sequence, I lack methods of recovery. I need you, a [War Chaplain], to provide logistical support."

Logistical support?

Idrila eyed the icy Father Harvey suspiciously, feeling that something was off.

The Truth Society, the Scorched Earth Sanctuary, and the Lost Church—the three churches blessed by true gods—maintained the stability of Evening Bell City. They did not rely solely on their status as orthodox churches.

Strength—strength was the foundation of these three churches' standing in Evening Bell City.

Whether it was President Elvis, Father Suul, or Father Harvey, all had climbed to Sequence 7. They were the strongest transcendent beings openly known in all of Evening Bell City.

And now, a Sequence 7 was so urgently commissioning her, a Sequence 8, to explore a magical tomb that even a Sequence 7 could not guarantee escaping unharmed from? What he wanted was definitely not this!

However, after glancing at Ron beside her, Idrila ultimately made up her mind.

Even if Father Harvey did not merely need her help exploring that so-called magical tomb, and had some other purpose, it would be enough as long as she received the payment.

After all, she did not believe Father Harvey would harm her—in Evening Bell City, there were not many people with the backing of two orthodox churches like Idrila.

Although Father Suul was currently preparing to sacrifice her, no outsider besides President Elvis knew about that.

In the eyes of others, Idrila was not only the sole nun of the Scorched Earth Sanctuary's Evening Bell City church, but also an honorary member of the Truth Society. Even Father Harvey would have to carefully consider whether he could withstand the wrath of the other two churches if he dared lay a hand on her.

Perhaps he simply had some trouble he could not explain within the Society, forcing him to tell this lie. Could it be related to the Society?

As Idrila pondered this and prepared to agree to Father Harvey's request, Ron's voice came from beside her:

"This commission may be somewhat difficult, but we can accept it."

Ron smiled as he accepted the commission on Idrila's behalf, though he also postponed its timing.

"However, given the difficulty, we need some time to prepare. Just a few days should not delay anything, right?"

"...It will not."

Father Harvey gave Ron a deep look, then cast Idrila another cold glance and said tersely:

"I will be staying in the bookstore for the next few days. Come find me upstairs once you are ready."

With that, he swept his black robe aside and slowly departed, one step at a time.

Watching Father Harvey leave, Ron quietly asked Idrila:

"Do you have a grudge against him?"

"A grudge?"

Idrila was visibly stunned, her face full of confusion.

"Um... why would you think that?"

"Although Father Harvey clearly lied, and may not truly need my help exploring some magical tomb, that should have nothing to do with whether he hates me or not..."

As she spoke, Idrila could not help sighing helplessly.

"After all, I have not left the tower in a long time. Before this, I had only met Father Harvey once—"

That was true.

Ron had to admit that Idrila had a point. She had been trapped by Father Suul for so long, and had only met Father Harvey once before. There clearly should not have been any grudge between them.

Yet Ron also trusted his own judgment.

After struggling for so long in the lower levels of Ideal City, Ron was far better than most at reading people.

The experiences of two lifetimes had honed that ability. At the very least, he could be certain that Father Harvey had shown clear hostility toward Idrila just now. That hostility had been directed solely at Idrila, without falling on Ron at all, confirming that it was not because they wished to covet the [Death] Sequence 7 Potion formula.

Perhaps some reason lay hidden behind this, and Father Harvey might truly become an enemy. Even so, Ron did not wish to let this commission go. The [Death] Sequence 7 Potion formula was right before him. Even if Father Harvey had never intended to pay them and became their enemy, it would merely mean a different way for Ron to obtain the Potion!

During his earlier chat with Charles and Idrila, Ron had learned quite a bit of relatively unimportant mysticism knowledge.

The introduction to the [Age of Gods Remnant] setting had mentioned that loading it granted the ability to bear transcendent characteristics, allowing one to drink Potions and become a transcendent.

Charles and Idrila had also mentioned "transcendent characteristics."

They said that when a transcendent died, the power of their Potion would not vanish with them. Instead, it would precipitate from their blood and form condensed transcendent characteristics.

If such characteristics were not handled, they would merge into nearby objects after some time and turn them into Contained Artifacts—just like the mask Father Suul had produced.

But if they were properly handled and isolated immediately after precipitating, they could serve as the main ingredient for a Potion of the corresponding sequence, allowing a new Potion to be brewed.

In other words, even if Father Harvey truly became an enemy, Ron could kill him and use the transcendent characteristic from his body to brew a [Death] Sequence 7 Potion, thereby advancing to Lv.3!

At that point, since he possessed the main ingredient, he could even use the magic book to directly learn the Potion formula.

Of course, that was something to consider only after making proper preparations.

Ron did not believe that he and Idrila, as they were now, could defeat a transcendent who had been Sequence 7 for a long time without paying any price. Moreover, even if they currently had sufficient strength, they could not simply kill Father Harvey without cause.

The Potion Era was not a lawless society. If Ron truly did that, he would likely draw the pursuit of the orthodox churches throughout Evening Bell City, as well as the official organizations of the Frankish Empire. At least for now, he still wanted to be a law-abiding good man.

They only needed to prepare themselves to defeat Father Harvey. Better yet, they could wait for President Elvis to return. Once he did, they would have someone powerful enough to protect their lives.

That way, whether Father Harvey truly tore away all pretense and fought Ron and Idrila to the death, or merely wanted them to complete a commission without any true hostility, Ron would be able to handle it calmly and obtain an opportunity to advance to Sequence 7.

With that in mind, he asked Idrila:

"Do you know whether Father Harvey has any special abilities? Or any particularly exceptional Contained Artifacts?"

"Probably not. Father Suul's mask remained in Evening Bell City only because of special circumstances. It is impossible for anyone else here to possess a Contained Artifact like that. Father Harvey is merely an ordinary Sequence 7 transcendent."

Idrila shook her head and looked at Ron.

"But why are you asking this? Have you already prepared to fight him?"

Ron nodded. "Prepare for a rainy day. He has shown obvious hostility toward you, so a battle may be unavoidable."

"But I cannot give up this chance to obtain a [Death] Sequence 7 Potion. We have to resolve his commission—"

"When the time comes, whether we resolve the commission normally or resolve him, either outcome will fulfill my goal."

"I see." Idrila clearly hesitated, but ultimately nodded, trusting Ron's judgment.

"Then I will listen to you, Mr. Ron."

"However, defeating Father Harvey will likely be difficult." Her tone carried some helplessness as she continued.

"Although I know you possess that person's blessing and can temporarily unleash strength comparable to a Sequence 7 transcendent, he is still a priest of the Lost Church."

"The Lost Church must have some Contained Artifacts under his control. Even if they cannot be as terrifying as that mask, they would still be enough to make him stronger than an ordinary Sequence 7."

"If we truly become enemies, the two of us, both Sequence 8, will likely not be enough to defeat him."

Though Idrila had phrased it tactfully, Ron understood her meaning perfectly. Two Sequence 8s wanted to defeat a Sequence 7 equipped with Contained Artifacts? What a joke!

Ron had been thinking the same thing.

After learning of the existence of Contained Artifacts, even Ron at his peak, temporarily able to reach Lv.3 through the "Ability Amplifier," would not recklessly fight an unknown transcendent on his own.

But who said Ron could only rely on himself?

"Who told you that we are both only Sequence 8?"

"If I remember correctly, you have been at Sequence 8 for a long time. You have served as a [War Chaplain] for quite a while, haven't you?"

Ron curled his lips and pointed at the floating Society Codex above the round table.

"I only caught a glimpse earlier, but I saw the Potion ingredients for [War Overseer]—"

"Have you not considered taking advantage of this salon to gather the ingredients for a [War Overseer] Potion and advance?"

Advance to [War Overseer]?

Idrila froze, then suddenly came to a realization as though she had just remembered something.

That was right—why had she not considered advancing to [War Overseer]?

She had already been a [War Chaplain] for ten years!

She had become a [War Chaplain] at only eleven years old. She did not even know how long ago she had fully digested the Potion—

But because she had no merits, and the [War] sequence Potion formulas were not circulated outside, she had been unable to advance for a full ten years, wasting away until now.

And now, both the Potion's main ingredient and formula had fallen into her hands, while she possessed what could be called a vast quantity of Academic Points in the Truth Society. In theory, as long as she wished it, she could immediately gather the Potion ingredients and brew the [War Overseer] Potion!

Why had she not considered her own advancement?

The question surfaced in her heart, but she did not dwell on it. All her attention went to the ingredients for the [War Overseer] Potion.

She touched the Society Codex with her spirituality, and names of materials flashed before her eyes. Before long, she selected the materials she needed.

"Fortunately, creations of Hundred-Battle Heroic Spirits are not rare. Anyone may encounter such transcendent creatures in battlefield ruins. Sometimes, one does not even need to kill them to find weapons they have left behind."

Muttering to herself, she quickly completed the transaction and returned to Ron's side with a broken, rust-covered banner and a pure-black blade of serrated grass.

During that time, Ron carefully examined the Society Codex and found nothing especially useful to him at this gathering.

However, he still stopped Idrila and asked her to purchase a [Life] Sequence 9 "Apothecary" Potion formula for him.

It would serve as another option for when he wished to advance to higher sequences in the future.

Unfortunately, for some strange reason, Ron could not find a single main ingredient for an [Apothecary] Potion throughout the entire gathering. He could only temporarily seal away the Potion formula, end this secret gathering's trade early with Idrila, and return to her room.

After returning, Idrila did not waste any time. She immediately took out the Minotaur's Heart and, following the Potion formula, pierced it directly with the shaft of that rusty military banner. In an instant, scarlet patterns emerged across the Minotaur's Heart and extended along the banner's shaft, flickering with faint light.

Drop after drop of blood stained with an iron-rust hue flowed down the banner's shaft and dripped into a beaker containing 300 milliliters of pure water, spreading an orange-red color like a sunset within it.

The [War Overseer] Potion required an entire day to drain the blood from the Minotaur's Heart. This was Idrila's first chance to advance in ten years, and she took it extremely seriously, sitting there and waiting for the entire day.

It was as though she feared someone might burst in and steal her Potion ingredients. But putting himself in her shoes, if preparing the ingredients for a [Death] Sequence 7 Potion also took a full day, Ron would keep his eyes fixed on them without moving either.

Who would not treat their chance at advancement with caution?

Ron had nothing else to do, so he simply kept Idrila company and prepared to protect her as she drank the Potion and advanced to become a Sequence 7 [War Overseer].

The day passed quickly. Ron yawned and saw that the Minotaur's Heart had finally stopped beating.

The translucent heart had dried around the banner shaft, releasing only one final drop of murky blood into the beaker.

By then, the contents of the beaker had completely turned a cloudy orange-red. Aside from looking somewhat dirty, there was nothing unusual about it.

Idrila cautiously cut off a small section of Night Shadow Grass. Only after weighing it and confirming that it was exactly 15 grams did she place it in the beaker.

Then, gritting her teeth, she cut open her palm and measured out 35 milliliters of blood, dripping it into the mixture.

The next instant, it was as though thunder had suddenly exploded. The black blade of grass and Idrila's crimson blood immediately merged with the cloudy orange-red liquid, producing a clashing sound of metal striking metal.

Shadows of weapons colliding appeared within the murky orange-red liquid. The fluid in the beaker jumped as though enraged, and rust-colored droplets bounced restlessly from its surface.

Idrila did not hesitate. She brought the Potion to her lips, tipped back her head, and drained it in one gulp.

The next moment, it was as though blades and steel lances had appeared from thin air.

Dozens of wounds suddenly tore open across Idrila's body, blood spraying forth as if someone were trying to slice her into pieces. Yet she kept her eyes tightly shut and furrowed her brows. Before long, the wounds slowly healed and vanished as though they had never existed.

Had she succeeded?

Ron watched Idrila's advancement with interest. In his Magic Vision, the magic power on her body was steadily rising, and its radiance was growing brighter and brighter. But just then—

A hazy gray mist drifted in from outside the door, forming a sharp arrow that shot toward Idrila at tremendous speed!

If Ron had not decided to protect Idrila as she drank the Potion and kept Magic Vision activated to observe her advancement, he would never have noticed that arrow!

What was this?!

Wait, could it be the same gray mist that had affected Idrila before—

Remembering the gray mist that had controlled Idrila and, even after being erased by [Fantasy Dissolution], had transformed into a lance that stabbed at him, Ron did not hesitate to stretch out his hand before the gray arrow and load [Fantasy Dissolution].

["Setting: Fantasy Dissolution" was worn away by an extreme excess of "Mysticism Influence"!]

[Characteristic Damage: 75%]

The next instant, dizziness washed over him. The arrow formed from gray mist struck his hand and burst like foam.

The cold gray mist trembled as it dispersed, unable to leave behind even the slightest trace.

At the same time, elsewhere—

[The Evening Bell Saint advanced to Sequence 7 through improper means due to her desire for power, but failed because of pollution.]

The murmuring voice broke off, only continuing after a brief pause:

[The pollution dispersed. She successfully advanced to Sequence 7 and became a "War Overseer."]

After a long silence, an aged voice finally rang out in frustration:

"Damn it—"