"Hunter" Lumian

It seems my "transmigration" really did cause quite a stir this time... Nimrod nodded silently, then spoke casually to Lumian before him:

"It seems I did help you just now."

The observational abilities of the Error pathway allowed Nimrod to catch the subtle expressions on Lumian's face. He could tell that Lumian was now considerably less wary of him, and the title "Godfather," which he had originally used only "for my sister's sake!", now sounded considerably more sincere.

Nimrod surmised that his recent return through "transmigration" had stirred the power of Sefirah Castle in this region sealed by the Fool, significantly intimidating the Hunter monster Lumian had been hunting. Naturally, Lumian had assumed Nimrod had saved him.

"You're right."

Lumian caught his breath, his unconsciously spoken thanks displaying true Hunter spirit:

"Godfather, thank you for helping me kill this monster... but what should we do now?"

"Be patient." Nimrod smiled, took two steps forward, and reached out to place his hand over the monster before him.

-The surrounding power of Sefirah Castle had yet to dissipate. He tried to guide the thin wisps of lingering fog according to his intentions:

"What you desire will appear before you soon... before that, would you mind if I tried something?"

Lumian shook his head. "Of course not."

"Good." The corners of Nimrod's mouth lifted slightly. Gray fog flowed between his fingertips, and he seemed to grasp a certain "trick" as he gave his wrist a slight twist:

"Then let me speed up the process."

The instant Nimrod turned his wrist, the gray fog spread throughout the monster's body like fine threads, drawing something into Nimrod's body. A moment later, he flipped his wrist and displayed a mass of thick, dark-red substance to Lumian.

Despite the aching pain of having his spirituality drained, he smiled and told Lumian:

"A Hunter Beyonder characteristic-the key to becoming a Beyonder."

Watching Lumian stare transfixed at the Hunter characteristic, Nimrod gave a heartfelt chuckle.

Just now, he had tried to use the power of Sefirah Castle to draw in advance on an ability available only at the High Sequences of the Error pathway, "stealing" a portion of time from the Shotgun Monster.

Since the Shotgun Monster was effectively already dead, and Nimrod had stolen only a little over ten seconds, he had fortunately succeeded on his first attempt.

-The instant the time theft succeeded, Nimrod felt a substantial portion of his Marauder Beyonder characteristic digest. Perhaps one or two more acts of "theft" targeting Beyonders that met the requirements of acting would be enough to digest it completely.

However, even this degree of Time Theft had drained Nimrod's considerable spirituality all at once. Although his spirituality was now recovering rapidly, the aching pain caused by its sudden exhaustion remained.

"This is..."

"As I explained just now, something essential for a Beyonder's advancement," Nimrod calmly explained to Lumian:

"Consuming this Beyonder characteristic can make someone a Hunter at Sequence 9 of the Red Priest pathway. It's your only option right now."

Having said that, Nimrod addressed Lumian with a faint smile:

"Of course, you have another choice: give up this Beyonder characteristic and wait for a potentially better opportunity later."

"Of course I'll choose this one, Godfather." The title already came quite naturally to Lumian. To him, it did not matter what kind of Beyonder abilities he possessed. What mattered was...

"What matters is that they let you protect your sister, right?"

Nimrod sighed softly, unable to keep the ending of Cordu Village's dream from surfacing in his mind:

"Very well. Remember how you feel now. I hope you can stay true to it from now on. The Hunter pathway's potion happens to suit your needs, too."

Lumian caught the word "potion" in Nimrod's words and asked with some confusion, his tone quite humble:

"Godfather, what's the difference between a potion and a Beyonder characteristic? How should I use this Beyonder characteristic?"

"Don't rush," Nimrod said casually:

"You've probably already guessed part of it-don't rush to deny it. My Beyonder abilities let me see roughly what you're thinking."

Uh... aren't you supposed to appreciate my humility in a situation like this? Lumian grumbled inwardly, unable to resist the complaint.

"I caught that one, too."

Although Nimrod was not a Spectator, Lumian's fleeting expressions still betrayed the general direction of his thoughts.

Lumian immediately said with utmost sincerity, "Godfather, I'm very sorry."

But he had no intention of changing next time.

"All right, your time in the 'dream' is limited. Let's get back to business."

Nimrod steered the conversation back on track, placing particular emphasis on the word "dream":

"Since you've more or less guessed it, I'll keep this simple: for humans, a 'potion' is essentially a finely processed 'Beyonder characteristic,' better suited to the constitutions of human babies and easier to digest."

"That's why potions have formulas. A potion formula basically consists of a Beyonder characteristic, or items that can combine to form that characteristic, along with materials that complement it. Once a characteristic is made into a potion, it becomes somewhat easier for it to combine with other objects and living beings."

At this point, Nimrod paused:

"As it happens, I know the Hunter pathway's potion formula. I also looked through my own treasury just now and found most of its supplementary ingredients. For whatever I didn't have, I temporarily borrowed a little from the monsters in the ruins. So remember to pay me back for the ingredients once you become a Beyonder."

As my godfather, aren't you supposed to give them to me with a grand wave of your hand? Disbelief showed in Lumian's eyes, and he wanted to try talking his way out of it.

"Of course, you can also try swallowing the Beyonder characteristic raw. That would save you the small cost of the supplementary ingredients, but you'd be more likely to lose control, and the potion would be harder to digest."

Lumian immediately abandoned any thought of protesting.

"It seems you've made your choice."

Nimrod glanced at Lumian, pulled a wineglass out of thin air from Sefirah Castle, and dropped the Hunter characteristic into it:

"First, the main ingredient: the Hunter Beyonder characteristic."

"Then ten drops of red chestnut flower essential oil, five grams of poplar leaf powder, and ten grams of basil."

It took Lumian only a moment to realize that Nimrod was deliberately naming the ingredients in the formula for his benefit, and he carefully committed them to memory.

"Finally, eighty milliliters of red wine."

Nimrod took out a cup of fine wine he had just stolen and slowly poured it in.

The Hunter Beyonder characteristic and the other ingredients slowly dissolved and blended together. A bloody hue rose within the transparent glass, like the blood shed by innocents over countless centuries.

"The Hunter potion. Help yourself."

Nimrod loosened his fingers slightly and offered Lumian the stemmed glass.

After a long silence, Lumian accepted the glass.

Then.

He drained it in one gulp.

"Welcome to the brutal world of Beyonders."