June 25, 1349, night.
No. 14 Conch Street, West District, Tingen City, Loen Kingdom.
Taking a deep breath, Dunn Smith snapped out of his brief daze, rubbed his eyes, and looked around at the gradually stabilizing chaotic scene.
The illusory colors slowly took shape, solidified, and transformed into concrete objects.
The air was filled with eye-irritating dust and the pungent stench of decay and blood. Yellow sand and gunpowder smoke mingled in the distance, where soldiers from the Feysac Empire and the Loen Kingdom were locked in relentless combat.
Dunn paused for a moment, as if searching for something in his forgotten memories.
Ah, now he remembered.
This was East Balam in the Southern Continent, the battleground where the Feysac Empire and the Loen Kingdom fought over colonial territories.
Then, he lowered his gaze to a man in the trench—one of the targets of his visit.
The man was tall and robust, yet now he cowered in the trench, covering his ears.
A comrade had been shot through the brain and collapsed lifelessly onto him.
Blood trickled down the man's face.
Yet he remained unresponsive, merely clutching his ears and emitting heavy, trembling breaths.
Thus, Dunn muttered to himself:
"As the records indicate, Alaric Vexley, enlisted at 19, was transferred to the Southern Continent to participate in the conflict with the Feysac Empire in East Balam, holding the rank of sergeant."
"Served for three years, discharged due to excessive mental stress and severe war trauma. After recuperating at a Backlund hospital, he was released and became a public servant at the Backlund Police Headquarters within a month."
"Due to his striking appearance, he became inadvertently entangled in the Earl Panderneval's family scandal. To avoid suspicion, he was temporarily transferred to Tingen as a senior inspector... Wait, is this detail necessary for the report?"
Kneeling down and observing the man's dazed and terrified expression, Dunn couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh.
His features were exquisitely chiseled, his face sharply angular. Though marked by the battlefield, these traits added a touch of mature charm, complementing the characteristic meticulousness and solemn professionalism of a Lenburg native.
Yet at this moment, his face was twisted in horror... The war trauma had severely ravaged his mind, leaving him plagued by nightmares night after night, even in the safety of Conch Street in the White Rose District.
It was hard to imagine that in the outside world, this man was a stern and meticulous senior inspector of Tingen.
However, regardless of his outward demeanor, Dunn had to ensure that this unfortunate Mr. Alaric hadn't been affected by any extraordinary forces during the unexpected meteor incident—this was the duty of a Night Watcher.
With a wave of his hand, the surroundings rapidly transformed. The brutal and bloody battlefield of East Balam instantly shifted into a small bank.
This was the England Bank, a branch located in downtown Tingen. On the day of the incident, June 21, Mr. Alaric had been inside handling the transfer of his military pension.
In the dream, he appeared slightly anxious but still maintained as much politeness as possible while exchanging documents with the teller.
After about ten minutes, he grew increasingly uneasy and restless, repeatedly urging the teller to speed up the process, which led to a heated verbal conflict.
Suddenly, a piercing shriek grew louder from the distance. Aleric, still suffering from war trauma, instinctively took cover in a corner.
Thus, he avoided the deadliest impact of the explosion, barely surviving amidst the ashes and ruins as one of only three witnesses to the incident.
"So that's how you survived... Hmm, this at least confirms your survival wasn't influenced by beyonder powers."
With that, Dunn waved his hand again, and a soothing power began spreading through the dreamscape. The trembling figure of Aleric in the ruins gradually stilled.
Meanwhile, Dunn transformed into a civil servant dressed in a black formal suit of absorbent gauze fabric. He then addressed Aleric slowly:
"Mr. Alaric Vexley, I deeply apologize. Due to staff negligence, there were safety hazards in the gas pipeline design at the Tingen British Bank, which led to this disaster."
"Please believe me, your losses will be financially compensated."
Aleric's eyes snapped open, bloodshot and wide.
He lunged forward, gripping Dunn's collar tightly:
"Compensation! I don't want your damn compensation!"
"You bunch of curly-haired baboons! All you know is indulgence! Squandering taxpayers' money!"
"I fought tooth and nail in East Balam, while you let such disasters happen behind our lines..."
He then began rambling incoherently, referring to the kingdom as an empire or republic, calling the king's wife the prince's aunt...
Dunn frowned slightly and clapped his hands gently within the dream. Immediately, Aleric's agitated expression calmed.
When Aleric opened his eyes again, Dunn had already vanished.
Tick, tock...
As the clock's hands moved steadily forward, Aleric gradually awoke from the dream.
He looked around dazedly, his mind foggy as if after heavy drinking... However, once he confirmed the man from his dream was truly gone, he took a deep breath:
"Dunn Smith."
His clarity returned swiftly, his vacant eyes suddenly brightening as a faint smile appeared.
"Seems to be in good condition, speech coherent too. The memory loss isn't too severe yet."
As a devoted fan of "The Lord of the Mysteries," Aleric's attitude toward this world had always been "fond, but not eager to join."
Yet by sheer coincidence, an unexpected accident transported him into the body of a Loen Kingdom sergeant fighting in East Balam.
Through the original host's memories, he learned that the day before his transmigration, a meteor had struck the Tingen Backlund Bank branch—and he'd been among the few survivors.
Given the style of the original novel, his crossing likely related to this meteor strike that bore no connection to the original plot.
"Can't it be someone's backup plan... Ugh! Don't think about it."
After cross-referencing with the original work, he confirmed his cheat was an unprecedented Sefirah called [Nonexistent], a unique pathway [The End], and its uniqueness [Lost Monument].
The veteran served as Sequence 9 of this pathway, granting mastery of all weapons, combat techniques, enhanced physical abilities, high-pressure mental stability, and battle intuition.
The acting principle was: "Be shrewd in calculations, vigilant against threats, and never resign oneself to capture."
Aleric's previous incarnation had been a genuine sergeant-level officer from the Eastern Balam battlefield of the Loen Kingdom. Not only was his identity authentic, but he also had a particular fondness for studying various occult arts. As a result, the Veteran potion he concocted melted almost instantly upon entering his mouth.
However, before he could fully master his special abilities, he was forced to deal with an investigation from the Nighthawks.
Fortunately, possessing a Sefirah, he could remain conscious even in dreams... When speaking with Dunn, he deliberately feigned a dazed and confused demeanor.
The Lost Monument, the uniqueness of The End pathway, had the effect of displaying and retrieving things "lost" by its holder—though with minor attrition. Just moments ago, he had retrieved the spirituality he'd expended, yet the total amount remained slightly less than before.
"Phew... dodged a bullet there, but..."
"Checking the time, there are roughly three days left until Mr. Fool awakens... I hope my presence doesn't disrupt the original plot progression."
As for his Sefirah...
He exhaled in relief and prepared to stand up to pour himself a cup of coffee to clear his mind.
But at that very moment, a sudden headache struck him. The tranquil sea of spirituality in his mind began to ripple, and from his perspective, the boundaries between light and shadow started merging and separating. The miscellaneous items in the room touched by this eerie phenomenon seemed on the verge of vanishing into thin air.
"Tsk... is that pen searching for actors in its script again?"
Though this wasn't the first time it had happened since his transmigration days ago, it was hardly good news—Ince Zangwill was approaching Tingen. If Aleric did nothing, the original tragedy would repeat itself.
However... unfortunately for them.
Since he had crossed over, he absolutely wouldn't let that hack of a playwright have his way so easily.
Aleric sneered. Channeling his spirituality, he pressed a hand against his own shadow. The outlines of his body began slowly detaching, mingling and transforming with his shadow in midair... until both Aleric's form and color disappeared from the spot.
"Hum..."
The room fell into utter silence, as if nothing had ever happened.