Somewhere in the middle of honestly, I don't know where a secret gathering was being held.
One of the people, with an average physique, suddenly shouted:"Hey! The person who needs a Sequence 9 potion of the Spectator pathway are you here?"
A man with short black hair, sharp green eyes, and a defined jawline stood up. It was Jack."Yes, I'm here. What's the price?"
The man replied, "Five hundred pounds."
Jack frowned. "Why is it so high? By my knowledge, it should only cost three hundred pounds."
The man's expression darkened with anger. "You do realize not only did I make the entire potion myself, but I didn't even drink it? You should be grateful I'm this generous."
Jack gritted his teeth before reluctantly nodding. "...Okay. Deal."
Just as they were about to shake hands, someone rushed into the room, his face pale with panic."Official Beyonders found us!"
Everyone froze, their faces filled with shock.
The first to recover was the person acting as the host of the gathering."Everyone, go through the back exit!"
People immediately rushed toward the back. But Jack, instead of following, snatched the potion and leapt through the nearest window. He didn't trust that official beyonders wouldn't already know about the back exit. Since they were only on the first floor, this escape was possible.
His instincts proved correct only a few seconds later, he heard the sounds of explosions and screams erupting from the direction of the back exit. Jack didn't dare to look back.
But suddenly—
Bang!
A sharp pain pierced his right shoulder. He staggered and grimaced in pain. Damn it… how foolish of me to think I could outrun official Beyonders.
Another thought surfaced. Maybe I can hide in one of the houses nearby—
Bang!
Another shot hit his leg. His speed faltered, and he nearly collapsed. Still, he forced himself forward. After several agonizing minutes of stumbling, he finally saw a row of houses ahead. A spark of hope lit in his eyes.
He dashed to the nearest house. Surprisingly, the door wasn't locked. He shoved it open and staggered inside.
But just a few steps in, despair struck again.
A man was calmly sitting on a chair, a gun already aimed at Jack.
Jack froze. "S–sir, I can explain! Please, don't kill me!"
The man smiled faintly. "Well, you really shouldn't barge into other people's homes."
Bang! Bang!
Two gunshots echoed. Blood and brain matter splattered across the floor.
The man Lukas stood up, walked over to Jack's corpse, and searched his right pocket. Soon, he pulled out a small bottle filled with a silvery, sticky liquid that bubbled. His lips curled into a satisfied grin. He quickly hid the potion in a safe place, then arranged his face into a look of terror.
Footsteps approached. Moments later, five people entered the house. They were members of the Machinery Hivemind.
The captain glanced around before approaching Lukas. "Sir, may I know what happened here?"
Lukas stammered nervously, "I… I'm not sure myself. He suddenly barged in and threatened me. I panicked, pulled out my gun, and shot him. I… I was terrified."
The captain studied him for a moment, then asked, "Sir, may I know your name?"
"Arthur," Lukas answered without hesitation.
"Mr. Arthur, has anything unusual happened to you in the past few days? Anything you can't logically explain?"
Lukas pretended to think before shaking his head. "No, sir."
They asked him a few more questions. Then one of the other members whispered something to the captain.
The captain nodded. "Alright, Mr. Arthur. You're clear. Don't worry you won't face any charges for killing him. This was clearly self-defense."
"Th–thank you, sir," Lukas replied, voice trembling.
Once the team left, Lukas's trembling expression vanished, replaced with a satisfied smile. Everything had gone exactly as he wanted.
He walked over to the table, retrieved the hidden potion, and carefully wrote down:
Advancement to Sequence 9 Spectator, will go very smoothly.
Then he drank it.
It went very smoothly no pain, no visions, nothing. There were changes to his body. First, his vision improved significantly; he could discern people's true thoughts just by looking at them. Second, he had become smarter overall.
Excited, Lukas asked the Almighty Quill."Hey, Quill. Can you tell me what new things I can do?"
Words appeared in the air, glowing faintly:
From now on, any arrangements you make will inevitably come true for Beyonders below Sequence 5. Unlike before, you are now able to partially influence those at Sequence 5 as well. Once you advance to Sequence 8 and fully digest it, you will be able to nearly control Sequence 5 individuals and arrange matters for them.
Lukas contemplated this deeply, then asked:"If I advance high enough to influence True Gods, will They be able to sense it?"
The words shifted:
No. They will only feel that something is amiss. Their spirituality will warn them, but unless they receive help from an existence above the Sequence, they will have no chance to escape your arrangements. Even with such help, breaking free will be extremely difficult.
Lukas nodded slightly. "Good. I just wanted to make sure."
The words faded with a final: Okay.
After a few minutes of silent thought, Lukas finally lay down on his bed. Within seconds, he drifted off into a deep sleep.
Hey guys, author here! I want to say a few things. First off, I want to deeply thank Ahmed_Abdi_9831 for his generosity I really appreciate it, and I hope you have a great day. Second, I hope you enjoy this chapter! I made it a bit longer, so I hope you like it. See you next time!