The sensation of falling through time ended abruptly.
There was no impact, just a sudden shift in gravity and air pressure.
Kim Dokja and the Secretive Plotter opened their eyes.
They were blinded by sunlight.
"Where..." Dokja blinked, shielding his eyes. "Where are we?"
They stood on a high ridge overlooking a vast, lush valley.
Strange, mutated flora bloomed in vibrant colors—crimson trees, purple grass, and flowers that seemed to breathe. In the distance, a colossal city spiraled upward, its spires piercing the clouds. And to the West, a wall of grayish-white fog stretched from the earth to the zenith, blocking out the rest of the world.
Klein Moretti stood up, dusting off his regalia. He adjusted his top hat, his eyes scanning the horizon with a mix of recognition and disbelief.
"This is..."
He rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
"...the Forsaken Land of the Gods," Klein said, his voice grave. "But there is no darkness. The lightning does not strike." He pointed to the sky. A sun—a genuine, blazing sun—hung there.
Ping.
A system message materialized. It flickered and distorted, as if the signal was weak.
[The 'Star Will' attempts to intervene.]
[Error. The Probability of the 'Third Epoch' rejects the interference.]
[The 'Star Will' does not exist in this timeframe.]
"The system is weak here," Dokja noted. "It's a memory. A recorded past."
Then, a different window popped up.
This one felt local, generated by the [Continental Fragment] itself.
===
[Scenario Update: The Missing Chapter]
[Problem]
—The Third Epoch Eastern Continent lacks sufficient narrative detail.
[Changes]
—Greatly strengthened the power of the Continental Fragment to render a complete reality.
—Added a new Eastern Continent Episode to fill the rushed story.
[Reward List]
Sequence 1 - Attendant of Mysteries (Fool Pathway) Beyonder Characteristic.Uniqueness of the [Justiciar] Pathway.The First Blasphemy Slate (Fragment).???
[Failure Condition]
—The Death of the Ancient Sun God.
===
"We are in the Third Epoch. The Glorious Era. Before the Cataclysm." Klein's mouth twitched as this sentence involunatrily escaped his lips. "Failure condition..." Klein read the line, a chill running down his spine. "We have to prevent the Cataclysm?"
Suddenly, Klein's ear twitched. He looked toward the wall of gray fog.
His [Spirit Vision] didn't penetrate it, but his [Sefirah's Vessel] trait vibrated.
From deep within the fog, he heard voices.
Not one or two, but thousands.
A chant of desperate prayer.
"The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings..."
"The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings..."
"The Western Continent," Klein whispered.
He felt maggots crawl through his skin, his thoughts went adrift for a second. But with the help of the Advance neurological chip, signs of losing control disappeared.
"Intruders!" A shout broke his concentration. Five figures leaped from the ridge above them. They were giants, three meters tall, clad in silver armor. Their skin was gray like stone, and shadows clung to their weapons.
[Sequence 5: Guardian (Giant Pathway)]
[Sequence 5: Spirit Warlock (Darkness Pathway)]
In the Fifth Epoch, a squad of five Sequence 5 Beyonders would be a force to be reckoned with. Here, in the Third Epoch, they were merely border guards.
The Secretive Plotter stepped forward, his coat billowing.
Dokja reached for his [Unbroken Faith]'s hilt.
"Wait," Klein said. He didn't draw a weapon. He didn't cast a spell or use a skill.
[Spirit Body Threads]
In less than two seconds, the charging giants froze. Their eyes went dull. They lowered their weapons and stood at attention.
"You..." The Secretive Plotter looked at Klein, eyebrows raised. "You are an Angel of the Fool pathway?"
"Yes," Klein replied, walking past the frozen guards. "Killing them would raise an alarm. Controlling them makes us invisible." He turned to the Plotter. "However, you are the problem." Klein pointed at the Plotter's aura. To Klein's high-level perception, the Plotter was a walking singularity of dense, terrifying gravity.
"You emit the presence of a Deity. Even Demigods will notice you from miles away. You need to hide."
Klein unpinned the [Gem of the Concealed Star] from his cravat and tossed it to the Plotter. "Use this. It provides Concealment."
Klein browse his skill window.
===
[Lv.3 Spiritual Sleight of Hand]
○ Minor Identity Blur
—Temporarily weakens the user's "spiritual signature", confusing detection.
○ Covert Transfer
—Transfers a tiny amount of spiritual influence to an object or person.
○ Null Trace
—Reduces spiritual trace left behind by 50%.
===
[Lv.3 Spiritual Sleight of Hand activated!]
He inserted his spirituality into the surroundings.
"And don't go too far from me."
The Plotter caught the gem. He looked at it, then at Klein.
"May I ask... what Sequence are you? Your energy feels... complete."
"Sequence 0," the Plotter answered calmly, pinning the gem to his coat. The gravity around him vanished instantly. "Condenser Pathway. I call it the Star Dominator."
Klein stopped walking. Dokja froze.
"Sequence 0?" Klein repeated. "A True God?"
Although Secretive Plotter's aura wasn't on the level of Great Old Ones, senses of Klein weren't lying, he just needed a confirmation. Secretive Plotter was indeed on the level of Sequence 0.
"I acquired the characteristics by killing the Outer Deity 'Supernova Dominator' during the initial clash in the Demon Realm," the Plotter explained as if discussing the weather. "I had no choice but to consume the corpse of the previous Sequence 0. The Continental Fragment was the Star Stream's reward for that."
"You... killed an Outer Deity?" Klein's expression cracked. "And you consumed all the characteristics? At once?" In his world, consuming a Sequence 0 potion without a ritual, or even consuming multiple Sequence 1 characteristics at once, was guaranteed madness. It was suicide.
"How are you sane?" Klein asked, genuinely terrified. "The psyche of a Great Old One... the mental corruption... you should've already lost control."
The Plotter scoffed.
A smirk, arrogant and weary, touched his lips.
"Do you think the lingering psyche of a mere Outer God can conquer my mind?" He stepped closer to Klein, his eyes dark with the weight of eternity. "I have lived through 1,863 lifetimes. I have seen the end of the universe 1,863 times. I have endured despair that makes the corruption of your 'Old Ones' look like a child's tantrum. My ego is not something that can be eroded."
Klein stared at him.
"We should move," Kim Dokja interrupted, pointing down the valley. "Before the other guards notice their friends aren't patrolling."
They descended into the city.
It was Moon City, but not the ruin Klein remembered from the future. It was a thriving metropolis. The architecture was a blend of high-gothic spires and organic, blood-stone structures left over from the Sanguine rule.
But what shocked Klein was the development. Streetlamps glowed with captured lightning. Buildings were reinforced with earth magic.
People—humans, half-giants, mutants—walked the streets in fine clothes.
It wasn't technologically advanced; it was late Medieval or Renaissance level. But with Beyonder powers integrated into everyday life, the standard of living exceeded the Victorian era of Backlund.
Dokja whispered, scanning the crowd with [Character List].
"Even the children are Sequence 9."
They found an inn near the city square. The sign depicted a silver cross. The innkeeper, a woman with pale skin and red eyes (a Sanguine hybrid), looked them over. "Three rooms?"
"One suite," the Plotter corrected.
"That will be expensive. We do not accept gold."
"Currency?" Plotter asked.
"Beyonder Characteristics," the innkeeper said. "Or items of equivalent spirituality."
"For ten nights," the Plotter said, reaching into his void coat. He pulled out a jelly-like substance that screamed of depravity and madness.
[Sequence 8: Listener (Hanged Man Pathway) Characteristic]
"Will this suffice?"
The innkeeper's eyes widened. She grabbed it greedily.
"More than enough. Top floor. Do not disturb the other guests."
They secured the room.
Klein used [Spiritual Sleight of Hand] to seal the room against eavesdropping.
They sat around a wooden table.
"We need information," Dokja said. "What is the 'Cataclysm'? Who is the Ancient Sun God?"
"Arianna didn't tell me much," the Plotter admitted. "Only that this era ended in betrayal."
Klein took a deep breath.
He leaned his cane against the table.
"The Ancient Sun God," Klein began, his voice taking on a storytelling cadence. "'He' was a researcher from the Pre-Epoch... from Modern Era, before the chaos." He explained everything. Chernobyl. The Chaos Sea. The awakening in the Second Epoch. How 'He' defeated the Ancient Gods. How 'He' became the Quasi-God Almighty. His eight Kings of Angels: Sasrir, Adam, Amon, Medici, Ouroboros, Leodero, Herabergen, Aucuses.
Klein recalled his last encounter with Amon, since it was used to destabilize his emotional state.
"'He' planned to ascend to become a Great Old One," Klein explained. "But the Primordial God Almighty was awakening inside 'Him'. To save Himself, 'He' planned his own death and resurrection to purge the corruption."
Klein looked at the window, at the brilliant sun outside.
"But the plan failed. 'He' was betrayed. Leodero (Storm), Aucuses (Sun), and Herabergen (Wisdom) feasted on 'His' body. 'He' died. And 'His' hatred, 'His' corruption... it birthed the True Creator."
"And this land," Klein gestured to the window, "became the Forsaken Land. Cursed by His dying breath."
Dokja absorbed the information.
"So, our mission is to stop the betrayal? Or ensure the resurrection works?"
"The Failure Condition is 'Death of the Ancient Sun God'," Klein quoted. "We have to save 'Him'."
Secretive Plotter sighed, regretting his decision to come repay the debt he had before Black Lotus.
Suddenly, Klein stopped.
His eyes lost focus.
He looked at the cane.
Then he looked at the fog in the distance.
"The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings..."
The chanting in his head grew louder.
He remembered the reward.
[Sequence 1: Attendant of Mysteries].
Why was that the reward?
But the Sefirah Castle... the Fog...
Klein stood up.
His expression was blank.
He raised his right hand.
"Klein?" Dokja asked, sensing the shift in atmosphere. "What's wrong?"
"I need to check something."
He turned his head to the right.
Then, he began to walk in a small circle.
He took four steps counter-clockwise in the center of the room.
Klein stopped.
He looked at them, and for a second, his brown eyes flashed with a terrifying, pitch-black light. A smile that wasn't his curled the corner of his lips.
"Interesting," Klein's voice resonated, layered with a buzzing, ancient tone.
Dokja and the Plotter stood up instantly, weapons drawn.
The aura radiating from Klein wasn't the Fool.
It was the Celestial Worthy.