《Daily Life RPG System》


 Chapter 1: Inheritor

    "Please sign your name here. I''m sorry, but we can''t keep you in our orphanage anymore; you''re already sixteen years old, above the legal age for protective custody."


    Hiro blinked his eyes, a little confused to find himself in a closed office, seated across a mature beauty in a custom nun outfit.


    She looked too holy to spout such words, but that was the least of Hiro''s concerns at the moment.


    Who am I?!


    Where am I?!


    What custody and what orphanage?!


    Hiro frantically looked around and at himself, only to be disgusted by the discovery.


    He was a sweaty, fat young boy with a round belly, thick fingers, and lips that seemed just as thick.


    For a moment, he wondered what was the purpose of having such a big ass mirror in a small office like this one, but this didn''t distract him from the horrors of his current appearance.


    The only saving grace was the long crimson hair and royal blue eyes, which were honestly quite badass, reminiscent of his OP mage character in his favorite MMORPG games.


    Why am I thinking about games right now?! Hiro scolded himself harshly.


    The woman noticed the bewilderment in his eyes and sighed. "I know you must be feeling both reluctant and confused, but I''m helpless¡­" S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She then passed a few documents, the light taping on the table surface drawing Hiro''s attention to her actions as she explained.


    "I need you to sign these documents, then you can get back to your bed and think about your future¡­


    "The first document is the official release from custody papers, the second document is an application for a new name and household name since no one adopted you.


    "The third document is a helping gift from me; it''s an application for you to become a first-year student in Inter-High, a very good boarding school with a dormitory facility. It should be helpful until you get your life together.


    "Keep in mind that this is only a recommendation letter that will allow you access to the library and the dormitory for the following two weeks. Afterward, you need to take the entrance exams, and I shouldn''t have to tell you what would happen if you failed the exams."


    Hiro signed the documents absentmindedly, and when it was time to register a name and a household name, he paused.


    He obviously wrote down Hiro for his first name, but he struggled greatly in choosing a last name.


    After an indeterminate amount of internal struggle, he settled on choosing Sciatis as a last name, for reasons he himself didn''t know.


    Well, if he was being honest, Sciatis was the name of his clan on a role-playing forum in the past.


    Satisfied, the nun helped the dazed Hiro to his bed where he covered himself up, ignored the inquiries from the other children, and closed his eyes to tackle the headache in his mind.


    Just as Hiro realized the peak of confusion, his entire vision went white. Then, millions of colors combusted from center point blank range, stretching and colliding into a beautiful kaleidoscope space.


    The beautiful colors raced past him, making him feel as though he was traveling at faster than light speed, until he entered a magnificent golden hall.


    Many translucent screens floated around in the hall, numbering in the thousands, each screen displaying the life experience of a different Hiro, yet they all seemed the same.


    Some were young, some were old.


    Some were healthy, some were ill.


    Some were handsome, some were horrid.


    Some were rich, some were poor.


    Some were noble, some were peasants.


    Some were scholars, some were warlords.


    Some were terrorists, some were kings.


    Most of these experiences were mundane, but a select few were borderline mystical and extraordinary.


    Hiro''s fuzzy consciousness opened up like a ravenous whirlpool, drawing in the fleeting images, slowly transforming into something tangible in the center of the hall.


    In but one moment, Hiro felt an immense identity crisis, experiencing thousands of lifetimes, a flash in the dark, an instant that might as well have been an infinity.


    Boom!


    An explosion swept through the center of the hall, scattering the light to reveal a handsome young man with long crimson hair and royal blue eyes.


    His eyes seemed out of focus, but he quickly got his senses together and found an anchor to his conflicting identities in the name of Hiro.


    Hiro believed that those must have been his experiences from earlier transmigrations, and he must have reached some critical point, allowing him to remember his past heroic deeds in the river of history.


    That must be it!


    Hiro''s eyes blazed with white-hot passion.


    With such conviction in mind, Hiro truly felt that conquering this sudden crisis was very easy.


    Then¡­


    [Notice: Simulation of 10,000 fantasies successful!]


    [Notice: Congratulations, inheritor of the daily life RPG system! Please work hard and don''t waste this precious opportunity!]


    Hiro blinked his eyes.


    Eh? What?¡­ So, I didn''t transmigrate thousands of times after all?


    As an avid gamer in his previous life, Hiro understood the concept of RPG very well.


    He needed no explanation as to what an RPG system was, but a daily life RPG system?


    Hiro quickly calmed down and assessed his situation.


    "I have three days before my application to leave the orphanage is processed," he mumbled, forcing himself to calm down. "I''ll lock myself in my room and experiment with the system under the guise of adjusting my mental state¡­"


    Hiro felt like such a thing was feasible, as the female manager seemed rather kind and considerate.


    It''d be easy to take advantage of her kindness to hide my secret¡­ Erm, this sounds so wrong!


    Hiro shook his head and wondered how to leave this weird space. However, just as the thought crossed his mind, the magnificent hall around him twisted into millions of stacked colors before dissipating like fluorescent lights in the calm night.


    Everything returned to normal.


    ¡­


    As expected, the orphanage manager didn''t bother Hiro when he announced his intentions to shut himself inside his room for three days.


    During these three days, he frequently visited the magnificent hall, or the system space as he called it, to experiment with the features of the system.


    The most noticeable features were the Missions Catalog, the Shop, and the Lottery Box.


    The missions had different priority levels depending on the events, encounters, and decisions Hiro makes in his daily life, and the rewards were just as diverse.


    At the moment, his top priority was to pass the Inter-High entrance exam and join the famous boarding High School.


    The shop was a self-explanatory feature, where Hiro would use Achievement Points (AP) to buy items like in every other RPG game, while the lottery box was just another gacha feature.


    Of course, he couldn''t use AP for the gacha, but he had to use another form of hard currency¡ªgems.


    Other than missions of the highest priority, Hiro had no clue how to collect gems at the moment, so he couldn''t explore the lottery.


    The lottery box thus remained a mystery.


    Hiro left the system space, his attention returning to the real world and the beautiful orphanage manager standing by his side.


    A black sedan slowly rolled over to a stop by the two.


    The beautiful woman handed Hiro an envelope and spoke in a soft tone, "Here is your new ID, bank card, and temporary student ID for Inter-High. From this point on, you''re on your own, and I can only wish you good luck."


    Hiro accepted the envelope into his chubby hands and nodded with a serious, comical expression. His barely perceivable eyes had a sharp glint in them as he turned around and waddled into the black sedan.


    Seeing him act like a serious op on a mission, the manager couldn''t withhold a light chuckle, nor could she conceal her worries as she let out a light sigh.


    "Again," she expressed softly to the moving car. "I truly wish you good luck."

 Chapter 2: Grinding

    I''d be damned if I let anyone in the school see me!


    This was Hiro''s thought after he alighted from the black sedan. While he was expected to enter the school grounds and head to the dormitory registry building, he deeply understood the concept of first impressions.


    Thus, under no circumstances was Hiro willing to have his status as a lame fatso imprint itself into the minds of the student body of this school. Hiro sneakily made his escape from the massive steel gate and scurried along the streets, drawing further and further away from the school.


    When he thought he was far enough, Hiro stopped a random passerby with a "good man" vibe around him, asking nicely, "Excuse me, where can I find a shopping center and an ATM machine?"


    The man paused, turning off his phone and storing it away in his pocket before he fixed his silver-rimmed glasses and focused his attention on Hiro. Hiro had the vague illusion that the man''s glasses flashed a bright light as if he was a supremely intelligent existence about to bestow great wisdom.


    Hiro coughed inwardly, maintaining an innocent smile. At the very least, he thought his smile was rather innocent.


    "Of course," the man answered lightly, but it sounded like the tone of a villain for some unknown reason. "There''s a grand shopping center if you go..."


    The man provided Hiro with the location of various business districts across the city and how he could get there through either a taxi or the underground metro stations. Then, he guided him toward a convenience store with an ATM machine across the street.


    "Thanks," said Hiro gratefully before waddling over toward the store. As he walked, he opened the envelope where he found a Nexus Bank credit card and the associated PIN code.


    He checked the code, withdrew some cash from the machine, and waited by the roadside for a taxi. A few minutes later, Hiro got on the taxi and described his desired destination to the driver, who happily complied and started driving.


    ...


    The Blue Shark shopping center was a famous attraction site in this city, or at least that''s what Hiro learned from the taxi driver during their idle chatter time. He also learned that the shopping center was home to many establishments and facilities, including but not limited to fancy restaurants, love hotels, china towns, boxing gyms, etc.


    This shopping center was very close to three famous high schools and had a direct corporation business with one major university, which provides great customer channels.


    Hiro was amazed to learn all that. After contemplating the situation, he decided to visit the gym for a membership after he bought himself a new phone and registered a SIM card.


    What kind of a foolish douchebag would wander the modern society without access to the internet?! Definitely not me! Hiro convinced himself as he entered an electronic shop inside the Grand Mall.


    Honestly, all of these miscellaneous tasks were basic routines in every transmigrator''s starter experience in their new world. Hiro decided to refer to his actions as ''Transmigrator Foundation 101''.


    He bought a small notebook and wrote down his expectations for the ''Transmigrator Foundation 101'', starting with the "First Chapter - Grinding."


    His to-do list under the first chapter included buying a smartphone, losing weight (a lot of goddamn weight), buying new clothes, and getting a part-time job.


    The moment he finished the list, he heard a soft chime in his mind followed by the appearance of a small, blue pop-up screen in his field of vision.


    [Notice: Daily mission "Grinding" has been created!]


    [Notice: The "Workout" option has been unlocked!]


    ...


    A stream of information appeared in Hiro''s mind.


    Is this also possible? Am I going to be rewarded for something so basic? Hiro was pleasantly surprised as he thought of this. He decided to visit the system space in a bit and check out the new workout option.


    Hiro also wondered if similar options would be unlocked in the future depending on how he went about his daily life. For now, he realized that the server attendant was signaling for him to move forward; it was his turn on the counter.


    After a grueling battle of wits with the server provider, hoping to not get scammed with a package deal for a new phone, unlimited calls, and unlimited data access, Hiro finally acquired a proposal he felt to be fair. Then again, his economic sense in this alternate reality was trash at best, so he didn''t hope for much.


    After activating his phone and SIM card, he inputted his personal information and saved the PIN code for his credit card somewhere secure before crumbling the small piece of paper and swallowing it to remove any risk factor.


    Who knew if someone was stalking me, lurking for an opportunity to fish this paper from a trash bin after I tossed it away? Hiro considered himself smart for taking such precautions.


    Ignoring the weird looks of everyone in the store, he waddled his way and followed the erected signs toward the nearest men''s restroom. Hiro quickly located an empty cubicle and locked himself inside, sat down, and willed for his consciousness to enter the system space.


    After a familiar combustion of millions of stacked colors, Hiro found himself once again in the magnificent hall.


    A dense collection of holographic screens shuttled all around Hiro, each representing a feature of the system, either locked or unlocked.


    With a thought, all but one screen dissipated into motes of light. Hiro had to admit that the system interface was quite convenient, as it would have been annoying if every little detail and feature in the system were clumped into one long column of options.


    Hiro summoned the "Missions" window and focused on the "Grinding" list, finding out that it was a replica of his to-do list in the real world with a progress bar of 0% next to each line of text.


    Then, he focused on another holographic screen with the "Workout" feature, finding a basic chart of his physical attributes in real life.


    A diagram of a fat young man was on the screen. There were various statistics listed down, and all of them were in the red zone.


    Stamina, Strength, Speed, Fat, Endurance, Muscle, etc.


    "Hm," Hiro touched his chin. He browsed the options in the window, quickly locating the option to chart a workout plan.


    After he curiously selected the option, many other features were available to him as a line of text quickly appeared.


    [Please customize the desirable fitness level.]


    A new diagram of Hiro''s body in real life appeared, but this one was viable for custom editing within reasonable parameters.


    What determined the reasonable parameters?


    Hiro quickly found out when a few options popped up. After tapping away for a while, the initial parameters were set.


    [Deadline: 7 days.]


    [Intensity: Extreme.]


    [Formulating a workout plan, do you wish to proceed?]


    Hiro selected yes.


    After a chime, two diagrams of Hiro''s physical attributes in the real world appeared.


    One of them was labeled as "Current" and the other was labeled as "Target".


    The "Grinding" mission screen was updated, displaying a target of daily exercises to be completed every day by midnight. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    From the three tasks on the list, buying clothes was the easiest, while finding a suitable part-time job was subjective.


    Finding a job could be both easy or difficult, leaving only the daily exercises as the task requiring the most hard work and perseverance.


    Hiro sighed.


    It couldn''t be helped, he needed at least one week in the library to prepare for the entrance exams, so he could only punish himself by choosing the highest intensity provided in the workout feature.


    With trepidation in his heart for the upcoming week of hell, Hiro exited the system space.

 Chapter 3: So It Begins…

    "I''ve always wanted to say this in real life," Hiro stood in the middle of a crowded gym, inspecting the various scary machines out for his life, and gulped nervously.


    While he was fascinated by the system''s efficiency¡ªas each and every machine stipulated in the "Extreme Workout Plan" was highlighted by a blue halo¡ªHiro still felt scared.


    He felt like a man eyeing the noose at the end of the bridge, he yet willingly walked toward it.


    As he drew in a deep breath, tightened his buttocks, and gripped the sweat towel wrapped around his neck tightly, Hiro had but four words to say.


    "And so it begins¡­"


    With fierce determination in his eyes, Hiro waddled over toward the first machine, a startup timer appearing in his field of vision the moment he got on to work.


    The moment Hiro started, a weird energy filled his body, and took hold of it, forcing him to move from one torture machine to the next despite his will.


    I knew it! Hiro screamed in his mind. This damned evil system! Stop forcing my hand!


    One hour later.


    Damn it! Hiro panted, but he was incapable of talking, only his eyeballs rolling around in their sockets, tears mashed up with sweat on his face. I''m gonna die from dehydration! I''m gonna super ventilate to death!


    Well, that didn''t happen as the energy controlling his body would also bring Hiro to a water source whenever necessary, but he was just complaining for the sake of complaining.


    Three hours later¡­


    Hiro was a rolling ball of fat and sweat, and many of the registered members in the gym kept their distance from him.


    Panting like a wounded animal, Hiro went through an additional two-hour grueling workout, rounding up a total of six hours.


    A sweet, heavenly bell chime sounded in Hiro''s mind, followed by the notification that the daily workout quota had been met.


    [Notice: You''ve acquired +10 AP for completing your daily task!]


    After reading the small pop-up notification, Hiro let out a hoarse, inaudible laughter as he slowly drifted to sleep in the temporary rest area.


    Moments later, loud, ear-grating snoring rumbled in the resting area. It was like a punishment from hell, threatening the sanity of many as they left the resting area in flocks.


    Hiro enjoyed a long, wonderful dream. Sadly, good things must come to an end.


    Hiro felt a gentle force rocking him awake from his slumber, and as he slowly opened his eyes, he was met with the figure of a huge muscular man looking down on him.


    "Wake up, kid!" The man spoke with a strong, forceful voice. "We''re closing the gym in fifteen, you better hurry and wash up, collect your spare clothes, and get going!"


    Hiro blinked, feeling numb all over for a brief moment. Then, he remembered where he was; nodding his head groggily as he stood up and waddled away.


    ¡­


    "Where should I spend the night¡­" Hiro carried a sports bag with his gym clothes stored inside as he waddled through the shopping center.


    He thought long and hard about this problem; he obviously couldn''t sleep on the streets.


    However, the nearest motel was in the countryside while the hotels in the shopping district were 3-star hotels at the very least, and booking a room in such a hotel on short notice for one week was too expensive.


    While troubled, Hiro''s eye caught sight of a neon sign. Stunned, he stood there for a moment, and after an internal struggle, Hiro waddled over.


    ¡­


    "Give me a room for one night!" Hiro exclaimed in a hoarse voice as he slapped a 50 nexus bill on the counter.


    The receptionist¡ªa beautiful mature lady¡ªhad a dumbfounded look on her face as she faced the round ball.


    She blinked her eyes in confusion and eyed the empty space next to Hiro as she asked, "Are you here all by yourself, Sir?"


    Hiro had a very serious expression as he answered, "Yes."


    The receptionist didn''t know what to say to this young meatball. "Did you mistake this establishment for something else, Sir¡­?"


    As she spoke, she pointed to the large signboard that said "Cupid Love Motel" by the side.


    Hiro was stumped. Don''t tell me there''s a rule in the policy against this kind of thing. The hell? Did I enter a karaoke bar by chance?!


    Hiro was about to respond when a soft, nimble, and bubbly figure appeared by his side and hugged his left arm.


    He almost withdrew his arm in a conditioned reflex if not for the sudden rush of minted, feminine fragrance that rushed his nostrils.


    The girl who sneak attacked Hiro smiled anxiously and said quickly, "We''re here together, kind lady! Right?!"


    That last word was directed at Hiro as the girl glared his way and bumped her thin hips into him from the side.


    Hiro snapped back to his senses and was rendered speechless. Is this little lady trying to take advantage of me?!


    Hiro was about to retort when he noticed how stunningly beautiful she was.


    I''m not a simp! He said in his mind as he replied with furrowed brows, "You heard her, pretty lady. Please prepare a room for us!"


    Hiro channeled every ounce of conviction to sound steady and reliable, providing that his decision wasn''t the least bit a product of his haywire hormones.


    "Okay then¡­" the receptionist didn''t mind the fiasco. After taking the money, she exchanged it for a room key and a 10 nexus bill which she handed to Hiro.


    The girl snatched the key and rushed into the establishment, leaving Hiro behind with a stunned expression.


    He quickly shook his head, and as he did so, he noticed a host of men in black suits running by the Love Motel''s entrance with anxious expressions.


    He noticed them because they bumped into an old lady, which resulted in her falling unconscious with a crowd of people quickly gathering around her.


    While Hiro''s heart was gripped with pity and anxiety for the old lady, his legs moved and followed the pretty girl into the establishment.


    He could only hope that the old grandma wouldn''t have a bumpy ride on her way to the next life.


    Erm, he meant the hospital.


    ¡­ Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hiro quickly found the designated room and after entering it, he locked the door behind him and looked inside.


    The girl was pacing back and forth in the room, her silky pink hair swishing rhythmically as she chewed on her colorful nails.


    She hurriedly asked the moment she caught sight of Hiro, "Did anyone follow you in?!"


    As expected! Hiro clicked his tongue inwardly in a silent complaint. This beautiful witch is indeed taking advantage of me! Erm, but aren''t I doing the same?


    Hiro shook his head and answered with the negative. Then, he tossed his sports bag on the ground, removed his jacket, and waddled to the bed with a dreamy look in his eyes.


    With a squeak, the bed bounced about as Hiro jumped on, letting out a long sigh of contentment as his muscles relaxed.


    By now, the pink-haired girl also relaxed a little and spent the time necessary to inspect Hiro from top to bottom.


    She thought to herself that this boy was very round and cute, so she asked, "What are you doing in a place like this all alone?"


    Hiro rolled around on the bed and spread his heavy limbs in a sea-star position, looking up at the ceiling while answering, "I''m too poor to afford a hotel room for one week, so I plan to come here often¡­"


    While talking, Hiro suddenly realized something crucial as he began to sweat nervously.


    The pink-haired girl paused for a moment before she also realized the problem, chuckling as she asked, "You don''t honestly think I''d be around for your convenience the next time, do you?"


    Crap! Hiro screamed inwardly as he sat up and said, "We can negotiate!"

 Chapter 4: The Finish Line is in Sight, Young Man!

    The pink-haired girl chuckled even more when she noticed Hiro''s troubled expression.


    She rolled her eyes and pulled out her phone as she said, "Well, since you''ve allowed this lady to take advantage of you this one time, I''ll give you enough money to book a nearby hotel for the rest of the week. Let me scan your bank card."


    Masaka! Hiro was excited as he stuttered uncontrollably, "A-are you the legendary¡­ Sugar Mommy?!"


    The pink-haired girl was stunned as she blinked in response. "Erm? Legendary what?"


    Hiro woke up and quickly shook his head.


    What am I thinking?! Only a sissy boy without a shred of dignity would feel excited about the prospects of a sugar mommy and unlimited money, food, spoiling, and¡­


    Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa!


    Hiro slapped himself four times and jumped off the bed, quickly handing his card over to the pink-haired girl with a silly smile.


    "Thanks a lot!" Hiro quickly stabilized his emotions and handed his bank card over while asking for the girl''s name.


    Then, he learned that her name was Bella, and after telling her his name, Hiro heard the sweet bell chime followed by the familiar pop-up window.


    [Notice: You''ve unlocked the "Friends List" feature!]


    [Notice: Bella has been added to your friends list!]


    [Notice: You''ve acquired +5 AP for making a new friend!]


    ¡­


    By the time Hiro digested the new information from the system, his phone vibrated to notify him of a new text message.


    Hiro quickly checked it out. As expected, it was a message from the Nexus Bank.


    10,000 credits had been deposited into his account, shocking Hiro so much he almost fumbled over.


    The startup funds from the orphanage were 4,400 nexus credits; as each child in the orphanage starts earning a yearly fund of 1,100 nexus credits annually from when they turn 12.


    If the worst case scenario were to occur and they hit 16 years old without getting adopted, then an allowance of 4,200 nexus credits, the minimum wage of an adult, would be more than enough to assist them during this shaky period of life.


    4,200 nexus credits is indeed a lot of money for a 16-year-old, and it proved a lot of help to Hiro¡ªnever in his dreams did he think that he would earn his first pot of gold this way.


    Should I reconsider the sugar mo- no, no, no, no¡­ Dignity is worth more than gold! Dignity, Hiro! Dignity!


    Bella smiled at the dazed expression on Hiro''s face, chuckled, and turned her back to leave the room.


    "I guess the coast is clear outside for now," she said in her lovely voice. "Even though you''re cute, I can''t afford to be seen walking out from a love hotel in the morning, especially with the company of a man. It''s been nice meeting you, silly Hiro."


    She didn''t give him a chance to talk back, quickly slipping out of the room and letting the door swing back on its own.


    Since they''ve already paid for the room, no one can evict him for the night. Hiro truly appreciated this kind of a win-win situation, jumping on the bed to sleep with a bright smile on his face.


    "My dignity won''t let me take in a sugar mommy," he said with a sigh. "Just wait though, once I''m rich and handsome, I''ll consider becoming your sugar daddy."


    Hiro quickly drifted to sleep with a silly smile on his fat face.


    ¡­


    Time flowed like usual, and the world waited for no man. You can always stand stagnant in the river of time, but the current won''t stop moving forward, washing away at everything in range.


    Hiro led a static, repetitive life as the masochistic protagonist of a sadistic novel.


    The cycle of eating, getting tortured, sleeping, and repeating became the norm. With a 3-star hotel to back him up, Hiro easily maintained a balance between nutritional food and exhaustive exercise.


    Hiro also discovered that the mysterious energy from the system did more than just force him through the grueling, hell-like training experience; the energy also optimized his body in fascinating ways. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The workers in the gym witnessed a living miracle, watching as Hiro shaved away layers and layers of fat from his body day in and day out.


    The manager of the gym wanted to use Hiro''s experience as an advertisement for their gym, but the latter adamantly refused!


    No crap! As if I''d leave evidence of my sad, bleak, cold, and ugly past self behind!


    Hiro was so scared they''d secretly film or take videos of him training, that he almost gave up on coming back to the gym altogether.


    Luckily, people take the law seriously in this world, and no one would take pictures without permission in a public space, let alone post them on public platforms.


    Soon, it was the last day of the seven-day streak, and Hiro felt like an entirely different person.


    Handsome wouldn''t cut the guy justice!


    His lithe frame, long crimson hair, deep blue eyes, and soft white skin with a touch of healthy pink. He wore a tight white tank top, nylon pants, and sports shoes.


    If someone asked him for a picture today, he would surely agree.


    Hiro swept his cold gaze around the numerous torture machines in the gym, their daunting blue halos challenging him.


    He bravely stepped forward and prep-talked himself up, "I can see the finish line! I''m almost there!"


    And so, with surprising ease, Hiro finished the unexpected daily task quite early as the system scheduled no more than four hours of training for the last day.


    He ignored the chime of his system and the notifications, focusing on how much achievement points he earned from crossing off this daily task.


    With the daily 10 AP, his accumulated points now reached 75 AP. It should have been 70 AP, but Hiro earned 5 additional points for befriending Bella.


    Again, Hiro ignored the persuasion from the gym manager, paid his membership fees for the day, and closed his membership program before leaving.


    His next destination was a clothing store to complete his next task on the "Grinding" to-do list.


    ¡­


    "Hello, can I be of help, Sir?"


    "You look so handsome in ordinary clothes, Sir, you''d definitely look better in our new batch of fashion season products!"


    "Hey, I have a better eye for fashion~ you girls should move back and let me handle this gentleman instead, hehe~"


    The moment Hiro stepped into the clothing store, many pretty ladies with name tags surrounded him. He felt proud, thinking that this was the type of treatment a transmigrator protagonist was ought to have.


    Ah, I''m so embarrassed¡­ What should I do in this situation? I can''t play favorites here!


    Hiro schooled his expression and smiled at the enthusiastic ladies. "I don''t know anything about fashion, so how about each of you pick a suitable outfit for me to try out? I''ll buy them all!"


    Hiro thought that five sets of clothes wouldn''t be too expensive, as he had made sure to check the shop on the internet and made sure that their prices weren''t sky-high.


    Although he might bleed a little from this because the women were just too adorable to resist, he mentally prepared himself.


    Hm? Should I also work as a clerk in a clothing shop? I''m quite handsome, I can easily swindle¡ªahem, convince a few pretty ladies to buy a lot of colorful clothes with my handsome looks! This sounds quite feasible¡­


    Hiro immediately grew excited and decided to look for a suitable opportunity, a good high-end fashion store, and apply to work as a part-time clerk there.


    If all went too well, he might finish his "Grinding" to-do list today, and he would receive his first ever mission reward.


    Just what could the reward be?! Young man, keep pushing forward!

 Chapter 5: On Probation

    The five female clerks had a lot of fun playing dress-up on Hiro, and he quite enjoyed playing oblivious when the girls took cheap advantages of him.


    It felt heavenly with their dainty hands tracing his firmly outlined muscles and buffed chest, to the point where he decided to overlook the little mischief that took place below his waist.


    Luckily, the girls didn''t go too far, and the good times eventually came to an end when Hiro left the shop.


    He decided to wear one of the selected outfits for himself, tossing away the oversized shirt and pants he endured for the entire week.


    Wearing a cool dark blue jacket on top of a fancy wrinkled T-shirt, denim pants, and brandy shoes.


    He also had a pair of honey-gold sunglasses that complimented his blazing crimson hair.


    All in all, he was fabulous.


    The system rewarded him 20 AP points for this task on the to-do list, bringing his total up to 95 points.


    Moments later, Hiro did indeed find a famous clothing store and got in touch with the manager, expressing his interest in working as a part-time clerk.


    The manager, a man in fashionable clothing with black-rimmed glasses and white hair, crossed his arms and carefully inspected Hiro.


    "Hm," he gently tapped his right index on his arm while thinking. "It''s not that I''m not tempted to have such a handsome eye candy work in this store, but I can tell at a glance that you don''t know anything about fashion, so how can you work here?"


    Hiro was rendered speechless for a moment as he thought to himself; that''s right, how come I overlooked something that crucial?


    The man went silent for a while and came up with a suggestion.


    "How about this? I can let you work in the storage room. You know, unloading and unboxing packages from delivery, moving them to the shelves, or cleaning up near closing hours. I won''t have you maintain that job permanently, but only for a probation period while you study our store''s fashion catalog.


    If you pass the test one month from now, you can be promoted to a clerk, not to mention that we''re a huge franchise with great promotion opportunities if you work hard enough."


    Hiro''s eyes lit up as he said, "Alright! I can accept that, Manager!"


    The man heaved a sigh of relief, glad to have scored a potential mascot. He also knew how important aesthetics were to people who cared about fashion.


    Perhaps most people would say it''s more important to judge people based on their inner hearts, but such nonsense didn''t exist in the fashion industry.


    If the camera couldn''t capture it, then it was nothing more than hot air for all they cared.


    The man clapped his hands. "Do you want to leave your personal information; name, ID, and bank account with me? If you do, we can start working right away!"


    Hiro felt that the manager''s enthusiasm was on par with his, if not more. Gladly, he followed the manager into the back office and completed the necessary paperwork. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The moment he signed his name on the electronic documents, the sweet bell chime of the system echoed in his head.


    He ignored the 100 AP from getting a part-time job after a glance and focused on the following notifications.


    [Notice: Congratulations, mission "Grinding" has been completed!]


    [Reward 1: 1x Fantasy Crystal!]


    [Reward 2: 10x Gems!]


    [Reward 3: 1x Game Voucher!]


    [Notice: You''ve unlocked the "Simulation Space" feature!]


    [Notice: You''ve unlocked the "Synchronization" feature!]


    ¡­


    Basic knowledge about the simulation space and the synchronization features flooded Hiro''s mind, leaving him dumbfounded for a moment.


    The simulation space draws from the 10,000 simulated fantasies and games Hiro played in his past life as a foundation, creating a simulated game reality where Hiro becomes a character in the game.


    The synchronization feature allows Hiro to synchronize with any character of his choosing from the simulation space, instantly gaining that character''s ability, power, comprehension, etc. for a limited amount of time.


    That time duration is decided upon by using achievement points, with 10 AP per hour.


    That might look cheap, but the difficulty lay in entering the simulation space, as the simulated games are very expensive.


    The prices range from 60 gems and above!


    Luckily for Hiro, he obtained a voucher to choose one game for free, but he couldn''t put his mind to it.


    Which game should he choose?


    While he was thinking, the manager seemed to have finally completed the registration process and added Hiro''s name to the employee database.


    "Alright, Hiro, everything looks alright to me so we can go into the storage room and I''ll show you the ropes! Are you ready? Oh, by the way, I''m Mathew, but you can call me Matt from now on." Mathew smiled kindly, fixed his glasses, and stood up from behind the desk.


    Hiro quickly snapped back to his senses and asked a question, "Do I need to change my clothes or something?"


    Mathew gave Hiro a weird look. "As long as you look good, I don''t care what you wear. Well, please don''t come here wearing our competitor''s brands, and it would be even better if you put on our clothes."


    Mathew patted Hiro on the shoulder and left the small office. After rubbing his nose and chuckling in embarrassment, Hiro followed after Mathew while checking his balance.


    [Achievement Points: 295.]


    [Gems: 10.]


    It''s so annoying that my AP count isn''t a rounded number¡­ Hiro thought grumpily before he willed for a pop-up window with the system shop to appear.


    He curiously browsed the items since he was feeling a little rich with nearly 300 AP to his name.


    He first checked the lifestyle menu since it was the cheapest.


    Lies.


    It was the only available menu at the moment.


    A vast array of lifestyle items and skills was listed in the shop.


    Cooking skills, driving skills, fighting skills, sports-related skills, academic skills, medical skills, business skills, etc.


    Hiro was overwhelmed by the array of options¡­ and the prices. The more convenient the skill, the pricer it got.


    I don''t have a car, Hiro thought to himself. And even if I wanted to get one, I don''t have the money for it nor do I have the time to apply for driving lessons.


    After considering his options, Hiro chose the safe route and spent 100 AP to buy the {Professional Combat Skills} package.


    Hiro confirmed the purchase, and as soon as he did so, he felt a buzz in his mind followed by that mysterious, familiar energy circulating through his body.


    It touched every fiber of his being, giving Hiro the illusion that his consciousness tagged along to a trip all over his body, introducing facets of the human anatomy that astounded him.


    In a moment, boundless inspiration on how to regulate his forces internally, express them externally, and control his limbs and muscles to execute various combat maneuvers took root in his mind.


    Walking ahead, Mathew suddenly paused and turned his head in confusion. Hiro immediately stopped, looking back at his new manager with a similar level of confusion.


    "Weird," Mathew rubbed the back of his head for a moment, shook his head, and continued walking.


    Hiro silently followed after him.


    "Why did you stop movi-¡­" Mathew turned around again, but his words were stuck in his throat.


    Huh? Mathew was feeling confused.

 Chapter 6: Entering the Dormitory

    Hiro''s footsteps went dead silent all of a sudden, making Mathew believe that the young boy stopped following him.


    But¡­ Here he was, right behind him?


    Mathew swallowed and said, "You go ahead and walk in front, take the next turn left and you''ll find the storage down the hallway."


    "Oh¡­ Okay?" Although confused, Hiro still complied and walked past Mathew.


    Mathew felt a sudden chill.


    I knew it!


    Mathew coughed and said, "Also, stop walking around in stealth! You''ll give someone a heart attack!"


    Hiro had a look of realization on his face as he coughed awkwardly.


    "Sorry," he apologized while rubbing the back of his head. "It''s unintentional, just call it an occupational disease¡­?"


    What occupational disease? Were you a damn assassin?! Mathew had the urge to say it out loud, but he thought better of it as he patted his chest.


    Hiro struggled with himself for a moment and had to take a few steps until he finally managed to make some noise while walking. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Forcing himself into it was harder than expected, leaving Hiro speechless. He promised himself to put some time aside to practice and adjust to his current situation later.


    For now, he followed Mathew through the motions, and after getting a hang on what to do, he heard the familiar bell chime.


    [Notice: The "Work" option has been unlocked!]


    Mathew patted his shoulder and said, "You can start working from tomorrow morning, and there are no set hours for now. I mean, a probation period is for us to test your metal and integrity, so I''ll be watching from afar."


    After giving Hiro the opening hours schedule to get familiar with, the two left the clothing store.


    Hiro then gladly left the Blue Shark shopping center with his purchases for the day, hailed a taxi, and went straight for the dormitory.


    ¡­


    With the recommendation letter from the orphanage and the official application, Hiro easily entered the dormitory.


    His room was room 407, a nice place on the fourth floor inside the building. There was a bit of traffic in the dormitory, but people mostly kept to themselves and ignored, or rather ostracized the handsome newcomer.


    Inter-High was a boarding school with many visiting students from the various regions in the Nexus Country and beyond. From the little tidbits of gossip all around, Hiro learned that some students traveled from different countries to study at Inter-High, one of the top high schools in the metropolis.


    Carrying his shopping bags and his folded school uniform in nylon packaging, Hiro reached room 407, brought out his spare keys, and entered the room.


    From inside, one other guy was seated on the lower left bunk bed with a stack of books by his side. He was currently focused on his notebook, while his phone screen was quite active on his other side.


    Hearing the noise, the boy looked up curiously as he remembered locking the door from the inside. This meant that either the dorm manager or a new student had arrived, and the guy immediately figured out that it must be the latter.


    "You must be here for the entrance exams as well, right?" The guy smiled faintly, and although he wasn''t as handsome as Hiro, he gave off the good guy vibe which was somewhat common in the people of this world.


    "Yup," Hiro responded with a smile as he gestured toward the empty beds. "Any of those are taken?"


    The guy shrugged. "The new school year hadn''t started yet, and the freshmen student body remains a mystery. Other than you and me who have to work hard for the entrance exam, the other two roommates remain a mystery."


    Reading between the lines, this roommate of his meant to say that Hiro could choose whichever bed he liked. Noticing the power port on the lower side of the wall, Hiro immediately settled on the bottom bed, placing his bags and school uniform to mark his territory.


    "I guess this will do, then."


    The guy chuckled. "Wise choice, comrade!"


    Hiro chuckled as well, noticing the phone for the second time as he asked curiously, "How can you study and play at the same time?"


    "Oh, this?" The guy blinked before smiling mysteriously. "I don''t need to actively invest in this type of game, so I''m not distracted. You know, the idle type of games, they''re quite popular for gamers who are tied down by the merciless, cruel life..."


    There was a vibe of depression in the guy''s voice. Of course, idle gaming was a great way to get a sense of achievement without needing to invest in the gaming experience, but this gaming experience in and of itself was what most players and gamers desired to begin with.


    What''s the point of gaming if one can''t get the thrill of those blood-boiling action moments and brain-melting R-rated animations? Only true gamers understand the struggles, woes, and joy of the brotherhood... Hiro had a sympathetic look in his eyes as he patted this pitiful comrade on the shoulder.


    Then, something in his mind clicked.


    Idle gaming... AFK growth... Hiro immediately thought back to his free game voucher.


    Of course! Hiro''s eyes shone with a magnificent light as he turned around, kicked off his shoes, and jumped under the covers of his bed.


    "I''m going to rest for the night, brother!"


    The roommate was dumbfounded as he checked the time on his watch and thought, It''s barely 18:00 O''clock...


    He shook his head, tapped his phone''s touch screen for a while, and continued studying for the exams in one week.


    ...


    Hiro experienced the familiar combustion of a million stacked colors before he found himself in the familiar hall. He waved his hand, summoning the interface for the {Work}, {Simulation Space}, and {Synchronization}.


    He pushed back two of the three screens and pulled the {Simulation Space} closer, selected the {Game Menu}, and then hovered over the {Game Shop} catalog.


    He filtered out everything except for idle RPG games and browsed through the array of games on display. Hiro suddenly paused and asked, "System, will the games run in the background even if I''m not actively playing?"


    A blue pop-up window with a line of text appeared in response.


    [Yes.]


    It was one word, but Hiro felt rejuvenated by merely thinking about it. However, this also meant that in the future, missions with a specific deadline would be much harder to complete.


    It also meant that it would be harder to balance out his gaming schedule and real-life schedule...


    Am I destined to play idle farming games for life?!


    Hiro felt horrified. However, he quickly shook his head and selected a xianxia idle RPG game with the voucher. These games were the most straightforward since the character had to do nothing but cultivate in a cultivation cave all day.


    If anything, Hiro only needed to actively improve the meridians, and spirit formations, or engage in sect missions and wilderness exploration to get rewards and cultivation materials. As for getting stronger, it was a passive act, Hiro''s active participation can only determine how fast the character can grow, not how far it can grow.


    [Used 1x Game Voucher!]


    [Obtained Game - Transcendent Taoist and the Legend of Immortality]


    Hiro noticed the small "In-App Purchase" disclaimer under the game''s title, and he felt speechless.


    Really? The achievement points can only be used in the system shop, does this mean that I will need to spend gems to become a whale in the game? A pay-to-win boss?! But gems are too rare...


    Hiro put that idea aside for now. Spending money to get good was a pit that almost every avid gamer fell into at least once, and voluntarily despite how painful it was.


    Shaking his head, Hiro navigated through the {Simulation Space} screen to the {Game Library} and selected the {Transencednt Taoist} game.


    After a few seconds of loading, Hiro''s vision went dark.

 Chapter 7: Transcendent Taoist

    Hiro opened his eyes, only to be greeted by a vast, open stone hall.


    He was kneeling on one knee in the center of the hall, his right fist cupped into his left palm at chest level, and his head was lowered so that his vision was met with a flowing white dress and two pretty bare feet.


    He could feel an immortal aura pressing down on him from above, but it was also permeating the entire stone hall.


    "Hear my decree, Daoist Hiro; you will join my Lunar Serenity faction, but you will start as an in-name disciple. Don''t be rude to your seniors in the sect, and cultivate diligently to reach the Golden Core realm¡ªonly then will you be accepted as an official disciple of the Lunar Shift Sect and receive our core teachings!"


    Countless notifications filled Hiro''s vision, but he could guess the gist of it since this wasn''t his first time playing this game. After all, the {Simulation Space} derived from Hiro''s personal gaming experience and the 10,000 fantasies to come up with these modified games.


    The plot progress of most games shared a common skeleton to reference, allowing avid and seasoned gamers to quickly grasp the gameplay rhythm.


    Hiro bowed his head and expressed his gratitude to the Peak Master of the Lunar Serenity faction, and slowly retreated from the hall without lifting his head to peek a look.


    These cultivators and their stupid god complex, Hiro thought to himself. I can almost imagine someone shouting "Courting Death!" at me if I dared to raise my head and look. But seriously, her voice sounded so sweet and divine, that I almost couldn''t hold myself back from looking.


    Hiro was escorted to his private cave dwelling by a fellow disciple. Then, the moment he sat down on the spirit formation, a pop-up window displayed his current in-game stats and progress.


    [Daoist: Hiro.] sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [Sect: Lunar Shift.]


    [Realm: Foundation Establishment 1/10.]


    [Cultivation Base: 100/10,024]


    [Spirit Array: +2 per second]


    ...


    Hiro calculated silently and murmured, "This spirit array is quite good."


    He touched his chin and searched for the notifications that explained the cultivation process, and once he did, his excitement died down a bit.


    As expected, things weren''t so simple.


    The cultivation base bar would reset with each breakthrough; it didn''t matter if the breakthrough was minor or major. While AFK, the cultivation base would accumulate on standby and wait for Hiro to enter the game, because some advancements required the use of pills or undergoing tribulation, and such activities had to be initiated by the player.


    Soon, a minor breakthrough would require 100,000 spirit units, then 200,000, and it would only increase. By then, +2 units per second would amount to nothing! However, if he wanted to upgrade the spirit array, he needed to pay the sect for these upgrades, and this required him to become an official disciple first.


    Should I embrace the darkness and enter the pay-to-win hell? If Hiro spent some gems, he could easily upgrade his spirit array.


    After thinking about it, Hiro gritted his teeth and said, "Rewards are meant to be used! Also, the cheapest lottery ticket cost 5 gems, so I can use 5 gems here first!"


    After he made up his mind, he used the 5 gems to upgrade the spirit array five times in succession, each upgrade increasing the value of units per second by 2 points.


    Hiro then checked his spirit array; +12 per second¡ªmuch better!


    This means that my first breakthrough will arrive in 15 minutes!


    But Hiro didn''t want to wait here and do nothing for the coming 15 minutes, so he decided to mark 19:00 O''clock to be his daily log-in window and cash in the accumulated spirit energy on a daily basis.


    With that in mind, Hiro left the {Simlation Space}, immediately feeling the lack of spirit energy and the immortal vibe in the air. He sighed, already feeling tempted to get back into the game just for the sake of that relaxing atmosphere.


    Before leaving, Hiro spent the remaining achievement points on basic lifestyle skills such as {Immersive Reading Skills} and {Professional Caligraphy Skills}.


    After the purchase, Hiro was left with 10 AP to his name, which he decided to keep as a backup just in case he was forced to use the {Synchrnization} function of the system for some stupid reason.


    You can never be too careful, Hiro told himself. What if I''m not the only guy with protagonist cheats in this world? Most transmigration cliches happened in mystical worlds after all.


    After absorbing a load of stimulations to his brain and neurons to assimilate the skills, together with the load from mastering the {Profesional Combat Skills}, Hiro''s mind was already at a tipping point.


    The moment he left the system space, he fell asleep in record time.


    ...


    After a fruitful night of deep sleep, Hiro slowly woke up to the sound of his roommate''s morning alarm.


    Hiro slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes, looking around in confusion.


    His expression clearly said, What''s this noise?


    "Ah, I''m sorry¡­" Hiro''s roommate quickly woke up and shut off his alarm. "I forgot to switch off my alarm, I got used to sleeping alone in the room."


    He smiled apologetically and rubbed the back of his head.


    "It''s fine," Hiro waved it off with a smile and checked the time. It was 06:30 O''clock, quite early in the morning.


    He remembered that the clothing store opens at 9 in the morning, but employees would arrive around 8, one hour in advance.


    Seeing that he had plenty of free time, Hiro was bored.


    "Why did you wake up so early?" Hiro asked curiously. "Oh¡ªI''m Hiro by the way, and you don''t need to tell me if you''re not feeling like it."


    Hiro climbed down his bed and reached for a handshake with a faint smile.


    "Oh¡­ Marcus, nice to meet you¡­"


    Not expecting his new and handsome roommate to be so agreeable, Marcus was caught off guard for a moment before quickly relaxing.


    "The library," he answered. "It opens in about half an hour, and with the entrance exams coming up in five days, everyone is in a hurry to study the four major subjects."


    "Oh," Hiro remembered that the four major subjects were Math, Religion, Physics, and Chemistry.


    He understood math, physics, and chemistry being among the top four, but Hiro was confused about the religon.


    That was until he learned that religion was unified across all countries under the banner of the Holy Church, where the different Gods and Deities of the various cultures were recognized as members of the Pantheon of the Gods.


    Any religion with a set number of followers, basically a minimum of 1.2 billion followers, would be recognized by the Holy Church.


    Hiro''s first thought about this when he learned of the religious system was, What in the name of¡­?


    But he quickly realized that this way, the church was capable of contending with the worldly superpowers, major countries, and the famous World Council.


    In a way, this was just another setting for the hidden conflict between the Church and the State to enter yet another stalemate.


    Judging by the existence of religious institutions and teachings in the student curriculum, the church must have gotten the upper hand.


    Wait, why am I wasting my time on that nonsense?! Hiro snapped back to his senses and straightened up, energized.


    "I''ll tag along with you," he said to Marcus, already stretching his body. "I also need to study for the exam, so I''ll take this opportunity to check things out¡­ Will you be my guide?"


    Marcus blinked. "Well, of course¡­ why wouldn''t I?"


    He smiled.

 Chapter 8: Breakthrough!

    With half an hour to go, Marcus pleasantly brought Hiro around the area close to the library building.


    Inter-High High School was a large establishment with many facilities, including sports stadiums, swimming pools, and research laboratories.


    "Here you go," Marcus returned Hiro''s phone to him and said, "This is the official website for the school, and you can find the list of books to read to prepare for the entrance exam here. Also, you can rent the notes from last year''s freshmen if you feel like studying from the books isn''t good enough."


    Marcus then pointed at the few students who were chilling all around the library building''s entrance, explaining that they had clean, organized notes from last year.


    "There''s such a thing?" Hiro was stunned for a moment. Such opportunistic bastards, this tactic is a high-level university scheme where I come from, how hard can a high school exam be?!


    As Hiro thought about it, he checked the website and downloaded a few PDF files of the last three entrance exams held by Inter-High.


    After reviewing the exam papers, he started getting a headache.


    "Is this really a high school exam?!" Hiro couldn''t help but exclaim at the dense questions.


    Each subject had at least 60 questions.


    Luckily, I had the foresight to get the immersive reading skill, but it seems like I''ll have to pull an all-nighter on these subjects.


    As Hiro thought about the massive list of books that he needed to read in the next few days, he began to sweat.


    After considering his options, Hiro decided to bite the bullet and spend some of his current savings. Hiro still had around 8,000 credits in his bank account, and after thinking for a while, he consulted Marcus on which notes to buy.


    Although Marcus felt like Hiro was unnecessarily wasting his money, he still helped him get notes that belonged to the top five students from the last year. They were expensive, about 2,000 credits worth of notes!


    Even Marcus was shocked, not expecting his roommate to be so desprate. He didn''t know that Hiro considered it a worthy investment as long as he could complete a high-priority mission for the system.


    Soon, the library opened its gates and the two of them entered, found a corner, and sat down to sort out the notes and books together. When Hiro learned that he could also rent out copies of the books for a specific fee, he didn''t hesitate.


    I''ve already spent this much, Hiro told himself. Spending some more won''t hurt!


    While feeling pained by the investment, Hiro brought the books and notes to his dormitory room, secured them in a locked cabinet, and left for work.


    ...


    Although working more than the mandatory 4 hours would help Hiro score some brownie points with Manager Matthew, Hiro understood that school was a higher priority than work at the moment. Thus, after his 4-hour shift ended, he quickly returned to the dormitory and invested in studying with Marcus.


    Just like that, time passed by and it was quickly approaching 19:00 O''clock, and while closing his eyes and pretending to be in deep thought, Hiro entered the system space.


    "I will first try my luck with a lottery box," Hiro said in realization, almost forgetting he had 5 gems if not for the mini display screen showing his current currency in the system space.


    Although he only had 15 APs; five extra points after befriending Marcus, that didn''t take away from Hiro''s expectations for the lottery box. The prize pool had many miraculous items and all of them were RPG-related, leaving Hiro wondering just what could the mystery box give him. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Checking the lottery box window, Hiro discovered that 5 gems were enough to roll the 1x item lottery box, while 30 gems could be used to roll for 10x items. It was quite the discount, but Hiro wasn''t patient enough to slowly collect 30 gems.


    He quickly chose the 1x lottery box option and used his 5 gems.


    A box dropped from the window, colorful question marks on all six sides of the mystery cube as it began to spin wildly. After watching for a while, Hiro reached with his finger and tapped the cube, causing it to explore in a shower of bright colors. A soft bell chime sounded in the space.


    [Notice: Congratulations, you''ve acquired 5x Cosmitic Key!]


    ...


    A short description of the {Cosmitic Key} appeared in Hiro''s mind, and he clicked his tongue with a hint of disappointment. After obtaining a game in the {Simulation Space}, the cosmetics sector in the system shop was opened.


    The cosmetic key allows Hiro to choose a "cosplay" gear from the cosmetic section for free, and he wouldn''t need to pay APs for it. These cosmetics can change a person''s temperament and aura, and they can make for a great disguise, but they won''t change Hiro''s strength or body functions in any practical manner.


    Although disappointed, Hiro quickly went to the cosmetics shop and used his five keys to buy five different cosmetic items. After filling the shopping cart, he checked his items list with great satisfaction.


    The list included immortal silver eyes, long silver hair, immortal cyan-blue robes, a flowing milky river visual effect, and an immortal aura visual effect. Of course, all of them had the effect of glowing formations, making it impossible for people to see Hiro''s face clearly through the "cosplay."


    I probably look like an immortal with those effects, Hiro thought to himself with excitement.


    After he confirmed the purchase, Hiro entered the {Simulation Space} and started playing the only game he currently had.


    ...


    Transcendent Taoist, Cave Dwelling.


    Hiro''s character was seated in the middle of the spirit array, cultivating. The moment Hiro opened his eyes, he was immediately delighted with his spiritual harvest for the day.


    He gained over 1 million units of spiritual energy!


    Looking at the long string of numbers, Hiro felt like his investment of 5 gems to upgrade the spirit array was worth it. Checking his status window, there was a {Breakthrough} option blinking next to his cultivation base statistics.


    Hiro selected the option without hesitation, and he kept on spamming the option for the next few seconds while feeling the rush of Spirit Qi cleansing and tempering both his body and mind.


    Hiro almost moaned in pleasure, but he held himself back.


    His cultivation base climbed through the ranks of foundation establishment, quickly stopping at the 8th level of Foundation Establishment, two minor realms away from the Golden Core realm. However, when he checked how many spiritual units were needed for those breakthroughs, he almost vomited.


    This is too much!


    Hiro realized that he needed three if not four days of cultivation before he finally reached the Golden Core realm. For a moment, Hiro felt desprate, only now understanding why those cultivators would seclude themselves for days, weeks, months, and even years just for one or two advancements in their realms.


    [Notice: A wandering labor disciple discovered your cave-dwelling, and he wants to offer you a mysterious treasure in exchange for 300 gold coins, do you accept?]


    An urgent notification appeared in the [Encounters] window, catching Hiro''s attention.


    Curious and realizing that he didn''t lack the gold coins, Hiro decided to accept it.


    A cut scene displaying Hiro''s character leaving the cave, meeting a young female disciple with mud all over her hands and face, and exchanging 300 gold coins for a treasure box was played out. Hiro felt his consciousness detached from the whole affair, but he wasn''t surprised.


    The moment Hiro returned to his cave dwelling, he focused on the treasure box and a notification appeared.


    [Notice: Your cultivation realm is too low and thus you failed to discover the secrets of the treasure!]


    [Notice: Do you wish to use 30 gems to unlock the treasure?]


    Hiro blinked. What in the name of...

 Chapter 9: Study Group

    With a major breakthrough coming up in a few days, Hiro decided to focus on his work and studies wholeheartedly, allowing the spiritual energy to accumulate until he passed the entrance exams.


    Everyone on the school grounds was currently focused on studying, the only locations one could find students were either in the library or in the dormitory building.


    Today was the last day of preparation before the entrance exam, and when Hiro just finished a call with Manager Matthew to request a leave for the day, Marcus approached him with a smile.


    "Hey, Hiro," Marcus said. "Me and a few of my friends decided to create a prompt study group; we will exchange notes and ideas on the four major subjects, have a sleepover in a friend''s house, and go to the entrance exam together tomorrow morning. What do you think? Wanna come with?"


    "A sleepover study group?" Hiro asked again to confirm, but his tone already betrayed his interest.


    "Yup," Marcus nodded affirmatively. "That girl is rich, and she wants to run for the first year''s students representative."


    "Oh!" Hiro understood the message between the lines; this is basically a watered-down version of a social gathering, and this girl is building up her faction.


    If Hiro had to guess, she would act friendly but not too friendly for now, and later give the cold shoulder to those who failed the entrance exam.


    Furthermore, with only one night away from the exam, it wouldn''t seem awkward to cut a friendship that barely took form.


    Also¡­ Isn''t she quite bold to invite boys for a sleepover? I guess her house must be one of the big ones, those that come with bodyguards and stuff.


    Also, I didn''t know Marcus had such deep connections! As expected of a protagonist''s roommate, I wonder if he''s a member of some secret society¡­


    While Hiro''s thoughts wandered aimlessly, Marcus coughed. He was already used to this handsome friend of his spacing out for no reason.


    "I don''t know how, but you''re already very good in the four major subjects, so I thought this would be a great opportunity for you to integrate into the student body," Marcus said earnestly.


    Hiro felt touched, and his wild guess evolved into a valid hypothesis.


    Marcus didn''t know that Hiro had already labeled him as a special agent double spy raised in a country across the sea.


    However, Hiro''s thoughts were simple; this was a great opportunity to make new friends and farm APs from them.


    With that in mind, Hiro quickly agreed and began to collect his notes. As for the library books, he decided to keep them in the locker cabinet, as it would be irresponsible to bring them to a party.


    Marcus also helped Hiro arrange his notes and printed exam papers, and after less than 15 minutes, both of them left the dormitory building.


    ¡­


    A taxi brought the two young students to the real estate residential zone near the back mountains of the city. Lined up in the space between the mountains and the Tsukiyomi Lake, a host of luxurious mansions were arrayed in a beautiful complex.


    With the invitation card from Marcus, the taxi driver was permitted temporary entry into this highly restricted area of the city where rich entrepreneurs and influential families took residence.


    Hiro was shocked for a long time, just like the taxi driver, as the car moved carefully through the streets.


    Soon, the taxi stopped by the entrance to one of the massive mansions. It was a complex of one main building and five side buildings, including a horse stable and a massive outdoor pool.


    Dozens of students were already gathered near the pool, laughter and cozy music could also be heard from inside the main mansion.


    "Hey, Marcus! You''re a little late, but I''m glad you didn''t ditch the party! Haha!"


    An enthusiastic young student hurried to greet Marcus and Hiro the moment they stepped through the gate. At first, the guy''s attention was on Marcus, but he quickly noticed Hiro.


    "This is¡­?" He couldn''t help it¡ªHiro was too dashing in his white shirt, black leather jacket, and flowing crimson hair that was arranged smoothly with a headband.


    "My new roommate," Marcus introduced with a smile. "His name is Hiro; I''ve already recommended him to join our group chat, it''s pending for an approval from the administrator."


    Of course, the admins in the group were the close friends of that rich girl, and she was the group''s owner.


    Marcus then introduced this young student to Hiro. "This is one of my childhood friends, his name is Vanti, but we call him V or Vee."


    Hiro and Vanti shook hands, and the latter smiled brightly. "Once the Princess sees him, I''m positive she''d immediately approve his join request! Haha!"


    Vanti clearly thought that with Hiro''s looks alone, the so-called Princess would make him into her friend even if he couldn''t make it into Inter-High, making the latter roll his eyes.


    The trio chatted away as they entered the side mansion designated for the study group, and with Vanti''s guidance, Hiro found an empty cabinet to place his study materials before writing the words "Hiro Sciatis" on a little memo. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "The study group starts in two hours, and it will end at midnight sharp so that we can all get some sleep for the exams tomorrow at high noon," Vanti explained the predetermined schedule, processing to guide Hiro and Marcus to the main mansion where the fun was at.


    Inside, Vanti hurried to bring Hiro over and introduced him to the Princess, and as he called over respectfully and prepared to introduce the two, Hiro was stunned.


    Hiro noticed the so-called Princess who had long black hair, a beautiful starry dress, and a pair of clear yet cold eyes. However, what caught his attention the most was the one next to the Princess.


    That familiar figure, pink hair, cute dimples, and soft eyes that were innocent yet hid a mark of cunning in their depths.


    The pink-haired girl also noticed Hiro, and she was just as shocked¡ªa cup of fruit juice in her hand slipped and fell to the ground.


    At this moment, everyone around them slowly quieted down as they noticed the weird atmosphere between the two.


    With a weird expression on her face, Bella brought out her phone and sent a message to Hiro''s phone.


    Then, everyone heard the clear chime of a text message on Hiro''s phone. Confused, he also brought out his phone and responded to the sticker with a few question marks.


    Bella''s phone buzzed, confirming her suspicions.


    The girl gasped in both shock and horror as she exclaimed, "Hiro?! What in the¡­ HOW?!!"


    Hiro began to secretly sweat, thinking that someone who remembered his dark and shameful past still existed in his life.


    He wanted to open his mouth and explain, but Bella cut him off. "Not here! Come with me!"


    Like a pink bolt of lightning, Bella rushed over and grabbed Hiro by the arm before bolting toward the spiral staircase, ignoring everyone around.


    "I need to introduce myself¡­" Hiro''s reluctant voice echoed in the silent, awkward room.


    "Fuc- ahem! I mean don''t bother, you have an explanation to give me, young man!" Bella''s cute voice followed.


    Both Vanti and Marcus stood there, dumbfounded. Soon, everyone''s eyes turned to the pair, since they were the ones who brought Hiro along.


    Vanti immediately ditched his friend and pointed at Marcus, exclaiming, "That guy is this dude''s new roommate! I don''t know anything!"


    Vanti quickly disappeared into the crowd, joining them and staring Marcus down with a curious, if not inquisitive gaze.


    The Princess snapped out of her momentary daze and gave Marcus a look.


    "Is he the one friend you recommended?" She asked.


    Marcus nodded while rubbing his head. "Well yeah, but I didn''t know¡­"


    "It''s fine," she waved her hand. Then, she fiddled with her phone for a bit and said. "I already approved of his application to join the group. You can tell us about him later."

 Chapter 10: Friends! Friends! Friends!

    Bella brought Hiro to a private room, closed the door with a bang, and quickly scanned his body from head to toe.


    She was rather intelligent and insightful; she could tell from his temperament and the look in his eyes that this was the same guy she met in the Cupid Love Hotel about two weeks ago.


    However¡­


    "How did you do it?!" As a girl, Bella was greatly shocked and disquieted by Hiro''s change, and she grabbed him by the collar of his leather jacket while rocking his head back and forth.


    "It must have been a disguise!" Bella exclaimed in realization. "You were putting on a disguise! No way you lost so much weight in such little time¡­ that must be it!"


    Inspiration flashed in Hiro''s eyes and he quickly acted on it¡ªa shocked expression appeared in his clear royal blue eyes, but he averted his gaze to calm down, returning an innocent yet helpless smile.


    "How could that be?" He answered with his hands raised. "This is all the result of honest-to-God hard work!"


    Bella caught the trace of shock that Hiro attempted to conceal by looking away, and this immediately confirmed her preliminary speculations; she immediately felt relieved inside yet curious at the same time.


    Why would he be in disguise? Was it a premeditated plan to intercept me¡ªNo, what am I thinking? Even I feel embarrassed with my imagination¡­


    Bella coughed, but she quickly stopped and gave Hiro an understanding smile while fixing his collar.


    "Yeah, yeah¡­" she remarked. "You must have worked really hard¡ªdon''t worry; I understand!"


    Hiro coughed, grasped Bella''s soft little hands and lowered them from his jacket''s collar as he asked, "What are you doing here? Are you also a student in Inter High?"


    Bella flinched, quickly withdrawing her hands from Hiro''s hold as her cheeks and neck flushed red. Only now did she realize how close the proximity between the two of them were, and her heart started to beat wildly.


    She hoped that her actions didn''t lead to some misunderstanding while she answered patiently, "I have a private homeschooling tutor, so I''m not a student. However, my family and Rosaline''s family have many established cooperations in their respective fields, so we became childhood friends."


    Rosaline? She must be the Princess of the freshmen year, right? Hiro quickly deduced Rosaline''s identity.


    Hiro was a little confused. "If her family is so well off, why would she need to take the entrance exam scholarship? Couldn''t she just apply to enter the school directly with her background and influence?"


    Hiro assumed that Rosaline was in a prestigious middle school, so she shouldn''t lack the necessary grades or achievements to apply directly.


    Bella shook her head and didn''t answer, but Hiro wasn''t disappointed.


    "Anyway," he changed the subject, albeit reluctantly. "Let''s get down there first, people will start to gossip about some prince charming if we don''t make it back soon."


    Bella rolled her eyes. "I didn''t think you''re such a narcissist!"


    Hiro sighed with a heartbroken expression as he lamented. "I also wanted to keep a low profile because I''m too handsome, but who would have expected that I''d be kidnapped by a beauty the moment I walked into the door?"


    As Hiro spoke, he took out his phone to check the reason for the constant buzzing notifications.


    Soon, he discovered that he was accepted into the chat group created by Rosaline, and that she had also added him to many other chat groups.


    Once he accepted these invitations, his contacts list almost exploded with all the new contacts that were automatically added.


    Hiro was exhilarated; he understood by now that the system''s friends list was based on his connections in the real world, much like the low recognition base of Facebook in his past life.


    Although this chat app wasn''t Facebook or Messenger, he still gained close to 200 friends to his account after receiving Rosaline''s endorsement.


    A bright flash of blue light displayed his current friends list window, and he watched with relish as names kept popping up on the screen. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Although their friendship value was in the single digit, Hiro didn''t care about that at all.


    By the time the notifications calmed down, he made about 283 new friends!


    That''s close to 1,400 APs!


    Hiro never felt this rich in his life! Now, he felt like coming to this sleepover party was already worth it; his main objective for the evening was accomplished!


    Hiro resisted the urge to laugh and rub his chin in contemplation on what skills he should purchase, as he was still waiting for that high-priority mission reward.


    With that in mind, he felt like he should express his gratitude to those people who helped brighten his day!


    Without waiting for the pink-haired girl to respond, Hiro went for the door and opened it.


    "Ah! Ouch-¡­"


    The moment Hiro opened the door, three figures tumbled forward and crashed onto the ground; two girls and one boy.


    Hiro and Bella were stunned, looking at these eavesdroppers with blank expressions.


    The two girls sat up on their folded legs with embarrassed expressions, rubbed the back of their heads, and stuck out their tongues in a playful way.


    As for the boy, he scrambled to his feet and rubbed both his hands in embarrassment as well, not daring to look up.


    "Erm¡­ do you know these three?" Hiro decided to ask Bella, since these three definitely weren''t his friends.


    Bella covered her face in shame. "They''re probably just some little followers of my suitors¡­ Ugh! This is embarrassing!"


    Hiro understood.


    He clicked his tongue and said, "This is so damn cliche! Am I being used as a shield or something? This is going to tarnish my innocent and reputation¡­"


    Hiro''s expression was the splitting image of hopeless distress, and even the three little minions were left speechless, let alone Bella who was boiling in anger.


    Before those little fists could rain down fires of redemption on his handsome face, Hiro laughed loudly and dashed out the door, escaping the scene.


    ¡­


    The awkward atmosphere on the main floor had already dissolved under the influence of gossip, drinks, and soothing music.


    They were all teenagers; carefree and friendly to one another as a means to relax before the day of the foreboding exam.


    No one was in the mind to stick their noses up someone else''s private life with such a crucial turning point in their lives approaching.


    Hiro couldn''t find neither Rosaline or Marcus, but it was Vanti who found him and tossed an arm around his shoulders while laughing.


    "Haha! You hid yourself quite well! I didn''t know that you had connections to the influential friends of the Princess! Dude, you''re set for life! I''m so jealous!"


    "What''s there to be jealous about?" Hiro disentangled himself from Vanti and took two steps away. "I''m probably gonna end up as a human shield, then some powerful CEO daddy will knock on my door one day, and if I''m lucky enough; I wouldn''t end up as a castrated cold corpse on some unknown street in winter."


    Vanti shivered and gave Hiro a sympathetic look. "Now that you''ve put it this way, I truly feel sorry for you. If there''s any way I can help you, please don''t come looking for me."


    This damned opportunistic is friend material?! Hiro was rendered speechless, turning around and walking towards the pool without saying a word.


    Vanti laughed, following Hiro to bask in the attention while the good times lasted.


    Hiro didn''t mind, nor did he care.


    Although it was a little bit of a challenge to navigate through the gossip and probing attempts from everyone by the pool, he managed to mingle with the crowd just fine.


    Soon, everyone was called into the side mansion reserved for the group study session, and Hiro followed along silently.

 Chapter 11: Elixir Potions

    Inside the side mansion.


    Hiro grouped up with Marcus who had disappeared for the entirety of the party, Vanti who was glued to him the whole time, and two other girls.


    Many mini groups formed in the spacious hall, and under Rosaline''s directives, each group had to focus on one of the four major subjects of math, physics, chemistry, and religion.


    That was supposed to be the plan, but Hiro raised his hand and suggested that each group be comprised of five people¡ªfour of them proficient in one of the respective fields and the last member being a jack of all trades.


    Then, after fifteen minutes of joint, closed study, each group would list down their confusions and questions in the form of notes before passing them to the nearby group.


    Like this, the groups would alternately exchange notes that included diverse methods to approach different questions, and after the rotation was completed, everyone would have gained equally from one another.


    Rosaline thought seriously about Hiro''s suggestion and decided to make a vote for it.


    Ultimately, everyone agreed, and that''s how they split into over a dozen groups, each group with five members. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Then, everyone got handed a printed copy of past entrance exams to look into.


    Hiro sighed in relief, glad that his last-minute suggestion wasn''t turned down. Then, he closed his eyes to enter the system space as fast as possible while the exam papers were being arranged.


    ¡­


    In the system space, Hiro brought the system shop window closer to himself.


    With 1,430 points to his name, Hiro went for the consumables section.


    "These items exist in every RPG game, the shop must have some of them¡­" Hiro muttered to himself while scrolling down to the elixir section.


    It just occurred to him that while permanent skills were very expensive, almost all RPG games had temporary buffs.


    He decided to make use of his current "fame hype" to set favorable conditions for his next step. Luckily, Hiro wasn''t disappointed.


    Hiro found potions that would temporarily boost the status of his character!


    Although each potion cost 200 points, Hiro wasn''t about to act stingy!


    He directly brought a bottle of {Intelligence Potion}, which would increase focus and comprehension for 60 minutes.


    Then, he spent another 200 points to buy a bottle of {Memory Potion}, which would give him a photographic memory buff for 60 minutes.


    Those, together with his {Immersive Reading} skill, would allow Hiro to become a study god for the next one hour.


    Although this time was enough for Hiro to rotate between only four groups, he decided that he would check the effects first.


    If everything went well, he might spend another 400 points to give himself the necessary boost.


    However, Hiro quickly remembered that his objective wasn''t to ace the exam¡ªhe only needed to pass it!


    With that in mind, he calmed down and decided to save the remaining 1,030 points.


    Two bottles of purple potions appeared in front of Hiro, which he consumed immediately before opening his eyes.


    The four around Hiro immediately noticed the change; he seemed more focused, serious, and scarily dedicated.


    In this group, Hiro was the jack of all trades.


    Marcus was the go-to when it came to math.


    Vanti was the go-to when it came to religion.


    The other two girls were responsible for the scientific fields respectively¡ªphysics and chemistry.


    With a clap of her hands, Rosaline signaled everyone to start as she timed her stopwatch to 15 minutes!


    Hiro didn''t notice any of that because he was already in the zone. With his memory potion activated and granting him a temporary photographic memory, he spent the first five minutes flipping through the notes of his teammates.


    Everyone was stunned to see Hiro''s eyes scanning through their notebooks, mainly because they didn''t think he was doing anything other than skimming through.


    Feeling that his mind couldn''t keep up with the intake of information despite his increased intelligence, Hiro gritted his teeth and activated another of his system''s abilities.


    {Synchronization}!


    Although his in-game character wasn''t a Golden Core cultivator, it was a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator!


    The gap between ordinary people and the Foundation Establishment was massive, especially since there existed another major realm in between; the Qi Gathering realm.


    Hiro''s clothes gently fluttered despite the lack of wind in the closed room, and his temperament completely changed.


    Marcus, Bella, and Rosaline had glints in their eyes as they looked over simultaneously, but that moment quickly passed as though it was an illusion.


    Only Bella smiled as though she''d discovered another continent, muttering to herself.


    Using 10 APs, Hiro became a powerful cultivator for a duration of 60 minutes!


    His increased spirituality supplemented his increased intelligence, and he no longer felt burdened. As the jack of all trades in the team, his only mission was to review the notes and point out the relatively obvious inconsistencies.


    Although he wasn''t doing much on the surface, it was Hiro who glued the cohesion of the small study group, allowing everything to proceed smoothly.


    Every 15 minutes, Hiro needed to skim through the exchanged notes, separate them based on the difficulty of the problems, and hand them out to the person responsible for each field.


    Some mixed notes had both physics and math jumbled up, some had religion and irrelevant subjective opinions mixed up with worldwide views, and some had errors in their chemistry formats and components.


    Hiro needed to fix all these minor problems to allow his teammates an easy time sorting out the problems, solving those they could solve, and pushing those beyond their level to someone else.


    Time quickly passed, and as Hiro got more and more proficient in coordinating with his teammates, they started to gain surplus time to discuss among themselves on deeper levels, thus solving more problems.


    Soon, some nearby groups began to skip turns and hand their research progress to Hiro''s group directly.


    Rosaline didn''t say anything about these instances, as she wasn''t a rigid person.


    Things got more ridiculous around the 40-minute mark as the two nearby groups decided to merge with Hiro''s group, forming a small network team with a clear hierarchy.


    With two more assistants, Hiro''s job got easier even when the volume of work increased, but he didn''t mind.


    This only meant that Hiro had the chance to read more ingenious research results from other groups.


    Eventually, Hiro ended up spending another 410 points to get two more potions and another synchronization hour.


    The only difference was that his little group had grown to host five mini-groups, and before it could get out of hand, Rosaline gathered the other mini-groups into another large group on the other side.


    They followed the same format, and the two groups exchanged research notes every 20 minutes.


    Hiro felt like an enlightened Supreme Buddha as he utilized his skills to the extreme, especially his calligraphy skills to dish out notes in a neat and organized manner.


    Hiro didn''t know that in these two hours, he captured the hearts of many maidens.


    Soon, the clock his midnight sharp, and coincidentally, the temporary boosts also ran out.


    Without the steam, exhaustion finally caught up to Hiro, and with countless formulas and numbers swimming in his mind, Hiro slowly stretched out, yawned, and flopped back while slipping into unconsciousness.


    He could only recall that the back of his head landed onto something bouncy, soft, and supple¡ªfeeling extremely comfortable.


    It felt so good, that he immediately fell asleep.


    Rosaline, who had approached Hiro''s group to commend them for their hard work, hadn''t expected to come by and find Hiro falling back to drop on the hard floor.


    She subconsciously moved forward and caught his falling body, only to realize her actions a beat later.


    She didn''t express a feeling of being embarrassed at all; rather, she calmly asked for a few buff guys to come over and carry Hiro back to the male''s side mansion, her expression as calm and cold as usual.


    Only she knew how furiously her heart was pounding, and she could feel the eyes of a certain pink-haired chibi poking holes into her back.

 Chapter 12: Entrance Exam Mission Rewards

    The following morning.


    Hiro was glad to have used his very first synchronization experience in a friendly space, especially after experiencing the drawbacks.


    Now, he was aware more than ever that while he could burrow the power of his in-game characters; it all lay with the foundation of his own body!


    If his body in real life couldn''t withstand the strain of synchronization, then it might lead to irreparable damage, and not some light consequence such as falling unconscious.


    With this in mind, Hiro was even more worried about his upcoming breakthrough, cultivating magical powers, and increasing his strength in Transcendent Taoist!


    As the last person to wake up, Hiro spent less than half an hour sorting out his thoughts and the vast amount of information that flooded his mind.


    With his current knowledge base, passing the entrance exam was guaranteed. However, what comes next?


    As Hiro was thinking, his phone buzzed with an incoming text message.


    [Bella]: Come meet me at¡­


    Looking at the message, Hiro shook his head and got up, washed his face, and left the side mansion reserved for the boys.


    ¡­


    Behind the main mansion was the stables where Rosaline''s family kept their horses.


    The moment Hiro saw the stables, he saw two figures and a host of servants tending to the horses.


    Well, Bella and Rosaline sat to the side, simply watching as the servants groomed and fed the horses.


    Both of them looked over, and it was Bella who waved her hand, inviting Hiro to their side.


    Although confused, Hiro followed her instructions and quickly approached them with a smile.


    "Little brat and Her Highness, how can I help you two?" Hiro wasn''t very concerned with etiquette, directly pulling a wooden stool over and plopping down in front of the two.


    Bella rolled her eyes charmingly. "You don''t need to act in front of us sisters, we''ve invited you over for your own good."


    My own good? Hiro blinked, still waiting for an explanation.


    Rosaline coughed, explaining, "It might have been an accident, but both of us and my family''s higher-ups have noticed your anomaly yesterday¡­"


    Hiro''s eyes widened in shock, but before he could say anything, Rosaline continued.


    "Don''t worry," she told Hiro in a pacifying tone. "Although it''s unexpected, an expert in the family examined your body and said that you might be undergoing a process we call ''Awakening'', and you''ll soon become a Paranormal¡­


    "It''s not confirmed, but the telltale signs are there, and we think that you touched the boundary during an intense moment of single-minded concentration. Nonetheless, since it happened in our territory, we are obliged to let you know what happened to you and what you''re about to get yourself into if the awakening was successful.


    "However, if you don''t awaken and are stuck at the current level, I hope you don''t go around talking too much. Otherwise¡­"


    Rosaline thought that Hiro would panic even more, but after hearing her explanation, he patted his chest and sighed in relief.


    That was scary¡­ Hiro almost thought they discovered his system and abilities to burrow power from an outside source.


    However, this was also a wake-up call for Hiro.


    He shouldn''t act as careless in the future.


    After making that mental note, he lifted his head to meet Rosaline''s eyes. "I¡­ so what I felt yesterday wasn''t just an illusion, was it?"


    "I''m afraid not," Rosaline shook her head and sighed, her feelings a mystery. "As for you, I suppose you can be considered a Tier-9 Paranormal, albeit barely. Strictly speaking, you''re still a Tier-10 human, but you''ve momentarily touched the Tier-9 boundary."


    As Rosaline was talking, she fiddled with her phone and sent him a link to a forum post on a random fandom website for RPG combat discussions.


    "There are millions of fandom websites like this on the internet, but this particular user is considered to be the spokesperson for the major events in our society. It''s an open secret. If you want fundamental information, just scroll through his newsfeed."


    Bella spoke up, "If you become a real Paranormal one day, I''ll let you in on the grownups table as my little henchman!"


    She sounded very proud about it, and Hiro couldn''t help but chuckle to himself.


    After he promised not to do anything reckless in public again, the three of them said goodbye and parted ways.


    When they were far enough, Bella finally couldn''t hold it in anymore and raised her doubts, "Hey, it''s not like your old man to pay so much attention to matters like these, what happened last night?"


    Rosaline looked back at the distant figure growing ever-so-blurry as she mumbled, "I don''t know... because the old man himself isn''t sure either. Anyway, he tasked me to build a good relationship with him, so I guess giving him this warning could be considered as a display of goodwill."


    Bella pouted, lights gleaming in her eyes.


    ¡­


    Everything proceeded smoothly from then on, and quickly, it was high noon.


    Everyone went to the school grounds, submitted their applications, and were escorted into the cold and silent classrooms for their exams.


    Each exam lasted for one hour with a fifteen-minute break between each exam, and so¡­ five stressful hours passed by.


    With today''s technology, it would take one more hour for the computer to tally the results and send them to the students via their student application to their email and phone number.


    At 18:00 O''clock sharp, Hiro heard three beautiful bell chimes.


    One from his email, another from his text messages, and another from the system!


    [Notice: Congratulations, you''ve completed your first high-priority mission!]


    [Mission Briefing: In order to step into society and tackle the first obstacle in this world, the high school''s entrance exam, you learned to utilize your resources, forgoing immediate profits to gain better returns in the future!]


    [Mission Rating: Excellent]


    [Reward 1: 50 gems]


    [Reward 2: Sorcerer Awakening Potion]


    [Reward 3: Analytical Mind Skill]


    [Reward 4: 1,000 Achievement Points]


    [Reward 5: 1x Game Voucher]


    [Reward 6: Time Dilation Feature]


    ¡­


    Hiro was so excited he began to tremble and shake in place, and while he was trying hard to suppress his excitement, Marcus slapped him on the back out of nowhere.


    "Haha," Marcus laughed while waving his phone that displayed his emai. "I''m also excited to have been accepted, and since you''re this happy, there''s no need to hold it in! It''s the time to celebrate!" sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The slap from Marcus brought Hiro back to the current reality, and he immediately calmed down and suppressed his excitement.


    "You''re right," Hiro said, quickly gathering his jacket and shoes. "I need to go somewhere to celebrate! Don''t wait for me tonight!"


    Marcus was stunned, as he planned to say that they could celebrate together. However, Hiro already left the room by the time Marcus opened his mouth.


    Hiro went downstairs, exited to the street, and hailed a taxi to the nearest 3-star hotel.


    He was planning to spend tonight in his system space, and he planned to get a new game where he could actively navigate his character!


    During his one hour of waiting for the exams results, he already browsed through the link Rosaline sent his way. In a sense, the Paranormal Society was a mess.


    Magi, cultivators, werewolves, vampires, holy elements, mutants, etc.


    The world was infested with them, hence the unification of power, a decree from the Holy Church, and the power tiers system.


    With that in mind, tiers were separated based on their destructive capabilities, but it could get more complicated than that.


    In any case, it wasn''t for Hiro to worry about.


    Hiro''s current priority was to ingest the sorcerer potion, then get himself a game with focus on sorcery.


    Since there''s a sorcerer''s potion, does that mean I can awaken more potions in the future?


    It was surely something worth looking forward to, and with these thoughts in mind, Hiro booked a room on short notice after paying an additional 35% fee to the hotel.


    Heart beating wildly, he locked himself into his hotel room and went for the bed.

 Chapter 13: Hiro the Sorcerer

    Millions of colors stacked and combusted, bringing Hiro into the familiar environment of the system space.


    Once inside, he summoned the {Sorcerer Awakening Potion} and digested it.


    Just in case his body succumbed to sleep or something during the awakening process in the real world, his consciousness would remain awake in the system space.


    With that out of mind, Hiro then focused on the {Anaylytical Mind} and {Time Dilation} rewards.


    The first skill was a reward based on his earlier 800-point investment, and this skill was a combination of increased intelligence and photographic memory. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It increased both his comprehension ability and gifted him with the desired photographic memory, basically turning him into the perfect student model.


    As for the time dilation feature, it would increase the ratio of time between the simulation space and the real world by a factor of 1 upon use, with each use costing double.


    Hiro quickly tested the feature by increasing the time ratio from 1:1 to 2:1 by paying 50 APs, then increasing it again to 3:1 by paying 100 APs.


    Hiro checked his current balance, discovering that he had 1,470 points left. After struggling for a little bit, he decided to bite the bullet and spent 200 more points to get the ratio up to 4:1.


    Like this, his daily sleep could equate to a full day in-game with a surplus of 8 hours.


    Next on the list was the lottery box!


    "I need 30 gems for the 10x lottery box," Hiro was quite excited, as the 10-item lottery box had a higher chance of giving him something with practical value.


    Hiro quickly pushed the irrelevant holographic screens aside and brought the lottery screen over.


    Without hesitation, he used the gems required for the lottery box and watched the cube spin around before exploding into a shower of colorful lights.


    While he was prepared for it, Hiro was still disappointed by the random consultation rewards of achievement points, ranging from 20 to 400 points for each consultation reward.


    Luckily, he obtained two tangible rewards this time!


    [Notice: Congratulations, you''ve acquired the Sorcerer''s Guide to the Five Elements!]


    [Notice: Congratulations, you''ve acquired 3x Futuristic VR Technology blueprints!]


    ¡­


    A dense cluster of information about magic theory barged into Hiro''s mind, and it took him a good fifteen minutes to digest the information.


    Meanwhile, three pitch-black flash drives materialized in front of Hiro, a light blue pop-up window with a brief description hovering above each of them.


    "Futuristic VR technology!" Hiro was ecstatic!


    Although this world had VR technology, it was far from mature enough to permit full immersion as advertised in anime and manga.


    However, this futuristic technology was more than enough to make the push! Although Hiro never thought about creating his own company and entering the gaming industry, no one would say no to free money!


    "Although I can''t start my company right now, I can start preparing for it¡­ I mean, how can I be handsome and rich without my own company?"


    Almost without thinking, Hiro''s spendthrift occupational disease kicked in, and he went to the system shop and browsed through his daily life skills.


    After scrolling through the skills, his eyes finally settled on {Business Acumen I}, {Business Acumen II}, and {Business Acumen III}.


    Their prices were 200 points, 400 points, and 800 points respectively.


    {Business Acumen IV} costs 1,600 points, and looking at that price, Hiro immediately sobered up.


    Even with the consolation rewards, spending 1,400 points to invest in his future company was Hiro''s current limit.


    Somehow, his balance dropped to 1,070 points!


    Hiro didn''t even feel like checking the backlog since the fluctuating value of his points would give him a headache.


    "I''ve decided!" Hiro made a firm resolution as he began to feel the new skill taking effect.


    I''ll make sure to always cash in all my rewards before I start spending gems and points in the future!


    With that mindset, Hiro decided to push the matter of selecting a new game aside before he entered the Transcendent Taoist game.


    ¡­


    Transcendent Taoist, Cave Dwelling.


    A dense, misty spiritual energy surrounded Hiro the moment he opened his eyes.


    Notifications filled his vision, and after he dismissed all of them, he focused on his cultivation base.


    [Daoist: Hiro.]


    [Sect: Lunar Shift.]


    [Realm: Foundation Establishment 10/10.]


    [Cultivation Base: 4,100,000/3,900,000]


    [Spirit Array: +12 per second]


    ¡­


    Hiro decided to undergo tribulation immediately.


    [Notice: You have a 75% chance to ascend the lightning tribulation!]


    [You can use 1 gem to increase your chances by 5%!]


    An option to use the gem appeared, and next to it was the option to consume a golden core pill. However, Hiro didn''t have any pills.


    I can purchase medical pills from the sect! Hiro was surprised, realizing that he hadn''t explored the game properly.


    However, 75% wasn''t a low chance, so Hiro decided to go with the tribulation without a second thought.


    Thunderclouds gathered in the sky, and they started to smite down on Hiro.


    While feeling paralyzed by the barrage of lightning, a sudden thought struck Hiro.


    If a Qi Gathering cultivator could be considered a Tier-10 Paranormal, doesn''t that make me a Tier-8 Paranormal once I''ve achieved the Golden Core realm?


    Also, is it a coincidence that the Holy Church decreed the unification of power systems while the Pantheon of the Gods includes the likes of the Goddess of Magic, Beast God, the Blood Ancestor, Elvenheim, Immortal Monarch the Heavenly Emperor, etc¡­


    I refuse to believe that it''s all but a coincidence! If my guess is true, then the conflict between the Church and the State is deeper than I initially thought¡­


    The 81 lightning strikes from the tribulation passed, and Hiro successfully made it into the Golden Core realm!


    Feeling refreshed, he inspected his stats.


    [Daoist: Hiro.]


    [Sect: Lunar Shift.]


    [Realm: Golden Core 1/10.]


    [Cultivation Base: 12/1,800,000]


    [Spirit Array: +12 per second]


    ¡­


    As expected, the daily 1 million spiritual units are no longer sufficient if Hiro wanted a faster breakthrough in the future. However, he was feeling reluctant about using 5 gems to increase the spirit array rates from 12 units per second to 22 units per second.


    After thinking about it, Hiro went to meet with the leader of the Lunar Serenity faction to receive his rewards for achieving the Golden Core realm.


    Hiro quickly confirmed his status as a true disciple, elevating him from an in-name disciple.


    After receiving his reward which consisted of three spell books, two defensive and one offensive magical spells, Hiro quickly learned them and sent his character on a few sect missions.


    "As long as I gather enough contribution points, I can be promoted and get myself a better spirit array, all without the need to spend my gems!"


    Satisfied, Hiro stacked a number of missions on auto pilot, but he made sure none of them were hard enough to injure his character.


    That way, the chain wouldn''t be broken and his character wouldn''t stop going on missions.


    With that out of hand, Hiro left the simulation space and the system space, quickly falling unconscious together with his body.


    ¡­


    When Hiro woke up from his sleep, the first thing he noticed was the light blue pop-up window with his updated information written on it.


    [Player: Hiro]


    [Class: Sorcerer]


    [Tier: 9]


    [Rank: C]


    ¡­


    Together with the awakening, information appeared in Hiro''s mind as though it was an intuitive knowledge from the depths of his mind.


    Of course, this was information derived from the magic theory, the guide to the five elements, and the awakening potion.


    A Sorcerer''s tier is based on their spirituality, the main focus of Hiro''s future growth.


    Information related to spiritual meditation and the harmony of the elements flowed inside Hiro''s mind, while the separate classifications of tiers and the subdivisions of ranks followed.


    If Hiro had to guess, then his system must have derived the information from the current world, and each tier is subdivided into ranks C, B, A, and S¡­

 Chapter 14: Sciatis Holdings Limited

    This makes me a C-9 Paranormal according to this world''s standards, right?


    Hiro got off from his bed and checked the time. It was already around 10 in the morning of the following day.


    Calculating the time, Hiro quickly checked out from the hotel after the daily routine and took a taxi to the Committee of Commerce in the city center where he waited in line to register a private company.


    The process was long and boring, but it was quite simple. Other than renting an office in the Committee Building, Hiro needed to lay out a clear blueprint for the future direction of the company.


    He would also need to open a shared bank account for the company in the International Commerce Bank, but the assets that make it into the bank would be frozen until Hiro accumulated 100,000 International Credits of liquidity.


    Usually, a one-year probation wouldn''t be enough for anyone to gather that much money, thus allowing the COC to take over the established foundation of the company to squeeze it dry.


    However, Hiro was different.


    Since he had the blueprints and technology for futuristic VR technology, he made use of the commerce''s endorsement and included teasers for the VR helmet technology in his company''s future plans.


    He was willing to share the technology with up to five partners, signing exclusive contracts not to share the VR helmet technology with anyone else.


    In exchange, 33% of the overall sales profit would go to Hiro''s company, and the contract is due for three years.


    With the current information technology, news travels fast. In less than one hour, Hiro was already on a video call with the five representatives who were decisive enough to sign a letter of intent without any negotiations whatsoever.


    ¡­


    "This office is pretty small, but I guess it will do for now¡­"


    Hiro sat on the leather chair, running his fingers on the plastic keyboard, and took a moment to admire the logo of "Sciatis Holdings Limited" on his waiting screen.


    Soon, a video call request was forwarded to his business account, and he answered the call. As expected, with the exception of the middle man from the COC, everyone else had their company''s logo on, not their live video feed.


    Each of these five companies was a behemoth in the local hardware gaming industry.


    Then again, Hiro understood that overseas taxes would butcher a company''s profits, let alone having to shave off an additional 33%¡­


    And for what? A better hardware? How many companies have claimed that they could revolutionize the VR industry with a realistic, full-immersion dive technology?


    Then, how many actually succeeded?


    Therefore, while the local giants were willing to take the risk and test their luck in the local markets thanks to their connections with the government, the international market was a whole different animal.


    Hiro understood all of this with his new acumen for business, hence why he didn''t care too much about earning money internationally for now.


    The meeting progressed smoothly, and with the CCC presiding over the deal with a handling fee of 3% of the total profit, the discussion reached the contract signing stage.


    After all five company representatives signed their end of the deal, they left the video call and went to Hiro to finish the formalities with the CoC handler.


    Towards the end, Hiro requested that out of the five transactions, one of them would deposit the money directly into his Nexus bank account.


    "Are you sure?" The Handler furrowed his brows and advised. "This will account as a separate handling fee, doubling your losses from 3% to 6%! Don''t think so little of 3% just because the number sounds small." S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hiro hesitated. Honestly, he merely wanted to show off by having a string of zeros in his bank account, because he couldn''t use the company''s money during the one-year probation period.


    Eventually, his vanity won over his rationality and business acumen combined, signing the necessary papers with the handler.


    It''s not that you''re wrong, Mr. Handler, Hiro felt a little guilty about turning down such good advice from the man. However, 3% is really nothing to me since I have yet to reveal my other trump cards!


    The Handler failed to convince Hiro with the voice of reason. Resigned, he ended the call and requested from Hiro to send the related documents to the five companies.


    Unperturbed, Hiro summoned the VR helmet flash drive from his system space and deposited the data into the shared cloud server.


    This server was opened by the five companies together, and it easily proceeded the ton of data.


    In less than 15 minutes, the data was available on the cloud server for all five companies and their respective R&D departments.


    Once the files were confirmed, they sent an email indicating that within three months, the new products would be on the shelves in department stores, and they would transfer 33% of the monthly revenue to the Commerce Bank.


    From there, the Handler would process the necessary taxes and handling fees before depositing the money into Hiro''s private account and the company''s account.


    By the time Hiro left his small office in the COC building, the sun was about to set.


    While Hiro was feeling bored about what to do, he received a phone call from Bella.


    Hiro''s eyes lit up! After he passed the entrance exam to Inter-High, and with the cash cow technology in hand, Hiro decided to quit his job as a clerk in the clothing store.


    Sadly, that meant that he didn''t have anything to do for the following month while he waited for school to start.


    He almost forgot that he was now a Paranormal, so why shouldn''t he do what Paranormals do?


    Without hesitation, he answered the phone and was the first to speak up.


    "I think I''ve awakened!"


    The other end of the phone went silent for a moment before he heard Bella speak, "Come to the school''s club building and head to the third floor, I''ll be waiting by the stairs!"


    Beep!


    The phone hung up.


    Did she ignore what I just said? Hiro felt confused for a moment, but he quickly realized his mistake; he shouldn''t be saying such nonsense in public, let alone on a phone call!


    Shaking his head, Hiro hailed another taxi and left for the school.


    ¡­


    "Took you long enough!" Bella pouted the moment she saw Hiro ascending the stairs.


    With a harrumph, she made a turn for it and skipped away to a private club room at the end of the hallway.


    It was the room directly opposite the student''s council club room, making Hiro wonder if it was intentional.


    Nonetheless, he followed Bella into the room and as expected, Rosaline was already waiting inside while sipping tea.


    "This dolt almost said something that he shouldn''t have, and it was only yesterday that we gave him a warning!"


    Once the door was closed, Bella hopped up and smacked Hiro across the back of his head.


    He could have dodged, but he decided that he deserved that one, rubbing the back of his head while chuckling.


    "Well," he wanted to clarify himself. "I was too excited yet bored; we have one month of free time before school starts, and I have nothing else to do!"


    "So you wanted to ask if people like us had anything else to do during our free time, something fun?" Rosaline asked, her big eyes blinking with a peculiar light.


    "Haha¡­ yeah¡­ Well, do you guys have anything fun to do?" Hiro rubbed his hands and asked expectantly.


    "If you consider mercenary work, assassinations, illegal smuggling, and anything that couldn''t see the light of day as some fun activities¡­ Then yes, by all means, we do fun stuff all day."


    Rosaline''s tone turned cold, oppressive, and foreboading as she spoke. The temperature in the room chilled all of a sudden, and Hiro felt as though his actions thus far had been agonizingly childish.

 Chapter 15: The Paranormal Lifestyle

    "The world doesn''t make any distinction between good people and bad people; it only provides powers on a whim, and it is up to people on how to make use of these powers.


    "That is to say, people are inherently selfish, born with the original sin. Let me be straightforward with you; everyone who grasped this power in the Paranormal Society is after one thing only, and that is their benefits.


    "It can be their personal benefit, the organization''s benefit, their family''s benefit, or even their enemy''s benefit if the price is high enough.


    "To these people, the lives of people, be it the ordinary or the Paranormal, are just chess pieces¡ªmeans to an end. Let me tell you, no matter how large or small the board is, there are never enough chess pieces to go around.


    "As for you¡ªsomeone without a background, without connections, and most importantly of all; without power¡­ Just what the hell were you thinking?! Are you tired of living?!


    "Just the knowledge that you''re a Paranormal is enough to elevate you from an overlooked chess piece to a potential chess piece! You can be in the wrong place at the wrong time and the next thing you know, the authorities are knocking down your door!


    "In this society, secrecy is an iron law! If Bella''s phone wasn''t modified to counter espionage, you might have disappeared in broad daylight the moment you stepped into a random taxi!"


    After going on her long tirade, Rosaline kneaded her forehead, feeling a headache.


    Hiro had an apologetic, ashamed expression on his face. He knew that he was careless, but he didn''t think it was this bad¡­


    "It''s enough, Rosa¡­" Bella stepped behind Rosaline and gave her stiff shoulders a good massage. "As for you, little guy, why don''t you join under one of our families? At the very least, we can¡­"


    Hiro immediately raised both his hands up and stopped Bella before she could say anything.


    "Hold your horses!" Hiro almost shouted. "I get it, I messed up¡ªhowever! It hadn''t gotten to the point where I''m desperate for your family''s protection! As for Paranormal business, I take it back, I will spend this month playing games and not get myself into trouble!"


    Damn, how could I forget about my system?! I must have been mentally ill this afternoon!


    Hiro almost slapped himself. If anything, he should make use of this month to increase both his cultivation and the level of his character in a new RPG game.


    Rosaline was right, he shouldn''t be pouncing around if he didn''t have the power nor the background to protect himself!


    What could a mere Tier-9 Rank-C Paranormal do in this messed-up society anyway? Lie down and wait for death?


    Even if his cultivator profile was a Tier-8 Rank-C Paranormal, that was still nothing in the grand scheme of things!


    Rosaline blinked her eyes, feeling that her intimidation tactics had backfired. She didn''t want Hiro to retreat from the paranormal circles, only to be careful and find reliance in them.


    However, it seemed like she took things too far.


    "Don''t you want to know how to get stronger though? I mean, I can tell you how, but you can''t make use of this knowledge since you''re all alone and well¡­" Rosaline shut her mouth at this point.


    "All I know so far is that I''m a Sorcerer, and I crave for something called spirituality?" Hiro sighed. He acted both bewildered and lost, as though he didn''t have a clue about what was happening to him.


    Rosaline nodded.


    "That''s your body''s instinctive desire to evolve driving you forward, just like how awakened vampires are drawn to blood rich with vitality. As a Sorcerer, you can grow stronger by meditating in spiritually dense environments or by consuming spiritual resources."


    "Never mind the lengthy exploration," Bella shook her head. "Seriously, you clan people are always so calculative!"


    As she spoke, she fiddled with her phone.


    "Bella!" Rosaline furrowed her brows in displeasure, but it was already too late.


    Hiro''s phone buzzed, and when he checked the messages, it was an app link from Bella.


    Bella stuck out her tongue. "This is the recognized official app for the paranormal circle, and you can only get the app via a referral from an active member."


    Hiro was intrigued and quickly downloaded the app called PARA.


    "Is it safe?" Hiro asked while the app was installed.


    "It is," Bella nodded her head. "It creates a virtual identity for you, and it can''t be traced since the algorithm is floating over millions of ghost cloud servers, and hundreds of ghost servers are being generated daily from the subscription revenue, not even the creators of the app know how many ghost servers there are today. Thousands? Hundreds of thousands? Millions? A billion servers?


    Really, the number is anyone''s guess!"


    Hiro was impressed. He couldn''t believe that the government failed to stop such a cancer from spreading.


    Bella chuckled and explained that the ghost server algorithm had already penetrated into every server provider platform that exists on the web, and it is futile to shut it down unless the world decides to shut down the internet globally for at least 72 hours.


    Hiro tried to imagine the entire planet without internet for three days, but he couldn''t.


    The chaos such a thing might generate would be unimaginable. Hiro shuddered at the mere thought.


    According to Bella, not even the person who sent the recommendation through the link would know the identity of the invited and vice versa.


    Since there was an expiration time for the link, Hiro immediately installed the app and registered an account.


    The app asked him to position the front camera near his eye for the retina scan, and Hiro complied. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He could feel his phone heating up crazily, to the point where he almost dropped it.


    After the phone was connected to an unknown software, it scanned his retina in seconds, then the software was deleted automatically and the phone cooled down.


    The logo of the PARA app was changed to a single eye without either an iris or a pupil, confirming the installation.


    Seeing that Rosaline was about to say something, Bella immediately waved her hand to dismiss Hiro.


    "Now go! Don''t tell anyone about your username on the app, and only accept mission requests when you''re confident enough with both your strength and secrecy lest you draw unwanted attention!"


    Hiro felt grateful to this pink-haired chibi, smiling and nodding before apologizing to Rosaline once again.


    Then, he left.


    Once the door closed and after a moment of silence, Rosaline''s dark expression brightened up and she exchanged a high five with Bella.


    Bella laughed. "The classic good cop bad cop never fails! Honestly, are you sure you want to push him away from your family like this? Your old man will be pissed!"


    "So what?" Rosaline tucked away her hair behind her ear. "They''re out for their own interests, and I''m out for mine. There will come a day when I branch out from the main family, it''s not bad to start laying the foundations from early on."


    Bella sighed with pity. "It''s times like these where I''m glad to be the only child to a rich and powerful daddy. It''s so good to be a rich second generation!"


    ¡­


    That evening, Hiro returned to his dormitory room after cooling down his head. He didn''t immediately register an identity on PARA, mainly because he was scared of getting involved in something impulsively.


    Marcus left a message saying that he planned to take a month long vacation in the countryside relaxing with his family, leaving the dormitory room to Hiro.


    Hiro wasn''t bothered by it, he actually felt pretty good.


    Now, he decided to seclude himself into gaming mode, taking small breaks for food and some sports activities to keep in shape, while spending the rest of his time playing Transcendent Taoist and farming a new RPG game.


    He already found the game to play, an RPG game called Legend of Babylon.

 Chapter 16: Legend of Babylon

    An open-world sandbox universe RPG game, the Legend of Babylon gave Hiro the feeling that this game was a mix of WoW, DnD, and Middle Earth combined.


    With an array of jobs from warrior, mage, priest, archer, and musician.


    Each main job has two growth routes, and the mage job class can grow into either a summoner or a sorcerer.


    Of course, Hiro chose the sorcerer class.


    While typical games would allow a person to have multiple classes, the {Simulation Space} offered no such thing.


    Each game was limited to one character and no more.


    As for why Hiro chose to play a sorcerer even though the powers from synchronization were temporary¡­


    Well, the power boost may be temporary, but the comprehension and understanding of spells would linger in Hiro''s mind nonetheless!


    While the comprehension and experiences of a cultivator were useless to Hiro since he didn''t have a cultivation talent, the same couldn''t be said for the sorcerer.


    It could be said that once his in-game sorcerer reached a certain height and he successfully synchronized with the character, then spent the synchronization time in meditation to consolidate his gains, his understanding of his class would far exceed his power tier.


    Hiro would only need abundant spirituality to elevate his power tier without fear of having the energy going out of control within his body and spirit.


    ¡­


    Following the short cinematic, the main story in the Legend of Babylon goes like this:


    The Tower of Babylon is a holy relic left behind by Lord Babylon, the creator of life and death, and the gatekeeper of reincarnation.


    It was said that the tower connected the realms of the living and the dead through a celestial bridge between the stars, maintaining order in the world.


    One day, the Monarchs of the Underworld and the God Kings of Heaven decided to shatter the Celestial Bridge, taking advantage of Lord Babylon''s slumber to separate the three realms of life, death, and reincarnation.


    After successfully weakening Lord Babylon, a war erupted between Heaven and the Underworld, a race to rebuild and conquer the Celestial Bridge, robbing Lord Babylon of his source of power, killing him once and for all, and claiming the throne.


    For hundreds of years, the war continued on, relentlessly. Billions of brave Seekers, from Heaven and the Underworld, join the race to the Throne of Babylon day by day.


    When will the chosen one to break the balance between the two realms appear?


    Will he come from Heaven or the Underworld?


    Will he save the three realms, or send them to utter oblivion?¡­


    ¡­


    In a sense, the endgame of the storyline was to either become the strongest Undead Monarch or the strongest God King, sweeping through all opposition, constructing the Celestial Bridge anew, and claiming the throne after slaying Babylon which had long since been forgotten by history.


    Mind you¡ªforgotten¡ªnot dead.


    While he is a weakened Creator Lord, he is still a Creator Lord!


    After viewing the cinematics, Hiro of course chose to become a Seeker from the Heaven Realm, and his job class was a mage!


    He would later choose the sorcerer growth path after reaching level 10, but for now, he needed to blitz through the guidance quests in the newbie village.


    ¡­


    "I can smell the ashes of war, and I can hear the agony of the wicked. This endless cycle of suffering knows no end in sight, as yet another Seeker was born.


    "Tell me, young soul, what is it you truly seek? For all I know, the millions before you and the millions to come to seek but one thing¡ªdamnation¡­"


    Hiro''s character spawned in a ruined chapel.


    The color grading gave the environment a melancholic gray visual impression, not to mention the dispirited piano and violin music playing in the background.


    Hiro had barely started playing, yet he was already feeling a little guilty for the wickedness he was about to rain down on this world.


    Dressed in a simple linen cloth, equipped with a magic branch in hand, Hiro focused on the old priest sweeping away the dusty, abandoned chapel floor. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "What I seek is what I seek," Hiro fell into his act and spoke with conviction. "You only need to show me the road, as for whether I walk down to my death or not, that''s for me to decide."


    The old priest stopped his action of sweeping the floor, sighed, and waved his hand.


    "Very well," he said as a ray of light left his hand and entered Hiro''s forehead.


    [Notice: You''ve been enlightened!]


    [Notice: You''ve learned the spell: Concentration!]


    [Notice: You''ve learned the spell: Fire Ball!]


    [Notice: You''ve learned the spell: Waterfall!]


    [Notice: You''ve learned the spell: Earthspike!]


    [Notice: You''ve learned the spell: Windblade!]


    [Notice: You''ve learned the spell: Druid Summon!]


    ¡­


    "This is all I can do to help you, young Seeker¡­ If you want to walk down that murky path, even I can''t guarantee how far you can go¡­"


    The old priest sighed, picked up his broom once again, and ignored Hiro as he continued to sweep away at the dust.


    Hiro didn''t have time to waste, so he immediately left the chapel and met up with the other Seekers from the Holy Army.


    After talking with the soldiers and making his vows of conviction, he joined the army as a support mage and initiated chapter zero of the main quest¡ªJourney to the Capital.


    Together with a squadron of soldiers from the Holy Army, they changed through hordes of monsters while they accompanied the provisions¡ªthis year''s harvest of crops and wheat.


    On the way, Hiro familiarized himself with the four elemental spells, but he didn''t bother with the summoning spell since he was bound to lose it once he reached level 10.


    Once he chose the sorcerer path, the Druid Summoning spell would be changed for a lightning-based elemental spell.


    If he were to choose the summoner path, his four elemental spells would evolve into four elemental spirits, just like the Wood Druid.


    With that in mind, the squadron rushed through one blockade of monsters after another, circumventing ambushes from the Fallen, and braved through blood and fire until they reached the capital two days later.


    Everyone was exhausted, bloodied, and full of madness and disgust towards the creatures of the Underworld.


    Hiro was now at level 9, and as the only Seeker among the ordinary soldiers, Hiro was directed toward the War Priest Temple where he would be blessed with a Breath of Heaven.


    This was the finale of chapter zero, where the spirituality that took root within his Holy Soul would either grow in the direction of sorcery or summoning.


    Without further ado, Hiro chose the sorcerer path and enjoyed the divine baptism in the cool Heaven''s Breath.


    [Notice: Fireball spell has evolved to Inferno Storm!]


    [Notice: Waterfall spell has evolved to Water Vacuum!]


    [Notice: Earthspike spell has evolved to Earthquake!]


    [Notice: Windblade spell has evolved to Hurricane!]


    [Notice: Your Druid Summon spell was removed!]


    [Notice: You''ve been enlightened!]


    [Notice: You''ve learned the spell: Thunderbolt!]


    ¡­


    After the ceremony, Hiro immediately checked and sensed the elemental power in his body and the ever-present spirituality that kept it under control.


    After inspecting his body deeply, Hiro understood¡ªspirituality existed to enhance and control the elemental power invested in his body, and if he lost control over the spiritual power, an elemental outburst would be the least of Hiro''s worries.


    "No wonder all those cultivators fear facing a Qi deviation¡­ It''s like having your energy racing all over your body when suddenly, a car accident happens. Not only the cars involved in the accident would be damaged, but the cars in the vicinity and the road itself would suffer massive damage."


    If the power in my body happens to overwhelm my spirituality, the outcome is easy to guess. Luckily, I can experiment in the game and apply my comprehension in real life¡­ Hiro''s thoughts were clear.


    The War Priest handed Hiro a scroll with details for his upcoming mission. Although this was a sandbox game, Hiro wasn''t in the mood to test the open world.


    In this upcoming month, he wanted to blitz through the storyline and see how far he could get before school starts.


    For now, though, he needed to get some food and actual sleep; active gaming is different from AFK gaming, and he could already feel his stress levels increasing.

 Chapter 17: Progress After A Month

    Checking his calendar after waking up, Hiro quickly realized that school starts tomorrow, and Marcus would be returning to the dormitory today.


    Not just Marcus, but the other three students would be making it back as well.


    Stretching, Hiro opened his phone and clicked on the PARA app. As expected, the front camera scanned his iris for retina confirmation, and then he was escorted to the username page.


    There was nothing else; no profile picture, no nickname, no bio, no nothing.


    Just a blank space where he needed to insert the desired username.


    After thinking for a while, Hiro decided on his username¡ªBabylon.


    Hiro quickly confirmed it and entered the app to browse the interface. It was very simple, and there were many threads.


    [New Threads], [Popular Threads], [Currently Trending Threads], [Regional Threads], [Global Threads], and plenty more.


    Hiro thought for a while and decided to narrow down his interests to the Western Region since Nexus County was located on the Western Continent.


    No, there weren''t four continents in this world, only three. However, there were plenty of islands and archipelago clusters on the wide seas and vast oceans, and funnily enough, these consisted of the majority of hard land.


    Of course, only if they were put together into one whole, which was impossible at this point. For some reason, Hiro smelled an epic story behind this bizarre geographical situation.


    Alas, it was something beyond Hiro''s league.


    After clearing his mind, Hiro left the dorm room and climbed the stairs to the school entrance where there wasn''t anyone around.


    It wasn''t early in the morning, but it wasn''t early enough for traffic to build up so Hiro quickly found an empty taxi and directed him to a motel in the suburbs.


    After a 40-minute drive, Hiro gave the driver a 10 nexus dollar tip and booked a room for the evening, not planning to spend the night there.


    He only planned on using the privacy of the room to use 10 APs for an hour of meditation under the synchronization effect with his sorcerer character.


    After paying for a three-hour stay, Hiro entered the motel room and locked the door before finding himself a comfortable position, seated on a couch.


    Then, he closed his eyes and activated the {Synchronization} feature, consuming 10 APs, leaving him with a round number of 1,000 APs.


    Yes, Hiro didn''t get any extra points this month.


    However, his sorcerer character went from Mage, to Sorcerer, and eventually to High Sorcerer.


    He advanced from this world''s standards of Tier-9 to Tier-7 with his endless grinding! The map was too big, and the teleportation fees were very expensive, forcing Hiro to waste time on side quests just to farm gold and equipment most of the time.


    He didn''t know whether he was Rank C, B, A, or S. However, that didn''t matter too much.


    As for his cultivator character, it also advanced from the Golden Core realm to the Nascent Soul realm, which is also considered to be Tier-7.


    However, since the cultivation realms had a clear distinction in minor realms, Hiro could be considered an S-rank with his cultivation reaching 9/10.


    Immediately, Hiro was immersed in his experiences as a Mage, especially the feeling of growing stronger, and the accompanying thoughts and moments of inspiration.


    His acquisition of the Sorcerer''s Guide to the Five Elements smoothly merged with his experience in utilizing the five elements of fire, water, earth, wind, and lightning.


    Also, the moment he figured out the use of his concentration spell, Hiro immediately utilized it to increase his sense of immersion.


    No matter how much meditation was done while under synchronization, the in-game character would never grow stronger. However, Hiro simply wanted to condition his body and nerves to the sensation of perfectly channeled elemental power with the aid of spirituality.


    He altered between the cycles of the five elements in his body, while elemental phenomena appeared around Hiro, visually impacting yet harmless to the environment.


    This was the beauty of perfect control; the spells would cause damage if he willed it so, and they''d be mere harmless aesthetics if he willed it so.


    Hiro quickly lost himself in the sensation, and once the hour passed, he could feel the power dissipating from his body into some mysterious void.


    Opening his eyes, Hiro slowly unfurled his palm and concentrated.


    Poof!


    A ball of crimson flame danced in his palm, quickly twisting into a cyclone of wind, only to be compressed into a droplet of water, then morphing into a dark thundercloud.


    The cloud fizzled out into motes of electricity that gravitated toward the ground, and for a brief moment, the floor rumbled beneath Hiro''s feet.


    He clenched his fist in excitement!


    Although the damage was laughable, the degree of control was impeccable!


    Nearly 1,300 hours of hard grinding was worth it! sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "It''s about time," Hiro calmed down and once again opened the PARA app to search for opportunities.


    Many threads mentioned a request for help with handsome payments of either cash or other items of value.


    Hiro quickly filtered out the threads to view those related to sorcery and spirituality as a reward.


    The titles of the threads would mention the danger level and the minimum requirement of strength.


    "I''m not planning to get myself a mission right now," Hiro said to himself. "I''ll scout the nature of the missions and only take part if it''s really worth it."


    With his cosmetics set from the system, Hiro wasn''t worried about exposing his identity even if he were to operate in his own city, let alone the vast Nexus Nation.


    Although he could easily move around the country with the conscience of transportation, Hiro was too lazy for that.


    After going through the threads for a while, he found a few possible missions.


    The first one was a hidden bodyguard mission. Some prestigious old man was taking his granddaughter on a field trip to the suburban mountains to worship their ancestors.


    The danger assessment level was B7.


    As in, the minimum requirement of strength was around B-rank, Tier-7.


    My cultivator profile is an S-rank, Tier-7 Paranormal, so this one shouldn''t be too hard! Hiro thought to himself.


    The other three missions were of a similar nature, mainly because Hiro avoided any missions that required him to actively harm or kill others.


    Fighting in self-defense was fine, but Hiro wasn''t willing to become someone''s weapon for no good reason.


    As Hiro got up and prepared to leave the room, his phone''s ringtone disturbed his thoughts.


    Checking the ID of the caller, Hiro picked it up and answered. "Who''s this? What''s up?"


    The caller ID was unknown, so Hiro had no clue who was it or what they needed from him.


    "I need help! Quickly, post a mission request on PARA to rescue me from these people! It''s a premeditated attack on my father, and I can only use this phone to make one untraceable call before it gets destroyed¡­ The location is¡­"


    Without much time to spare, Hiro quickly jotted down the address. While he was writing down the address, his expression turned a little weird because the location was also in the suburbs, approximately a 15-minute drive from his current location.


    Hiro knew this much because he used his analytical skills to memorize the city''s map, both infrastructures and underground sewers.


    "Why didn''t you ask Rosaline for help instead?" Hiro was confused.


    "They probably expect me to ask for help from her clan, I can''t take the risk¡­ I have to leave now, my time is running out!"


    Beep!


    The connection was lost. Hiro put down the phone and rubbed his chin, a little hesitant since Bella didn''t mention the threat level for this operation.


    After thinking about it for a while, Hiro shook his head and decided to head out personally.


    No matter what, he refused to believe that a Tier-5 Paranormal was involved in this scheme.


    After firming his resolution, Hiro left the motel and chose a blind spot to complete his synchronization. Then, after he equipped his cosmetics, he looked in the direction of the warehouse.


    "Hopefully, I wouldn''t have to pull an Itachi Uchiha slaughter on this one¡­" Hiro murmured before circulating his Spirit Qi and taking to the sky.

 Chapter 18: On the Radar

    Inside a humid dark container, Bella watched as the small device in her hand crumbled into scrap metal.


    This was a one-time use device connected to her family''s private satellite, and it could bypass jamming signals to connect to both the GPS and phone service.


    With the size of a standard rectangle music player, it was easy to hide in the folds of her bra.


    "Did you call for help?" A mature voice came from the side. It was calm, feminine, and somewhat cold.


    "I did, Mom," Bella answered, sighing as she leaned back into the metal wall. "All we need to do now is wait. Hopefully, it wouldn''t take too long."


    Her mother nodded her head. "I heard them talking about a helicopter. If I''m not wrong, they''re planning to transport us together with the container somewhere hard to find."


    As if to reinforce her words, they heard the loud voice of a helicopter buzzing in the sky.


    Not even the thick, metal walls of the container could numb the noise from reaching their ears.


    Bella''s expression changed, and her mother asked calmly, "How long does it take for your help to arrive?"


    Bella''s face was a little pale as she whispered, "I don''t know¡­ It''s an uncertainty¡­"


    Her mother sighed, closed her eyes, and waited patiently. Since they wanted them as hostages to attack her husband, she was pretty sure their lives were safe.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Hiro also noticed the helicopter that was approaching the container placed right outside the warehouse.


    The container was surrounded on all sides by at least twenty armed soldiers, and by utilizing the skill {Divine Sense II} that was gifted to him from the sect, Hiro immediately spotted Bella and the other woman inside.


    Hiro sighed. "This way of using spirituality to spread out one''s perception is truly marvelous. Sadly, a sorcerer needs to invest the most of their spirituality to control the elemental energy, especially because they don''t have a dantian where they could store it safely."


    Using his divine sense to blind the optical perception of the people around him, Hiro made his way to the container while feeling like an immortal god.


    Once he was close enough to the container and the close to 30 armed guards, Hiro began making hand seals and releasing his Spirit Qi to cast a magical spell.


    A dense fog of ice-attributed energy exploded from Hiro''s body, flooding the ground and air, the container and the helicopter, and obscuring the clear day sky.


    "An attack!" Shouted someone.


    "It''s a smoke bomb!" Another quickly added, and then, everyone began to spray their fire randomly while pressing their backs against the hard steel walls of the container.


    Bella and her mother heard the commotion, and while the former sprang to her feet in alarm, the latter creased her brows to listen carefully.


    Inside the thick fog, Hiro raised his hand forward with an open palm, a translucent construct of thin ice energy reflecting the bullets with sharp, luminous sparks flitting around.


    Hiro cocked his head to the side and spoke in a mysterious, grand voice.


    His chanting filled the thick fog, and as he spoke, the temperature began to fall drastically as a crescent moon descended from above.


    This was the faction''s signature spell, {Lunar Descent II}.


    As the rays of moonlight penetrated the fog, striking the armed men, they slowly realized that this was more than just a smoke bomb.


    Click! Click! Click!


    Their weapons frosted over, bullets stuck in their cold chambers. Then, their fingers turned pale blue with a purple sheen as their bodies began to shake uncontrollably.


    ¡­


    Inside the container.


    "Don''t you think it''s getting cold?" Bella spoke, breathing hot air from her lips as she hugged herself.


    "You don''t need to tell me," answered her mother while gesturing to the metal walls that were slowly freezing over.


    However, the cold seemed to be confined within the metal, as its dark luster quickly turned a deep shade of blue. Then, it shattered like glass, sprinkles of glossy snowflakes drifting into the all-encompassing fog.


    Bella''s mother stood up, dusted her black formal dress, and stepped into the thick fog.


    "Mom!" Bella called out in shock and horror as she hopped over. "It could be dangerous out there!"


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A powerful gust of wind blew the fog away as Hiro cancelled the magical skill. Bella and her mother barely caught a glimpse of the young man floating like a celestial with the crescent moon in his background.


    A beautiful river of water flowed around his body, thin wisps of immortal fog clouding his figure. Nonetheless, they could see a pair of silver eyes on a blurry face, looking down at them.


    The man nodded his head in satisfaction and like a mirage, his entire being dissolved away with the fleeting cold fog.


    As the wind blew into Bella''s face, she stood there with a dumbfounded expression.


    Since when did such a master appear in our city?! Also, what kind of payment did Hiro promise him?!


    Anxious, she dashed into the warehouse and searched all over the place for her phone. It was locked in a secure box, and the moment she brought it out, it exploded with text messages and missed calls.


    Bella ignored all of it and opened the PARA app, searching the recent missing request threads in the city''s suburban region.


    As she expected, she found an anonymous post requesting help on a rescue mission.


    The details of the mission and the location were all listed, as for the person who accepted the mission, there was only his username marking the thread.


    "Weird, Hiro didn''t even mention anything about rewards¡­ Could it be that this person was passing by and thus accepted the rescue mission out of goodwill?"


    Bella decided to give Hiro a call.


    ¡­


    On the other end, Hiro just landed by the motel when his phone started ringing.


    After turning off his location and starting a VPN, Hiro answered the call.


    "We''re already safe, thank you! Also, what did that expert ask for payment? I''ll compensate you!"


    Hiro blinked and responded, "Payment? He didn''t mention anything about a payment so I didn''t bring it up either¡­ Erm, was it that dangerous to require a payment?"


    Hiro was implying that since he didn''t know the threat level, he couldn''t have offered any payments upfront.


    Bella went silent for a moment before she asked again, "Then, can you contact him?"


    "Why would I contact him? Can''t you do it yourself?" Hiro rolled his eyes.


    "I can, but¡­" Bella was embarrassed, but after she thought about it, she decided to leave it to her father to deal with.


    Hiro''s eyes flashed. As expected, with enough clues, Bella was able to trace down his identity on the app PARA.


    Well, she basically tracked down Babylon, and not Hiro.


    It was easy to find him through the clues such as the location and timing of the incident.


    Luckily, Hiro thought about this possibility on his way to the rescue. If not, how could he explain the sudden appearance of a helper if he didn''t post a help request on PARA?


    However, since the mission was there for the world to see, no one would associate him with Babylon for the foreseeable future.


    Hiro and Bella had some small talk before he hung up the phone. Then, he asked the man at the reception to order a taxi for him, deciding to return to the school''s dormitory to meet up with his future roommates.


    I never thought that my first mission ever in the supernatural society of this world would be a self imposed mission, how sad and pitiful!


    Hiro''s eyes glazed over as he wallowed in self pity for a moment. Then, he shook his head and chuckled to himself.


    At the very least, he was now on the radar of many powerful people. Since Bella could link the clues to find out about Babylon, it was safe to say that both her father and his enemies would connect the dots sooner or later.


    He wouldn''t be surprised if his Babylon account was invited into a couple private or public threads on PARA in the next few days.


    "Oh well," Hiro smiled while leaning his head onto the backseat window. "Surprise me, I''m waiting!"

 Chapter 19: Go to School

    [Ding! The {Go to School} option has been unlocked!]


    "Is this what you meant by saying the new guy likes to space out?"


    "Haha, yeah¡­ You''ll get used to it."


    Hiro heard Marcus and his other roommate, Elvin, chatting up while gesturing toward himself.


    He withdrew his attention from the pop-up window and chuckled, shaking his head.


    The three of them happened to be in the same class, so they decided to arrange their seats in one row at the back of the class.


    Hiro didn''t know if it was intentional, but if Elvin had a pair of pointed ears, he would have been the splitting image of an elf.


    He was almost as handsome as Hiro, but he was the outgoing, enthusiastic, and somewhat shy around girls type of a dude.


    Hiro rolled his eyes and replied, "I''m trying to get in the mood to give my 100% to the class, you know. It''s called proper time management."


    "Someone seems to be aiming for the top of the class, huh?" Marcus commented with a chuckle, already preparing the books and notebooks for the first period.


    The other students started to file into the class one after another, but the ice wall was ever present, and many kept to themselves or to their small circle of friends.


    Soon, the chime of the first-period bell echoed, followed by the clanking of high heels as their class''s homeroom teacher walked in. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She wore a formal black outfit and a tight pencil skirt, a white shirt, and a pair of pitch-black eyes that matched her hair.


    Pulling the silver pin from her high bun and allowing her hair to cascade down her slender back, she successfully drew the attention of everyone in the room.


    She introduced herself, and when the class started, Hiro''s two friends would often whisper and join the gossip in the class.


    It couldn''t be helped, Teacher Aiya was beautiful, but Hiro wasn''t paying any attention to that. During the activation of his "Go to School" option, just like going to the gym, a mysterious energy was dictating his actions and thought process.


    It would automatically filter out those unnecessary distractions from affecting the quality of his focus. Even without his active effort, Hiro was absorbing the lecture, sorting it out in his mind, and scribbling his thoughts neatly onto his notebook.


    Thankfully, Hiro wasn''t the only one in the class who was taking things seriously. Even though the Class Advisor and Homeroom Teacher wasn''t saying anything¡ªher limped, cold eyes were oh-so observant.


    Some of the quick-witted students already noticed her eyes darting about in the class even if she didn''t say anything.


    Towards the end of the period, she checked the class register, cross-referenced the seating arrangement with her personal handbook, and wrote a few names on the whiteboard.


    Hiro snapped back from his focused state to find his name, together with six other names, written on the whiteboard.


    "From the names I''ve listed down, those who want to compete for the position of class president, raise your hand," Teacher Aiya spoke in her soft voice.


    After a moment of silence, a collective gasp echoed through the class. After thinking about it for a moment, Hiro decided not to get involved.


    He was already busy with his {Simulation Space}, and will soon be occupied with the Paranormal Society.


    After he achieved the world''s standards of Tier-7 in both games, progressing further became even more challenging.


    The quests both in the Legend of Babylon and Transcendent Taoist became either complicated or very long, consuming up to 3 or 5 days for one simple quest.


    Although Hiro managed to bring up his spirit array''s rate to 22, that would barely amount to 2 million spiritual units per day, leaving him grinding for almost a month to achieve a minor breakthrough.


    Although he could use the remaining 20 gems at his disposal to increase the spirit array''s efficiency by 200 units, he felt as though he would be making a loss.


    Why? Because no amount of progress in that game could reflect on his abilities in real life; at least not in the long term.


    Hiro realized that his future lay in completing the Legend of Babylon, while his cultivator identity could at best be used to accept and issue missions on the PARA.


    While Hiro was feeling conflicted about his future direction of growth, three of the seven candidates raised their hands.


    There were two boys and one girl.


    Teacher Aiya nodded her head and said, "The three of you will serve as my assistants for the upcoming month. I won''t tell you what I expect of you, nor will I reprimand or compliment your efforts during this probation period. At the end of the month, I will select one of you as the class president. That''s all."


    After she finished talking, she began to pack up her materials. One of the boys was quick to act while his competitors were confused.


    He dashed to Teacher Aiya''s side and began to clean the whiteboard. The girl was the second to act, hurrying to sort out the teacher''s notes together with her, helping her pack up the materials.


    The former boy wasn''t insolent enough to help the teacher because he was afraid to create a misunderstanding, but the girl didn''t mind because she was also a female.


    The third student was left there standing with nothing to do, and for a moment, his face heated up.


    As forewarned, Teacher Aiya didn''t comment or exhibit any reaction. When she was sure that there wasn''t anything else left for her to do, she checked her wristwatch for the time, picked up her bag, and walked away.


    What a Mastermind! Hiro couldn''t help but compliment in his mind. The teacher had successfully recruited three hardworking minions to help her do the miscellaneous tasks, and all she offered was the stupid class president position.


    That short episode gave the class a good laugh, but the second period had already started and the teacher walked in.


    The third period followed after, and before Hiro realized it, the bell chimed. Storing his notebook in his school bag¡­ Well, it was a laptop leather bag, Hiro stood up.


    He had colorful notebooks, two for each subject, which kept his bag full. Thus, he kept the school''s books in the desk''s drawer.


    "Hiro!"


    Barely had Hiro finished arranging his stuff when a pink-haired, bubbly Bella burst into the classroom and hopped his way with a smile.


    She lifted two lunchboxes, one in each hand, and said, "Here, Mom asked me to give you this as a thanks for yesterday! Are you busy this lunchtime?"


    It was an obvious invitation for lunch.


    Wait a second¡­


    Hiro blinked and asked, "I thought you didn''t go to this school?"


    Bella rolled her eyes. "I''m a student of this school now, what of it?"


    Hiro''s lips twitched.


    I knew it! Nothing can escape the influence of capitalism and politics! No rules are absolute in this world!


    Then again, this made Hiro wonder just how far the influence of Bella''s family goes.


    Back to the main event¡ªthe invitation for lunch¡ªHiro gladly accepted her offer.


    "Damn, you''re gonna leave us behind just like that?" Marcus acted heartbroken, but it was hard to buy with him being so invested in playing his mobile game.


    Elvin brought his chair and was seated rather close to Marcus with a hungry look in his eyes, pleading to have a turn to play.


    Yeah, I didn''t mention it before but Elvin is broke as hell. The dude doesn''t even have a cellphone, he only made it here with hard work and scholarships!


    Hiro thought about it and decided to give this pitiful roommate of his a new phone after he received the sale shares from the new VR helmet sales.


    The gaming hardware companies had already begun promoting the new product, much faster than the estimated three months.


    Then again, three months was just a conservative estimate, but Hiro wasn''t about to complain about it.


    He wanted to joke around with Marcus and Elvin, but Bella stuffed the lunchbox into his arms before dragging him away and leaving the classroom.

 Chapter 20: High-Priority Mission

    "Is it safe to walk around in the open like that after yesterday?" Hiro asked Bella when they found an isolated outdoor table on the school''s campus.


    In the shade of the large tree, Bella leaned her upper body on the stone table in the utmost unladylike fashion ever, groaning the answer away.


    "It''s fine," she responded. "The conflicts in this society come threefold; one in the open, one in the shadow, and one between bosses. It''s safe to say my father won both the boss battle and the battle in the shadows, leaving only the one in the open, which usually adheres to the laws of the country."


    Oh wow, so these are the unwritten laws and unspoken rules of legends? Seems rather awesome. Hiro thought to himself as he opened up the food packaging.


    [Notice: You''ve acquired a new mission!]


    [Mission: Little Boss!]


    [Mission Description: Your goal is to prepare for a future where your one word can change the lives of many; such a thing cannot be accomplished on your own. Join or create a functional society in the school, and establish your reputation and authority both in the open and in the dark.]


    [Reward: ???]


    ¡­


    Hiro touched his chin and started thinking, a smile on his lips. At last, the system prepared a high-priority life mission for him.


    He also understood that this must be related to Bella''s explanation of the three-way conflicts in the Paranormal Society.


    "You don''t have to think about it so much," Bella poked his forehead with her pair of wooden chopsticks. "Once that''s settled, my dad will find an opportunity to thank you properly. You best be prepared."


    "Haha, I''m not thinking about that stuff too deeply¡­"


    I''m just wondering if these hidden rules apply in a place like a school¡­ Hiro added in his heart. If that were the case, would those big families be planting their underlings on the border of directors? That would make sense.


    After talking with Bella for a while, Hiro excused himself and left for the Administration Building, as he needed to apply for a club to join.


    On the other hand, Bella had to leave to meet up with Rosaline so that she could join the student council later on.


    Although she extended an invitation to Hiro, he politely declined the offer.


    The high-priority mission mentioned that whichever society Hiro joined, He needed to make it to the top of the ladder.


    Hiro wasn''t delusional enough to think that mere grades and prestige were enough to become the Students Council President in this school.


    If he thought deeper into it, this could only mean that Rosaline''s family¡ªthe Rosch family¡ªis considered to be the top Paranormal lineage in this area.


    Unless he became the Rosch''s son-in-law, he could forget about it.


    As he walked towards the Administration Building, Hiro considered his options.


    A club couldn''t be considered an active society unless Hiro lumped all the clubs together as a whole.


    The more Hiro thought about it, the more he realized how difficult it was to establish his influence in the school.


    Thud!


    "Eck¡­ Hey! Are you motherfuckin'' blind?!"


    Hiro took two steps back and looked up, confused. Didn''t I just bump into you by accident? What''s the big deal?!


    Hiro found himself confronted by a young boy who was taller than himself. He had a cool, spiked-up hairstyle with a split 7-3 on the side.


    He had two other guys to his left and right, and they seemed prepared to pounce on Hiro, but that guy stopped them with a wave of his hand.


    He clicked his tongue, spat on the floor, and dusted off his school uniform.


    "Must be a freshman, so I''ll let it slide on account of that," he said after scrutinizing Hiro''s uniform. "Next time¡­ Never mind, better not be a next time, got it?"


    Hiro was still in a state of shock when the tall boy reached out, patted his head and ruffled his hair, then walked away with a cold look in his eyes.


    The two lackeys snorted, and as they passed by, one of them leaned over to whisper in a soft voice, "You''ve messed up big time, boy! Now that you''ve offended Zyd, just wait for a miserable life!"


    After the trio left, Hiro shook out from his daze and slapped his thigh in excitement.


    "That''s it! Brilliant! How come I didn''t think about that?!" Hiro almost laughed out loud as he mumbled to himself in a crazed manner.


    On the other side, the tall boy glanced back from the corner of his eye. Seeing that Hiro didn''t chase after them, he heaved a sigh of relief.


    Damn, that was close! He thought to himself as sweat covered his back. This must be the freshman with connections to the Princess, I almost messed up big time!


    Zyd thanked his lucky stars and connections among the freshmen.


    Although the second-year and third-year students didn''t mingle with the freshmen that much, the school was only so big.


    Of course, these big figures in the school had some chips and minions throughout the layers of the student body.


    Something as big as the gossip about Hiro''s relationship with Bella and Rosaline, although limited to a small number of people, was still something worth considering.


    However, after he went about and acted tough, Zyd couldn''t just back out in front of his subordinates.


    Luckily, that freshman seemed too shocked to react. On the other hand, my reaction speed wasn''t that bad¡ªI found a way out for both of us! Damn, I''m a genius!


    ¡­


    After Hiro calmed down, he was already standing by the entrance to the Administrative Building. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It wasn''t very crowded, but there was still some traffic going on.


    "Little brother, come get a brochure from here! It has all you need to know about the available clubs and the regulations process!"


    A girl called out to Hiro from the side. After hesitating for a moment, he went over and greeted her a smile.


    Hiro grabbed a colorful magazine from the counter as he spoke, "Hello, sister. Thanks for the trouble."


    "Hm, the school''s budget actually allowed you guys to print such high-quality brochure? I''m a little surprised."


    "Hehe," the girl chuckled. "This is actually the Publishing Agency Club''s contribution, and they''ve paid for it from their personal budget, not the school''s! Sigh, I don''t even know what they''re thinking!"


    "There''s such a thing?" Hiro was more than surprised. As far as he knew, the school in his previous world wouldn''t allow students to invest from their pocket money into school projects.


    It''s easy to imagine how this could break the student body into factions based on class standards.


    No school would promote such counterproductive activities¡­ If some rich second generation scum wanted to invest hundreds if not thousands of dollars into their own club, then what''s the point?


    The girl easily saw through Hiro''s thoughts and laughed. "Don''t think too much about it, little brother. Even if the school didn''t place any restrictions on external sourcing, they still need the approval of the students council to promote such activities."


    Hiro understood. In a sense, the students council is there to police those spoiled brats from acting up too much.


    This could only confirm Hiro''s earlier guesses about the societal structure in the school.


    "Thank you a lot, pretty sister." Hiro complimented her since talking was cheap, and he wouldn''t be losing out.


    While the girl blushed with joy sparkling in her eyes, Hiro focused on the available clubs.


    He easily found his way to the sports section of the brochure, and from the array of available clubs, his eyes settled on Football.


    Although I don''t know much about sports to begin with, since I''m a certified otaku with my reputation to back it up¡ªI still have my system¡­

 Chapter 21: Delinquent Life?

    Hiro focused a little, and the system shop window overlapped with the brochure.


    The girl thought that Hiro was reading the details carefully, but little did she know that he spent 800 AP to buy the {Professional Soccer Skills} from the system.


    Sigh, I''m back to my bottom line of 240 AP again! After Bella''s incident, Hiro affirmed his resolution to always maintain a spare 24 hours'' worth of synchronization in his system.


    After giving it some thought, he decided to cheat in the Transcendent Taoist game as well.


    Hmm, it wouldn''t be considered cheating if he upgraded the spirit array with the hard-earned gems. As for saving up for new games, he decided to wait for more game vouchers in the future.


    With that in mind, Hiro didn''t dare to procrastinate anymore¡ªhe spent a few minutes with his eyes closed to enter the simulation space and upgrade the spirit array.


    While at it, he noticed that his in-game character had barely made any progress toward reaching the peak of the Nascent Soul realm.


    Damn, Hiro thought to himself. It would take at least three weeks for a breakthrough at this rate. And this is when I''m cheating, how long will it take for my tier to advance in real life at this rate?!


    Hiro felt utterly desperate at this moment.


    The girl standing in front of Hiro thought that he was seriously considering the various clubs and benefits, and she didn''t dare to disturb him.


    While feeling pained about spending the remaining 15 gems to increase the spirit array''s proficiency from 22 to 52 spirit units per second, Hiro opened his eyes.


    Finding the girl looking at him, Hiro asked with his pain masked behind a forced bright smile, "Where do I register for the Football Club?"


    The girl blinked and asked, "Western Football or Soccer Club?"


    How damn professional, Hiro thought to himself as he answered with the latter option.


    The girl happily gave him clear directions and exchanged her phone number with him.


    She said it was just in case Hiro had any other questions, while Hiro did it for the free 5 AP.


    Both parties were happy with what they got from the deal, and they separated on a happy note.


    Hiro spent the rest of the lunch break walking around the school. He observed the students and their various activities while contemplating how to get in contact with the "bad guys" around the block.


    After thinking about it for a while, he figured that it was a pointless, thankless task. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If it was so easy to catch these guys in school, they wouldn''t bother to exist, to begin with.


    Hiro decided to check his phone and go through the dozens of groups Rosaline added him to recently. From there, many had sent him requests to join other private groups on the messenger app.


    Hiro quickly found an invitation to a group called the "Real Manhood Challenge" and another group called the "Virtual Keyboard Warfare."


    After he joined the two groups, he heard the loud chime of the bell signaling the end of the lunch break.


    Satisfied, Hiro sent a random greeting message to both groups, muted them, and returned to class.


    Things progressed smoothly from then on, and before school ended, he received an email about his application to join the Football Club being accepted.


    The club days were on Monday and Thursday, two days a week.


    The day was Tuesday already, so he had to wait two more days before starting.


    Other than that, he also mingled up a little with the people from the two groups.


    The Real Manhood Challenge group was filled with invitations to extracurricular activities like street soccer, improvised camping, riding mountain bikes around the suburbs, and other "manly" events.


    As for the Virtual Keyboard Warfare, their topics revolved around gaming, movies, and the e-life.


    Goes without saying, that their main topic of discussion was the newly developed and hyped S-gear VR helmet.


    As Hiro was too lazy to come up with a fitting name for the base technology, he referred to it as the S-gear, referencing the initials of his last name.


    The S-gear brand was an exclusive technology to Sciatis Holdings Limited, and while Hiro lacked the factories and manpower to produce them, he only needed to hand the blueprints and those big shots would produce the items with a commission.


    Then, they would act as the middleman and sell the product and its source code to the gaming platforms, earning a stable income from both the sales and interest.


    On the surface, the five hardware behemoth companies seemed to have earned the most profits. However, no one knew that Hiro had the blueprints and patents for the futuristic VR pod technology and the VR cabinet technology.


    He had to admit that watching all those e-soldiers hype up his product and brag about their preorders gave him a satisfying feeling.


    Also, it appears that someone with the nickname Great Sage had obtained a spot to become one of the lucky few to test-launch the new VR technology in a few days.


    The test launch would take place on a live stream for both the television and internet platforms, satisfying the public hype.


    There was also an ongoing bid for the spot of the very first sponsorship for the new technology, and Hiro only learned of it from the chat group on his way home.


    ¡­


    [Otherworldly Transmigrator]: Are you guys serious? The bidding war is still ongoing?


    [Great Sage]: Kid Hiro, do you think I''m bragging?! I''m going to be a beta tester in the future, so of course I know about the internal auction! These capitalists sure know how to make money!


    [Otherworldy Transmigrator]: Bet. I believe you, we all believe you¡­


    [Great Sage]: Fuck! You''re really being sarcastic with me! Just wait for the day of the launch, you''ll see for yourself! The bidding price is already at 27.3 million international credits!


    ¡­


    Hiro was shocked. If that was true, then he really lost big time!


    Damn, system! Your business acumen package didn''t mention anything about such tricks! I feel like I wasted my 1,400 points on you!


    Hiro heard a soft bell chime in his head, followed by a floating blue screen with lines of text on it.


    [You''ve acquired {Business Acumen III}, which is the basic skills and principles for business. This won''t make you an international entrepreneur overnight, Host.]


    Only now did Hiro remember that similar to the technique scrolls in Transcendent Taoist, some of the system''s skills weren''t labeled as "Professional" but were designated by I, II, III, IV, and so on and so forth.


    Shaking his head, Hiro returned to the dormitory room, tossed his bag aside, and began to stretch.


    A notification from his phone notified him that someone tagged him in a group chat, and after he checked it, he found out that it was a message in the Real Manhood Challenge chat.


    He quickly opened the chat to check.


    [Mr. Monocle]: @everyone I''m inviting everyone on a night in the A-club for a get-together meeting! If you don''t arrive by nine, you''re a cuck! And I''ll kick you from the chat!


    ¡­


    Hiro rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.


    The A-club was a famous place in the circle of young people, though it wasn''t limited to students from schools.


    To put it bluntly, it was a shady place masquerading as a disco bar. The big brother of the group really knew how to play it big.


    In any case, this was a clear sign that some people in the group were involved with the delinquent life, and Hiro was on the right track.


    Was this some sort of a stunt to test one''s metal? Those weak of hearts wouldn''t dare go to such a place!


    After making up his mind, Hiro played the Legend of Babylon at leisure and when it was about eight in the evening, he changed into a black leather jacket and deep blue denim pants.


    With his crimson hair let loose and a pair of sunglasses pinned on the v-neck of his white shirt, Hiro left the dormitory.


    He knew that whether he joined the delinquent circle or not depended on the outcome of this night, and the thought of it had his heart racing and blood boiling in anticipation.

 Chapter 22: A-Club

    Five minutes to nine in the evening, Hiro alighted from the taxi across the A-club in the entertainment district, a local area located near the intersection between the suburb and residential region of the city.


    Luckily, there was a lack of traffic, as Hiro would have definitely arrived late otherwise.


    Looking around, Hiro found a group of people around his age range huddled together in pairs or more. They occupied a corner all to themselves, and they were either chatting or tapping away on their phones.


    After thinking for a bit, Hiro checked the chat group and confirmed his guess. Then, he walked over toward the group with an artificially cold expression.


    Here goes nothing¡­ Hiro thought to himself while walking over. When he got close enough to the group, he started to hear their discussions.


    "Broski really did it this time, guys. I heard that he has connections with one of the male hosts in this club, and they will let us through with work passes disguised as part-time waiters."


    "What did you think was going to happen? It''s impossible for you to enter as a customer here, just forget about it!"


    "Tsk tsk, but the people in the chat are really a bunch of pussies. From over 70 members in the chat, only less than 20 people pulled up to the club."


    "Hey, there''s another one coming up! This rounds it up to 20 people, right?"


    "It''s just you guys?" Hiro asked them the moment he got close enough. Although he tried to put up a cold front, he still couldn''t get into the act and took the initiative to start a conversation.


    It couldn''t be helped¡ªhe didn''t have the standard emo protagonist genes in him.


    Then again, that clown bad guy who was always as cheerful as he could get proved that the secret of the trade wasn''t in acting cold and distant.


    So, in the short period of walking over, Hiro switched up his approach and decided to be a little more authentic with himself.


    Nevertheless, he wasn''t about to put white powder on his face and draw a fake smile, it''d be a pity to hide his handsome face.


    Someone turned to Hiro and asked curiously, "What''s your nickname in the group chat?"


    "I didn''t put up a nickname for that group yet, I was only lurking to see how things go," Hiro responded with a smile. "I mean, I didn''t want to embarrass myself in case Broski kicked me from the group later."


    Broski is one of the big names in the delinquent circle of the school, and it was rumored that "Mr. Monocle" is working as a lackey and a middleman for him.


    Broski''s real identity and real name weren''t something many people knew, but his nickname had already spread around to those in the know.


    He never revealed his face to the second-years and freshmen, and only the third-year delinquents had the privilege to visit his house and talk to him face to-face without a disguise.


    It seemed that Mr. Monocle was helping him flesh out new blood for the next "Broski" of the delinquent circle.


    According to Hiro''s understanding, the nickname "Broski" was just an identity, and it must have become something to be passed down in the delinquent circle over the years.


    As the group was discussing enthusiastically with one another, a man in a black suit walked over with a plastic bag in his hand.


    He did a rough count and nodded, tossing the bag over to Hiro, who was closest to the entrance from the man''s position.


    "There should be enough work passes in this bag, put them on and head over to enter from the back entrance. Once you''re inside, you''ll be under periodic surveillance so that we can test your metal and backbone."


    Hiro caught the bag reflexively, gently nodding his head and helping his brothers each pick a work pass so they could pin it on their chests.


    "Got it, man," Hiro didn''t waste time and was the first to leave the spot. As for the others, some of them followed while others stayed behind to ask some questions.


    However, the man in the suit only provided lukewarm answers, not giving them anything of substance.


    Three guys followed after Hiro, forming a small group of four as they walked side by side, simultaneously checking their surroundings.


    "So, you said you''re called Hiro, right? What do you think they mean by testing our mettle and backbone?" Asked one of the guys.


    Hiro thought about it for a moment and responded, "The first thing we need to do is learn the hidden and open rules of this nightclub. From then on, I guess we need to improvise."


    Hiro didn''t know much about the nightclub business, but he understood that most privileged guests are big shots in their respective industries.


    Places like these usually entertained hidden rules that one must follow, and if a small fry like them wanted to survive in these waters, they needed to learn how to avoid the blood in the waters, lest they accidentally got marked by the nearby sharks.


    Although Hiro''s current level put him above the baseline human level, that identity was useless in such a setting.


    "That makes sense, man. But still, it''d be difficult to ask around, I think we might get ourselves into trouble¡­"


    As the group of four walked through the back door, they swiftly made their way to the storage room where the workers gathered.


    Another guy agreed and said, "Hm, I think this must also be part of their test for us. Nonetheless, it''s our advantage to have entered early, those idiots are wasting their time on the guy in a suit. His aura was too strong and cold; he clearly despised them and yet, they tried to butter him up."


    Hiro looked around and ignored the banter of the guys around him. Quickly, his eyes zoomed in on a potential target, and he immediately walked over.


    His actions drew the attention of not only his immediate companions, but the other workers in the room, both the male and female employees.


    Hiro didn''t mind and quickly approached one of the ordinary-looking females waitresses who was putting some foundation on her face.


    Her figure was honestly a disaster in terms of assets, and she was currently attending to her own business in a corner of the room.


    The other female waitresses were socializing across the room with their colleagues.


    "Hm?" Confused, she closed her pocket mirror and looked up. "Can I help you, handsome?"


    Her words didn''t contain any improper insinuations, as it was clear to all that Hiro and his companions were high school students.


    "I''m here to experience the ways of night life, but I don''t want to accidentally offend any big bosses¡­ Say, can I tag along with you for the night?" Hiro extended his hand for a handshake as he spoke. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The waitress clearly didn''t expect this straightforward approach, and she was at a loss for words.


    The other students who came together with Hiro and the latecomers witnessed this scene, and their eyes lit up as they scanned the area.


    Meanwhile, the girl stored away her pocket mirror and smiled teasingly. "Oh? Say I helped you out this time, what do I get in return?"


    Hiro blinked and responded, "How about this, sister? Other than owing you a favor, I''ll also be your errand boy for the night. If you want anything, just say the word!"


    Hiro slapped his chest, giving her a confidant look as he expressed his loyalty.


    The girl laughed. "Alright, let me give you a test to see if you''re worth this sister''s care and guidance."


    As she spoke, she pointed to a wall across the room and said, "Do you see that poster on the wall? That''s a multilayer blueprint of our nightclub, I''ll give you 10 minutes to get familiar with the place and I''ll test your capabilities. If you satisfy me, don''t worry about your future here."

 Chapter 23: Natali

    Her voice was quite loud, and everyone heard it. Some shook their heads and laughed bitterly, understanding that this was her way of saying no, albeit in a gentle manner.


    Hiro didn''t mind, he slapped his chest twice and said, "Who do you take me for? This is easy, just leave it to me!"


    "Haha," the woman found Hiro''s actions to be quite comical. "Alright, since you made me laugh, I''ll reward you and allow you to call me by name from now on. I''m Natali, nice to meet you, little guy."


    Like an aunt next door, she ruffled Hiro''s hair and said, "My first advice is to get yourself a new haircut. Having such long hair is too feminine¡ªpass my little test first and I''ll get someone to work on your hair before your shift starts for the day."


    Hiro hadn''t thought much about his long hair before, but now that she mentioned it, he realized that he stuck out like a sore thumb among the other boys.


    No one had such long hair as himself, which wasn''t a good thing in and of itself. Furthermore, even if he wanted long hair to act tough, the cosmetics from the system shop could solve that issue.


    "No problem!" Hiro accepted her offer and ran to the blueprint on the wall. With his current analytical mind, just a glance was more than enough to memorize this little thing.


    As a matter of fact, his skill was the reason he picked up Natali out of everyone present.


    Although he quit from the clothing store, Manager Matthew gave Hiro a booklet of the latest fashion products out of goodwill, as this was a materialistic society that functioned on appearances and practicality.


    Although Natali''s dress code seemed ordinary, the materials and brands of her three-piece dress had a high price value in the tens of thousands.


    Hiro guessed that she was either working here undercover on a mission or that her identity was far beyond a simple nightclub business.


    In any way, someone like her ought to know her way around the world, so he decided to take his chances.


    In the following 10 minutes, the waiters and waitresses got ready for work and left one by one, each either leaving alone or accompanied by a student.


    Soon, it was only Hiro and Natali in the storage room, and Natali clapped her hands.


    "This is it!"


    Hiro stopped and turned his back to the blueprints, hands in his pockets as he flashed a confident smile. "Ask ahead! Test me!"


    Natali nodded her head, smiling charmingly as she started exchanging questions and answers with Hiro.


    "How many rooms is there in the building?"


    "203 rooms excluding the storage, surveillance, bathrooms, and parking spaces all throughout the five floors, underground floors included!" sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hiro was also shocked by the size of the A-club. According to the blueprints, the buildings to the side were an extension of this club, explaining the high number of rooms.


    Natali was stunned.


    She stood there at a loss for words, stammering her incoherent response for a few seconds before shaking herself out of her reverie¡­


    "How can that be? Close your eyes! You must be cheating!"


    As she spoke, she stepped forward and stood close to the blueprints, shooting off her second question after observing the structures for a few seconds.


    "Where is the location of the standby electric generator room and the corresponding server area?"


    Hiro rolled his eyes, closed them, and reviewed the blueprint in his mind for a few seconds. "There are two standby electric generators, one on the top floor of side building A and the other is located in a hidden compartment inside the underground garage of side building B. As for the server area, there''s no such thing on the blueprint."


    Holding onto Hiro''s shoulders, Natali''s expression was a little weird as she inspected the map on the wall.


    At this point, she had no other choice but to believe it and asked hesitantly, "Are you one of those with a photographic memory?"


    Hiro opened his eyes and smiled up at Natali, which represented a tacit admittance from her perspective.


    "Sigh¡­ I can only blame myself for being unlucky this time! Come, I''ll take you out for a quick haircut and then we''ll come back."


    Hiro allowed her to grab his hand and pull him along as he replied, "I''ll be in your care, then."


    "Don''t worry," Natali looked back at Hiro as she walked out of the back entrance, putting an image in her mind.


    I''m torn between a side quiff or a side faux hawk hairstyle. If his hair was all black, a buzz cut would have cut it, but his hair had that blazing flare to it. Forget it, I''ll have my friend give him a mix of both.


    In the blinking street lights, the two of them quickly shuttled through the flow of people to a nearby hair salon.


    ¡­


    40 minutes later, in the same storage room.


    "Are you so obsessed with yourself? This behavior is too much!" Annoyed, Natali snatched her pocket mirror from Hiro''s hands.


    "Hey!" Hiro complained, feeling aggrieved. "You have to admit that I''m qualified as an international fashion model with such looks, why can''t I admire myself a little more?!"


    He had to admit that maybe having long hair wasn''t the best style after all. Then again, it''s probably all a product of circumstance¡ªlong hair was very badass in Wuxia lore, but his current getup set him to be the perfect steampunk villain character.


    This style was much more fitting for the delinquent life, which was the main prospect of his future high-priority mission.


    Thinking of this, Hiro felt even more appreciative of Natali and her friend in the salon.


    Natali rolled her eyes, "Just follow my lead and I''ll walk you through the basics and the hidden rules around here."


    She didn''t even bother catering to his ego anymore, walking towards the hallway leading into the boisterous club.


    Hiro checked his reflection on a random surface nearby one more time, adjusted his expression, and followed in her footsteps with his hands tucked away into his pockets.


    He was prepared to take Natali''s advice as they went about the club, attending to the patrons and customers.


    ¡­


    "There are multiple standards by which you can judge a person''s ability and influence when you come to these places, the most important of them are appearance, company, and temperament."


    ¡­


    "In private rooms, those who are seated closer to the door are usually the people of least significance; but keep in mind that their identity is only considered insignificant when compared to the rest of the people on the table.


    As for the head of the table, it''s located at the end of the room, which is the most prominent position because those who enter will naturally guide their sight to the end of the room, thus paying their respects even if they didn''t aim to in the first place."


    ¡­


    "The actions and attitude of the head of the table usually sets the tone for the entire conversation. For example, if he or she were to display goodwill towards you, everyone in the room will sing to the same tune, and the same goes backwards."


    ¡­


    "You need to learn a few gestures that express your thoughts on the table. For example, if the big boss is personally filling up the drinks for everyone, but excludes a certain person by changing the posture of filling the glass, or doesn''t look them in the eye, or fills half a glass, or asks them if they''re sure about drinking the said wine¡­ It usually sends out a negative signal."


    ¡­


    "Some nightclubs are very open about serving their patrons, but some are like A-club with their own rules. Clubs like these are usually owned by powerful people, so if you happen to be in a club and see that the customers are blatantly touching and feeling up the waitresses, you can tell that the quality of the place is poor. In the future, keep your eyes open¡­"

 Chapter 24: How Difficult Can It Be?

    Natali and Hiro went through many rounds around the nightclub''s public and private rooms, playing hosts to a number of guests.


    Near the end of the evening, Hiro learned a lot about the ins and outs of the industry, and while he was talking with Natali near the bar, a man in a black suit approached from the distance.


    Both Natali and Hiro noticed him coming over, and the former patted Hiro''s back with a smile and said, "It''s time for you to go."


    Then, she turned around and slipped into the bustling crowd, leaving behind a confused Hiro.


    The man in black passed by Hiro''s side and spoke into his ear, "Follow me quietly."


    Even while confused, Hiro followed along without a word. He understood that this must be the last segment of the so-called test.


    Silently, the two made their way to the staircase and descended to the underground floors. Based on Hiro''s memories, this route led to an area disconnected from the elevator system.


    Soon, he could no longer hear the banging DJ music from the main hall, and only the sounds of the footsteps could be heard.


    Subconsciously, Hiro began to dive into the untapped professional combat skills he purchased from the system a while back.


    In any case, it was better to be prepared than to be caught off guard. As Hiro''s muscles began to build up tension, the two finally crossed over some threshold, allowing them to hear muffled cries of agony.


    The man in black stopped, rested his palm on a thick steel door, and pushed gently.


    The sliding mechanism wasn''t smooth, but the door opened to reveal a hidden flight of stairs that wasn''t recorded on the blueprint.


    Huh? Hiro was stunned. Am I in trouble?


    He felt a little anxious, but he couldn''t back down at that moment. Thus, when the man in black entered the narrow passage, Hiro could only sigh and follow along.


    Worst case scenario, he would beat everyone up and leave. Then, he would consider how to handle this mess at a later date.


    While lost in thoughts, a stench of sweat, blood, and urine assaulted his nostrils, almost causing him to choke to death right there and then.


    However, he quickly controlled his impulses.


    Hiro wasn''t really too bothered by the stench, it was just that he was caught off guard by the sudden rush of foulness.


    He''d gone through and witnessed worse things in the Legend of Babylon, not to mention a little underground torture room.


    The man in black noticed Hiro''s brows creasing tightly for a moment, but that display of discomfort was quickly washed away by a neutral expression.


    He nodded with a hint of approval in his heart, but he didn''t say anything. Soon, they arrived at a closed room with but one ventilation unit located on the corner.


    Hiro also found six of his schoolmates stuck to a wall across the room, shivering in place despite their brave expressions.


    In the center of the room was a man hung upside down, a thick steel hook piercing through each of his calves, and a heavy metal ball chained to his wrists.


    The man was a sorry, bloody mess.


    A half-naked fat man sat on a small stool, his face level with the man''s inverted eyes, and a thick Cuban cigar rested between his thick lips.


    In the four corners of the room were four black-skinned men, but what Hiro found weird was that they were wearing sunglasses in this dimly lit room.


    "Wuwuwu¡­ wuwu¡­ wuwu!!!"


    The chains rattled as the hanged man spoke into the duct tape covering his mouth.


    Hiro somewhat understood the situation in the room. This guy must have broken some rules or crossed some line he shouldn''t have crossed, right?


    "Not a single one of you is gonna do it, then?" Asked the fat man in a deep voice.


    The six boys standing in the back shook uncontrollably, but not a single one of them said a thing.


    The fat man sighed, his large hand covering his sweaty face and rubbing it in annoyance.


    "Where did you get these scumbags from, Fred? I''m telling you to go and tell Broski not to waste my time on these things. Times changed, money can''t solve everything anymore."


    The man in black next to Hiro didn''t seem bothered at all. "It doesn''t matter, just getting to this phase means that they''ve already passed the test. They can''t retreat at this point even if they wanted to."


    "Tsk! Nonetheless, every clique needs a little figurehead. Didn''t you ask me to help choose your little figurehead? My test is quite simple, deliver justice and kill this motherfucker."


    The fat man looked back to inspect Hiro, the newcomer to the party, then pointed at a blackboard that was behind Hiro and next to the door. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Hey kid, do you think those crimes constitute a death sentence? We don''t have to go through the proper channels; this man is one of my guys, it''s only right for me to do the cleanup once he crosses the line."


    The fat man noticed Hiro''s unusual calmness in the face of such a brutal scene, so he took the initiative to talk to him.


    Hiro''s thoughts were on something else for a moment, as he realized that the students in this room were the select few to act as the core of the freshmen delinquent group.


    From this group, one of them would supposedly be chosen as the figurehead, basically the leader of the freshmen delinquents.


    Still, isn''t asking us to kill someone a little too much? Then again, it makes sense to keep both the goods and the dirt in the family, lest the man opens his mouth to speak nonsense to the officials¡­


    Wait a moment, aren''t I getting too absorbed into the role of a syndicate? I''m just here to complete a system mission.


    Eh, but isn''t he going to die either way? I might as well get my benefits first, right?


    Hiro turned to face the blackboard. With his analytical mind, he could immediately capture the dense files on the board, coming to a sound conclusion.


    Indeed, this man is human scum.


    Extortion, drugs, sexual assault and abuse, loan sharks, coercion and female solicitation¡­ The list goes on, and Hiro wasn''t even certain of the validity of this evidence.


    Nonetheless, this wasn''t his problem. This guy was definitely not clean, Hiro could deduce this much at the very least.


    "Isn''t it just killing someone? How difficult can it be?" Hiro looked up at Fred and asked casually. "How do you want me to do it?"


    Almost too casually¡­


    The room went silent for a moment, and even the wuwu wuuwuu sounds in the background paused. The man''s eyes were wide open in disbelief.


    A while later, the fat man laughed loud, the fat on his body roiling, twisting the thick tattoos all over his skin.


    Fred didn''t say anything and silently handed a handgun to Hiro. It was a little heavy, obviously not a toy gun.


    Then, he stepped back without saying anything.


    Anyone can talk big, he thought to himself. Talking about killing someone and actually doing it are two separate matters.


    Bang! Splurge!


    "FUCK!" Yelled the fat man as the stool beneath him toppled over. Fred''s eyes opened wide, and the six students almost pissed their pants.


    The fat man''s face was drenched in blood and brain matter from the ruptured skull of their captive, but he was still immersed in the shock of feeling the bullet brushing past his face.


    He was too close to death just now! For a moment, he saw his life flash past his eyes in record time.


    Fred was just as shocked, not expecting this freshman year student to go through it and kill the bastard.


    Everyone looked at the swaying corpse and its blasted head, feeling a chill crawl up their spine when they looked back at Hiro''s expectat expression.


    "Did I become the freshmen''s leader now?" He asked.

 Chapter 28: [Bonus] The Short Lifespan of Hardware Supremacy

    Hiro took back his phone and glanced at the text she typed.


    [How did you know I was being followed?]


    Hiro smiled and started typing, but he also kept the conversation going. "Great, there are so many questions I''m confused about, and I hope you''ll help me clear my doubts¡­"


    Hiro then returned his phone to her. "Please confirm if everything is alright with this address."


    [I made an educated guess after learning about your recent activity pattern; it''s like you''re afraid of being alone in a secluded space for too long.]


    Hiro also thought about how she assigned the task of her personal assistant to those gunning for the class president seat.


    Is she using them as human shields? I guess I was rash with my judgment earlier¡­ Hiro''s eyes went out of focus for a little.


    He decided to use his reward from the previous mission to unlock a new skill, and he quickly opened the system shop and identified the desired skill.


    Using the skill voucher, he bought the {Espionage I} skill, which contained tracking, anti-tracking, and counter-surveillance skills.


    Aiya noticed that Hiro was in a daze, so she didn''t say anything else. A moment later, Hiro''s eyes regained focus.


    Then, he felt as though something tangible yet intangible pricked at his skin and the back of his neck. Subconsciously, he turned his head in that direction.


    He noticed an old man on cleaning duty changing the garbage bin''s bag, which seemed alright at first glance.


    However, the garbage bag was barely half full, but the old man was already changing it.


    That didn''t make sense.


    Hiro didn''t look away from the old man, and less than 30 seconds later, the old man lifted his head and made brief eye contact with Hiro, but he quickly retracted his gaze and finished up switching the garbage bag.


    Hiro also retracted his gaze and typed an additional sentence on his phone.


    [The janitor is one of the pests keeping an eye on your movements; I suspect someone paid him off to do it. Anyway, just continue going about your life as usual, I''ll do the investigation for you from the dark.]


    Hiro didn''t give her his phone this time. After giving her less than five seconds to read the message, he deleted the draft and stood up from his seat, greeting her politely before returning to class.


    The bell had already sounded the start of the next period.


    Teacher Aiya looked up at Hiro''s back as he walked away, her tense shoulders finally relaxing.


    God knows how tiring this week had been on her, and she didn''t know who to ask for help because she was afraid they were also involved in this shady operation.


    She hadn''t expected to receive timely assistance from a scholarship student.


    Sighing, she finished her meal and decided to return to the teacher''s meeting room with one of her student assistants, which had become a habitual routine for her at this point.


    No student here came from an easy background, and as long as she used them as her shields, no one would dare act rashly in the school. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She already endured for a while now, and she decided to trust that Hiro could help her if she endured a while more.


    ¡­


    Hiro had nothing productive on his plate for the rest of the day. Other than visiting Rosaline in the student council''s club room to ask her for information on the old janitor, he didn''t do anything else.


    Towards the end of the day, Hiro left the school grounds when he received a phone call from the Committee of Commerce''s Handler.


    Although surprised, Hiro still chose to answer the call, "Hello, how can I help you?"


    "Mr. Sciatis," the man on the other end spoke in a polite tone.


    "The sales of the VR hardware went better than expected, and the five companies had received a total of 800,000 preorders. According to the contract, they transferred the 33% sales shares to my business account, and after subtracting 6% for my commission, I transferred the money to your personal Nexus Bank and your company''s account. The invoice will be in your inbox in a while now."


    Hiro was a little surprised. "So quickly?"


    The Handler responded, "It''s only to be expected, Mr. Sciatis. However, hardware sales will slowly phase out since the technology is a short-term business. I recommend you not to squander your first pot of gold so quickly, and it''s better to find some investments as soon as possible."


    Hiro understood the logic behind the Handler''s advice. It won''t be too long before counterfeits arise in the market through reverse engineering.


    Maintaining a lead through hardware was always a difficult challenge, as cyber security through ingenious software technology always had an edge in the market.


    Why else would things such as monthly subscriptions, season passes, and digital content become so popular?


    As long as it exists in the digital world, its future prospects will always exceed expectations.


    As such, Hiro was also aware that once the hardware proliferated in the high-end market for a sufficient amount of time, the sales volumes would quickly drop after the technology was successfully reverse-engineered.


    At this point, not even the patents would be enough to safeguard this goose that lays golden eggs.


    The Handler continued, "I''m afraid that within two weeks at most, your profits will peak and start to decline. As for the other five hardware behemoths, they can still get high-value contracts to manufacture VR hardware, even if it doesn''t belong to your company."


    Hiro listened quietly. It had to be said that having a business consultant was a great deal.


    Usually, such advice would cost a lot of money per session, but the Handler was providing the information for free.


    Hiro appreciated this kindness.


    After talking with the Handler for a little bit, he hung up the phone.


    Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!


    His phone vibrated, indicating that he received text messages and an email.


    The email was the aforementioned invoice, while the text messages were from the COC and the Nexus Bank.


    Hiro''s profits amounted to 1.7 billion nexus dollars.


    The COC only deals with international credits and with an exchange ratio of 3:1 between nexus dollars and international credits.


    According to the contract, only two-thirds of the total profits would be deposited into his company''s account, amounting to 390 million international credits.


    The remaining 195.4 million international credits would be deposited into his Nexus Bank account, and after the exchange of currency, he would have close to 580 million nexus dollars in liquid funds.


    All of this was mentioned in the invoice in great detail, but Hiro rounded up the numbers in his mind.


    His frozen assets in the company''s account would require three business days to be unfrozen, but things weren''t so troublesome with his Nexus Bank account.


    Hiro opened his bank account on the phone and stared at the long string of numbers on his phone.


    [Balance: 586,402,342.]


    Hiro took in a deep breath, feeling as though he had already achieved financial freedom.


    However, he quickly shook his head when he remembered that the masters on the PARA app requested payments in the millions on a daily basis¡ªhe was still a frog in a well compared to those tycoons.


    The Handler was right about one thing¡ªhardware supremacy had a short lifespan.


    In less than two weeks, the five companies will approach him to terminate the contract and cut their losses short, phasing out the S-gear technology from their shelves.


    The Handler was kind enough to attach a chart with the email, speculating the peak profit Hiro would receive from this deal.


    He also advised him to hire a professional investment consultant to help circulate his assets, and not to leave them resting in the company''s account.


    After all, the COC earned their keep from the taxes and transaction fees¡ªthey wouldn''t welcome a client with an inactive account without much traffic.


    Hiro sorted out his thoughts and decided to deal with this matter when the five companies indicated their intention to terminate the contract.


    After signing deeply, he left the school''s campus on the hunt for an apartment.

 Chapter 29: [Bonus] Bought A Mansion

    If there was one thing Hiro despised about the protagonists in web novels of his former world, it was their pretentious hypocrisy.


    They understood the ways of the world and understood the psychology of the rich mentality in a rich man''s circle, yet they had the face to put up a humble persona.


    Then, when they encounter judgmental people, they spend half the day arguing and waiting for the opportunity to show off their wealth.


    But for what? Wasn''t it just a waste of time? If you''re rich, and you go to rich circles, then just fuckin act like it, right?


    Hence, before he went on the hunt for a house to buy, Hiro revisited the Blue Shark shopping center and bought luxury clothes.


    Then, for the lack of a driving license, he contacted a servants'' agency to hire a professional driver and a luxury comfort car.


    Everything was done with a few short phone calls, and by the time he finished buying an expensive business suit, a luxury watch, and a pair of high-class sunglasses, the new chofer was already waiting in the parking lot.


    Like this, Hiro made sure not to kill off his precious brain cells on judgmental people once he decided to spend a large some of money.


    ¡­


    Hiro quickly found the car with a matching plate number as mentioned in the digital contract, while the chofer quickly recognized Hiro based on the photo provided in the same documents.


    The driver was a handsome middle-aged man with a lithe figure, sharp features, crystal black eyes, and a steady temperament.


    He was one of the few high-commodity personal drivers with a salary of 200,000 dollars per month.


    With five foreign languages and a professional butler course under his name, Sebastian was a hot commodity in the industry.


    He just happened to terminate a contract with a client who declared bankruptcy when Hiro contacted the agency, hence the smooth transition.


    Seeing Hiro dressed in a high-end gray business suit and leather shoes walking over, Sebastian hurriedly walked over and bowed elegantly.


    "Sir, this way please," Sebastian slowly retreated before opening the rear door for Hiro to step in, a professional smile adorning his face.


    "Not bad," Hiro complimented generously.


    This treatment was worth signing an annual 2.5 million contract with the chofer agency.


    After Hiro got into the black luxury car, Sebastian moved over into the driver''s seat and lowered the tinted partition window so that he could maintain eye contact with Hiro through the rearview mirror.


    "Where to, Sir?" Sebastian asked politely.


    "I want to buy an apartment, any suggestions?" Hiro asked curiously.


    Sebastian thought for a moment and answered cautiously, "If you want a residence worthy of your status, I recommend the Third Ring, you can search it up and avoid my long-winded explanation if you desire it, Sir."


    Hiro wasn''t unreasonable, and he immediately searched for the location on his phone.


    According to the articles, the wide area surrounding the Tsukiyomi Lake was developed into a high-end residential area, separated into seven rings, and each ring was more luxurious than the last proportionally to its distance from the lake.


    The mansions and villas located in the first ring cost hundreds of millions, and the most expensive mansions cost close to 800 million dollars.


    The mansions and villas on the third ring were more affordable since their price range fluctuates from 80 million to 400 million, with many details to factor in, such as servants and domestic taxes.


    Hiro thought that he was rich with up to 500 million dollars in his bank account, only to realize how idealistic his thoughts were.


    However, he wasn''t willing to lose face in front of his subordinate on their first day, so he kept a calm face and said, "Contact the housing agencies in the third ring, I''ll let you contact an agent and handle the acquisition of my new mansion. As for the budget, limit it to 300 million dollars."


    Sebastian nodded his head. "Leave it to me, Sir, I won''t disappoint you."


    Sebastian understood that his client gave him the opportunity to coordinate his parent company with the real estate company responsible for the housing agency.


    This way, both companies can provide employees like servants, maids, chefs, gardeners, and so on.


    At the end of the day, it was both a win-win situation and also a test for Sebastian. If they satisfied Hiro, there would be room for future deals with this rich client.


    Even so, as a professional servant, Sebastian knew where his current loyalty lies, so he would make sure that his client didn''t lose too much.


    As for Hiro, other than testing whether Sebastian would choose to milk him dry for the company''s benefits or strike a suitable deal, what he valued the most was the company''s referral.


    Without an insider''s referral, it would be difficult to find a clean mansion with guaranteed specs.


    Although Sebastian was driving, he used the voice commands on his phone to make the necessary calls and arranged a meeting with a professional agent.


    The meeting time was half an hour later, which wasn''t too long since it would take at least 20 minutes for Sebastian to drive from the educational district to the high-class residential district.


    The closer they were to the third ring, the less traffic they encountered. Although the total number of residents in the Seven Rings residential district amounted to over 8.2 million citizens, most of them we concentrated in the peripheral rings. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Very few could afford to live in the fourth and fifth rings, let alone the core three rings. The maintenance fees alone are enough to break a well-off family''s economy.


    Time quickly passed as Hiro browsed through all the available news about the history of the Seven Rings residential district.


    As for Sebastian, he closed the tinted partition and coordinated with his colleagues from the parenting company and the real estate company to finish the troublesome procedures as soon as possible.


    Eventually, when Hiro arrived in the Third Ring, he only needed to sign a few documents and transfer 240 million dollars, a rounded price for the house, electricity, water, servants, and maintenance fees for a full year.


    On one hand, Hiro was quite satisfied with Sebastian''s efficiency since he didn''t have the time to waste on these trivial things¡ªhe didn''t even have the time to walk around his own mansion at the moment.


    On the other hand, his heart was bleeding¡ªhe spent more than half his liquid funds in one day, which was truly ridiculous. It was as though the Handler''s advice went through one ear and left through the other.


    Nevertheless, Hiro was helpless about this matter. As a rich, handsome, and powerful protagonist, he couldn''t spend his days in the school''s dormitory.


    The moment Hiro finished signing the last document and received the keys to his mansion, he heard the system''s distinctive chime in his head, followed by a pop-up window.


    [Notice: You''ve completed the hidden mission¡ª"House of Gold."]


    [Reward: 5% shares of Nebula Electronics.


    You can find the relevant documents on your desk in the study.]


    ¡­


    Hiro was stunned.


    Although he didn''t spend too much time in this world, he understood that Nebula Electronics'' position in the Nexus Country was synonymous with Intel''s position in the U.S. of his past life.


    The biggest shareholder in this company had 19% of the shares, while the second shareholder had 8%, leaving Hiro as the third largest shareholder.


    He hadn''t expected to receive such a big pie the moment he bought his house. Although he was curious, Hiro knew that he didn''t have much time to waste right now.


    Thus, he punched down the impatience in his heart, greeted the housing agent goodbye, and quickly changed into casual, high-end branded clothes before getting into the car.


    Then, he gave Sebastian the address to Bella''s summer house in the suburbs and leaned back into the comfortable seat.


    Sebastian didn''t say much¡ªhe immediately started the car and left through the steel front gate of the mansion, driving steadily past the artificial lake and onto the main road.

 Chapter 30: Paradox of Belief

    Suburbs, Odin family''s summer mansion.


    It was a cozy front lawn with an array of open gazebos, white decorative chairs, and an artificial pond rich with all kinds of colorful fish.


    Bella sat crouched next to the pond, waving her hand through the water with a gentle smile on her face, chasing after the cuttlefish that loves diving.


    From behind her, her mother approached with gentle steps, her arms hooked around the thick arm of a tall, handsome man with an air of authority around him.


    "Is your friend going to be late?"


    Hearing her father''s voice, Bella turned around as she stood up, dusting her hands off before wiping them down on her long white skirt.


    "He should be here in less than 10 minutes," she answered crisply, having already gotten a message from Hiro on the iMessenger app.


    The man nodded his head and said, "Good then, good. I''ll instruct the servants to prepare the dining table, then."


    After saying that, he lightly patted his wife''s small hand and continued, "You can stay here with our daughter, let me handle the boorish stuff."


    The woman nodded her head lightly, slowly unwinding her arms from his.


    ¡­


    Hiro sat in the backseat of the luxury car, his eyes in a daze as he observed the three translucent screens displaying the information of his three characters.


    [Daily Life]:


    Name: Hiro Sciatis.


    Class: Sorcerer.


    Manual: Guide to the Sorcerer''s Five Elements.


    Tier: 9.


    Rank: C.


    AP: 245.


    Gems: 0.


    Skills: Immersive Reading, Professional Calligraphy, Analytical Mind, Professional Combat, Professional Soccer, Espionage I, Business Acumen III.


    Properties: Sciatis Holdings Limited, 5% Nebula Electronics.


    Private Balance: 297,399,859 nexus dollars.


    Company Balance: 195.4 million international credits.


    ¡­


    [Transcendent Taoist]:


    Daoist: Hiro.


    Sect: Lunar Shift.


    Faction: Lunar Serenity.


    Realm: Nascent Soul 9/10.


    Cultivation Base: 29,200,000/34,000,000.


    Spirit Array: +52 per second.


    Magic Spells: Divine Sense II, Lunar Descent I,


    Advanced Sword Technique III, Advanced Fist Technique III.


    ¡­


    [Legend of Babylon]:


    Seeker: Hiro.


    Level: 43.


    Gold: 38,432.


    Class: Mage.


    Job: High Sorcerer.


    Spells: Concentration, Inferno Storm, Water Vacuum, Earthquake, Hurricane, Thunderbolt, Enchantment, Sigh of Protection, Meteor Shower, Siphon, Curse, Wood Healing, Water Healing.


    ¡­


    "Sir, we''ve entered the Odin family''s private property."


    Sebastian reported through the built-in microphone, drawing Hiro''s attention. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Coming back to his senses, Hiro dismissed the pop-up windows and fixed his posture, waiting for the car to stop.


    Soon, Sebastian parked the car by the entrance to the summer mansion, hurriedly alighting to open the rear door for Hiro.


    The moment Hiro alighted, the pink-haired Bella was already rushing over with a look of curiosity all over her face.


    "You can afford your personal driver now? This is a little unexpected¡­" Bella knew of Hiro''s financial situation, or at least she thought she did.


    There was always a chance that he was hiding his abilities and wealth, but she wouldn''t blame him for that.


    Hiro smiled. "I accidentally got myself a pot of gold, but if I don''t find myself some investments soon, all my liquid funds would be spent on nothing."


    Bella''s eyes flickered. Does he mean he completed a few missions on PARA to earn some money? Well, some people get lucky with easy missions, so it''s understandable.


    "It''s fine, you just need to remember to be careful and pay attention to secrecy and confidentiality when it comes to these things."


    Bella warned him because many of the low-level missions in the Tier-9 bracket were well-concealed traps. If Hiro wasn''t careful and was baited by high payments, no one would know how he up and disappeared one day.


    Their city is a large city with a mountain anchoring its center, a winding river, a great lake, and an industrialized suburban community.


    One person going missing among hundreds of millions of people was truly nothing to speak of.


    The larger the city, the wider the shadow.


    Hiro didn''t understand what she was talking about, but he nodded his head nonetheless.


    "Sebastian, you can take the car for a spin and come back when I call you later."


    Sebastian nodded his head, saluted with a courtesy bow, and then drove the car away. Meanwhile, Bella led Hiro into the house while chatting away.


    Soon, the two entered the main hall and ventured into the dining hall.


    Bella led Hiro to the guest''s seat and spun around to sit directly across from him. When the two sat down and chatted for a minute or two, Bella''s parents walked into the room.


    "Uncle, Auntie¡­" Hiro quickly got up to greet them with a nervous smile.


    Bella''s father waved and laughed. "Brat, you''re already calling me uncle, why act so formal with me? Sit down, sit down quickly¡­"


    Hiro didn''t dare to act presumptuous since Bella''s father was supposedly a powerful Paranormal, even if Hiro didn''t know his specific tier and rank.


    Hiro also gave the wife a curious glance, since this woman left an impression on him when he rescued the mother-and-daughter pair.


    Her temperament was just right, and from the looks of it, Bella took after her father''s boisterous and outgoing temperament while inheriting her mother''s beauty.


    As the four of them sat down, Bella''s father didn''t directly go to the main topic. Instead, he talked about trivial things.


    "I heard that you''re from an orphanage that''s under the jurisdiction of the Holy Church, are you a pious believer?" Bella''s father asked without much thought.


    Hiro thought back to how all the workers in the orphanage were females in nun clothing, thinking that it actually made sense.


    Still, even if the children of the orphanage had gone through some sort of brainwashing and indoctrination, Hiro didn''t have any impression of that.


    After all, he was already 16 years old when he transmigrated, so the orphanage didn''t have any chances of implanting funny ideas into his head.


    "I can''t be described as a pious believer, but it''s not like I discredit the existence of a creator either. Honestly, it''s a paradox of common sense, but it ultimately boils down to one''s mentality." Hiro thought for a moment and constructed his answer based on his experience in his past life.


    "Knowledge comes in realms, and each realm might subvert your worldview in contradictory ways¡­" Hiro eventually concluded.


    Bella''s mother looked at him with a hint of interest in her almond eyes as she asked, "What do you mean by knowledge comes in different realms?"


    Bella''s father also added, "I''m also curious, I''m usually too busy with business matters to think about such philosophical things."


    Noticing that all three of them were looking at him, Hiro cleared his throat and brought an empty plate over.


    The decorative design on the plate depicted numerous circles from the center outwards, and Hiro positioned a chopstick at the center point area of the innermost circle.


    "Let''s say that this chopstick represents mankind''s understanding of the world in a certain period of time¡ªfor example, the times when man didn''t know the cause of natural disasters such as earthquakes, thunderstorms, and tsunamis. Back then, it was believed to be the work of wrathful gods."


    Then, he moved the chopstick to the adjacent, larger circle.


    "A few centuries later, the knowledge of that era explained these phenomena through scientific means, thus debunking the existence of gods and charting it off as stupidity and ignorance."


    A moment later, he moved the chopstick to the third, larger circle.


    "A few centuries later, mankind understood the planet they live in, and thus diverted their curiosity elsewhere¡­ The sky. They observed the stars, the sun, the moon, the planets, and the universe in its glory. Once again, science couldn''t explain this beauty, and ironically, men of this era circled back to their beliefs in the existence of gods and deities."


    At this point, Hiro pushed the chopstick down, causing it to tumble down with a faint clanging noise as he sighed and spread his hands.


    "Once they find an explanation through science, they will once again deny the existence of deities¡­ That is until science is no longer sufficient to explain reality as it is, so mankind would circle back to relying on their belief in deities to stabilize the civilization¡­


    "Do you see what I mean by saying that this bit of knowledge is a paradox?"


    Hiro waited for a response, but he soon realized that the dining table was a little too quiet.


    Did I say something wrong? He wondered.

 Chapter 31: Dimensional Pockets

    Bella and both her parents stared at Hiro with a hint of disbelief.


    Bella was amazed because she hadn''t thought too deeply about this repetitive pattern before, while her parents were shocked because a 16-year-old shouldn''t have such deep thoughts.


    When Hiro cleared his throat to draw their attention, the family of three finally snapped back to their senses.


    Well, Bella''s mother was the fastest to react, covering her beautiful smile with the back of her right hand as her smiling eyes sized up Hiro once again.


    Bella''s father laughed and clapped his hands.


    Even though such insights had no practical value in today''s society, just having this breadth of mind was already a huge advantage.


    In business, such intangible assets were the cornerstones of a budding business empire.


    Boldness, vision, creativity, insight, forbearance, knowledge, imagination, all of these were intangible qualities that made a great man great.


    Still, Bella''s father shook his head. "Although your perspective is unique, it''s best if you don''t talk about this in a public setting. If the Holy Church catches wind of your worldview on deities, no one on this earth can protect you."


    Hiro understood this principle as well. Actually, this was quite common when a certain belief in some religions reached a certain extreme.


    Even back on Earth, such things were daily occurrences, let alone in this world where the deity with the least base of believers had a minimum of 1.2 billion pious followers to join the Holy Church''s Pantheon of the Gods.


    With Hiro''s current understanding of the religious doctrine of this world, he knew about the Lesser Deities, Greater Deities, and the Mainstream Deities.


    All of these topics were too advanced for the current Hiro¡ªlet alone joining in on the power struggle between the Church and the State, mere ripples from their casual collisions could end him for good.


    Thus, it wasn''t unexpected for someone like Bella''s father to be concerned about Hiro''s current mindset and where he stood.


    As long as he hadn''t reached a certain level, he was better at playing his cards low-key, neutral, and risk-averse. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I know what I''m doing, Uncle. Thanks for the advice." Hiro expressed his understanding and appreciation.


    Bella''s father composed himself and said, "We can now move to the other topic, which is to express my gratitude for helping my family."


    "There''s no need to go so far¡­" Hiro just started talking when Bella''s father raised his palm with a stern face.


    He said, "Stop right there, young man. We are a family that separates merits and gratitude; we don''t like owing favors. Although I couldn''t contact Babylon for now, I will express my thanks to you nonetheless."


    He then snapped his fingers, and a servant walked in, a stack tablet in his hands.


    He handed the tablet to Bella''s father, who then proceeded to tap away at the screen for a few seconds before passing the device over to Hiro.


    "I heard from Bella that you''re a Sorcerer, and your power source is spirituality. Thus, I highlighted a few gains from spiritually attributed dimensional pockets for you to choose from."


    Hiro was intrigued as he accepted the device with clear interest, "dimensional pockets?"


    Bella''s father nodded. "This bit of information can also be considered as a form of repaying your kindness, as your level is far from learning about these things. It''s like this¡­"


    According to Bella''s father,¡ªdimensional pockets are points of intersection between parallel realms, a product of a collision between the invisible powers of the higher-level dimensions.


    It could only be said that the root cause behind the existence of Paranormals was the radiative energy from these pocket dimensions throughout the history of this world.


    Once a Paranormal reaches a certain level, they would gain the qualifications to explore these pocket dimensions on exploration missions, and these missions could take from three days up to a week, a month, or even a year during extreme conditions.


    Dangers of exploring such pocket dimensions aside, the harvest is quite good if one manages to make it back alive.


    For example, the spirituality-rich resources displayed on the tablet in Hiro''s hands.


    These abnormal fruits, vegetables, minerals, and other resources can help Hiro increase his spirituality''s volume and density, allowing his tier and rank to increase gradually.


    Like the Paranormal tiers, these resources are categorized into different grades from G9 to G1 in descending order, not to forget the corresponding ranks of C, B, A, and S.


    Goes without saying, all the resources displayed on the tablet were grade 9C materials.


    Bella smiled and poked at Hiro''s side, whispering in a devilish tone, "Pick your poison¡­"


    Hiro smiled, already wondering whether or not Bella''s father was looking for Babylon to invite him on a similar expedition.


    However, Hiro had no more than 245 achievement points at the moment, which was sufficient for no more than a single day of synchronization.


    This was too little amount of time, and he couldn''t waste it on an uncertain endeavor like exploring a pocket dimension.


    Moreover, his daoist character was on the verge of achieving a minor breakthrough, getting into the 10th layer of the Nascent Soul realm.


    With the current daily ratio of 4,492,800 Spirit Qi per day, it would take only a few days for him to advance to the next great realm.


    If Hiro logged into the game and took advantage of the time dilation feature while he was in-game, the process would be even faster.


    It''s just that he had to consign himself to sitting down in the same place for two weeks.


    If only he could take a three-day leave from school to focus on secluded cultivation, he could squeeze those two weeks of in-game time into his schedule without a hitch.


    Sigh¡­ Unfortunately, I can''t do things like that, it''s not good to be greedy and anxious for immediate success¡­


    Hiro sorted out his thoughts.


    Even if he played Transcendent Taoist for 8 real-time hours every night, he would only need about ten days to reach the critical breakthrough point.


    Since that''s the case, I''ll ignore my PARA app for the next ten days, then check out these dimensional pockets once my Daoist character meets the Tier-6 standards of this world.


    During this time, Hiro could think of other ways to generate achievement points and an excuse to skip school.


    Hm, tomorrow is my debut day for the Soccer Club, right?


    Hiro''s eyes lit up. If he could become a famous athlete in the school, he could easily generate traffic for his profile on the iMessenger app.


    Hiro quickly opened his phone and downloaded the add-on newsfeed feature for the iMessenger app, upgrading his account to a social media account.


    Soon, his actions were broadcasted on both his friends'' and the public newsfeed, similar to how Facebook and Twitter were operating back on Earth.


    Now, all that''s left is to become an internet celebrity, then wait for the friend requests to pour in and collect those achievement points.


    Bella''s parents thought that Hiro was using his phone to consult the PARA app, but only Bella knew that he was on iMessenger, creating a public account.


    Looking at the notification on her phone, Bella''s cheeks reddened in embarrassment, but she didn''t dare expose Hiro and ruin the solemnity of the atmosphere.


    Once he was satisfied, Hiro put his phone aside and returned his attention to the array of spiritual materials on the display.


    After thinking for a while, Hiro made his choice and picked a chain bracelet that had the effect of amplifying one''s affinity to spirituality, though the effect was limited to weak Paranormals.


    Bella''s father didn''t say anything else; he directly ordered a servant to bring the accessory over, while Hiro didn''t stand on ceremony and directly put it on his right wrist.


    The moment he put it on, he heard a system prompt in his head while a pop-up window appeared in front of him.


    [Notice: You''ve completed the hidden mission, "Treasure Hunt."


    Reward: Unlocked the system''s treasure scanning feature.]

 Chapter 32: Cultivation Shortcut?

    Information appeared in Hiro''s mind, and for a moment, he sat there with a dumbfounded look.


    Curious, he activated the treasure scanning feature, and a pulse of golden halo spread for his body to a 10m radius.


    Once the halo faded, a golden hall lingered on not only the bracelet but also the bodies of Bella and her parents.


    Once again, Hiro was stunned.


    But after thinking about it for a while, perhaps Bella''s father learned his lesson and decided to squander a bit and provide magical treasures to his wife and daughter.


    This way, they wouldn''t be in life-threatening danger if anything were to happen in the future.


    The family of three thought that the effect of the bracelet surprised Hiro, so while the parents did nothing but smile, Bella snickered and mocked, "What a country bumpkin!"


    Hiro didn''t mind her ridicule. Instead, he smiled and said, "Isn''t it just fine? I''ll rely on your family to provide for me in the future from now on."


    Bella put on a disgusted expression and pretended to wretch. On the other hand, her father laughed and was about to say something when¡­


    Buzz! Buzz!


    Hiro''s phone buzzed with an incoming message. After checking his iMessenger app, he noticed that it was a message from Jodi.


    [Jodi]: Boss, we''ve got some clues on the people stalking Teacher Aiya. Can you come to the school''s parking lot?


    It was almost seven in the evening, and Hiro didn''t expect that the delinquents would camp outside Aiya''s apartment to keep an eye out.


    He was both pleasantly surprised and appreciative of their efforts, so he promised to reward Jodi handsomely later.


    Then, he sent a message to Sebastian to come pick him up before he smiled apologetically.


    "Uncle, Auntie, I have something to do so I must leave here first, sorry for dropping this unexpected news."


    Bella''s parents didn''t mind, and her father waved his hand graciously. "It''s fine, it''s just a pity that you won''t be having dinner with us, the food today was going to be of a high quality."


    "Next time, next time¡­" Hiro promised as he hurriedly got up and left. The moment he stepped outside the door, Sebastian was already waiting by the front gate with the car''s rear door open.


    Hiro smiled bitterly and shook his head, wondering if Sebastian was waiting in some inconspicuous corner.


    Nonetheless, he wasn''t very concerned about these little details. He just got into the backseat and instructed Sebastian to drive to the Inter-High outdoor parking lot before closing his eyes to rest.


    Well, he didn''t rest but rather entered the {simulation space} and started his secluded cultivation.


    Sigh, I knew the system wouldn''t be so convenient; the time dilation would only take effect if I was actively playing the game. It''s really not worth it¡­


    Although these were Hiro''s complaints, he understood that this feature existed to help him blitz through a game''s story mode.


    If he mainly focused on the main story quests and ignored the side quests, hidden quests, and REP (repetitive) quests, he could blitz through the game''s storyline within one week in real time.


    Due to the increasing traffic rate during the evening hours, it was twenty minutes to eight in the evening when Hiro''s car entered the parking lot.


    ¡­


    "Please¡­ this is all I know, I swear¡­"


    Jodi and a few of his lackeys surrounded a skinny man who was kneeling on the dry asphalt ground.


    He had his hands tied behind his back and a thick blindfold on his eyes, and he was practically naked save for a pair of white boxers and white socks.


    Hair disheveled, bruised face, and a busted lower lip with strings of blood-mixed saliva dangling about.


    Standing to the side, one of the lackeys inhaled a deep buff of smoke before taking a tuff of the skinny man''s hair in his hand, lifting his head up, and screaming at his face while the thick smoke billowed out.


    "Do you think we''re going to believe this crap?! HUH?! The boss asked you one simple question, and I expect one simple answer! WHO! FUCKIN! SENT YOU?!"


    Bang!


    The lackey followed the question with a knee to the man''s right chest, close enough to give him fractured ribs without endangering the heart.


    Nonetheless, the pain was intolerable.


    The man fell to the ground, convulsing in pain.


    The lackey''s voice was tinged with a hint of ruthlessness as he threatened, "Next time, I''ll start taking off your nails one at a time, then your fingers, then your hands, and then your teeth¡­ Don''t worry, I have all night to waste on a scumbag stalker like you¡­"


    The man trembled, finally breaking down as he started to ramble on.


    To the side, Jodi brought out a small notebook and a pencil before he started writing down the information.


    He recorded the name, phone number, and address of the meeting location for the handover of the bribe money.


    This man was a pitiful person on a communal labor order from the public court for breaking and entry. He just happened to be working in the block near Teacher Aiya''s apartment building, and so he was bribed to keep an eye on her movements.


    After getting a list of names from the thin man through confession, Jodi was satisfied.


    After putting the small notebook away, he looked down at the pitiful man and began to think.


    How to deal with this person? We can''t let him go back and expose our activities¡­ I should have considered this before kidnapping him for an interrogation¡­


    Since he couldn''t figure it out, he decided to keep the man on lockup first, then deal with the aftermath later.


    After giving some instructions to the delinquents, Jodi sent them away after accepting them into the fold of the freshmen delinquents.


    After everyone left, Jodi walked to the other end of the parking lot where a black luxury sedan rested in a dim corner.


    Without further ado, he tapped the tinted read window with the notebook, handed it over to Hiro after the window rolled down, then stood there silently and watched the car driving away.


    Jodi sighed. "Boss sure is boss, he even got himself a personal driver!"


    ¡­


    [Notice: Detected a mission-related item!]


    After receiving the book and going through the information recorded within, Hiro''s mission was updated.


    Although he didn''t know what effects this update after the progress would cause, he was still more than satisfied with the results.


    After he finished going through the notes, he opened the tinted window and tossed the small notebook out.


    After the small notebook left the car, an inconspicuous spark on the cover flared up into a small fireball, reducing the notebook to sparkling cinders in the sedan''s trail.


    Although Hiro wanted to explore the mansion oh so badly, he also didn''t want to waste his gaming time, even if all he did in the game was idle around.


    After having a quick dinner cooked up by the standard chef, he returned to his room and lay comfortably on the king-sized bed.


    After adjusting his clock to go off at seven in the morning, he closed his eyes and fell asleep, while his consciousness went into the system space.


    ¡­


    Soft chirping and gentle immortal wind surrounded Hiro the moment he opened his eyes.


    As he was preparing to indulge in the sensation of continually growing stronger, his vision detached from the scene as a beautiful female disciple approached the cave abode.


    [Notice: Senior Sister Xia Hongli invites you to listen to immortal music, do you accept?]


    A [Yes / No] options window appeared in front of Hiro, followed by the details of his senior sister.


    Her cultivation realm was unknown, meaning she was much stronger than himself. Also, the current favorability was at 80 points, and it wasn''t easy to get it this high since Hiro wasn''t paying too much attention to the game unless he was facing a breakthrough.


    After considering his options, he decided to accept her offer. Thus, from a third-person perspective, Hiro watched his character and the senior sister listening to immortal music next to an immortal pond. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Three hours later, a set of notifications popped up.


    [Notice: You''ve achieved 85 favorability with a female companion.]


    [Notice: Dual Cultivation with {Xia Hongli} is now available once every 24 hours.]


    Hiro perked up, and he immediately checked the companion''s list and found the name Xia Hongli at the top of the list with 85 points.


    As for the faction leader, it was still at 55 points. He didn''t even have the qualifications to know her name.


    Interested, Hiro immediately chose to initiate a Dual Cultivation session with Senior Sister Xia Hongli.


    Out of nowhere, a dense mist arose and covered the pond, the surrounding ground, and the two young cultivators.


    Hiro''s character took the initiative to flirt and set the mood, while Xia Hongli didn''t offer much resistance. After the first kiss was established, she got up and pulled Hiro''s character by the hand.


    Then, the two disappeared into a ray of light through the clouds.


    The next moment, Hiro received a notification that gave him quite the fright.


    +13,478,400 CB


    [You''ve achieved a minor breakthrough!]

 Chapter 33: [Bonus] Soccer Club Debut

    Hiro was still in shock the next morning when he opened his eyes.


    One dual cultivation session made up for three days of diligent cultivation!


    Sadly, he could only do it once every 24 real-time hours. Otherwise, his cultivation would skyrocket!


    The surplus from the additional CB points saved him a chunk of time, but he still needed about 52 million units of Spirit Qi to undergo the great tribulation.


    In any case, the estimated time was shortened from ten days to about one week, which is a great improvement.


    In a good mood, Hiro jumped off his bed to shower and prepared for school. As for breakfast, he would have his meal in the car since he didn''t have much time to waste.


    The Third Ring was quite far from the Inter-High education district, and he was afraid of being caught in traffic.


    He also needed to inform the school that he had acquired his personal property for accommodation, so that they would give the dormitory quota to the next person who needed it.


    Today was the third official day of school, and Hiro wasn''t going to be the only one busy running errands all around the administrative building.


    After he alighted from the car, he gave his dormitory keys to Sebastian, and then asked him to fetch the books and notebooks before meeting up in the administrative building''s waiting area.


    While Hiro was waiting for his turn to meet with the freshmen year''s student advisor, he noticed Teacher Aiya making her way into the building.


    She was probably on her way to the meeting room designated for the teachers. After thinking for a bit, Hiro decided on a course of action.


    He used the {synchronization} function of the system for a second, sweeping the entire floor with his divine sense, capturing the movements and micro-expressions of everyone on the floor.


    Then, his divine sense swept out to surround the building, taking in the actions of everyone who had an angle to observe the building''s entrance.


    Then, he immediately shut down the {synchronization} before anyone could notice anything amiss.


    Hiro then smiled and muttered under his breath, "This is more like it. Now, I only need¡­"


    Hiro stood up and walked around the floor and observed the walls. Soon, he found the roster of the school''s teachers, and he was immediately delighted.


    With one glance, he cross-referenced the suspicious teachers from his memory with those on the roster, identifying their names and faces.


    Hiro then fished out his phone, entered the classroom''s chat group, and contemplated sending a direct message to Teacher Aiya.


    After thinking about it, Hiro shook his head and decided against it. In any case, there were only about eight teachers, and he could keep an eye on them without alerting her.


    So, he sent the names list to Jodi instead, while instructing him to keep an eye on them and investigate their interpersonal relationships for any common acquaintances.


    Hiro''s turn was soon called in, and he quickly settled the necessary papers to drop from the dormitory. This way, it wouldn''t cause a commotion if one day the inspection staff couldn''t locate Hiro in the school building during off hours.


    After confirming his schedule for the day with Sebastian, Hiro left the Administrative Building and headed for class.


    ¡­


    The school day passed uneventfully, and other than his brief encounter with Teacher Aiya in the cafeteria, Hiro had another run-in with Zyd.


    Surprisingly, Hiro found Zyd and Vanti hanging out together, making him imagine the trio of Marcus, Zyd, and Vanti causing trouble.


    A double spy, a delinquent, and an opportunistic cheapskate.


    The more Hiro thought about it, the more amused he felt. At least, that was until he arrived at the soccer field for the club activities, only to find the same trio in the same club.


    For a moment, the four of them tacitly grouped up a fair distance away from the team, silently staring down at each other.


    "What a red flag," Hiro was the first to speak, kneading his forehead in pain. Then, he glared at Marcus.


    "This must have been your idea, right?"


    Hiro couldn''t think of any other reason as to why both Vanti and Zyd were in the same club as himself; unless this sneaky innocent-looking Marcus had a hand in it.


    Marcus rolled his eyes. "You''re overthinking things, brother."


    "Really?" Hiro scoffed, pointing at Zyd as he cursed. "Then why is he looking like a married guy caught in a gay AV?!"


    Only now did Marcus realize that Zyd had the classical shocked expression of ''How did he find out?''


    Vanti clutched his stomach and laughed, stomping the ground with his foot. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Defeated, Marcus could only shrug. "You can''t blame me for this. Since you dropped from the dormitory, I had to think of a way to keep in close contact with you, hence why I settled on joining the same club as you."


    "Then what about these two?" Hiro pointed at Zyd and Vanti, not as irritated as he was confused.


    "Hey!" Vanti wiped his crocodile tears and complained. "I''ve always been a regular on the school''s soccer team! You don''t know, but soccer, football, basketball, and volleyball clubs started operating during the summer holiday, and I was a rare talent scouted to join the school''s team."


    Vanti couldn''t have been more proud of his achievement. However, he didn''t give Zyd the chance to explain himself.


    He pointed at Zyd and said, "As for this guy, he''s a senior member of the club. Although he''s a second-year sophomore, he sucks at this sport. He still couldn''t make it out from Group B into Group A after all this time."


    The Inter-High had two teams for each sport to accommodate the larger number of students.


    Group B could be considered as an extension of Group A''s reserve players, except that they get to compete in friendly exhibition matches.


    As for the critical games, those are left to Group A, and the so-called Top Eleven starting lineup.


    Zyd''s expression turned a little ugly as he hooked Vanti''s head into a headlock, grinding his knuckles into the latter''s head. "Keep talking nonsense and I''ll rip your head off for my next hat trick."


    "Oh great ancestor, please have mercy¡­ have mercy¡­" Vanti struggled to squirm out of Zyd''s headlock.


    Then, he moved next to Hiro and breathed easy while rubbing his neck. "Oh, what position are you going to play in, Hiro?"


    Although Vanti asked this, he knew that only the coach would decide on this matter at the end of the day.


    Nonetheless, the first internal competition between the members of Group B was an open competition, each will play in the position they think suits them best.


    The coach will watch from the side and make his judgment based on the performance of the students, making this out to be quite the golden opportunity.


    "Is there a need to ask? Of course, I''m going to play in a forward position¡ªthough it doesn''t matter if it''s center forward or by the wings. I''ll still make it into the top strikers ranks of our team."


    Hiro was very confident, and it was somewhat contagious. Vanti slapped Hiro''s back and exclaimed, "Well said! Don''t worry, I''ll be watching your back from the middle field position. My passes are godly sick, you just need to score."


    "How good is Marcus, then?" Hiro didn''t believe Vanti, but he didn''t call him out on it.


    Hmm, it''s quite distasteful of me to look down on him without playing first. Then again, it can''t be helped¡­ My confidence comes from my system, but where does his confidence come from? What a pretentious guy¡­


    "Him?" Vanti gave Marcus a curious look, touching his chin. "I don''t know, I''ve never seen him playing sports before. All I know is that he likes gaming and stuff."


    "I''m just going to be the errands boy of the team, nothing grand." Marcus hurriedly clarified himself, waving his hand.


    Hiro''s eyes lit up. "Great, I was worried no one would have the time to take good photos and videos of me during the games. Hm, I''ll get you a set of streaming equipments too, you can stream my games live in the future!"


    Marcus blinked his eyes and asked, "When did I agree to do such a thing?"


    Marcus was just being funny, but he didn''t expect Hiro to turn his head and say, "Forget it! I''ll get Elvin to do it instead. I''ll give him a handsome pay so that he could get around his poverty-striken lifestyle too."


    Vanti nodded. "I agree, leave such a good opportunity to that pitiful guy. Sigh, many girls will be disappointed to learn that you two no longer sleep in the same bed¡­"


    "Since when are we sleeping in the same bed?! Damn it, we''re ordinary roommates, who''s maliciously slandering me?!"


    Hiro reacted quite strongly, almost strangling Vanti. Then, they heard the loud whistle from the coach, asking everyone in Group B to line up and split into two teams.


    It was about time for the newbies to debut.

 Chapter 34: One Thousand

    To Hiro, the long speech from the coach landed on deaf ears. Luckily, he wasn''t the only person who found changing into their sportswear much more interesting than listening to the coach.


    The standard set of soccer shoes couldn''t be said to be very comfortable, but it was still better than the flat sneakers most people wear to class.


    Seeing that everyone was more or so ignoring his speech, the coach sighed helplessly.


    He eventually clapped his hands and called out, "Alright, alright! I''ll give you three minutes to split into two teams, and other than declaring your respective goalkeepers, I don''t care about the rest. You know what to do."


    In a moment, a horde of students moved to the other side of the group.


    Meanwhile, Hiro was too lazy to even bother with the shuffling. Vanti and Zyd stood nearby, also waiting for the shuffling to be over as they watched with clear interest.


    Honestly, the second-year sophomores were more or less familiar with the base level of each other''s skills, but very few of them would stay behind in the club if they couldn''t make it into Group A after an entire school year.


    Thus, while Hiro spotted the occasional sophomore seniors in the crowd, they typically maintained a low profile, not trying to stand out at all.


    In Hiro''s team, Vanti somehow ended up as the team captain. Hiro didn''t even notice when Vanti had put the captain''s armband on his left shoulder.


    It had to be said that this guy''s social skills were top-notch. Soon, the two teams were deployed onto the field, while those who were unlucky enough to be ostracized were left on the benches.


    Well, some people were like Marcus, voluntarily choosing to sit this one out. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Damn," looking around, Hiro noticed that more than half the players were in the position to play in forward positions.


    There were no defenders near the penalty box at all, while only three people stood in the midfield positions; right, left, and center respectively.


    While the coach was about to whistle for the kickoff, hordes of students suddenly showed up to watch the match.


    All of them were freshmen.


    From their shouting and cheering, Hiro realized that some of them were already die-hard supporters of a handsome guy on the other team.


    His name was Kenshin, and he was an international student judging based on his appearance and complexion.


    Well of course, how could I forget about such a cliche thing? This must be the popular foreign student.


    Hmm, I''m also considered a foreign student, right? A super foreign student?


    As Hiro thought to this point, he heard his own name being yelled out. Looking over, he saw Bella together with some of her classmates on the other side of the soccer field.


    Of course, Bella wasn''t yelling, though she instructed her friends and followers to do the cheering in her stead.


    However, Hiro quickly noticed that many people were shouting his name, but they were looking at the wrong guy.


    Damn, they''re not sincere at all! They only know my name and that my hair is red, so they''re cheering anyone with red hair?


    Understanding that his popularity was on the line, Hiro''s mind turned and he quickly raised an arm to wave at Bella.


    He put on a smile he thought to be bright and confident, but he underestimated how impactful his current level of handsomeness was.


    The moment the girls locked on their target and confirmed that he was adequately handsome, they exploded with louder cheers.


    The soundwaves from the two sides, the ''Go Hiro'' soundwave and the ''Go Ken'' soundwave crossed the soccer field and clashed fiercely.


    Unknowingly, people from both teams started to pack off little by little, leaving Hiro and Kenshin standing on opposing ends on the field, in a direct confrontation.


    Hiro hadn''t expected this sort of development.


    While he and Kenshin stared at one another blankly, the coach''s temper exploded as he yelled loudly.


    "Stop wasting time! Get in your positions or leave the team!"


    No one knew where he got the megaphone from, but no one cared either. They quickly shuffled back to their positions, and Hiro stood next to Zyd in preparation for the kickoff.


    As the whistle blew off, Zyd kicked a straight pass to Hiro''s feet before he ran back to the defense line.


    At the same time, at least six students penetrated the halfway line from both sides and charged toward the opposing team''s penalty box.


    After receiving the ball, Hiro began to familiarize himself with its weight for a few seconds before testing it out by passing the ball to a random student.


    Even if he had professional soccer skills at the moment, he still needed to get a feel of his environment, the ball, and other factors independent of his inherent skills.


    For example, the skill level of his teammates.


    Another example, the environmental factors and how they influenced his speed, maneuverability, and the ball''s trajectory in the air.


    Further away behind the touchline, every fished out their phones and began taking photos before posting on their personal iMessage newsfeed.


    However, what Hiro hadn''t expected was that the students didn''t even follow the basic one-two; one-two passing technique.


    Everyone was so damn adamant about showing off their supreme dribbling skills.


    A random student gets possession of the ball, runs with it, gets tackled then loses the ball.


    Then, the next follows in their footsteps, then the next, and the next.


    At one point, Hiro stood still for a moment before he started to furiously rub his head, feeling both angry and amused.


    Everyone was shouting for a pass, and once they got the ball, they turned deaf and mute with a smug expression that called for a beating.


    Luckily, there were only so many students on the field. Soon, Vanti and Zyd took possession of the ball.


    One of them was a seasoned second-year sophomore student while the other was a talent when it came to situational awareness and passing skills.


    They quickly rushed toward Hiro''s corner and included him into their fold, advancing in a triangle formation.


    At first, Hiro found it a little awkward to handle the ball, but his {Professional Combat Skills} and {Professional Soccer Skills} overlapped in some areas, allowing him to quickly adapt to using his muscles in the ways of an extreme sport.


    From breathing, regulating his strength, distribution of force when sending and receiving the ball, and his situational awareness thanks to his new intuition gained from the {Espionage I} skill.


    Soon, the trio easily penetrated the halfway point and reached the opposing team''s defense line.


    Seeing that both Zyd and Vanti were occupied fending off for themselves, Hiro''s pattern of movement changed.


    He preformed a feint, and instead of passing the ball over, he dragged it along the curve of his shoes, pushed it a few metres ahead, and executed a full-blown sprint before the defenders midfielders could react.


    Just like his team, there weren''t any defenders in the penalty box area, leaving Hiro all alone to confront the goalkeeper.


    Goes without saying, it was an easy goal with the furious ball embedded into the top right corner of the net.


    "Ez!"Hiro shouted a term that confused many students, but no one cared about it and simply followed the herd mentality to shout along.


    "Ez! Ez! Ez!"


    The coach blew the whistle and announced the goal, while Vanti was quick to jump onto Hiro''s back from behind, almost tossing the latter to the ground as he shouted.


    "Amazing shot! Haha, I don''t know what ''Ez'' means but heck, Ez!"


    Hiro didn''t bother explaining some gaming terms from his past world such as ''Ez'' or ''GG.''


    In any case, the pronunciation was very similar to the word easy in multiple foreign languages from this world, so it wouldn''t take long before someone figured it out.


    Someone who captured the entire attack on his camera quickly uploaded the video on the iMessage newsfeed while tagging Hiro, Zyd, and Vanti in the post.


    Quickly, many similar posts followed.


    Since Hiro didn''t place any privacy measures towards friend requests, anyone could add him as a friend and become a follower by the tap of a button.


    Thus, while he was arguing with Vanti, he heard the system''s chime in his mind, notifying him of the constant infusion of friends to his interpersonal relationships window.


    Hiro was more than elated, and this enthusiasm that bubbled inside his heart was searching desperately for an outlet.


    Thus, he quickly urged his teammates to vacate the opposing team''s half of the field and prepare for the kickoff.


    Although he wasn''t the captain of the team, he still carried the aura of a big shot from the previous momentum, and no one dared defy his words.


    For the rest of the game, Kenshin also displayed his skills with long passes, dribbling, and shooting.


    However, one player couldn''t carry the team on his own. When the ball was intercepted, it would quickly find its way to the golden trio of Hiro, Zyd, and Vanti.


    Whenever that happened, Hiro was almost guaranteed to score a goal.


    The game eventually ended with a score of 5:3, with Hiro''s team winning.


    While everyone was happy about the win, Hiro was happy about something else¡­


    He reached the benchmark of 1,000 friends!

 Chapter 35: Summoning

    The moment Hiro''s friends reached the 1,000 milestone, the interpersonal relationships pop-up window appeared automatically.


    There was an additional column on the screen.


    [Chain Mission]: You''ve unlocked the {Mr. Popular} chain mission by reaching the first milestone of 1,000/1,000 friends.


    [Reward]: Your charm and charisma have increased, and a %1 chance to trigger love at first sight from females with a good impression of you.


    ¡­


    Hiro''s eagerness deflated. That''s it? No achievement points? No gems? Just charm and charisma?!


    As Hiro thought to this point, he also checked the next milestone; it was set at the 10,000 friends benchmark.


    Hiro rubbed his chin in thought. That''s troublesome, there aren''t that many students in this school, so I can''t use my soccer skills to reach that point.


    Hiro then remembered that his goal wasn''t to reach the benchmark, it was only to collect achievement points.


    He made about 800 new friends more or less, gaining over 4,000 achievement points, which was the true harvest.


    Thinking about it, it was really silly of him to think that the milestone would reward him with achievement points if he were to earn 5 points from each new friend on the list either way.


    I''ve become a little greedy¡­ I need to calm down a little bit! Hiro quickly settled his mind and decided to be content with the current harvest.


    Looking at his achievement points count of 4,330 points, Hiro was more than satisfied.


    After listening to the coach''s speech with hardly any focus at all, Hiro prepared to leave school back to his personal mansion to review the acquisition documents of Nebula Electronics'' 5% shares when his phone rang.


    He quickly pulled the phone from his school bag and checked the caller''s ID; COC Handler.


    Hiro quickly answered the phone, "Hello?"


    "Mr. Sciatis," the Handler on the other end spoke respectfully. "Your liquid assets in our internal bank have been verified, and your business account has been officially unfrozen.


    Just wait for the notification via email to arrive, and you''ll be eligible to liaison with our marketing department to hire a business consultant or if you wish to rent or buy a business floor in one of our estates in the city."


    Hiro''s eyes shone. At this moment, he was pretty sure that the Daily Life RPG system would give him a substantial reward for every achievement in real life, as long as that achievement had a huge impact on the trajectory of his life.


    As expected, the system indeed rewarded him for completing the hidden mission, and this one was called the "Fledgling Business Empire" mission.


    He swept away the default notification and focused on the reward.


    Hm? What''s this? A demon summoning ritual? What''s this? Hiro quickly asked the system in his mind.


    A blue window appeared with a few lines of text.


    [Notice: You can summon creatures from the dimension and impart a skill of your own choosing to them. In the future, you can nurture the summoned creature by consuming achievement points to upgrade the skill level.]


    Hiro understood.


    In a sense, he could become a versatile all-rounded genius or he could simply summon creatures and impart his skills to them.


    Out of curiosity, Hiro opened the system shop and searched for the various summoning ritual tokens.


    Hiro quickly found the summoning tokens column near the elixir potions column.


    There were all kinds of tokens; demon summoning ritual, heroic spirits summoning ritual, beasts summoning ritual, mythical creatures summoning ritual, etc.


    However, there was a clear notice under the price tag of 10,000 achievement points.


    Irrespective of the summon''s race and individuality, their power level would always start from the bottom.


    Unless they entered an environment friendly to their power system, they wouldn''t be able to increase their strength.


    In a sense, even if Hiro squandered achievement points to increase their core skills, he would need to find suitable pocket dimensions for each and every summoned servant if he wanted to increase their strength.


    Honestly, if it weren''t for the reward this time, I wouldn''t have bothered with such an expensive expenditure.


    After thinking about something, Hiro asked while on his way to the parking lot. System, what about the publicity and identity of the summons?


    [Notice: To provide a better experience for the host, the system will create a false identity for the summons. Furthermore, all summons will appear in humanoid form, thus negating any adverse effects caused by their presence.]


    Hiro could finally relax. After thinking about it, he decided to impart the {Business Acumen III} skill to his summoned servant, then give them the position of Sciatis Holdings Limited CEO.


    Since he would most likely depart on an expedition that would take days if not weeks in the future, he couldn''t leave the company in the hands of someone incompetent.


    With that in mind, Hiro rushed back to his mansion in the Third Ring together with Sebastian, then ignored his kind advice to have dinner as he rushed to his private study.


    ¡­


    Hiro''s Mansion, the Study.


    Hiro locked the door, closed the curtains, and willed for the summoning ritual token to leave the system space and appear in his hand.


    It was a translucent purple prism with a complex diagram on its surface, and following the system''s instructions, Hiro injected his spirituality into the prism.


    The purple prism glowed with an ominous light before the diagrams spread like spiderwebs embedded into thin air.


    Then, the small prism shattered to pieces and collapsed onto itself, turning into a deep swirling vortex¡ªa depthless coldness visible within.


    The vortex expanded into a portal with a radius of one meter. Then, a blue window with statics appeared in front of Hiro.


    [Notice: Please select a skill to impart to the designated summon.]


    Hiro didn''t hesitate to choose the {Business Acumen III} and select confirm.


    [Notice: Please provide the desired identity you wish to bestow to your summon.]


    Hiro was about to appoint her as the CEO of his company when his eyes spun a little in hesitation. Then, he inputted her as the CEO of Nebula Electronics and selected confirm.


    [Notice: You can only assign this identity when you''ve completely acquired Nebula Electronics as your private property.]


    Figures, Hiro pursed his lips. Then, he assigned her the position of his company''s CEO, and everything went smoothly.


    Then, the blue window disappeared, revealing the cold vortex of darkness behind it.


    From said vortex stepped out a fair, slender leg, followed by a milky white thigh and a split purple dress.


    In a moment, a beautiful woman with mature facial features, a curvaceous hourglass figure, charming purple eyes, and wavy brunette hair stepped into the study.


    Curious, Hiro checked her information after catching his breath.


    [Arabella]:


    Race: Demon.


    Bloodline: Succubus.


    Tier: 9.


    Rank: C.


    Skills: Telekinesis, Beguiling Hypnosis, Transformation, Business Acumen III.


    ¡­


    Hiro blinked his eyes. Looking at her set of skills, especially the hypnosis, and transformation, Hiro felt like he had made a mistake.


    Wasn''t it better if I had simply given her the espionage skill and turned her into my spy?


    Forget it! What''s done is done, I can''t do anything about it!


    Then, Hiro noticed the new set of documents that appeared on his table.


    He saw the identification documents and legal procedures the system provided for Arabella.


    Looking through them, Hiro felt jealous. "You have a driving license? Even I don''t have one yet!"


    [Notice: The system provides the summon with the basic understanding of the current world, as well as the basic skills to integrate into the functioning society as smoothly as possible. For example, the common languages, driving skills, and basic education on the level of a PhD graduate.]


    Hiro felt like crying, why couldn''t the system provide me with these credentials for free?


    Even if Hiro could get this knowledge through the system shop, he would still need to go through the motions of school and college to get the legal credentials, despite his base knowledge level.


    However, his summoned servants didn''t need to go through such a troublesome process.


    Sighing, he looked towards Arabella; she was still in a daze, probably receiving the knowledge injection from the system.


    Then, a spark of intelligence flared in her violet eyes before her expression turned animated and lively.


    Arabella smiled at Hiro and greeted him passionately, "Good evening, Young Master!"


    "What''s with the Young Master thing?" Hiro felt goosebumps to face such a mature woman who was old enough to be a mother.


    Furthermore, she acted so subservient towards him, passion and obedience burning in her eyes.


    Arabella tilted her head in confusion as she touched her bottom lip. "Is it wrong? My knowledge base dictates that the rich and powerful young people appreciate this title greatly, so I figured it''s only suitable to address you as such, Master¡­"


    The softness of her voice was so infectious it almost caused Hiro''s bones to melt along.


    He hurriedly waved his hand and said, "That''s them, and I''m me! Just calling me ''Sir'' would do, don''t imitate herd mentality in the future!"


    "Understood, Sir!" Seeing that acting coy was counterproductive, Arabella immediately adopted a professional attitude.


    Finally, Hiro could heave a sigh of relief.


    Now, he only needed to buy an office building for his company. However, that could wait until the five companies terminated their cooperation contract first.


    Hiro realized that everything on his agenda required time, hence, he decided to focus on gaming while he waited for developments in the next few days.


    Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 36: Origin Soul Realm

    Days passed, and on this morning, Hiro opened his eyes with a jubilant expression.


    Finally, his Daoist character broke through the Nascent Soul realm to the Origin Soul realm.


    He failed the tribulation three times, delaying his advancement by three in-game days!


    His current CB was at 4,399,230/92,000,000 and his realm was at the first level of the Origin Soul realm.


    If he couldn''t get more gems or complete sect missions to upgrade the spirit array in the future, it would take half a month at the very least for the next minor breakthrough.


    To Hiro, this was intolerable. However, he couldn''t sacrifice his Legend of Babylon gaming time since his character in that game determined his future prospects in real life.


    Eventually, Hiro determined that his only choice was to complete the high-priority mission as soon as possible, even if it meant going against the established order and facing Broski head-on.


    The only issue was that Broski''s influence had long since penetrated the school and proliferated the syndicate community of the city.


    After thinking about it, Hiro decided to re-establish contact with Natali, and hopefully, he could use her as a breaking point to dip his feet into the waters of the syndicate community.


    No one said that he needed to join the syndicates through the school delinquent''s channels; he had both the power and wealth to join the circle directly.


    With that in mind, Hiro''s eyes glinted with determination. To Hiro, he had no sense of belonging to this world or its humanity; hence he didn''t think that the syndicates were evil, just as he didn''t think that the state was righteous.


    In a world of mysticism like this one, rules were just the blabbering of tens of millions of ordinary mouths.


    After I''ve finished my current mission with Teacher Aiya, I''ll go find Natali. Hiro thought to himself. It would be better if I could trigger a mission with her. I can''t believe I spent such a long time on a mission of easy difficulty, but it can''t be helped; I had to invest all my energy into reaching the Tier-6 standards of this world.


    Hiro opened his phone to check the most recent update from Jodi''s side. Presumably, they found the person who was a common contact point between the suspected teachers.


    All of them would report to this person at one point in time during the week, thus successfully keeping an eye on Teacher Aiya.


    However; this person was always accompanied by a powerful bodyguard, and the delinquents didn''t dare get close to listen in on the conversation.


    However, it doesn''t matter.


    All of this was pointless.


    After thinking for a moment, he sent all of this information to Teacher Aiya; he included all the information gathered ever since he collected the profiles of the eight teachers.


    He also included the picture of the man who was instructing the teachers from behind the scenes, as he believed that Teacher Aiya should know his identity.


    At the end of the message, he simply asked if she needed help.


    It was a Saturday today, and there was no school. According to the intelligence reports, Teacher Aiya should be staying home with her roommate.


    Now that the person pulling the strings was exposed, she shouldn''t be as scared as she used to be; as nothing was more scary than the unknown.


    Hiro was about to go have his morning cold shower when he received a phone call from Teacher Aiya.


    He hadn''t expected her to respond so quickly, let alone call him so early in the morning.


    After he answered the phone, he had yet to say anything when he heard her say that she wanted him to come talk to her at home.


    After thinking about it for a moment, Hiro agreed. Anyway, there was no point in acting secretly now that they had discovered the true culprit.


    Hiro planned to deal with him once and for all later, but he hadn''t expected that he''d also receive a notification from the system.


    [Notice: You''ve completed the interpersonal mission.


    Mission Difficulty: Normal.


    Mission: Investigate the party or parties involved in stalking Teacher Aiya and bring peace of mind to the anxious woman.


    Reward: 5 gems.


    ¡­


    Hiro paused. That''s right; my mission was limited to investigating the people monitoring Teacher Aiya, not dealing with them.


    However, Hiro hesitated a little. I already agreed to meet up with her, does this mean I''ll be doing free labor from this point onwards? Whatever, I''ll do a good deed this one time.


    Hiro sighed. In the future, he needed to pay more attention to the contents of his missions lest he went overboard.


    Moreover, the normal difficulty mission rewarded him with 5 gems, then what about easy and hard? Was there another difficulty level above hard as well?


    Hiro had many questions, but this time, the system didn''t answer him. It seemed that he needed to discover the answers by actively completing the missions.


    "Ah, the life of a protagonist is so difficult."


    Hiro shook his head again and went to have his cold shower and breakfast, and then he returned to his study. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Arabella left yesterday to liaison with the five companies and the COC. As the Handler had anticipated, the five companies terminated the contract.


    At the moment, the VR helmet technology has become a mainstream industry.


    Even if the quality of the reverse-engineered VR helmet was lower than the S-gear technology, the latter had no more stock in the market.


    Hiro didn''t have any factories or R&D facilities to mass produce the S-gear, making them a limited edition commodity; somewhat of a collectible valuable.


    Hiro gave Arabella a simple mission; which was to acquire an office building that was fully under Hiro''s company.


    After he summoned Arabella successfully, Hiro understood that if he wanted to extract the most value out of the system, he needed to have complete ownership of everything he was invested in.


    He didn''t care how lavish the building was, he only needed it to belong to him 100%.


    With that criterion in mind, Arabella found a building with seventeen floors in a common commercial district, and it wasn''t a prime location.


    Since he lost his {Business Acumen III} skill, Hiro didn''t really know how to set the direction of the company.


    For now, he asked Arabella to invest in research institutes that are developing VR technology, even if she had to acquire these companies by using the S-gear technology''s patent as an incentive. Furthermore, she needed to acquire production factories under the company''s name; Hiro didn''t want his company''s capital chain to be at the mercy of an external source.


    In the long term, they would monitor the institutions and scout for eager talents who are pursuing knowledge and creativity.


    Hiro was certain that when the time came and he dangled the bait of the VR capsule technology, these scientists would jump ship and join his R&D team without hesitation.


    He wasn''t worried about the patents since he had already applied for the core technology of both the capsule and cabinet.


    As for the research team, it was just a formality; a smoke screen.


    Hiro smiled in his study. Since they so desired to sever ties with him, he didn''t care. In the future, the %5 quarterly divadance from Nebula Electronics would be more than sufficient to start manufacturing.


    Hiro had time, he could wait.


    As his thoughts reached this point, he opened his phone to check the next agenda on his schedule¡ªHiro opened the PARA app.


    Then, he checked the threads in his city''s region. As expected, he saw many threads requesting for Babylon by name, and the rewards varied.


    Although Hiro knew that some of these were advertised by the Odin family, there was a chance that most of them were from the family''s enemies.


    They were most likely hoping for revenge.


    Are they stupid? Hiro shook his head as he started going through the threads one by one, only responding to those that provided him with the option to chat with the thread''s owner.


    [Babylon]: ???


    [X Smith]: I want to thank you properly for saving my wife and daughter the other day, can we meet?


    [Babylon]: Didn''t your wife give you my contact information?


    [X Smith]: She lost it.


    [Babylon]: No she didn''t; she''s sending me nudes everyday. It''s annoying.


    [X Smith]: You''re dead.


    Then, the thread was closed.


    Hiro rolled his eyes, then he proceeded to open one thread at a time. Most of them so far were nonsense, while others were curious about who dared to interfere in the Odin''a business.


    It seemed like the conflict of that day was an open secret at the moment.


    Soon, Hiro opened another thread.


    [Babylon]: ???


    [???] : Finally, you answered me!


    [Babylon]: Are you also here to thank me about saving your imaginary wife and daughter?


    [???]: Actually, I''m the daughter that was saved by you¡­ On that day, you were hidden in the cold fog, and we could only see your outline under the crescent moon. We didn''t tell anyone what we saw that day, but I don''t know how to prove my identity to you¡­


    Hiro went silent for a moment.


    Proof? How can something like that be proven so easily? Bella and her mother weren''t the only two at the scene at that time.


    This is such a headache¡­

 Chapter 37: Hiro’s Busy Saturday (I)

    After going back and forth, they decided to meet at midnight sharp tonight. To avoid any premeditated ambush, Hiro gave the other person general instructions.


    He specified a certain region of the city. Still, he would only provide the specific district 40 minutes to midnight, and he would provide the exact address for the meeting 15 minutes to midnight.


    This level of caution left the other party speechless, but they agreed. Moreover, Hiro also requested that both the mother and daughter needed to arrive at the meeting, and if he didn''t spot them from a distance, he wouldn''t show himself.


    The other party agreed to this request after a few minutes of going back and forth, mainly because they understood that no one can be too careful in the Paranormal Society.


    ¡­


    Just as Hiro was feeling stressed about his tight time schedule, he paused in place.


    Standing by the car''s rear door, Sebastian was a little confused to see his master standing there with a dazed look in his eyes.


    However, Sebastian didn''t dare disturb his master''s thoughts, so he waited patiently.


    Hiro suddenly recalled the {Time Dilation} feature in the system, and after hesitating for a while, he chose to bite the bullet and upgrade the time dilation ratio.


    He quickly called out the status window for this feature. The ratio was at 4:1, and the next upgrade cost was 400 achievement points.


    Hiro started upgrading without hesitation¡­


    400 achievement points¡­


    800 achievement points¡­


    1,600 achievement points¡­


    Hiro wanted to continue, but the next upgrade would cost 3,200 achievement points, but he had already spent 2,800 points from his current savings of 4,330 points.


    Now, he had 1,530 achievement points left, obviously not enough to upgrade the feature once again.


    However, it was sufficient for now, as the ratio had increased to 7:1 between simulation and reality. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After he finished the upgrades, he took the time to check if he could upgrade the {Treasure Scanning} feature as well.


    However, the system said that he needed to discover and record treasures to upgrade the distance of the scan, and the ratio was proportional.


    For example, registering 100 treasures would upgrade the scan radius to 100m, and the next level was to register 1,000 treasures to upgrade the scan radius to 1,000m.


    In a sense, the system was smart enough to base all its upgrades on achievement points, as Hiro''s daily life wouldn''t be as diverse otherwise.


    The moment Hiro and Sebastian settled inside the car, the latter asked respectfully, "Sir, what''s our schedule for today?"


    Hiro replied lightly, "Take me to Teacher Aiya''s apartment first. Then, I need to check the new building Arabella bought for the company in the commercial district. If anything changes, I''ll let you know."


    Sebastian nodded without a word. As for Hiro, he closed his eyes to enter the system space, as he wanted to spend the 5 gems on a lottery box draw.


    This time, his luck was incredibly good.


    As the lottery box exploded with brilliant colors, a black cube emerged from the lights, and Hiro immediately focused on the small window hovering above it.


    [Notice: You''ve obtained 1x Futuristic Multi-Purpose Quantum Watch]


    [Notice: The quantum watch is installed with a compatible Artificial Intelligence Algorithm.]


    [Notice: Cannot be duplicated, reverse-engineered, traced, or hacked.]


    [Notice: The item is bound to the host via the system space and cannot be traded; the item will cease functionality once removed from the host''s body.]


    [Notice: Items that are bound to the host via the system space can be stored and extracted from the system space at will.]


    ¡­


    Hiro hadn''t expected that so many pop-up notifications would appear after he hit the jackpot. For a moment, his shock reached an extreme that left him unable to react.


    After he reacted, he quickly summoned his previous two rewards¡ªtwo portable flash drives, containing the VR capsule and the VR room technologies respectively.


    "System, can I transfer data directly to my watch?" Hiro asked anxiously.


    Till today, he didn''t dare install this data on any computer in the real world, precisely because he was concerned about cyber security.


    "Also, can you transfer apps from my phone to the watch? Can I transfer the PARA app?"


    If anyone who was in the know saw the PARA app on his phone, it could also spell disaster for Hiro.


    Thus, it could only be said that the multi-purpose quantum watch came at the right time.


    [Notice: The watch can be used as a miniature quantum computer, it can indeed run mobile and computer applications. Do you wish to proceed with the transfer of data?]


    Hiro didn''t hesitate to select yes. Then, the black cube and the two flash drives faded into motes of light, congealing to take the shape of a luxurious wristwatch.


    It didn''t look like an electronic device at all, but rather, it resembled a meticulously designed classic watch.


    Judging by the system''s standards, he assumed that the gold and diamonds inlaid in the craftsmanship of the watch were real.


    Although this watch didn''t look the part of a futuristic technology, Hiro knew that the watch carried a transformation feature, and it would transform into a multi-purpose quantum watch with the tap of a button.


    Its current appearance was only a disguise of a limited edition Patek Philippe watch to fool the public eye.


    After the unpacking of the reward and the transfer of data, the watch disappeared from the system space under Hiro''s eyes.


    Hiro wasn''t in a rush. Just now, he noticed something he overlooked in the system rewards inventory.


    It was a reward from when he competed in the {Grinding} mission, and it was called a {Fantasy Crystal}.


    Hiro was too engrossed in the hype of the system rewards back then, especially the game voucher, and he forgot to check the properties of this reward.


    Without further ado, he pulled up the information on the {Fantasy Crystal}.


    [Fantasy Crystal]: A fragment from the 10,000 fantasies. This item can be used to unlock an immaterial sub-dimension with faith energy as its foundation.


    [Notice: The {Fantasy Crystal} can only be used after you''ve completed the storyline of a minimum of one game.]


    Hiro was still trying to process the meaning of this information when he suddenly asked, "System, how am I supposed to gather faith energy? It''s too dangerous!"


    Although any faith with 1.2 billion devoted believers is qualified to become an established religion, the problem lies in the process of getting to 1.2 billion.


    Goes without saying, not even the Lesser Deities would stand by and watch, let alone the Greater Deities and the Mainstream Deities.


    [Notice: Once you''ve completed a game, you will receive the game''s Developer Source Code as a reward; spread the game to the masses, and you''ll receive faith energy as feedback from the player base in a proportional value to the number of players and their respective levels in-game.]


    Hiro understood, and thus, his enthusiasm was quickly defeated.


    The key factor here was that he had to wait until he completed the storyline of a game. At the moment, he was as far as he could be from completing the Legend of Babylon''s storyline mode.


    This won''t do! Hiro made yet another resolute decision. From now on, Sunday will become my seclusion day to play, unless an extreme emergency pops up!


    ¡­


    Hiro quickly left the system space.


    The moment he did so, he noticed that the watch on his left hand was replaced by the quantum watch. Not only that, but the quantum watch had also changed its appearance to match his previous watch.


    Other than a moment of being surprised, Hiro didn''t express any other emotions on his face.


    After all, Sebastian was keeping an eye on him through the rear-view mirror. Although it was with good intentions, one can never be too careful.


    Instead of checking the watch, he opened his phone to examine his current apps. After discovering that the PARA app was nowhere to be seen, Hiro heaved a sigh of relief.


    At the very least, Hiro could consider his confidentiality to be guaranteed in the Paranormal Society, even if the PARA''s millions of cloud servers were to be hacked one day.


    Who''s to say that his watch was the only quantum computer in the world? If anyone used a supercomputer for the sake of intelligence gathering, who can stop them?


    Of course, one way to combat such a troubadour issue would be to constantly create new threads and not go online for a prolonged session.


    Nonetheless, "guaranteed safety" was much better than "highly secure."


    Throughout the trip to Teacher Aiya''s place, Hiro kept going about his immediate and future gains from the system¡ªdoing his best to calm his turbulent emotions beneath the mask of calm.


    By the time Sebastian parked the car in the designated parking lot near the apartment building, Hiro was surprised to find Teacher Aiya waiting for them downstairs on the street.


    Hiro quickly went up to her and asked, "I take it you know the man in the photo?"


    Teacher Aiya was obviously perturbed as she nodded her head and answered in a soft, tired voice.


    "My roommate''s boyfriend."

 Chapter 38: Hiro’s Busy Saturday (II)

    Such an absurd thing really happened? Hiro was stunned.


    The question was, did Teacher Aiya''s roommate become that man''s girlfriend before or after she rented the apartment?


    Also, was that woman a previous residence or did she rent the apartment together with Aiya?


    Each of these questions had a different answer, but each answer had some scary implications.


    Hiro had to admit¡ªthat man took stalking to the extreme. However, why would he do it?


    Was it to affect Teacher Aiya''s current divorce lawsuit?


    Hiro''s thoughts were a mess, and eventually, he decided that he might as well not think too much. In any case, this was Teacher Aiya''s mess, not his.


    "Then, why don''t you simply move out to live somewhere else?" Hiro asked carelessly.


    He really couldn''t be bothered with this small issue anymore.


    Teacher Aiya shook her head and said, "I can''t do that, it''ll be too obvious. However, I can''t rest at ease knowing that my roommate might be involved with whatever is going on."


    Hiro rubbed his forehead, feeling a little uncomfortable with the situation. After thinking about it for a moment, he suddenly had an idea.


    He turned to Sebastian and said, "Contact your friend from that Housing Agency and pull some strings, arrange for me to become a third-party tenant in her apartment."


    As Hiro spoke, he pointed his finger at Teacher Aiya.


    Both Sebastian and Teacher Aiya were stunned. The former was because his master had just bought a 280 million mansion, only to settle down in a commercial apartment. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As for the latter, she was stunned because her student was planning to live in the same apartment as herself.


    Although the apartment had a few spare rooms and the landlord definitely wouldn''t mind, something still felt off about this.


    As she was thinking to herself, Hiro suddenly looked up at the building. "It''s a good apartment building, and judging from the size of each floor, I''m sure that the apartments aren''t small. Haven''t the landlord ever approached you about someone with keen interest to rent a room?"


    Hiro''s question brought Teacher Aiya back to reality, and while Sebastian distanced himself to make the phone call, she sank into thoughts.


    What Hiro said did make sense.


    Her application to rent a room in the apartment went smoothly¡ªalmost too smoothly. However, she hadn''t heard anything about new tenants inquiring about the apartments recently.


    The rent definitely wasn''t high, and the location was close to both a police station and a decent hospital.


    Nonetheless, how come no one showed any interest in renting a room? Then, all of a sudden, she recalled how her new roommate appeared together with that boyfriend.


    "Other than my roommate, there hadn''t been anyone else. According to her, he''s a married man, and she''s no more than his kept woman whom he provides for." Teacher Aiya answered honestly.


    Hiro nodded and didn''t say anything, thinking for a while.


    Suddenly, he seemed to have thought about something and asked, "What are the laws regarding divorce? Don''t give me that weird look, I haven''t even had sex before, let alone get into a relationship. I wouldn''t think as far as marriage yet, let alone divorce."


    Teacher Aiya almost treated Hiro as a fool the moment she heard his question, but his words left her both embarrassed and angry.


    She turned her head to the side and answered unwillingly.


    "Nothing too complicated. If I had proof that my spouse cheated, then I would have gotten custody of the children if we ever had any, not to mention that all property under our name would become my property, including 30% of his assets that aren''t registered under our shared household register."


    Hiro touched his chin, his mind analyzing the information. "Oh, do you have proof that he cheated?"


    "No," Teacher Aiya gritted her teeth and answered honestly. "I don''t have any proof that he cheated."


    "Then it''s easy to figure out," Hiro answered in all honesty.


    "They''re probably trying to pin the infidelity crime on you. I mean, think about it for a moment¡­ You''re currently living in the apartment of a supposedly ''kept'' woman of some rich, married man.


    Obviously, he has connections with the landlord, all he needs to do is find the time and place to remove evidence of your roommate''s rental documents and spin a story about your leaving your husband for another man who can provide for you."


    Although it sounded far-fetched, Hiro would rather believe something this ridiculous to be true than chuck it all up to coincidence.


    Obviously, Teacher Aiya thought about it and believed it to be too ridiculous.


    "What about the married man?" Teacher Aiya challenged Hiro. "Wouldn''t his marriage be at risk as well? His wife can easily use this method to target him. Don''t tell me that she wouldn''t dare or that the marriage is fake, because this whole setup is based on the foundation of that man''s married status to begin with."


    Hiro was speechless. "Are you blind to the political power struggles in this world? Even our school can''t escape their influence and schemes."


    Hiro shook his head helplessly. "Their wedding is probably a political marriage without love, just an empty husk. Even if there was evidence of him having extramarital lovers, it would be useless if his spouse didn''t file a suit against him. Moreover, who can say she doesn''t have any lovers of her own? This is a political marriage."


    Teacher Aiya still wasn''t convinced. "That''s all pure speculations."


    Hiro felt like slamming his head into a wall.


    At this moment, Sebastian walked over with an apologetic expression as he shook his head and said, "My friend tried to pull some strings, but the landlord isn''t willing to rent out a room. He said that the entire building is booked."


    Hearing this, Hiro gave Teacher Aiya a look that said, I told you so.


    Teacher Aiya was stunned. She felt that the entire thing sounded quite incredible.


    Although Hiro wasn''t really too invested in her family matters, he was still a little interested as he asked, "Does your husband have any business under him? Logically speaking, the tax revenue of an enterprise is above the legal limit of private property, this could be a reasonable motive to act out such a long-winded plan."


    Teacher Aiya felt that it made sense. However, no matter what, the divorce was already a done deal.


    "Well, seems like it''s not necessary for me to go up to your apartment," Hiro stretched and felt a little better.


    From this point on, it was up to her how to deal with this situation. It could be dangerous, it could even be life-threatening¡ªbut at the very least, she wasn''t grasping at invisible straws anymore.


    Teacher Aiya was stunned for a moment, not expecting Hiro to wash his hands clean from the matter just like that.


    However, she was a grown woman who went through many things. At that moment, she understood her position and where she had to go.


    Hiro nodded in satisfaction. This beautiful teacher will reach very far in life, even if it''s not as far as himself.


    Waving at her with a smile, Hiro gestured to Sebastian and went for the car.


    Sebastian saluted Teacher Aiya respectfully and followed his master, opening the door for Hiro before he got into the driver''s seat and drove off.


    Teacher Aiya watched the car leave for a while. Then, she didn''t return to her apartment but instead, she flagged a taxi and left.


    ¡­


    Sebastian quickly followed the navigation instructions he received from Arabella to arrive at the new Sciatis Holdings building.


    Hiro was disconnected from his company ever since he assigned Arabella as the new CEO, while he withdrew to the shadows as the chairman.


    After the car parked in the underground parking lot, Arabella''s young male assistant was already waiting by the elevator.


    He said, "You have an appointment with CEO Arabella, she sent me here to receive you."


    The male assistant was curious as to who would garner the CEO''s immediate attention.


    She actually canceled her meeting for the day just to meet this mysterious person.


    Hiro gave the young male assistant a look, nodded, and followed him into the elevator without saying anything.


    With Arabella''s male assistant leading the way, no one dared to block their path as they made their way to her office on the highest floor.


    If Hiro wasn''t planning to keep a low profile among these random employees, he wouldn''t have acted so discreetly.


    Actually, he was really surprised to find the company so active. According to his understanding, they shouldn''t have any projects going on.


    At most, they would allocate a portion of the company''s resources to search for investments and another portion to account for charity work.


    Other than that, Hiro couldn''t think of anything else. He decided not to think about it since Arabella would explain everything.


    Soon, there was only Arabella and Hiro in her big, empty office.


    Arabella didn''t dare slight her master by sitting on the leather chair behind the mahogany desk.


    Hiro didn''t care to sit down. Instead, he walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window and looked at the bustling city below.


    Slowly, the silence stretched Arabella waited for instructions.

 Chapter 39: Hiro’s Busy Saturday (III)

    After a long moment of silence, Hiro finally thought back to the activities in the company and asked Arabella to explain the situation for him.


    Then, he understood what he had overlooked.


    The resources of Sciatis Holdings might be limited in terms of connections and assets, but he had overlooked his 5% shares in Nebulae Electronics and the weight of these shares.


    As his CEO, Arabella decided to liaison with the parent company and through an opportune business dinner gathering, she easily obtained the cooperation of hardware and software companies in the gaming industry.


    When those bosses realized that although new, the Sciatis Holdings had shares in Nebula Electronics, they jumped on the wagon to display their goodwill.


    Although they didn''t know how many shares in Nebula Electronics the backer behind Sciatis Holdings had, they still assumed that this budding company was a shell company with great prospects.


    Arabella didn''t deny these assumptions of theirs nor did she confirm them. Thus, she got her hands on valuable information, trade channels, and she even bought a high-tech laboratory with an independent R&D department.


    They could easily branch out into the gaming hardware and software industry, but while the hardware was easy to produce, the software required years and years of coding and programming if they wanted an original source code for their cyber technology.


    "Are you certain that we''re only lacking in terms of cyber technology?" Hiro asked anxiously.


    If that was the case, he could easily use the system and his quantum watche to generate a unique source code that''s compatible with the S-gear technology and the games his company developed in the future.


    Just like Playstation and Xbox from his previous world, he could make S-gear exclusive games that will only work with this technology.


    That way, the amazing games extracted from the system would only function if people bought his S-gear VR technology, especially if he assigned the quantum watch''s artificial intelligence as the highest level of authority in the game.


    It was considered a three-factor authentication method; third of the universal source code would be in the game, another third would be in the S-gear''s operating system, and the last third would be in the main server controlled by the artificial intelligence. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    However, they still needed to expand both their high-tech research institutes and their production factories.


    They can''t keep spending money without earning anything as it would easily break the capital chain and before long, Hiro would have to declare bankruptcy.


    "Don''t worry, Sir," Arabella saw through Hiro''s anxiety and comforted him. "Although we lost five valuable contracts, I sign a letter of intent with over 82 hardware production companies to sell our S-gear products, but each of them would keep 90% of the profits to themselves."


    "10% is good¡­ As long as it can keep the company''s operations afloat while we acquire more facilities." Hiro complimented Arabella''s quick wits.


    Unlike the earlier contracts, all of the profits from this transaction would enter the company''s account, as Hiro couldn''t give up %6 of the handling fees to the COC this time.


    What good would a 4% net profit do? Hiro couldn''t accept it, nor could his company.


    Anyway, he only needed to wait for the quarterly dividend to inject a large amount of capital into his company''s account¡ªenough to expand aggressively and start the research on VR capsules while concurrently producing domestic S-gear for the market.


    Arabella''s goal with signing a losing contract and outsourcing their production was to maintain a sense of brand awareness in the market.


    It would be too ugly if the lifespan of S-gear in the market was less than two months, as it would damage their reputation.


    Thus, even if the production rate was crippled, they had to keep producing and selling at any cost.


    Even if they could only sell in small regions of the Nexus Country due to the lack of far reaching trade channels, supply, and demand.


    This small region was enough. It was more than enough to satisfy Hiro''s current needs.


    Soon, Hiro and Arabella put up a preliminary plan on how to direct the company and navigate through the digital industry.


    After that, Hiro asked her for the location of their new high-tech research institute and facilities, as he planned to install a backdoor for his quantum watch in the system.


    This at the very least would prevent any hackers or cyber pirates from stealing their data. In fact, Hiro intended to block all methods of extracting information.


    ¡­


    Hiro and Sebastian left for the high-tech research institute that was yet to be renamed after the acquisition.


    It was a vast underground laboratory almost five times as large as the Inter-High school, which was a massive scale in and of itself.


    At the moment, Hiro was inside the Head Professor''s office, connecting his watch to the computer and waiting for the artificial intelligence to install the backdoor into the system.


    It was a wireless connection, so it went unnoticed by the others in the room, even as Hiro pretended to be operating on the keyboard.


    "What are you doing exactly?" Asked one of the deputy directors of the institution.


    Hiro raised his head and gave the man a look.


    The man was annoyed, especially because Hiro was just a high school student. If it wasn''t for the orders from above, they wouldn''t even let him enter the laboratory, let alone get access to the admin computer.


    Everyone knew how much data was saved in this computer through the hive network that connects almost every computer in the research institute.


    "I''m improving the cyber security," Hiro decided to give them a simple explanation since they deserved to know this much at the very least.


    The directors, deputy directors, and even the Head Professor were stunned.


    Improving cyber security? Why? Our technology is nothing special, nor is our research data¡­ What''s the point?


    While they were thinking, Hiro''s quantum watch successfully created a cloud network stored inside the watch, transferring all the data from the computers onto the cloud.


    Now, it was impossible to even copy the files onto an external source, let alone move them.


    Furthermore, nothing could be saved on the hard drives inside the computers¡ªall allocated results and data would be transmitted to the cloud directly without an intermediary.


    "From this day onwards, I want all experiments and results to be digitized. I won''t allow for any data to be stored on hardware, printed on paper, emailed, or photographed on camera.


    "Yes, you''re not allowed to bring your phones into the sensitive research regions anymore, but the company will provide you with a phone that is capable of dialing and receiving calls for work purposes.


    "We are researching a very critical piece of VR hardware technology, and we won''t tolerate any sloppiness. You can come over and browse the briefing and framework of the future direction of development, and then you can decide whether you want to stay or leave."


    Many of the upper management positions on the board wanted to protest, but since Hiro was showing them such sensitive information instead of keeping them guessing in the dark, they kept quiet.


    They could measure his sincerity based on the value of the so-called VR technology.


    These people weren''t idiots, and they knew that their supposed boss was just a branch from the Nebula Electronics behemoth.


    Was this some secret technology developed by that entity? They suddenly felt anxious, restless, and expectant.


    After signing a standard non-disclosure confidentiality agreement, they quickly moved to the computer screen, entered the cloud data, and found a highlighted file.


    S-Gear VR Technology and the Virtual Reality Capsule.


    Just a few words had already shocked them.


    However, when they opened the file, they were even more shocked.


    They found futuristic theoretical framework and study on the synchronization between neural network, the receptors, and the electrical impulses generated from the standard VR helmet.


    The files contained data on how to expand the range of activity from monitoring the output and input of neural signals from the brain, to monitoring the neural activity throughout the human body.


    Moreover, the study delved deeper into the fields such as the behavioral patterns of organic matter, health care, neural conductivity, time dilation, and more.


    However, although the framework existed, there was no solid evidence or concrete data.


    Everything was just conceptual at this point.


    It was to be expected¡ªthis project was in the development phase, and they needed to burn money, time, and resources to get anything substantial.


    Hiro smiled.


    He could give them the full technology at any point in time, especially since he had already analyzed all of it inside his brain.


    However, where''s the fun in that? How could they get a sense of accomplishment from this?


    If all these researchers felt involved and got that sense of accomplishment, then it would have been a better outcome than having the cold technology and nothing else.


    Seeing that they were too enthusiastic to care about his presence anymore, Hiro and Sebastian silently left the office and the research institute as a whole.


    After assigning some people to reinforce the new security protocols, Hiro rested in the car with his eyes closed.


    "Let''s go back home," Hiro spoke in a deliberately exhausted tone. "I''ve settled all my matters. If anyone asks about me later, tell them to reschedule it."


    "I understand, Sir," Sebastian replied before driving the car away under the apricot light of the waning sun.

 Chapter 40: Three-Way Balance

    Soon, it was nighttime, and it was close to the stipulated time. In his bedroom, Hiro sat up from the bed and opened a randomizing website on his phone.


    He inserted the names of a few random districts off the top of his head and started the operating algorithm.


    One name after another was eliminated till finally, only two names were left. After Hiro gave them a quick glance, one of the names disappeared.


    "So, it''s District B13?" Hiro didn''t particularly care about the location, as anywhere within the city was fine by him.


    He lifted his quantum watch and asked it to open the PARA app. Then, an interactive screen was projected from the watch, allowing Hiro to send the location to the [???] user in the private thread.


    Hmm, now that I think about it, this is such an obvious hint.


    It was just a random thought on Hiro''s part, but the fact that the church developed the universal tier system, yet this system was reflected in some parts of the city.


    Some districts had normal names such as Voodoo, West Peak, Swamp Hills, etc.


    Other districts were designated as District B13, S7, C1, etc.


    Hiro might be reaching, but what if there was a clear distinction between the territories controlled by the church and those controlled by the state?


    It sounded ridiculously far-fetched, but Hiro had no reason to deny it. Although it was a random thought, it''s still worth keeping in mind.


    It''s very difficult to confirm this matter, but Hiro hadn''t reached a level where he had to worry about these things yet.


    As his thoughts reached this point, Hiro stepped onto the balcony from his master''s bedroom, equipped the cosmetics disguise together with the synchronization, and left the mansion.


    If Hiro''s guesses weren''t wrong, the city was more dangerous than expected. Thus, he didn''t dare to fly in the sky, lest he draw unwanted attention.


    Nonetheless, his speed on land wasn''t that bad either, and ordinary people or people weaker than himself wouldn''t be able to see him.


    The church''s tier system was just the standard average for a person''s destructive ability and the volume of their impact on the world.


    To put it bluntly, one''s ability could be likened to the influence of a star on the fabric of space-time in accordance with the theory of general relativity. A Paranormal''s impact on the world is similar to the sun''s impact on its immediate orbit.


    For example, baseline humans are living within the tolerable limit of the world, and unless they rely on external forces such as war weapons, they couldn''t impact the world''s foundation much.


    When they reach a point where they can shake the world''s foundation, natural disasters may occur as a consequence.


    For example, a bomb at the bottom of the sea will cross a certain threshold, resulting in a tsunami¡ªthese natural phenomena could be understood as a certain backlash from the world since Its tolerance threshold was breached.


    The greater the impact factor of the Paranormal, the greater the response from the world¡ªthis is a universal understanding of power.


    A Paranormal''s impact factor is measured in the unit of vectors, and while this unit can demonstrate the extent of a Paranormal''s impact on the world if they were to go all out, it is only a superficial observation of power.


    It is like the surface of the sea; one can judge its size, but one cannot measure its depth.


    Some abilities cannot be measured by the limited standards of the world''s tolerance threshold¡ªsuch as telepathy, hypnosis, illusions, and divine sense.


    These are diverse methods of manipulating the consciousness, and each inheritance has a different approach to this power.


    Although this power in itself isn''t a destructive force and couldn''t be quantified based on the universal understanding of power, one cannot simply ignore it.


    Thus, those who take the church''s unified power system for granted are doomed to suffer losses in one way or another.


    This system can only determine the size of the ocean, not its depths.


    A person could either be a shallow sea or a deep pond¡ªit''s impossible to know for certain.


    At the very least, Hiro knew that those who judged him based on his Tier-9 Rank-C abilities as a Sorcerer were down on their luck.


    ¡­


    Hiro quickly arrived at the underground parking lot of a large shopping center in District B13''s open plaza.


    He then enveloped the entire district with his divine sense, his consciousness locking onto the figures of Bella and her parents the moment they entered the district.


    The moment he confirmed their identity, Hiro let out a sigh of relief. This was fine, as long as he recognized them.


    Then, he canceled his synchronization and decided to wait until the clock hit 00:45.


    ¡­


    At the entrance to District B13, while driving the car and waiting for the location update from Hiro, Bella''s father furrowed his brow. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    His wife, who was seated on the passenger seat, noticed his frown and asked, "What happened?"


    "I don''t know," Bella''s father said. "The moment we entered the district, I felt something observing me in the dark, but I was just a quick glance."


    Bella''s mother fell silent for a moment.


    "It should be that mysterious figure," she surmised. "He should be confirming your identity by checking for our presence in your company. However, I might be wrong, so you better be careful."


    Bella''s father nodded, keeping up his vigilance.


    He said, "If I''m not wrong, he should have arrived in this city recently and doesn''t understand the situation of the powers here yet. I can''t think of any other reason as to why no one knows anything about him."


    Bella asked, "Are we planning to work together with him, Dad? Isn''t it too dangerous?"


    "You don''t understand," her father smiled through the rearview mirror. "No matter how powerful he is, some things can''t be accomplished through brute force. He has the power, and we have the foundation."


    His meaning was clear; they could take what they needed from the other party, especially since they could be considered to have established a cordial relationship through the mission.


    Thinking deeper, perhaps he took action that day with this intention in mind. The more Bella''s father thought about it, the more feasible it sounded.


    He added, "Furthermore, I even brought a gate with me to display our sincerity."


    Bella didn''t say anything, as she understood that her father needed allies that he could rely on the most right now.


    They couldn''t rely on her relationship with Rosaline to handle such sensitive matters, as the Paranormal Clans with deep foundations had their own considerations.


    The waters in the Paranormal Society were too deep, and once those large clans expressed their intention carelessly, no one could predict the domino effect.


    At this moment, the long-awaited three-way balance between the Church, the State, and those ancient clans had been realized.


    No one could forget the horror of that ancient war that lasted for decades, and no one had the heart to reenact such a catastrophe.


    At the very least, the battlefield had shifted from the open world to the pocket dimensions, which is also known as the New World at the moment.


    All of those forces are currently occupied with their migration plans to the New World due to its higher tolerance threshold, as no one wants to be inversely restricted the stronger they become.


    However, how simple is it to carve a piece of territory in the New World? Forget carving a territory, they need to find a suitable pocket dimension first, then consider settling down.


    Bella''s father had a simple idea in mind.


    First, he would give Hiro a taste of what it''s like to have his private territory in the New World, even if the pocket dimension in his possession was a barren land.


    Then, he would tempt Hiro to move out with him to conquer and control other territories in the New World.


    Since Hiro didn''t have anything to lose in this area, he could be the knife in the open while the Odin family provided support and intelligence in the dark.


    As he thought to this point, they finally received a location from Hiro.


    Both apprehensive and excited, Bella''s father changed direction at the nearest intersection and headed toward the shopping center.


    ¡­


    Soon, glaring headlights swept through the underground parking lot. However, it wasn''t necessary since Hiro was waiting by the entrance directly.


    The Odin family easily spotted him standing conspicuously in a corner. The car''s headlights were turned off immediately, and the family of three got out of the car.


    The moment they entered the underground parking lot, Hiro activated his synchronization once again.


    Bella and her parents carefully approached Hiro, and the closer they got, the heavier the passive presence of an Origin Soul cultivator weighed on them.


    Although the pressure was tranquil and accommodating like the gentle white river surrounding Hiro, it still gave the family of three a shock.


    Bella''s father swallowed nervously, not having expected Hiro to have such an unfathomable presence about him.


    They couldn''t see his face clearly, only a pair of unfathomable silver eyes that shone through the hazy obstruction of the gentle mist.


    Bella''s father didn''t dare talk nonsense and immediately retrieved an ancient piece of jade from his pocket, carefully tossing it over to Hiro.

 Chapter 41: Key

    Watching the rectangle piece of jade making its way over, Hiro didn''t react.


    When it reached within arms reach of Hiro, the jade paused as though it had encountered a viscous swamp.


    Hiro opened his mouth to speak, causing Bella and her mother to hear the all-encompassing chanting voice once again.


    "What''s the meaning of this?"


    The thin mist obscured Hiro''s face, and they couldn''t tell if he was talking to them or if the voice was produced through other means.


    However, that wasn''t important at the moment, as any means of communication proved better than no communication at all.


    As for Hiro, although he asked this question, his mind was on something else.


    He heard a chime in his mind as a blue transparent window appeared with a line of words.


    [Notice: You''ve acquired a ''Key'' to a pocket dimension.]


    [Notice: You''ve completed a hidden mission, "Planewalker."


    Reward 1: A set of coordinates.


    Reward 2: Infinite Sword Matrix. (universal spell)]


    ¡­


    As a string of complicated numbers and letters entered Hiro''s mind, Bella''s father braced himself to speak.


    "This is a show of my sincerity; our family only has two of these ancient keys. You can use it to enter the New World by inputting a set of coordinates into the key, and it will open a temporary gate for you.


    "Of course, the coordinates you obtain second-hand won''t be so valuable because others would have already explored the pocket dimension, and they would only sell the coordinates if the dimension isn''t suitable for human habitation.


    "I can''t give you the coordinates for a pocket dimension in the New World, as these are the foundations of every family and every organization¡ªyou can call it a fallback plan if you wish.


    However, it would be best if you understood that by obtaining a key, you hold the initiative to explore the New World instead of waiting for someone to invite you on an expedition, where you''ll only be a passive party.


    "Also, with the key, you can enter and leave whenever and however you want, and you wouldn''t have to be afraid that the party leader will leave you behind after using you on an expedition."


    ¡­


    Bella''s father was the enthusiastic and outgoing type, and since he was already pretty nervous, he said a lot.


    However, Hiro didn''t mind¡ªhe liked this type of person who actively provided him with information without him needing to ask.


    If not for the current high-priority mission, Hiro might have dropped out of school and spent his time exploring the various pocket dimensions of the New World.


    Hm, knowing the system, I''m pretty sure that the set of coordinates is suitable for human colonization. However, I also know that things wouldn''t be so easy¡­ Most likely, there will be plenty of danger to settle before I can use the dimension as my backyard.


    Wait, what if I lost this key? System, can I selectively bind items to myself?


    [Notice: You can spend 10 achievement points to bind the ''Key'' to yourself.]


    Hiro blinked in wonder and asked again, Can I bind anything to myself if I spend 10 points?


    [Notice: Each item differs in value depending on its size, volume, and impact factor if the said item was a treasure or a relic.]


    Ah, I knew it wouldn''t be so simple.


    Hiro didn''t hesitate to spend the 10 achievement points to bind the key.


    Actually, he was very happy at the moment.


    With the initiative in his hands for when to leave the New World if he were to go on an expedition, he didn''t need to be so stressed about his points and whether he''d have sufficient synchronization time or not.


    His current points are sufficient for five days of synchronization time if he wants to leave himself a buffer of 240 points for emergencies.


    Bella and her family watched with amazement as the jade piece disappeared into motes of light right under their noses.


    Bella''s eyes were sparkling. As for her parents; her father was barely maintaining his composure from the excitement in his heart while her mother didn''t react much.


    Although she knew of her husband''s affairs and understood a little about the Paranormal Society, she only had a surface understanding of it.


    As he felt greatly satisfied with the man''s sincerity, Hiro asked for his name.


    The man hurriedly introduced himself, "My name is Theo, this is my wife Sheba, and that''s our daughter, Bella."


    He didn''t only introduce himself, he also introduced his family as a gesture of goodwill.


    Hiro nodded and his voice echoed in the underground parking lot, "Babylon."


    "Alright, alright¡­ So, are you willing to go on an expedition with my team? We''ve already formed an alliance with a few other families and factions, and the exploration is almost over. However, I''m afraid that¡­"


    Hiro''s voice interrupted him, "You''re afraid they''ll stab you in the back for short-term profit."


    Theo didn''t deny it, and he smiled. "That''s right, I really don''t trust those bastards¡ªnot one bit."


    Hiro was curious, "Aren''t you afraid that someone will target your family while you''re out on the expedition?"


    Theo was a little surprised.


    "Ah, you probably don''t have any family members or loved ones¡­ Actually, exploring the New World could be seen as a burden carried by humans collectively. It''s something the Big Three advocate for, and anyone who crosses the bottom line to hinder the exploration is simply asking for death.


    "Although all is fair in love and war, that''s limited to the lawless New World, so no one will touch your relatives if you''re risking your life on the other side for the betterment of humanity."


    A scoff was heard echoing all around.


    In Hiro''s opinion, this is nothing more than sheer hypocrisy. However, no matter how hypocritical this seems, even though everyone knows it in their hearts, having a bottom line is still better than having nothing at all.


    Even if that bottom line is blurry, even if it was just an illusion¡ªas long as people believed it to exist, it existed.


    Hiro was impatient, so he told Theo a password. This password will be used to make it easier to identify one another on the PARA app.


    Hiro decided to open a private thread on the app and keep it active 24/7, and only those with the password could enter the thread to contact him actively.


    Theo tried to advise Hiro against keeping his account active to prevent tracking, tracing, and hacking attempts from hostile Paranormals.


    However, Hiro simply refused and said that everything would be fine.


    Helpless, Theo could only give up on convincing Hiro and say goodbye.


    Watching them leaving the underground parking lot, Hiro finally had the chance to immerse himself in the new spell: Infinite Sword Matrix.


    ¡­


    A while later, he opened his eyes in shock.


    Although he had his guess about the universal prefix, he was still surprised by the limits of its applications.


    One can use any sort of energy with the consciousness as a catalyst to create flying swords, but the quality of these swords still depends on the energy used.


    For example, if he used his current Origin Soul Spirit Qi to create the swords, their destructive capabilities would surpass that of his Sorcerer''s elemental-attributed spiritual energy.


    Also, it was called "Infinite" because each sword had a limit as to how much energy it could contain, though in terms of volume, not density or quantity.


    This drawback is compensated for by the flexibility of continuously creating more swords as long as the consciousness and reserves of energy can handle the strain. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    However, both Hiro''s High Sorcerer and Origin Soul characters had their respective preset abilities in accordance with the game.


    Even if he learned the Infinite Sword Matrix, those characters can''t use it¡ªnot in-game nor in real life.


    Hiro could only rely on their high realm and comprehension abilities to learn the spells for his real body to use, but nothing more.


    Similarly, although Hiro could gain inspiration from the games he played, he couldn''t replicate those abilities in real life with his main body.


    For example, he used the Legend of Babylon''s lore to increase his understanding of the Sorcerer''s Guide to the Five Elements.


    After he learned the Infinite Sword Matrix with the help of his current synchronization, Hiro stepped out and disappeared.


    He silently returned to his mansion, intending to grind the Legend of Babylon with the increased time dilation feature.


    Since the following day was a Sunday, Hiro decided to stick to his earlier commitment and spend the entire day grinding his levels in the game.


    Although he was tempted to go searching for Natali to accept a new interpersonal mission or use the key to enter the New World, he still beat down his impatience and decided to put the long-term goal in mind.


    Many of his future plans relied on the key step of completing the Legend of Babylon''s storyline.


    His company''s first VR game, the Fantasy Crystal, and his future as a Paranormal.


    Thus, for the entire day on Sunday, other than eating and three hours of workout in the indoor gym facilities, Hiro spent the day locked up in his study.


    Of course, everyone else simply assumed that he was busy handling his company''s matters and overworking himself to the bone.

 Chapter 42: Consequences

    "Teacher Aiya is on an emergency leave, so I''ll be your stand-in teacher for the foreseeable future," said the male teacher who surprised the classroom with his entry.


    Well, Hiro wasn''t surprised, as Teacher Aiya''s matters weren''t something to be handled in a day or two. As the new teacher introduced himself, Hiro ignored him completely.


    To Hiro, this teacher was just a background character with a limited presence in his life, and it wouldn''t be long before he faded into obscurity once more.


    Thus, he activated his {Go to School} option and zoned out, filtering out anything and everything that wasn''t related to his studies.


    ¡­


    "This can''t go on, school is too boring," Hiro complained to Elvin in the cafeteria during their lunch break.


    Elvin was too busy with his stomach and its needs for the moment, and so he didn''t even bother with Hiro''s usual complaints.


    "Oh," Hiro suddenly recalled something and opened his bag, pulling out a rectangular box before passing it over to Elvin.


    "Take this," he said, removing the wrappings to reveal the case of a high-quality smartphone.


    Elvin was shocked and put his utensils aside as he looked at Hiro in disbelief. "What do you mean by ''take this''? Is this for me?"


    Hiro rolled his eyes. "If not you, then who else? I''ve already secured my spot in our Soccer Club''s Group B team, so I need someone to take photos and videos of me on the field."


    Elvin was stunned. "You bought me a new phone just to take photos and videos of you playing soccer?"


    He didn''t believe it; he wouldn''t believe it even if someone beat him to death.


    However, Hiro didn''t need Elvin to believe him. He didn''t lack this bit of money.


    Moreover, he truly felt that Elvin was rather pitiful.


    He said, "Don''t think that this job is easy. I''m telling you, you''ll be my personal cameraman in the future when I do big things. For example, I''ll be doing outdoor street soccer streams, and if I become an internet celebrity, you''ll have to take the role of my manager; just take this as an upfront payment."


    Of course, Hiro had no such plans. It was just an excuse to make the pill easier to swallow.


    Elvin wasn''t an idiot, and he quickly saw through Hiro''s intentions. He was so excited his face flushed red, but he was still hesitant to accept it.


    It took a lot of persuasion on Hiro''s side before Elvin finally nodded his head and took the case. He started unboxing the phone right there and then.


    Everything was included inside the packaging, including a SIM card.


    After spending the remaining time of the lunch break configuring the operating system of the phone, Elvin downloaded the iMessage app, registered an account, and immediately added Hiro as his first friend.


    Hiro accepted gladly, relishing the addition of five achievement points. With that out of the way, both of them returned to class in a brighter mood when the bell chimed.


    Elvin didn''t even care that he hadn''t gotten the opportunity to finish his meal; he was busy downloading his favorite games.


    Well, they were Marcus'' favorite games, but Elvin had no choice but to play the same games as that dude, which ultimately led to them both liking the same genre of games.


    The rest of the school day proceeded normally, and in no time at all, it was time for the club activities.


    Hiro was looking forward to the club''s activity today since he got his wingman on his side for the day, but something unexpected happened.


    Well, Hiro should have expected it to happen when three upperclassmen from the sophomore year approached him.


    They ''politely'' asked Hiro to follow them back to someplace, and for convenience, they showed him a photo.


    Yup, it was a picture of Hiro and Teacher Aiya standing under her apartment building on the street.


    "You''ve really picked the right time and place to act," Hiro looked around. At the moment, those who hadn''t left school yet were probably busy with their respective club activities.


    Hiro expected a backlash from getting involved in Teacher Aiya''s matters, but he hadn''t expected to reel in some delinquents in his net.


    Hiro smiled. "I wonder, it doesn''t seem like this matter has Broski behind it, so who is your master?"


    One of the three yelled in a low voice, taking a threatening step forward. "Don''t talk too much! Just follow us obediently, little guy."


    Hiro gave him the side eye, not bothering to respond at all. Observing his silence, the leader of the group frowned and said, "Must we drag you there by force? It won''t look pretty, it won''t feel pretty, and it definitely won''t leave you looking pretty. Think twice."


    Hiro looked up and said dismissively, "You''re not worthy."


    "You¡­"


    The hot-tempered guy lashed out with his eyes wide open, but before he could act, Hiro''s left hand reached for his scalp, grabbed a tuff of his hair, and pulled his head down at a speed he couldn''t react to.


    Bang! Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Two heads collided, and while Hiro''s hairstyle was a little ruffled up, the upperclassman''s eyes shook and rolled back before he slumped to the ground, unconscious and drooling.


    Hiro had to regulate his strength so as not to cause any fractures or leave an open wound, but the guy wouldn''t wake up for a couple of hours.


    The other two were shocked speechless for a moment. Then, the leader of the group creased his brows and looked at Hiro warily.


    "You don''t know what trouble you''ve got yourself into, you should have just tagged along obediently. Do you really think Rosaline and Bella can protect you in this school if some people want you hurting?"


    Hiro scoffed and responded with the same, indifferent line, "Who do you think you are? Threatening me? Are you worthy?"


    Even as he spoke, Hiro moved closer to the two sophomore upperclassmen. At that moment, his aura was off the charts, and he didn''t seem to care about them at all.


    "Move aside or you''ll end up like him," Hiro spoke lightly, then moved through the gap between the two, deliberately bumping shoulders and sending them back a few steps.


    It was a blatant display of strength.


    They gritted their teeth.


    "Hiro, is it? Just obediently wait for death to come, little guy."


    "This isn''t over yet, little guy. You deserve whatever is coming your way, there''s be no room for regret once this is over."


    ¡­


    Hiro ignored their words, but he was feeling very good inside. Aiming for Broski at the moment might be too far-fetched a fantasy, but that didn''t mean he couldn''t break down other, smaller groups.


    As he thought about it, he pulled out his phone and sent a message to Arabella, asking her to buy a nightclub and leave the General Manager''s spot vacant.


    He already had a candidate in mind for that position, which was naturally Natali.


    After sending the message, Hiro went to the male''s locker room to change into his sports outfit.


    "Eh? Am I that late?" Hiro noticed that there wasn''t a soul to be spotted in the locker room when he entered.


    Hiro''s brows creased. "That''s not right, the lockers were barely touched, let alone opened¡­ Weird, is today''s activity canceled?"


    As Hiro was muttering to himself, he heard the door creaking open from down the hallway, accompanied by ridicule and laughter.


    "Haha, it''s so satisfying to have blackmail material on your teacher. They can''t even say a word even if you beat ''em half to death."


    "It all depends on what blackmail you have on what person. If the humiliation is much greater than the backlash from the blackmail, then you''re asking for trouble."


    "Don''t worry, if Tobby thinks it''s blackmail material, then it''s definitely something diabolical. What a pity, we were so close to getting our hands on some Aiya blackmail stuff, that woman is a fine piece."


    "It''s all that freshman''s fault; he really thinks he''s all that just because he''s some handsome nerd with soccer skills. Let''s see how he plays after we break his legs."


    "Hahaha!"


    "Hahaha!"


    "Hahaha!"


    ¡­


    Hiro understood. It seems like they forced the coach to cancel today''s activities just to deal with his matter.


    After figuring out the situation, Hiro brought up his left wrist and said, "Connect to the surveillance cameras and every electronic device in this building to censor all recording features."


    A synthesized female voice responded, "Done!"


    Then, Hiro dragged a steel chair to place it in the middle of the room, crossed one leg over the other, and clasped his hands with his fingers interlocking.


    He patiently waited, but he didn''t have to wait so long. The laughter was getting closer and closer.


    Soon, a group of thirteen people entered the locker room, some carrying metal pipes, pliers, wooden bats, and ropes.


    The boy following right after the one in the lead was the upperclassman who intercepted Hiro''s way earlier, and he silently made a throat-cutting gesture at Hiro.


    Hiro smirked; instead of replying, he simply moved his lips to mouth the words.


    Are you worthy?

 Chapter 43: Bloody Mess

    Disclaimer: This chapter contains excessive violence; read at your own discretion!


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª?


    The upperclassman was hopping mad, but before he could act, the leading student waved him off and looked at Hiro.


    His gaze was condescending and cold, as though he was facing a dead man.


    As for Hiro, he was genuinely confused at the moment.


    All of this couldn''t have possibly escaped Broski''s notice, right? Is he testing me or trying to teach me a lesson? Is this some sort of intimidation tactic?


    Hiro couldn''t figure it out, and he decided not to think too much about it.


    He stood up from his seat¡ªHiro already remembered the faces of everyone who entered the room.


    Thus, before they could act all pompous and cool in front of him, Hiro''s body spun clockwise as he gripped the iron chair tightly and flung it at the group.


    He didn''t care who was the unlucky fellow who got hit by the chair first.


    Shocked, the group of students hurriedly dodged in a scramble, but those in the back barely had any time to react when they saw the chair whizzing over.


    Crash!


    The chair smashed into someone''s chest, knocking the air out of their lungs as they lay on the ground, writhing in pain.


    "Kill this motherfucker!" S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    No one knew who shouted first, but the remaining twelve rushed over, their eyes red with anger and a sliver of colorless panic.


    "Hey, don''t rip my uniform!"


    Hiro exclaimed, easily dodging a fruit knife¡ªthat somewhat surprised him, he hadn''t expected someone to be so foolish as to bring a knife to a brawl between high school students.


    After dodging, he swung his foot to ring the chime for some sweet chin music, but what sounded was a faint crack of a jaw getting dislocated.


    A trace of ruthlessness flashed in Hiro''s eyes as the fruit knife flipped in the air. He reached out to grab the knife, moving it with a beautiful arc that slashed down on its former holder''s delicate face.


    Skin split apart and blood flowed, soliciting a horrified shriek that disrupted the rhythm of the students.


    Careful not to get any blood on his body and clothes, Hiro moved through the students, giving each of them an identical cut to the face that went away with their right eyes.


    Soon, twelve students were on the ground in a pool of blood, and Hiro carefully stepped over their backs to avoid getting his shoes stained as he approached the supposed leader of the group.


    He smiled and said, "Which eye of yours saw what happened?"


    The upperclassman was horrified, his face drained of all colors as he stepped back in fear until he bumped into the concrete wall.


    "I¡­ I¡­ I didn''t see anything¡­ L-look! There''s a surveillance camera right there!"


    In his panic, the student immediately remembered that the facilities were equipped with cameras¡ªhe immediately caught onto this lifeline.


    Hiro was nonplussed as he said, "Do you think I care about some cameras at this point? Since you can''t answer clearly, I''ll help you out."


    "No! No! No! Wait, wait, wait, wait¡­"


    Slash! Splurge!


    A shrill scream echoed in the closed locker room as the upperclassman fell to his knees, his hands covering both his eyes as blood spilled through his fingertips.


    Hiro looked over at the guy who was hit by the chair at the beginning of the fight. He lay there motionless, head in his crotch, and he didn''t dare to look up.


    Hiro smiled as he asked, "Did you see anything? Hear anything?"


    The student shook violently, but he didn''t dare let out a beep. Hiro nodded in satisfaction as he said, "You have a bright future ahead of you, little guy."


    As he spoke, the fruit knife in his hand caught fire, getting reduced to sparkling cinders that fluttered toward the ventilation unit above.


    Sighing, Hiro walked out of the locker room, careful not to leave any fingerprints or footprints behind.


    It was a very simple application of wind sorcery, creating a pressure buffer between his feet and the floor as he walked out.


    Hiro didn''t care how the school handled the aftermath of what just happened, this whole mess would fall into the hands of whoever cared about it.


    Soon, Hiro found himself in Sebastian''s car, driving back to the mansion.


    Sebastian didn''t ask why Hiro didn''t go to his club activities for the day, as that wasn''t within the scope of his job.


    As curious as he was, Sebastian silently brought Hiro back to the mansion.


    "Prepare the car tonight, I''m heading out to A-Club for some matters," Hiro said to Sebastian as he left the car.


    With his current wealth, buying a nightclub wasn''t a strain on his budget. However, he needed to understand the underlying rules and hidden dangers of directly buying a club within an established syndicate territory.


    Hiro knew that the matter was far from a simple buy-and-sell deal and the signing of some contracts.


    Even in his former world, underground organizations valued territory the most, let alone in this one.


    As Hiro stepped into his master bedroom to prepare a casual set of clothes for tonight, his phone buzzed with a notification.


    Looking at it, Hiro smiled wordlessly. It was a mention from Mr. Monocle in the Den of Syndicates group.


    [Mr. Monocle]: @Little Boss what do you think you''re doing?!


    [Little Boss]: ???


    [Mr. Monocle]: Don''t play dumb with me, boy.


    [Little Boss]: Do I need to play dumb with someone like you? Who do you think you are? Are you even worthy? If you have something to say, just say it.


    [Mr. Monocle]: Seems like you really think you''re something big now, huh? It was you who disfigured the group of students in the locker room, wasn''t it?


    [Little Boss]: Which eye of yours saw me doing that?


    ¡­


    In a dimly lit room private room, Mr. Monocle saw the message and furrowed his brows.


    The boy seated next to him saw the message, and his entire body shook uncontrollably.


    "It''s him! It''s definitely him, boss! You have to take revenge for our brothers!"


    He could barely contain the horror in his voice, to the point where he hunched over to the other side and puked¡ªthe stench of blood still lingering in his nostrils.


    ¡­


    In the group chat, Mr. Monocle mentioned a few other users in the group. Meanwhile, Hiro muted the chat and tossed his phone to the side.


    "What a waste of time. Ei, just hack everyone in the group and get me their information. I''m done playing this game."


    His quantum watch''s artificial intelligence, named Ei by Hiro, responded with the affirmation.


    In this digital age of information, a quantum watch was like bringing a nuclear weapon in a street fight.


    While Ei did the investigation, Hiro slipped out of his school uniform and went to take a shower.


    With the chat on mute, Hiro no longer bothered with it. After his shower, he went to the study, shut himself in, and continued playing Legend of Babylon.


    He was very close to the endgame, and judging from the plot progression, the maximum level of his character is going to be level 75.


    In a sense, his power level would be somewhere between Tier-4 and Tier-3.


    Although it was a pity, Hiro also understood the system could only get him so far.


    After thinking for a while, Hiro uploaded more data to the research institute''s cloud, speeding up their research process at a matching pace to his plot progression.


    He hoped that by the time he finished the game, the new technology would be ready for mass production.


    If the timeline was right, the completion of the technology, the completion of the game, the quarterly dividend from Nebula Electronics, and the completion of his high-priority mission would coincide.


    Then, it would be much simpler to put his plans in motion; from his premature graduation to fixing a time to join Theo on his expedition.


    By the time they made it back from the expedition, the new technology would have penetrated the market already.


    Hiro was looking forward to these developments, and perhaps it was his excessive enthusiasm, but he progressed much faster in completing the chain quests.


    Before he left for the A-Club, Hiro also entered the Transcendent Daoist game for the daily dual cultivation sessions.


    Now, he had a total of four dual cultivation partners, and all of them had a higher cultivation realm than himself.


    Hiro even doubted that no matter what, all his partners would maintain a higher cultivation base than himself.


    Perhaps, the system designed the game this way to help him.


    In any case, Hiro wasn''t about to complain about it since his cultivation was indeed improving at a much faster rate.


    Soon, it was dark outside, and Hiro left the mansion to find Sebastian waiting for him by the car.


    Wordlessly, Hiro entered the car with Sebastian''s help, then the car drove off into the entertainment center where A-Club was located.

 Chapter 44: Identity Crisis

    The moment Hiro entered the A-Club through the front door, he immediately commanded Ei to hack the cloud server and search for all materials related to him.


    The last time he was here, he killed someone.


    Although Hiro was positive that nothing of the sort was kept on files, Hiro wanted to be 100% safe.


    Not only the cloud but also the wi-fi network and all devices connected to it, not limited to mobile phones and laptops.


    It was a clean, monumental sweep that lasted for 30 minutes before Ei reported to Hiro that it had indeed found images and videos that could be used as evidence against him.


    "Gather information on everyone who had evidence on me before you delete all of it, don''t leave anything behind," Hiro spoke into his Bluetooth earpiece.


    To make things convenient, he had Ei infiltrate into his smartphone and replace the standard Siri.


    This is far less conspicuous than Hiro talking directly to his watch, and it would draw less attention.


    Ei immediately took action, sent the files to Hiro''s private cloud server, and went silent.


    "What are you doing here?" Hiro was resting his chin on his palm as he leaned into the bar counter, reminiscing in thoughts.


    Then, he felt a tap on his shoulder as a familiar sound echoed in his ear. Turning around, he noticed that it was indeed Natali.


    Hiro smiled, but he didn''t say anything.


    First, he tentatively activated his interpersonal missions feature and waited for the blue halo to scan a radius of 10 meters around himself.


    Hiro''s eyes glittered. As expected, there was a mission indicator above Natali, and it was a normal difficulty mission.


    From his experience, normal difficulties can be fast or slow, depending on his involvement in the mission.


    He could direct the mission from the shadows and allow the mission''s target to go through the motions, or he could help them actively and finish the mission much faster.


    Unlike the last time, Hiro planned to take part in this mission directly, finishing it as soon as possible.


    Without hesitation, he accepted the mission and waited for the information from the system.


    [Mission Target: Natali


    Mission Difficulty: Normal


    Mission Briefing: As the child of a former small-time gang leader, she was raised as a natural-born syndicate, grasping the secrets of the trade from a young age.


    Fortunately or unfortunately, she had always been a secret child¡ªwhile this provided her with an amulet to guard her life, it also removed the reservations of her father''s enemies; they thought him to be a no-family man, which led to his death. Help Natali establish a foothold in the Syndicate Society, all in preparation for her future quest for vengeance.


    ¡­


    Hiro''s thoughts shifted and he said, "I have a job proposition for you; I''m buying a nightclub nearby, but I need someone who understands the trade to run things around in my absence."


    Although the music was blasting loudly in the surroundings, Natali was already focused on Hiro and she was somewhat adept at reading lips.


    Thus, she quickly understood the meaning behind Hiro''s words.


    Her eyes flashed, and a smile adorned her face as she said, "You think it''s that easy to enter this circle? I''ll tell you what, if your nightclub is open after three days of the handover procedures, give me a call."


    She then tipped her finger into Hiro''s drink and wrote her number on the counter.


    She knew how good Hiro''s memory was and thus, she quickly wiped the number away with a napkin using her dry hand, brushing her other hand''s wet finger across Hiro''s bottom lip with a wink.


    Turning around, Natali quickly returned to serving the other patrons in the nightclub, leaving Hiro behind shaking his head.


    "She must think that I''m joking," Hiro laughed. Then, he saved the number and got up, preparing to leave.


    At this moment, someone else tapped his shoulder. Looking back, Hiro raised an eyebrow. "Fred? Can I help you?"


    It was the cold man in black. Hiro didn''t know why he came to find him, but he guessed it must be related to Mr. Monocle and the bullshit in the chat group.


    "Come with me, someone wants to see you," Fred said.


    Hiro turned around, gave Fred the side eye, and started to swirl the liquor in his one-shot glass with a nonplussed expression.


    Hiro said in a bored tone, "Well, whoever that is, tell them I still have some time on my hands. They can come and talk."


    If he was planning to slowly climb the ranks under Broski, Hiro might have acted polite and patient with Fred.


    However, now that he had greater things waiting for him, such as exploring the New World, he was no longer in the mood to entertain these little games.


    Fred was stunned for a moment, not knowing how to respond. Then, he remembered that the kid in front of him was someone who dared to kill without batting an eye, and after a moment of internal struggle, Fred decided against making a scene in the open.


    Nodding his head silently, Fred moved to a quiet corner before touching the Bluetooth earpiece in his left ear, saying something into the microphone.


    The disco lights reflected off the golden liquor and onto Hiro''s face. Time passed, and a few minutes later, the blasting music slowly went silent.


    It was unknown when, but people started flowing out from the nightclub in small groups of twos and threes, followed by batches of people.


    However, no one dared to ask or complain.


    Pretty quickly, other than the DJ and security, only the hosts, waiters, and waitresses were left in the club''s main hall.


    Even then, those people left the hall through the staff-designated exit¡ªsome looking over their shoulders, their eyes on the solitary figure seated by the bar counter, swirling the wine glass in his left hand without a care for the world.


    Footfalls sounded, light yet crisp, and someone approached Hiro from the side and took a seat next to him.


    Hiro looked over, and he was greeted by the face of a masked man in a white suit. He had a buzz-cut hairstyle, the big dipped constellation carved onto the side of his head.


    Without a word, he reached for Hiro''s one-shot glass; it was full and untouched.


    Hiro doesn''t drink alcohol; he ordered the drink out of courtesy for the business.


    Thus, he didn''t even bother resisting when the man took his drink and chugged it down in one gulp.


    Hiro said faintly, "Just a reminder, It''s probably poisoned."


    The man had yet to swallow the contents of the cup¡ªhe hurriedly turned to the side and spat out the golden liquor, coughing violently.


    Then, he heard Hiro say, "After second thought, it''s probably okay. I wouldn''t poison you; you''re not worthy."


    The man was angry. A vein bulged on his forehead, and he smashed the glass cup on the ground before he stood up in rage and slammed his hand on the counter.


    Bang!


    The counter shook violently.


    "Do you know what trouble you caused for me? Do you how difficult it will be to gather willing delinquents in the future? Don''t you think you''ve gone too far, boy?"


    "Did I now?" Hiro finally spared the masked man a glance, but he shook his head. "I don''t know what you''re talking about, I was resting at home when suddenly, everyone is saying I crossed some line."


    Hiro turned his body slightly, and before anyone could react, he grabbed the masked man by his jacket''s collar before bringing his face onto the table.


    Bang!


    "Urgh!" The masked man grunted in pain, anchored his hands on the counter, and tried to push back to wrench himself free.


    Alas, it was pointless; he felt as though a mountain was pressing on his back.


    Sounds of guns clocking and safety buttons getting removed were heard. However, the man was scared someone might shoot him by accident and so he yelled for them to put their guns down.


    When the man stopped struggling, Hiro met his quivering eyes and asked, "And what fucking line am I supposed to have crossed? Which eye of yours saw me crossing the line?"


    Hearing Hiro''s words, the man seemed to have recalled something. His body trembled visibly, and his voice carried an undertone of fear as he said, "Hiro, don''t go too far! Careful not to meet with some unwanted incident, or maybe the authorities might come knocking on your door some morning!"


    He was blatantly reminding Hiro of their blackmail material on him. He expected Hiro to retreat, but he was fated to be disappointed.


    "Are you threatening me?" Hiro asked, his voice low and cold.


    Unknowingly, bloodlust oozed out from his eyes, violence radiating from his being.


    With the time dilation feature, it''s not an exaggeration to say that Hiro had spent more time in-game when compared to the real world.


    He almost couldn''t distinguish between his persona in the Legend of Babylon and his persona in the real world¡ªthis was a true identity crisis.


    Although Hiro saw the danger of excessive immersion in the simulation world, he was too impatient to finish the game as soon as possible, resulting in some deviation from his real-life temperament.


    Hiro was this close to plucking out the masked man''s eyes when someone yelled.


    "Boss! We''ve lost the materials! We lost everything!"


    Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 45: Myriad Evils and the Unfathomable

    That shout disrupted the thoughts of both men.


    When Hiro came back to his senses, he realized that he was holding a steel fork a hair''s width away from the masked man''s eye.


    As for the masked man, his eye was wide open, his pupil dilating in shock and fear.


    For a moment, he saw blood and an all-encompassing darkness.


    Clang!


    The fork fell, dispelling the frightening silence that enveloped his being. He breathed easy once more, and he didn''t even care that Hiro slapped his face three times as though patting a disobedient pet.


    "Let me be honest with you," Hiro sighed in resignation. "I don''t care about you, I don''t care about Broski, and I don''t care about your little games in the school. If you see me walking over in the future, just pretend that you took the wrong path and walk away. Alright?"


    At this point, Hiro noticed the danger in his mental state, and he didn''t want to waste his time on these people anymore.


    He already had a preliminary guess on how to handle the current problem. However, he needed to return home first.


    From the corner on the upper floor of the main hall, Natali and a few other workers watched the scene play out in shock.


    One of the waitresses approached Natali and whispered, "How come you didn''t tell us he''s so fierce?"


    Natali had yet to recover from her own shock.


    Then, she recalled that Hiro owed her a favor from back then. Although she took it as a silly joke at first, she didn''t think of it as a joke anymore.


    Perhaps, this little guy¡­ Suddenly, Natali felt herself anticipating the call from Hiro.


    Hiro released his grip on the masked man, stood up, and walked away at a leisurely pace.


    The masked man wanted to control Hiro and ask him to stop, but he quickly remembered what the bodyguard had told him.


    He quickly fished out his phone and sent out a string of messages¡ªit was impossible for them to lose the materials.


    They were kept in a secure cloud network with a randomly generated password¡ªthis password would be split into four different segments and sent to four random people on the upper levels of the group.


    Only when someone gathers all four segments can they view the cloud network''s content; it was limited to viewing, though.


    Editing, adding, and deleting files was something beyond his scope of knowledge.


    How can someone delete blackmail material from there? Although he found it difficult to believe, it was better to confirm it himself rather than waste his time on Hiro.


    As Hiro expected, no one followed him out from the A-Club. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He immediately asked Sebastian to drive him back to the mansion. While the butler felt that something was wrong with his employer, he followed the instructions without delay.


    Like that, Hiro canceled his plans to visit the nightclub he planned to acquire.


    ¡­


    Inside the study room, Hiro''s mansion.


    Leaning back into his chair, Hiro checked the time; the night was still young.


    After calming down his straying thoughts, Hiro entered the simulation space once again, but he chose to enter the Transcendent Daoist game this time.


    Although he couldn''t do anything other than sit and cultivate in this game, Hiro needed the peaceful and tranquil air of that solitary cave dwelling the most right now.


    Inside the game, hours turned into days as Hiro calmly meditated. Hiro had the option to meditate in real life with the {Concentration} spell, but he still chose this option.


    For the following few days, Hiro applied for a leave of absence from the school and withdrew from all activities, keeping himself either in the study, the dining hall, or the bedroom.


    With Arabella''s hypnotic abilities, Hiro felt at ease at giving her full rein on the acquisition of a nightclub.


    Even if she faced trouble from the syndicates, money and a little bit of hypnosis would solve the problem.


    Then, he also provided her with Natali''a contact information and worked as a mediator in-between, facilitating the recruitment.


    With those two working together to prop up the nightclub, Hiro could finally relax and continue focusing on his mental state and completing the game.


    Of course, Arabella still asked him to name the nightclub on the opening day.


    After some thought, Hiro settled on "Myriad Evils" as the nightclub''s name.


    ¡­


    Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, the spring break was closing in.


    On this day, Hiro capped at level 70 in the Legend of Babylon, completing the game''s plot.


    As an Arcana Lord, he was comparable to a Tier-4 Paranormal, but only during the synchronization period.


    [Notice: You''ve completed the hidden mission, "Invincibility? It''s just a dream!"


    Reward: 30 gems]


    [Notice: You''ve completed the "Legend of Babylon" main story.


    Reward 1: Legend of Babylon Source Code


    Reward 2: 10,000 achievement points.]


    [Notice: You can now activate the {Fantasy Crystal} when the requirements are met.


    You''ve met the requirement of having completed one game.


    You''ve met the requirements of owning a set of coordinates for an anchor.]


    [Notice: Do you wish to activate the {Fantasy Crystal}?]


    ¡­


    A load of information entered Hiro''s mind the moment he defeated Babylon and occupied the celestial throne.


    Though the battle was intense, Hiro knew in his heart that Babylon was nerfed in the simulation space.


    What Hiro paid most attention to was the so-called anchor for his immaterial dimension.


    Having bound the dimensional key to his system, once he used it to enter the pocket dimension coordinates reward by the system, it was added to his list of anchor points options.


    Although Hiro had yet to explore that place for all its worth, Hiro was confident in the system''s customer service and thus, he chose the dimension as an anchor point without hesitation.


    [Notice: Please designate a name for the immaterial dimension.]


    Hiro was a little surprised as he asked, "Is choosing a name that necessary? After all, it''s immaterial¡­"


    [Notice: Names carrry a lot of weight in the realms of faith energy, so please be careful when encountering symbolism when dealing with faith and deities in the future.]


    Hiro understood, and after thinking for a while, he settled on choosing a name that would represent both his immaterial dimension and his secret organization in the Paranormal Society.


    Especially in the new world.


    "The Unfathomable."


    ¡­


    Hiro opened his eyes in the study and exhaled with a tired expression.


    At long last, he could set his plans in motion and finish that high-priority mission with peace of mind.


    Hiro opened his phone and saw that it was early in the morning; students must be on their way to school for now.


    He sent Jodi a simple message to start the operation before he sent him dense files of information on every delinquent in the school.


    Well, every delinquent that could be described as the head of a clique.


    At the same time, he sent even larger files to Broski and his immediate underlings from his Little Boss account, adding a little bit of a warning at the end.


    From this point onwards, Inter-High was his territory.


    Jobi would claim the credits and act like the new Broski in the school; with the materials he has in hand and the support from Hiro behind the scenes, everything was set to go.


    By the end of today''s school hours, the delinquent circles of the school would shift greatly.


    Another thing that bothered Hiro a little was that Teacher Aiya had yet to return to the school¨Cit had been almost two weeks since she requested for emergency leave.


    All of that aside, Hiro sent a similar message to Arabella after he transferred the Nebula Electronics dividend from his personal account to the company''s account.


    He gave her the green light to start the aggressive expansion plan, acquiring game development teams, production factories, software engineers, and announcing the successful development of the S-gear VR capsule technology.


    By the time all of that was done with, Hiro heard Ei''s synthesized voice. "The game''s source code is ready for use, Master. Do you wish to make any changes?"


    "Yes," Hiro answered without hesitation. "Change the game''s name and everything related to ''Babylon'' in the lore, make it ''The Seeker''s Legend'' instead."


    Hiro would rather the game be called The Seeker''s Legend. This way, no one would have the slightest suspicion about his Babylon identity in the future.


    If his identity was exposed thanks to one game, Hiro might as well kill himself.


    Ei responded with the affirmative, quickly editing the game''s data. With Ei''s capabilities, even a subpar game development team would be capable of replicating the game.


    After all, they would have the help of a futuristic quantum computer in secret.


    However, Hiro knew that the revelation of the new S-gear technology is about to shake not one, but multiple industries.


    Thankfully, the Sciatis Holdings Limited has the shade of a large umbrella like Nebula Electronics behind it, so it would most likely weather this storm.


    As for outsourcing production? The technology would only be announced after the acquisition of the factories, so Hiro wasn''t at all worried.


    At the moment, he was looking forward to the completion of his high-priority mission at the end of the day.


    Also¡­ Hiro smiled, waiting to see how the five behemoths of the gaming hardware industry are going to react.

 Chapter 46: Little Boss High Priority Mission Rewards

    [Notice: Congratulations, you''ve completed your second high-priority mission!


    [Mission Briefing: A true leader doesn''t have to personally take action, especially when the arena is in the shadowy corners. Although your approach was unorthodox, your outside the box thinking allowed you to complete the mission in record time, exceeding the system''s expectations!


    [Mission Rating: Excellent.


    [Reward 1: 50 gems.


    [Reward 2: 1x Game Voucher.


    [Reward 3: 10,000 Achievement Points.


    [Reward 4: Book of Revelations - Divination Chapter.]


    ¡­


    As expected, the rewards were far less grand than the first high-priority mission completed.


    Well, the divination chapter was something new, but Hiro wasn''t in a hurry to figure it out.


    At the moment, he had 85 gems and over 20,000 achievement points, which was a great haul in and of itself.


    It seems that the standard reward is gems, points, and a game voucher. Hiro thought to himself and asked, "Are all games capped to the equivalent of Tier-4 power level?"


    [Notice: Games purchased through achievement points aren''t restricted to this power level.]


    Hiro asked another question, "What determines the level of restriction?"


    [Notice: Your native world doesn''t tolerate¡ªor rather can''t accommodate power levels above the stipulated limit.]


    In other words, the limit of power in this world was the lowest rank of Tier-4.


    Despite the nourishment from other dimensions for thousands of years, this limit seemed to be the peak of this world.


    Was this the main drive behind exploring the New World? Are the Big Three searching for a place that could accommodate their power?


    The more Hiro thought about it, the more he felt like it made sense.


    Expectantly, Hiro brought up his Legend of Babylon''s character details.


    [Seeker: Hiro


    Level: 70


    Gold: 187,432,213.


    Class: Mage.


    Job: Arcana Lord.


    Spells: Concentration, Inferno Storm, Water Vacuum, Earthquake, Hurricane, Thunderbolt, Enchantment, Hymn of Protection, Meteor Shower, Siphon, Curse, Wood Healing, Water Healing, Bad Omen, Ash Fog, Blizzard, Astral Protection, Omniscient Vision, Instant Teleportation, Advanced Elemental Mastery, Inverse Nova.]


    ¡­


    As expected, Babylon''s ultimate offensive spell¡ªInverse Nova, was learned by him.


    All of these spells were rewards from the War Priest, and if Hiro wanted to learn more spells with greater diversity, he would need to visit the side quests and chain quests.


    Unfortunately, Hiro wasn''t that interested since these spells had no quantitative influence on Hiro in the real world.


    However, here comes the next issue.


    What game shins he get next? Also, how to spend the gems and achievement points?


    The system shop offered him almost everything, which made choosing even harder.


    As for the gems, Hiro was torn between saving them for the lottery or using them to improve the spirit array in the cave dwelling.


    "Forget it¡­ Since I can''t develop for now, then I won''t make a choice."


    Shaking his head, Hiro stood up and stretched in the study. He opened the PARA app on his watch and sent a message to his private thread with Theo.


    [Babylon]: I''m ready.


    Then, he checked the time and muttered to himself, "It''s about time for the press conference. Ei, show me the live broadcast for the S-technology press conference."


    "Affirmative," Ei''s voice echoed in the study.


    A large flat screen on the wall blinked to life, and a ten seconds countdown was displayed on the colorful screen.


    10¡­ 9¡­ 8¡­


    3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­


    ¡­


    S-gear Technology Press Conference, Sciatis Holdings Conference Hall.


    Wearing a black business suit and long, conservative pants, Arabella approached the podium under the flashing lights of the camera shutters.


    Her once cascading purple hair was bundled up in an empress-style high bun, revealing her slender neck and beautiful side profile to the audience.


    Once she reached the podium with the large whiteboard in her backdrop, the reporters went silent, save for the occasional snapshots.


    Arabella smiled. "Thank you for attending the official release announcement for our newest S-gear technology. In the future, Sciatis Holdings Limited''s main industry will revolve around the digital world¡ªspecifically the gaming market.


    "With neutral conductivity as the core of our technology, the newly developed S-gear VR Capsules provide peak comfort, realistic immersion, and health care to allow our users the convenience of a prolonged gaming experience.


    "Our technology is directly connected to a secured, algorithm based cloud server to prevent cheating, hacking, or trolling in our future games¡ªyes, you heard correctly.


    "S-gear technology will develop exclusive games in the future. To prevent counterfeits, reverse engineering, and likeminded menace from proliferating the market, we specifically developed a threefold source code to be installed partially within our exclusive games, the capsule''s operating software, and the cloud network''s algorithms.


    "Even if our competitors were to reverse engineer our hardware technology, they won''t be able to replicate our progress in terms of neural conductivity. We hereby announce that our technology is ahead by at least a decade from the current VR gaming market!


    "Now, I will answer any and all relevant questions from the interested parties; corporations, patents fees, outsourcing, all of it can be discussed in the open for the world to see¡ªSciatis Holdings Limited has nothing to fear, nothing to hide¡­ and the world has nothing that can compare."


    The hall immediately exploded with shouting and raised hands.


    ¡­


    In the study, Hiro smiled brilliantly. His phone rang and he answered.


    "Haha, you''ve really surprised me, Mr. Sciatis," Hiro heard the Handler talking on the other side.


    This man was one of the few who knew of Hiro''s relationship with the Sciatis Holdings company.


    The security and privacy regulations made sure that as little information as possible trickled from the Handler to the outside world, and COC was no exception.


    They only knew that he was responsible for "Company X" but had no access to the information of his client.


    Well, the general manager of the Nexus Branch had access to this information, but such a little company won''t draw his attention yet.


    He responded faintly, "It''s just luck."


    Suddenly, Hiro got an idea on where to spend some of his points. At the moment, Arabella had the {Business Acumen III} skill, which cost him 800 points back then.


    He could further upgrade it now to increase Arabella''s abilities on the negotiation table.


    At the moment, this level of business skill isn''t sufficient to grant her a country-wide perspective on business.


    At best, level 3 skill was comparable to small business on a city or a county scale, which was insufficient to handle the upcoming negotiations with business tycoons and behemoths.


    Without hesitation, Hiro stated spending to upgrade.


    1,600 points¡­


    3,200 points¡­


    6,400 points¡­


    ¡­ S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Arabella''s skill was successfully upgraded from {Business Acumen III} to {Business Acumen VI}, costing a total amount of 11,200 points.


    Almost half of his achievement points were gone just like that, but Hiro didn''t regret it.


    Arabella''s current business acumen is sufficient for her to go toe-to-toe with international entrepreneurs on equal footing, and he could rest at ease with leaving his budding business empire in her hands.


    Hiro had 10,320 achievement points left, and he decided not to touch these points until he returned from the Odin family''s expedition.


    Hiro didn''t know that Arabella had blanked out for about five minutes, almost causing a catastrophe in the conference hall.


    Luckily, it was the open discussion segment and everyone was busy discussing in hushed voices, not paying attention to Arabella on the podium.


    "What are your plans for the future of your company, Mr. Sciatis? Do you wish to hire a business consultant from our firm?" The Handler asked politely.


    Hiro remembered that he was on a call with someone. He gathered his thoughts, went silent for a moment, then shook his head.


    "No need, I''m only interested in the banking services of the COC, and I don''t wish to get your organization entangled with my business in the future."


    If he hired their business consultant, they would get access to sensitive information of his company through god knows how many loopholes.


    At the moment, they''re only permitted to keep track of his cash flow and monetary transactions¡ªnothing more and nothing less.


    Furthermore, Hiro was confident that with Arabella''s current abilities, she was equal if not more qualified than the COC''s top business consultants in the Nexus Branch.


    Like the power tiers, the levels of professionalism in the system are separate into I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, and IX; from level 1 to level 9.


    On the other end of the call, the Handler went silent for a moment before laughing lightly.


    If it was someone else, they might have tried to persuade Hiro not to make a clear line between himself and the COC, but this Handler was a little weird.


    He didn''t try to convince Hiro, not even half heartedly, as he immediately complimented Hiro for his foresight.


    "Your company enjoys great future prospects, so your choice is the correct one¡­ Hmm, I''ll help you on my end and close all the loose ends. This way, no one will hound you from this side for your company''s shares in the future.


    "And¡­ good luck, Mr. Sciatis."


    Beep! Beep! Beep!


    The Handler hung up.


    ¡­


    Hiro looked at his phone, speechless. Shaking his head with a smile, he muttered under his breath, "This Handler is really something."


    As Hiro lamented comically, he heard Ei''s voice.


    "Master, you''ve received a reply from Mr. Odin on your private thread. The expedition team has been formed, preparing for departure after midnight."


    Hiro blinked. Their team couldn''t have been on standby just waiting for me, right? Well, it makes sense¡ªI''m too OP after all.

 Chapter 47: The Expedition

    The parking lot of a random supermarket in the Provincial Capital''s Suburbs.


    A group of masked individuals were waiting, groups of twos and threes positioned sporadically across the open area.


    Counting, there were no less than 30 Paranormals in the parking lot, and all of them waited patiently.


    "So let me get this through my head; we''ve delayed the expedition for so long just to wait for one person? And he''s not even a local, right? Am I the only one ticked off about this?"


    The one who spoke was a man with a lionfish mask, the realistic whiskers swaying about as he talked and made his dissatisfaction known.


    Theo, who was wearing a blank white mask, looked over. "You won the bid to join this expedition, but that doesn''t mean you''re the only one interested. If you want, I can refund you right now and give your spot to the runner-up. We''re not lacking this bit of strength."


    Theo''s voice was low and cold.


    The fish mask scoffed and didn''t respond, but he muttered silently, "Act all high and mighty now, just wait till we''re inside. See if I don''t teach you to be humble."


    Seeing that the troublemaker didn''t say anything anymore, Theo checked his watch for the time, feeling a little anxious.


    "Why is he so late?"


    ¡­


    Hiro wasn''t late¡ªhe was right above them, but the system had just finished updating the power levels from this world''s universal concept to an RPG leveling system.


    The update must have started ever since Hiro cleared Legend of Babylon, and it took some time for the system to gather the necessary data from all over the world.


    The current {Tier} segment on his character profile was replaced with {Level} while the {Rank} segment was replaced by an experience bar.


    Furthermore, his experience bar would increase when Hiro killed other Paranormals, as the system would automatically devour their life force and convert it into universal energy to be used by Hiro.


    It wasn''t limited to ordinary Paranormals, but the inhabitants and natives from other pocket dimensions also counted.


    Not only that, but he would also get experience points from completing interpersonal, hidden, and high-priority missions in the future.


    So, it wasn''t that Hiro was late, but he didn''t wish to reveal himself before the system''s update finished.


    "Finally," Hiro murmured as the upgrade finished. "This feels more like a gaming system, why must I follow the power system designated by the Holy Church?"


    As he was landing from the sky, Hiro checked his updated status window.


    [Name: Hiro Sciatis.


    Class: Sorcerer.


    Level: 11.


    XP: 25%


    Spells: Sorcerer''s Guide to the Five Elements, Infinite Sword Matrix.


    AP: 10,320.


    Gems: 85.


    Skills: Immersive Reading, Professional Calligraphy, Analytical Mind, Professional Combat, Professional Soccer, Espionage I.


    Properties: Sciatis Holdings Limited, 5% Nebula Electronics, 23 Production Factories, 14 Scientific Research Institutes, Myriad Evils Nightclub, The Unfathomable.


    Private Balance: 16,988,564 nexus dollars.


    Company Balance: 27.8 million international credits.]


    ¡­


    Satisfied, Hiro landed not too far from Theo.


    The moment he landed silently, Hiro restrained his divine sense and allowed others to perceive his existence and see him in the open. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Suffice it to say that his sudden appearance gave everyone a minor fright, perhaps with Theo being the sole exception.


    "Master Babylon!" Theo exclaimed from behind his mask, feeling both surprised and relieved by Hiro''s presence.


    The gentle white river and clouds of obscurity provided him with a tranquil feeling, but he knew that the person standing in front of him was a powerful master.


    Far away, the man with a lionfish mask was as equally stunned as everyone else, feeling perturbed.


    "Hey, hey, hey¡­ are you fucking kidding me right now? This is way beyond our league¡­"


    The man next to him nudged his arm and whispered, "Just keep quiet, don''t forget that Raymond also invited a powerful helper, he''s just keeping a low profile, unlike some ostentatious people who like to seek death."


    Similar hushed whispers could be heard among the other small groups, and while Theo and his small group didn''t seem to hear it, Hiro heard everything.


    It couldn''t be helped; his divine sense was too powerful at the moment, it easily encompassed the small supermarket.


    Passively too.


    It seems like Theo did the right thing by taking precautions. Luckily, I alternated between Legend of Babylon and Transcendent Daoist for the last two weeks, otherwise, I wouldn''t be able to contain my irritation and killing intent.


    "Alright everyone, I''m going to open the gate now, come closer but not too close for comfort."


    As Theo spoke, he brought out a familiar rectangular jade before he closed his eyes to focus.


    Hiro knew that Theo was mentally imprinting the coordinates into the key, unlike his sophisticated system where he could add a preset save file with the coordinates into his bounded key.


    After about half a minute of concentration, dark clouds gathered in the sky.


    Oddly, the clouds gathered in a limited area above the supermarket, not spreading the disturbance any further.


    It was as though an invisible boundary had separated them from the outside world.


    As Hiro thought to himself, a silver bolt of lightning zigzagged its way down to strike the spot a few meters away from Theo.


    Then, the lightning bolt went still, lagging in the air right before everyone''s eyes.


    From the jade, a beam of light shone onto the glitching lightning bolt, stabilizing it in space.


    Then, Hiro watched with awe as the long silver crack morphed into an elliptical portal, splitting into a wide passage with an unfamiliar scenery behind it.


    It was a gloomy canopy with dead, dry trees and noxious clouds of miasma weaving in and out of the open land.


    "Be careful once we go in," Theo explained the lore of the pocket dimension. "This used to be a Demonic Stronghold, but like locusts; these demons consumed everything this land had to offer. That was very long ago, and according to credible intelligence, mindless beasts and demonic attribute resources are abound after thousands of years of gestation.


    "Of course, the demonic miasma is corrosive and would surely cause some inconvenience to those on the weaker end of the spectrum. I hope everyone can put their focus on exploring for remnant demonic treasures, corpses, and valuable items.


    "Once we sweep through this pocket dimension, if the profits are high enough, we can request the Holy Church to purify this pocket dimension for us and we can split the territory based on individual contributions, both practical and monetary."


    After confirming that no one had any objections, Theo and his group were the first to enter the portal, followed by Hiro who was rather curious.


    Then, the remaining groups exchanged glances through their masks before they rushed inside, one group at a time.


    ¡­


    [Notice: Spend 1,000 achievement points to extract the pocket dimension''s coordinates!


    Yes/No]


    Hiro blanked out for a moment as he saw the notification. At first, he almost selected no since this pocket dimension was useless to him.


    The environment wasn''t hospitable to humans and multiple people already had the coordinates, let alone the fact that the Holy Church might crusade here to purify the demonic miasma in the near future.


    However, he quickly remembered that this place was very suitable for Arabella, and if he could get his hands on a dimensional key, she would be capable of entering this pocket dimension to get stronger in the future.


    After contemplating his situation for a while, he decided to bite the bullet and extract the coordinates.


    Whatever! Hiro thought to himself. Consider it both an investment and a reward for her hard work these past few weeks. I can''t be stingy with my subordinates.


    "Everyone split up in your respective groups, we will regroup every three hours when I launch a signal flare in the air. Those who are too far from my position at the time, and those who feel like going on their own, feel free to act independently."


    Theo instructed everyone. Then, he turned over to Hiro and asked politely, "Do you want to follow my lead or?"


    Hiro didn''t mind and said, "I''m fine with whatever."


    He hadn''t even explored his own pocket dimension yet; other than testing the portal through the key.


    Hiro didn''t know if his system made it more convenient or something, but the portals he summoned didn''t make much of a commotion.


    They were standard oval-shaped portals like the ones seen in anime and movies.


    Nevertheless, Hiro wasn''t about to nitpick these inconsequential details.


    Getting Hiro''s permission, Theo gestured to the three masked men who seemed to be his subordinates.


    Since they weren''t lacking in firepower, Theo immediately headed in the direction where the demonic miasma was the thickest.


    They were bound to find some powerful demonic creatures and demonic resources in there. In a sense, this miasma should be the product of the decayed body of a powerful demon.


    After confirming Theo''s direction, Hiro promptly spread his vast divine sense in the same direction, scouting for either danger or valuables.


    Hiro''s brows soon knitted together, quite tightly at that. Hmm, something actually blocked my divine sense?!

 Chapter 48: A Trap?

    Hiro hadn''t expected that there existed a place in this dead realm where his divine sense couldn''t penetrate.


    This caused him to increase his vigilance level by a notch, already feeling tense.


    "What type of creatures are we going to encounter?" Hiro asked when they pulled away from the other groups.


    Theo answered succinctly, "Mostly insecticides, slimes, undead skeletons, and hellspawns; all of which are of very low intelligence, and their basic attack patterns are melee and swarm tactics."


    Hiro nodded his head. Then, the group began to slowly increase their pace since three hours could be long or short depending on how they allocated their time.


    Theo was a little more confident with Hiro on their team, hence he started cutting corners while exploring.


    Hiro didn''t mind because his divine sense was scattered around, and he would know if something or someone were to approach them.


    Suddenly, Hiro''s pupils constricted.


    Spirit qi exploded from beneath his feet as he dashed through Theo and his companions, arriving at the forefront of the group with an energy-long sword in hand.


    Shing!


    Hiro cleaved down at a speed barely perceptible to Theo and his team. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    All they saw was a flash of cold light, followed by a thin wave of sword qi that blasted onto the surface of a speeding boulder.


    The weak trees and thick miasma gave way to the heavy rock as it entered everyone''s field of vision.


    Then, the boulder was split in two from the middle, the two halves separating and rolling to either side of the group.


    ROAR!


    A powerful gust of wind blasted over from the deep, dark foliage. Hiro creased his brows and asked, "Who gave you these coordinates?"


    Theo also noticed that something was wrong with this place, especially since there was a clear discrepancy in the intel gathered.


    "I bought the coordinates from a secret gathering, and I wasn''t the only one who got the information, hence why I was anxious to gather a team as soon as possible," Theo answered with an ugly expression.


    Could it be that the sale was a setup? Hiro wondered as he sensed the overwhelming aura building up in the distance.


    He shook his head and muttered inwardly, It can''t be; then this could only be a trap set up by someone else who had access to this pocket dimension. However, the worst-case scenario is that this thing was something left behind by the demons before they left.


    In any case, overthinking at the moment was fruitless.


    "Just use your fire flare signal to gather everyone in one location," Hiro instructed calmly. "It hasn''t been that long since the groups separated, just check who is willing to rendezvous and who isn''t."


    Theo had a bad premonition and asked, "What about you?"


    Hiro clicked his tongue. However, he''d feel pretty disgusted with himself if he started spouting some cheesy lines, especially because he knew that he would be fine regardless.


    Thus, he didn''t even bother talking before rushing into the dense embrace of the black miasma.


    Whatever trap by humans or backdoor set by demons was inside, Hiro wasn''t at all worried.


    Even if his Origin Soul realm cultivation wasn''t enough, he could always fall back on his Arcana Lord character.


    While my cultivation is already so high, my divine sense is still stuck at the third level. In terms of range, it''s very far¡ªbut in terms of quality, it''s very low.


    Hiro checked his stats and as expected, he hadn''t improved much on his divine sense, still stuck at {Divine Sense III}, while it should have caught up to his cultivation and reached a minimum of {Divine Sense IV} by now.


    Although there were only two levels of difference, each upgrade brought about a qualitative change.


    However, to get his hands on the higher-level cultivation manuals, Hiro needed to complete sect missions and exploration quests, which is boring since he could only watch his character from a detached perspective.


    Anyway, Hiro wasn''t in a hurry to get his hands on a new game, so he might as well spend a few days rounding up the magic spells, martial arts, and other qualities in his Daoist character.


    As his thoughts reached this point, he activated the {Lunar Descent III}, the equivalent of a Tier-7 AOE attack.


    From outside the miasma, one could see wisps of cold fog intertwined with the coiling darkness.


    Viscous as they were, the two colors contrasted sharply with one another as corrupted snowflakes drifted about.


    Hiro could feel the resistance of the miasma that shackled down his domain, but a crescent moon had descended from the cold mist nonetheless.


    It couldn''t be stopped.


    Cold moonlight pierced the darkness from sporadic angles, allowing Hiro''s divine sense to penetrate deeper and deeper.


    There, he found something¡­ A broodmother?


    Hiro was shocked by the scene. A massive earthworm-like creature occupied a large swamp of bubbling, acidic fluids.


    Plumes of dense miasma and pungent liquid were expunged from its body with each breath, and countless small eggs fell over into the swamp beneath its body.


    The moment Hiro saw it, the creature seemed to have sensed something as it raised its head and roared, revealing a wide cylindrical mouth housing rows and rows of rotating sharp teeth.


    The teeth spun like a chainsaw both clockwise and counterclockwise, and despite the lack of sound, Hiro saw visible shockwaves rippling out from its mouth.


    It felt like a silent shriek¡ªa summoning¡­ And, it was a summoning indeed.


    From the trees, the ground, the decrepit foliage, the swamp, the sky, and from regions beyond the mortal sight¡ªan army of insecticides crawled over.


    Hiro inhaled sharply, and his aura slowly changed into something violent yet cold.


    He invested even more of his spirit qi into the {Lunar Descent III} spell, hastening the descent of the crescent moon.


    Then, notification after notification of experience points popped up in front of Hiro, but the value was too little.


    + 1 XP¡­


    + 1 XP¡­


    + 12 XP¡­


    ¡­


    If Hiro wasn''t mistaken, then the value of experience points was determined based on the gap in power.


    If he wasn''t in his {synchronization} mode at the moment, then the experience points would have been much greater.


    Nonetheless, the numbers kinda made up for the quality, quickly filling up the experience bar of his real level.


    Regardless, Hiro wasn''t paying attention to this detail at the moment. A question arose in his mind as he adopted a close-quarter martial stance.


    Is this the only broodmother in this pocket dimension? As the question rang in his mind, Hiro directed a slow-motion punch.


    As his hand moved, and his center of gravity lowered, wisps of cold air gathered at the tips of his knuckles.


    The cold air from the domain, gravitating around like a twisted cyclone, erupted forward while projecting a translucent fist image.


    Whoosh! Boom!


    The blast of cold air exploded on the surface of the broodmother, spreading onto the swamp both surface and depth.


    As the freezing spirit qi spread, more and more insects died, while a clear frozen path was created on the potentially poisoned swamp water.


    Without hesitation, Hiro controlled the cold air and fashioned a long sword crafted from black ice, spiriting his way toward the broodmother.


    At the moment, this creature had yet to consume its offspring to grow stronger, leaving it immobile and vulnerable.


    Hiro''s eyes glinted sharply, determined not to provide it the opportunity for an evolution.


    ¡­


    Following Hiro''s instructions, Theo brought out the signal flare and fired it into the sky.


    In the dim dark, a bright red streaking across the sky was very obvious. Following the next few minutes later, about sixteen people made it over, but there wasn''t a sign of anyone else.


    In total, about thirteen people were missing, which was a little off. Theo creased his brows, feeling a little perturbed.


    "Where are the rest?" Theo asked, even though he had an answer in his heart.


    The people around looked at one another, not knowing how to respond.


    "No use in acting dumb at this point," a woman with a brown wolf mask said. "I already felt like something was wrong from the beginning, and I doubt your intuition is any worse than mine."


    As she spoke, her eyes swept past everyone.


    Since someone did take the initiative, the others also spoke up.


    "While I was roaming around, some locations seemed simple to get through while others gave me the creeps¡ªthey felt like I was gazing into certain death."


    "Exactly, I had a similar feeling. Actually, I get that feeling even now, just by standing here and looking into this dense miasma."


    ¡­


    Theo listened to everyone quietly, and as he was about to speak, a shrill cry erupted from behind.


    REEEEEE!!!!


    Boom!


    The swirling miasma seemed to lose its cohesiveness as it exploded out like a smoke bomb. However, silver rays of light completely demolished the miasma, slowly dissipating to reveal a massive broodmother writhing in pain, splashing in dirty waters.


    A massive, thick ice blade pinned it down¡ªpiercing from its head and into the depths of the swamp.


    On its back stood a figure obscured in misty white clouds, but compared to the massive sword, he seemed more like a midget.


    + 4,128 XP¡­

 Chapter 49: Inferno

    Hiro panted heavily.


    Just now, he tried to forcefully use the {Infinite Sword Matrix} because he was lacking in offense spells.


    Although he couldn''t use the real spell, he already grasped its foundations, allowing him to construct one sword.


    Although it was just one sword, he discovered that he could pour his consciousness and spirit qi into this sword without reservation, resulting in the creation of such a massive construct.


    If not for this, Hiro had no idea how he could have penetrated through the broodmother''s defenses.


    All-in-all, this demonic creature was weak, its only advantages being the army of insects and the high defense value.


    Once both factors are eliminated, the danger level drops considerably.


    Bzzz! Bzzz! Bzzz!


    Suddenly, everyone heard discordant buzzing noises from the distance. Looking over, they saw massive lumps of miasma taking to the skies, parting to reveal broodmothers in flight.


    Massive, translucent wings spread from their back, keeping them airborne and far from melee range.


    "They''ve been forced into premature evolution," someone below said.


    He seemed like an expert when it came to these biological atrocities, as he spotted the troublesome nature of the broodmothers so quickly.


    Five¡­ six¡­ nine¡­ twelve¡­ fifteen!


    So many broodmothers took to the sky in one go, followed by the loud laughter of a man who had long since discarded his mask.


    His laughter boomed from the distance.


    "You didn''t expect this, did you? Haha, It''s surprising how many idiots jumped at the moment Master Osmond displayed his dissatisfaction with you, the little guy from the Odin family! Thanks to their stupidity, I had sufficient offerings to awaken these precious little things¡­"


    As his voice echoed in the dimly lit skies, the broodmothers issued silent screams.


    In answer to their calls, millions of insects gathered from all over the realm, blotting the skies from the eight directions.


    Theo''s expression was ugly, the same as everyone else.


    Someone brought out their dimensional key to open a portal to the outside world, but the silent shrieks from the broodmothers shook the fragile space of this waning pocket dimension.


    The mocking laughter continued. "Don''t even try to run; it''s pointless! Just die and become nutrients for my cause! I need to prepare for the next batch of idiots!"


    Someone couldn''t hold it in anymore and cursed loudly, "Fuck! These people are lunatics! Traitors!"


    "Well," the woman with a wolf mask said, "If these things are under his control, it''s not considered as working in cahoots with external races. The church would turn a blind eye; I mean, didn''t they subdue demons too?"


    That person went silent. Of course, he knew about it¡ªhe was just venting his anger.


    Theo sucked in a deep breath and looked over at Hiro, asking hesitantly, "Master Babylon, can you handle it?"


    Hiro went silent for a moment and responded in a soothing voice that resonated from all sides, seemingly overwhelming the shrieking of the broodmothers.


    "It''s possible, but¡­" his voice carried a hint of hesitation. "I''d be breaking the rules of my organization; I''m not supposed to reveal my true strength yet."


    Is he still limiting himself? Theo was stunned, suddenly recalling how Hiro casually saved Bella and didn''t seem to be lacking anything.


    His mind and imagination started running wild, and not just him¡ªeveryone else was equally stunned.


    "I can guarantee that I won''t speak a word of what happens here; my men are trustworthy, Master Babylon!" Theo discarded those thoughts and quickly made a promise.


    The wolf-masked woman followed, "I can speak for myself as well; I won''t say a word."


    "Me too, Master Babylon!"


    "Me too¡­"


    ¡­


    Soon, everyone expressed their sincere stance. Well, no one wanted to fall under the radar of two powerful masters.


    It seems like this trap was set by Master Osmond to target Master Babylon, who supposedly showed up out of nowhere to foil some plans regarding the Odins.


    Hiro felt refreshed inside.


    Yes, worship me more! Sigh, I hope someone would ask about my organization''s name, this way I can show off even more. No, it should be done one step at a time¡­


    "Alright then," Hiro''s voice echoed. "Get ready to use your keys at any moment, this dimension is too weak¡ªmy powers will most likely cause a backlash."


    Backlash? Everyone''s expression changed.


    While they were immersed in their shock, Hiro''s aura dwindled at an alarming rate.


    Soon, he gave off the feeling of an ordinary Tiet 9 Paranormal, confusing their senses.


    However, that didn''t last for too long as the next moment, Hiro synchronized with the Arcana Lord.


    His aura went from weak to deep, bottomless¡ªunfathomable!


    Hiro raised a hand and muttered, "Hymn of Protection."


    Boom!


    Space shook. Then, a massive translucent figure rose from the ground, bent over, and covered the large group of people with his palms, creating a transparent dome above their heads.


    The illusory figure had no particular facial features, just like the current Hiro.


    Everyone felt the boundless energy contained within the projection, making them feel weak and tiny in the face of absolute strength.


    When they next came to their senses, Hiro was in the sky, high above the projection, his hands clasped behind his back.


    Then, they heard a chanting voice reverberating all around¡ªfar and near, and the long string of chants ended with one word.


    "Inferno."


    ¡­


    Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle! S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Streaks of blazing cinders phased into existence from thin air, slowly gravitating toward one another to form dense clusters.


    Each cluster spun crazily, drawing air and miasma toward itself¡ªinto its boiling, white-hot core.


    Everyone watched in astonishment as one infernal cyclone after another took shape, connecting the ground and the sky.


    The heat that twisted light and blurred the eyes encompassed the entire pocket dimension, and the loud shrieking of the broodmothers turned into wailing¡ªcries of anguish.


    Hiro watched silently, even when the man in the distance started screaming like a madman.


    + 1 XP¡­


    + 1 XP¡­


    +1 XP¡­


    ¡­


    Everyone and everything outside the protection was gradually restored to ashes under the storm of fire.


    Theo and everyone else watched, their eyes full of horror. Then, one after another, they tried their dimensional keys.


    "It works!"


    Someone yelled, becoming the first but not the last to leave.


    The sky cracked, the ground quaked¡ªthe world was preparing to retaliate, but Hiro watched silently.


    This beautiful inferno was a display of his power. Just by standing here, the world felt threatened by his presence.


    This feeling was too¡­ intoxicating.


    ¡­


    Boom!


    Theo, the wolf-mask woman, and the rest tumbled out from the shaking portal and looked back in horror.


    The long elliptical line contracted, twisted, and collapsed into a black sphere on the verge of eruption.


    The immense fluctuations of power sent shivers down the spines of everyone present, and they had a feeling of certain death approaching them.


    Just as they were at a loss on what to do, someone walked out from the black sphere of energy¡ªunharmed.


    Hiro was still immersed in the notification he received after he unintentionally destroyed the pocket dimension.


    [Notice: You''ve completed the hidden mission, "Apocalypse Incarnate."


    [Reward 1: Innate physique, "Gluttony."


    [Reward 2: 5% shares exchange coupon.


    ¡­


    "Master Babylon, be careful!"


    Theo shouted, feeling scared.


    Hiro looked up, noticing the volatile concentration of energy.


    After thinking for a while, he raised his palm and said, "Gluttony."


    A gravitational force erupted from the center of his palm, and under everyone''s stunned gaze, the ball of energy twisted¡ªand despite its struggles, it was drawn into Hiro''s palm.


    Feeling the surge of energy, Hiro felt amazing, and a number of notifications popped up.


    [Notice: You''ve leveled up!]


    [Notice: You''ve leveled up!]


    [Notice: You''ve leveled up!]


    [Notice: You''ve leveled up!]


    ¡­


    [Notice: You''ve leveled up!]


    [Notice: You''ve leveled up!]


    ¡­


    His main body reached level 30 in one go, stunning him. Hiro quickly snapped back to his senses, inspecting his surroundings.


    "Don''t contact me anytime soon, I''ll let you know when I need something," Hiro''s disembodied voice echoed.


    Then, he activated his {Omniscient Vision} to lock onto the location of his mansion before teleporting into his study room.


    Theo and everyone else were still in a daze, only coming back to their senses when another one of Hiro''s sentences sounded in the air.


    "It''s fine to share my contact information with your little friends, Theo. Consider it an advanced payment for keeping whatever happened today a secret."


    ¡­


    Hiro appeared inside the study, and just as he canceled his synchronization, he received a notification that the interpersonal mission was completed.


    After being stunned for a moment, Hiro remembered that Arabella was the one helping Natali get around in the nightclub.


    In a sense, Hiro just discovered that he could regulate his interpersonal missions to his summoned servants, and he would still get awarded when they finished it.


    However, 5 gems no longer gave Hiro that much excitement, especially since he already had over 80 gems waiting to be spent.


    After leaving the study and entering the bathing chambers in his master''s bedroom, Hiro got comfortable in bed and got prepared to focus on Transcendent Daoist.


    Until he found pocket dimesnsions that were strong enough to handle his Arcana Lord''s overwhelming power, he needed to round up his other character.


    With his lessons learned, Hiro decided to complete missions and stack up on offensive, defensive, and auxiliary skills as soon as possible¡­

 Chapter 50: Antique City

    Ring! Ring!


    Ring! Ring!


    ¡­


    Groaning, Hiro shifted on his bed before reaching for the bedside stand, dragging his phone over to check the caller ID.


    "Eh? Why is this guy calling me so early in the morning?" Hiro muttered with a hint of annoyance in his voice before answering Vanti''s call.


    "What is it?" Hiro asked, not bothering to cover up the exhaustion in his voice.


    "Our chance is here, Hiro!" Vanti''s excited voice drifted over. "Our names are registered on the away game lineup during the spring break! It''s such a pity that Zyd didn''t make it, but it''s our chance to make it into the Group A lineup after the match!"


    Hiro felt that something wasn''t right, and after thinking about it, he asked, "Alright then, what''s the inside story?"


    "Haha, you''re really smart," Vanti chuckled lightly. "Actually, our school''s Group A team had always lost to this high school in the past, and the coach doesn''t want to harm their morale because the summer tournament is around the corner, so¡­"


    "So he''s sending Group B students just for the sake of formalities, right?" Hiro scoffed.


    "Who cares?" Vanti exclaimed, and Hiro could visualize him rolling his eyes.


    "It''s still an opportunity for us! With my passes and your ridiculous talent, we can definitely bring home a beautiful win. Then, we can rely on the momentum to barge our way into Group A''s official lineup!"


    Hiro thought about it and felt a little tempted. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Furthermore, the expedition went downhill, clearing Hiro''s schedule for the spring break.


    Although unexpected, it was a welcome surprise nonetheless.


    Hiro said that he would think about it before hanging up the call, taking a shower, and returning to his study room.


    Inside the study room, Hiro relaxed a little and commanded the system to open a portal to his personal pocket dimension.


    The moment the portal appeared, a translucent blue window popped up in front of Hiro.


    [Notice: You''ve triggered a high-priority mission!


    [Mission: My Domain


    [Mission Briefing: You have acquired both a material dimension and an immaterial dimension. Now, you need to make use of your current resources to develop the pocket dimension into a Domain.


    [Hint: Take advantage of your status as the most powerful, intelligent, and resourceful creature in the pocket dimension to establish your authority. You can intimidate, tame, or enlighten the living creatures of the dimension to aid in your mission.


    [Notice: You''ve unlocked the {Enlightenment} feature, allowing you to bestow creatures with intelligence.]


    ¡­


    Hiro processed the new high-priority mission while checking the new {Enlightenment} ability.


    At a cost of one achievement point, it would unlock a creature''s intelligence.


    At a cost of ten achievement points, it would grant them the intelligence of an infant.


    At a cost of 100 achievement points, it would grant them the intelligence of a toddler.


    1,000 points is the equivalent of a five-year-old, and 10,000 points for the equivalent of a seven-year-old.


    He could even grant them the intelligence of a young adult directly by spending 100,000 points.


    Hiro secretly wiped his cold sweat. Just as he thought that earning so many achievement points was easy, something like this happened.


    Looking at the portal to his pocket dimension, Hiro hesitated for a moment. He didn''t know how many creatures there were because he didn''t understand the ecosystem of his pocket dimension yet.


    However, he did have a direction for the search.


    If he could locate natural treasures, it would be easy to find powerful creatures camping nearby.


    These creatures usually dominated the peak of the food chain. Thus, instead of enlightening creatures in mass numbers, he could enlighten the most powerful ones and wait for the snowball effect.


    Although he couldn''t communicate with the smaller animals, he could leave it to their stronger counterparts.


    With that in mind, Hiro''s first thought was to hit the antique city, if for nothing more than locating treasures to upgrade the range of his treasure-scanning function.


    After making up his mind, Hiro closed the portal and brought out his phone to call Bella.


    The call soon connected.


    "What?" Bella''s hushed voice could be heard on the other end. "I''m in class right now."


    Hiro let out an ''oh'' and said, "I forgot that you''re in class right now; forget it, I was checking to see if you''re interested in visiting the antique city with me."


    "Teacher! I got an emergency call from home, my mother fainted and is in critical condition¡­"


    Hiro was stunned as he listened to Bella bullshitting her way into requesting a leave from the teacher.


    Soon, he heard Bella''s cheerful yet somehow evil laugh, and an image of a pink-haired chibi demoness appeared in his mind.


    When the noises around Bella died down, she told Hiro that she would be waiting for him at the school''s parking lot.


    She knew that Hiro bought a house and had a personal driver, even if she remained clueless about what type of house he bought.


    Hiro didn''t mind, she probably used his driver as an excuse for the teachers as well.


    Shaking his head, Hiro sent Sebastian a message to prepare the car while he went to change his clothes.


    After communicating with Arabella and learning that everything in the company and the nightclub was fine, he reminded her to ship the first manufactured VR capsule, the S-gear #0 to his mansion.


    Less than fifteen minutes later, the car set off for the school.


    ¡­


    Antique City.


    It was called a city, but it was just a district constructed in the scenic area of the provincial capital; all buildings were constructed of natural wood, and no mechanical forms of transport were allowed into this district.


    It is said that this was a policy passed down for decades now, preserving the sense of antiquity in the district.


    "Aren''t you too excited?" Hiro asked, a little confused as he watched Bella hop from one stall to the next.


    Most of the ''antiques'' on display were old trinkets, nothing worth Bella''s attention.


    Regardless, she treated them as though they were long-lost treasures.


    Well, honestly speaking, some of them were rare treasures in the antique world, as Hiro''s system kept detecting buried treasures among the piles of trinkets.


    Although Hiro discovered them, he wasn''t about to buy them; this wasn''t his goal in coming here.


    "What do you know?!" Bella harrumphed coldly, but her eyes sparkled with interest a moment later as she picked up an old, handmade plushie doll.


    "These things might not be valuable from a profit-oriented market standpoint, but you can feel the care and devotion poured into their creation. These things carry emotions, aspirations, and contentment from the past to our present, and perhaps to a future where neither you nor me exist anymore¡­"


    Bella''s last words came out as a murmur, but Hiro could hear her clearly. He hadn''t expected this goofball chibi to have such deep thoughts about antiques.


    Then again, he could understand where Bella came from. The market can''t determine the value of everything in this world.


    At the end of the day, sentiment carries the most weight and most precious inheritance.


    When Hiro looked at this old town once again and thought back to the government''s policies that aimed to protect and preserve it, he seemed to understand something.


    This district in itself was an antique passed down from generation to generation, and its value in the eyes of the higher-ups must be astronomically high.


    "Haha, well said! Well said, little girl."


    Hiro and Bella turned to the side and they saw an old couple standing right next to them.


    They were holding onto the hands of a chubby little boy, and the boy had the same look of curiosity as Bella''s in his eyes.


    Bella''s eyes shone as she greeted the old couple. "You think so too, Grandpa?"


    Clearly, she was excited to find a kindred spirit in this old man.


    The old man laughed and waved his hand, helping Bella straighten up.


    "Sigh, only when this old man saw through life and death did I realize the value of sentiment and inheritance, allowing me to let go and return to my family in my old days."


    He had a look of appreciation in his eyes and it increased the more he observed Bella''s bubbly character.


    "My sons and daughters are already too old, so I can only hope to pass down this spirit to the next generation. I can only say that I failed them when they were young, and I don''t wish to repeat the same mistake¡­"


    Hiro''s sense of awe gradually disappeared, replaced with impatience.


    Is this old man going to take all day reminiscing life? I don''t have all day¡­


    Seeing that the group of four were chatting happily, Hiro shook his head and wandered off to the nearby stalls.


    As long as he was in the same street as Bella, he could keep an eye on her activities.


    It''s troubling that his scan''s range was limited to 10m; he wouldn''t have to bother with multitasking otherwise.


    Hiro checked the system''s encyclopedia for discovered treasures for the current treasure count, nodding in satisfaction.


    I''ve discovered 37 treasures, I only need about 73 more to get the upgrade. Hiro thought to himself.

 Chapter 51: A Pocket Dimension With Limitless Growth Potential

    If Hiro wanted to increase the overall level of his dimension''s ecosystem, it would be akin to filling a bottomless pit with the amount of spending necessary.


    He could go down two routes.


    The first is to unlock the living creature''s rudimentary intelligence and leave the rest in the hands of time, and the second is to invest tons of achievement points to directly raise a few wise leaders among the various species.


    Both sides had pros and cons, but Hiro wasn''t patient enough to take the first route.


    After thinking about it, Hiro decided to take the second route and start by increasing the detection range of treasures, and once he located a few promising creatures to be enlightened, he could take advantage of the upcoming away game to raise his popularity.


    Once Hiro gathered sufficient achievement points to enlighten creatures in the masses, his high-priority mission could be considered to have been half completed.


    Hmm, I should find a test subject to check the effect of the enlightenment feature.


    Hiro started looking around his surroundings for small animals. Soon, he found a target.


    It was a small snake, coiled in the shade of a wooden plank. Eh? What''s a snake doing here?


    Hiro was stunned for a moment, but he didn''t think too much about it. With a twirl of his finger, the wind pressed down on the snake to immobilize it.


    Alarmed, the snake started struggling and wiggling around, but it was useless.


    After approaching the snake, Hiro placed his hand on its head and spent one achievement point to bestow it with heightened intelligence.


    A stream of mysterious energy that felt both familiar and unfamiliar transferred from Hiro''s hand to the snake''s brain.


    The white snake''s sleek body trembled for a moment before calming down. Hiro canceled the wind''s pressure and waited patiently.


    A few seconds later, the white snake moved.


    It slithered along Hiro''s arm, climbed to his shoulder, and started to nuzzle its triangular head against his cheek.


    Hiro raised an eyebrow.


    Wait, don''t tell me this ability comes with an automatic brainwashing effect? Honestly, it''s quite convenient.


    Hiro was tempted to try this ability on humans. However, he denied it a moment later.


    Not because of some morality or bottom line, but because he didn''t have the achievement points to spend on human experimentation.


    Maybe after the away game if I had the points to spare¡­ Hiro thought to himself.


    He then reached with his finger and tapped the snake''s head, simultaneously investing 10 achievement points to elevate its intelligence to that of a human toddler''s level.


    The snake''s eyes widened and glazed over; its head wobbled about before it snapped back to its senses.


    Suddenly, Hiro had a weird feeling.


    He focused, trying to grasp this fleeting sensation, and soon, he realized¡ªtelepathy.


    He looked at the snake in shock. A mental connection?


    Hiro realized that he could read the snake''s thoughts, even though they surfaced in his mind in fragmented images.


    It was an inexplicable feeling, but he was sure of his intuition. It silently expressed its desire for a¡­ A name?


    Hiro thought for a moment. He didn''t know much about naming animals since he didn''t have pets in the past.


    However, he did read a lot of fiction and myths during his free time.


    Hiro expressed his opinion, "Since you''re a snake, how about Medusa? She''s pretty popular in my hometown."


    The white snake shook its tail and hissed happily, and so, Hiro decided on its name and gender in one go.


    Hiro spent a couple of hours roaming the antique city together with Bella, and he even bought a few useless trinkets for the girl.


    Soon, his encyclopedia registered over 1,000 different treasures of varying values, and some of them were Paranormal treasures.


    Although Hiro was surprised to find them, he didn''t care to buy them since they were mostly silverware to ward vampires or statues of deities.


    Although unwilling, Bella eventually called her family''s driver to get her home while Hiro returned to his mansion, quickly locking himself up in the study.


    Once inside, he opened the portal and stepped in.


    ¡­


    Hiro appeared in a hollow concave near the core of the dimension.


    "I didn''t expect the Fantasy Crystal to have this effect too," Hiro muttered as he crossed his arms. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    No matter how he looked at it, his first priority mission couldn''t justify such a reward.


    At the moment, the Fantasy Crystal was fusing with the core of this small dimension, slowly integrating the entire pocket dimension into his system.


    He could already see a stats panel for the dimension, and the fusion rate between the immaterial and material dimensions was also displayed.


    Judging from the system''s assessment, this pocket dimension was a minor realm, and it was still in the early development phase.


    Every pocket dimension had a core of its own, but what makes Hiro''s pocket dimension special is that it had already nurtured a will of its own, all thanks to the existence of the Fantasy Crystal.


    More aptly described, Hiro''s will is being integrated into the core of the pocket dimension as the fusion between the core and the crystal is carried out.


    Furthermore, with the Fantasy Crystal as a medium connecting this realm to Hiro, whenever he completed a game and added its laws into the crystal, the core of this pocket dimension would digest the laws and discharge them into the pocket dimension.


    Put bluntly, if Hiro wanted this pocket dimension to be capable of nurturing demons; all he had to do was complete a game with demons as the focal point of its storyline.


    That goes to say that at the moment, the world is slowly but surely getting saturated with elemental-attributed spiritual energy.


    Hiro wanted to step out and leave, but Medusa started expressing her thoughts frantically, catching his attention.


    He almost forgot that he had a snake perched on his shoulder.


    "You want to go up there?" Hiro asked to confirm, feeling incredulous.


    Medusa fervently expressed its agreement.


    After thinking about it for a while, Hiro picked it up and placed it beneath the floating, multicolored orb.


    Bathing in the multicolored light, Medusa expressed her joy before it coiled all over herself, burying her head and going still a moment later.


    Hiro observed her for a while, then shook his head and left. Whatever, let it do what it wants for now; it''s just a child.


    Hiro synchronized with his Arcana Lord for a split second to teleport back to the surface of the pocket dimension.


    In that split second, the world shook imprecisely. Hiro heaved a sigh of relief and wiped his sweat.


    He thoughtfully changed his entrance point from the core of the pocket dimension to the open plains outside.


    He looked around.


    Unlike the poisoned pocket dimension on the verge of collapse, this one was a vast world brimming with verdant hills, towering mountains, open meadows, and running rivers.


    Although it didn''t have any seas or oceans, there were plenty of massive lakes; some of the mountains were anchored in the middle of the largest lakes.


    There was no sun and no moon, but a wide astronomical belt covered the sky from one horizon to the other.


    It was multicolored, like a rainbow, and its luminosity varied in intensity; sometimes it was so bright it resembled the midday sun, and sometimes it was gentle and dim, like the full moon on a summer night.


    After enjoying his surroundings for a while, Hiro spread out his treasure scanning halo and started walking around.


    At the moment, this pocket dimension wasn''t very stable, as the integration between the core and the Fantasy Crystal had yet to be completed.


    The higher the degree of integration, the firmer this pocket dimension''s foundation and correspondingly, the higher its degree of tolerance.


    Until then, this pocket dimension is sealed to outsiders, with Hiro being the sole exception.


    After walking around for half a day, Hiro found many natural treasures in the form of plants, precious stones, and rare creatures.


    As he walked around, enlightening the leaders in each pack of wild beasts and the oldest plants in a range of flora, Hiro finally stopped when he spent a total of 4,220 points.


    His achievement points count fell to a rounded figure¡ª5,000 points to be exact.


    He used 1,000 enlightenment option on four creatures in the four directions respectively, making each of them a lord in their respective regions.


    As for the other 220 points, he ended up spending them on a whim when he found a family of fluffy, tri-pupil squirrels.


    Each of the parents was bestowed with the intelligence of a toddler, while each of their two children was bestowed with the intelligence of an infant.


    It was done on a whim because Hiro realized that other than these four, he couldn''t find any creatures of a similar species.


    And they weren''t living in a tree hole, but rather in an underground rockery that trickled with a sweet, spiritual nectar.


    It could be said that Hiro did this out of curiosity and a sense of investment, leaving him with a sense of anticipation toward their future.


    Once this matter was over, Hiro was delighted to find that the integration process jumped to 41%.

 Chapter 52: Noire City

    Time moved on, and one week later, Hiro found himself on the soccer team''s school bus in the open parking lot.


    "Shit dude, isn''t this your Class Advisor and Homeroom Teacher? Wasn''t she on an emergency leave of absence?" Hiro''s thoughts were brought back to the present when Vanti elbowed his side.


    Hiro lifted his hea off the bus''s window and looked down the aisle. Then, a hint of surprised glimmer in his eyes.


    I almost forgot about her¡­ Wait, don''t tell me she didn''t come back to school all this time?


    For a while now, Hiro was doing his schoolwork from home since he no longer had any missions related to school.


    He didn''t know whether she came back to school or not, but based on Vanti''s expression and words, she only came back today.


    As he was thinking, Teacher Aiya walked toward them and said to Vanti, "Vacate this seat for me, student."


    "Oh," Vanti was stunned for a moment, late to react. Teacher Aiya had to repeat herself once again before he finally snapped out of it and hurried to stand up.


    "Sure, sure," Vanti uttered in a fluster. "I was warming up this seat for you anyway, teacher¡­"


    Hiro shook his head. "Dumbass¡­"


    Vanti scurried away.


    Teacher Aiya pressed down on her pencil skirt and sat down, her motion naturally drawing Hiro''s gaze to her black leggings and thick thighs.


    He blinked his eyes before turning his gaze away. Luckily, she didn''t notice it.


    "Is everything okay?" Hiro asked, stretching lazily. Honestly, he didn''t care¡ªbut it was polite to ask.


    "It was over when I gave up my shares of our assets to him, now I''m living with my parents," Teacher Aiya responded.


    She added after a while, "I might have to quit school as well, the guy behind my ex isn''t pleased and it might impact my school life."


    Hiro raised an eyebrow. He wondered if she took advantage of the away game so she could find the time to relax.


    Hiro turned his head around the bus and to his astonishment, many students were using the S-gear VR helmets.


    The new operating system was installed in the helmets, allowing them to play the Seeker''s Legend without a hitch.


    Thinking about it, the fusion rate was moving up the last week, already reaching up to 68% even without Hiro''s direct involvement.


    It would make sense if this all happened due to the game''s popularity exploding.


    However, Hiro quickly returned his attention to the matter at hand and asked, "You don''t want to quit teaching, do you?"


    Seeing her brows furrowed, Hiro sighed.


    Then, he pulled out his phone and texted Rosaline, asking if she had enough time to have a call.


    After that time when he called Bella and she was still in class, Hiro decided to check whether or not he could call someone before doing it.


    When he received the green light from Rosaline, he called.


    "What are you doing?" Teacher Aiya asked in a hushed voice.


    She didn''t have to do that, though.


    The students in their immediate vicinity were occupied with playing VR games, and no one was paying particular attention to them.


    Hiro gestured for her to keep quiet for a moment before he answered the call.


    Then, he briefly explained the situation to Rosaline, putting great emphasis on how many of the teachers are being oppressed through blackmail materials while others have sold themselves out.


    Although Rosaline was just a student and the school was a state-owned institution, her Rosch family still had a say in the political circle.


    At the very least, outsiders would have to tip-toe their way around her influence if they wanted to scheme in the dark. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But that''s all there was to it¡ªschemes in the dark; once Rosaline started actively paying attention to the situation, the entire game would change.


    A few minutes later, Hiro ended the call with Rosaline and said, "It should be a done deal now, you don''t have to worry about it."


    On the other end, Rosaline put her phone down on the desk in the student council room and sighed.


    "It took him so long to finally ask for my help, and here I thought such a day would never come¡­" Rosaline shook her head, smiled, and picked up the phone again to make some inquiries of her own.


    It seems like she needed to spend the spring break cleaning up the maggots in her school lest they ruin her future arrangements.


    ¡­


    Teacher Aiya didn''t know what to say.


    Continue the experience at m-vl-em-pyr


    She had no clue who Hiro called or what was about to happen after the call, but she had a feeling that the school was about to change somehow.


    Not knowing what to say, she fell silent. As for Hiro, he closed his eyes, giving off the feeling that he had gone to sleep.


    Seeing this, Teacher Aiya didn''t say anything else and closed her eyes to rest. At the very least, she knew that she could relax her tense nerves when she was next to Hiro.


    She didn''t know why, but her intuition said so.


    ¡­


    Millions of colors stacked and then stretched infinitely, later exploding in a familiar pattern before Hiro''s consciousness arrived at the system space.


    For the past week, Hiro spent over a month and a half doing missions in the simulation space¡ªincreasing his proficiency in the various spells, learning martial arts, and getting along with various female elders and faction leaders in the sect.


    He was already at the peak of the Soul Origin realm, and he only needed to go through the tribulation to ascend to Tier-5 standards.


    However, Hiro didn''t dare to take that step.


    If both his ace characters became a burden rather than a trump card, what was he supposed to do?


    With that in mind, Hiro focused on the lottery box instead. With 90 gems, he was tempted to run the ten-item lottery ticket at least once.


    Without hesitation, Hiro spent the 30 gems and watched as a multicolored box dropped from the lottery screen.


    The box spun crazily, beams of light shooting out, and then it exploded.


    Notifications poured down, and most of them were consolation prizes of additional achievement points.


    In total, Hiro earned back 3,000 achievement points, rounding his points up to 8,000.


    Among the rewards, five pulls were of substantial value¡ªfive mystery boxes hovered in the system space.


    [Notice: You''ve obtained 1x Level 1 Mass Enlightnemt scroll.]


    [Notice: You''ve obtained 5x Cosmetic Key.]


    [Notice: You''ve obtained an 80% Discount Voucher.]


    [Notice: You''ve acquired 100% of Stargaze Comfort shares.]


    ¡­


    Information poured into Hiro''s mind.


    Mass Enlightment Scroll¡ªbestows level 1 intelligence to creatures in a certain range, determined by the number of achievement points invested for each 1m diameter at a rate of 1:1.


    Discount Voucher¡ªone-time use indiscriminate discount on all items in the system shop.


    As for Stargaze Comfort, it was a chain of five-star hotels, hot springs, and spa entertainment centers in the region.


    It''s a private company that didn''t get listed yet so no one knows about its financial situation.


    However, its estimated value is around 3 billion dollars¡ªdomestic currency.


    ¡­


    Hiro''s attention went to the Mass Enlightenment scroll. The level 1 enlightenment cost 1 achievement point to begin with, so the only upside to this item was the area of effect benefit.


    It could save Hiro a lot of time if he ever decided to awaken the intelligence of all living creatures within a certain range, but whether that was good or bad, Hiro didn''t know yet.


    The second best option was the discount voucher.


    Hiro could use it to buy something he once deemed to be too expensive. For example, he could use it to cut down the price of a summoning ritual token from 10,000 achievement points to 2,000.


    Another use would be to purchase games, especially since games are sold in the system shop for gems.


    An 80% discount on gem spending is very tempting.


    Another option was to buy a weapon, an awakening potion, a powerful spell manual, or anything practical for his current self.


    Honestly, Hiro had too many options, but he only had one discount voucher.


    If only this was a wholesale voucher for everything on my purchase cart, things would have been much simpler¡­


    Hiro shook his head and decided to keep the voucher away for now, since he couldn''t decide on what to buy.


    After sorting out his rewards, Hiro entered the simulation space and continued to solidfy his character''s foundation.


    Luckily, he discovered the weaknesses early on and still had the time to amend for those mistakes. Otherwise, he would have turned into a paper tiger¡ªsomeone with nothing more than a high cultivation base but nothing else to show.


    ¡­


    Time passed, and six hours later, the school bus finally entered its destination, Noire City.


    For this friendly competition, the Noire Education Committee went all out as the hosts.


    From reception, food, lodging, entertainment, and tour around the city''s attractions.


    The brochure featured everything to be expected on this two weeks long vacation in Noire.


    The match was set three days before the spring break''s last day, allowing the students from both schools to mingle and get along.


    The higher ups had a simple thought in mind for setting things up this way.


    Hopefully, the two teams would get along well so that the loser wouldn''t have any bad taste in their mouths afterwards.


    Hopefully.

 Chapter 53: Relaxing Two Weeks

    If they followed the universal scheme, Noire City could be considered a third-tier city at best, not at all comparable to a first-tier city like the provincial capital.


    Then again, each province could afford to maintain one top-tier city, and this is when talking about a superpower country like the Nexus Country.


    Some countries can''t afford to keep up with the standards of top-tier cities, even though Hiro was oblivious to the hidden conditions a city must meet to earn its position as a top-tier city.


    As for countries, at least from the Paranormal Society standpoint, Hiro understood that a superpower country has control over many pocket dimensions with friendly environments towards humans.


    It was an open secret at this point in time.


    Hiro''s thoughts were simple; since the brutal war decades ago started due to the discovery of those pocket dimensions, could it be that the registered loss of billions of lives was a smokescreen practiced by some countries to facilitate an easier migration?


    How deep is the foundation of the superpowers? How many generations of humans have been raised in the pocket dimension? What are the odds that most of those humans were now Paranormals thanks to the nourishment of the dimension''s laws?


    The more Hiro understood the Paranormal Society, the less he understood the current world.


    He still couldn''t see things clearly. It was too scary.


    "What are you thinking about? Dude, this is a vacation! Do I have to spell it out for you? Stop having that ''I have the world on my shoulders'' expression and relax!"


    Vanti ambushed Hiro with a slap on the shoulder the moment they left the bus station.


    "For once in your life, Vee, you''re right," Hiro rubbed his shoulder and smiled.


    He decided to spend the next few days as a normal high schooler without much worries in his mind.


    Hiro recognized that he didn''t have any pressing matters to call for his immediate attention.


    His company? Arabella is doing just fine, especially with the contracts to create new VR games on a joint venture with other companies.


    His high-priority mission? The four beast kings in the four directions are doing fine, except for the fact that with higher intelligence, their desires and ambitions are getting amplified.


    Conflicts over territory are bound to happen, but what was a pleasant surprise to Hiro was that once a creature with high spirituality died, their souls broke down into as many fragments as was required for blank reincarnation.


    In a sense, if a creature''s intelligence was high enough as reflected upon their spirituality, one death could result in the birth of tens or hundreds of creatures.


    As for these newly born creatures, while the intelligence and spirituality of their fragmented souls would be low, the potential would still be there.


    Once he made this discovery, Hiro almost tossed humans into his pocket dimension and used them as living sacrifices.


    Most people didn''t believe in the existence of souls, but as a transmigrator, Hiro would be the first to slap such people in the face.


    Hiro realized that his thoughts had arrived at a bleak, dark place¡ªand he quickly shook himself out of it.


    So what if sacrificing human lives can escalate the development of my pocket dimension? I''m not that desperate.


    Thinking about it, how old is this world? How many billions of lives were lost to the river of time and the mindless wars? Most of the landmass now lay in ruins across the vast oceans, but this world is still as fragile.


    Hiro forgot that the current world''s source of mystical energy was the countless pocket dimensions feeding power into the world and that this world didn''t have an energy core of its own.


    Otherwise, it might have long evolved into something greater than a pocket dimension, a realm, or a small world.


    However, it was fine that Hiro didn''t know.


    At the very least, these things aren''t something he should dabble into at the moment.


    After sorting out his thoughts, Hiro approached Vanti, wrapped his arm around this good friend''s shoulder, and chuckled.


    "Alright Vee, let''s have fun and relax while we still can. I''m afraid that the locals will murder us once I wipe the floor with their soccer team."


    Vanti blinked, not expecting the sudden wave of enthusiasm. It was rare to see Hiro without a deep frown or an absentminded gaze.


    "I know a good gaming workshop nearby," Vanti tested the waters. "Are you coming with? Seeker''s Legend is a pretty good game."


    Hiro cinged hard. "No, pick something else¡ªif I wanted to relax in the real world, why would I dive into a simulation game?"


    Hiro thought for a moment and said, "Let''s go to a waterpark, the zoo, the shopping centers, or anything like an entertainment facility¡ªI haven''t tried karaoke yet, I also heard that there''s a good ice skating ring in this city."


    Vanti had a serious expression as he asked in a deep voice, "You''re paying for it?"


    Hiro blinked. "Of course, why not?"


    Vanti laughed heartily and patted Hiro''s back, yelling to the bus behind them, "Guys! Come on quickly, our ace striker will bring you to experience the world of the rich!"


    Hiro''s eyes widened. However, before he could say anything, a host of hot-blooded students rushed over.


    "Eh?" Hiro blinked and rubbed his eyes. "It''s fine if Kenshin was here, but where did Marcus show up from?" Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Marcus smiled. "I''m the only willing errand boy in our year, so¡­"


    Bullshit, Hiro exclaimed inside his heart.


    As if I''d buy such an excuse.


    Wait¡­ Hiro''s eyes glimmered as he silently used the treasure-scanning feature on Marcus.


    Then¡­ his entire body exploded with golden light.


    I fucking knew it! Hiro almost yelled the moment he confirmed the ridiculous number of magical treasures on Marcus'' body.


    "I''ll be supervising your group activities in the city to avoid any misunderstandings or accidents."


    Looking back, Hiro noticed that Teacher Aiya had also arrived, and her excuse was quite solid.


    Helpeds, Hiro laughed and decided not to think about it.


    For these two weeks, he would just take it as having a small field trip with his friends and schoolmates.


    ¡­


    Ever since he transmigrated, these must have been the most relaxed two weeks Hiro had experienced.


    He didn''t enter the system space, he didn''t check the notifications, he didn''t contact Arabella, he didn''t check the PARA app, he didn''t do any of that.


    During the day, he would relax and play.


    During the night, he would relax and sleep.


    Today was the eve of the friendly soccer match with Noire''s Third High, and the students of both teams decided to spend the evening in one of the large resorts in the city.


    Of course, Hiro paid for the full booking.


    His extravagance and generosity stunned a lot of people, but it also helped him make a lot of friends.


    Male friends, female friends, and special friends¡­


    ¡­


    Resonating laughter and giggles in a five-star hotel suite woke Hiro up from a satisfying slumber.


    He slowly opened his eyes, and his bodily senses flickered to life at the same moment.


    A sensation of heavy softness pressed on Hiro''s chest as flashes from last night''s special massage service flooded his mind.


    Well, unsurprisingly, the special massage escalated to something pink and fluffy in the large hotel suite.


    Looking down at the beautiful brunette''s head occupying his chest, Hiro pulled up the silky covers from her lower back up to her shoulders before slowly disentangling himself from her tight hug.


    The door to the bathing chambers was wide open, allowing the laughter and conversation between the number of girls inside to echo out. Stay connected with m v l e mpyr


    "Haha, when you called for reinforcements last night, I thought you were joking with me."


    "Aya~ I wish I was joking, I wouldn''t have called for you if the two of us could have handled it. Sigh, poor Mei Mei is still sleeping like a log of wood! I doubt she''d wake up anytime soon."


    "Haha, who told you to tempt death? He didn''t ask for special service, but you had to push your buttons with such a cute guy."


    ¡­


    Hearing the conversations, Hiro shook his head with a bitter smile. Well, there goes his V-card, and he can''t even remember which one of the girls took it.


    The lights were too dim at the time.


    However, from their conversation, it should have been this brunette who took the brunt of the assault.


    Hiro went to the clothing rack in the corner where his clothes had been neatly arranged for him. Just as he was sorting them out and deciding what to wear, a wet and warm body hugged him from behind.


    What followed was a giggle and, "What are you doing? You can''t leave without having a good bath to clean your body. Come, us sisters will scrub you clean¡­ I promise we won''t bite this time."


    Hearing her reminder, Hiro turned to look at the bite marks on his left shoulder with a chuckle.


    "Well, I can''t guarantee that I won''t bite, though."


    As he said that, Hiro spun around and carried the eldest and most mature of the girls in his arms, and as she wrapped her legs around his firm waist, another off-screen action scene played out.

 Chapter 54: Skill Chart

    "You got yourself a girlfriend?" Vanti asked with a weird look when Hiro arrived at the meeting place for the school''s soccer team.


    Since each and every student had their own interests, Hiro eventually handed out cash allowances for the students to spend while he spent the last two days enjoying himself.


    Vanti hadn''t expected that a local brunette would tag along behind Hiro when they met today.


    Hiro shrugged. "Not a girlfriend, more like a local friend with benefits¡­"


    Vanti quickly jumped forward, covered Hiro''s mouth, and pulled him aside. "Don''t say that stuff in front of other people, you idiot! Men want face, women want face too! Sigh¡­"


    Vanti then began to educate Hiro on the ways of the world in hushed whispers.


    Basically, even if it''s a fantasy bubble¡ªif it looks beautiful¡ªdon''t pop it. It''s enough that the two people involved know that it''s just a fantasy, but it''s not necessary to advertise it.


    Hiro felt a little embarrassed and laughed to cover it up, readily agreeing.


    Then, Vanti turned over to the beautiful brunette and introduced himself, "Sister-in-law, you can call me Vee, but my name is Vanti."


    She chuckled and covered her mouth, her eyes rippling as she responded, "Jessica, but you can call me Jessie, just like my friends do."


    Vanti was about to say something when the other nine starting players, the substitute players, and the benched players arrived one by one.


    They entered through the school''s front gate, most of them having one thing in common.


    They either had one or two girls leaning against their bodies, laughing and chatting along.


    Vanti felt lost for a moment.


    What happened to integrity? What happened to morality? How come everyone has girls fawning all over them? Was I the only one who spent his money on gaming workshops?!


    What was difficult for Vanti to understand was the fact that even Marcus, the errand boy, had a blue-haired beauty strung to his arm.


    Hiro also noticed this, and he was tempted to scan her body for treasures because this was truly something unexpected, but he decided against it.


    It wasn''t easy to get this far with the mindset of an ordinary high-school student, and he wasn''t about to let this experience slip away due to a moment of curiosity.


    Soon, the teachers arrived.


    They were the coach, Teacher Aiya, and a local teacher who happened to be the coach''s assistant. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I see that everyone is here," he checked the time on his watch while smiling. "This match will be broadcast on the internal channel of the Sports Committee of the Provincial Educational Department, I hope everyone will do their best."


    "On the what?!"


    "There will be a live broadcast?!"


    "This my first time hearing about this, will this affect our grades?"


    "Haha, my university scholarship is in sight!"


    ¡­


    The reactions of the crowd were mixed, but confusion was the prevalent sentiment among the students.


    Forget the students, even Teacher Aiya was a little surprised.


    Looking around, Hiro noticed that Vanti had a faint smile; it was the common "As expected," expression.


    "You knew about this?" Hiro asked in a hushed tone. Stay with m_vl_em_p_yr


    "Of course," Vanti replied smugly. "How can I mess up on such an opportunity? I had to pull some strings and call in some favors, or else this pie would have landed on Group A''s lap."


    He then patted Hrio''s shoulder. "You don''t have to thank me, brother. Just introduce me to a cute local friend later, I feel like I''m the only one missing out."


    Hiro wasn''t even paying attention to Vanti''s stupid request, his mind was calculating how much fame he could get from this soccer match.


    His social media would explode, and he would get a ton of friends and followers on iMessage newsfeed.


    Forget that loads of achievement points he could get his hands on, how many of Mr. Popular''s chain missions would be completed in one go?


    Forget it, I''ll just go all out! Hiro''s eyes shone brilliantly as he excused himself to make a phone call.


    ¡­


    Sciatis Holdings Limited, Chief Executive Office.


    Seated behind the desk while no less than twenty holographic screens shuttled back and forth in front of her, Arabella''s fingers were like a blurred image while tapping away on five holographic keyboards.


    Her mind was in a state of absolute focus as she reviewed the statistics of the companies that signed a cooperation agreement with them.


    Then, a notification of an incoming high-priority call caught her eye, and after confirming the identity of the caller, she immediately answered while simultaneously putting everything else aside.


    "Master? You want to sponsor the broadcast of a high-school soccer match? Broadcast directly on Seeker''s Legend internal channel? Alright, alright, I understand."


    Soon, a server-wide announcement was made on the Seeker''s Legend game.


    Those who tune in to watch the live broadcast will earn a 40% reduction cost on all expenditures in the game for a week.


    The game would also provide a portal for the top 5 players of the game, leading directly to their social media profiles.


    Then, Arabella called the Committee of Sports and donated 5 million international credits in the name of the S-gear Technology Department, rewarding a million to each of the top three players in the match and leaving the rest in the hands of the committee.


    In less than fifteen minutes, the entire stage was set, and all that was left was for the broadcast to start.


    ¡­


    Perhaps only Hiro understood the magnitude of the upcoming match, hence why he was so focused while waiting in the locker rooms prepared for the visiting team.


    He sat alone in a corner, his brain working overdrive to bring out all the professional soccer skills in his mind, enhancing them with his muscle memory from the professional combat skills.


    "Maybe we shouldn''t have let him know that this match will be going live?" Vanti whispered to Marcus, who was holding a bucket of ice and canned soda.


    Marcus thought for a moment, took out a small ice cube and tossed it in his mouth, and chewed on it for a while.


    Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!


    Swallowing the cold ice, Marcus shrugged helplessly and said, "Look at him, he looks like he''s about to give it his 9,000%; I don''t see what''s the problem."


    Vanti touched his chin.


    "The problem is, if he''s too outstanding, I''d feel like I prepared all of this and stood out to gain nothing! People won''t say ''Look at those two! A perfect assist and perfect scoring!'' They will only think that this dude is good while my role is inconsequential¡­ They''d think that anyone could replace me! This is not good¡­"


    "Indeed that''s not good," Marcus nodded his head seriously and sighed. "But you''re venting your heart out to the wrong person, I don''t have such worries. I can securely occupy this errand boy seat uncontested."


    Vanti stared blankly for a moment. Then, he shook his head and went to another corner, his expression sharpening to a point where it was a splitting image of Hiro''s.


    Slowly, this caused a ripple effect and the once cozy and relaxed atmosphere tensed up.


    Thud!


    In another corner, Kenshin also sat down with his chin on his joined knuckles, elbows on his knees, and his eyes narrowed sharply.


    Soon, there was no more chatter and banter in the room, and all of a sudden, Marcus felt out of place.


    Not to be ostracized, he also found a place to sit, his gaze burning holes into the ice bucket, a solemn expression in his eyes as he found something to distract himself.


    When the coach walked in while dragging the blackboard to revise the game plan, he almost got a fright from the cold and gloomy atmosphere in the room.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Everyone''s gaze shifted to the coach.


    He gulped, feeling as though thin steel needles were about to puncture his skin.


    Before he could talk, Hiro stood up and like a gust of wind, he grabbed the chalk and the blackboard before pulling it to the center of the room.


    Then, he got his hands on the coach''s terminal and pulled out all the data on the students and their respective analyses.


    The information provided by the system was all-inclusive¡ªit''s just that Hiro focused all his attention on the most lucrative position in the field.


    However, now he needed to study the capabilities of all his teammates to draw the perfect balance and game plan.


    With that in mind, he tweaked the blackboard and operated the hologram projection feature before connecting it to the terminal.


    Then, he sorted out the files of the students with Ei''s help, projecting an individual, all-inclusive skill tree for each student.


    Everyone stared blankly at the chart that popped out of nowhere.


    [Skill Tree: Ball Skills, Passing, Shooting, Defense, Physical, Mental, Goalkeeper.]


    [Ball Skills]: Ball Control, Dribbling.


    [Passing]: Crossing, Short Pass, Long Pass.


    [Shooting]: Heading, Shot Power, Finishing, Long Shots, Curve, Free Kicks Acc, Penalties, Volleys.


    [Defense]: Marking, Slide Tackle, Stand Tackle.


    [Physical]: Acceleration, Stamina, Strength, Balance, Sprint Speed, Agility, Jumping.


    [Mental]: Aggression, Reactions, Att. Position, Interceptions, Vision, Composure.


    [Goalkeeper]: GK Positioning, GK Diving, GK Handling, GK Kicking, GK Reflexes.


    ¡­


    Then, Hiro''s hands blurred as each student''s profile was assigned a different chart with different statistics, stunning them even more.

 Chapter 55: 300k

    At the end of the day, students were only students, and they could only be considered soccer enthusiasts at most.


    Hiro''s only compromise was to develop a game plan where each student would be squeezed dry in the efforts of setting the stage for him.


    Thus, as expected, a weird scene played out on the live broadcast.


    The Group B soccer team from the provincial capital''s Inter-High would follow only two tactics, aptly described as contraction and expansion.


    When the ball was with the opposition, two rings of players, a circle of three followed by a circle of five would close the net on the ball''s position.


    Once the ball was retrieved, they would leave the field to three players, namely Hiro, Vanti, and Kenshin while the rest of the players tried their best to intercept the opposition.


    As long as Hiro made it into the penalty box, doesn''t matter from which position, all it takes is one shot and the ball would curve beautifully into the net from an inconceivable angle.


    Hiro and Vanti helped Kenshin score some goals too, but for the most part, Hiro flipped the game into a one-sided display of professional soccer skills.


    Once the final whistle for the second half resounded, the entire stadium and rows upon rows of locals looked at the scoreboard blankly.


    Some were cursing, some closed their eyes and shame, and some were crying hoarsely while throwing their garbage at the resting benches of the local soccer team.


    By now, almost everyone knew that the match was being broadcasted live, and they felt humiliated.


    03:11!


    The scoreboard was 03:11 in favor of the away team!


    Hiro alone scored eight goals while he left a hat trick for Kenshin!


    About five goals were wasted because he wasted his time either dribbling or fooling around, toying with the other players'' feelings.


    Today was a complete and utter disaster, and no amount of previous bounding or spending money on mutual activity could bury such hatred under the rug in such a short amount of time.


    Thus, the coach wisely withdrew from the post-game celebration dinner and hurried stowed the students in the bus, driving back to the provincial capital without a word of goodbye.


    He was scared that if they lingered for an hour more, some students would be sent to the hospital bed, not a booked hotel.


    ¡­


    Inter-High''s school bus.


    Everyone was quiet, and even if they weren''t keeping silent, they were discussing in hushed whispers.


    Despite the great, blood-boiling victory, no one expressed it through celebratory applause, laughter, or dancing.


    The reason was simple, Hiro was sleeping.


    Well, everyone thought that Hiro had drafted and exhausted himself to the point where the moment he settled on his seat, he fell asleep.


    His head even tilted to the side little by little until he leaned comfortably on Teacher Aiya''s shoulder, but she didn''t act repulsed nor pushed him away.


    Rather, she too closed her eyes.


    The last two weeks were a much-needed mental distraction for her, especially when she received news from the school about a potential promotion.


    She didn''t know what happened exactly, but she attributed it to Hiro pulling some strings in the background.


    As for Hiro, he was immersed in the world of Transcendent Daoist. Although he was committed to not using the system for two weeks, he wasn''t about to waste 14 weeks of cultivation time.


    That''s 440,000,000 worth of CB at the very least. True, Hiro wasn''t planning to advance from the peak of the Origin Soul realm to the next major realm anytime soon, and for two reasons.


    First, the majority of the known pocket dimension can''t withstand the power of his Arcana Lord character, and he wasn''t about to make a similar mistake with his Daoist character.


    Second, he still felt like his foundation was too lacking, and while he would lose his accumulated CB when leaving from one sect to learn the techniques of a different sect, he could always invest the CB somewhere else.


    For example, the cultivation of the physical body.


    Body refinement had always been a thing in the wuxia lore, and this game was no exception.


    After paying sufficient contribution points to the sect, Hiro received the necessary scrolls to train in body refinement.


    Afterward, he dumped all his CB into the body refinement realms. Some major tribulations were failure, and wasting a considerable amount of his CBA, but Hiro didn''t mind.


    Soon, his body cultivation reached the fifth realm, catching up to his spirit qi cultivation base.


    He was one step away on both ends from reaching the Tier-4 standards of his current world.


    The benefit is obvious, he could fuse the laws of immortal cultivation into his Unfathomable dimension, as the games exchanged through vouchers would end when Hiro''s characters reached a certain level of strength.


    As for the disadvantages, they were also obvious because Hiro couldn''t risk synchronizing with a character above the Tier-5 Rank-S standards.


    As far as Hiro was concerned, as long as it didn''t involve the New World, only a select few could truly threaten his life at the moment.


    Once he settled on a new game and leveled up his character to Tier-5 standards, then he would gladly take that step and complete the current game.


    Sadly, this game''s format was useless for VR gaming, else he would have made use of the game''s source code.


    Before Hiro left the sect to join one of the top sects with harsher requirements, he returned to the system space and scrolled through the notifications for the past two weeks.


    As he was scrolling through, one notification caught his eye.


    [Notice: Triggered love at first sight! Jessica has fallen in love with you.]


    ¡­


    Well, this explains a lot¡­ However, thinking about how Jessica was a service girl in a five-star hotel, Hiro felt a little off.


    She''s not going to quit her job and devote herself to a one-side love now, is she?


    Hiro didn''t think too much about it.


    The system remained somewhat silent throughout the two weeks, save for the occasional +5 achievement points when some of the local students added him on iMessage.


    Then, toward the last few hours, the expected explosion of achievement points happened.


    Hiro looked at the dense pack of +5 notifications with a wide grin. Judging by his total number of achievement points, a very small percentage of the gamers who watched the live stream went out of their way to follow his public account.


    Regardless, this was by far the greatest harvest of achievement points up to date.


    Hiro opened his friend''s list and pulled over the Mr. Popular chain mission tag.


    He focused on the friend count and the attached rewards. At first, it was just an increase in charm and charisma, and it kept rising till the chance of triggering love at first sight stopped at 10%.


    Then, practical rewards started pouring in.


    [Notice: You''ve achieved a milestone of 100,000 friends, completing the "Mr. Popular" chain mission.


    [Reward 1: You''ve acquired the skill {Telepathy} and can use it on all living creatures.


    Reward 2: 30 gems.]


    ¡­


    [Notice: You''ve achieved a milestone of 200,000 friends, completing the "Mr. Popular" chain mission.


    [Reward 1: You''ve upgraded the {Simulation Space} and it can now be used as an independent cultivation space.


    [Reward 2: 1x Magic Dragon Summoning Token.]


    ¡­


    [Notice: You''ve achieved a milestone of 300,000 friends, completing the "Mr. Popular" chain mission.


    [Reward 1: 1x Level 2 Mass Enlightenment Scroll.


    [Reward 2: 80% Discount Voucher.]


    ¡­


    [Notice: You''ve reached the limit of gaining friends through this platform, please think of another way to establish connections.]


    ¡­


    Hiro was stunned.


    Doing the math, it seemed like this wasn''t a loophole by the system, but it was bait instead.


    300,000 followers from his social media public account were allocated to his friends list, and the limit was capped.


    Hiro began to sweat since he had no idea how to gather more friends. After thinking about it, his eyes shone. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Maybe I should start a guild in a VR game and have people add me as friends there? It should work, right? System?


    [Notice: Your virtual persona can indeed make friends, but the limit is capped at 300,000 friends just as well.]


    Hiro expected this, but he didn''t care.


    If the key lie in which identity he used to make friends, he could easily rotate professions in real life.


    He can make 300k friends as a gamer, 300k friends as a teacher, 300k friends as a doctor, 300k friends as a policeman¡­


    The list can be endless.


    This is why Hiro felt like it was a trap.


    The system was forcing his hand again!


    However, he wasn''t against the idea, as it was also a challenge.


    Looking at his list of rewards, what Hiro liked the most was the upgrade to the {Simulation Space}


    It became a possibility for him to use it as a cultivation room in real life!


    Although it was just a single room that only he could enter, it was technically a private pocket dimension with a time dilation feature.


    Best of all, it was something for his real body, not the synchronization characters!

 Chapter 56: My Domain High-Priority Mission Reward

    It took Hiro a lot of time to calm down after learning what an upgraded {Simulaion Space} entailed.


    If it could be upgraded once again, does this mean I can simulate the environment of the completed games and try them with my real body? Hiro thought to himself in glee.


    Hiro quickly pulled up his real-life character sheet.


    [Name: Hiro Sciatis]


    Class: Sorcerer.


    Level: 32.


    XP: 88%


    Spells: Sorcerer''s Guide to the Five Elements, Infinite Sword Matrix.


    AP: 1,511,183.


    Gems: 90.


    Servants: Succubus Arabella (Lvl 13).


    Skills: Immersive Reading, Professional Calligraphy, Analytical Mind, Professional Combat, Professional Soccer, Espionage I, Telepathy.


    Inventory: Dimensional Key, 80% Discount Voucher (2), Lvl. 1 Mass Enlightenment Scroll, Lvl.2 Mass Enlightenment Scroll, Magic Dragon Summoning Token, Game Voucher.


    ¡­


    Hiro''s eyes were drawn to the last segment on his character sheet. Since money was just a number to him at this point, he removed his bank balance and the company''s balance from his character sheet.


    Instead, he added an inventory option.


    Things became much simpler this way.


    Hiro also noticed that the only difference between the Lvl1 and Lvl2 enlightenment scrolls was their efficiency, not the cost of use.


    Thus, at the moment, he felt like the Lvl1 scroll was a great scam. Nonetheless, these weren''t things he could buy with just a few gems, so he decided to just keep them.


    As for the dragon summoning, he decided to do it inside his pocket dimension and allow her to silently cultivate under the dimension''s core.


    Perhaps she could gain something after the mass enlightenment and as the core is slowly transforming.


    Hiro figured that the upcoming mass enlightenment would be the straw to break the camel''s back and allow the dimension to metamorphosis, attuning to the laws of sorcery.


    Hm, the Unfathomables are about to welcome their third member, a Magic Dragon!


    Hiro was both excited and impatient. Thus, as an outlet for these emotions, he entered the {Simulation Space}, quit the current sect, and joined one of the top 5 sects in the game.


    The Sword God Shrine, is a sect of sword cultivators.


    Then, Hiro started doing sect missions crazily to gather contribution points, which he would later use to learn the sect''s martial arts and magic spells.


    Hours passed quickly, and soon, the bus arrived back at the Inter-High public parking lot where the students alighted from the bus.


    Hiro wasn''t in the mind to waste time talking with the other students. After bidding farewell to the students, he quickly approached Sebastian who was waiting next to the car.


    Sebastian knew Hiro enough to tell that his master was in a hurry. Thus, he didn''t say anything and quickly escorted Hiro to the mansion.


    As expected by the staff in the mansion, Hiro locked himself up in the study.


    "Master is so hardworking, I''ve never seen a rich young man this dedicated to his work before."


    "Sigh, don''t mention it. Those second-generation Young Masters only know how to spend their family''s hard-earned money, little understand how difficult it is to raise money."


    "Okay you two, stop gossiping and go clean the indoor swimming pool and the indoor gym facilities."


    "Yes!"


    "Right away!"


    ¡­


    While the servants were lamenting how little rest their employer enjoyed in his life, he was excitedly looking at the colorful portal that opened right underneath the multicolored dimensional core.


    Medusa curled around Hiro''s neck, its triangular head curiously looking at the oval hole in the air.


    Soon, a petite silver-haired young lady with a pair of silver eyes housing elliptical pupils walked out.


    She wore a tight-fitting leather skin suit beneath a shining white armor, a long spear floating behind her back.


    [Juvia]:


    Race: Dragon.


    Bloodline: Magic Dragon.


    Level: 10.


    Skills: Transformation, Dragon Roar, Time Manipulation, Political Wisdom VI.


    ¡­


    Hiro observed Juvia, feeling quite satisfied.


    Like Arabella, he exchanged a daily life skill just for her and spent 6,400 points, increasing her proficiency to level 6.


    With the management skills of the all-inclusive {Political Wisdom VI}, managing a small province wouldn''t be a problem, let alone an underdeveloped pocket dimension.


    After giving Juvia the command to stay here with Medusa to cultivate quietly, he used his current authority in the dimension to teleport silently to the outside world.


    Since the dimension''s core was right beneath his feet, a few hundred kilometers underground, he decided to make this location the focal point of the pocket dimension.


    Hiro synchronized with his Daoist character to expedite the process of moving around the pocket dimension and finding the ideal location to initiate mass enlightenment.


    Then, he burned through his current achievement points and pushed the range of the enlightenment to a large sphere with a diameter of 1,500 kilometers.


    A massive halo expanded from Hiro''s body to cover the ground and the sky, like a celestial phenomenon.


    Of course, Hiro used the level 2 scroll.


    He could feel himself connecting with the minds of countless sentient creatures, both flora and fauna, and he could faintly perceive his image taking root in the depths of their minds.


    It was only a faint feeling, but it was akin to a germinating seed that would one day sprout into a magnificent tree.


    As the seeds took shape, Hiro began to feel countless inexplicable emotions, millions of fragmented thoughts flooded his mind in flashing, brief images.


    Immersed in the wonderful feeling, Hiro lost track of his sense of self and time, and he didn''t even pay it any mind when the system notifications flashed in his mind.


    [Notice: The integration process has reached 81%]


    ¡­


    [Notice: The integration process has reached 88%]


    ¡­


    [Notice: The integration process has reached 90%


    Read exclusive content at m v l em pyr


    Finalizing the construction of the immaterial dimension]


    ¡­


    [Notice: The integration has entered the critical phase, facilitating the great merger.]


    ¡­


    [Notice: The great merger is underway, facilitating the creation of the personal domain with the Fantasy Crystal as the foundation.


    Drawing the Legend of Babylon''s framework as a reference point.


    Constructing the Babylon Throne and the Celestial Bridge.


    Failed to construct the Heaven and the Underworld due to the lack of frameworks for divine energy and nether energy.] sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡­


    [Notice: Congratulations, you''ve completed your third high-priority mission!


    [Mission Briefing: This is your last mission in the tutorial, and the system had no expectations for you.


    [Mission Rating: Excellent.


    [Reward 1: 50 gems.


    [Reward 2: 1x Game Voucher.


    [Reward 3: 10,000 Achievement Points.


    [Reward 4: Book of Revelations - Curse Chapter.]


    ¡­


    Only after the long string of notifications did the wonderful sensation leave Hiro''s body.


    He happened to catch notice of the high-priority mission completion notification, and he opened his eyes in shock.


    Tutorial? What do you mean tutorial?!


    However, thinking about it, the system did give him a high-priority mission for each critical aspect of this world''s daily life.


    If he followed Bella''s explanation about this world''s structure, one can only gain a foothold if they covered three fronts; the world in the open, the world in the dark, and the Paranormal Society otherwise known as the world of bosses.


    Each of the high-priority missions was tailored to a specific aspect, and they did indeed help Hiro with setting the foundation.


    However, without the high-priority missions, Hiro would lose an easy channel for earning 50 gems and game vouchers.


    Does this mean that I can only farm gems by completing games and doing interpersonal missions in the future?


    Hiro felt like throwing up. However, those feelings were pushed aside when he took note of his current location.


    "Eh? This place looks both familiar and unfamiliar," Hiro quickly remembered this location.


    It was Babylon''s throne room¡ªthe final location for the boss battle!


    If not for the fact that his synchronized status was canceled the moment he activated the mass enlightenment scroll, he would have thought himself to be in the simulation space.


    "Right, this should be the immaterial domain¡­ Mhm, the sensation is right, I''m only here with my consciousness."


    According to the lore in the Legend of Babylon, his throne room existed above the Celestial Bridge, while the bridge was located above the starry sky.


    Looking down from the high-back chair stationed on the magnificent throne, Hiro saw a translucent river extending from the foot of the throne towards the infinite distance.


    Yes, the throne room wasn''t a room, but rather, an expansive miniature cosmos!


    Hiro''s current body was a celestial giant not unlike a roaming celestial body, occupying a vast region of space above the stars.


    With a thought from his mind, the cosmos shifted, and the river beneath his throne expanded.


    In the water, every corner in the pocket dimension was visible, while the ripples in the water displayed fragmented scenes with the inhabitants of the pocket dimension as a focal point.


    With another thought, he glimpsed into the game world of the Seeker''s Legend with the flowing faith energy as a medium, and he could even expand upon the channel to view the players who are offline in their daily lives.


    As he focused, he noticed that the shallow river was the concentration of faith energy, as invisible threads tore through the immaterial void and connected to the millions of players and sentient creatures.


    Hiro had the feeling of absolute control; he could draw the consciousness of every creature connected to the river through a thread of faith energy¡ªbut this was merely the tip of the iceberg!


    For a moment, Hiro forgot about the feeling of being an all-mighty deity and instead, he acted like a child trying out a new toy!


    [End of Volume 1 ¡ª Tutorial]

 Chapter 57: Famous

    Is this the feeling of being omniscient spoken of in legends? No wonder the church is hung up on the issue of believers. Even if their peak powerhouses can''t intrude on the fragile world, they can use believers as nodes to keep an eye on what happens here.


    Still, the prerequisite of 1.2 billion believers is quite harsh, can it be that they can only construct an immaterial dimension of faith energy once they reach a critical benchmark?


    Perhaps, if it wasn''t for the Fantasy Crystal, I wouldn''t have been able to make this immaterial dimension a reality.


    After experimenting with the faith energy and the immaterial dimension for a while, Hiro retrieved his consciousness from the space and returned to his real body.


    The next moment he opened his eyes, he realized how stiff his muscles were at the moment.


    Confused, he stretched his body and hurriedly left the pocket dimension, and returned to his study.


    The moment he stepped into the study, he observed the digital clock on the wall for the calendar, which frightened him.


    He spent no less than three weeks inside the pocket dimension! Luckily, the mysterious energy from the system kept his body in a healthy condition while the pocket dimension was undergoing a metamorphosis into a domain. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    However, losing touch with the outside world for so long was quite troublesome!


    Hiro hurriedly checked his phone, and as he expected, it had over a thousand text messages and hundreds of missed phone calls.


    Checking his quantum watch, Hiro also noticed dozens of messages on the PARA app, specifically in his private thread.


    Theo must have given the private thread''s password to the other Paranormals from the last time, and from the looks of it, something big must have happened in the Paranormal Society.


    Hiro quickly opened the thread and sent a message.


    [Babylon]: I''m busy. Make it short.


    He didn''t bother with the PARA app anymore and went to check his phone.


    There were messages from Teacher Aiya, Rosaline, Bella, Jessica, Vanti, Elvin, and some other unknown numbers.


    Most of the calls were from Bella and Vanti, so Hiro sent them a short reply together with everyone else with the message broadcast feature.


    As for the load of messages, he marked all of them on read and didn''t bother looking at them a second time.


    Hiro anticipated that Bella would probably call him anytime soon. However, before then, he suddenly got an idea.


    He opened the portal to his pocket dimension and summoned Juvia, only to be momentarily shocked when he saw her.


    She was already at level 20 according to the system''s classifications, a certified Tier-8 Paranormal.


    Her advancement was just too fast.


    Well, more like Hiro''s advancement in the real world was too slow since he didn''t bother with raising his power level.


    Her white armor transformed into a gender-neutral business suit as she bowed to Hiro and greeted, "Did you call for me, Master?"


    Hiro nodded and pointed at the documents on the desk. "Take your identification documents and go take the civil servant exam. I have high hopes for you, Juvia. Just keep your connections with me a secret."


    Juvia''s eyes glimmered, clear excitement brewing within her little head as she nodded seriously. "Don''t worry, Master. I won''t disappoint you."


    She approached the desk, took the envelope with her legal identification documents inside, and then swiftly left the study.


    With her current strength, leaving the mansion without drawing attention was an easy task.


    Watching her disappear like that, Hiro''s heart burned with excitement and expectations.


    He wondered how far Juvia could go as a civil servant. With the system concealing her powers, no one in this world can see through her identity as a dragon or her current strength.


    Hiro touched his chin and sent Arabella a message, requesting her opinion on which stocks in the international market he should buy.


    He told her that he could buy %5 of any company, regardless of size; she only needed to recommend him the best choice.


    He gave her one week to do the necessary research. Although Nebula Electronics was a big company, it was still a local tyrant with roots in the Nexus Country, not a behemoth on the international scale.


    As for the COC, it was more like an alliance of common interests, not a company.


    This way, one of his trusted generals went out to establish a budding business empire while the other went out to climb the political ladder.


    The future so far seemed very bright.


    Ring! Ring!


    His phone rang, but unexpectedly, it was Rosaline who called him and not Bella.


    Although a little surprised, Hiro picked up the call and answered, "Hello?"


    "I really thought you were dead in some forsaken corner, little guy. I have a few things to discuss with you, are you free to meet me right now?"


    "I was busy handling some private matters, so I wasn''t around for a long time. Also, it depends on what kind of business is it, can you tell me?"


    "It''s the kind of business that can''t be discussed on the phone, do you understand me now?"


    "I understand. Let me see, what time is it now? It''s almost nine in the evening, is it alright if we meet at such a late hour?"


    "It''s alright, just meet me in two hours. I''ll send you a location, is that okay?"


    "Yeah, I guess I''ll see you in two hours."


    Beep!


    ¡­


    Hiro put his phone down and contemplated for a while. Then, he opened the PARA app and skimmed through the most recent messages.


    As expected, something big happened.


    The church launched an expedition that lasted for ten years into a vast pocket dimension with a surface area of over 300 million square kilometers.


    However, the dimension''s core cracked during the expedition, destroying the equilibrium of the pocket dimension.


    In a hurry, the powerhouses retreated lest the entire dimension collapsed, ruining their decade-long expedition.


    However, the dimension was infested with hostile races from other worlds, the church couldn''t sit still and watch them take all the valuables away.


    At first, they called for mid-tier Paranormals to help them sweep through the dimension and collect the treasures and materials, but the pocket dimension kept deteriorating. Discover more at m''vl em|p yr


    Soon, only low-tier Paranormals could enter safely, forcing the mid-tier powerhouses to evacuate.


    Theo wanted to invite him during the brief window where mid-tier Paranormals were allowed entry, but he wasn''t contactable during that time.


    He said it was a missed opportunity, what a pity. Now, only Tier-9, Tier-8, and Tier-7 Paranormals were allowed to enter the pocket dimension.


    Anyone stronger than that couldn''t enter even if they tried, because the gate opened by the Holy Church would reject them.


    After reading the message, Hiro could guess what type of "Talk" Rosaline was about to have with him.


    [Babylon]: What are the attributes of that dimension''s laws?


    Usually, such large pocket dimensions are called Minor Realms, and they sustain more than one mystical law.


    For example, the Minor Realm from where the vampires and werewolves came from, not to mention that some sources detailed that elves came from the same Minor Realm.


    Soon, someone responded.


    [???]: Most of the energy is chaotic neutral energy that anyone can absorb, but the conversion rate is very low. If one was to absorb 10 units of energy, 8.2 units would be wasted. There''s also a sliver of pure demonic energy, which is also the main cause of the deteriorating core.


    [Babylon]: Okay.


    Hiro closed the PARA app and began to contemplate silently.


    ¡­


    Two hours later.


    Seven Inch is a famous lakeside view tea pavilion on the other side of the Tsukiyomi Lake.


    Goes without saying, it''s incredibly expensive. To avoid inconveniencing both himself and Rosaline, a distinguished daughter of the Rosch family, Hiro picked an expensive set of branded clothing for the occasion.


    The moment the car stopped by the entrance to the Seven Inch Pavilion, Hiro slowly alighted while maintaining his image in mind.


    However, he soon found out how redundant his actions were¡­


    AHHH!!


    A shrill shout attracted the attention of many pedestrians, some were frowning in displeasure.


    A host of teenagers, probably second-generation rich youngsters, spotted Hiro from a distance.


    The girls in the group shouted, "CRIMSON ACE HIRO! IT''S CRIMSON ACE HIRO! PLEASE I WANT AN AUTOGRAPH!"


    Then, they rushed over like hungry beasts.


    Shocked, Hiro hurried to the pavilion''s entrance and was about to mention Rosaline''s name for a reservation, only to notice that the receptionist was blushing deeply.


    "P-please can I have an autograph¡­"


    For a professional receptionist in a high-end establishment, stuttering once was already a catastrophe for her, but she didn''t care and stretched out a small notebook to Hiro.


    Looking down, Hiro was stunned to find his image on the notebook as a printed cover.


    It was his image receiving a long pass through the air on his chest, the impact and the wind causing his short hair to flare like a dancing flame, his eyes sharp and focused.


    Everything else aside, the image was too badass.


    Seeing that the teenagers were almost on his heels, Hiro grabbed the receptionist''s pen and scribbled an autograph with his professional calligraphy skills.


    Who can challenge me? They''re not worthy!


    ¡ªYours truly¡­


    After leaving his first name, he bid farewell to the girl and rushed inside, his heart beating wildly as he looked back; a tide of people was already rushing over.


    Fame is truly scary¡­

 Chapter 58: Rosaline’s Invitation

    "I didn''t think our freshman year was hiding such a good soccer player," Rosaline teased with a smile in the private room.


    Hiro scratched his head, acting embarrassed, but he was grinning with confidence.


    He responded while smiling, "It was only a matter of time before I made it big, it''s nothing serious."


    "You didn''t rely on your special abilities to perform so well, did you?" Rosaline asked seriously all of a sudden.


    Hiro scoffed. "Do you think I''m that foolish? Of course not, this is all raw, pure talent!"


    Rosaline looked deeply into Hiro''s eyes for a prolonged moment before slowly nodding her head. "Okay, I believe you. I''m glad you know how important it is to hold back¡­ By the way, what level did you reach now? I can find a vector measuring machine for you if you want."


    "No need," Hiro waved his hand. "Weak is weak, it doesn''t matter how weak."


    Hiro paused and added, "This must be about that pocket dimension, right? Are you inviting me on your team or something?"


    Rosaline was stunned for a moment before she collected herself with a smile. "It seems like you''ve made yourself quite a few capable friends to get your hands on this information."


    Hiro blinked. "Is it that serious?"


    Rosaline raised an eyebrow and said, "This is very classified information, how could the church publicize their failed expedition to the Paranormal Society openly? Anyone who got their hands on this information must have a wide network."


    Hiro didn''t give it much thought beforehand, as he wasn''t in touch with this side of society for long.


    However, thinking about it now, the Holy Church was like one of the strongest organizations in this world, how could anyone get their hands on secret intelligence about its movements in such a short time?


    Theo''s friends are really capable, it seems like the Odins family is more complicated than I thought.


    On the surface, Hiro still acted as though this was nothing big as he said, "It still doesn''t feel like a big deal. I mean, I also know the reason behind the core''s deterioration, let alone something so trivial as a failed expedition."


    Rosaline''s eyes hardened as she reassessed Hiro, thinking to herself. Could it be that he was missing the last three weeks because of something related to this expedition? How entangled is he with the Paranormals already?


    While shocked, Rosaline was also relieved to know that this little guy was no longer a clueless blockhead.


    "My family is also taking part in this expedition hosted by the Holy Church, but we''re not the only interested party¡­"


    According to Rosaline, the Big Three are going to send a batch of promising youngsters into the crumbling pocket dimension on a military expedition.


    This will serve as both a training mission and a contribution to humanity. So far, no one has gotten their hands on a Minor Realm large enough to support the human population.


    This Minor Realm was a big breakthrough point toward colonizing the New World, but no one expected that other races from other worlds had their eyes on it too.


    It''s still unclear how pocket dimensions came to be and how many worlds like their current world were connected to these pocket dimensions.


    However, the possibility of a different race or a different civilization locating the coordinates of their world through an unstable pocket dimension wasn''t low.


    Thus, every encounter between different races or different civilizations in a pocket dimension ended in the destruction of the pocket dimension.


    It doesn''t matter who was stronger and who was weaker upon first contact, as no one was willing to take the risk.


    If they could find our world through the pocket dimension, we could also find their world.


    It was like a game of chess on the racial scale.


    Since the pocket dimension was already on the countdown to destruction, how could they not feel anxious about the resources accumulated for a decade?


    The Holy Church had drawn out a map for the explored areas, and the mission of the new batch of explorers was to tap into the uncharted territory.


    Find anything of value from herbs, treasures, remnants of civilization, dimensional keys¡ªanything of value could be brought back and sold to the church.


    Of course, they wouldn''t buy it for money, but they would exchange it for suitable resources.


    For example, Hiro could obtain spirituality-rich resources to increase his personal strength as a Sorcerer.


    Many families and governmental agencies agreed to send their young talents, but these two would also treat this expedition as a test for their young.


    Rosaline''s siblings and cousins from the other branches of the family will be joining the fray, not as her helpers but as her competitors.


    At least, that should have been the case until she declared her intention to withdraw from the competition to become the next head of the family, which shocked a lot of elders, including her parents.


    As a punishment, the family wouldn''t provide her with any help or resources on the expedition¡ªsince she decided to use this expedition as her first pot of gold to affirm a foothold in the Paranormal Society, then the family would let her work all alone.


    Once she realized how ruthless and fearsome the Paranormal Society was without the backing of her family, only then would she realize her mistakes and come back to make amends.


    This brought her here to this dinner meeting.


    Rosaline said in earnest, "I''ve already invited Bella and she agreed to help me, now I''m formally inviting you to join my party and help me, too."


    Hiro blinked and asked in confusion, "Have you lost your mind? Wait, tell me you''ve secretly gathered some resources for yourself before ditching your family¡­"


    "Did you stash away a few billion dollars? Did you bewitch some capable subordinates to help you?"


    "When you say you''re all on your own, you don''t literally mean it that way, right?"


    ¡­


    Hiro fired off a string of questions, only to be met with Rosaline''s silence as she stared back at him with a faint smile.


    "What''s the big deal?" Rosaline picked up her teacup and took a sip. "Look at Bella''s family, it''s doing alright even though they only have her father. Also, I don''t have any enemies, they''re the Rosch family''s enemies so no one will target me."


    Hiro''s eyes twitched.


    Bella''s father is anything but a simple character. If even the Rosch family is oblivious to his true background, then these waters run too deep.


    No simple character would draw the attention of some Master Osmond, but that guy is hiding too deeply.


    He somehow used me to shield the entity behind him, now no one knows who is exactly behind the Odins. If I''m not wrong, he should be some big shot from the government.


    Hiro''s guess was baseless, but he trusted his gut feeling very much. Nonetheless, this doesn''t change the fact that I rescued his wife and daughter.


    Hiro concluded that whoever was behind Theo didn''t care about Theo''s family, as long as Theo himself was fine and well.


    This type of ruthlessness and coldness probably doesn''t sit well with the man, especially since his personality is so passionate, hence why although he''s being targeted by an overpowered enemy, that enemy doesn''t dare cross some lines either.


    Hmm, seems like They used me as a shield and that Master Osmond is going to use me as giving himself a way out, especially since he wouldn''t want to offend the big shot behind the Odins.


    Hiro scoffed inwardly, did they really think that he was some scapegoat that could be used to divert attention and cut losses?


    Did they think that targeting an outsider without influence in the provincial capital was better than getting entangled in the deep murky waters of the capital?


    Hiro had but one thing to say about his current standoff with those two parties, and it wasn''t something pretty.


    Are they worthy?


    Rosaline tapped the surface of the low table with her teacup, drawing Hiro''s attention to herself once again.


    "I heard that you tend to space out a lot without any rhyme or reason, but I didn''t expect it to happen even during such a tense conversation¡­" Rosaline smiled.


    Hiro shook his head, hesitated for a moment, and said solemnly, "Just take this piece of information as repayment for what you''ve done to help me so far. The waters of the Odins family are deeper than you think; it''s an ocean that could swallow your Rosch family without a ripple, let alone some tricks in the Paranormal Society."


    Hiro leaned forward, his chin resting on his knuckles while his elbow was propped on the table. "Let me put it this way, the Odins family is one thing, but Theo Odin is a whole different animal. Don''t ask me how I know, but just know that targeting Bella and her mother is one thing, while targeting Theo is a whole different matter." Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Rosaline''s hands paused, her eyes narrowed dangerously as she spoke, "You mean to say that Theo is in a similar position to my current self, just under different circumstances?"

 Chapter 59: What’s Your Worth?

    Hiro thought about it and replied with an uncertain tone, "I think I can put it this way; he eloped from his family with a secret lover. All in all, whoever is behind the Odins, their bottom line is Theo, not the family of three."


    In a sense, whoever is protecting Theo doesn''t extend the umbrella of protection to his wife and daughter, leaving their safety up to Theo''s ability.


    If Rosaline thought about it this way, it would make sense as to why most of the attacks on the Odins recently were targeted toward Theo''s immediate family, not Theo himself.


    It''s like they''re testing the waters¡ªtesting the tolerance limits of whoever is behind the Odins.


    And from the looks of it, the mother and daughter pair, Sheba and Bella, didn''t fall within the scope of a bottom line.


    However, even if that was the case, no one would dare go overboard for fear of triggering the cesspool that was Theo''s unbridled counterattack, which could pull everyone into the deep waters.


    Thus, the survival of the Odin''s so far wasn''t a matter of excellence, but a matter of some awkwardly established, delicate balance.


    The Odins was just a small chess piece between two behemoths; anyone could destroy it casually, but no one dared to do it.


    That was until a new chess piece in the form of Babylon was introduced, allowing both parties to divert their attention elsewhere.


    When Rosaline''s thoughts reached this point, something clicked in her mind as she blurted out, "You''ve kept in contact with Babylon, haven''t you?! No, you most likely joined him or them, right?! This explains why you know so much¡­"


    Rosaline had an ''enlightened'' expression as her thoughts raced at light speed.


    Hiro stared, dumbfounded.


    Did I just expose myself by repaying kindness with kindness? No, that''s it, I''ll have to be an ungrateful bastard in the future¡ªI can''t risk getting myself exposed for something so stupid again!


    Hiro coughed, fixing his sharp glare on Rosaline. It was the typical "You talk too much" type of glare¡ªa flat-out warning.


    Hiro wondered if he should get Arabella to hypnotize and wipe away Rosaline''s memories of this particular conversation.


    Rosaline realized that she was overreacting, and she could feel an invisible noose slowly closing in on her neck.


    She began to sweat profusely.


    If the entity behind Babylon was so powerful that it could draw the attention of the two behemoths that caught the Odins family in the middle, all while evading the Rosch family''s investigation efforts, it wasn''t something for her to meddle in.


    She could very well disappear from the face of this earth by midnight, let alone make it into the New World''s new expedition party.


    An awkward silence descended in the private room, and Hiro just stared silently at Rosaline.


    His eyes were getting darker and darker, and it seemed that he was about to act at any moment now.


    "I won''t say anything," Rosaline could only say this much, but she knew that this verbal guarantee wasn''t worth anything.


    Just as she was sweating on what to do, Hiro sighed and shook his head. "Forget it, saying anything now is useless."


    Hiro stood up from his seat and prepared himself to leave. The atmosphere was no longer suitable for a conversation.


    "Wait," Rosaline gathered her courage and stood up, taking a deep breath. "Let me meet with Babylon, I can prove my sincerity to him if we meet face to face. At worst, I''ll immediately disown my family and join him."


    Hiro gave her a silly look, "Without your family''s extended influence, what''s the point of keeping you? Maybe if you became the family head and handed the Rosch family as collateral, he might be interested."


    Leaving those words in the air, Hiro left.


    Rosaline was stunned on the spot.


    Use her family as a bargaining chip to become a subordinate? Is her Rosch family so little in their eyes?


    For a moment, she stood there in a daze, her mind whirling furiously.


    ¡­


    After an arduous struggle, Hiro finally made it through the crowd of enthusiastic teenagers and entered his car.


    Without hesitation, Sebastian drove off into the distance, and only then did Hiro heave a sigh of relief.


    Then, his phone buzzed with an incoming text message, and it was from Rosaline.


    [Rosaline]: If I represented my line of the family to invite you to join my party, would you join me?


    Hiro thought for a moment and replied that it wouldn''t hurt to take a look. At the very least, he might as well help her climb the ladder of power in her family.


    Since he couldn''t silence her for eternity, he might as well drag her down the path of stabbing her family in the back.


    As for how to do it? Hiro''s eyes glinted coldly.


    Since he already agreed to help Rosaline in the pocket dimension, Hiro returned home and locked himself in the study to prepare.


    His preparations were simple.


    First, he exchanged one of the game vouchers for a game with demonic lore, and it was another sandbox open-world game called Return of the Demon Ancestor.


    The plot follows the story of Sitri¡­


    A Great Demon with the Celestial Demon bloodline who exhausted his demonic powers trying to save the demon realm from crashing into the Divine Kingdom of the Heavenly Emperor. Experience the narrative at m_vl_em_p_yr


    After exhausting his potential to the extreme, he is left wandering the cosmos together with the remnants of the demon realm, eventually ending up in a chaotic region that is engulfed in total anarchy.


    The demon realm ends up as a floating island in that region, and demons are enslaved by the powerful races who had a foothold in that chaotic region.


    When Sitri woke up to find his people enslaved and treated like toys, practice dummies, and even cheap currency¡ªhis anger stimulated his dormant bloodline.


    From then on, he walks a path of blood and slaughter to replenish his lost bloodline powers, eventually turning the chaotic region into the new Demon Realm, where he plans for the next war against the Heavenly Emperor.


    ¡­


    Hiro didn''t hesitate to get his hands on the game, and for the following days, his lifestyle alternated between playing Transcendent Daoist, Return of the Demon Ancestor, and secluding himself in the private cultivation room to get familiar with the Infinite Sword Matrix.


    His favorite combination of elemental swords was the wind and lightning formation, where he would construct three lightning swords and six wind swords. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    At this moment, nine swords were his limit unless he wanted to sacrifice control and accuracy for a wider destructive range.


    What Hiro found pleasing was that his personal cultivation room was an extension of his pocket dimension, which means that the attributes and laws of the pocket dimension determined the environment of his cultivation space.


    Soon, a week in real life passed.


    ¡­


    A gray vortex appeared in the study room, and Hiro slowly walked out.


    His crimson hair had sparks of neon blue interlocking within, and one of his ruby eyes had also turned pale blue momentarily.


    He slowly calmed down the rioting, robust spirituality within his body, suppressing his aura to the extreme with his eyes closed.


    Thin, transparent swords swam around his figure like fish in water, slowly fading into his body after kicking up a gust of billowing wind.


    Although it was just one week in real life, Hiro spent close to 50 days in either mindless training or leveling up in the new game.


    He quickly checked the status window for his Sitri character.


    [Name: Sitri (Hero)]


    Level: 40 (Tier-7 Rank-S)


    Gold: 13,456


    Race: Demon


    Bloodline: Celestial Demon


    Special Abilities: Purgatory Domain, Rampage, Blood Ignition, Bone Armor, Bone Sword, Demonic Bewitchment.


    ¡­


    The progress couldn''t be called slow, but it couldn''t be called fast either. This was the drawback of not having any teleportation circles in the chaotic region.


    When Hiro''s army of demons wanted to move from one area to the next, the logistics and transportation would always hinder their progress.


    Furthermore, Hiro learned his lesson that excessive killing and indulgence in the {Simulation Space} would affect his mentality in the real world; hence why he didn''t go all out.


    Another reason was the limitations of the pocket dimension¡ªit can''t withstand a power level above Tier-7.


    Also, another factor was the unlikely possibility of meeting with a demonic squad inside the pocket dimension.


    Just in case, Hiro used the five cosmetic keys in the shop to get himself a Demon Mask, Hellflame Tailcoat, Demon Gloves, Demon Boots, and a demonic-looking haircut.


    With the aura from his synchronized game character, no one would be able to differentiate him from an actual demon.


    With these preparations, Hiro was looking forward to the expedition. If he could worm his way into the demon world with his disguise, he could obtain that world''s coordinates and obtain a Holy Land for Arabella''s training.


    Hiro thought about it, and he didn''t wish to imbue his pocket dimension with demonic attributes, even if he did complete the game.


    As he was stretching, Hiro''s phone began to ring loudly. After confirming that the call was from Rosaline, he smiled.

 Chapter 60: Wind Blessed

    When Hiro arrived at one of the abandoned industrial parks in the suburbs, he found plenty of black cars lined in formation outside the perimeter.


    He asked Sebastian to stop there and not wait for him, as he would be busy on an excursion with a group of friends for a long time.


    Of course, as the driver and butler, Sebastian had nothing else to say other than to wish Hiro good luck and safety.


    A young woman with an indifferent expression received Hiro, bringing him to meet with Rosaline and her group of immediate family and subordinates.


    This group of youths were the descendants from her line of the family, and their strength should be at around the same level as Rosaline if not weaker.


    However, Hiro had no idea as to what''s their actual level of power, he only knew that not a single one of them was a threat to him.


    Hiro approached Rosaline and greeted her with a faint smile. Then, he started looking around.


    "If you''re looking for Bella, she''s not coming with us. Her family wouldn''t allow her to get involved in something like this."


    Hiro didn''t mind. If he wasn''t mistaken, although Bella was involved with the Paranormal Society, it was just a matter of circumstance.


    Perhaps if she didn''t have sufficient treasures on her body, even the weakest Tier-9 could handle her with ease.


    Hiro wondered if he could get his hands on some awakening potions and distribute them to other people, would they work just the same?


    "Cousin, is this the retainer you brought over?" A person from the side asked curiously.


    The voice carried no malicious intent, just pure curiosity since Rosaline refused to bring a family-designated retainer, claiming that she would invite an outsider.


    "A retainer?" Hiro raised an eyebrow and moved his eyes from Rosaline to her siblings and cousins, finding that each of them had someone standing behind them in a servile manner.


    Are they treating me like some kind of a servant? Hiro was a little amused.


    Rosaline''s grandfather had plenty of children, thus his family line was rather populated.


    On the one hand, it could increase the chances of a genius being born in his line of descendants; on the other hand, the internal competition would also increase together with the shrinking of resources.


    "He''s not my retainer," Rosaline said, emphasizing the word. "I requested his help this one time, that''s all."


    The true retainers looked over curiously, some even harbored a sense of hostility for one reason or another.


    Hearing her words, Rosaline''s other siblings and cousins were also curious, but this wasn''t the time to chat.


    From a distance, they heard the loud noise of the approaching helicopter, and everyone got ready.


    Hiro looked up curiously. A helicopter?


    "All gates controlled by the church and the state are located on islands throughout the five seas," Rosaline noticed Hiro''s expression and explained.


    She didn''t question why the mysterious organization behind him didn''t tell him something so trivial, as this piece of information was rather relative.


    Unless Hiro''s strength reached a certain level, she doubted that the sphere of his missions would expand beyond the provincial capital of the country.


    Then again, this is only from the paranormal aspect, as Rosaline had recently connected the newly established Sciatis Holdings Limited with Hiro.


    Stay tuned for more on m-vl-em,pyr


    Word in the circle is that this is a shell company brought up by Nebula Electronics.


    This means that Hiro was also a figurehead for the company. After some careful investigation, Rosaline found out that everything in the company from top to bottom was under the control of a female CEO.


    That CEO, Arabella, was very talented and never suffered a loss ever since she took a position in the company.


    Rosaline had reasons to believe that Arabella was the true hidden chess piece planted by that mysterious organization to infiltrate the provincial capital''s sphere of influence.


    Of course, Sciatis Holdings Limited wasn''t even qualified to become a small boat in the restless deep sea that is the capital, but it was slowly anchoring itself in these deep waters.


    Even still, Rosaline didn''t dare investigate too much into this company''s matters.


    "I see," Hiro nodded thoughtfully after hearing Rosaline''s explanation. He wasn''t really interested in the location of these gates, as he had no plans to infiltrate their pocket dimensions anytime soon.


    If Hiro guessed correctly, the only reason as to why they kept these gates open despite the ludicrous exhaustion of resources was the steady flow of faith energy.


    As long as the bottom line of faith energy wasn''t compromised, then it didn''t matter how many resources they burned in order to keep the gates open.


    Furthermore, when the backlash from the world arrived; the sea was a vast and open space.


    Not many lives would be at risk.


    As Hiro was thinking, his phone''s ringtone went off, disrupting the solemn atmosphere.


    A young man with cold features looked over, displeased. "This is such an important and secretive operation, and you kept your phone turned on? Are you stupid?"


    Hiro gave the guy the side eye and turned his head away, answering the call without much thought.


    "Master, I''ll send you a list of recommended stocks to acquire right now, I hope I''m not disturbing you."


    Hearing Arabella''s voice, Hiro was delighted.


    Thankfully, her research was over before he left for the New World, as things could have gotten a little inconvenient otherwise.


    "Good work," Hiro praised earnestly. "Wait for my return, I have a good reward waiting for you."


    "Why thank you, Master!" Arabella was delighted. Finally, she earned praise from her master¡ªit had been such a long time.


    "Mhm, take care."


    After hanging up, Hiro checked his email and found a list of ten companies that were heavily stationed in the country, but their influence overseas wasn''t that bad.


    Most of them were trading companies that worked in the logistics and transportation business.


    This wasn''t a surprise to Hiro since these companies could be considered neutral third parties in most business deals.


    After going through the companies, Hiro put his eyes on a multibillion-dollar company where the largest shareholder only had 4.2% of the shares.


    After making up his mind, Hiro instructed the system to use the %5 shares voucher to exchange for Wind Blessed''s shares.


    Wind Blessed was an e-commerce trading company, but it only handled the transportation of bulk goods.


    From wood, construction materials, exportation of goods, and importation of goods.


    They have stocks in various industries from aerial transport to overseas shipping, and they even have their internal trading network inside the country.


    These channels were very helpful to Sciatis Holdings Limited''s future expansion, even if they couldn''t use them immediately.


    Hiro knew that Arabella would find these channels useful one way or another.


    Hiro then instructed Ei, his artificial intelligence program, to switch the dividend policy so that Hiro wouldn''t receive the money transfer, but it would be kept in the Wind Blessed company''s account.


    This way, not even the COC would know that he silently acquired the largest shares in this trading behemoth.


    It wouldn''t hurt to be careful.


    After he sent the acquisition target to Arabella and told her to coordinate with Ei for anything she needed in the future, he stopped fiddling with his phone and made it back to the group.


    The helicopter was already above them, and it was slowly descending towards the landing platform.


    Rosaline had yet to say anything when that young man stormed over with a cold expression.


    "Typical fodder side-character¡­" Hiro murmured in a low voice, and as expected, the young man stood so close to Hiro that their noses almost touched.


    His deep, terrifyingly cold eyes drilled into Hiro''s crimson pools. "This is no picnic, little guy. This is your first and last warning, understand?!"


    Bang!


    Everyone gasped in shock when Hiro smashed his forehead into the young man''s nose bridge.


    The young man stumbled back two steps, and a moment later, his eyes rolled to the back of his head before he fell back; unconscious.


    Hiro shook his head vigorously before combing back his messy red hair, muttering something.


    "I remember now," a retainer suddenly recalled something and whispered to their master. "This should be Crimson Ace, he''s really popular on social media right now." Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    These heirs and proud daughters invested their time in their training, not the happenings in the world of internet celebrities.


    Thus, their retainers quickly explained Hiro''s background. What they meant to convey was that Hiro''s physical strength was abnormal.


    To dominate an entire sorcerer match for over 90 minutes without exhibiting any signs of fatigue wasn''t something so simple, not even for Paranormals.


    Especially since it happened in public and it was guaranteed that Hiro hadn''t used any unusual energy throughout the game.


    They thought that Hiro''s abnormality was related to some sort of physique enhancing Paranormal inheritance.


    Such inheritances weren''t rare in the outside world, and it could explain his explosive physical attributes.


    Nonetheless, wasn''t it too much of him to dare attack a member of the Rosch family in their midst?


    "My bad," Hiro seemed to realize that he needed to make an excuse for his actions.


    "My nose is quite sensitive, I just sneezed uncontrollably."


    Then, realizing that something was amiss with his excuse, Hiro cupped his nose and bent over violently while coughing.


    ACHOO!

 Chapter 61: Cheap Tricks

    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Three shadows dashed forward at an incredible speed.


    Clang! Clang! Bang!


    Hiro saw the space in front of him blur for a moment before Rosaline appeared, wielding two short blades in her hands.


    After parrying two sharp weapons, she spun on her heels and kicked the last shadow in the chest, sending all three assailants flying away.


    "Rosa!" Yelled the last assailant who tumbled for a dozen meters before standing up, dust covering his body.


    "Mind your own business; I don''t want to be known as someone who indulges in killing one''s own."


    Rosaline was helpless, but she could only do this to save the lives of these fools.


    "Are you really going to side with outsiders in front of all these people? Who will trust you in the family after this?" Another person asked, his tone sullen.


    Rosaline didn''t respond. Instead, she turned around and headed for the chopper while saying in a loud voice, "You can either waste your time here or hurry up; time waits for no one."


    "Tsk, count yourself lucky, kid. However, I wouldn''t be too happy if I were you, no one can guess what might go wrong while exploring the unknown dimension."


    Two guys picked up the unconscious young man with them as they also rushed to the helicopter, deciding to give Rosaline some face this once.


    Hiro blinked, the spark of pale blue lightning flickering in the depths of his pupils dissipating away as he sighed in disappointment.


    Like the others, he followed Rosaline into the helicopter. Since not everyone could get on board at once, the helicopter was scheduled for more than one trip, sending batch after batch to the island.


    As the daughter to the eldest son in the second generation of the Rosch family, Rosaline also had the qualifications to join the first batch.


    Hiro silently followed along.


    "Turn off your phones," said a female mentor of the Rosch family. She was in the co-pilot seat in the helicopter.


    A few people pulled out their phones and turned them off accordingly. Watching this display, Hiro stifled a laugh, while Rosaline''s face darkened a little.


    The flight lasted for almost nineteen hours.


    The helicopter had to make a couple of detours to refill the engine and avoid some unknown dangers on the way, but no one explained what danger they were avoiding.


    Throughout the trip, as usual, during long-distance travel, Hiro was immersed in the {Simulation Space} without paying the outside world any mind.


    In recent times, Hiro must have changed sects at least five or six times, training in the laws, martial arts, and magic spells of several doctrines in the game.


    It wasn''t for anything other than an experiment on Hiro''s part. He was curious to know what would happen if the character in the game mastered so many diverse laws, even when some of them were inherently contradictory.


    Stay tuned for stories on m-vl-em,py-r


    How would the core of his dimension, which was connected to the system, develop?


    All wuxia lore often mentioned the Great Dao and the 3,000 paths to the Great Dao, and while he couldn''t learn all of them in one game, learning two or three shouldn''t be a problem.


    The question was, would any creatures in his pocket dimension find their path to the Great Dao as a product of this early experiment?


    These were all questions that wouldn''t get any immediate answers, so Hiro didn''t spend too much time dwelling on them.


    Suddenly, Hiro felt an external stimulus which prompted him to leave the {Simulation Space} and open his eyes.


    "Are we there yet?" Hiro asked while stretching his upper body.


    "We''re about to land at any moment now," Rosaline answered, but she sounded a bit distracted.


    Looking around, Hiro noticed the malicious gazes from some retainers and their respective masters, immediately understanding the situation.


    Shaking his head, Hiro chuckled lightly and cracked his knuckles, neck, and shoulders before half-closing his eyes.


    "Life is short," he muttered to himself. "Enjoy it while it lasts."


    ¡­


    After a not-so-cumbersome procedure, the host of young adults alighted from the helicopter and were escorted toward the depths of the nameless island.


    On the way, Hiro observed his surroundings.


    There wasn''t a trace of life other than plants and all kinds of insects; anything remotely larger than an adult''s head couldn''t be seen.


    The sea on all sides stretched for god knows how far, and at least on the surface, it looked tranquil.


    Helicopters came buzzing in from all sides, bursting through thick white clouds to drop their load of passengers onto readily prepared boats.


    After restocking, and without approaching the island, the helicopters would take off and disappear in a matter of minutes.


    "Such tight security," Hiro muttered to himself.


    Soon, the Rosch family entourage joined the rest of the recruits in a vast, open space.


    In the center of the space was a massive oval structure fleshed out from sci-fi movies, surrounded by women in nun clothes and men in clergymen attires.


    Standing before the gate with his back to the crowd was an old man, kneeling while praying piously in hushed murmurs.


    Hands clasped to his chest and head bowed almost too low, only his aged voice accompanied by the chirping of some out-of-sight insects could be heard.


    Whoever saw this old man would get the urge to respect him and stay silent, just out of reverence for such deep faith.


    [Notice: You''re being influenced by faith energy, you can use 1 achievement point to resist.]


    The notification from the system woke Hiro up and he immediately chose to pay. Then, he paid another point before tapping his index and middle fingers, which carried a mysterious energy, onto Rosaline''s forehead.


    The accumulating, bone-deep reverence in Rosaline''s eyes slowly faded away as clarity returned to her blurry eyes.


    She shivered, her black eyes reflecting Hiro''s disdainful expression while he cast his eyes at the old man in a prayer position.


    Quickly, Rosaline realized what happened just now, and the last remnants of her confusion turned into apprehension and fear.


    Looking around, not only the scions from the Rosch family, but plenty of young talents from all over the country were watching with solemn awe and a hint of unmistakable reverence.


    She didn''t understand how she was getting brainwashed, even when she had kept her guard up this whole time.


    Rosaline wanted to ask, but she knew that this wasn''t the time or place. Maybe, once they were inside the pocket dimension, she would get the chance.


    Just so they wouldn''t draw anyone''s attention, both Hiro and Rosaline acted the part while waiting patiently.


    Hours passed, and no one seemed to be getting bored or tired from simply standing there and doing nothing.


    This started to give the feeling of a mass religious gathering when thousands of people finally populated the vast space.


    All of a sudden, the pious murmurs stopped, yet the rapturous silence continued on.


    The old man slowly raised his head and looked up at the oval structure.


    "Beloved children of faith," his voice sounded once again. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "A perilous journey awaits you on a land bathed in the blood of the faithful. They will always keep you company as long as you keep the reverence in your hearts. You won''t be alone, you won''t be abandoned; you will surely thrive and survive. Come, children of faith, may the Lords watch over you."


    Finally, the gathered crowd slowly came to their senses, and consciously or otherwise, they shouted enthusiastically in a positive response.


    Watching this scene, Rosaline felt as though a page was torn from the world she recognized thus far. If not for Hiro''s she would have been just like them, and she wouldn''t even realize.


    She wasn''t unfamiliar with psychological cues and subtle brainwashing, but what scared her was the fact that she didn''t even know how it happened, let alone have the ability to counter it.


    Who knows when and where or how many times had she been influenced in a similar fashion? All of a sudden, her sense of self was slowly crumbling, and she was on the verge of mental collapse there and then.


    Tap!


    Hiro noticed her abnormality and flicked her forehead, and not lightly.


    "Eek!" Rosaline''s head bounced back as steam rose from her bruised, flat forehead.


    She almost crouched down from the pain, holding her forehead in both hands as her teary eyes glared hard at Hiro.


    She was this close to growling like an offended puppy if not for the current environment.


    "You''re thinking too much into this," Hiro shook his head and sighed.


    "This cheap trick isn''t as powerful as you imagine it to be, it could only be said that it worked this time by playing on the feelings of tension, fear of death, and the unknown in your heart. This type of energy can''t affect you when you''re in your optimal state of mind."


    Not to mention, everyone was tired when this seed of worry and fear toward the unknown fermented in their hearts for close to half a day.


    As Hiro said, these are cheap tricks at best.

 Chapter 62: Entering the Pocket Dimension

    Hearing the explanation from Hiro, Rosaline collected herself and sighed in relief.


    Of course, the other and deeper factor was that this small island was most likely a node of faith energy, and plenty of the faith energy was concentrated in the air.


    That old priest was most likely praying to galvanize the energy onto this location.


    In a populated city where the government is openly and secretly contending with the church, such a setup was most likely to fail brilliantly.


    Bzzzt!


    The oval structure flickered to life as dense energy waves rolled out. Slowly, a dimensional gate took shape before everyone''s eyes.


    "Don''t be afraid, children of faith!" Shouted the old man. "Keep reverence in your heart and the Lords will watch over you!"


    Then, he stepped aside while the nuns made an inviting gesture, allowing the different parties to proceed in batches into the gate.


    They also held a large printed map, presenting it to the explorers for a brief look.


    This way, they couldn''t say that they went inside blind. Anyway, the entrance location was already cleaned up by the people from the Holy Church, so it wasn''t that dangerous.


    Soon, it was the Rosch family''s turn. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hiro and Rosaline were the last to enter, and it was for nothing else other than Hiro taking his time to take in the details of every map presented by the nuns.


    A few minutes later and after getting a picture of the entire territory in his mind, Hiro and Rosaline stepped through the dimensional gate and appeared in the designated area for the Rosch family.


    "Die!"


    This time, not three, but eight figures ambushed Hiro and Rosaline all at the same time.


    Discover magic on m_v_l_e_m_p_y_r


    Rosaline''s heart skipped a beat; she was about to act. However, Hiro beat her to it this time.


    Bzzzt! Bzzzt! Bzzzt!


    Three lightning swords took form around Hiro''s body before exploding out with an unbelievable speed, leaving nothing but a flashing blur in Rosaline''s eyes.


    Other than that, six wind swords, barely perceivable, moved in the blinding lights emitted from the electric flare.


    When the lightning swords were close enough to their targets and the ambushing group calculated the timing to parry, block, or even counterattack¡ªthe wind swords exploded with an even greater speed, directly killing off six people by penetrating their heads.


    Blood splattered all around, shocking the members of the Rosh family¡ªRosaline included.


    Then, the six wind swords split up, two swords each fusing into one of the lightning swords.


    Immense pressure radiated out, comparable to an S-Rank Tier-7 Paranormal, and weighed heavily on the hearts of the spectators.


    "Stop this instance! That''s enough!"


    Shouted a female member of the family, but Hiro acted deaf and continued on with his slaughter.


    Hiro had his fair share of battles, and a group of immature brats like them had no chance against him at all.


    Furious, the rest of the group drew out their weapons and were about to act. At this moment, Hiro gave Rosaline the side eye.


    "Kill them all," he said lightly. "This is the only way for you to prove your loyalty."


    As he spoke, Hiro''s attacks stopped aiming for the kill. Rather, they crippled the youngsters of the Rosch family.


    As a form of ''mercy'', Hiro finished off Rosaline''s immediate family.


    Rosaline was still reeling from the shock of what Hiro had just said.


    Kill them? Me? Rosaline''s head was blank, and she felt very confused.


    "I thought this is a normal occurrence in your family," Hiro tilted his head. In the backdrop of their conversation, Rosaline''s living cousins had faces full of horror as they begged to be spared.


    Some of them even cursed Rosaline for betraying the family¡ªbetraying her blood.


    These accusations stabbed deep into Rosaline''s psyche, and for a moment, she didn''t know what to do.


    Hiro wasn''t in a rush. Meanwhile, he silently paid 1,000 achievement points to the system and extracted the coordinates of this pocket dimension.


    A few minutes later, Hiro creased his brows and asked impatiently, "What? Can''t do it?"


    Rosaline bit her bottom lip and responded in a defeated hoarse voice. "I¡­ I can''t, I can''t do it¡­ Anything else is fine, but I can''t do this¡­"


    Hiro didn''t even want to listen to her explanation. After all, he also understood the difficulty of his request.


    He waved his hand, and a new dimensional gate opened. No one could see where it led to, but a woman clad in white armor and carrying a long white spear walked out.


    As he had anticipated something like this, Hiro had stationed Juvia on the other end of the portal inside his personal pocket dimension.


    Hiro said, "Since you can''t bear to kill them, they''ll have to wait as guests somewhere else patiently."


    Rosaline watched as the woman in white armor picked up her brothers and sisters before tossing them into the gate, and although she was curious about where it led to, she didn''t dare ask.


    "Aren''t you concerned about my loyalty? I''ve already refused your orders once¡­" Although she was afraid, Rosaline had to say this.


    Then, they heard a groan coming from somewhere. It was coming from two young men¡ªthey were among Rosaline''s distant relatives.


    More like her cousins.


    Hiro smiled and pointed at them. "Kill the two of them and you can walk out of here alive. Don''t do it, and your entire Rosch family will be buried with you."


    "Wait, wait, wait¡­ Don''t! I didn''t see or hear anything, I swear!"


    "Please spare my life, cousin! Please spare my life!"


    Rosaline was racked with indecision for a split second before affirming her choice. Hiro had already shown great tolerance by allowing her immediate family to leave, even if they were hostages.


    Thus, she moved swiftly and killed both young men, and her hands were still trembling even after she swept the blood away from her short blades.


    "This is more like it," Hiro murmured to himself with a smile. "Now, everything is in order."


    After he finished talking, the quantum watch on his wrist flashed, projecting a holographic screen that played out random scenes of what just happened.


    They were shaky, and the angle was manipulated as though it was a collection of images and videos taken from a distance.


    Such editing was very simple for a quantum computer.


    Of course, Hiro''s voice and visage were blurred. As for Rosaline, her features were somewhat blurry, but those familiar with her could immediately tell.


    Of course, anyone could investigate and find out that the one who joined Rosaline on the expedition was Hiro, but who can prove that it wasn''t someone she met inside the pocket dimension?


    No matter what, they can''t act without proof.


    Even if they did, the Rosch family can''t handle Hiro anymore.


    Rosaline''s expression turned pale, not having expected the ordinary-looking watch on Hiro''s wrist to be an advanced technological device.


    Especially when she heard the static voice from her cousins toward the very end¡ªshe knew that she was already trapped.


    The scene of her immediate family''s capture was removed, but anyone who watched this clip would think that Rosaline had killed all of her family members.


    Hiro clapped his hands. "This settles it, then. I''ll be leaving this pocket dimension, and you can do what you want. If you find yourself in trouble, request help from the Unfathomable Throne¡ªbetter be sincere about it."


    Just as the system had mentioned in the past, names carry mysterious powers when it comes to faith energy.


    Since Hiro''s domain was called the Unfathomable, and the highest order of power was the Unfathomable Throne derived from the Babylon Throne, this name will immediately trigger a response from his domain.


    It usually wouldn''t work that way, but Rosaline had a direct connection to him, the owner of the domain, so many of the tedious steps could be skipped.


    "I need to create some trinkets and expose them to the faith energy," Hiro mumbled to himself in a whisper, but he moved to the dimensional gate without hesitation.


    [Notice: The system can provide tokens of authority with varying density of faith energy for the host. The lowest grade is for free.]


    As he was walking away, the system''s notification appeared in his mind and line of sight.


    Hiro raised an eyebrow, but he didn''t stop.


    Anyway, he didn''t need these tokens at the moment.


    Rosaline''s eyes glimmered, and she connected the dots on her own. This was eerily similar to the ways of the Holy Church and thus, she decided not to follow Hiro''s advice.


    In any case, she was carrying a dimensional key, so her life wasn''t in serious danger.


    She watched Hiro''s back as it disappeared into the dimensional gate before she turned around and left.


    A while after Rosaline left, another dimensional gate opened in the same spot.


    However, what walked out from the gate was someone clad in intricate demonic attire, blazing red eyes shimmering through a devious mask.


    As pitch-black demonic energy rolled out from his person, he opened his arms wide and took in a deep breath.


    "Such pure demonic energy," he spoke in a hoarse, deep voice. "Sadly, my strength won''t change no matter how much I draw into my body."


    He sighed, feeling that it was a pity.


    After testing his compatibility with the demonic energy, Hiro canceled the synchronized state but kept the cosmetics on, picked a direction, and left unhurriedly.

 Chapter 63: Kind Great Demon

    With the help of the system''s concealment features, Hiro easily removed all traces of spirituality from his body.


    Although he didn''t have demonic energy either, he at least looked the part of a demonic creature.


    Hiro conveniently activated the treasure-scanning feature while advancing toward the core of the pocket dimension, as highlighted by the maps provided by the church.


    Although the pocket dimension was very large, the entrance point designated by the church wasn''t too far from the core area.


    However, that area was also the central point of the conflict where the Outsiders from the different worlds are gathered.


    Hiro sneakily traveled for more than ten days, avoiding humans when necessary and killing the weird creatures he found on his path when he encountered them.


    Hiro found many chaotic treasures as well.


    Like the chaotic neutral energy in the air, any and all Paranormals can use these treasures, but the efficiency of the transmission and conversion of energy weakens the effects of the treasures.


    Hiro didn''t even bother wasting his achievement points to store them inside his inventory space.


    If he couldn''t use them to full capacity, Hiro would just ignore them. However, he did take a fancy to a stone sword, mainly for the trace of pure demonic energy flowing through the chaotic energy.


    "I''m really tempted to try using the gluttony physique on these energies¡­ Sadly, I''m already at the peak of my current tier, and I can''t afford to advance higher right now."


    Hiro cast a disappointed look at the heap of treasures he found in an underground bunker.


    It must have been some shelter for the creatures who once lived here, or perhaps it was something constructed by the church during their expedition.


    Nonetheless, the treasures left behind were scrap metal at best, and that was from the church''s perspective, as the presence of the demonic energy couldn''t be hidden.


    Growl¡­


    The ground shook as a low growl reverberated from a dark corner.


    Hiro looked over, and he quickly noticed deep purple bloodstains on the concrete floor, their trail leading into the darkness.


    Hiro raised an eyebrow, infusing spirituality into his eyes as they gleamed with a bright crimson light, allowing Hiro''s vision to penetrate the darkness.


    "A lion cub? No, although it looks similar, this one has horns and twin tails¡­ Hm? There are two of them?"


    Hiro waved his hand and cast a simple fireball spell, illuminating the corner. Then, he saw a larger creature¡ªthis one''s horns were ripped off, and even its brains were visible through the cracks in its skull.


    Moreover, the tip of both its tails were also cut off, and blood oozed out from its now toothless maw.


    The low growling came from the small cub who seemed to have sensed Hiro''s approach, and it was just the little guy''s instinctive reaction to threats.


    "This creature must have been pregnant when it was besieged, so it escaped here to give birth even when its life was slipping away," Hiro concluded after examining the condition of the dying creature.


    Hiro took a step forward.


    The cub growled even louder, and the horns on its head slowly turned darker and darker, a sliver of pure demonic energy concentrating on the tip of its horns.


    Its pale yellow fur slowly turned a shade of a deep, menacing red as its small body trembled, then doubled in size at a rate visible to the naked eye.


    Hiro raised an eyebrow, especially when a tri-edged sharp spike took form on the tip of each tail, looking dearly threatening.


    Hiro paused, and he began to think. It''d be such a pity to kill this little fellow, it might prove useful in the future¡­


    Just as Hiro thought to this point, he heard a commotion from the outside.


    "The trails lead this way, hurry up!"


    It was someone talking in the demonic tongue. Luckily, Hiro learned both the demonic and draconian tongues upon contracting Arabella and Juvia.


    Thus, he easily interpreted the talks outside.


    Of course, after countless years of wars between worlds in the ever-changing battlefield that is the pocket dimension, different civilizations grasped knowledge correlating to their enemies one way or another.


    For example, it''s not difficult to book a language course on the PARA app to learn Ancient Elvin, Demonic Tongue, Rune Language, etc.


    It''s just a matter of convenience and affordability.


    Likewise, it wouldn''t be weird if Hiro encountered an Outsider who spoke the human language. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With that in mind, Hiro dispelled the fireball spell and concealed his spirituality once again, reverting back to looking like a wandering demonic creature.


    After thinking for a while, Hiro temporarily activated his {Synchronization} and chose the Demon Ancestor Sitri to synchronize with.


    Though contained, dense and pure demonic energy rolled and tossed about inside Hiro''s body, slowly radiating outwards.


    "Eh? What''s this? Such pure holy energy!" A demon outside cried out, followed by the exclamations of at least twenty more.


    They rushed inside, frantically at that¡ªalmost causing the underground structure to collapse.


    Well, it did collapse¡ªslabs of concrete and metal fell from the ceiling.


    Roar!


    The demonic lion cub roared at the falling piece of concrete, as it was large enough to slap both mother and child to death.


    Hiro''s eyes narrowed, and from the hilt of his stone sword, a black flame ignited and crawled onto the sword''s edge and spine.


    Hiro waved his hand, sending a wave of hellfire in a crescent blast, silently seeping into the large stone slab. Then, the flames exploded¡ªengulfing the falling stone.


    Growl!


    The demonic lion cub roared anxiously, sparks of dark energy flickering on its twin horns, but nothing came out.


    Just as it thought it would die, the black flames dispersed into a cloud of darkness above the two creatures, and whichever debris and metal landed into the fire was evaporated into nothingness.


    When the horde of demonic creatures finally stepped into the torn hall, they realized what kind of mess they made¡ªalmost killing the two demonic lions!


    "Are you looking to die?" Hiro asked in a low, threatening voice. The demonic energy around his body spread out like tendrils of pure darkness, morphing into fearsome black flames.


    The flames rose to form a creepy skull behind his back, almost filling up the entire space inside the underground hall.


    The immense pressure caused most of the demonic creatures to either kneel or directly lie flat on the ground, trembling.


    "Please spare us, we were careless! We were afraid that something happened to the Demonic Leo!"


    "Please, this is a mission handed down to us by Lord Zenka, please spare our lives!"


    Lord Zenka? Hiro latched onto that name, and as his mind spun, he snorted coldly and said, "Do you see the mother Demonic Leo? It was already injured and on the verge of death, and your recklessness almost finished it off!" Find your next read at m-vl-em-pyr


    The host of demonic creatures trembled.


    Some of them looked like mammals, some like aquatic creatures, and some had the appearance of birds; all of them were somewhat humanoid in stature.


    "We¡­ we have prepared a dimensional key, Sire!"


    The demonic creatures scrambled to respond. In their opening, someone with such pure demonic energy was surely someone of high status.


    "Oh?" Hiro raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "Good, I lost my key to the despicable humans. I thought I would be stuck here for good."


    "This¡­" The leading demonic creature began to sweat buckets. "We only have a single-time use key that can transport one living entity, so¡­"


    Hiro understood. Hmm, this is quite troublesome¡­ System, can you extract the coordinates from the key?


    [Notice: Yes, it''s possible.]


    Hiro breathed a sigh of relief. That''s good, that''s good¡­


    Hiro glanced back at the heavily wounded mother Leo and the Leo cub, deep in thought.


    "Alright," he said in a low, deep voice. "Give me the key, I''ll send the Leo cub back first, its mother doesn''t look like it can survive for long."


    The demonic creature sighed in relief. Luckily, this Sire doesn''t seem to be unreasonable¡ªwhen did our world give rise to such an understanding Great Demon?


    The leading demonic creature didn''t hesitate to give the black and purple demonic seal to Hiro, still trembling.


    As Hiro held the dimensional key, he didn''t hesitate to spend another 1,000 achievement points to obtain the coordinates for the Demon World.


    Hiro couldn''t help but smile beneath his mask, a smile that reached his sparkling crimson eyes.


    "Mhm, this is good stuff," Hiro commented before pointing the seal at the weary Leo cub.


    With a squeeze, the seal shattered and a small oval portal appeared. Then, a suction force acted on the Leo cub, and despite its apprehension and struggles, it was dragged into the portal.


    After the portal disappeared, the seal''s remnants were reduced to powder that drifted in the wind.


    "Now," Hiro shook the dust off his hand and while the lesser demonic creatures breathed a sigh of relief, Hiro swung down the stone sword and reduced the injured mother Leo to drifting cinders of hellfire.


    Seeing this, the lesser demonic creatures trembled in fear.

 Chapter 64: Vanquish the Unholy

    "S-sire¡­ We have a palanquin worthy of your status¡­ Why don''t we help you get back to the camp? We can solve your key issues there¡­"


    Hiro looked back at the cluster of scared demons, nodding appreciatively. "How sensible of you. Alright, I''ll protect you on the way to the camp."


    The lesser demonic creatures rejoiced, and their leader secretly felt smug at how smart he was.


    Thus, Hiro joined the random entourage of demons, roaming the desolate pocket dimension in search for resources, humans to kill, and whatever was worthy of their attention on the way.


    ¡­


    Inside the creepy palanquin, Hiro sat on a modest throne constructed from the bones of myriad races, looking past the thin curtains and taking in the scenery this pocket dimension had to offer.


    Dark clouds, red sand, cracked earth, and billowing smoke. It was the scene of an encroaching catastrophe.


    As they went along, the entourage of lesser demonic creatures around him increased considerably, and all manners of weird creatures surrounded his palanquin.


    It couldn''t be helped, as every life had the instinctive drive to survive, seeking shelter under the strong.


    However, this also meant that Hiro had to occasionally synchronize with his demonic character for frequent fights, which was a loss of achievement points in his mind.


    Unfortunately, he could only bear with it for now.


    "Sire, I sense a powerful team of humans up ahead!"


    Zenka''s subordinate, the demon with the physique that resembled that of a human the most, hurriedly reported.


    "Is that so?" Hiro was yawning when he heard the report. Rubbing his eyes tiredly, he synchronized with Sitri once again, his consciousness flooding out.


    It was menacing, dark, gloomy, and filled with slaughter intent. It was like an expansion cloud of doom, quickly covering up an area of over a dozen kilometers.


    On the other side.


    "Not good," the person leading the group cried out. "It''s a Great Demon! A very powerful Great Demon"


    He quickly armed himself with a bow.


    Two golden earrings glimmered brightly on his long ears, and two golden arrows appeared by his side.


    Then another two, and another two, and more kept appearing. The light emitted from the arrows seemed to expel the darkness little by little, and in a short moment, the others around him geared up with their respective weapons.


    Read today on m,v,l,e,mpyr


    The leader''s expression was firm and resolute as he knocked five arrows on the silver bowstring, howling to the sky as he stretched the string to the limit.


    "I''ll buy some time, make a run for it!"


    As he shouted, five incomparably bright arrows tore through the air, spinning rapidly.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    The cloud of darkness, which represented Hiro''s sweeping consciousness, suffered greatly as its form distorted.


    In the distance, Hiro''s eyes squinted as he let out a soft snort of pain, quickly disengaging his consciousness from the demonic energy.


    Then, he waved his hand, and the demonic energy condensed into a humanoid figure with robust muscles, a thick long tail, and a pair of bat wings.


    The figure seemed both real and illusory, and as its blank expression looked down, a ball of demonic energy started to form where its mouth should have been.


    In the palanquin, Hiro lowered his hand and spoke coldly, "Rampage."


    Rampage!


    One of Sitri''s awakened abilities¡ªit can gather demonic energy from the elements into a densely compact sphere of energy that would soon explode like a bomb, indiscriminately attacking all elements unaffiliated with demonic energy.


    "Not good," the man in the lead, who was obviously an awakened elf, had an ugly expression.


    He was only a Tier-8, and although he was at the peak of his tier, it was still nothing in the face of a Tier-7 Great Demon.


    Just as he thought he was about to die, a resplendent golden sword descended from the sky.


    "Sword of Judgment!"


    Pfft!


    The sword tore through the concentration of demonic energy, penetrated the chest of the incantation, and brought it down to the ground with a rumbling boom!


    The demonic energy quickly dispersed, together with the condensed humanoid creature.


    Only the massive golden sword remained embedded in the red ground, emitting a terrifying holy energy.


    Hiro raised an eyebrow and slowly stood up inside his palanquin, "A battle priest from the Holy Church! Interesting, I can test the unification of universal energy and faith energy!"


    Hiro was a little excited to meet such a powerful opponent. He didn''t know that the Holy Church had left behind squadrons of paladins and battle priests.


    However, it also made sense. Even if they relinquished some of the profits, they wouldn''t give up completely.


    Also, this was Hiro''s chance to disengage from the demonic entourage without arousing suspicion.


    "This will be a tough opponent," Hiro kicked out and destroyed over half of the demonic palanquin. "You little fellows should leave first, don''t worry¡­"


    Barely had Hiro finished talking when the demonic creatures tossed the palanquin to the ground with a thud!


    Then, they scrambled away without as much as a glance behind them.


    AHHHH!


    They screamed frantically, the radiations of the golden light tearing wounds into their flesh and skin, some of them going blind as hot steam rose from their bodies.


    "Damn," Hiro was surprised, not expecting the divine energy to affect these fellows so much.


    In the distance, a host of men and women in clergy and nun clothes, geared toward combat, slowly walked over on a golden bridge of light.


    As they moved, the bridge shrank from the back and extended to the front, continually expanding, using some mysterious method to compensate for energy waste and generate a pushing force.


    "That''s an interesting treasure," Hiro was amazed, but not very impressed. Cultivators around Tier-7 could already fly, and even if it was for short distances.


    "Seems like this is indeed a Great Demon."


    Above the bridge of light, the leading battle priest. No, but rather battle priestess, observed with narrowed eyes.


    The waves of divine energy had a minimal impact on the person standing in front of them, which meant that his resistance to divine energy was greater than expected.


    However, this wasn''t as simple as resistance.


    Divine energy was a mix of faith energy with the universal energy practiced by the Paranormals of the Holy Church.


    As faith energy directly targeted the souls of the demonic creatures, they obviously couldn''t resist. However, Hiro also counted as a divine existence, if only barely.


    Thus, such little faith energy couldn''t really do much to him, unless it was controlled by someone much stronger.


    Hiro looked up, meeting the eyes of the battle priestess with his crimson gaze, hellfire dancing around his body.


    As their gazes clashed, sparks seemed to have ignited in the invisible void. The priestess'' expression hardened as she jumped off the goldfish light bridge, shouting to her companions.


    "Leave this place quickly!"


    She wasn''t in the mood to whisper her instructions, as the tension in her body forced her to shout out those words.


    Bone armor!


    Hiro''s eyes shifted, and spurs of bones jutted from his spine before twisting into a black exoskeleton with large bone wings.


    He stretched out his hand toward the torn-down palanquin, pulling the stone sword over with tendrils of demonic energy.


    The female priestess extended her hand out, the bracelet on her wrist transforming into a golden trident.


    From midair, she spun and spun to generate momentum before tossing the trident like a javelin.


    Boom!


    Air exploded, and a powerful penetrating force carried the trident over.


    Bone sword!


    Hiro activated another ability, bone fragments dispersed from the exoskeleton and wrapped around the stone sword.


    On the sword''s spine, jagged bone fragments lined up like a chainsaw, and surges of demonic energy flooded into the sword.


    Hiro''s mind shifted, using the minimal comprehension of the Infinite Sword Matrix to cast a sword from hellfire, fusing it with the bone sword.


    As his aura skyrocketed, Hiro stomped the ground¡ªthin cracks webbed out from beneath his feet and the next moment, the pressure caused the earth to explode.


    Hiro swung his sword out, directly clashing with the trident. He could have dodged this attack, but what''s the point? S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Bzzzt! Bzzzt! Bzzzt!


    The clashing energies generated all manners of redundant forces¡ªkinetic, thermal, magnetic, dynamic, divine, and demonic.


    The priestess who saw the ongoing collision didn''t even bother waiting for the outcome as she clasped her small hands.


    Light as a feather, she landed on the trident with impeccable balance, her voice echoing like a decree from the Lords above.


    "In my name, Vanquish the Unholy!"


    Boom!


    Streams of faith energy gathered from all directions, concentrating above the battle priestess.


    Rays of golden lights penetrated the chaotic neutral energy that formed dense clouds above, revealing a shining star.


    As the star spun, more and more faith energy gathered, compressed, and locked onto both the priestess and Hiro.


    "I don''t believe you will survive the great cleansing, you damned heretic!"


    Hiro looked up, his eyes shooting past the battle priestess and staring at the gathering faith energy above.


    "So, that''s how you guys use faith energy to attack?" Hiro murmured, his struggling slowly giving way to a relaxed posture, dense demonic energy roiling about inside his body.


    Hiro chuckled lightly, his voice superimposed the chanting as it sounded devilishly demonic and sinister, "Vanquish me? Are you worthy?"

 Chapter 65: Battle Priestess Berlin

    The battle priestess was shocked to hear his demonic voice resonating with the chaotic neutral energy.


    However, before she could complete her offensive spell, Hiro''s lips moved.


    Purgatory Domain!


    A torrent of demonic energy, like a pillar of darkness, climbed to the sky from Hiro''s body.


    With a strand of faith energy imbued within the darkness, it quickly expanded into a dome that covered the sky and the ground.


    The priestess looked up in shock. The all-consuming darkness isolated them from the outside world.


    Not only that, she also felt that her mysterious connection with her Lords was being interfered with. As a result, she lost control over the star of divine energy in the sky.


    Buzz!


    Her energy went out of control for a split second, but that split second was enough to cost her the standoff with Hiro.


    Capitalizing on her weakness, Hiro roared with pure menace, black hellfire exploding on his skeletal wings. With a flap, his momentum burst, the force of his slash tipping the balance of power.


    Bang!


    The battle priestess was alarmed. "Not good!"


    She felt a tearing force acting on her muscles, and the soles of her feet went numb for a split second. Then, the force swept through her entire body, sending her flying.


    The golden spear kept buzzing in midair as the conduit to the overwhelming clash between the two forces, and before the momentum could wear off, Hiro reached out to grab the spear.


    Hiss!


    The direct contact with the divine energy burned his palm, and the demonic energy was growing restless.


    Hiro gnashed his teeth, squeezing the spear hard. Gluttony!


    As Hiro shouted in his heart, a great suction force worked on the spear, drawing divine energy into Hiro''s body.


    The light-attributed energy was stored in his body, while the faith energy was stripped away and channeled to his pocket dimension through a mysterious connection.


    Hiro''s eyes gleamed with joy. As expected, I can increase faith energy this way, there is no need to worry about populating the Unfathomable Domain!


    Boom!


    After flying away for a few seconds, the battle priestess finally crashed into the barrier of the purgatory''s domain. Vast swaths of demonic energy flooded her body, and since it was tainted with faith energy, her divine energy protection had no way of stopping it.


    Crackling noises sounded as the bones in her body gave way under the pressure.


    Pffft!


    The battle priestess spat out a mouthful of dark blood, but she persisted and gritted her teeth. "You will die a HORRIBLE death!"


    After she shouted, the energy in her body started going out of control, fluctuating violently.


    Hiro had just finished absorbing the faith energy when he noticed this, and his expression changed.


    Hindering faith energy was something, but cutting off the flow of faith energy was something else altogether!


    In such a destitute place like this crumbling dimension, a sudden loss of a source of faith energy would most likely draw the attention of some Lesser Deities.


    As Hiro''s mind spun rapidly, he had an idea.


    He canceled the synchronization, and before the battle priestess could notice that something was off, he used his lightning elements to form a massive lightning sword.


    Hiro had to brun through a lot of energy to create a single large sword with the Infinite Sword Matrix, and he had to make appear as though the sword attacked from the outside.


    Boom!


    The battle priestess looked up in shock.


    Then, she saw a massive construct of pale blue lightning piercing through the darkness.


    Then, before she decided to self-detonate, lightning bolts exploded in all directions.


    Still, in the cosmetics of the demonic creature, Hiro strained his vocal cords and let out a long, unwilling howl before having the Purgatory Domain implode onto itself.


    Sensing the impending catastrophe, the battle priestess wasn''t at all worried.


    In any case, she was already prepared to sacrifice herself for the cause of her Lords.


    She closed her eyes and waited for death as explosions rocked the world all around her.


    Then, when the dust settled, she was a little surprised. Slowly, she opened her eyes, and in the distance, she saw a young man in casual clothes and a black windbreaker.


    By him on either side was a small lightning sword, and they were spinning like crazy while emitting a threatening aura.


    She could tell that this was a high level of sorcery, but she couldn''t recognize this man.


    Pfft!


    The demonic energy in her body acted up again, and she fell to her knees with a thud.


    The holy armor on her body was riddled with holes, and her helmet cracked before breaking down.


    Beneath it was a small round face and short black hair. This girl had an ordinary, girl-next-door appearance, but it couldn''t suppress her valiant aura.


    It seemed like the young man noticed her as he looked over. Her first thought was that he was incredibly handsome.


    As for Hiro, he was stunned.


    Are you kidding me?


    [Notice: Berlin has triggered the 10% chance of love at first sight!]


    Hiro was flabbergasted for a long, long moment.


    These sanctimonious nuns can fall in love as well? Is the trick to triggering this chance related to how hard I beat wo-¡­ Cough! Cough! Let''s not go down that rabbit hole!


    These random thoughts can get me into real trouble in my previous life!


    ¡­


    Nonetheless, Hiro''s body was quickly engulfed with wind magic, and he swiftly moved over to Berlin''s side.


    Berlin was feeling flustered for some unknown reason, and she shouted anxiously in warning, "Don''t come closer! I''m infected with this unholy power!"


    Hiro didn''t mind. With a smile, he waved his hand, a powerful suction force acting up on Berlin''s body.


    Then, with a tinge of discomfort, Berlin felt the demonic energy in her body growing restless before getting sucked away.


    A swirling ball of miasma, which was in fact demonic energy, clustered above Hiro''s palm before crimson-hot flames burned it to a wisp of smoke.


    Then, Hiro waved his other hand, a green halo of gentle energy suffusing Berlin''s body, seeping into her muscles and bones before slowly healing her.


    Berlin was stunned.


    Lightning attribute, wind attribute, fire attribute, and nature attribute? Is this guy a walking incarnation of the five elements?


    Hiro wanted to clean her up with the water magic, but he felt like it would be inappropriate to do that. Thus, he cleared his throat and turned around.


    "That Great Demon has escaped. Even though he had expended a lot of his energy, I still couldn''t make him stay. Sigh." Hiro sounded very disappointed.


    Berlin snapped back to her senses.


    "Don''t overthink it," she shook her head to clear away all distracting thoughts before she slowly stood up. "It''s already good enough that he was heavily exhausted, don''t beat yourself up over it."


    Hiro blinked. Hm? Why is she so different from how Jessica acted? Do different girls have different means of expressing their feelings?


    Hiro was deep in thought. This is something worth researching. In the future, I can''t take a girl''s actions and words at face value.


    Look at this girl, I already know that she''s head over heels for me; it''s practically a done deal, yet she''s acting all aloof, high, and mighty. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡­


    Discover worlds on m-v le-mpyr


    Berlin ignored her fiercely beating heart with supreme willpower, her gaze landing on the spear in the center of the battlefield.


    Her expression immediately turned ugly.


    Hiro followed her gaze, then he felt a little awkward. That weapon was drained dry from all divine powers by him, so it turned into no more than a scrap of metal at this point.


    Using the system''s treasure-scanning function, Hiro realized that this girl wasn''t carrying any other treasures on her body.


    Thinking about it, she most likely engaged him with the resolution to die in battle, so she probably sent away all her treasures with that group of priests and nuns.


    Hiro checked his current achievement points.


    From approximately 15,000 points, he was down to 12,540 points.


    Thinking about it, I haven''t exchanged for things like weapons and armor from my system shop. Hiro suddenly realized.


    Weapons can greatly enhance a person''s battle prowess, especially when they can store faith energy.


    Even his servants had their personal weapons, but all he had were cosmetic items without any effects whatsoever.


    "That''s your weapon?" Hiro asked, as he didn''t want to act suspiciously.


    "Yes," Berlin furrowed her brows. "I don''t have any other items on me, and my companions had already left."


    After responding, Berlin was shocked.


    Why did I answer so readily? No, I need to work on my willpower when I come back, how can my emotions be swayed so easily? Even if he saved my life, it shouldn''t be like this!


    "Oh, by the way, my name is Hiro. Since we''re both exploring alone at the moment, why don''t we join hands?" Hiro naturally extended his hand for a handshake.


    "Oh, okay¡­ Berlin¡­" Berlin reached out to hold his hand in a daze. Then, after a moment of being stunned, she withdrew her hand as though she had just dipped it in burning lava.


    "How can you touch a woman so casually?!" Berlin shouted in shame and anger, feeling defiled.


    What''s wrong with my head? What happened to me all of a sudden?!


    She felt like beating someone up.

 Chapter 66: Acquiring Arabella’s Reward

    She can''t be serious. Hiro was amused with Berlin''s reaction.


    He didn''t know whether she was inherently shy or if this was a byproduct of the church''s teachings.


    "I''m just being polite, you don''t have to mind it so much," Hiro waved his hand dismissively and looked around. "We should hurry up. The sooner you reunite with your peers, the better."


    Hiro only exposed himself to prevent the girl from killing herself, he wasn''t planning to stick to her side from this point onwards.


    Berlin calmed down, and after giving the broken spear a reluctant look, she fixed her disheveled hair and turned to leave.


    She wanted to tell Hiro not to follow her and that she''d be fine on her own, but the words wouldn''t leave her mouth.


    Then, she gritted her teeth and chose silence.


    As in, she didn''t start a conversation with Hiro nor did she respond to his initiative. After figuring that out, Hiro also stopped talking with her.


    Instead, he summoned the various pages of the system shop while walking, searching for items of value.


    Weapons and versatile spells were in high demand for Hiro at the moment. However, it was weird for a Sorcerer to use melee weapons, that wasn''t the case for magic weapons.


    For example, the spear from earlier could be used as a magical item, not a pure melee weapon.


    Continue your story on m-vl-em,py-r


    Hiro also searched for weapons or items that had an augmentation effect on his consciousness, as these would benefit his usage of the Infinite Sword Matrix.


    This feeling is too uncomfortable, Berlin thought to herself as she hoisted the tattered helmet under her left armpit.


    She snuck glances toward Hiro from time to time, but she couldn''t tell whether he was acting oblivious to the awkwardness in the air or not.


    Suddenly, Hiro stopped as clarity returned to his eyes. He turned his head to look up and far away, his eyebrows raised.


    "What?!" Berlin''s train of thought was disrupted so suddenly¡ªshe involuntarily cried out and took two steps back.


    Then, her cheeks flushed a little in embarrassment.


    Hiro didn''t care, it was natural for Berlin to feel insecure next to a male stranger, especially when she lost her weapon¡ªthe only means by which she could defend herself.


    Hiro said, "Your peers have returned, it seems like they were worried about you."


    Of course, he couldn''t see or sense them from so far away. It''s just that his treasure-scanning range was 1,000m and thus, Hiro''s system notified him when the bridge of light reappeared.


    It was approaching at a fast speed, too.


    "Really?!" Berlin was excited, but she didn''t doubt Hiro''s words; it was as if her first instinct was to believe him no matter what he said.


    When she noticed that something was off, Hiro had already turned around, wind magic surrounding his body.


    Obviously, he was preparing to leave as soon as possible.


    Berlin frowned and asked, "What are you doing?"


    Hiro glanced back over his shoulder, thinking that this was quite a silly question. He knew in his heart that this battle priestess must have some high prestige or popularity among her peers.


    If they saw her unsightly image in the presence of a man who wasn''t among their circle of faith, who knew how those zealots would react?


    Thus, he left without hesitation. Hiro didn''t even bother responding to her question, immediately speeding away like a violent gale.


    As the wind kicked up in her face, Berlin stood there with a dazed look on her face.


    Did he ignore her just now? She was stunned. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Moments later, she noticed the trace of a golden hue on the horizon, realizing that her peers had indeed come back to check on her.


    However, for some reason, she didn''t find it in her to feel excited anymore. Although she didn''t know the specific reason, she understood that Hiro must have left because of their return.


    Somehow, she felt a sliver of resentment, unknowingly murmuring, "Why did they come back so quickly¡­"


    ¡­


    "Phew," Hiro sighed in relief when the light bridge was no longer within the one-kilometer range of his treasure-scanning feature.


    That was a close call, Hiro commented lightly in his heart.


    He didn''t wish to get entangled with the Holy Church over a woman, even if she was a battle priestess.


    He would much rather get together with an ordinary woman who was obedient and stayed out of trouble.


    So far, Hiro''s only attachments to this world consist of his little friendship with Bella, Elvin, and Vanti.


    Everyone else was a mere acquiescence at best. Especially now, since he earned the {Planewalker} title and was provided with the ability to extract the coordinates of any pocket dimension, realm, or world he stepped into.


    It was quite obvious to Hiro that the government and the Greater Deities of the Holy Church had long since started migrating their core assets to the New World.


    Since his perspective changed, it was easy for him to guess that the second devastating war would occur when those behemoths had no more attachments to this world.


    Once they found a suitable realm for humanity to migrate, and once they shifted their core assets to the new territory, the countdown for a great war unlike any other would begin.


    This was Hiro''s current window of opportunity to milk the tens of billions of humans throughout the three continents dry of all resources and benefits, key among them being faith energy.


    I''ve already completed my objective of coming here by getting my hands on the coordinates of the Demon Realm, Hiro''s thoughts shifted, and he was at a loss.


    He thought that he would need to infiltrate the demon camp, and join them in a few battles against the humans, and only then would he earn enough trust to visit the Demon Realm.


    However, he hadn''t expected them to put so much emphasis on the purity of demonic energy.


    I wonder how pure was the demonic energy that corroded the dimension''s core. Hmm, I promised Arabella a reward, should I bring back that demonic energy?


    With his innate gluttony physique, it shouldn''t be a problem to extract that demonic energy and store it in the system''s inventory at the cost of paying achievement points.


    It''s just a question of how many achievement points he needed to pay for such pure demonic energy.


    "Whatever," Hiro shook his head. "I should be generous to my subordinates. Even though we''re bound by a contract, their ability to think and feel isn''t restricted at all. The happier they are, the more productive they''d be, and they might start taking initiative without needing to receive my orders in the future."


    This was something Hiro noticed when he compared Arabella''s attitude to Juvia''s attitude.


    Obviously, since the latter enjoyed great benefits from his dimension, she exhibited greater enthusiasm, sometimes going out of her way to share some gossip and unconfirmed information she caught wind of.


    As a beautiful young lady, many leaders in social circles and meet-up parties would share some internal gossip with her.


    What family''s master had declined in some field, losing authority to another family''s master?


    What business is going to receive aid from the government with policies and taxes?


    What factions are fighting openly and covertly against one another, or joining hands to form new alliances through the exchange of benefits?


    Hiro never asked Juvia to do all of this, but she personally made the judgment that this would be helpful to her Master, and so she proceeded with it.


    As Ei, the artificial intelligence powered by a quantum processor was helping her from the dark, no one could find out about her little antics.


    Thinking about this, Hiro decided that he needed to give this sliver of demonic energy to Arabella, and then give her a short seven-day vacation to roam the Demon Realm.


    Her professional team can take over the company''s affairs in the meantime.


    After he affirmed his decision, Hiro turned around and followed the map in his memories, heading toward the dimension''s core.


    With his treasure-scanning activity, he easily avoided the regions with active treasures of fairly high quality, allowing him to avoid any unnecessary conflicts.


    On the way, his treasures encyclopedia also grew rapidly, further extending the range of his treasure-scanning at an interval of 10m increments.


    Soon, it shot up to 1.1km, 1.2km, and 1.3km, and it stopped at 1.5km when Hiro''s treasure-scanning range suddenly spiked up, highlighting many high-level treasures.


    The colorful array of various attributes almost blinded Hiro.


    Light, dark, wind, lightning, water, chaos, gravity, kinetic, frost, blood, moonlight, earth, smoke, plasma, etc.


    This signified that Hiro had mostly likely stepped onto an active battlefield, and the fighting was intense.


    With that in mind, Hiro understood that he could no longer circuNovelFireent the conflicts to approach the dimension''s core unnoticed.


    Perhaps, the active battlefield had something to do with this core, as nothing else would justify the intensity of the battle.


    Suddenly, two treasures highlighted by Hiro on the priority list were caught within his scan range, and Hiro raised his eyebrows.


    One of them was Rosaline''s twin short swords and the other was, unsurprisingly, the light bridge.

 Chapter 67: Exposed

    "How lively," Hiro found himself on a high hill not too far from the great canyon that separated the various parties involved in the battle.


    Seated in an inconspicuous corner and with the system keeping his aura in check, Hiro watched as the battle played out.


    The most intense battle was probably the location of the dimension''s core, and everyone engaged in that battle was at the peak of Tier-7 in terms of level.


    As for their abilities and skills, all kinds of colorful spells and enchanting tactics were on display.


    "I don''t want to waste my time here¡­ Also, I can use this chance to show off instead of working hard for something so easily obtained."


    After Hiro made up his mind, he slowly stepped forward to the hill''s edge.


    Then, the cosmetics around his body changed together with the aura exuded from his person.


    Now, he was wearing the "Babylon" cosmetics, and a hazy white halo surrounded his body as a murky silver river whirled in currents along his frame.


    Hiro had to admit that although it was a pity to reset the CB and spirit arrays to the starting line whenever he switched sects, it no longer felt bad when his goal had changed.


    Now, he was no longer obsessed with elevating his Daoist character from Tier-5 to Tier-4 standards.


    Instead, he was obsessed with missions, contribution points, and learning the various martial arts and magic spells offered by the different schools.


    It had gotten to a point where Hiro no longer remembered how many tricks his Daoist character had accumulated.


    In any case, he could be considered a walking library of secret manuals.


    If this were the real world, his reputation would have long since spread, and no sect would accept him.


    The reputation of someone who joins a sect only to learn their secret techniques, martial arts, and spells then leaves¡­ Which sect would accept him?


    They''d have to worry about whether or not this person would share their core teachings with outsiders, be it voluntarily or otherwise.


    Furthermore, Hiro had plans to purchase the genuine expansion package from the system shop with gems.


    Hiro discovered that expansion packs existed in the system''s catalog, but he had yet to complete the conditions for unlocking that feature.


    As for what the condition was, he didn''t know.


    If he had to guess, it was probably a set requirement to complete a set number of games or purchase a complete game with gems at least once.


    In any case, with 140 gems and the 80% discount voucher, he could cut down the price of any original game as long as it didn''t exceed 700 gems in price.


    If he remembered correctly, there existed games with a price range from 520 gems to 680 gems in the shop, the only conundrum was; what game to buy?


    With these thoughts in mind, Hiro released his aura as he moved to the center of the battlefield, his figure floating in the air.


    Rumble! Rumble!


    The entire world started to shake as the massive pressure of Hiro''s aura spread for hundreds of thousands of kilometers in all directions. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The invisible threads of law and order operating in the background experienced a strain strong enough to bend and twist the fabric of reality.


    Spatial fissures over 10km long webbed across the sky, revealing a depthless void.


    Those in the sky and those on the ground, and even those hidden underground; they felt waves of pressure from all sides, squeezing them to death.


    The pocket dimension was about to reset itself and experience destruction in one last attempt at self-preservation.


    "Hurry and leave! Someone is breaking the rules!"


    "What the fuck is going on?! I thought the Holy Church has blocked all entry channels?!"


    "Who cares?! Run for your lives!" Read the latest only on m-v,L-em|p,yr


    ¡­


    While the majority of the participants were scrambling to run away, activating one dimensional key after another and escaping back to their respective worlds or realms, a group of battle priests and priestesses rushed to the sky.


    They were protected by a shell of golden divine energy, but even then, they could hardly move over 20m above the ground.


    "Who are you?! State your name and purpose this instant!" Shouted the leading battle priest.


    A massive broadsword floated horizontally on his side, and his buff arms were crossed in front of his chest, veins bulging noticeably through his skin.


    Hiro swept them with a brief glance before ignoring the guy and the divine energy completely.


    With one step, he moved next to the dimension''s core which was levitating in the air, spinning crazily with visible cracks.


    Can I take this thing into my inventory? Hiro asked the system in his mind.


    [Notice: This core is severely damaged, and it can only be repaired when the laws of the dimension are reset. However, the pure demonic energy is restricting the operations of the laws, slowly corroding and converting the essence of the dimension. In conclusion, you will need to purify and fix the laws of the dimension in the process of retrieving the item.


    Estimated value: 100,000,000 achievement points.]


    Hiro stared at the notice, feeling his teeth ache. Then again, this was a pocket dimension with over 300 million square kilometers of landscape, so of course it wouldn''t be cheap to fix it.


    The demonic energy was corroding this place for over a decade, and it seemed like the church had no plans to expend energy in the efforts of fixing it up.


    After a moment of silence, Hiro asked the system again, Then, how much will it cost to store the demonic energy in my inventory?


    [Notice: Since the host can use the innate gluttony physique as a catalyst, together with the help from the dimension''s self-protection mechanism, the system doesn''t need to exert much energy in the process of extraction.


    Estimated value: 10,000 achievement points.]


    Hiro gritted his teeth hard, questioning whether it was worth it to spend 10,000 achievement points just to reward Arabella.


    This is a strand of demonic energy obtained by the cooperative efforts of the system, the pocket dimension, and Hiro''s innate gluttony physique.


    It could be imagined how valuable this thing was.


    Forget about other things, 10,000 achievement points are enough to get another contracted servant with unlimited growth potential.


    In a sense, Hiro was about to double Arabella''s initial capital, and he had no clue how far her level, bloodline, and abilities could improve after she obtained this pure demonic energy.


    At the very least, she would jump the ranks from an ordinary succubus to a Greater Demon, and potentially become a Demon King in the future.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Consecutive explosions in the background woke Hiro up, and after making up his mind, Hiro extended his hand under the stunned gaze of everyone.


    ¡­


    In the crowd, the most but least shocked was probably Rosaline.


    From Bella''s descriptions, she already guessed that this was most likely Babylon, the person who entered the provincial capital''s Paranormal Society recently.


    However, the Holy Church had the power to intercept any and all channels from their world to this pocket dimension, so how could someone else get in?


    Furthermore, the pocket dimension wouldn''t causally allow anyone with an overpowered strength to enter, as that was no different from self-destruction.


    The more Rosaline thought about it, the more confused she became.


    Even if Babylon made it inside from a different world or a different minor realm, he had to get his hands on the coordinates.


    Even if he got his hands on the coordinates, he had to get over the pocket dimension''s operating laws.


    It wasn''t just Rosaline; even the people from the Holy Church, the government, and various influential groups in the Paranormal Society were feeling confused at the moment.


    During their confusion, one of the Great Demons suddenly shouted in alarm and disbelief, "The demonic energy is weakening!"


    It was fine if he hadn''t said anything, but now that he did, everyone closed their eyes and carefully sensed their surroundings.


    The Great Demons were most sensitive to demonic energy, but very quickly, everyone who was strong enough was able to feel it.


    As the creature said, demonic energy was being diluted at an increasing rate. Looking at the cracked dimension''s core, everyone saw wisps of black energy being extracted from the core.


    What?! Seeing this, Berlin was shocked as a scene replayed in her mind. It was the scene of Hiro extracting the demonic energy from her body.


    An absurd, yet not an impossible conclusion popped into her head. Are these two related¡­?


    She didn''t want to believe it; as the difference in strength was just too great. However, she hadn''t learned of any techniques that allowed someone to extract demonic energy in the past.


    This ability was too heaven-defying! If a secret organization got its hands on such an ability, it should be the Holy Church!


    No wonder he didn''t want to meet with the people from the church back then, Berlin assumed that she finally figured things out.


    Looking at the back of the battle priest, she opened her mouth to report her conclusion and guesses. However, the moment she harbored that intent, a piercing, borderline suffocating feeling gripped her heart.


    Berlin frowned, sweating smearing her brows. For some reason, she felt that she would be making an unforgettable mistake were she to expose Hiro''s matter.


    She was confused, Where was this feeling coming from?

 Chapter 68: The Rosch Family’s Foundation

    Hiro didn''t know whether it was unexpected or to be expected.


    While he was extracting the demonic energy, the backlash from the laws seemed to tone down, as though giving him the time he needed to terminate the disease.


    Be it his illusion or not, Hiro quickly wrapped up the ball of dense, pure demonic energy into his system inventory after paying 10,000 achievement points, leaving him with about 2,400 achievement points.


    Sighing at the extravagance, Hiro used the {Planewalker} title''s effects and opened a gate leading back to the Nexus Country.


    Despite the lockdown from the Great Church on spatial passages, they couldn''t prevent the system from creating a gate, thus allowing Hiro to return to his mansion in Tsukiyomi Lake''s Third Ring.


    Of course, to the onlookers, it appeared as though Hiro returned to a world or a realm outside the Demon Realm and the native human world.


    Hiro immediately canceled his {Synchronization} the moment he stepped into the study. Then, he opened another portal with his real body and stepped inside, appearing not too far from the chaotic battlefield.


    After making a flashy appearance of wind and lightning magic surrounding his body, Hiro rushed over to Rosaline''s side.


    By the time he arrived, the final motes of the portal in the sky disappeared, and only then did Rosaline retract her gaze to stare at Hiro.


    "Was that Babylon?" Rosaline asked in a whisper, even though she knew the answer in her heart.


    Hiro didn''t answer, merely giving her the side eye, which was a validation in and of itself.


    High in the sky, Berlin also noticed Hiro who flashed next to Rosaline, and she immediately noticed the Rosch family''s crest on Rosaline''s clothing.


    Her eyes flashed, but she didn''t say anything.


    "We need to leave quickly," Hiro said, inspecting his surroundings and the dimension that was slowly descending toward destruction.


    Rosaline nodded her head and said, "Don''t worry, the nuns are preparing to open the gate as we speak. Look, they''re done already."


    Rosaline pointed in the direction of the Holy Church''s campsite where a massive oval construction was erected in mere moments.


    Then, divine energy fused into the construct.


    Following the loud noise of energy being channeled, a gate leading to the remote island was opened.


    Without a care for their image or standing, countless Paranormals flocked into the gate.


    The believers didn''t stop them, nor did they reprimand or make things difficult for anyone.


    In but a few minutes, Hiro and Rosaline arrived by the gate. While they were passing through, Hiro felt someone staring intently at him, a basic intuition from his {Espionage I} skill.


    Looking back, he saw Berlin''s ordinary face.


    Ah, she must have noticed something¡ªI was a little reckless! Hiro cursed inwardly as he recalled his actions.


    However, he wasn''t too bothered about it because she was already head over heels for him, so she wouldn''t do anything detrimental to him.


    With that in mind, Hiro relaxed, and before going through the gate, he smiled her way and gave her a light wink.


    Berlin''s face turned a shade of red as she gritted her teeth. What a scumbag! Just you wait, I''ll find you sooner or later!


    ¡­


    It had to be said that the authority of the Holy Church had never been challenged on such a large scale before.


    While everyone was quickly evacuated from the no-name island on helicopters, the team of priests and nuns who were inside the pocket dimension were called back for questioning.


    Of course, this had nothing to do with Hiro, as the air on the helicopter designated for the Rosh family was quite intense.


    The female co-pilot had a stormy expression as she asked, "How did everyone else die? Speak clearly!"


    She was righteously fuming at the moment because the line of multiple branches of the family was cut off just like that.


    How can anyone tolerate this?! How was she supposed to answer to the Old Patriarch and the current head of the family?


    Every 60-year cycle, there would be a power shift. The ''Main Branch'' wasn''t a stable position in the family''s hierarchy, as no one could guarantee that their offspring would awaken as a Paranormal talent.


    Thus, there was the custom of the 60-year-cycle competition between the younger generation who were gifted enough to awaken.


    The winner in the competition would become the inheritor to the family''s position as the family head, elevating their branch of the family to the main branch.


    When the next 60-year cycle ends, this family head would retire and join the council of elders, a council for the retired experts of that generation''s competition.


    They would stay in the council of elders, and when the current Old Patriarch passed away, those who won the competition to become the head of the family during their generation would have the qualifications to become the new Old Patriarch through a process of voting.


    Goes without saying, that the younger generation of the Rosch family didn''t represent the future head of the family, but their future council of elders!


    This was the backbone of the Rosh family and its foundation!


    This loss was too much to bear, and the woman had almost gone hysterical thinking about it!


    "The Holy Church miscalculated this time, it''s not our fault," Rosaline suppressed the discomfort in her heart, throwing out an excuse.


    "What do you mean?" Asked the woman, her expression dark.


    "A powerful existence on the level of a Master, or maybe a Grandmaster even¡ªsneaked into the pocket dimension under everyone''s nose," Rosaline spoke faintly.


    The woman didn''t believe it, exclaiming in disbelief, "Impossible!"


    "If you don''t believe me, you can check the PARA app," Rosaline said lightly.


    Around this time, the threads on the PARA app were going crazy. Goes without saying, that paper can''t contain the fire¡ªeveryone soon found out that the mystery man is someone called Babylon.


    It wasn''t difficult to deduce¡ªthese Paranormals weren''t stupid, especially when someone like Master Osmond was already targeting Babylon.


    His information was quickly brought to light, even if all they knew about him was his appearance and an estimation of his power level.


    Other than that, nothing else could be considered as concrete information.


    Regardless, his mere presence in a pocket dimension¡ªallegedly censored by the Holy Church to boot¡ªwas like a huge stone tossed into the tranquil lake of the Paranormal Society.


    For a moment, the PARA app was a total mess, and this is what greeted the female co-pilot the moment she opened it.


    She was stunned. However, she was also careful; the forums must be under strict surveillance at the moment, and each new thread was open for less than 20 seconds before it got closed.


    Then, another thread opens, and the cycle continues.


    No one was stupid, and they wouldn''t stay online long enough to provide potential enemies the opportunity to track them down.


    Suddenly, a private thread was pushed to the top of the discussion, obviously pushed out by someone from the internal server.


    [Unfathomable Throne ¡ª Babylon]


    It was a private thread with less than eight registered members, but there was one highlighted name, apparently online.


    Everyone recognized it; Babylon.


    "This can''t be," the female co-pilot was shocked. "Is this guy crazy?"


    "What happened?" Rosaline asked, both curious and worried.


    "I don''t know if this is really him or not, but someone found a private thread and it''s suspected that this was opened by that Babylon guy¡­ Oh, someone cracked the thread''s PIN code."


    Rosaline narrowed her eyes. "The private thread''s PIN code is a four-digit number, it''s very easy to crack. No one bothers with the password, and no one bothers with cracking it under normal circumstances¡­" Stay informed at m-vl-em,pyr


    After glancing at Hiro, Rosaline also pulled out her phone to check the forums.


    Soon, she found the thread in question.


    The moment the password was cracked and punished to the public, the original members left the thread post-haste.


    [???] has left the thread¡­ sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [???] has left the thread¡­


    [???] has left the thread¡­


    ¡­


    Now, only the username [Babylon] was in the thread, online.


    Everyone quickly scrolled through the thread to see the records of the conversations.


    After a rigorous check, they came to one conclusion¡ªthis was indeed Babylon.


    [???]: What''s the Unfathomable Throne? Is it some sort of a secret organization?


    [???]: I don''t know, but they''re really reckless!


    [???]: Haha, just wait, someone will crack his location and real identity in no time at all.


    [???]: This proves it, they''re definitely Outsiders, just like those vile demons! Otherwise, how could this guy be so useless? Keeping his account online for the world to see.


    [???]: *Sigh* here I thought this guy was something.


    30 minutes later¡­


    [???]Has anyone cracked it yet? I''m getting stressed from constantly logging out, switching IP, switching VPN, and then logging in again¡ªI don''t remember how many times I did it by now.


    [???]: Same, I''m just waiting for the good news. Don''t worry, those sanctimonious zealots wouldn''t let this slide, they''re probably going all out.


    90 minutes later¡­


    [???]: Say, brothers, how come this guy''s cyber security is so fierce? Even the government has joined in on the fun, but they can''t get past his firewall!


    [???]: Shit! Big news! A counterattack hacked into the government''s servers and threatened to leak all their data! The government is pulling out!


    [???]: Are you serious?! Damn, this guy is biting back; this is so fucking exciting! Haha!

 Chapter 69: Destination: Demon Realm

    Ostensibly, Hiro kept a low profile for the coming days while the Paranormal Society was in riot.


    Other than applying for an early graduation certificate from school and waiting for the specified exams, most of his time was spent on improving Sitri''s character in the most recent game.


    After all, he decided to shift his operations from this world to the Demon Realm for the next few years.


    In order to do that, Hiro doubled back on his suspicions from early on¡ªthe possibility of purchasing an awakening potion from the system shop.


    There was indeed such a possibility, but the potion was rather expensive¡ª200 gems per potion, and he would only awaken as a Tier-9, even if the demonic energy was the purest kind.


    With the 80% voucher, Hiro only needed to pay 40 gems, which was affordable at the moment.


    However, since raising his strength in real life was much more difficult than doing it in-game, he decided to increase Sitri''s strength as much as possible before his departure.


    With him gone, even if some people had suspicions about his relationship with Babylon, they couldn''t do anything about it.


    As days passed, it was soon the eve of his graduation exams. That night, Arabella went into the mansion unnoticed, and followed Hiro through the portal into his private dimension.


    ¡­


    As the two of them stepped into the pocket dimension, what greeted them was an expanse of large trees¡ªof particular notice were the tree houses high in the canopies.


    After such a long time, the population of the magical beasts¡ªtheir current identity after undergoing reincarnation after reincarnation through the dimension''s core¡ªhad increased significantly.


    Furthermore, their high intelligence and subservience to Juvia led them down the path of transforming into human forms, despite their identity as magical beasts.


    Worthy of note was that many of the new generation magical beasts had innate abilities related to transforming and time manipulation, which Hiro inferred to be a result of Juvia''s presence near the dimension''s core during its maturation period.


    Given a few more years, the innate ability of these magical beasts would probably catch up with the potential of humans and demons, only if the stream of faith energy continued on.


    Hiro wasn''t worried about that, as the Seekers Legend had many patch updates waiting in line, and once the game was milked dry, he planned to introduce the "Return of the Demon Ancestor" as an expansion pack into the lore.


    The return of Sitri, the Demon Ancestor, would unlock a new map in the game.


    Of course, Sitri would become the new antagonist after the main storyline was completed and the servers announced the crowning of the Celestial Emperor.


    One of the lucky guilds will enjoy the favoritism of this NPC¡ªcorrespondingly, they would enjoy the aggro from Sitri and his followers.


    The more Hiro thought about it, the more he liked the idea. With these thoughts in mind, he was in a hurry to return to the study and continue his marathon toward the endgame.


    He looks at Arabella who was waiting there patiently with a respectful expression on her face.


    She was already used to her Master spacing out like this. Thus, she knew all she had to do was wait.


    Hiro sighed. "I promised you a reward for your hard work all this time; I''m here to fulfill my promise."


    Hiro stretched out his hand, and in his palm, a condensed ball of pure demonic energy appeared.


    As the Lord of this pocket dimension, it was easy for Hiro to suppress the demonic energy from spreading¡ªnot to forget about his innate gluttony physique at play.


    Although Arabella had high expectations for her reward, she was still shocked when she saw the ball of demonic energy.


    Her body shook uncontrollably as her blood boiled in her veins. At the moment, she was just an ordinary demon, but she could tell that this was her ticket to evolution¡ªher ticket to becoming a Great Demon, or even a Supreme Demon.


    Purple light flashed in her eyes as she lost control over her telekinetic powers for a split second, grinding a few pebbles on the ground into dust¡ªher breathing growing hitched.


    "M-master¡­ this¡­" Arabella opened her mouth, but she couldn''t find it in her to refuse such a generous reward.


    The bits of jealousy, envy, and resentment in her heart for not receiving her Master''s attention for such a long time disappeared.


    Connected to Hiro''s soul through the contract, she knew that he had gotten himself another servant.


    Yes, she didn''t know the other party''s identity, and even if they stood face to face, neither of them would recognize the other. However, both of them were aware of the other''s existence.


    Thus, it was only natural for Arabella''s dark thoughts to wander about. It couldn''t be helped, she was also a sentient, highly intelligent, living being.


    She also had the seven emotions and six desires.


    She also longed for recognition from her Master, and this reward was undoubtedly a form of recognition.


    While she was in a daze, Hiro was impatient.


    He flicked the ball of demonic energy into her forehead without hesitation. Continue your journey with m.vl-em,py-r


    "Gasp!" Arabella''s body shook. Then, tendrils of pure demonic energy encased her figure, like a violet cacoon.


    With a thought, Hiro twisted the laws of this region, concealing it from the perception of all creatures in the pocket dimension.


    Then, he left a portal open next to Arabella while he returned to his study. His next goal was simple: complete the game.


    Days passed, and in the blink of an eye, an entire week slipped by.


    On this day, Hiro finally finished the Return of the Demon Ancestor, and his Demon character was at Level 70, just like his Arcana Lord.


    Also on this day, Hiro received a notice from the system.


    [Notice: Your servant Arabella has successfully evolved to a Great Demon.]


    [Notice: Your servant Arabella has failed in her ecology to a Supreme Demon; her strength doesn''t meet the stipulated requirements.]


    [Arabella]:


    Race: Great Demons


    Level: 40


    Skills: Telekinesis, Beguiling Hypnosis, Transformation, Business Acumen VI, Illusory Domain.


    ¡­


    Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar character sheet, Hiro had a thought, and his data was displayed.


    [Hiro]:


    Name: Hiro Sciatis.


    Class: Sorcerer.


    Level: 40.


    XP: 92%


    Spells: Sorcerer''s Guide to the Five Elements, Infinite Sword Matrix.


    AP: 2,540.


    Gems: 140.


    Skills: Immersive Reading, Professional Calligraphy, Analytical Mind, Professional Combat, Professional Soccer, Espionage I, Telepathy.


    Inventory: 80% Discount Voucher (2), Lvl. 1 Mass Enlightenment Scroll, Game Voucher (2).


    ¡­


    Looking at his current level, Hiro suddenly remembered that his servants couldn''t grow stronger than him¡ªthe real him, excluding his synchronized state.


    In a sense, Arabella''s failed evolution was primarily his fault, not hers.


    Hiro frowned and mumbled, "How troublesome, I miscalculated! That''s 10,000 points down the drain¡­"


    Hiro''s heart ached, and he could feel the bittersweet taste of regret. However, when the portal by his side flashed and Arabella walked out, her face gleaming with borderline worship as she looked at him, some of his regrets melted away.


    Whatever, Hiro thought to himself. I can''t change it now. At the very least, now I know that I can''t neglect my real strength with the illusion of the synchronization feature.


    As Hiro''s thoughts reached this point, he smiled at Arabella. "Congratulations!"


    Thud! Arabella dropped to one knee without hesitation and lowered her head, her enthusiasm sending her telekinetic powers out of control¡ªthe pressure was intense, even for Hiro.


    Now, he realized why he can''t allow his servants to become stronger than himself.


    Coughing, Hiro said, "Calm down!"


    Arabella snapped out from her state of feverish zeal, quickly controlling her power as she looked up. "Thank you for your blessings, Master! If you have any orders for me, I''m listening!"


    Hiro''s back was soaked in sweat as he put on a calm expression.


    He sighed, "I wanted to give you a vacation to relax, but¡­"


    "It''s okay, Master! I''m willing to do your bidding and have no need for rest," Arabella saw through his hesitation and slapped her chest.


    Her purple eyes shone in earnest, and her heart was pumping furiously. She was too excited, and she needed something to expend her energy. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Okay," Hiro nodded. "Then, your mission in the long term is to penetrate the overseas gaming market, while your short-term mission is to coordinate with the research and gaming facilities, companies, and involved parties to advertise the upcoming expansion pack in our game.


    "If you want, you can promote this expansion pack as an independent closed-beta project and promise the mainstream players that once the main quest line is completed in the Seekers Legend, there will be a great merger between the main game and the closed-beta, opening a wide PvP event."


    Arabella''s mind spun and she said, "Should we allow players from overseas into the closed beta and use the clash between gamers from either country as a large-scale PvP event?"


    Hiro''s eyes shone brilliantly as he clapped his hands. "Great plan! Rouse the sense of patriotism in the hearts of our players, you can make the announcement and the arrangements as you please; I already uploaded the files to the cloud network!"


    Hiro was satisfied, and so was Arabella.


    The two talked for a while, and later that night, Arabella left in high spirits.


    After sorting out some long-term plans for Juvia as well, Hiro sat in his leather chair and entered the system shop.


    Soon, a dark purple bottle appeared in his hand as his gaze shifted¡ªDemon Awakening Potion.

 Chapter 70: A Game Between Two Families

    Looking at the potion he just bought with the discount voucher for 40 gems, Hiro looked outside the floor-to-ceiling window while twirling the bottle in his hand.


    A moment later, he uncapped the bottle and downed its contents in one gulp. Afterward, he promptly put on the cosmetics of a demon kin, reached into the system with his mind, and opened a portal leading to the Demon Realm.


    Hiro slid a note declaring his absence from the provincial capital from under his study room''s door and without hesitation, he entered the portal.


    ¡­


    Boom!


    A muffled explosion went off inside Hiro''s body the moment he digested the potion.


    [Notice: Spirituality and demonic energy are conflicting within your body. For your safety, the system has triggered a hidden feature.


    [You can now switch between various character settings at will. While you''re using a specific character mode, the attributes and abilities from the other characters will be rendered inaccessible.]


    [Notice: {Infinite Sword Matrix} is a universal ability and can be used across all character modes.]


    ¡­


    [Hiro]:


    Race: Demon.


    Bloodline: ???


    Level: 11.


    XP: 1%.


    Skills: Infinite Sword Matrix.


    ¡­


    Hiro''s attention was on his current attributes, and he immediately realized why his body felt uncomfortable just now.


    Thinking about something, Hiro immediately opened his palm and concentrated. A moment later, a great suction force appeared in his open palm, and only then did he relax.


    Hiro concluded that his innate physique was something outside the range of skills and attributes, which explained a lot.


    As long as he could use his gluttony physique, then everything else was inconsequential.


    Lifting his head, Hiro took in the scenery of the Demon Realm.


    Ash-gray dust covered everything in sight, and from the looks of it, this terrain was something akin to a large desert.


    Treading forward, Hiro kept his eyes open for any unexpected dangers while he interacted with the system.


    Make sure not to add the demonic-affiliated laws from the game to my personal dimension, okay? Actually, can I use them to improve my bloodline?


    [Notice: The extracted laws will be preserved by the system. No, you have awakened an affinity to pure demonic energy, but you haven''t obtained a bloodline. Hence, improving the bloodline is impossible.]


    Figures, Hiro mused silently. Although I can wantonly absorb demonic energy, my body can only accept the purest form of energy, so most of it will go to waste.


    Demonic energy was very dominating, and it wasn''t like spirituality or elemental-based energies where one can get pretty flexible.


    After a long while of walking in the bleak desert, Hiro ran out of patience.


    He silently synchronized with the Arcana Lord, concealed his aura, and started to teleport.


    This way, it didn''t take long before he stopped at the edge of a massive stronghold the size of an ordinary city.


    Even from outside the stronghold, Hiro could spot the spiraling, demonic tower at the center of the stronghold.


    He teleported one more time inside a vacant alley before he canceled his synchronized state, slowly walking out into the street.


    Hiro looked around.


    Slimes, felines, avian creatures, lizards, humanoid beasts¡ªall mannerisms of demons roamed the streets.


    Humanoid creatures were a minority, and even less were those who were nearly indistinguishable from humans.


    Hiro took a deep breath and stepped out, planning to explore the stronghold.


    "Move! Make way!"


    Thud!


    A speeding figure crashed into Hiro''s chest, catching him off guard while he was taking in the architectural grandeur of the stronghold.


    Hiro took two to three steps back, his momentum canceled out by a sturdy wall behind his back. Discover magic on m_v_l_e_m_p_y_r


    Grunting, Hiro looked up to see a gray-robed figure scrambling up from the ground, and without hesitation, they continued to run down the street.


    "Give way! Stop that thief or give way, stop obstructing us!"


    A hurl of abuse and curses followed from the distance. A pack of single-horned wolves dashed over, a goblin mounted on each of them.


    Whips cracked in the air, occasionally destroying street stalls or harassing other demons.


    However, the goblins seemed to avoid provoking any bipedal or humanoid demons.


    "Theif?" Hiro had a weird expression. "Things like law exist here?"


    "Brother, you must be new here! Caw! Caw!"


    Hiro was startled. A black raven fluttered down and rested on his left shoulder, uninvited.


    "The Lord of this stronghold is greatly inspired by humans, and after we captured a few smart ones, they were forced to improve my lord''s stronghold to meet the standards of what those humans call modern and civilized¡­ Caw! Caw!"


    Hiro didn''t bother removing the black raven from his shoulder, and he raised an eyebrow instead.


    Suddenly, he was a little interested in this lord and their train of thought.


    "Don''t be surprised," said the black raven, its brown eyes reflecting the expression in Hiro''s crimson orbs. "My lord likes everything that is orderly and beautiful, Caw! Then again, as a demon with the nine-tailed fox bloodline, it''s understandable!"


    Hiro recalled the kitsune from the folklore of his past life, already grasping an image of this particular lord.


    How wonderful would it be if this lord was a she and fell in love with me at first sight? Hiro mused the impossible.


    There were great restrictions on the love at first sight, among them was the current state of mind of the target, their mental fortitude, and whether or not Hiro was in disguise.


    If he wore a mask, a cosmetic, or any disguise of any form, then the love at first sight triggered would be invalid.


    Since Hiro was planning to keep his cosmetics disguise active in the Demon Realm, he could forget about scoring any lucky first-sight triggers.


    "You seem to know a lot about this place, little raven," Hiro looked at the black raven on his shoulder, a little interested.


    "You know, the sky is the limit for creatures like myself," the raven responded proudly. "If there''s something that I wish to know in this stronghold, I''m afraid only my lord''s residence can stop me."


    "What boastful words!" Hiro exclaimed, a hint of exaggeration in his tone.


    The black raven was piqued as it proclaimed loudly, "Try me! Caw! Caw!"


    "Well," Hiro rubbed his chin in thought. "I''m new here, so I obviously want a place to stay and do business."


    "Easy," the black raven responded. "See that fugitive that bumped into you earlier? Capture them and you''ll be rewarded handsomely; it''s not impossible to get yourself some property deeds and a startup capture!"


    Hiro looked into the distance, and he could see that the goblins had already surrendered the gray-robed figure.


    "Isn''t it too late already? They''ve already captured that person," Hiro knitted his brows as he responded.


    "Nonsense!" The black raven flapped its wings furiously. "As long as they hadn''t sent the captive to the local garrison, those runts can''t be considered to have finished the job! Caw! Caw!"


    Hiro narrowed his eyes. "I feel like there''s more to this than a simple capture order!"


    "Caw! Caw! Smart! As expected of the demon I look favorably upon," the black raven was elated.


    "It''s a game between two families in the stronghold; both offered great rewards for whoever captured that lass. They wouldn''t personally interfere, they want to test which family has greater prestige in the stronghold by testing which family the bounty hunter chooses to redeem the reward from!"


    Hiro kneaded his forehead. "As expected, it''s not that easy. What''s the background of this demon lass you mentioned? She seems like a humanoid demon, why is she being targeted like this?"


    "Isn''t it obvious? She''s a fallen aristocrat from a conquered stronghold! Spoils of war! Caw! Caw!"


    The black raven flapped its wings, looking anxious. "Hurry and capture her! Snatching her from a group of silly goblins is much easier than contending against what''s to come! Caw! Caw!"


    Hiro couldn''t agree more. Thus, he didn''t hesitate any more and stepped in the direction of the commotion.


    From a languid pace, his feet picked up speed, and soon, he bolted forward at an alarming rate.


    The black raven brandished its claws from the talons and sank them into Hiro''s shoulder guard, holding tightly onto dear life while cawing loudly.


    "Can I kill at will?"


    "Caw! NO! Caw!"


    "Tsk!"


    ¡­


    Hiro''s demonic energy exploded out from his body, condensing into three onyx black swords around his body.


    Sensing the dense, pure demonic energy coming off the swords, the black raven was shocked.


    As expected of great little me, my eye for talent is as sharp as ever! The black raven was elated.


    It was shocking when Hiro appeared out of nowhere on the street since he didn''t remember him making an entrance, and the alley he exited from was a dead-end.


    At first, it thought that this guy was looking for trouble, and decided to stick with him, perhaps it could contribute a little to the stronghold''s lord.


    However, it didn''t expect to hit the jackpot this time¡ªsuch pure demonic energy must come from a Great Demon lineage, right?


    While the black raven was thinking of this, Hiro was light-handed enough not to kill any of the goblins¡ªhe cleared a path with the Infinite Sword Matrix by inflicting severe, though not crippling injuries.


    Amid the mayhem, he clutched the frail hand of the dragon lass, picked her up in a princess carry, and bolted away from the street. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Deep down, Hiro knew that this was merely the beginning.

 Chapter 71: Surrounded

    "Caw! Run quickly! Caw!"


    The black raven was both excited and scared.


    Although it could take to the skies at any time, it was already too late. Now, if he had taken to the sky after being seen with Hiro, there wouldn''t have been any lack of people gunning for his life.


    Since he already joined this game of influence and prestige, he can only bear with it.


    The petite demoness in Hiro''s arms started to struggle frantically, her desire to escape from her predicament quite strong.


    Alas, she was severely injured and couldn''t muster up demonic energy anymore, and by solely relying on her physical strength, she couldn''t extricate herself.


    As for Hiro, escaping the encirclement of a few low-intellect goblins wasn''t challenging at all. In less than five minutes, and with the black raven leading the way, they successfully escaped.


    "Don''t let your guard down," the black raven advised while flapping his wings. "The big players are yet to join in on the fun, they''re probably negotiating with each other while little guys like us are fooling around!"


    Hiro gave the black raven a curious look of intrigue while thinking, This little guy''s brain isn''t half bad.


    "How much time do we have to prepare, then?" Hiro asked.


    "Caw! It''s evening," the black raven looked up at the darkening sky. "They should be having a banquet now, so their orders will be passed down after dawn hours. Until then, small fries like us can fight all we want."


    The raven flapped his wings and moved from one of Hiro''s shoulders to the other, craning his head to look down.


    "Caw! Aren''t you curious about what she looks like? Caw!"


    "Now that you''ve mentioned it," Hiro suddenly recalled that he was holding onto the game''s ultimate prize.


    He dropped the demoness on the ground and pulled her gray robe, revealing what lay beneath.


    She was very short, about Hiro''s chest in height if and when she tiptoed. Her skin was deep blue, curved spikes jutting from her elbows, and she had four eyes.


    Hiro couldn''t figure out her bloodline, and so he asked the raven. Sadly, the raven was just as clueless.


    "Caw! Don''t ask such a stupid question," the raven was angry and insulted.


    "How many bloodlines are there? Tens of millions! We demons conquered many pocket dimensions, planes, minor realms, and great worlds! How many sons and daughters have we sired all these years? Who bothers to keep count?"


    Hiro felt that it made sense. Other than the 108 ancestral bloodlines, all other demons were a product of mixed breeding.


    It was either between the ancestral bloodlines or between demons and other races, further diversifying the already muddy waters.


    With that in mind, it would truly be a waste of time to study the current encyclopedia of bloodlines in the demon race.


    It''s like someone trying to summarize every last name that existed in the current period of human history, just a waste of time.


    At the end of the day, all of them are humans, just like how all of these are demons.


    Then again, some demons must have been very desperate back in the day; how else would offspring like birds and dogs would populate the realm?


    Seeing the weird look in Hiro''s eyes, the raven was hopping mad, but it couldn''t say anything about it.


    It could only tolerate these disgusting assumptions in silence while cursing those deprived ancestors.


    "Why are you so calm?" Hiro shook his head and asked the girl¡ªshe was no longer struggling.


    The girl pointed at the raven.


    Hiro understood; she must have overheard this guy''s analysis and felt like her current situation was just temporary.


    Someone else would take her at any given time now, so fussing about it wouldn''t help.


    She might as well conserve her energy.


    "Caw! This lass is smart," the black raven calmed down, his brown eyes taking in the girl''s appearance. "What''s your name?"


    The girl didn''t answer. She stood there, silently waiting for Hiro''s next course of action.


    Hiro looked around and asked, "Hey, I''m curious about the two families and their respective bounties. Tell me about it as we walk."


    Hiro wasn''t in a rush either.


    Even if he couldn''t complete this bounty, it was fine as long as used this opportunity to understand the situation in the stronghold.


    He didn''t have to make enemies out of the two families with a great demon lineage.


    He couldn''t afford to offend an ordinary local lord family here, let alone two local overlords.


    "It''s a waste of my breath even if I explained it to you," the raven grumbled.


    "A friendly advice, don''t gossip about these families even if you''re locked up in a cell in the depths of the earth. If they want to know something, they will know."


    Find adventures at m v lem|p-yr


    "Are you scared?" Hiro taunted the raven while walking through the unfamiliar alleyway.


    "Caw! Yes, I''m very scared! Caw!"


    "Tsk!"


    Hiro was disappointed, as he couldn''t do anything about it if the raven was this traumatized.


    "What if I take the initiative to hand this girl to one of the big players?" Hiro suddenly had this idea.


    Walking in front of Hiro, the girl''s petite body shook a little. On his shoulder, the raven was also a little surprised.


    "That¡­ That''s actually a pretty good idea, I didn''t think about it¡­ Wait, how do you plan to do that?"


    "It''s simple," Hiro smiled. "If we just hand her over, they wouldn''t think much of it. However, if we make them suffer some losses first, then offer her up, I''d get the most benefits."


    Hiro didn''t feel bad about selling demons or treating them like property with a set value.


    Even if he didn''t have any sense of involvement or attachment to the humans of this world, he was still a human.


    Moreover, he wasn''t yet qualified to act all kind and benevolent to a stranger, especially a demoness.


    Since that was the case, he might as well fish out for the most benefits in these troubled waters. However, to do that, he needed to increase his arsenal.


    Relying on the Infinite Sword Matrix alone wouldn''t cut it. Hiro touched his chin and mumbled internally.


    I have a little over 2,500 points left, it''s not enough¡­ Hiro felt what it was like to be broke all over again.


    Although he was tempted to return to the human world and get his hands on quick achievement points, he tempered down this temptation.


    He shouldn''t rely on the system''s easy path to power too much. With his current tools, establishing a foothold in the demon realm shouldn''t be a problem.


    System, can I use the laws extracted from the game to gain Sitri''s skills and abilities?


    [Notice: Yes, but the system doesn''t recommend it. If you merge the laws into the core of a dimension, all creatures within that dimension will gain a certain chance to comprehend the abilities. It''s not worth it to use the laws to empower yourself.]


    Hiro pursued his lips. That makes sense, but I''m very tempted. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hiro realized that the habit of attaining easy profits had grown on him. So, he quickly shook his head to get rid of these funny ideas.


    The system''s implied meaning was that there was a certain possibility for Hiro to get his hands on multiple pocket dimensions.


    Understanding this, Hiro was no longer anxious about using the law extract to increase his individual strength.


    At any rate, his Sitri character was already a top-tier fighter, so his life wasn''t in any danger no matter what.


    The black raven was confused. This guy stopped all of a sudden and started zoning out, is he okay?


    The demoness was also confused, but she had other things to worry about. Her eyes darted around, thinking about how to escape.


    "They''re over here!"


    A shout from the intersection ahead snapped Hiro back to his senses. He turned around, but it was too late.


    Floods of demons in all shapes and sizes rushed into the tight alleyway from the streets, the rooftops, and windows.


    Hiro cursed, "Fuck, we''ve been led into a trap!"


    As Hiro looked up, he noticed a group of avian-type demons in the air.


    Hiro glared at the raven and berated, "Are you stupid?! What''s a bird like you doing down here? You should''ve stayed up there to give clear warning signals!"


    The raven was tongue-tied, feeling wronged and angry. "Caw! I¡­ I¡­"


    How should he explain that he feared losing sight of Hiro? If he could enter the stronghold unnoticed, he could leave unnoticed just the same.


    "Hand the girl over!"


    A huge, three-headed vulture descended from the sky, brandishing its talons.


    Hiro looked up and shouted, "Scram!"


    Boom!


    Two lumps of hellfire demonic energy condensed into swords before lashing out with great force, slicing off two of the three heads.


    Screech!


    The vulture''s last head cried out in agony as blood spilled on the ground, the buildings, and the madly rushing demons.


    Although killing wasn''t allowed, Hiro could still beat them up so badly they didn''t dare approach.


    Hiro wanted to step up and bathe the place in blood, but he soon noticed that the petite demoness was clinging to his right leg, her head buried into his abdomen.


    Obviously, she was scared.

 Chapter 72: Chaos

    "Useless, dumb bird!" Hiro cursed again, and while his heart bled, he entered the system''s shop and spent 1,000 points to buy a demonic attributed weapon.


    It''s such a waste! Hiro gnashed his teeth in deep regret. He only had one discount voucher left, and he wasn''t about to waste it on buying a weapon.


    After thinking about it for a while, Hiro also recalled that he had that interpersonal missions function; he decided to double down on that one later to farm more gems while making use of the mission context to learn about the stronghold.


    "Beat this fucker to death!"


    "Attack all at once!"


    The black raven felt scared for a moment and it immediately took to the sky in an attempt to divert some of the firepower.


    Blasts of demonic energy in the form of bullets, waves, arrows, and irregular shapes hunted him down, but the raven was very skilled in the air.


    It easily dodged some, lured some into friendly fire, and used others to help dampen his momentum and change directions accordingly.


    "Caw! I''m angry, Caw!"


    The raven was incensed. Suddenly, his body began to wriggle and tremble before exploding in size, turning into a massive avian beast the size of a domestic car.


    The sudden increase in size kicked up a sizable storm of demonic energy, and while everyone was in shock, a sudden rumbling sound ripped their senses.


    Boom!


    Dust and debris kicked up, and a zigzagging crevice crept along the concrete floor toward a dilapidated building in the distance, bringing it to ruin.


    When the smoke cleared up, it revealed Hiro surrounded by the cosmetic hellfire, his trench coat fluttering, and a broadsword almost twice his size lodged into the ground.


    A purple, pupilless eye rested on the hilt of the greatsword, red blood vessels webbing out from the eye to the guard, and extended to the body of the greatsword.


    From then, the veins slowly bled out into a deep purple color, transitioning to an onyx black when reaching the sword''s tip. Read new chapters at m_v-l''e-NovelFire


    However, the charting was left incomplete as the sword''s tip was broken for some unknown reason, leaving wisps of demonic energy leaking out, giving one the illusion that the sharp end of the sword was no more than a cluster of mist.


    "Where did he get that thing from?" The raven was shocked, but it was quickly distracted by a volley of attacks headed his way.


    "Caw! Insolent! Caw!"


    Hiro also noticed the change in the raven''s body, and he felt even angrier. Couldn''t it have transformed earlier and taken us away?


    However, there was no time for regret or anger at the moment. Hiro also thought about leaving the demoness behind, but after thinking about it, it''s not ideal for him to always search for the easy way out.


    Gritting his teeth, he closed his eyes to calm down.


    Recalling on his {Espionage I} skills to enhance his intuition and situational awareness, then adding his {Professional Combat} skills to the mix, his hand gripped the hilt of his greatsword.


    "Get on my back and hold on tight. If you fall off midway, consider yourself unlucky," Hiro said to the small demoness.


    She nodded her head and let go of his leg, quickly jumping on his back and wounding her legs around his waist, her arms latched onto his neck.


    Hiro moved a little to adjust to the additional weight, center of gravity, and deviation in rebounding force from motion.


    By the time he was done adjusting and coordinating, the momentary awe effects from his sudden outburst had faded off, and another group of demons rushed over.


    "If they don''t push my buttons too far, I guess I won''t kill any of them," Hiro murmured. It wasn''t that he feared the stronghold''s lord, but he didn''t want to be forced out of the stronghold so soon.


    No one can explain the sudden appearance of a Tier-4 standard Great Demon out of thin air, and it would draw too much attention.


    "Careful," whispered the female demoness when she noticed Hiro getting a little distracted.


    Hiro looked up, a huge metal barrel was hurtling his way, tossed over by a huge orge.


    Hiro turned back and blocked a punch coming his way with his left hand. Then, he kicked out fiercely with his right foot, lifting the assailant off the ground as his foot sank into their lower abdomen.


    At the very least, Hiro assumed that he targeted their lower torso, even though he wasn''t so certain.


    Without the ground beneath them, Hiro swung the poor demon over his shoulder and slammed them into the incoming barrel.


    As it turned out, a flaming arrow was attached to the barrel from behind, and it was densely packed with flammable liquids.


    With a boom, a thick cloud of black ash took to the sky in a mushroom cloud. It was like a smoke bomb had just gone off in the midst of the fight, robbing most creatures of their senses.


    Hiro''s skin prickled, feeling multiple gazes penetrating the thick smoke to land on his body.


    One of them came from up above, and a mental image of a massive, brown eye with his reflection in it popped up in Hiro''s mind.


    Damn, Hiro thought to himself. What a great stalker! Should I get a demon of a similar species for recon?


    The more Hiro thought about it, the more he felt that this raven''s motives were dubious. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Cough! Cough¡­" Hiro heard coughing from the demoness, and he quickly assumed that some toxins were in the smoke.


    However, he wasn''t worried.


    Gluttony!


    His innate physique acted up, drawing and devouring all foreign matter that entered his body. The suction force was great, and through limited skin contact, the toxins in the demoness'' body were also extracted.


    Hiro furrowed his brows, as he could feel a strand of suppressed, albeit pure demonic energy struggling inside the body of this demoness.


    He could sense it struggling against the suction force of his gluttony physique, which was forcing the compressed energy from a dormant state into an active one.


    Any further excitement and it would most likely erupt. Hiro was curious, as that wisp of demonic energy was very pure.


    On his back, the demoness was feeling hot and itchy, squirming uncontrollably. It was a feeling as though she was this close to scratching an itch, but her fingers were an imperceptible distance away from reaching.


    It was so close at hand yet so far and unreachable at the same time.


    Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!¡­


    Six individual claws tore through the dark cloud of smoke, aiming for Hiro''s vitals with the goal of severely injuring him.


    "Tsk, how disgusting!" Hiro felt that they were very stupid, assuming that he was at a disadvantage and hence, taking to the field personally.


    He moved directly into the intersection between two assailants.


    As their claws approached, he swiftly shifted his body to avoid an attack on his lower back and heart respectively, allowing their sleek and slender bodies to pass by, inadvertently protecting his right and left flanks.


    Hiro didn''t hold back and brought his greatsword cutting down, and a hind leg took to the air in a spurt of purple blood.


    Hiro quickly raised the greatsword to his face, blocking off another claw attack. Then, leaving the sword suspended in the air, he made for a roundhouse kick to the next assailant who crept in from the back.


    Clang! Bang!


    The sound of the claws impacting the greatsword and Hiro''s heavy boots smashing into a nasty feline skull sounded almost simultaneously.


    Making use of the counterforce from the kick, Hiro pushed back while drawing his greatsword together with him in the retreat.


    His brows creased tightly, as the smoke was thinning out. In all honesty, Hiro would rather fight six enemies in the obscurity of this dense smoke rather than face a stampede of crazy demons.


    "Caw! Just die! I''m angry! Caw!"


    A massive sound wave pressed down from above, accompanied by a great pressure.


    Hiro felt a chill run down his spine and looked up, as great waves of energy were fluctuating chaotically in the sky.


    The wind pressed down, sweeping away the thick, toxic smoke. Then, massive limbs and bodies fell from the sky, accompanied by purple blood.


    The raven''s black feathers were crimson red, much like its massive round eyes.


    The avian beasts encircling it were howling in agony while crashing down to the ground, destroying buildings and street stalls from the fall.


    They weren''t dead per se, but they weren''t far off either.


    "This guy had gone berserk!" Hiro quickly assessed the situation, and he located a deep red spike lodged into the raven''s chest.


    A menacing aura radiated off from the spike, and just by looking at it, Hiro felt a rush of irrational madness striking at his mind.


    Hiro''s mind spun, and without hesitation, he ran off while the greatsword sank into a black portal that appeared by his side.


    Now that he wasn''t fighting, Hiro had the mind to take notice of the body on his back; the girl was breathing hard and her skin was growing hotter by the second.


    Hiro frowned deeply while making use of the chaos to escape the encirclement.


    What''s wrong with this girl''s body? Should I trigger the interpersonal mission on her?

 Chapter 73: A Vessel

    "Shit! Who used a forbidden curse item? That bird is going nuts!"


    A demon shouted in horror. Then, a blaze of crimson fire ignited on the raven''s black feathers, catching on fire.


    In little to no time, the black raven turned into a blazing ball of flame in the sky, spreading its wings and screeching aloud, wave after wave of heat slamming down.


    Seeing this, the demons slowly stopped attacking, their expressions turning pale in horror and disbelief.


    "Fuck! That''s the 4th general of my lord''s demon army! You''ve all committed treason! Kill him quickly before anyone finds out!"


    A disembodied voice echoed through the region, laced with a hint of bewitching malice.


    Hearing this voice, Hiro frowned.


    That''s because he realized that a magical barrier had quarantined this block of the neighborhood.


    Everything seemed fine on the surface but once he reached out with his hand, it would touch an invisible, bouncy barrier.


    "This is a predetermined trap," Hiro whispered, his mind spinning. "Does this mean the lord isn''t in the stronghold! There''s no way such commotion would escape her notice otherwise."


    The more Hiro thought about it, the more confused he felt. He seemed to have infiltrated the stronghold at a bad time.


    "Ha¡­ Ha¡­ Ha¡­"


    Hot breathing touched Hiro''s shoulder and the back of his neck, reminding him of the female demoness and her plight.


    Hiro''s eyes flicked as he mumbled to himself in both awe and hesitation, "It can''t be, right? I must be overthinking things!"


    Screech! Boom!


    The raven had officially gone berserk at the moment, spitting fire and tossing heated tornadoes that ravaged the buildings below.


    Hiro stopped thinking about it and rushed to a nearby house, seeking shelter in the underground structures.


    Meanwhile, the battle in the sky was growing more intense.


    Space twisted as silver-white chains shot and pierced toward the raven''s wings, chest, abdomen, and back. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Although the raven''s mind was flooded with chaos and violence, its battle instincts had yet to be dulled out.


    The raven maneuvered with great agility and evaded the silver chains, but the earlier voice returned once again.


    "What are all of you standing there for? Idiots, you''ve already committed treason! Kill him if you don''t wish to die!"


    The demons who were hesitating looked at one another. After all, this was the 4th general, someone appointed by the lord.


    He is below one person and above tens of millions of demons. The influence of a lord is too great, and it''s dubious if they could really escape the prying of a lord''s eyes if and when the time had come.


    Still, there were always demons with a weak mentality, and once one of them made a move, the others would follow.


    As expected, someone could tolerate the pressure no more; they directly used their ultimate attack with the hopes of dealing the most damage.


    Of course, many of the demons attacked because they noticed the curse item embedded in the raven''s chest.


    "Haha, it is rumored that the 4th general''s bloodline is tainted by the Golden Crow''s blood, and he has a great chance of tapping into the potential of that mystical creature!"


    "If we can get our hands on that blood, no matter how diluted the bloodline is, we might be able to evolve into Great Demons!"


    "Everyone, you know in your hearts whether or not this is a lie! Fight for your freedom, for your future, and for a path to being the next Demon Lord!"


    ¡­


    Listening to this soothing voice, Hiro clicked his tongue. Court politics are really something, even demons are affected.


    Then again, these are the negative drawbacks of assuming a power system inspired by humans.


    It was only natural for some demons to grow a scheming bone in their bodies. Hiro didn''t want to think too much into it, but it''s not impossible that these schemes were played out by demons under the directive of human captives.


    At the moment, his current priority was the petite girl who was lying on the floor.


    Well¡­ it wouldn''t do her justice to call her petite at the moment¡­


    Steam rose from her blue skin, and stumps took shape on her forehead before splitting into a pair of twin horns, curved inwardly like crescent moons.


    The steam rising from her body intensified, and Hiro could feel the restless demonic energy in her body about to explode.


    Her muscles began to buzz and dance, while her bones issued creaking noises. A thin stream of sweat raced down her blue skin, and her body began to enlarge in size.


    Hiro watched in awe, but he didn''t plan to intervene whatsoever. He took two steps back and leaned into a nearby wall, his arms crossed to his chest.


    Soon, the girl''s lips parted as she issued a gurgling noise, as though blood was about to spill out from her throat but was stuck there, roiling about on the verge of either erupting or retreating.


    Although it was partly Hiro''s fault that she ended up this way, he wasn''t sure if this woman was caught in the web of a greater scheme.


    Who knew if the powerful underground organizations used this woman as a chess piece and secretly gathered all of their forces under the guise of a negotiation banquet?


    Hiro was all too familiar with the rebellious nature of intelligent, ambitious humans, let alone demons who can grow stronger by feasting on the blood of their brethren.


    The only doubt in Hiro''s mind at the moment was the identity of this so-called slave from the fallen aristocracy.


    Hiro looked up, and through the multilayered structures of the house, he could sense how intense the battle outside was.


    "Why aren''t the other generals coming over to help this bird?" Hiro was curious, as he heard about the forbidden curse item in passing.


    If no one intervened soon, this bird would really go berserk and lose all rationally.


    Hiro''s thoughts were once again interrupted as the woman groaned in pain, her skin splintering with purple blood oozing out.


    "Ah? It can''t be? Is she going to die just like that?" Hiro was stunned.


    Thinking about it, her body seems too weak to contain that strand of demonic energy.


    This could only mean that this energy didn''t even belong to this woman, she was merely used as a vessel for safekeeping.


    Hiro touched his chin. "Well, since you can''t handle it, then I won''t be polite."


    Then, he approached the woman, crouched by her side, and placed his right hand on her abdomen.


    Perhaps purely by instinctive reflex, she gripped his wrists tightly, her long nails wounding around his hand.


    "Relax," Hiro said. "This will be very painful."


    After he said that, he quickly activated the suction force of his innate physique, targeting the pure demonic energy in her body.


    Mhm? Hiro frowned, feeling that something was off. The demonic energy in her body was mismatched with the demonic energy from her origin.


    "Ah, how pitiful¡­" Hiro quickly understood her situation. As he had his experience acting as Sitri, the Demon Ancestor, Hiro learned a lot about demonic energy and its applications. Read exclusive chapters at m_v-l''-NovelFire


    He could tell at a glance that in order to use this woman as a vessel for the pure demonic energy, they had to suppress her origin so that it wouldn''t taint the purity of that energy.


    It was a cruel thing to do, forcing her powers and bloodline to regress considerably. This little girl might be an old lady who lived for decades if not hundreds of years.


    Otherwise, an immature origin would have long since crumbled under the pressure.


    Nonetheless, this wasn''t of any concern to Hiro as he increased the suction force acting on the pure strand of demonic energy.


    Such a great harvest!


    Hiro was ecstatic; this was enough demonic energy to increase his level by a lot.


    He didn''t know if this was a restriction set by the system, but only his Sorcerer persona enjoyed the treatment of converting any type of energy absorbed to spirituality.


    For his Demon persona, anything other than demonic energy would be a waste.


    Soon, pitch-black tendrils pierced through the woman''s abdomen, accompanied by a burst of purple blood.


    ARGHHH!


    Her back arched, and her head slammed hard into the ground. Cracks webbed out on the solid floor, and she screamed herself hoarse.


    Luckily, the battle outside was as intense as ever, so these screams didn''t draw too much attention.


    Hiro thought that no one would notice his little operation in the basement of an abandoned house; that was until he finally extracted the stand of demonic energy.


    As it turned out, this wasn''t a strand of demonic energy, but a purplish-black shard with a thin crack on its surface.


    The strand of demonic energy leaked through the crack, but when compared to the dense energy within the shard¡ªit seemed inconsequential.


    Shit, Hiro thought to himself.


    [Notice: You''ve discovered the fragment of a Minor Realm''s core.]


    As expected, once the shard was out in the open, a massive wave of energy was projected outwards, and an immense pressure engulfed the entire stronghold.


    Who the fuck hides something like this inside the body of a woman?!


    Hiro was furious, but before he could act, powerful auras erupted from all directions in the stronghold, immediately locking onto Hiro''s position.

 Chapter 74: Asmir

    By the time Hiro wanted to react, it was already too late. Even if he was quick on his feet, this fragment was too valuable; he didn''t have the required achievement points to store it in the system''s inventory.


    Hiro grabbed the fragment firmly in his hands without hesitation, exerted force on his waist, and spun around with great momentum.


    Bang!


    Hiro tossed the fragment with all his might, crashing it through the building''s structure and sending it sailing through the air¡ªout in the open.


    "No¡­"


    The woman stretched her hand weakly, a hint of resentment in her eyes. Hiro didn''t give a damn about her reaction, as holding onto that fragment right now was no different from courting death.


    ¡­


    "How unexpected," a voice resounded in a dark room, and a pair of crimson eyes flicked gently. "This commotion is too great, she''s going to sense it and return. Abort the operation quickly."


    "Sigh," another voice sounded as a pair of hazy green eyes appeared. "How unlucky, I didn''t expect that girl to be hiding something like that. Her family should have arranged it in a last-ditch effort."


    "No matter," a purple pair of mesmerizing eyes joined the conversation. "I''m curious about the little guy who discovered it, he was decisive enough alright. Such talent and quick thinking reminds me of humans."


    "Haha," the green eyes smiled. "They have that saying; Man Proposes, God Disposes, I take it this is a similar case? What a pity, seems like we need to push back our plans a little."


    The dark room soon descended into silence, as one pair of eyes disappeared after the other.


    ¡­


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Somewhere very far away in a special, sealed space.


    Violent shockwaves shook the sky as the indistinct shadow of a massive nine-tailed blue fox flashed with a multicolored, brilliant light.


    On the other end stood a giant without a neck.


    Five heads expressing joy, sorrow, anger, indifference, and pity levitated above his shoulders, spinning irregularly while keeping an eye on the movements of the fox.


    Suddenly, an invisible ripple¡ªill-timed if one were to say¡ªpassed through both their bodies.


    The huge illusory fox paused for a moment before it shook violently. Then, the projection shattered like a sprinkle of fluorescence in the night, coagulating into the humanoid shape of a woman with fox ears and a sky-blue fluffy tail.


    "Haha, that little sparrow was right, there''s truly a fire in my backyard," as she laughed, she reached with her hand.


    Buzz!


    A paper fan appeared in her hand, and when she was about to cover her smile, she remembered that not just anyone could see her face.


    The five faces of the giant stopped spinning and quickly merged into the indifferent expression, seemingly intent on retreating.


    "Why the hurry?" Asked the beautiful woman as her left hand pointed forward with one finger.


    The giant didn''t seem worried at all, speaking in a relaxed tone. "Consider yourself lucky this time, Asmir."


    As he spoke, his body slowly dissolved into misty fog, like a spoiled oil painting, melting away into space.


    Asmir''s finger didn''t stop as it tapped out into space, her voice echoing melodiously.


    "Do you know? It''s truly rude to leave without properly greeting a lady. Since you''ve already come all the way here, why leave empty-handed? Do you look down on my hospitality?"


    No one responded, as though the giant was already gone.


    ¡­


    Space twisted.


    Below was a raging ocean and above, a floating Iron Citedal.


    A huge giant dropped into the ocean, his body sinking gradually. About half an hour later, his feet hit the seabed below, splintering the ground.


    Then, huge tides swept past, and a few kilometers high tsunami rose in the distance.


    Slowly it approached the giant, crashing into his waist, though it barely swept past his abdomen.


    The giant looked up to the stronghold in the sky and his mouth to speak, but as the words left his mouth, his expression turned pale.


    "Do you know? It''s truly rude to leave without properly greeting a lady. Since you''ve already come all the way here, why leave empty-handed? Do you look down on my hospitality?"


    The giant knew that these words weren''t his, as he was very familiar with this voice.


    In his shock, the giant saw a pure white, illusory finger appearing out of nowhere and tapping in the direction of the stronghold in the sky.


    "NO!"


    The giant shouted, his deep voice rippling out in waves to cancel out the attack. However, it was too late¡ªthe finger seemed to carry a sliver of both his and Asmir''s aura.


    The giant''s pupils constricted as he thought about something terrifying¡ªlaws of causality.


    No wonder she was passively enduring the entire fight! I thought I was holding her back¡­


    As this thought surfaced, an explosion of magnificence proportions swept out, hurtling the entire stronghold into the distance.


    A thin yet sturdy barrier of demonic energy appeared around the stronghold, but it soon gave way as cracks webbed out.


    Then¡­ Bang!


    It shattered into fragments.


    The stronghold seemed to lose its ability to maintain flight, crashing toward the vast ocean.


    The giant roared in anger, rushing through the high waves. Luckily or unlucky, he arrived beneath the stronghold in the neck of time.


    Tens of millions of demons felt the ground shaking, experiencing an illusion as though the sky was collapsing. Powerful auras exploded in the stronghold, and six figures appeared outside.


    What they saw shocked them, as they hadn''t expected the defensive formation of their stronghold to be obliterated under one attack.


    They didn''t know that this attack was the accumulation of their lord''s attacks over the span of a few days compressed into a single point.


    "ASMIR! I''LL KILL YOU MYSELF!"


    A furious roar struck like thunder on a stormy night. The stronghold shook, stopping in place.


    Not because of its formation, but because the giant stood beneath the stronghold, carrying it on his back lest it fell into the ocean, to forever disappear.


    He could only brace himself and hold onto the stronghold, pinned beneath its weight as he roared in great anger and humiliation.


    For a proud Great Demon like himself, this was a great shame! Who was worthy to be carried on his back?!


    However, he was also helpless!


    ¡­


    In the sealed space, Asmir smiled.


    Covering her smile with the paper fan, she chuckled lightly before turning into a thin streak of white light that shot away.


    ¡­


    The barrier of demonic energy that locked down the raven couldn''t do the same to a Minro Realm''s fragment.


    It easily tore through the layers of restrictions, shattering the fragile barrier and shooting through the sky.


    In the deep night, that flare of purplish-black aura was too mesmerizing. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    No one among the Great Demons in the stronghold was slow to react.


    An invisible energy wave swept out, and the dark night sky was suddenly illuminated by a brilliant domain, but it was gone just as abruptly as it appeared. Stay updated via m-v l|-NovelFire


    The fragment, too, was gone.


    However, the powerful ones knew that the Great Demons brought the fight to an independent space lest they incur the world''s retaliation.


    Otherwise, how could the giant watch helplessly as Asmir sunk his stronghold?


    Thanks to the laws of casualties, the cause of her attack was in the independent space while the effect was in the real space, with the giant as the medium for cause and effect.


    Thus, her sneak attack succeeded with minimal repercussions.


    As for these Great Demons, they didn''t dare act brazenly. Nonetheless, who didn''t have one or two pocket dimensions?


    How tempting was the fragment from a destroyed Minor Realm?


    Who didn''t wish to plan for a rainy day in the future?


    Since they destroyed many worlds civilizations, they also understood how fragile these worlds were.


    The moment a world''s coordinates were exposed to a civilization of equal if not greater power, it was already a countdown to damnation.


    With that in mind, no one would refuse a backup plan.


    As the barrier was destroyed, the least of everyone''s worries was the phenomenon in the sky as blazing hot flames spilled over.


    Screech!


    A high-pitched cry caused the buildings to shake.


    "The 4th general has gone mad!"


    A voice sounded through the entire stronghold, hoping to rile the emotions of the demons below.


    "Haha, how lively," a gentle, harmonious voice dwarfed the anxiety and chaos.


    The voice alone seemed to push back against the flames, stunning everyone. No, they weren''t just stunned, they were absolutely dazed.


    Whether they were standing, running, kneeling, laughing, crying, etc.


    Their emotions were suppressed, beyond their control.


    Hiro looked up from the ruined house, his expression solemn. He couldn''t even sense where the voice originated from.


    However, he could sense the volatile faith energy in the air, swirling around the raven and pushing back his flames.


    Hiro then noticed the silhouette of a person shrouded in light, that figure suddenly appeared in front of the raving mad firebird.


    "Little sparrow, you''ve created such a big mess this time," her tone was both admonishing and smiling.


    "Let me see," she tapped his beak, and although no one could see her eyes, scenes of what happened with the black raven as a focal point rolled past her vision.


    Suddenly, her gaze shifted, and Hiro''s figure was reflected in her pure eyes. However, she couldn''t see his past prior to his appearance in the stronghold, which caught her attention.

 Chapter 75: Imprisonment

    Hiro looked up through the torn-down building, but he couldn''t see through the hazy light concealing the woman''s figure.


    However, he had the feeling that she was looking his way.


    The woman looked up, reached with her hand, and grabbed at the air.


    Buzz!


    The next moment, she retrieved the fragment from the sealed space without destroying it, displaying her degree of control when it came to energy manipulation and application of power.


    Hiro''s lips twitched. What a show-off!


    Once this thought settled, the woman disappeared together with the fragment from the Minor Realm and the forbidden curse item.


    It took a moment for the black raven to regain its senses, and during that time, the woman had already appeared next to Hiro.


    She didn''t speak to him at first. Instead, she waved her hand and pushed the fragment into the female demon''s body.


    Waving her hand, threads of faith energy imbued with the laws of casualties reversed the cause and effect, restoring the fragment to its earlier sealed state while slowly healing the female demon.


    "How bothersome, I don''t dare accept this gift," as she spoke, she snapped her fingers.


    Translucent, multicolored threads spread from the female''s body in all directions, like a web of silk, each thread revealing different scenes.


    When the threads were no longer growing out of the female demon''s body, Hiro noticed that one of them was connected to himself.


    It was very dense, and it revealed his interactions not with the female demon but with the fragment from the Minor Realm.


    Then, like a torn film, the threads snapped one at a time, and the images faded together with it.


    The speed was immense, and in moments, millions of threads snapped.


    Hiro looked outside, and he could easily spot the look of confusion in the eyes of the countless demons on the streets.


    Even the black raven in his capacity as the 4th general, was no exception. When it was Hiro''s turn, something unexpected happened.


    The thread stretched and bent, but didn''t snap.


    Hiro''s heart skipped a beat, as he somewhat understood what happened. It wasn''t Hiro who discovered this fragment, it was the system.


    Following the cause and effect, if she wanted to reverse the situation and use the laws of the Demom Realm to cancel this interaction, this woman had to overpower the system.


    What a joke! Hiro thought to himself. However, he was worried this might offend her.


    As someone who ruled a pocket dimension, he understood how ridiculously overpowered were those with authority.


    Unless they were fighting in an independent space from the Demon Realm, this woman was invincible.


    However, Hiro was also curious. If she was this invincible, how can people plot against her?


    While he was thinking, Asmir was also surprised.


    She inspected Hiro''s body once again, confirming that he was just an ordinary demon with an ordinary bloodline.


    However, she couldn''t see through his past, nor could she tamper with the cause and effect of his actions.


    She frowned.


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    This is troublesome, Asmir thought to herself while musing. I can''t let the word of this fragment leak out, my hands are too full at the moment.


    She expected to deal with a rebellion, but she hadn''t expected things to turn out to be so tricky.


    After hesitating for a moment, she waved her hand and left.


    Asmir decided to take both the unconscious female and Hiro together with her.


    The wind blew, and the wrecked basement was left empty.


    "Caw! My head hurts," the black raven''s body shrank in size, and as he flapped his wings, he inspected the surroundings.


    For some reason, he felt like something big had happened. However, he couldn''t remember clearly.


    "Caw! Forget it, let''s see if there''s anything interesting around the stronghold today!"


    Impatient, the black raven flew off, circling the skies of the stronghold while searching for something interesting to do.


    His intuition told him that soon, he wouldn''t have the time to enjoy such leisurely days.


    "Hm? Why do I feel like I forgot about someone interesting? Caw! Whatever! Caw!"


    ¡­


    Hiro felt the world around him spin and in the next moment, he found himself in a huge hall.


    No, it was a huge library, judging from the spiraling bookshelves all around.


    "I don''t know why you''ve intruded on my stronghold," an enchanting voice, though disembodied, echoed. "As a punishment for trespassing, you''ll serve your sentence as an official in my court until you''ve gained my favor."


    Asmir didn''t dare to act rashly and kill Hiro because she didn''t understand his background clearly.


    Until she saw things clearly, she decided to keep an eye on him. As long as he didn''t leave her side, and by extension, the stronghold; Asmir felt that things should be under control.


    When the voice faded away, Hiro finally calmed down and decided to take stalk of his situation.


    At the moment, he was very nervous.


    He only had one week''s worth of achievement points left if he were to use {Synchronization}.


    For battles on the Stronghold Lord''s level, a casual fight would last for days. Obviously, his synchronization time wasn''t enough.


    Also, if he were to leave, she could easily find him the moment he returned to the Demon Realm.


    It couldn''t be helped, laws of causality were just that unreasonable.


    Hiro directly sat down on the floor and removed his mask, leaving behind the cosmetics of two crimson horns on his forehead.


    No matter what, the system''s disguise was omnipotent, and the demonic energy in his body wouldn''t lie. sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Even if he didn''t wear anything with the exception of those horns, no one can tell his origin as a human.


    Hiro understood that even if he couldn''t sense or see it, he was definitely being observed right now.


    With that in mind, he closed his eyes and started to meditate. Anyway, he hadn''t tried to absorb demonic energy in the Demon Realm yet, and he felt like it was about time to experience it.


    The presence of demonic energy in this place isn''t bad, Hiro thought to himself.


    There wasn''t a need for any complications or techniques, he could just activate his innate physique and draw demonic energy from the environment.


    However, he made sure to control the flow of demonic energy so that he wouldn''t alarm whoever was watching.


    Thinking back to the performance of his demonic followers in the game, he imitated the standards of a demon with an above-average talent.


    Just like that, Hiro found himself in a stable position in the Demon Realm, albeit as a prisoner of sorts.


    He couldn''t get his hands on land, property, or even a worthy job¡ªbut he wasn''t dissatisfied.


    For the following days, if Hiro wasn''t training with his demonic energy, he would then be reading through the countless books in the library.


    Hiro had no idea that this wasn''t an ordinary secret library, but Asmir''s private collection of knowledge.


    As someone who dabbled in the laws of cause and effect, she had a keen interest in history.


    Asmir''s favorite motto¡ªas humans describe it¡ª was: "The present is the effect when the past is the cause, and the present is the cause for the future is the effect."


    Regardless, Hiro also discovered a few manuals of demonic arts stashed away on the shelves, albeit of low quality.


    Despite their low grades, Hiro gladly learned and started to practice them while browsing through the most recent history spanning the last century in the Demon Realm.


    Conquests, both successful and failure; civil wars, both far and near; aristocratic history, the rise and fall.


    Hiro found records on many things, and while he was a little interested in searching for discrepancies in the collection, most of his attention was on the demonic arts and his personal training.


    Hiro thought that he would have to spend days if not weeks, and perhaps months trapped in imprisonment, but he hadn''t expected to be summoned to the throne room one week later.


    Although confused, Hiro answered the summons nonetheless.


    ¡­


    "Caw! I remember you! Wait, what are you doing here?!"


    The moment Hiro stepped into the room, he was shouted¡­ No, rather cawed at by the black raven who was perched on the high back of a luxurious chair.


    Whoosh!


    The others in the room turned their gaze over, a mixture of expressions in their eyes.


    Hiro noticed two humans standing respectively on the side, a male and a female.


    They were shocked to see him, but their expressions quickly dimmed and returned to normal.


    They must have assumed that I''m a human just like them, Hiro mused. But then they noticed my curved horns.


    As both a gamble and an experiment, Hiro was dressed in the black trench coat this time around, but he didn''t conceal his hands and face.


    However, his tailcoat of black hellfire sold him out, exposing his identity to the black raven.


    A gentle voice fell from above. "Mind your manners, little sparrow."


    Hiro traced the voice.


    There, at the end of the hall was a pristine white staircase, enshrouded in holy white mist that contrasted sharply with the demonic ambiance.


    Can she still call herself a demon?! Hiro wanted to curse¡ªthis display was more holy than naked divine energy.


    The moment Hiro looked up, five out of the six demons exploded with anger.


    "Impudent!"


    Six voices overlapped, sweeping out like a heavy tsunami toward Hiro.


    Hiro frowned.

 Chapter 76: New Career Path

    "Stand down this instant."


    The voice descended from above the staircase once again. Though it sounded calm, gentle, and deliberate even¡ªit still reached Hiro''s ears before the pressure could touch him.


    Like a protective amulet, the voice lingered in the air and around his body, rendering the overwhelming pressure useless.


    Hiro narrowed his eyes.


    This woman had reached a realm where she no longer needed any secret arts or techniques to exhibit meticulous control over her energy. In a sense, as long as the intended ability wasn''t too overbearing, she could create it on the spot.


    Hiro was no longer certain whether she was a Tire-4 standard or stronger than this.


    The voice continued. "Introduce yourself in your capacity as an official, little guy."


    The black raven and everyone else was stunned. Although they knew how much their lord adored human culture and the history of their past dynasties, they also understood that it was just a pastime thing.


    Although she spoke about officials and the royal court quite often, there weren''t any substantial changes to the structure of her ruling at its core.


    In any case, they were demons living among demons, and the language of communication between demons is no other than fighting and killing.


    Asmir didn''t say that the only reason she didn''t put emphasis on the literature officials was the lack of an innate aptitude when it came to learning and studying among demons.


    She couldn''t possibly put a captive human slave in that position either, and the Nine-Tails race was very rare, so she couldn''t find anyone with the required mindset.


    Hiro was an exception, though.


    Although his bloodline was poor, his learning talent wasn''t bad. She had seen it all through the week, hence she decided on what position to give him.


    Though a position in the court was just too broad, so she decided that she might as well allow him to introduce himself, thus giving him the opportunity to choose his desired position.


    Hiro also understood this point, and while he wasn''t proficient in political intrigue, as the political wisdom was handed down to Juvia, this wasn''t the human world.


    There weren''t any deep and conflicting schemes that spanned months, years, and even decades.


    This was a dictatorial realm where the opinion of one person outweighed the opinions of the population.


    Luckily, Hiro still had the {Espionage I} skill since he hadn''t found a suitable servant to inherit it.


    This could also be considered a job, right? Is the system going to map out a carrier path for me?


    As Hiro thought to this point, he performed the standard salute and responded, "This lowly one thanks Her Majesty."


    After saluting the staircase, Hiro turned to the six demons, five of which were hoping for nothing more than to kill him.


    "My name is Sitri, and I will be responsible for Her Majesty''s intelligence network and information gathering in the future."


    I dare say that with my espionage skills, I will uncover all plots, schemes, spies, traitors, and more!


    [Notice: You''ve started a new career!]


    [Job: Intelligence Agent


    Description: You''ve been hired by Asmir as the first literature court official, and she bestowed upon you the authority to manage the flow of information to and from her Demon Tower.]


    ¡­


    "Intelligence network? Caw! What''s that supposed to be? I can see everything that''s happening in the stronghold and report to my lord on time! Caw!"


    "Yeah, you''re so good at it, we almost got painted as the enemy of everyone Stronghold Lord in the Demon Realm under your watchful eye and great protection!"


    "Caw! Who dares defy our lord? They''re truly seeking their own death! Just look at what became from that Sea Titan, what fool!"


    "Idiot, that Sea Titan is just a puppet on strings, who doesn''t know of his foolishness? He actually trapped himself in the Endless Ocean, thinking no one can touch his stronghold there."


    "We''ve frequently left on expeditions that lasted for days, weeks, months and even years¡­ Who knows how many rats sneaked into the stronghold during our absence? As long as they didn''t damage the foundation, no one would know of their presence."


    Another voice sounded, and it was from a demon that looked like a unicorn, but it was black and ominous.


    They were great characters with greater responsibilities, and they couldn''t keep an eye on everyone and everything all this time.


    [Notice: Your mission has been updated!]


    As Hiro listened to them, the system gave him a new daily mission to discover at least three disloyal followers in the Demon Tower.


    His reward would be calculated based on their overall status, influence, and social network.


    In a sense, discovering three disloyal servants wouldn''t amount to discovering one disloyal confidant of the six generals.


    Everyone in the room had their own thoughts, and so did Asmir.


    Hm, being called Her Majesty and Your Majesty has a nice ring to it. Mhm, seems like I did the right thing, but this also means that his little guy isn''t a native to the Demon Realm.


    Hold on, did he expose himself on purpose? Is he hunting at something? Well, it doesn''t matter¡­ Sigh, my six generals are so disappointing, not one of them is meticulous enough to notice this silent conversation between me and this little guy.


    Well, little sparrow deserves some credit for finding him to begin with, I''ll give him a small reward later.


    ¡­


    "Enough," Asmir spoke up once again. "Our stronghold isn''t the only one to exhibit signs of change after our prolonged battle with the humans. If we don''t wish to be swept by the change, we should be among the first batch of demons to lead the way forward.


    "I can say with certainty that our most recent predicament wasn''t the work of a Great Demon or a higher being; this doesn''t match our style of doing things."


    The six generals went silent. Seeing this, Asmir no longer spoke and decided to dismiss them.


    They concluded their war discussion and the related matters before she summoned Hiro.


    It could only be said that her purpose in summoning Hiro was to introduce him to the upper echelon of power in the Demon Tower.


    The black raven wanted to say something but eventually, he flapped his wings and left without saying a word, exchanging a glance with Hiro on the way.


    Only Asmir, Hiro, and the two human captives were left in the room. Once the six demons left, the two servants also bowed and left while keeping their backs bent.


    Soon, it was just the two of them.


    Hiro relaxed his posture, grabbed the nearby high-back chair, and sat by the conference table.


    A light chuckle sounded from above the staircase. "So, you''re not nervous at all?"


    "Your Majesty, don''t joke around like that¡ªhow can I not be nervous? I''m afraid I''d have collapsed from the pressure if I didn''t grab a seat quickly enough." Experience more content on m v|l e''m,p| y- r


    "Haha, alright. I like the way ''Your Majesty'' sounds to the ears, so I won''t harp on this little topic anymore."


    Hiro smiled. "Do you want to learn how to sound more imposing than that, Your Majesty?"


    Asmir was curious. "Oh? How do I sound more imposing, then?"


    "This is called the art of posturing-¡­ Ahem, I mean this is called having a regal aura and a mighty disposition¡­" Hiro coughed and cleared his throat.


    "Just imagine that I am having a meeting with my top officials¡­" Hiro hadn''t finished his words yet when Asmir snapped her fingers.


    Then, a few projections appeared on the seats around the conference table, each of them looking incredibly realistic.


    This can work too? Hiro was stunned, but he quickly shook his head to clear his mind.


    He reviewed a few lines in his mind and started to enter the right mindset before starting his performance.


    "This Seat can act with grandiose and style just the same," Hiro spoke in a deep voice, stood up, and snapped his finger.


    A thin mist surrounded his body, followed by the sound of running water as a silver river circled his body, looking very majestic and imposing. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Asmir raised an eyebrow from above the staircase, a clear interest in her eyes. "Is this the effect of some treasure? Hm, I can''t see through it, how interesting."


    "Of course! This Seat''s power isn''t something to be comprehended or seen through so easily."


    Hiro was in the mood right now.


    "What little tricks had This Seat not seen? If This Seat doesn''t wish for you to see through some things, you can only accept it."


    Asmir mumbled to herself, "This Seat¡­"


    Then, she cleared her throat and spoke up in a dignified manner, "This Seat will allow you to join the court, you better not disappoint me."


    Ah, what a refreshing experience! Asmir''s eyes shone brightly.


    This indeed sounded more imposing than calling people little fellow and little guy.


    As Asmir thought to this point, she reviewed her actions in the past and simulated an alternate version where she used this figure of speech instead.


    The more she simulated it, the more she felt like she had wasted years of her life in vain.


    She regretted not meeting Hiro much sooner.


    She sighed.


    "This Seat is pleased with your contributions! Speak, how do you wish for This Seat to reward you?"

 Chapter 77: Planeswalker Envoy

    Hiro''s eyes glimmered and he kicked up the gear a notch.


    He wanted to change his style of speech and say, "We appreciate your enthusiasm."


    This would be the tone of someone who represented not just a ruler or a royal family, but an entire empire.


    However, this wasn''t a suitable perspective in this context, so Hiro decided to hold back until Asmir grew tired of using the current figure of speech.


    However, Hiro apparently thought too much of it because Asmir was too embarrassed to speak like this to him after she just learned about it.


    Thus, Asmir returned to her usual tone of speech, albeit temporarily.


    Her tone had a hint of a smile as she said, "Haha, I was serious about the reward I''ve promised you, little guy."


    Hiro remained silent for a moment because he didn''t know what type of a reward he should ask for.


    After thinking for a moment, he decided to ask for a private residence or a house to stay in. After all, he couldn''t spend his days in the library in the future, right?


    "That''s all?" Asmir was surprised. "You only want a place to stay? That''s not impossible."


    Hiro coughed and added, "Can you give me an entire building? Preferably two floors or more, I will renovate the first floor for business."


    Hiro thought about it and decided that his only way to earn more achievement points was to start working.


    Having multiple jobs at once wouldn''t be a problem, and according to how the system did things, each time he sold a beverage in his soon-to-be-opened bar should count as an achievement.


    Since it was a legitimate job, there wouldn''t be a cap limit of 300,000 points in the future, or so Hiro hoped because he had yet to reach that limit in a daily job.


    Asmir was curious and asked, "Do you still need a job? Isn''t working for me enough?"


    Hiro explained, "How can I integrate into the common layers of your people and build an information network without creating a social hub? You know, demons let their secrets out when the alcohol does the talking."


    Asmir thought about it and felt that it made sense. If Hiro kept mingling with demons of high status and neglected the less fortunate demons, he could miss out on many opportunities to gather information.


    Asmir''s voice drifted over, "Alright then, just wait for my good news, little guy."


    Hiro hesitated for a moment and asked, "What happened to that female demon?"


    Asmir raised an eyebrow. "The vessel, right? I placed her somewhere secure for now, lest she caused some trouble."


    Hiro thought that it made sense. Suddenly, he felt a fleeting wave of killing intent, but it was quickly restrained.


    Sadly, after going through the world of Babylon and playing as Sitri in the realistic simulation space, Hiro was very sensitive to such things.


    Regardless, he also understood how important the secret hidden within that demon''s body was.


    Hiro hesitated for a moment, should he gift Asmir with the fragments of law he earned from the demon game?


    That fragment was very helpful to the core of a dimension, especially a demonic-attributed dimension.


    Forget it, Hiro mused to himself. I should focus on doing my job for now. Everything else can wait, I''ll only feel at ease when I have saved up 10,000 points.


    As Hiro cleared up his thoughts, he decided to heed the system''s advice and keep the fragments of law in the inventory space for future use.


    Who knows, this Asmir might be generous enough to give him a pocket dimension in the future.


    Hiro told himself that it was just a dream, but it wasn''t bad for a youth to have dreams.


    "I have one question," Asmir finally couldn''t contain her curiosity or rather her cautiousness.


    Hiro knew that this was coming sooner or later so he said, "Please go ahead."


    Asmir remained silent for a while before she finally asked, "You''re hiding your strength, aren''t you?"


    Hiro thought about it and replied, "Not necessarily¡­ I can be either strong or weak depending on the situation. When I''m in dire straits, I can get help."


    "What kind of help?" Asmir probed further.


    Hiro thought about it for a moment, looked around, and asked, "Is this place secure enough?"


    Asmir didn''t respond immediately, as she understood what Hiro meant. A moment later, Hiro could feel something change, but he didn''t know what changed exactly.


    "I''ve sealed this space," Asmir spoke from her position above the staircase. "No one will know what happened inside this place."


    To be honest, Asmir was also very curious.


    Hiro knew that guesses and conjectures could only protect him for so long, and he needed to give her something substantial so she would hold back and not kill him on a whim one day.


    Thus, Hiro immediately adjusted his state of mind, closed his eyes, and focused.


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    Of course, this was just a pretense¡ªa show for Asmir to watch. With the system''s help, his aura and bloodline continued to weaken in presence until they were completely gone.


    Asmir was shocked; even with her strength, if Hiro wasn''t standing beneath her gaze, she''d have missed him.


    She would only find him by using the laws of casualties with the realm fragment as a medium.


    However, her attention soon shifted as a mysterious power exploded from within Hiro''s body.


    First, it was Sitri''s bloodline power, which originated from the Celestial Demon Bloodline.


    In the game, this was practically the highest bloodline a demon could get their hands on.


    As the bloodline suppression permeated the space, Asmir felt her heart skip a beat.


    Then, Hiro''s aura skyrocketed to the standards of Tier-4, and it was the absolute peak of that tier.


    Although this was much weaker than Asmir, especially when one accounted for her stronghold, faith energy, and the laws of the Demon Realm¡ªshe still felt a little awestruck because she assumed that this strength was something projected into Hiro''s body from an unknown distance.


    Hiro opened his eyes and they were no longer crimson, but a flare of bright silver.


    His demeanor also changed into that of an almighty expert who had seen through the world.


    He clasped his hands behind his back, curiously inspecting the space all around him.


    Now that he had used the synchronization feature and looked at this space through the eyes of Sitri, Hiro noticed many things he hadn''t seen before.


    At first glance, this space seemed like a fragile bubble that could burst at any time.


    However, a second glance would reveal how tightly sealed this space was.


    Hiro thought back to how the Holy Church would claim to have sealed the space around the human world, and he now somewhat understood.


    But he had to put on act for Asmir now.


    Hiro sighed in disappointment and didn''t even look toward the staircase above.


    He reached out with his hand and tapped out with a finger, but he was actually activating the planeswalker feature to open a portal.


    Of course, this portal wouldn''t lead to his pocket dimension or the human world as he had to act safe.


    It actually leads to the most recent pocket dimension that the church opened to the public.


    However, the destination didn''t matter because what matters now was posturing.


    As expected, he heard a gasp of shock from the staircase above. "Impossible!"


    Asmir was stunned.


    The space rumbled; dense faith energy and power of laws flooded the sealed space, attempting to twist and destroy the portal or sever its connection to the Demon Realm.


    It was useless. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Please, who do you think you are? My cheat system isn''t so easily bullied! Hiro thought to himself.


    This was a display of strength! Hiro wanted to give Asmir the illusion that whoever was behind him, they could easily enter the Demon Realm whenever and wherever they pleased.


    Asmir indeed had this thought in mind, so she quickly acted and said, "Don''t be in such a hurry to leave, I have a little bit of fate with this child."


    Her voice was gentle and persuasive, and after hearing it, Hiro stopped.


    However, he didn''t turn to face her but decided to cancel off the synchronization directly.


    Hiro''s aura quickly deflated while the portal closed. Then, he let out a gasp, breathing heavily while bending over to catch his breath.


    Asmir was stunned as she thought, he believed me just like that? Or is it that he couldn''t maintain that state for long?


    She immediately shook her head as it didn''t matter. If he wished to fight, he''d simply cross over.


    That person already knew her identity and location, not to mention that she couldn''t stop him from coming over even if she desired to.


    Thus, whether he used this body as a vessel or not didn''t matter. As she thought to this point, Asmir''s voice grew gentler as she spoke.


    "Sitri, is that your teacher?"


    With his head lowered, Hiro smiled and thought to himself, bingo! Sigh, it''s so easy to fool experts when you challenge their common sense.


    "No, Your Majesty," Hiro gasped for air while responding. "That''s the Planeswalker, an envoy responsible for transportation between planes."


    Hiro decided to say this and leave the rest to her imagination.

 Chapter 78: New Game

    How great would it be if Asmir fell in love with me at first sight? Okay, I can stop dreaming about it now.


    Asmir was really generous with Hiro.


    She didn''t only give him a three-storey building consisting of a bar and rental rooms, she also expended her faith energy to give everyone a psychological cue, making them believe that this place had a long history in the stronghold.


    This way, the re-opening of the business wouldn''t seem abrupt in the eyes of the commoners and in turn, their masters among the high-class demons.


    After entering the old building with a host of male and female servants, Hiro assigned them the menial tasks of cleaning up, stocking the storeroom, and checking the upper floors.


    Hiro didn''t know much about alcohol and beverages, so he made an order list to store anything popular.


    Setting up the Passione Tavern finished after half a day of hard work. Toward the end, Hiro kept five decent-looking female demons with adequate self-defense qualities to work as waitresses.


    Then, he retreated into the shop owner''s office to work on the rules and menu items for the tavern.


    As a stronghold ruled by law under the dictatorship of Asmir, such things were standard protocol.


    Hiro jotted down simple rules such as no fighting, no sexual harassment, no instigation through taunts or gestures, no paying on credit, no sleeping in the bar after closing hours, no inflicting damage to the furniture and properties, etc.


    Hiro then listed fair prices for drinks, lodging, and long-term rental contracts on a separate parchment, leaving a small note at the bottom corner that read "I buy information."


    Although it seemed like an obvious bait and no one would open their mouths recklessly, Hiro was casting a long line to fish at the moment, so he didn''t care.


    Smart demons would approach him under the guise of renting or lodging for a night while their true purpose might be to sell information.


    Some might be willing to pay for information.


    Hiro wasn''t anxious about his current mission to discover traitors in the Demon Tower, as he hoped to upgrade his {Espionage I} skill through the bar''s revenue first.


    Hiro leaned back into his chair and mumbled under his breath, "System, open a new job for me as a shop owner. Also, how many achievement points will I get for selling beverages and providing lodging services?"


    [Notice: Currently analyzing the currency system in your environment, please wait patiently.]


    Hiro wanted to ask if he could use gems to buy achievement points when he suddenly realized how stupid of an idea that would be.


    It would be such a waste!


    As Hiro''s train of thought reached this point, he suddenly realized something else.


    When the bar is crowded, wouldn''t I be able to infer a lot of information if I were to scan for interpersonal missions? The mission briefing is more than enough to deduce a lot of vital data based on the difficulty level and the specific task details.


    Hiro was also hesitant about which game to buy at the moment. With the 80% voucher in his hand, his budget allowed him to buy any game under 500 gems in price.


    After giving it some thought and witnessing the strength Asmir displayed, Hiro understood that between Tier-4 and Tier-3 existed a massive gap.


    However, Hiro also understood that the key factor was faith energy and laws, and no matter how broken the {Synchronization} feature was, it couldn''t generate faith energy out of nowhere.


    [Notice: If you complete a game you''ve purchased through gems, there''s a slight possibility to obtain a minor realm fragment imbued with the attributes of the game you''ve completed.]


    Hiro was stunned. "Are you trying to tempt me with that ''slight'' possibility?! Aren''t you simply hunkering after my gems?"


    The system didn''t respond this time. Although feeling a little uncomfortable, Hiro couldn''t contain his eagerness for long.


    After all, he saw how eager those great characters were to obtain the fragment from a minor realm.


    However, Hiro wasn''t stupid.


    Finishing a game with a Tier-4 powerhouse as the final boss was one thing, but finishing off a game with a potential Tier-2 powerhouse as the final boss was something else altogether.


    Even with the time dilation feature, it might take months or years in real time to complete such an endeavor.


    After struggling with himself for a very long time, Hiro finally opened the system shop and filtered out all games above the 480 gems benchmark.


    Then, he added an additional filter to remove immortal cultivation-related games, demonic themes-related games, and sorcery-related games from th list.


    After thinking about it, he removed sci-fi and urban fantasy games because he felt that their world wasn''t comprehensive enough to invoke novelty.


    Hiro had to think about the long run for no reason other than his company''s future prospects.


    Even if the Paranormals decided to abandon the Old World and move out to the New World in full force, it wouldn''t hurt to leave some foundation behind.


    Such a massive source of faith energy couldn''t be neglected. Taking in mind that most of the living creatures in his pocket dimension were magical beasts, Hiro settled for a game with mythical creatures in the lore.


    After browsing for a few minutes, he found a game that cost 425 gems, which would be reduced to 85 gems after the 80% discount.


    It was a game called Draconia.


    The main game plot of the game revolved around dragons. As for the specific lore and storyline, Hiro had to first launch the game so he could understand it.


    After confirming the purchase, Hiro let out a sigh of relief, though he felt a sting of pain in his heart as he watched his gems fall from 100 to a mere 15 gems.


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    "It''s okay," Hiro told himself. "I can complete three hard missions and I can round them up to thirty¡­"


    After encouraging himself, Hiro prepared for the opening of the tavern in the following day.


    As long as the system hadn''t finished assessing the currency and designing a working plan for him, Hiro wasn''t planning to open for business yet.


    When the workers saw Hiro leaving the manager''s office, they quickly greeted him.


    "Greetings, Master!"


    "Greetings, Master!"


    ¡­


    As maids and servants, they would address Hiro as Master both in private and public settings, while the customers would simply address him as the "Shopkeeper" in the future.


    Hiro nodded and said, "Keep up the good work."


    Then, he activated the interpersonal missions and the treasure-scanning function consecutively.


    All of them had missions of easy difficulty above their heads, and they didn''t have any treasures on their bodies.


    This usually meant that they were small characters so Hiro didn''t give them a second glance.


    "I''m going up to rest, you can return in three days for the opening," Hiro instructed.


    He already inquired with the system, and it shouldn''t take more than two days for the system to collect data on the interactions between demons in the stronghold.


    However, Hiro decided to play it safe just in case.


    The five maids hurriedly expressed their understanding before leaving the bar in a hurry.


    Hiro sighed, feeling glad that the cosmetics would cancel out his love-at-first-sight charm.


    Otherwise, he would suffer from a headache if Asmir kept assigning female demons to work for him.


    ¡­


    After making the arrangements, Hiro went to the master bedroom on the third floor of the building. After a quick shower, he went to sleep.


    Of course, he hoped he could enter his training space in the real world to enjoy the time-dilation benefits, but Hiro had this feeling that Asmir was definitely keeping an eye on him.


    He could still remember their long conversation in that sealed space about the Unfathomables and his purpose in coming to the Demon Realm.


    Most likely, Asmir decided to keep him around as a backup for herself in case this realm encountered a disaster in the future.


    Hiro wasn''t certain, but he had the feeling that Asmir was interested in joining the Unfathomables.


    Hiro thought about it, but there was no way for him to collect faith energy from the demons.


    Resigned, he decided to advance his Daoist character to Tier-4 standards and add immortal Qi elements to his pocket dimension as soon as possible.


    Then, he could focus all his energy on Draconia. At any rate, he only needed time to accumulate enough spirit Qi for both his spiritual cultivation and physical cultivation.


    After making up his mind, Hiro entered the {Simulation Space} and selected the new game from the library.


    Then, he calmly watched the introductory cutscenes, immersed in the lore. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡­


    The rebellion of the myriad races brought an end to the reign of the Sacred Beasts, starting with the Dragons.


    Although these high and mighty creatures were reclusive from worldly affairs, they couldn''t escape the machinations of the greedy, ambitious creatures who occupied the majority of the food chain in the world.


    It was too late to react when the disaster fell.

 Chapter 79: Passione Tavern

    The Dragon Ancestor was trapped, and a mysterious power weakened the bloodlines of the Sacred Beasts that occupied the pinnacle of the food chain.


    A war that spanned the world for tens of thousands of years was brought to a premature end as the world could no longer resist the scars of battle.


    Although caught by surprise, the Sacred Beasts weren''t fools, and their rise to power for the second time was just a matter of time.


    ¡­


    The story of Draconia follows a simple plot where the main character is disguised as a descendant of a dragon with impure blood, but he is in fact a pure-blooded dragon.


    The seal on his bloodline would loosen gradually as he grows progressively stronger.


    With the long-term mission of growing strong enough to release the Dragon Ancestor from his shackles, Hiro must navigate the world of myriad races infested with both humans and magical beasts.


    As a consequence of the war between the magical beasts, humans finally found their chance to intrude upon the territory of magical beasts, especially after the Sacred Beasts were dealt a heavy blow.


    The lore was frighteningly vast, and Hiro realized that his earlier estimation was correct and that he would need a lot of time to finish this simulation.


    Regardless, Hiro wasn''t in a hurry this time around and so, he slowly began to familiarize himself with the game through the night and the following two days.


    ¡­


    [Notice: Check the Shopkeeper window to browse through the unlocked features for your new job.]


    Hiro woke up on this day with this notification floating in front of him. Although he was a little surprised at first, Hiro quickly transitioned to confusion as he wondered why his job as an official didn''t have a customized panel.


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    [Notice: As the one and only owner of the tavern, it is only natural that it is included among your property list. If you manage to become the lord of the stronghold, the system will generate the appropriate panel.]


    Tsk! Hiro clicked his tongue. Forget it, this matter is such a tall order, I better focus on my little tavern.


    As the tavern had facilities such as lodging, rental rooms, a bar, and other miscellaneous services such as buying and selling information¡ªthe window designated for this job had plenty of panels.


    There was also a panel that provided Hiro with custom services from the system for purchase, like protection and counter-sabotage measures.


    The system also offered options to upgrade the rooms, the decor, a cleaning service, and plenty more.


    "How come my company doesn''t have such a panel?" Hiro was curious.


    [Notice: The scale of your company is beyond the system''s authority range.]


    Hiro thought that it made sense. Comparing a small tavern to a great company with many affiliated businesses was a little too much.


    He would have called the system lazy if it wasn''t actively monitoring his private pocket dimension on a daily basis.


    Hiro quickly got up and took a bath, preparing himself for the first day of business in the stronghold.


    ¡­


    The universe, vast as it was, didn''t rob the life within from common phenomena such as the ever-present cycle of day and night.


    Even in a land infested with crawling demons and grotesque creatures, there was that sliver of beauty when the rays of dawn penetrated the deep, dimly lit sky during the late hours of a long night.


    As a stronghold slowly transitioned into an industrial land, many demons young and old rose from their sleep at this hour.


    Although most of them went out on their day to hunt, kill, fight, abuse, and practice their daily norms of being demons¡ªsome were slowly embracing the change education and constant influence on human culture brought upon them.


    It wasn''t that demons were creatures of low intelligence that lacked creativity, but it was rare to encounter a race like humans whom despite their wielding of great power, they kept the majority of their race in the dark.


    This permitted the proliferation of pure traditions, even if they were useless practices to most.


    Those great civilizations with intelligence had long since closed themselves off from the vast plane, and finding them was very difficult.


    Even when found, the dangers were too great. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Unlike humans, whose curiosity outpaced their cautiousness, leading them to stumble upon the traces left behind by demons.


    A race that didn''t value the safety of their home met a homeless race who couldn''t wait to find a stable land.


    The outcome of their fateful encounter didn''t have to be guessed.


    Furthermore, the intensity of hunting and explorations had spiked up in the last few days¡ªHiro assumed that it had something to do with the six generals.


    It could be said that although the plot to cause chaos in the stronghold failed, it had forced the hidden dragon to show its tail.


    If they hadn''t started preparing for a rainy day yet, then those high-ranking demons were truly foolish.


    Hiro wouldn''t complain, but the demons on the lower end of the statue spectrum would surely have bellies full of complaints.


    Where should they vent these feelings?


    Bars, inns, restaurants, and brothels.


    In the last few days, the entertainment industry spiked in business, and it was in the midst of such a spike that Hiro''s Passione Tavern opened.


    Those in the trade caught wind of the opening day, and it was none other than their lack of understanding toward this new establishment that kept them from acting recklessly.


    However, even if they didn''t act recklessly, they''d still go over for a drink to test things out.


    When evening arrived, Hiro stood behind the counter while the five female demons took to their stations.


    Two of them stood by the door to greet guests, two others stood in conspicuous corners and perked up their ears with eyes fully focused, and the last stood by the staircase leading upstairs.


    When customers started to enter through the front door, one waitress gently explained the rules while the other displayed a parchment with the items on the menu.


    Hiro was cleaning the glasses with different sizes labeled as M, L, and XL with a piece of cloth when he heard that familiar yet unfamiliar cry.


    "Caw! Make way for this lord! Caw!"


    His expression didn''t change, but he started cursing in his heart. Don''t you have anything better to do? Why are you here in a bar?!


    The black raven flew past the customers and the two waitresses, circling around in the air for a little before landing on Hiro''s shoulder.


    Now, even if he beat people to death, no one would believe that his place had nothing to do with Asmir.


    This is so infuriating!


    Hiro smacked the black raven on his small head and scolded, "What are you doing here?!"


    "Caw! You dare to hit this lord?! Are you looking to die?!"


    Although the black raven said this, he didn''t act and continued to perch on Hiro''s shoulder.


    His brown eyes swept the menu and other than the standard drinks available in every bar, there was one additional drink labeled as the passione special.


    "Eh? What''s this? Caw! Give me one of your passione special!"


    Hiro also noticed this new addition, and he immediately recognized it as an addition from the system.


    The panel did offer recipes for drinks and beverages, and this one was for free.


    Inspecting the drinks rack, he found an array of bottles with a new bottle added to the mix.


    To make things easier, there was a label on the bottle, something that was incongruous with the style of the other alcoholic beverages.


    "Bloodstained Glass? What''s with this name?" Hiro mumbled to himself, but he still answered the black raven. "Pay up first!"


    The black raven went mad. "Caw! What do you take me for?! Do you think this lord wouldn''t pay?!"


    Hiro didn''t care.


    The currency in the Demon Realm was different between each stronghold, as the relationships between them were too chaotic.


    Each lord had their own thoughts and aspirations, turning each stronghold into a micro-society¡ªan independent country with its own schools of thought.


    In Asmir''s stronghold, the currency was silver and gold, and above that was the currency of rare minerals and ore.


    The system spent three days to make a clear distinction in value, and eventually, Hiro learned that each gold coin gained was an achievement point earned.


    However, each of the standard drinks was sold in the range of 3 to 9 silver coins, with a gold coin amounting to 1,000 silver coins.


    The Bloodstained Glass was sold for 20 silver coins, which means that Hiro had to sell 50 special drinks to earn an achievement point.


    Looking at the haggard and exhausted demons who looked like they could barely fork out 10 silver coins, Hiro felt heartache.


    With that in mind, he was even more ruthless as he said, "If you don''t pay upfront, you can forget about it!"


    The black raven was mad. "What''s our relationship?! Even if I don''t pay you now, it''s because I can''t carry money on me! Allow this lord to patronize your shopfront for you this once, you won''t lose out!"


    Hiro didn''t speak. Instead, he pointed toward the rule that stated: "We don''t accept buying on credit!"

 Chapter 80: A Lowly Servant

    No matter how hard the black raven tried to garner sympathy and a sense of friendship from Hiro, the latter didn''t budge in the least.


    The black raven had no clue that his constant nagging had triggered the curiosity of some people, and most of them were scouts from reputable places.


    They obviously recognized the black raven''s identity even without his transformation into the massive Crimson Crow. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Soon, Hiro realized another problem.


    The shapes and sizes of demons weren''t at all uniform¡ªsome were tall, some were short, and some were bipedal creatures while others were not.


    Most of them couldn''t even be seated properly on the chairs, thus they ended up standing foolishly by the tables.


    Hiro kneaded his forehead and sighed.


    "This is so troublesome," he mumbled to himself while musing silently. "Forget it, those who can sit will sit, and those who can''t can only blame themselves for being stupid."


    The transformation ability wasn''t difficult to learn, but these demons simply thought too highly of themselves and didn''t wish to take on human form in their day-to-day lives.


    Hiro understood where they came from as no sane human would voluntarily transform into a cat or dog on a whim.


    Seeing that he couldn''t get a free drink, the black raven cried out in injustice for a while before flapping away, leaving the first floor.


    He decided to call on some of his subordinates to pay on his behalf, he would just treat at as giving them an opportunity to fawn on him.


    "The 4th general has left," two humanoid demons were huddled together in a corner, whispering.


    When they noticed that the coast was clear, one of them stepped out and ordered two Bloodstained Glasses.


    When Hiro reported the price, the demon didn''t haggle and directly paid with four silver coins in denominations of ten.


    Hiro nodded lightly, and for the lack of professional bartender skills, he directly poured some drinks with ice from the bottle rack.


    The drink was thick in the color of blood, and if one looked closely, light refracted through the drink and provided the illusion of shattered glass swimming inside.


    If they didn''t see the drink being poured into the glasses directly, they''d have thought that someone was trying to assassinate them by planting such sharp shards in their drinks.


    The demons gazed with fascination at what they could describe as a visual miracle, as they couldn''t sense any fluctuations of energy or any backhanded tricks.


    This display alone was enough to cover for their expenses. As they sipped their drinks and leaned into the bar counter, they expressed their will to linger around, not planning to head back and search for seats.


    Hiro gave the two of them a look and scanned for interpersonal missions.


    Hmm? Hiro raised an eyebrow, as he gleamed something. Although it was another easy difficulty mission, the description was worth a second glance.


    [Mission Briefing: A lowly servant who aspires to achieve greater things. His inconspicuous position at the bottom food chain of a great family brought a lot of stress to his nerves, so he decided to follow the Third Young Master, running errands such as gathering information and sowing discord in the ranks of his young master''s enemies.


    Help the lowly servant gain the recognition of his young master, thus allowing him to rise in the ranks among hundreds of other lowly servants.]


    ¡­


    As expected, Hiro was pleased. Although the briefing centered around the lowly servant and didn''t mention the names of his master and the great family, it still provided him with clues.


    For example, this impromptu trip was an impulsive decision and wasn''t an order from above.


    Thus, the chances of drawing the attention of someone with high status were very low. Nonetheless, it shouldn''t be a big problem to start casting the net this early.


    Thinking of this, Hiro started a light conversation with the demon.


    "Do you need anything else, sir?" Hiro asked politely.


    The demon was a little baffled at first, as a lowly servant like him hadn''t been spoken to so politely before.


    Even when outside, as he was using the transformation ability to gain a humanoid form, many demons detested him.


    One had to know that transformation ability came in different tiers, and they reflected the demon''s aptitude and bloodline purity.


    Take this demon for example, other than walking on two legs and using his two arms the same way a human would, his appearance was just too grotesque.


    He had long tentacles for a chin, six disproportionate eyes, uneven ears, and pale green skin dotted with pop marks and grease.


    His companion didn''t have it any better.


    Honestly, Hiro had the urge to kill them the moment these two stepped up to him, the stench wafting off their bodies enough to start a chemical pandemic if left unchecked among the common people.


    After being stunned for a while, the lowly servant felt flattered and laughed.


    Sticky mucus splattered on the lapels of his linen shirt as he laughed, taking up the medium-sized Bloodstained Glass and chugging it down in one gulp.


    "Gah! Amazing drink, amazing!"


    Hiro didn''t know how to appreciate drinks and so he didn''t elaborate on the origins and the contents of this Bloodstained Glass, but anything new ought to taste great to these demons after years of stagnation in the wine business.


    Feeling happy, the demon slammed the medium-sized cup onto the bar counter and wiped his mouth with his dry hand.


    "Is it true that you sell information? What kind of information do you have?" The lowly servant asked.


    Hiro acted mysterious, looking around to make sure that no one was listening before he leaned forward and whispered something.


    The lowly servant shot to his feet and stared at Hiro in disbelief. It couldn''t be helped, Hiro basically recited some of the details provided to him from the mission briefing.


    The demon was feeling incredulous as he asked, "How did you know?"


    Hiro smiled and didn''t respond.


    Although the demon was silly, he wasn''t stupid beyond saving and said, "I''m willing to pay for information!"


    Hiro felt satisfied. He called for a maid to take over the bar for him while he invited the lowly servant into the manager''s office.


    Hiro had to force himself not to act and kill this guy, as he was too disgusting.


    Hiro accepted the easy difficulty mission in passing.


    Easy difficulty missions had a reward of 3 gems, normal difficulty missions had a reward of 5 gems, hard difficulty missions had a reward of 7 gems, and extreme difficulty missions had a reward of 10 gems.


    The mission was to help this guy score some brownie points with his young master, so Hiro decided to give him a few high-value points.


    After they entered the office, Hiro made up his offer directly. "This piece of information is very valuable, and it might help your Third Young Master with his competition to become the next head of the family¡­"


    The lowly servant was stunned again, how did he know that I was serving the Third Young Master? Did someone betray us?


    That was impossible because he was recruited randomly from the streets. This was the way his young master did things, spontaneously and without thinking too deeply into things.


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    However, this Shopkeeper actually found out about the plans laid out by his young master, making him feel jittery.


    The lowly servant no longer dared to act haughty as he spoke, "N-name your price, Sire¡­"


    Hiro opened his mouth and said, "1,000 silver coins."


    The lowly servant was stunned. "That''s too much! Even I¡­"


    He didn''t finish his words because Hiro approached him and whispered something shocking.


    What rebellion? What war? Something like this happened?! Why can''t I remember anything?!


    Of course, they can''t remember because Asmir acted personally. However, Hiro didn''t believe that those ancient clans were fools and didn''t have any countermeasures for such a thing.


    Otherwise, no one would dare rebel in this lifetime.


    It was worth mentioning that the two great demon families who issued the game to hunt the female demon had gone quiet ever since that incident, and the underground gangs who supposedly held a banquet to discuss the capture of the woman had disappeared silently.


    "I gave you some clues, but if you want to buy the information now, the price went up to 5,000 silver coins. Let your young master decide."


    The lowly servant was in disbelief. However, remembering that this Shopkeeper had a good relationship with a general, his suspicions were somewhat abated.


    Whatever! I''ll just report this to the young master before the others found out about how valuable the information in this place is!


    The lowly servant made up his mind, bowed slightly, and directly left.


    Hiro smiled. The moment the mission was completed, it would mean that the lowly servant had garnered the attention of his young master.


    This would also mean that the fish had caught the bait.


    Hiro thought for a moment, rapped the desk with his fingers, and made up his mind.


    After collecting sufficient achievement points, other than upgrading his {Espionage I} skill, he would also use the last mass enlightenment scroll.


    There ought to be many demons who had yet to unlock their intelligence, and mass targeting them would allow him to have eyes and ears all over the stronghold.


    How great of an intelligence network would that be?

 Chapter 81: Hard Difficulty Mission

    "System, you must create a new format to earn achievement points for me, some places doesn''t have technology or social media! You can''t expect me to live on like this in the future, right?"


    The system didn''t respond, but Hiro knew that it took his complaint in mind. The system would surely generate a new formula to earn achievement points, and Hiro was willing to wait.


    ¡­


    With the first person as an example, more and more servants and lackeys who were out to scout things out approached Hiro.


    However, the volume of work was indeed very low because the only specialty drink was beyond the budget of the common folk.


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    Hiro wasn''t in a rush. The more traffic there was in the bar, the more mission briefings he could read and in turn, the more he learned about the situation in the stronghold.


    Hiro made it a habit to write down the key points of each mission briefing, keep them in a small booklet, and spend a night''s time arranging the information before memorizing it.


    Sadly, all of them were small characters in the grand scheme of things, and whatever information he gleaned from them wasn''t useful for his future plans.


    Also, even if he found something worthy of his attention, he couldn''t trigger the mission because he wasn''t allowed to take on more than one interpersonal mission at a time.


    Things continued on at this pace until a few days later when Hiro received the notification he''d been waiting for.


    The easy interpersonal mission was completed and he earned himself 3 gems, which indicates that the lowly servant and the third young master of whichever family that was had finally met.


    Standing behind the bar counter while looking through the dozen or so demons drinking and laughing, teasing the waitresses, and chatting away their worries.


    Hiro wondered when and how that young master would approach him for that information.


    Hiro sighed, he hadn''t expected that a day would come when he had to plan so meticulously just to earn five achievement points.


    Something like this was easily accomplished in the modern human world, and more than that.


    For a moment, Hiro was tempted to go back to the Nexus Country to collect a harvest of achievement points.


    While he was lost in thoughts, the door was pushed open as a host of rough and fierce humanoid demons walked in, separating the crowd.


    Here it comes! Hiro''s eyes shone with an expectant light. The moment the young man dressed in embroidered fashionable clothing stepped into the bar, Hiro activated his interpersonal missions.


    As expected, a mission indicator appeared above the young man.


    Eh? Hiro was stunned. That mission briefing sounds a little off¡­


    It difficultly was set to normal, as for the mission briefing¡­ It was to help the imposter confess his true feelings to the Third Mistress and be accepted by her?


    Which third mistress? Hiro moved his line of sight behind the young man where a little maid was following on tiptoes, keeping the young man''s coattail above the smudged ground.


    ¡­


    [Target: Paimon.


    Mission difficulty: Hard.


    Mission Briefing: When she was born, it just happened that the head of the family was out on an expedition. With a ruthless heart, her mother executed the midwife, the servants in the bedroom chambers, and all servants who entered the courtyard on that day.


    Ever since then, she was disguised as the maid to a swapped baby, waiting in the shadows with her mother for an opportunity to usurp authority.


    Help Third Mistress Paimon create an opportunity for her mother to act.]


    ¡­


    Hiro felt like killing someone. Everyone''s mind was set on usurping authority; from the lowly servants to the lofty lords.


    While he was cursing in his heart, Hiro heard a pleasant chime as the system notification popped up.


    [Notice: In view of your circumstances, the system has created an alternate method of earning achievement points through the medium of faith energy. When your devoted believers pray to the Unfathomable Throne sincerely, each prayer will constitute 1 achievement point.


    Please keep in mind that corrosion, mind control, and solicitation attempts won''t contribute to your achievement points.]


    ¡­


    Hiro didn''t have the time to enjoy this new feature because the young man was already standing in front of him.


    "I want to buy information," said the young man who was disguised as the Third Young Master.


    Of course, Hiro wouldn''t expose him, but he still couldn''t help but sneak a glance at the little maid behind him.


    Their eyes met for the briefest of moments before she lowered her head, seemingly out of shyness. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hiro didn''t believe it but he didn''t care either, responding to the young man by inviting him over into the back office.


    The waitresses were already used to demons buying and selling information from their boss so they didn''t act up, but they were still shocked inside because of this new patron''s identity.


    The lowly servant from earlier didn''t follow them to the Passione Tavern as a countermeasure, but the demons in the bar still didn''t dare breathe too loose.


    The young man and his maid entered the small office while the guards were left outside to guard the area.


    Hiro didn''t put on any airs and sat on his desk, leaning back while crossing his arms with a faint smile. "You should know my price."


    The young man waved his hand, and the maid stepped out with a small box in her hand.


    She opened it, revealing five shimmering gold coins, the equivalent of 5,000 silver coins.


    Hiro didn''t need to check for their authenticity because the treasure-scanning system had already identified them.


    It was worth mentioning that the silver and gold coins used by Asmir were products of some magical treasure, and they had the minute effect of tranquilizing the spirit.


    Demons were irritable creatures by nature, and it would have been much more difficult to standardize a generic form of law and order without playing these little tricks.


    It was such a pity that no matter how many coins Hiro scanned with his treasure-scanning feature, all of them would fall under the same name and category in the system''s database.


    "How straightforward," Hiro praised and took the small box. Internationally or otherwise, the maid''s fingertips brushed against Hiro''s hand, but he didn''t mind.


    The maid''s brows furrowed for a split second before she smoothed them over with a relaxed, borderline shy expression as she retreated.


    Hiro moved to the other side of the desk, picked up a quill and paper, then started writing.


    One of the recent expeditions was a premeditated trap to send a specific item into the stronghold.


    This item is a ticking time bomb that will draw the gazes from the interested parties, potentially kicking up a war between the Demonic Strongholds with Lord Asmir as the eye of the storm.


    It was the 4th general who accidentally discovered the plot, allowing unforeseen circumstances to expose the hint of a plot that almost caused Lord Asmir great losses.


    Unfortunately, the danger lurks in the waters even at this moment, and it is unknown how many great figures are conspiring in the dark to strike once again, and this time, with greater force.


    ¡­


    Hiro rolled up the paper after blowing the ink dry, then tossed it over to the maid who was walking past the young man.


    The maid acted quickly and moved her hands swiftly, catching the paper.


    "Ah," Hiro slapped his forehead. "My hand slipped a little, but it''s not a problem. Just make sure to burn the paper after reading its contents, this paper can''t leave this room."


    The young man froze for a moment, but he quickly reacted and said, "Read it for me."


    The maid bowed and said, "As you wish, Third Young Master."


    Hiro raised an eyebrow, but he didn''t say anything.


    It seems like these two didn''t know about Asmir''s laws and her grasp over cause and effect.


    Once they spoke of that matter, they would immediately arouse Asmir''s suspicions.


    Sigh, seems like their position in the family is pitifully low. No wonder the mission difficulty is determined to be hard.


    The mission difficulty is based on Hiro''s real-life attributes, not taking the {Synchronization} ability into account.


    Hiro couldn''t bear to see them committing to such a stupid mistake since they would surely implicate him.


    As long as the words weren''t spoken, with the help from the system, he could still conceal such little tricks from Asmir.


    The moment she realized that something was off and began to act, those astute grandpas and grandmas would also notice.


    "I say, your position in the family is really pitiful, Third Young Mistress," Hiro sighed and kneaded his forehead. "The moment you speak those words, Lord Asmir will immediately notice you."


    The young man froze, his hand subconsciously moving towards his weapon.


    "Are you blind?!" He shouted defensively, wanting to defend his case, but the maid behind him stopped him.


    "Enough!"


    After reading the contents of the paper, she also knew that mouthing those words might get her head off her shoulders.


    She didn''t know why, but her instincts wouldn''t lie to her. Furthermore, this young Shopkeeper sold such dangerous information for a mere five gold coins.


    She understood that his aim wasn''t the transaction, but her identity.


    She no longer wasted time acting shy as she stepped out, her gaze cold and piercing as she asked, "What do you want?"

 Chapter 82: Fallout

    The young man stepped up to shield for the demoness as he spoke up, "Who are you and what are you doing here?!"


    He wanted to take the paper from Paimon because for one, he was curious to know what was written on there.


    Two, he felt jealous, as though his lover was sharing a secret with another man.


    However, he couldn''t grab the paper before it was turned to dust by Paimon, not allowing him to read the contents.


    It wasn''t that she didn''t trust him, but such a matter was too grave a secret and couldn''t be spoken of lightly.


    The young man''s expression changed, but he wasn''t stupid nor was he irrational, so he quickly calmed down and assumed his true identity as Paimon''s substitute and servant.


    He bowed his head and retreated to the corner, keeping his expression hidden with a lowered head.


    "I''ll ask again," Paimon moved closer to Hiro and spoke forcefully. "What do you want?"


    Hiro appreciated the demoness standing in front of him, not understanding why her family had a prejudice against female demons.


    "Isn''t it obvious? I''m someone who sells and buys information for a living, but this isn''t something little me can do by myself."


    Hiro spread his hands and shrugged, his tone indicating that he needed her help as much as she needed his help.


    "Can''t I just get you killed and raze this place to the ground?" Paimon asked.


    Hiro feigned shock as he responded, "How pitiful, you don''t even know that this building is Lord Asmir''s private property¡­ Sigh, your position in your family is really low, Third Mistress."


    Of course, no one would bother investigating the background of this a place yet, so it was only natural that demons from great families had yet to come knocking on his door.


    Even if they found out, they''d most likely send their heirs to investigate the situation as some sort of a test.


    In any case, Hiro did this to get under Paimon''s skin. Sadly, it didn''t work.


    "Don''t make me look down on your intelligence, playing such little tricks on me will get you nowhere," Paimon didn''t exhibit any weakness whatsoever.


    "Be it this building or the entire stronghold as a whole, what here doesn''t belong to Lord Asmir? Or are you trying to say that my lord is emotionally invested in this little business?"


    Hiro blinked his eyes, feeling speechless for a moment. He couldn''t say yes because at the end of the day, this building was ''gifted'' to him as a reward, and Asmir wouldn''t care about it.


    She only cared for the results and not the process.


    Even if this entire building were to be flattened to the ground, Asmir''s bottom line would be Hiro''s life, and not a cheap tavern.


    "Fine," Hiro clapped reluctantly, seemingly applauding Paimon''s intelligence. "I like talking to smart people the most. I won''t beat around the bush, I truly need an insider in each of the great families under Lord Asmir as soon as possible."


    Hiro thought about following them into the territory of their families and inspecting the place through his interpersonal missions, but that wouldn''t be too good. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    An interpersonal mission is triggered based on the target''s urgent needs, and the desires of demons are endless.


    Even if he read through hundreds of mission descriptions, they''d be useless if he didn''t meet the right person.


    As for meeting with those figures of lofty status in the family, that''d be no different from courting death.


    Hiro didn''t know if they saw him tossing away the minor realm fragment that day, and he wasn''t sure if one or many of them had their own means to preserve their memories of that day. Discover hidden stories at m,v l''e-NovelFire.net


    They might give Asmir face and keep what they knew to themselves, but they wouldn''t give Hiro face if he were to appear in front of them.


    With that in mind, Hiro crossed out the option of visiting the greater demon families in person.


    The next best option was to gain the support of an insider, preferably someone dissatisfied with their current lot in life.


    Paimon waved her hand and said, "You can wait outside first."


    The young man was stunned. "But my lady¡­"


    "He won''t feel at ease discussing things with me if you don''t leave, am I right?" Paimon first spoke to the young man before asking Hiro.


    Hiro didn''t really mind because he wouldn''t be the one worrying about keeping a secret.


    However, he decided to give this young demoness some face and played along with her.


    He crossed his arms, a playful smile on his lips as he closed his eyes, seemingly at peace with waiting.


    "See?" Paimon clenched her little fists, as though she was suppressing her indignation.


    The young man took three steps forward, making sure that Paimon couldn''t see his expression as he confronted Hiro.


    He spoke through gritted teeth. "I''m trustworthy enough!"


    Hiro ignored him, humming a soft tone while swaying his head lightly.


    Demonic energy crackled around the young man''s fingers, black lines streaking across his skin, as though he was about to make his move.


    Hiro remained motionless, not making a move. In fact, the humming grew a notch louder, as though taunting the young man to act.


    When nothing happened after like ten seconds of waiting, Hiro slowly lazily opened his eyes.


    "Stop flaunting this little bit of demonic energy, are you still a man?" Hiro yawned, covering his mouth with his backhand.


    A vein snapped on the young man''s forehead, the anger boiling, hot enough to cause imperfections in his transformation ability.


    His muscles kept inflating and deflating in alternating cycles, almost ripping his embroidered clothing to shreds.


    When Paimon didn''t say anything, the young man let out a low bellow and condensed his demonic energy into a purplish-black sphere of energy, lunging it toward Hiro''s face.


    Hiro didn''t do anything, but the sphere of energy reflected in his eyes grew smaller and smaller the closer it got.


    By the time it reached his palm, it was the size of a small pearl, silently dissipating into Hiro''s skin.


    Concentrated energy attacks were the least of Hiro''s worries. It might have been a challenge if the demon used demonic arts instead.


    "Smart people really love to test others a little too much," Hiro waved his hand impatiently.


    "Test me? Are you worthy?" Hiro''s tone grew a little cold as he turned his back, moved around the desk, and sat down while waving his hand. "You guys can leave, our transaction is over."


    How many wise and smart people did Hiro encounter while clearing Legend of Babylon and Return of the Demon Ancestor?


    What sorts of plots had he not seen?


    Paimon must have been aware of this guy''s feelings for her since a long time ago, so it was very easy to play on his feelings to make him do her bidding.


    At first, Hiro thought that she was using the pretense of secrecy to create an environment where they could discuss one one-on-one.


    However, it turned out that she was waiting for her right-hand man to make a move and test Hiro''s strength.


    She only needed to sense the fluctuations of Hiro''s demonic energy to roughly guess his level of strength.


    Both Hiro''s sorcerer and demon stats were at the peak of Tier-7 standards at the moment, but he was certain that this level of strength was useless in front of a demon heiress like Paimon.


    He was ready to stealthily synchronize with one of his characters, but he hadn''t expected the demon to use an energy attack, which was pretty much useless against his innate gluttony physique.


    Paimon frowned, mainly because she didn''t understand how Hiro dispelled that attack.


    Was it the effect of some magical treasure or a demonic art? I couldn''t see through it.


    When she touched Hiro earlier, she couldn''t see through his level of strength either.


    However, Paimon didn''t like ambiguities and uncertainties, so she decided to make another attempt, which ultimately failed.


    She sighed, shook her head, and assumed her position as a maid once again.


    This was the signal to leave.


    The young man understood.


    Snorting coldly, he turned his back and left the office, Paimon following behind him.


    When the two of them left, Hiro kneaded his forehead and sank into thoughts.


    This continued on until midnight, the start of a new day.


    [Notice: You''ve earned 5,300 achievement points!]


    Hiro started, looking at the notification that broke his train of thought. Soon, he understood.


    These were the achievement points generated from faith energy. Not the passive faith energy from Seeker''s Legend players and the inhabitants in the pocket dimension, but active contributions from devoted believers.


    Only the first generation of enlightened magical beasts met Hiro in person and had a solid impression of his existence, which could explain the low ratio of points.


    If Hiro desired more points, he needed to become an active part in the lives of those magical beasts.


    "Should I start constructing cathedrals all over the place then? Forget it, let things develop naturally."


    Hiro didn''t wish to turn to brainwashing creatures into sanctimonious fools just to earn that bit of achievement points.


    If that happened, he would really look down on himself. What he needed to consider now were contingency plans for his fallout with Paimon.

 Chapter 83: Glitch Areas

    The bar closed two hours after midnight, allowing the guests who rented rooms on the second and third floors to sleep.


    After the closure, Hiro dressed himself up in a long black coat and left the Passione Tavern.


    Although he couldn''t perform mass enlightenment yet, as such a huge change would surely garner Asmir''s attention¡ªHiro could easily walk through the districts of the stronghold to enlighten creatures one at a time.


    Even if most demons had their intelligence unlocked naturally, he could upgrade their intelligence to the 2nd or 3rd level of enlightenment.


    As long as they didn''t have the intelligence quotient of toddlers, things were simple.


    As Hiro stepped out from the tavern''s back door and into the dimly lit alley under the twilight sky.


    Toward the east, rays of sunlight penetrated the night sky, accompanied by the chirping of birds and little animals.


    On a whim, Hiro opened a small portal with the help of the system''s concealment and brought Medusa out.


    The silver snake slithered along the ground and climbed up Hiro''s legs, and waist, and settled on his shoulder.


    "Don''t tell me you haven''t learned how to transform yet?" Hiro asked curiously.


    Medusa evolved into a magical beast together with the evolution of the pocket dimension, and she naturally learned how to transform into human form.


    "I don''t like to transform. I can''t coil around Master''s neck like this if I''m in my human form," Medusa answered matter-of-factly as her slender and warm body coiled around Hiro''s neck.


    Before the portal closed, a tri-pupils squirrel squeezed its way out, rolling on the ground.


    The squirrel had golden fur, and each of its pupils had a different color, twinkling like a bright kaleidoscope.


    Hiro was stunned, but he quickly remembered where he last saw this squirrel.


    The squirrel quickly dashed over and climbed to Hiro''s other shoulder, using the fluffy tail to fawn on Hiro by brushing his face.


    "Master, I''ve finally got to meet you again!" The squirrel''s voice was immature, but Hiro could recognize it as the voice of a little boy.


    Of course, the snake and squirrel didn''t speak normally but rather telepathically.


    "Why did you follow me out here? Master didn''t summon you," Medusa was displeased.


    How long had it been since she last saw Hiro? But the moment was ruined by this little guy jumping into the portal after her.


    Hiro also didn''t expect another beast to jump into the portal after Medusa, but he then realized that portals wouldn''t distinguish between different creatures or objects.


    As long as someone managed to enter the portal before it closed, they could easily get to the other side.


    Next time, he should try to find out whether it is safe to open the portal before going ahead and doing it.


    Since the pocket dimension was his territory, Hiro could use the faith energy to mentally view the pocket dimension in his mediation.


    Although the process was taxing and would consume faith energy, prevention is always better than treatment.


    "It''s okay, I don''t mind," Hiro placated Meduda with a pat on the head. Honestly, he was also feeling a little lonely and out of touch in this place.


    He didn''t have friends here, and although it sounded childish and stupid for him to keep himself locked up here when he could do greater things back in the human world, Hiro still pushed through with it.


    He was worried that Berlin might sell him out on one hand, and keen on establishing a foothold for Arabella here on the other hand.


    Medusa reluctantly accepted this new situation, but she nonetheless hissed in displeasure at the squirrel.


    "Do you have a name?" Hiro asked the squeeze and switched topics.


    "He doesn''t," Medusa was quick to reply while rolling her head. "Ever since he learned that you gave me my name, he''s been pestering me and waiting for you to show up to give him a name as well."


    As it turned out, the magical beasts from the four directions would occasionally travel to meet with Meuda, also known as the ''Divine Serpent'' in the pocket dimension, to pay their respects.


    This guy was fearless and innocent, so Medusa wouldn''t mind spoiling him every now and then.


    As things progressed, they eventually got along pretty well and talked about their respective encounters with Hiro.


    That''s when the little squirrel decided that it must also be named by Hiro and not his parents.


    Hiro didn''t give it much thought and named the little guy Hans.


    Hans was very happy to finally get a name for himself, but he suddenly went silent and started to look around frantically.


    "Master, something is wrong!"


    Hiro stopped, a little confused. But then, he quickly realized that something was wrong indeed.


    "I''ve been walking for such a long time but I haven''t gotten to the end of this alley," Hiro stroked his chin in realization.


    "But it doesn''t feel like an illusion or a maze formation to me."


    Hiro turned his gaze to Hans and asked, "What do you think, little guy?"


    Hans was at a loss, scratching his head with his tiny hands. "I don''t know, but I feel like we stopped moving a long time ago."


    Hiro decided to pay more attention to his surroundings as he started to walk forward again.


    This time, it was obvious that something was wrong since Hiro kept walking in place.


    "Huh? Interesting," Hiro stopped and squatted down, touching the ground.


    Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.


    However, the more it was like this the more intriguing things are. Since Hiro couldn''t sense the energy even with his innate physique, it could only mean one thing. Enjoy exclusive chapters from m-v l''e|-NovelFire.net


    This was power on the level of laws.


    "Is this some sort of backlash or error in Asmir''s foundation? That is to say, the trap they set was almost successful?" Hiro was deep in thought.


    If the cycle of cause and effect was disturbed, it makes sense for such adverse effects to appear now after Asmir''s large-scale operation the other day.


    Although there was a delay of an entire month, and the discrepancy is on such a minor scale that it could only affect the normal demons, this was still a sign of decline in the foundation.


    Hiro confirmed his assumption by allowing his demonic energy to circulate, exhibiting his current power level.


    As expected, he easily walked out from the ''glitch'' zone unhindered.


    Hiro then used the system to seal his power once again and walked around the ''glitch'' zone, confirming the area''s sphere of influence.


    "How troublesome," Hiro scratched his head and muttered. As long as the demons had a sliver of active demonic energy inside their bodies, they wouldn''t be obstructed by these glitch areas.


    However, being unobstructed by them doesn''t deny their existence.


    Hiro was now torn between informing Asmir of his discoveries or keeping them under wraps¡ªall in preparation to reap some benefits in the ensuing chaos.


    "Forget it, since I''m already an employed intelligence official, I should do my job well and earn some favorable points with Her Highness."


    Hiro chuckled to himself and continued on his way. However, he changed his direction towards the Demon Tower, and he maintained his power level in check.


    This way, he could easily find more glitch areas on the way. With the map of the entire stronghold in his mind, Hiro could keep track of the positions for each glitch area.


    He wondered if the glitch areas were spontaneous, permanent, or under some unexpected influence.


    If someone was influencing them from the dark, it could only mean that Asmir was too careless.


    Controlling cause and effect doesn''t make her the sole hegemon who wields this authority, she is just the top-level administrator.


    However, the stronghold was really too large to explore on foot.


    Looking into the distance where the Demon Tower breached the clouds in the sky, Hiro felt tired just thinking about walking all the way there.


    He decided to leave the matter of finding these glitch areas to Asmir. Hard labor wasn''t his responsibility, he only needed to report his discoveries.


    Using a movement technique from the demonic arts, Hiro arrived at the Demon Tower by high noon.


    The guards almost stopped him from entering, but Hiro had one of the black raven''s tokens with him, so he easily entered the tower.


    Once inside, a servant approached him to lead the way toward the upper floors of the tower.


    The servant eyed Hiro curiously because rumors spread that the lord''s new habit of speech was influenced by this little guy.


    Hiro also inspected the servant, his thoughts wandering towards those creatures of myth called Naga.


    The servant was huge.


    The lower half was that of a snake, while the upper half was that of a humanoid demon.


    Hiro then noticed the servant''s eyes move to Medusa and Hans on his shoulders.


    "These are?" The servant was very curious. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hiro smiled and didn''t reply. So far, he didn''t know which of these servants and so-called followers of Asmir were traitors.


    When Hiro tried to use the interpersonal missions scan, he discovered that the information displayed was useless.

 Chapter 84: Reporting In

    Anything related to his mission in the Demon Tower was censored off. Since that was the case, it was better not to get too friendly with others at random.


    Soon, Hiro once again entered Asmir''s throne room. Then, the servant who accompanied Hiro left, leaving him all alone.


    A while later, holy light censored the tall staircase, and Asmir''s voice drifted over from above. "This seat is busy, speak quickly."


    Hiro''s lips twitched, feeling a little awkward being confronted with a style of speech of his own introduction.


    However, he wasn''t going to harp on this matter now.


    Hiro cleared his throat. "Your foundation in the laws of cause and effect is being undermined, did you notice anything?"


    The throne room descended into silence for a while. Then, Hiro felt the space shift, recognizing it as Asmir''s method to isolate them. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Her voice then drifted over as she asked, "What did you find out?"


    Even as she asked, she was already sweeping the entire stronghold with her senses, trying to find the discrepancies mentioned by Hiro.


    "Can I get a map of the stronghold?" Hiro asked, and a map appeared on the conference table the next instant.


    Hiro walked to the map while explaining his discoveries, "It was just a coincidence because I''m in the habit of keeping my powers sealed, making me no different from an ordinary demon without any activities of demonic energy in my body.


    "The defective areas are very small, barely noticeable under normal circumstances espoused when the patrolling teams are above the standard of ordinary demons.


    "Take this spot for example, there''s a flaw in the operation of the cause and effect laws which would result in an endless loop, unless the volume of energy reaches above a certain threefold."


    Hiro pointed towards the location of the first glitch zone and elaborated on his findings, assumptions, and worst-case scenarios.


    Asmir didn''t say anything, but Hiro was certain that she was carefully investigating the aforementioned glitch area.


    A while later, the space returned to normal and Asmir''s voice sounded, "This seat appreciates your efforts. I''ll send orders to include ordinary demons into the patrol teams, and they will report any discrepancies to you."


    "Eh?" Hiro was a little troubled. However, an order was an order, so he could only compromise and negotiate.


    "I don''t want anyone to contact me directly, as it would impede my progress in my other mission to identify traitors. How about this? Give each team a map, have them mark out the conspicuous positions, and I''ll review the maps at a later date."


    "You''re worried that you''ll get caught in the crossfire? Don''t worry, this seat can guarantee your safety."


    Hiro''s mind spun and he said, "Why don''t you put this responsibility in the hands of someone else? After they''re done with it, they can report to me directly."


    "Alright, then. I can allow you this one request for your efforts. Do you have someone in mind?"


    "Yes, actually I do¡­"


    The image of a certain maid appeared in Hiro''s mind as he smiled. Even if she didn''t wish to help him voluntarily, he would drag her into the murky waters.


    Asmir didn''t mind. At least on the surface, everyone in the stronghold was her subjects and she could order them as she pleased.


    However, the glitch areas were a true danger.


    If her enemies positioned themselves inside those glitch areas during a crucial moment, they could easily evade her attacks and calculations that are being powered by the laws of causality.


    Luckily, she discovered this problem early.


    Hiro soon left the throne room. Asmir didn''t ask about Medusa and Hans, she didn''t even mention their existence the entire time.


    It seemed like she was turning a blind eye to Hiro''s actions as long as they weren''t affecting her directly or indirectly.


    The moment he descended from the highest floor of the Demon Tower, Hiro pulled out his character screen and began to upgrade his {Espionage I} skill.


    He spent 2,800 achievement points to upgrade the skill from {Espionage I} to {Espionage IV}.


    Hiro stood rooted to the spot for a while, digesting the techniques and information that suddenly appeared in his mind.


    These techniques included attentiveness to details, sixth sense enhancement, lie detection, disguise, tracking, etc.


    Since Hiro didn''t have any suspects in mind at the moment, he decided to leave the Demon Tower directly.


    Whoever acted weird and tried to keep an eye on him from the shadows ought to be a suspect. While walking down the various hallways and spiral stairs, Hiro remembered the faces of many servants and followers.


    The list wasn''t long nor short, but he found at least two or three suspects every five floors or so.


    Some of them could be innocent, and they''re probably nothing more than curious about Hiro. However, others among them could be potential spies.


    At the very least, he should expect to be followed by a group of demons on his way back to the Passione Tavern.


    Using movement techniques from demonic arts, another half a day elapsed when Hiro finally made it back to the tavern.


    However, something seemed off about it.


    A stench of blood hung in the air, and it was eerily silent inside.


    "Master, be careful," Medusa hissed, coiling even tighter on Hiro''s neck. Hans was also exhibiting signs of hostility.


    A crowd of demons gathered around the tavern but no one dared to enter.


    Hiro''s brows furrowed deeply, and after taking a deep breath, he pushed through the crowd and entered the bar floor.


    Shards of wood and glass cracked and shattered beneath his boots the moment Hiro stepped inside, but what caught his eye was something else.


    Three young demons dressed fashionably sat in one corner, chatting and laughing while watching the five waitresses.


    The five of them were tied up by the wrists and hung up, streaks of whip lashes all over their bodies.


    Warm, purple blood dripped on the ground as their unconscious bodies swayed unsteadily.


    "Oh, welcome back!" One of the young demons laughed and clapped his hands.


    He asked with a smile, "I heard you sell and buy information, right? Ah, don''t bother with the shabby reception, your little maids were very rude and needed to be taught a lesson."


    Hiro kneaded his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.


    Hiring people to work might prove a little difficult after today''s episode, but the fame of this place could also shoot up depending on how he handled things.


    Hiro silently synchronized with the Daoist character to make use of its powerful physical stats, as he didn''t plan on using any energy whatsoever. Experience new stories on m v|l e''-NovelFire.net


    Even without spells and arts, the physical might of a body cultivator at the peak of Tier-5 was more than enough to handle this group of arrogant heirs.


    After making sure that no sneak attacks would strike him, Hiro began to process the events of the day.


    "Ah," Hiro clapped his hands, putting on the act of someone who just got enlightened to a great fact. "I must have been followed on my way to the Demon Tower, right?"


    Hiro accounted for demons following him from the tower back to the tavern but forgot to account for the other way around.


    The moment these young heirs confirmed his connection to the Demon Tower, they decided to act.


    Those in the know were already aware that the wind in the stronghold was about to change, and it was about time for everyone to pick sides.


    It wasn''t difficult to figure out Asmir''s intentions behind allowing one of her subordinates to start buying and selling information.


    However, those families must be worried about what type of information would Asmir allow this little tavern to sell.


    Over the years, she must be aware of many secrets that couldn''t see the light of day, or at the very least, this information shouldn''t land in the hands of the enemy.


    Hiro confirmed this assumption from the mission briefing hovering above each of the three young masters.


    There were hints that they were tasked with making sure no secrets of their families were to be sold through a third party.


    However, each of the three had a different end goal for their mission, indicating the difference in their ambitions and goals.


    The young master on Hiro''s left nodded with a hint of disappointment in his tone, "Smart, but not too smart. Is this the standard of someone taking on such an important position?"


    Hiro shrugged and asked, "I''m curious, how come you''re acting so lawlessly?"


    This time, it was the man on Hiro''s right side who spoke up, "The law regiment won''t bother with something so trivial, we can pay the compensation money after we''re done here and walk off scott-free."


    The three of them laughed, treating it as spending lavishly for once.


    "But I have to say," the same demon shook his head in ridicule. "You''re really heartless, you didn''t even spare your waitresses a second glance."


    Hiro cracked his neck and knuckles, warming up a little as he said, "If they can''t endure this bit of hardship, they wouldn''t have been hired to begin with, right?"

 Chapter 85: The Wilhelm Family

    As expected, the five female demons shook slightly, spitting some blood and smiling bitterly.


    The female demon who would usually take Hiro''s place behind the bar counter was the first to snap back to her senses, speaking in a hoarse yet stable voice.


    "We know how these young masters think, Sire Shopkeeper¡­ So, we decided that we might as well indulge them a little¡­"


    "What?!"


    The young masters were both shocked and angry, feeling humiliated for some reason.


    It''s like when you beat your baby brother and feel happy about bullying him, only to find out later on that your baby brother allowed you to win for fear of accidentally killing you.


    Your next chapter is on m v|l-e''-NovelFire.net


    Their expressions turned unsightly, and without their urging, a few of the bodyguards walking around the bar came over.


    Since their masters were unhappy, they had to help them vent. However, they were a little too weak, too slow.


    Hiro stepped out¡ªhis footsteps were light yet powerful, with masterful control over his exerted strength, appearing like a phantom behind the three young masters.


    Instinctively, their demonic energy exploded out.


    Boom!


    The weakest of them was the the peak of Tier-7 standards, and the strongest was around the upper levels of Tier-6 standards.


    The moment Hiro noticed this, his hands moved swiftly to knock the weakest of the three unconscious before his palms clamped down on the shoulders of the strongest.


    Pinned to the chair, the young master felt an agonizing pain as his bones issued creaking noises. It was incredibly painful.


    A pair of black wings almost unfurled from his back, but Hiro''s fingers shattered his shoulder blades and dug into his flesh, the stabbing sensation paralyzing his wings.


    A silent scream and streams of drool left his gaping mouth, rows of razor-sharp teeth exposed to the air.


    "Let go of Young Master Zach!" A demon with the stature of a wolf stepped out from a dark corner, its eyes blazing red with a flickering flame dancing within.


    There was a mark of a crescent moon on the wolf''s forehead, and it was pulsating with a purplish-black glow.


    A bodyguard who had just gotten over his shock screamed in fear and anger, "Unhand him this instant! If not, no one in this stronghold can vouch for your life!"


    Growl!


    The demonic wolf waved his claw, and following a purple flash, that same bodyguard was dismembered into pieces.


    Before his flesh and blood hit the ground, it ignited into black flames, dissipating completely.


    "Useless fool," the demonic wolf growled in irritation, but he quickly surpassed his emotions and looked over once again.


    He didn''t say anything, but his eyes transmitted his thoughts clearly.


    Zach laughed through the pain. "Haha, you''re done this time! You really dare touch an heir to the Wilhelm family! I don''t know if you''re fearless or brainless!"


    Crack!


    "ARGH!" Zach screamed in pain as Hiro squeezed his hands, almost joining Zach''s shoulder blades into one.


    Bones spurred out from his flesh, and deep purple blood splattered out and stained Hiro''s clothes. "Seems like your Wilhelm family doesn''t put Lord Asmir in its eyes anymore, I suppose?"


    The wolf''s eyes narrowed as his killing intent oozed out, but it was confined within the walls of the first floor.


    Zach choked, but he hurried to say, "Are you saying that Lord Asmir will fallout with the Wilhelm family just for you? Are you stupid or something?"


    Zach wouldn''t dare speak what''s in his heart even if someone was to beat him to death.


    Which Great Demon family didn''t wish to progress? Which Great Demon was satisfied with reaching Tier-3 standards and stopping there?


    No one!


    Ambition and greed are inherent traits of demons, no matter how civilized of an act they put up in public.


    The killing intent from the demonic wolf spread out swiftly and faded just as swiftly.


    Hiro acted as though he didn''t sense anything and smiled. "You know in your heart whether I''m valuable or not to Her Majesty Asmir, but I know that you won''t be leaving this place alive if you don''t compensate me handsomely."


    Hiro looked around the broken chairs and stained floors, ruined bar, and wasted beverages.


    He clicked his tongue a few times and moved his gaze to the demonic wolf, waiting for an answer.


    The wolf could see no fear or hesitation in Hiro''s crimson eyes, and he knew that Hiro wasn''t joking.


    "Name your price," the demonic wolf opened his maw and spoke hoarsely.


    Hiro didn''t calculate manually but looked at the storefront panel provided by the system, allowing it to calculate the losses based on the compensation laws in the human world.


    A long list of damaged items appeared on the translucent blue screen, but of course, only Hiro could see it.


    "Taking your actions against my employees as well as your acts of disturbing the peace in my shop, not to mention breaking the rules listed out in black and white, you owe me a debt of 509,700 silver coins¡ªI''ll round it up to 510 gold coins for you because I''m feeling generous."


    The demonic wolf was furious, his gray fur standing erect, a tint of bloody red bleeding into the texture as his fangs and claws extended into the open.


    "Are you looking to die?"


    Hiro''s smiling expression slowly faded. In the demonic wolf''s eyes, Hiro''s figure blurred out for a moment. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Just as he expected an attack from behind, Hrio''s figure appeared in front.


    "Do you think I''ll sneak attack you? Are you even worthy?" Hiro''s face was this close to the wolf''s, their crimson eyes meeting one another.


    The wolf''s heart skipped a beat, and before it could move, Hiro''s hand swatted down as though smashing a fly.


    Bang!


    His fingers spread and clutched the wolf by his massive head, slamming it into the ground with a forceful impact.


    The wolf''s extended fangs penetrated his own lower jaw, purple blood spilling on the floor. He whined in agony, but his voice was cut midway as he felt the demonic energy in his body growing excited.


    Then, a massive suction force acted on the demonic energy and left his body, rendering him paralyzed and scared.


    He wanted to speak, but Hiro''s grip was too forceful, keeping his maw pinned to the ground with the long fangs as an anchor.


    In moments, the demonic energy inside the demonic wolf''s body was sucked dry, leaving behind a miserable carcass that Hiro pulverized to dust with his physical pressure.


    Zach just got his senses together as the overwhelming pain abated a little, only to witness this scene.


    Forget Zach, everyone else¡ªthe waitresses included, were stunned.


    Hiro dusted his hands off and looked back at Zach who no longer dared to move recklessly.


    "Can you pay me the gold coins now or do you think that I won''t dare to kill?" Hiro''s question scared Zach so much that he almost fainted.


    Every creature longs for life and no one is wholly unafraid of death.


    Even those who claim to be fearless, they''d have their moments of being unwilling to resign themselves to an unworthy death.


    Who would willingly choose death if they could live? Moreover, he only needed to pay in gold and silver to save his life.


    Zach suppressed his pain and decided to play the long game instead. He muttered in his heart that Hiro''s reckoning wasn''t far off and put on an ugly smile.


    "I''ll pay! I''ll compensate you¡­" Zach quickly gestured to one of his guards.


    The guard left and returned with a bag of precious stones in hand, giving it to Hiro with both hands.


    "I don''t have gold on me, but these stones are enough to make up for it!" Zach was quick to explain.


    Hiro didn''t need the explanation because the system would automatically calculate the difference and account for the net profit.


    When the system gave him the green light, Hiro woke the other two demons up and ordered Zach to get them up to speed.


    After hearing Zach''s account and getting persuaded the hard way, they also paid the compensation money.


    Feeling generous, Hiro gave a gold coin to each of the waitresses and sent them home.


    Then, he announced that the tavern would be closed for three days. In those three days, Hiro decided to enlist a security measure through the system shop.


    Also, his Daoist character was finally ready to take the final step in both physical and spirit Qi cultivation, reaching the Tier-4 standards and completing the demo.


    There wasn''t much to be gained from going around the various sects in the game anymore¡ªeven the contribution missions were completed and Hiro had risen from an ordinary disciple to the Vice Sect Master position in every sect.


    With those accomplishments, Hiro felt very fulfilled, even though the game was the idle AFK type.


    His only regret was that he couldn''t bed the first Sect Master he met in the game, because he couldn''t join a sect after leaving it.


    It was such a pity. Every gamer had that one dream of staining a goddess with the mortal soil, and Hiro was no exception.


    Three days later, Hiro spent the 1,500 achievement points he earned from the compensation and an additional 1,500 achievement points from his savings to upgrade the Passione Tavern''s facilities.


    To celebrate the upgrades, he took the final step in Transcendent Taoist, completing the demo.

 Chapter 86: Contacting Arabella and Juvia

    [Notice: You''ve completed the game: Transcendent Taoist, Legend of Immortality!


    [Reward 1: Transcendent Taoist, Legend of Immortality! Source code


    Reward 2: 10,000 achievement points ]


    ¡­


    Three days after the conflict, Hiro checked the clearance notification and sighed. He didn''t expect to get so many points all at once, especially since he had been harvesting an average of 5,000 daily points from his pocket dimension.


    Now, his points were just a tiny sliver away from 20,000. Although it seemed like a lot of points, Hiro understood deep down that this wasn''t the case.


    Hiro quickly brought up his demon character information.


    [Name: Hiro Sciatis.


    Race: Demon.


    Bloodline: N/A


    Level: 45.


    XP: 21%


    Spells: Sorcerer''s Guide to the Five Elements, Infinite Sword Matrix.


    AP: 29,108.


    Gems: 9.


    Skills: Immersive Reading, Professional Calligraphy, Analytical Mind, Professional Combat, Professional Soccer, Espionage IV, Telepathy.


    Inventory: Lvl. 1 Mass Enlightenment Scroll, Game Voucher (2).]


    ¡­


    Looking at the mass enlightenment scroll, Hiro recalled something.


    Long ago, he obtained two chapters from an item called the Book of Revelations, and they were the divination chapter and the curse chapter respectively.


    Hiro searched the system space with his consciousness and found the book.


    "Mhm? It''s absorbing faith energy?" Hiro noticed that the once dim and lifeless book was radiating with a holy aura.


    He immediately recognized this aura as the faith energy from his pocket dimension.


    "It has to be faith energy? I can''t use gems or achievement points to use this book?"


    [Notice: The Book of Revelations exists and operates within the laws, and it consumes faith energy or lifespan as a sacrifice to operate.]


    Hiro hesitated.


    Lifespan didn''t need to be mentioned, and he didn''t know the ratio that must be sacrificed.


    As for faith energy, it was the foundation of his territory. In a sense, faith energy could be treated as a special kind of resource, and it wouldn''t be an exaggeration to call it the hard currency of the Gods.


    However, divination was a very useful ability to have, especially when Hiro was out to unravel schemes and plots from his enemies.


    For example, if he paid the sufficient price now, he could easily figure out the identities of the traitors in the Demon Tower.


    Furthermore, he wouldn''t be using the system''s ability to accomplish this feat, but he would be relying on his own capabilities. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    All these thoughts about faith energy and whatnot reminded Hiro that he had yet to check on Arabella and the others through the immaterial domain''s connection.


    After washing up and going downstairs and into his office, Hiro locked the door and sat on the leather, high-back chair.


    He closed his eyes and began to extend his senses. Hiro had to admit that locating the Unfathomable Throne when he wasn''t inside his pocket dimension was harder than expected.


    However difficult it was, Hiro patiently waited while concentrating. A few minutes later, Hiro finally grasped the right feeling, and his consciousness left his body, entering the immaterial domain.


    A high throne stationed above a running river of faith energy, extending like the Milky Way through a vast ocean of stars situated right outside the magnificent hall.


    Into the sea of stars, two constellations stood out conspicuously, outlining the shape of a seductive demoness and a slumbering dragon.


    Hiro focused his sight on the constellation representing Arabella, and as the stars shifted, they formed a hazy screen.


    In the screen, Arabella''s figure took form before her surroundings turned crystal clear.


    The river of faith energy below began to churn and boil, a clear indicator that the energy was being exhausted at an alarming rate.


    Hiro sent out a telepathic thought through the projection of faith energy, his voice sounding in Arabella''s head.


    ¡­


    Sciatis Holdings Limited, Executive Floor.


    Seated with the floor-to-ceiling window as her backdrop, dressed in a high-class purple suit and a pair of silver-rimmed glasses, Arabella was focused on tapping away at one column of information after another.


    Multiple holographic screens shifted, projected from the sci-fi desk that was connected to multiple international servers.


    When Arabella heard Hiro''s voice sounding in her head, her hands shook and she almost missed a key window in the stock exchange, which would have cost the company millions of international currency in investments.


    However, a small emoticon of a cute robot with the words "Ei" displayed on its screen jumped from the corner, keeping up with the operation.


    Meanwhile, Arabella pulled back from the sci-fi dashboard and responded with a telepathic thought, densely packed with a myriad of emotions.


    "Master? You''re finally willing to contact me!"


    "I don''t have much time," Hiro wasn''t willing to burn through his faith energy so extravagantly. "How''s the progress with expansion overseas and the Seeker''s Legend expansion pack?"


    Arabella pushed down her impatience and condensed a load of information into a telepathic thought and sent it to Hiro.


    As a succubus, such mental tricks were her bread and butter, and she didn''t need to expend too much energy for something so simple.


    She didn''t only update Hiro on the company''s affairs, but she also brought up Natali and the nightclub, Myriad Evils, in the compiled list.


    There were also bits and pieces about the daily lives of Bella, Aiya, Rosaline, Marcus, Vanti, and Elvin in her report.


    Worth noting was that a woman called Berlin kept on visiting his mansion on Tsukiyomi Lake''s Third Ring, and Sebastian was finding it difficult to keep her in check. Stay updated through m-v l|-NovelFire.net


    It wouldn''t be long before she came knocking on the company''s doors at this rate.


    As for overseas expansion, things went on smoothly with the covert help from the Wind Blessed company and its internal network of connections.


    Sciatis Holdings Limited started to branch out from a tech and gaming-oriented focus to real estate, angel investment, entertainment, fashion, and security.


    It couldn''t be helped.


    With Arabella''s current business acumen, investing all of that intelligence into one business venture would be torturous.


    Thus, she could only branch out to other avenues if she wanted to keep her workaholic tendencies sanity in check.


    As for the Seeker''s Legend, the new patch that includes the division between the Western Side of the Universe and the Eastern Side of the Universe is about to be introduced.


    After Sciatis Holdings Limited established a foothold in the eastern mainstream gaming market and acquired the necessary server providers, they would launch the closed beta.


    Once the foundation is firm enough, both servers in the Western Continent and the Eastern Continent will launch the open beta for the new update.


    Hiro didn''t care about the little details too much, but this long-term plan would take a year at minimum to be executed.


    After giving Arabella some nice compliments and sufficient praise for her hard work, he disconnected from the telepathic connection and switched targets to Juvia.


    ¡­


    At the moment, Juvia was accompanying a team of leaders on a routine inspection.


    This was standard protocol after a promotion, as the leaders of her new workplace were getting to know her and vice versa.


    "You''re so young, yet you''re already the Deputy Chief of the Commission for Discipline Inspection, how promising!"


    A leader who was a woman in her late forties complimented Juvia, a hint of admiration and bitterness in her eyes.


    Juvia smiled humbly and lowered her head, albeit not too much. "You praise me too much, Cheif Zayne¡­ My position sounds glorified, but I''m just the deputy in a small district, nothing worth mentioning."


    Chief Zayne was the big boss in a city-wide region, while Juvia was the deputy in a district-wide region. Even if the difference between their titles seemed to be no more than one level, only an idiot would buy that.


    Even if Juvia was promoted to the position of a chief, she would only jump from a district-wide office to a small town.


    At best, she would become a Mayor''s secretary, and the road from there to getting a position of power and influence on a city scale was an arduous journey.


    Chief Zayne was very satisfied with Juvia''s performance over the past half a year.


    Despite her beautiful and delicate appearance, she didn''t shy away from getting her hands dirty, tough labor, and sleepless nights on the job.


    Also, she was very clever and all her immediate superiors thus far gave recommendations with flying colors.


    Some of her past superiors had nefarious thoughts of impending her development just to keep her as their right-hand woman.


    Even then, Juvia never doubled-crossed her superiors or skipped a chain of command to get her way.


    The more Chief Zayne looked at Juvia, the more she liked her.


    Hiro watched this interaction on the screen and figured that he didn''t need to intervene in Juvia''s matters.


    Even if he wanted to, he didn''t dabble much in politics to begin with. At most, he could only help her by upgrading her political wisdom, but it was too early for that.


    When Juvia wasn''t in the immediate vicinity of any of the leaders, Hiro sent her some praise and a lighthearted sentence carrying his expectations for her in a telepathic thought.


    He told her that he''s always keeping an eye on her and is looking forward to her progress on her path as a public servant, then cut off the connection.

 Chapter 87: Choosing Sides

    Juvia, who was on her way to the ladies restroom to avoid some bad social interactions, suddenly froze on the spot.


    Then, a beautiful smile arced on her thin, pink lips. However, that hint of a smile quickly disappeared as she turned around and returned to the gathering spot.


    After thinking about it, she decided to expand her circle of connections despite the discomfort of dealing with these leaders, as some of which had peculiar temperaments and disgusting personalities.


    ¡­


    Hiro was very satisfied with Arabella''s and Juvia''s performance during his absence.


    Since there was nothing to worry about in the human world, Hiro''s focus returned to his main body as his consciousness withdrew from the immaterial domain.


    With Medusa and Hans keeping him company, life was no longer monotonous in the Demon Realm.


    As his immediate need for achievement points was resolved, Hiro treated his job as the Shopkeeper of the Passione Tavern as a pastime activity.


    After the whole debacle with the heir of the Wilhelm family, Hiro''s tavern caught the eye of many influential figures.


    With more people of high status sauntering in and out of the bar, not only did the sales of the Bloodstained Glass increase, but Hiro also got his hands on valuable snippets of information.


    With his analytical mind, he only needed to write down the information on paper once and he would remember it.


    With slight effort, organizing the inferred information based on their value was easily accomplished.


    During his free time, Hiro would walk around the stronghold one district at a time, occasionally providing enlightenment to stray demonic creatures in the vicinity of key positions around his tavern and the Demon Tower.


    Of course, Hiro didn''t forget returning to Asmir''s private library to read and train, accumulating demonic energy, condensing and purifying it, all to increase his strength.


    Hiro was enjoying the stability of this new life routine, and two weeks later, he was summoned to the throne room by Asmir once again.


    ¡­


    In the familiar throne room, Hiro stood beneath the staircase of light and immersed himself in the familiar sensation of space being isolated.


    "Tell me you''ve made some progress with your task. This seat is getting impatient, my important plans can''t move forward without picking out the traitors in the dark."


    Just like how Hiro didn''t want to use up faith energy on something as trivial as contacting Arabella and Juvia so frequently, Asmir didn''t wish to use up her faith energy on a few nameless flies.


    Since she had capable subordinates, why not use them?


    Hiro also guessed that this was the reason why Asmir called for him. Hence, he pulled out a parchment scroll from his coat''s inner pocket.


    "I''ve been observing the movement from every suspicious party in the last two weeks during my spontaneous visits in and out of the Demon Tower, and this here is a list of the crucial suspects.


    "The list includes material and logical evidence, as well as a list of accomplices, middlemen, and instigators behind the scenes. Some of them were correct, cheated, or fooled into unwittingly becoming traitors."


    Hiro wasn''t wasting his time and his talent as a level 4 espionage agent the last two weeks.


    Moreover, with his divine sense reaching the Tier-4 standards, it was easy for him to keep track of multiple suspects at once when they had left the Demon Tower.


    Of course, Hiro''s guarantor was none other than the system. The moment he found sufficient evidence on someone, the system would immediately evaluate his work and reward him with the corresponding achievement points.


    Following this process, Hiro eliminated the names of those who didn''t earn him any achievement points, but he kept tracking them to find the most suspicious individuals they''d been in contact with.


    All of those suspects were marked as unwitting victims to greater schemes, and they''re most likely sacrificial pawns used to misguide Asmir''s investigation efforts.


    If they could force Asmir to expend faith energy on such trivial matters, they''d consider it a win on their part.


    As Hiro finished talking, the parchment scroll flew up from his hand and into the light on the staircase.


    Hiro continued, "Among the higher chain of command, I can''t investigate much, but I have a hunch that one of the six generals is a traitor. Of course, this matter will be left to Your Majesty''s discretion."


    Asmir took a look at the parchment and was stunned. The scroll was very thick when folded, which indicated how long the list was.


    With the current strength of her consciousness, she easily scanned the entire list in a brief moment, but she was still shocked and infuriated by the large number of traitors.


    Of course, the Demon Tower had hundreds of thousands of lowly demons, not to mention tens of thousands of noble demons walking in and out of the tower on a daily basis.


    The confidants in the middle and upper sections of the tower are bound to have numerous interactions, countless even, and it was easy for some of them to be tempted.


    It was already a miracle that the list included less than 1,000 traitors, but Asmir didn''t seem to think so.


    Especially when 13 of the traitors were demons with positions in the upper levels of the Demon Tower.


    Asmir''s fluctuating emotions seemed to affect the isolated space, as invisible ripples began to shake the surroundings.


    Hiro frowned. "It''s pointless to be angry about such things. Creatures seek survival first and foremost, and the only method to guarantee survival is one''s own strength.


    "This is a world that runs by the fist of the strongest, but you changed this fundamental law when you tried to force the culture of a different civilization on these demons.


    "The weaklings among them would surely appreciate your kindness when they''re weak and need your protection, but this same kindness will become a hindrance to their ambitions when they''re strong enough.


    "In ordinary times, no one would notice these small issues, but it''s different when someone is deliberately fanning the flames of ambition in the heart of greedy, unrestrained, and unreasonable demons."


    Hiro didn''t wish to interfere, but he suddenly became enlightened by the prospect of building a stronghold in the Demon Realm.


    To do that, he needed both territory and citizens from the Demon Realm.


    In the future, he could get his hands on the core of a pocket dimension, infuse the demonic laws in his possession into it, and then create an isolated region of demons in his personal pocket dimension.


    Experience tales at m v|l e''-NovelFire.net


    That should be sufficient to upgrade his pocket dimension into a Minor Realm.


    Hiro''s plans didn''t stop at that¡ªhe wanted to use one of his game vouchers to get his hands on laws correlating to the Netherworld, transforming the demonic region into something like a hellish prison.


    Hiro was always fascinated with the lore of the harsh abyss which could serve as both a ground for training elites and a hole to punish the wicked.


    Thinking about it, the more games he completed, the faster the expansion of his pocket dimension. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The only issue was that the tutorial missions were already over, hence he couldn''t get his hands on game vouchers anymore.


    He only had two of them left in his inventory.


    In the future, he could only rely on his luck to obtain discount vouchers from the lottery box and grind gems from interpersonal missions.


    Since completing demo games will reward him with law fragments suitable for a dimension''s core, would completing purchased games reward him with minor realm fragments?


    It was something worth pondering. However, the difficulty of clearing Draconia was much greater than Hiro expected.


    Since the lore was antagonistic to mythical races, Hiro couldn''t use his racial abilities on a whim during quests, as that would constitute immediate failure.


    Hiro''s character in the game had the bloodline of a Void Dragon from the Magical Dragons branch.


    Though it was of a similar branch to Juvia, her specialty was time magic while his specialty was space magic.


    Another thing that made the game''s difficulty so high was the seal on Hiro''s bloodline.


    It was a seal that would loosen gradually as Hiro''s strength increased and his ability to conceal himself improved, which had the adverse effect of limiting his talent and potential on the surface during the early stages of the game.


    This way, the powerful organizations and guilds ignored him, scorned him, and at worst times¡ªoutright bullied him.


    It was too difficult to find friendly NPCs, build up a reputation, and find resources to both negate the seal''s suppression and increase his strength.


    Hiro''s thoughts continued to wander aimlessly until he heard a light cough that buzzed in his head.


    He immediately snapped back to the present, realizing that he was spacing out again.


    "You''re saying that the ensuing rebellion is this seat''s fault?" Asmir''s voice drifted over, clearly displeased.


    Hiro didn''t know how to respond, as that was indeed what he meant to say. However, he planned to make friends with Asmir, so he couldn''t be too blunt about it.


    "You thought too much, Your Majesty," Hiro clarified.


    "Creatures strive for survival, the weak strive for strength, and civilizations strive for progress. It''s just that Your Majesty''s vision is too far for these short-sighted demons to realize your wisdom. The moment you decided on this path, it was destined to be a path of difficulty, blood, and slaughter!


    "Your Majesty, those demons might not share your vision, but I do!"

 Chapter 88: Understanding Universal Spells

    "Your Majesty, those demons might not share your vision, but I do!" Hiro''s voice was firm and resounding, resonating with the emotions in Asmir''s heart.


    However, she wasn''t the type of person to let emotions control their actions.


    As Hiro said, she had a far-sighted vision, but that didn''t mean others on her level had short-sighted visions.


    Asmir''s opponents weren''t her disloyal subjects but instead, her opponents were the other lords.


    The Giant was just one of their lackeys, but he was already a Stronghold Lord, even if he was just a foolish muscle head.


    Nonetheless, she was intelligent enough to understand how her actions had affected the lives of those under her.


    "It''s impossible to please everyone," Asmir spoke concisely. "A rebellion was coming sooner or later, regardless of how this seat does things."


    Hiro silently mused that goading someone of this level with flattery was a waste of time, and his expression turned serious.


    "Your Majesty, since my mission to identify the disloyal subjects is finished, why don''t I infiltrate the enemy''s stronghold to gather intelligence and indulge in sabotage warfare?"


    Hiro thought that this would be a great idea, as he could establish a foundation for himself in the enemy territory for the inevitable hostile takeover.


    "You have your own thoughts regarding this matter, right?" Asmir saw through Hiro''s thoughts at a glance. "Maybe it is the will of the person behind you?"


    Hiro coughed, feeling exposed. However, he didn''t lose his calm and said, "This is indeed related to my mission here. Your Majesty, you can also join my organization, I''m sure you can fit right in!"


    At the moment, the Unfathomables didn''t have many members ¡ª at least not many quality members.


    Hiro was waiting for when Juvia and Arabella achieved Tier-5 or Tier-4 standards, which shouldn''t take long thanks to their special circumstances.


    As for Rosaline, that woman was useless unless she grasped full control over the Rosch family. Thinking about it, they shouldn''t be having it easy at the moment.


    This brought his thoughts back to Bella, that bubbly pink-haired brat. Hopefully, Theo wouldn''t endanger her and her mother, Sheba.


    Sigh, so many things must be happening back there, I didn''t even realize that I''m already feeling somewhat attached to these people.


    "Is this an invitation from your backer?" Asmir asked curiously. "If they wish to speak to this seat, they should do so directly."


    I''m talking with you right now, Hiro mused in his heart, but cut the conversation short otherwise.


    System! Hiro suddenly got an idea and asked impatiently. Since the simulation space can be upgraded into a training space, does that mean other features can also be upgraded? For example, the synchronization feature?


    [Notice: Yes, it can be upgraded when the conditions are met.]


    Hiro hurriedly asked in his mind, what are the conditions, and what will happen then?


    [Notice: You''ve already started clearing the conditions, and you''ll find out when you''re done.]


    Hiro clicked his tongue. At the moment, he was doing far too many things concurrently, especially since the activities of his servants were calculated as an extension of his abilities.


    When Hiro''s train of thought reached this point, he was stunned for a moment.


    Hold on, Hiro quickly checked his achievement points balance after so many days of accumulation.


    With the daily injection of faith energy, achievement points were no longer an urgent worry, allowing Hiro to focus on bigger plans.


    107,900¡­ S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Seeing that he had over one hundred thousand achievement points, Hiro''s mind spun as his eyes inadvertently looked toward the staircase of light.


    Thinking for a moment, he activated his interpersonal missions interface.


    As expected, a mission indicator appeared in the seat of light.


    [Target: Nine-Tailed Fox, Asmir


    Mission Difficulty: ???


    Mission Briefing: ???]


    ¡­


    [Notice: You''re not qualified to take missions on the level of this target.]


    ¡­


    Hiro clicked his tongue, but he wasn''t disappointed.


    The system would measure the difficulty of missions without accounting for his cheat codes, so it wouldn''t allow missions that couldn''t be completed with the main body''s efforts.


    While Hiro was lost in thought, the space shook a little and the light disappeared, revealing an empty staircase.


    Then, Asmir''s voice drifted over, resounding from all corners.


    "This is a list of Stronghold Lords who are in hostile relationships with me, and you can choose where you wish to go after you thought it through."


    Ah, Hiro blinked his eyes and smacked his lips in annoyance. I was zoning out again, wasn''t I? This is such a bad habit!


    A parchment scroll fell in front of Hiro, and he grabbed it. Then, he opened the system shop and went for the servants section.


    He keyed in the filters for the Nine-Tailed Fox bloodline in the demon race section.


    I don''t believe she won''t be interested if I could find a suitable heir for her, Hiro thought to himself as he checked the prices.


    Stay updated via m-v l|-NovelFire.net


    Hiro didn''t explore the full options back then because he was short on points, but he quickly found many interesting things.


    He could filter out the bloodline purity and inheritance of specific servants, and the greater the servant''s potential, the higher their price.


    Arabella''s potential was low, but it was increased thanks to the purified demonic energy obtained by Hiro.


    As for Juvia, her potential was enhanced thanks to the influence of the Fantasy Crystal.


    If not for these two incidents, these two women''s ceilings would have been the peak of Tier-5 standards at best.


    Hiro quickly filtered out a juvenile Nine-Tailed Fox with the bloodline potential of a Greater Demon.


    "So damn expensive?" Hiro was stunned.


    This servant would cost 80,000 achievement points, but it would still start as a Tier-9 demon.


    To Hiro, this felt like a rip-off. However, he understood that the system was very fair when it came to prices.


    If he wanted to impart her a level 6 skill, Hiro would need to invest 12,600 points on top of the earlier 80,000.


    The thing is, Hiro couldn''t guarantee that Asmir would take in this summoned servant as her successor even if he brought her up.


    As a cautious ruler, just the mere fact that she wouldn''t be able to see the servant''s past would most likely throw her off.


    Thinking about it, unless Hiro brought up the topic in a straightforward manner, he had zero chance of getting Asmir to trust the summoned servant.


    Forget it, Hiro shook his head. I can''t rely on servants and mindless followers to fill up the ranks of my generals, I''ll try to conquer Asmir completely with my abilities.


    Hiro made up his mind, cast a deep look into the depths of the Demon Tower, and left without a word.


    ¡­


    Once Hiro returned to the secure office room in the tavern, he closed his eyes and entered the system space.


    A familiar yet unfamiliar rush of colors surrounded Hiro''s consciousness before he appeared in the vast hall once again.


    "It''s been such a long time since I appeared here," Hiro stretched his illusory body and looked around.


    Nothing changed.


    If not for Hiro''s sudden urge to have a change of scenery, he might not have entered this space.


    "Since I''m rich, I want to see what spells I can get my hands on," Hiro remembered that the system had universal spells, such as the Infinite Sword Matrix.


    After experiencing the synchronization with so many characters, Hiro understood that power fell into three basic dimensions.


    These dimensions were raw strength-oriented, energy-oriented, and consciousness-oriented applications.


    Put simply, they were an expression of essence, energy, and spirit.


    There was no concrete difference between spirit Qi, spirituality, demonic energy, nature energy, elemental energy, etc.


    Just as there was no concrete difference between psychic energy, consciousness, mental power, soul power, etc.


    As for physical attributes traits, an explanation wasn''t even needed.


    Otherwise, the concept of universal spells wouldn''t exist in the system shop.


    Why? Because at their foundation, all spells, skills, abilities, and magical arts represented an exquisite pattern of expressing energy.


    If Hiro wanted to put it in layman''s terms, a surface area could be measured with square miles or square kilometers¡ªthe different units are varying methods of expressing distance, but the distance remains constant.


    Another factor confirming Hiro''s conclusion was the existence of divine energy.


    Any of the aforementioned energies, once fused with faith energy, evolves into the universal form of divine energy.


    It doesn''t matter if it was a Demon Lord or a Pope from the most holy of churches, both can use divine energy.


    Once Hiro grasped this point, he no longer cared for the exclusive spells and abilities he learned in games and were brought about by the synchronization feature, but he would rather focus on universal spells.


    In principle, any and all spells Hiro learned in his capacity as either a Sorcerer or a Demon can be modified to the extent of achieving universal application.


    However, he was too lazy to make the necessary deductions.


    Since that was the case, he might as well buy universal spells directly from the system shop.


    With that in mind, Hiro opened the spells category and opened the {Universal Spells} menu.


    Looking at the array of spells and their price tags, Hiro sucked in a cold breath of air.

 Chapter 89: The Valdmor Stronghold

    Inside the system space.


    Hiro quickly recovered from the shock. Looking at the prices, Hiro filtered out perception-based spells first, both passive and active abilities.


    The spells were ranked SS, S, A, B, and C. There wasn''t a specific tier to the spells as the power exhibited by each spell was proportional to the user''s tier.


    However, even in the same tier, there exists the powerful and the weak. For example, the Infinite Sword Matrix was an S-ranked universal spell.


    In the perception category of universal spells, Hiro quickly found the equivalent of {Divine Sense} and bought it.


    [Item: Divine Perception.


    Rank: S.


    Compatibility: Universal.


    Price: 40,000 points.]


    ¡­


    With the {Divine Perception} as an example, Hiro browsed the other items in the shop.


    The pricing of items had an increment of 10,000 points per rank, but the base price of each item was different.


    For example, a sword technique could have variations in the C, B, A, and S categories, but an exclusive S-ranked technique would usually cost more points.


    Hiro assumed that some spells and arts in the shop had the potential of evolving in the future, while other items could not be simplified any further.


    Hiro bought a mix of sword techniques ranging from C-rank to A-rank and another technique that taught him how to condense energy into various weapons.


    At the end of the day, Hiro almost spent his entire savings of achievement points on universal spells, martial arts, and exquisite techniques.


    After spending the night in the system space to get himself familiarized with his new techniques and spells, Hiro woke up feeling refreshed.


    ¡­


    Business in the Passione Tavern continued as usual, while Hiro grew bolder and started to enter his training space without worrying about Asmir''s negative reactions.


    As expected, even if she noticed his actions, Asmir didn''t say or do anything.


    A few days quickly went by, during which, Hiro also studied the information on the enemy strongholds provided by Asmir.


    His target was a stronghold under the rule of Lord Valdmor, a mutated Demonic Imp.


    He was most skilled with the practice of illusions, and the most dangerous aspect of his stronghold was the existence of mirror worlds.


    Some of the reflections on any surface inside the stronghold weren''t a cause of natural phenomena but an illusion. These illusions could easily draw someone''s mind, stealing their soul and trapping it within Valdmor''s mirror world.


    In that world, souls would undergo subtle hypnosis, slowly forgetting that they were trapped within an illusion, treating it as though it was reality.


    Then, influenced by the environment, worship from their bones to Lord Valdmor takes root, allowing him to maintain his strong foundation without worries.


    The demons below him can complain and riot all they want, but since his foundation was in the mirror world where countless souls were trapped over the years, it''s pointless even if they were to riot and rebel.


    Experience more content on m v|l e''-NovelFire.net


    Hiro didn''t know what opportunities this Demonic Imp grasped to mutate his bloodline and rise to power, but it didn''t matter much.


    His {Divine Perception} was an S-rank ability and could see through illusions, as long as the entrapment power wasn''t too great.


    While walking toward the Demon Tower to relay his decision to Asmir, Hiro checked out his current stats.


    [Name: Hiro Sciatis.


    Race: Demon.


    Bloodline: N/A


    Level: 48.


    XP: 77%


    Universal Spells: Infinite Sword Matrix, Divine Perception, Guide to Mortal Combat, Martial Instinct¡­


    AP: 14,830.


    Gems: 9.


    Skills: Immersive Reading, Professional Calligraphy, Analytical Mind, Professional Combat, Professional Soccer, Espionage IV, Telepathy.


    Inventory: Lvl. 1 Mass Enlightenment Scroll, Game Voucher (2).]


    ¡­


    As Hiro approached the Demon Tower, a beast carriage moved past him, only to screech to a halt a moment later.


    Then, a maid walked down from the carriage and bowed toward Hiro. "Sire, my Third Young Master wishes to speak with you, please follow me into the carriage."


    Hiro looked up and smiled faintly. It was no other than Paimon, the heiress acting out the role of a maid.


    After thinking for a moment, Hiro shrugged and climbed into the carriage, followed by Paimon.


    The moment the curtains closed, Hiro sensed the activation of a barrier mechanism, and the sound from the outside was immediately isolated.


    "You''ve offended the Wilhelm family," Paimon said, though her tone was quite nonchalant as she continued, "Despite that, Lord Asmir refuses to give you up. I can infer that you hold a special status¡­"


    Paimon didn''t continue talking because she knew that Hiro could understand her point.


    Recently, Lord Asmir handed down a mission that pointed at her substitute, directly naming him for the task.


    How did someone on their level catch Lord Asmir''s eye? Although Paimon was confused, she still carried on with the task.


    However, as time passed, she started to pick up on some clues. Although it was a pain to bring ordinary demons around to stroll around aimlessly, Paimon was very smart.


    When she noticed how the ordinary people were being trapped by an invisible power one after another, and how this was a mission issued directly by Lord Asmir, she guessed the implications.


    The idea alone frightened her so much, that she didn''t dare speak rashly. Connecting her conversations with Hiro the other day, she smelled something fishy going on.


    However, she couldn''t swallow her pride and visit Hiro''s tavern, because that would mean her admitting her mistake and apologizing.


    It could be said that she was on her way to report her recent findings, but she didn''t expect to bump into Hiro.


    She wanted to ask so many questions, but she didn''t know what to say.


    As for Hiro, he took advantage of this moment to accept the interpersonal mission with Paimon as the target.


    "What?" Hiro crossed his legs and smiled, responding calmly. "Can''t you treasure an opportunity when you grasp it? I pulled you from a clown role in the circus, and now you''re just a bystander who will enjoy the show."


    Paimon understood Hiro''s meaning.


    Since Lord Asmir was already aware of the plan to undermine her laws, the fight was over before it started.


    The Great Demon families inside the stronghold and the enemies outside the stronghold can plan and play tricks slowly, thinking everything is going on smoothly.


    However, they''re oblivious to the fact that they''ve already been exposed, it''s just that the person they''re up against wants to watch some more.


    The Nine-Tailed Fox is a capricious, playful creature. When there''s fun to be had, they wouldn''t refuse it.


    Paimon took a deep breath, relaxed her tense nerves, and asked, "When does it start?"


    Hiro shrugged and answered, "Who knows? Let the clowns prance around as much as they want, I won''t be here to witness it anyway."


    Paimon furrowed her brows. Hiro could tell that she was worried about her family, but he shook his head.


    "You''re smarter than this, large families like yours won''t put all the eggs in one basket, who''s to say that you weren''t pushed to the side as a backup plan?" S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Why would Kings and Emperors sire more heirs even after the birth of the Crown Prince?


    It''s such a simple principle.


    As for Paimon, she and her mother were trying hard to climb the books of the family head''s favor all this time, and they were so focused on the prestige, fame, and benefits of a large family to the point where they overlooked the possibility of it all going away in a fortnight.


    From Hiro''s perspective, once the great families suffered heavy losses in the upcoming rebellion, Asmir would only spare the branch families and the middle-tier powerhouses.


    After all, she couldn''t exterminate these demons once and for all, the stronghold needed them.


    Luckily, Paimon wasn''t beyond saving and quickly got her act together.


    Regardless, Paimon couldn''t find it in her to thank Hiro even after realizing that he had actually helped her out.


    She was still suspicious, thinking that he had some ulterior motives behind helping her.


    In a sense, she was right, but she could never guess his true motives. The carriage continued on, and soon, they arrived at the Demon Tower.


    Hiro bade farewell to Paimon and proceeded to follow his usual path to the upper levels.


    While moving through, Hiro noticed that plenty of old faces were removed from posts or transferred elsewhere.


    Hiro raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself that he might have assumed wrongly.


    It seemed like Asmir was planning to take the initiative this time around.


    Whatever, Hiro touched his chin and began to contemplate his next course of action. This move from Asmir would definitely have a ripple effect on her enemies, the Valdmor Stronghold included.


    In that case, he needed to act quickly.


    After rushing to the upper levels of the Demon Tower and informing Asmir of his decision, Hiro quickly left on a flying mount.


    On the highest level of the Demon Tower, a figure surrounded by light stared into the distance.


    "If you can really take down that stronghold on your own, this seat might consider your offer seriously," Asmir said, her tone devoid of emotion.


    "This realm''s lifespan is approaching its end anyway, and as you''ve said, beings on our level can''t keep all eggs in one basket."

 Chapter 90: Hiro’s Flawd Mindset

    Hiro didn''t take the flying demon to the Valdmor Stronghold, but he abandoned it after crossing a certain distance.


    He was unsure if they had any aerial surveillance around the stronghold, so he would rather synchronize with his Arcana Lord character and constantly teleport over.


    Taking his experience with Asmir as an example, Hiro didn''t sneak into the stronghold this time around.


    Instead, he landed in the barren valley that wasn''t too far or too close from the stronghold.


    Then, he bought new cosmetics to change his appearance, even if by a little. As he wasn''t sure about the activities of traitors in the Demon Tower, he made slight yet obvious adjustments.


    He removed the crimson horns and exchanged them for a pair of black wings, fluffy and full.


    His hair color was also changed to black, the same with his eyes. Like this, even if information about his appearance were to spread back, no one would know of his infiltration.


    Another layer of safety was that Hiro didn''t plan to move into the stronghold directly.


    Instead, he decided to spend a few days hunting around the stronghold, hoping to encounter the demons who were on hunting duty outside the stronghold.


    With that in mind, Hiro stopped concealing his aura, allowing it to radiate like a clear sun in the sky.


    His current standards were just a few points shy of reaching the peak of Tier-6, and he decided to take the opportunity presented to him and level up a few times.


    Summoning his great sword, Hiro walked through the vast and dry canyon.


    Hills that piled up from seemingly demolished mountains, a charred landscape, and a visible purplish-black miasma entered Hiro''s vision.


    He wondered how vast the Demon Realm was since it was one level higher than a minor realm, but Hiro then realized that he didn''t even know how vast a minor realm was supposed to be.


    He didn''t know whether the human world could be considered a pocket dimension, a minor realm, or a great realm like this one.


    He only knew that while the Demon Realm could easily accommodate an existence on the level of Tier-3 standards, as long as a Tier-2 being didn''t actively attack, the realm would also permit it.


    Thus, they could easily exist within the same space as their followers, believers, worshippers, or whatever one called them.


    The Pantheon of the Gods from the Holy Church was different. Once they achieve Tier-4 standards, they can no longer exist within the same space anymore.


    The backlash from the world would immediately target them. However, the human world was similar to his pocket dimension in the aspect of growth.


    According to current resources, the planet was ever evolving towards the direction of a minor realm.


    Maybe I should take some time off from my grinding in Draconia to ask around for information. If I found out the criteria for advancement for Tier-4, Tier-3, and Tier-2 from the game, I could better understand the overall picture.


    Information asymmetry was a scary thing, and Hiro understood this point very well.


    A living example would be Asmir''s knowledge of the ''hidden'' trap being laid out inside her territory, but her enemies remained clueless about it.


    Thus, their perspective remains limited to the stronghold, while Asmirm''s perspective has already elevated to encompass three or four other strongholds, their respective lords, and more.


    How will the others compare?


    As Hiro was walking aimlessly through the canyon, the sound of something tearing through the air whooshed past his face.


    "Eh?" Hiro was a little surprised, quickly activating his divine perception ability.


    Hiro''s consciousness was much stronger than those on his level after experiencing so many years in the simulation space.


    As his perception spread out, the load of information his mind proceeded at every moment was incredibly vast. Thus, he easily calculated the trajectory of the object, its speed, acceleration, and starting point of launch.


    With that data in mind, he quickly located a hidden cavity in the ground where shoots of purple bamboo sprouted out, among them were a few snapped ones.


    At first glance, no one would suspect anything, but Hiro trusted his judgment very much.


    Thus, he started walking in that direction while raising his great sword high. The aura around Hiro''s body congealed towards the sword''s massive edge.


    Thin red veins inscribed on the sword pulsated, and the pressure increased greatly.


    Hiro''s grip tightened, and without wasting his time bluffing or probing, he swung the sword down with great force.


    The heavy sword slashed down, bringing down the pressure of a fallen meteor, blasting the miasma in the surroundings away. Stay tuned for updates on m-v l|-NovelFire.net


    As the sword descended, one of the bamboo shoots finally moved. It fell to the ground with a soft ''plop'' while a shadow rushed out from underground.


    Boom!


    Shreds of stone, dust, and plants exploded out from the impact, but Hiro''s eye caught on the pressure of a creature that looked like a mix between a snake and a lizard.


    It had a long, sleek body. It also had three rows of small wings on its back, hard scales, and a pair of intelligent yet viscous eyes.


    Using a slanted rock surface as a springboard, the creature bounced back toward Hiro with greater speed and force.


    The momentum from Hiro''s attack had yet to dissipate, and the demon caught this window of opportunity and aimed to bite off a chunk of Hiro''s flesh.


    However, Hiro wasn''t so inflexible as to wholly rely on a weapon. He didn''t even lift his sword off the ground. Instead, he released his grip, a sphere of demonic energy concentrating in his right palm.


    As he clenched his fist, the sphere morphed into a short sword of concentrated energy.


    The flying snake demon sensed a great threat as its senses screamed DEATH! Six wings unfurled at once, making use of the sudden air resistance to slow down its movements.


    With a whoosh, Hiro''s short sword swung over in a beautiful arc, leaving a thin stream of blood on the snake''s triangular head.


    One moment too late and its skull would have been split in half. The snake''s momentum didn''t stop, but it made clever use of aerodynamics to circumvent Hiro''s body, shooting off into the purplish-black miasma.


    A loud hissing sound filled with anger, humiliation, and unwillingness resounded.


    It was too fast, and Hiro couldn''t catch up just because he wanted to. Hiro was about to synchronize with a character out of impulse when he suddenly stopped himself.


    He can''t rely on external strength to handle each and every situation where his true capabilities prove inefficient.


    Hiro sat down on the shattered ground and leaned his back against the broad blade of his great sword, frowning deeply.


    The system offered him great power, which made him very complacent because he knew that there was a fallback option no matter what he did.


    However, at the roots of everything, the system wasn''t his. The same mysterious existence that gave him the system could take it back just as easily.


    Since that was the case, is it alright for him to feel so relaxed?


    "System, are you permanently bound to me?" Hiro decided to ask directly.


    [Notice: No. Your life experience will be compiled and used as a reference point for the next host.]


    Hiro''s eyes twitched as he continued asking, "Do you mean that the 10,000 lifetimes of experience I witnessed on my first day were compiled from previous hosts?"


    [Notice: Correct.]


    Hiro took in a deep breath because if he remembered correctly, all of those experiences ended with a tragic death.


    [Notice: The system isn''t permanently bound to you, but the items earned through your efforts are yours. For example, the quantum watch.]


    "You mean to say that while the convenient features such as treasure-scanning, interpersonal missions, training space, and the simulation space are an extension of the system''s authority, this doesn''t extend to material possessions?"


    [Notice: Correct. As such, the system heavily advises the host to stop worrying about cost-effective measures. Host, remember your first high-priority mission.]


    Hiro recalled how he went about his first high-priority mission, and the one thing worthy of note was his reckless spending of points to buy potions back then.


    The system rated his actions as risky investments and great returns, rewarding his foresight for foregoing immediate benefits.


    Thinking about it, the system would always push him in the direction of foregoing immediate benefits and focusing on long-term development plans.


    After thinking about it, Hiro realized that his current mindset was very dangerous.


    He even dared to tease and play a Great Demon like Asmir, feeling invincible from his position as the carrier of a cheat like the system.


    The more he thought about it, the colder he felt.


    What was he thinking?


    Hiro felt conflicted.


    Now, he was torn between investing his time in completing Draconia or using that time in the training space to max out his current Sorcerer stats.


    If he focused on condensing his spirituality instead of clearing the game, he could easily reach Tier-4 standards with his true body.


    However, he could use the same amount of time to complete the game and reach Tier-2 standards with his Void Dragon character. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Furthermore, the rewards from completing a purchased game for the first time are ought to be very generous.


    Having the foresight to forego immediate benefits was indeed a virtue, but these benefits were too tempting¡­

 Chapter 91: Watching Live Drama

    Hiro thought about the issue for half a day and eventually, he couldn''t come to a conclusion.


    To get his mind off the recent troubles, Hiro got up from the cracked ground and decided to roam the Decay Canyon, killing monsters and absorbing their demonic energy.


    However, since Hiro couldn''t upgrade his ''bloodline'' as a demon, he decided to increase the quality of the demonic energy he absorbed instead.


    It was easy to apply by using his gluttony physique, sensing the demonic energy, and extracting pure demonic essence from the demonic energy for his training.


    The downside was that his progress in leveling up slowed down considerably.


    However, after thinking back to the choices between short-term and long-term returns, Hiro still decided to seek for long-term improvements when it came to his personal strength.


    At the very least, he still had the system to fall back on at the moment. If and when he no longer had the system, his current foundation would be sufficient to prop him up.


    With that in mind, Hiro went off on a killing spree in the canyon, clearing large batches of demons in the area regardless of their level.


    To Hiro, the only difference between demons is their bloodline''s capacity to purify and contain pure demonic essence.


    Thus, demons of low bloodline, regardless of their tier or level, carried the same volume of demonic essence.


    There wasn''t strong or weak in Hiro''s eyes, at least not in this canyon.


    The killing spree went on for an entire day and night, and when Hiro discovered no traces of demon activities within his range of perception, he finally stopped.


    He didn''t bother bringing up the system panel to check his status because he could feel the changes in his body.


    He could tell that he was a far way from getting to the next tier, so the minor increments in strength were useless.


    At the very least, Hiro was still in the process of recycling his reserves of the demonic energy that he haphazardly refined during his stay in the Demon Realm.


    His current goal was to recycle all of it into demonic essence, and only then would he look forward to more improvements.


    As for infiltrating the Valdmor Stronghold? Enjoy exclusive chapters from m-v l''e|-NovelFire.net


    That can wait until Asmir plays her cards and was engaged in the battle with her enemies.


    None of the close strongholds would be spared if Asmir decided to go out on an expansion expedition.


    Hiro looked around the canyon, and in his mind, he thought back to the incomplete map of this realm.


    He wondered if the strongholds were positioned in strategic locations after their strength and influence had reached a certain level.


    If not, it wouldn''t make sense that no matter how desperate the situation was, the location of some prominent strongholds remained the same despite the passage of time.


    The owners changed, but the strongholds remained the same, like ancient relics that wouldn''t budge no matter the era.


    "Since I have nothing better to do, why don''t I check on the activities of my servants?" Hiro felt tempted.


    He discovered that by interacting with his servants, even if briefly, their faith energy output had increased.


    It felt like playing with the stock market.


    Spending a bit of faith energy, presenting them with a feeling of awe, and then harvesting greater reverence in the form of faith energy.


    Sadly, the telepathy skill only worked on those with a contracted relationship with him, else he could have played the role of a deity to a few other people.


    He wouldn''t dare use faith energy for long-range communication, as he felt like it wasn''t worth it.


    After making up his mind, Hiro found a secluded spot in the canyon, concealed his presence with the system''s help, and thought for a moment.


    I should get myself a concealment ability from the system as well. This is so convenient, it''d be a pity if I lost it for no good reason.


    Pushing that decision to the back of his mind, Hiro closed his eyes and started to feel out for the presence of his immaterial domain.


    With the last time as an experience, Hiro quickly got his consciousness onto the Unfathomable Throne, in the universe hall.


    Then, his attention moved to the constellations in the sky outside the hall, this time focusing on Juvia''s constellation first.


    Soon, the constellation rippled and displayed a scene.


    ¡­


    Dressed in a conservative female suit, Juvia sat behind a wooden desk in a small office. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Her silver hair was in braided style, hanging loose behind her back. She was going through legal papers at the moment, passing on some of her signatures while writing down the word "Rejected" at other times.


    Occasionally, she would take a few moments of her time to write down a detailed analysis of why the proposal was rejected, and she would then add small hints for improvement.


    Suddenly, someone knocked on the door three times at a pace that was neither hurried nor relaxed.


    Juvia waited for exactly 30 seconds before she slowly said, "Come in."


    During that half a minute of time, she arranged the documents on her desk and placed them upside down, preventing whoever it was that came to visit from taking a look, even if it was unintentional.


    Soon, a fat man walked in, his expression a little nervous judging from his twitching cheeks and sweating forehead.


    "Cheif Juvia, I''m sorry to disturb you at such a late hour," the fat man said, but he didn''t dare to take a seat.


    Logically, the man should address her as Deputy Chief, and he shouldn''t be using her first name in the address.


    However, in the political arena, calling a deputy chief as chief would hint at a person''s goodwill, while Juvia didn''t like to use the random last name provided by the fake documents.


    For one, she was a proud dragon and wouldn''t go around with a human surname to declare her identity.


    As for the other reason, Hiro never bothered with her surname, so she assumed he didn''t like it and thus, she didn''t like it either.


    Of course, some of the leaders and higher-ups don''t care about her feelings, while some of her enemies would deliberately say things that could get under her skin just to get a reaction.


    With that in mind, Juvia understood that this man might have visited her for a favor.


    As for saying that he visited her at a late hour, it was because office hours were about to be over.


    However, only naive people with low EQ would take something like office hours seriously in the public service sector.


    To government officials and public servants, things like work hours and the usual 8 hours 6 days a week routine was just a formality on paper.


    Even when they''re home, government officials are still working.


    However, Juvia understood that this man was simply expressing his apology in advance, hinting that he had something serious going on.


    Juvia stood up with a gentle, welcoming smile on her beautiful face and gestured with her hand, "Please take a seat first, catch your breath."


    After she spoke, she walked to the water dispenser in the corner and prepared a paper cup of cold water.


    The fat man was seemingly surprised by the respectful reception, and for a moment, he didn''t know how to act.


    "Relax," Juvia brought the two paper cups back to the desk and sat down first. "It''s hot outside, and I can tell that you''re feeling uncomfortable. Don''t stand on ceremony with me, comrade."


    Only after Juvia sat down did the fat man approach the desk, pull a chair over, and take a seat.


    However, he sat with his bottom on the edge of the chair, grabbed the water cup with both hands, and expressed his thanks before taking a tentative sip of water.


    Seeing how causal and relaxed Juvia was, the fat man finally relaxed his nerves.


    His eyes unintentionally wandered around, and when the corner of his eyes noticed the papers on the desk, he immediately retracted his sight.


    Thankfully, he didn''t see anything.


    "Chief Juvia, you must seek justice for me this time," the fat man''s expression was incredibly anxious, and his eyes were red.


    "What happened?" Juvia asked calmly, maintaining her gentle expression.


    "My business is a small construction company, and we won the bid for the elementary school construction project in your district this season.


    "However, it turned out that the investment company providing funding for us was a shell company to a shady business, and they want us to help them launder money through using cheap construction materials and returning the excessive costs to them¡­


    "They threatened my company with their connections from above, and I''m really trapped this time¡­ Other than my company, I have nothing! I didn''t marry, I don''t have children, and even my parents and old and want nothing more than a peaceful life¡­


    "I can''t agree to their demands, but I can''t turn back after accepting the bid this time, otherwise my company is done for! However, how can I play with the lives of elementary school children?! My conscience can''t take it!


    "Please, I have no one to go to for this, please help me¡­"


    As he spoke, the fat man finally broke down sobbing, his words leaving his mouth in slurred sentences.

 Chapter 92: Bella’s Ritual

    How exciting!


    Hiro was very curious about how things would turn out, how would Juvia handle the corrupted officials and appease the public, and how would his relationship with her superiors turn out to be.


    The further one climbs up the social ladder, they would realize that it isn''t a ladder at all, but a civilized imitation of the food chain pyramid.


    Just as ruthless and bloody, yet it all happened in the dark, behind the public eyes.


    At some point, if you want to climb up, you have to drag someone down. It''s impossible to keep moving up while maintaining a good relationship with your superiors all the time.


    To prevent excessive tension and malicious competition, promotions across the government sector enjoy a wide range.


    You can be responsible for public security today, and financial investments tomorrow, and perhaps you''d end up as nothing more than a secretary the day after.


    Capabilities, results, and accomplishments represented everything in the government sector.


    This way, even if your direct superior had a long term and was in no position to step down, you can always get a transfer order to another post, which is another way of getting promoted.


    Superiors wouldn''t have to worry too much about their subordinates stabbing them in the back, and subordinates wouldn''t have to worry about their superiors suppressing them too much.


    Sadly, Hiro wasn''t planning to burn through his faith energy to watch this drama to the end. He knew that such things would take days of work, preparations, investigations, and more.


    He couldn''t possibly just sit back and watch without worries. Feelings both satisfied and expectant, Hiro disconnected from the projection and returned to the universe hall.


    After thinking for a moment, he decided not to check on Arabella''s situation. He felt like she needed his help the least, especially since her hypnotic charming abilities were like nuclear weapons in the business sector.


    Arabella was smart enough not to make things too obvious, and so, she wouldn''t get caught unless she blatantly exposed her demonic energy.


    With the system censoring her energy and masking her presence, nothing would happen as long as she didn''t poke the hornet''s nest called the Holy Church.


    As Hiro was lost in thoughts, he noticed the stars in the distance shifting about, slowly taking on the form of a petite girl surrounded by twinkling stars.


    The stars projected the image of countless treasures, and looking at them, one person came to Hiro''s mind.


    It can''t be, right? Although feeling skeptical, Hiro still connected his mind to the new constellation.


    As he did so, he witnessed a breathtaking scene. From the constellation, a river of faith energy sprinkled with starlight descended like a waterfall, pouring into the running current of faith energy below.


    Then, Hiro felt a mental connection¡ªsomething similar to a contact yet it wasn''t truly a contact¡ªbinding him to the constellation.


    Burning with curiosity, Hiro immediately took a look at the scene displayed through the constellation''s projection.


    ¡­


    It was pink all around, and on the bed in the middle of the room, concealed behind dense curtains of a luxurious canopy, Hiro saw Bella seated on the mattress while magical treasures surrounded her body.


    Six drops of blood essence flowed out from her forehead, shot into the cavities of the mysterious treasures, and then ignited like oil in a lantern.


    Is this some sort of a ritual to contact the deities? Hiro observed quietly, but he couldn''t listen in to what was going on inside Bella''s mind.


    Telepathy was a two-way street, and if he wanted to listen to her inner thoughts, she would also hear his in return.


    Hiro was prepared to make such a gamble as he feared to disturb her concentration.


    However, after going through all of those books in Asmir''s library, Hiro could deduce what Bella was doing at the moment.


    A while later, Bella opened her eyes with a pale complexion and muttered, "Did Master Babylon hear me? I''m not a real Paranormal so I can only use my lifespan and blood essence as a sacrifice¡­"


    As Hiro listened to her words, his heart moved slightly.


    What did this girl go through recently?


    After hesitating for a moment, Hiro checked the system shop to see if he could get anything to help her as he connected to her mind through telepathy.


    "You have Babylon in your mind, but you have the Unfathomable Throne in your heart, what is it exactly?"


    Hearing the sudden voice in her head, Bella was shocked at first. However, she quickly felt elated.


    However, her excitement died down quickly as she thought things through. Her father divulged to her that Babylon was from some organization called the Unfathomables.


    Even today, Babylon''s thread on the PARA app was open for the world to try their best, yet no one could hack into his device, whatever it was.


    This issue was a very serious matter, and if Babylon''s actions weren''t so open and above board, her father wouldn''t have told her anything.


    She knew a little about deities, and she assumed that perhaps the Unfathomables were a faction created by some deity who fractured from the Holy Church.


    Discover more stories at m,v -NovelFire.net


    With that in mind, she attempted to use a ritual designated to communicate with the deities, using her lifespan and blood essence as the price.


    Now, Hiro also understood that the wave of faith energy he received was converted from lifespan and blood essence, not devout worship.


    As Bella''s mind was in a mess, her thoughts were an open book to Hiro, who immediately understood her situation.


    As it turned out, her father had disappeared for a while now, and she was all alone with her mother at home.


    She was worried that she''d be abducted by her father''s enemies once more, especially since the tension around Babylon and the Unfathomables was increasing.


    With that in mind, she hoped to seek help from Babylon, or anyone from their organization.


    The thing is, Hiro didn''t know how to help her.


    Yes, he could go back to the human world, but what can he do then? He didn''t know if the Holy Church was setting up an ambush for him.


    From the looks of it, Berlin didn''t betray Hiro and expose his ''connection'' to the Unfathomables or Babylon¡ªat least the connection in her mind.


    Should I buy her an awakening potion? Hiro thought to himself and looked into the system shop.


    Then, he was shocked. 100,000 achievement points for one potion?!


    Hiro didn''t think that the price of awakening potions would spike up after a purchase, so he immediately shelved the idea away.


    After thinking about it, Hiro asked the system in his mind, System, can I give out servant summoning tokens?


    Bella was rich, and she could afford to raise her own summoned servant if she had one to protect her at all times.


    Also, it was very cheap if he went for something with low potential. In the short term, he didn''t need to get her something with Tier-4 potential, just a Tier-5 potential is enough.


    [Notice: Under certain prerequisites, yes. Currently, the human Bella and the creatures under the influence of your enlightenment are eligible to receive your gifts.]


    While Hiro was glad about the response he received from the system, Bella''s chaotic mind finally settled down.


    "Are you the deity behind Master Babylon? Can I talk to him, please?" Bella supported herself on the bed, panting heavily while asking for help.


    "He can''t help you at the moment," Hiro''s deep voice echoed in her head. "However, I''ve already accepted your sacrifice, so I will help you this once."


    As Hiro spoke, he decided to bleed a little for this pink-haired goofball and spent the points for a servant token with ordinary potential, a healing potion, an invisibility potion, a night vision potion, a speed buff potion, a strength buff potion, and other helpful items.


    Toward the end, Hiro ended up spending over 30,000 points, which was something he saved up during the last few days of camping in the Decay Canyon.


    While feeling pained, and before Bella could respond, Hiro gritted his teeth and burned a portion of his faith energy to condense a collection of information, transmitting it into Bella''s mind while transferring the items over to her.


    With his planeswalker ability, it was easy to use faith energy as a bridge to open a direct portal in Bella''s bedroom.


    From the portal, bottles of potions fell on the bed together with a summoning token that had the image of a black leopard engraved on it.


    In her confusion, Bella felt a wave of dizziness strike her mind, and a wave of information exploded forth.


    Summoning Token? Potions? A summoning ritual? S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As this information flooded her mind, Bella was utterly dumbfounded.


    Is this the foundation of a secret organization? They can give out Paranormals just like that?!


    Bella didn''t dare to believe it. Thus, she hurriedly gathered her thoughts, expressed her thanks, and cleared out the traces of the communication ritual before setting up the required atmosphere for the summoning ritual.


    After gathering her thoughts once again and taking in a deep breath, Bella stood in the center of the freshly drawn magical circle before holding up the summoning token, channeling some of her blood essence into the token for lack of any alternative, and crushed it.


    Then, something unbelievable happened¡­

 Chapter 93: Finding the Mirror World

    As the lights dimmed, an oval portal appeared silently, a twisted swarm of colors exposed within.


    From there, a petite girl almost as tall as Bella walked out, dressed in a gothic princess style with her hair split into two high buns, one being white and the other black.


    Shifting shadows of leopards, one chasing after the other, kept shuttling on the surface of


    her gray princess dress.


    Hiro watched this scene play out, and judging by Bella''s reaction, it was apparent that she couldn''t see any holographic screens with system prompts.


    After confirming that fact, Hiro withdrew his attention from her constellation. Looking at the decreased volume of the river of faith energy, Hiro felt a pain in his heart.


    However, he quickly pushed that negative energy away. Even if he suffered a loss this time, he figured it was worth it for one of his few friends.


    It would be boring if everyone he kept by his side were either a contracted servant from the system or some magical creature that couldn''t harbor any complicated thoughts.


    While this lifestyle had the least risk factor, it was also the most boring. Thus, adding a little color and an element of unpredictability to his daily life was much better.


    After deciding that it''d be better to wait for the replenishment of faith energy, Hiro withdrew his consciousness from the immaterial domain to his real body.


    ¡­


    Hiro slowly stood up and dusted off some dirt and leaves from his body. His perception spread out like a tide, and once he realized that no one was around him, he stepped out with a movement demonic art.


    As usual, he continued to refine his combat instincts as a demon who relied on demonic essence, all the while absorbing whatever bits of energy the lowly demons provided.


    This slow process lasted for an entire week when suddenly, the entire canyon shook.


    Hiro stopped on the peak of a torn-down mountain, looking in the direction of the Valdmor Stronghold.


    There, a vast swarm of darkness took to the sky. Of course, his current eyesight couldn''t get so far, hence why he synchronized with one of his powerful characters.


    It was only to take a look, and what he saw made him happy.


    Valdmor''s army is finally moving out! However, it would take some time for them to reach Asmir''s Stronghold, so the boss battle would most likely have to wait¡­


    Whatever, let me watch a good show first.


    ¡­ S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hiro silently concealed himself in the canyon and watched as the demonic army marched out.


    If he wasn''t wrong, this army was the vanguard army and would most likely meet with resistance from Asmir''s army on their way to her stronghold.


    Asmir had six generals under her, one of them being suspected of treason. Thus, he advised her to use her generals in pairs while planting a hidden causality link in their bodies.


    Whenever one general did something that would negatively affect the other, she would get a psychological hint remotely.


    Although this might cause one of her generals to suffer a sneak attack, a fatal wound, an abduction, or even death¡­ Finding the identity of the traitor was more important.


    Soldiers and generals were meant to be tools for their rulers during times of war. Any orders, no matter how detrimental to their person, must be executed flawlessly if the interest of the ruler was in the equation.


    As for whether the chess piece could maneuver its way around the chess board to survive after accomplishing the objective?


    That was the ruler''s concern at all.


    Survivors would advance in ranks, undergo more dangerous missions, and keep advancing till the war is won or to their death.


    Asmir understood this principle well, and so did her generals. If they lacked a sense of caution after climbing to the ranks of generals for so many years, then it was time to promote new generals.


    Hiro sat on the mountain peak, watching silently as swarms of demons left the stronghold.


    One shouldn''t have any misconception about the stronghold''s size being small, as each stronghold was no different from an independent country or an independent fiefdom.


    There were tens of millions of demons dwelling within, and it took a lot of time for them to march out.


    Luckily, the canyon wasn''t in their way.


    Now, I can only wait for when the tiger descends the mountain. As Hiro thought about this, he closed his eyes.


    After thinking about it, Hiro decided to finish the Draconia game first. Even though he felt like this power was fake and illusory, even though he knew he might end up losing it one day, he knew that the rewards were real.


    The minor realm he could potentially obtain after clearing this game was worth the risk.


    A personal pocket dimension was the foundation of any power. Take the Demon Realm, the Holy Church, and the State for example.


    Each of them has its foundations in the form of private domains, and Hiro aspires for the same.


    Moreover, what should he do if and when Asmir agrees to join the Unfathomables?


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    He needed an identity of equal strength if not stronger than her to convince her.


    With that thought in mind, Hiro closed his eyes and entered the {Simulation Space}, continuing his grinding in the new game.


    Just like that, time gradually passed by.


    Hiro sat on the same mountain spot for close to an entire month, which was more than half a year in-game, doing nothing other than observing the situation while waiting for any signs of battle.


    On this day, the skies dimmed all of a sudden, and a bolt of gray lightning shot across the sky.


    Hiro opened his eyes and looked up. "A retaliation from the laws? Seems like the fight has started. However, it''s not too intense yet."


    From Hiro''s perspective, it could only be considered an intense fight when the lords in the sealed spaces were no longer capable of separating their minds towards maintaining the space.


    When the frequency of the retaliation from the world increases, only then would it mean that the boss fight is at a critical point.


    However, Hiro didn''t care for whether the fight was at a critical point or not. Since Lord Valdmor had already left his stronghold, then it was time to act.


    He slowly stood up from his position, synchronized with the Arcana Lord, and stepped out with his teleportation ability.


    The next moment, Hiro found himself in one corner of the Valdmor Stronghold, his eyes sweeping through the streets.


    He intently focused on every mirror, slate of iron, puddle of water, and shards of plastic or glass.


    While looking around, Hiro naturally activated his treasure-scanning feature, and observed as halos of golden light surrounded a bunch of items.


    However, none of them had the description of a mirror world, no matter how Hiro inspected them.


    At the moment, the entire stronghold was in chaos as demons rushed about, some fighting amongst themselves while others hoping to join the war.


    Just by walking less than five kilometers, Hiro had already killed at least 600 demons who had nothing better to do other than seek death.


    "Where is it?" Hiro frowned, finding it difficult to locate the mirror world.


    After thinking for a while, Hiro decided to pay a certain price and retreated into an abandoned building, finding his way into the basement.


    Then, he raised his hand and tapped out.


    Hiro''s eyes glazed over, and soon, a golden book appeared in front of him.


    Book of Revelations!


    Hiro moved his hand and flipped the pages, quickly finding the Divination chapter.


    Between paying with lifespan and faith energy, Hiro chose the latter without hesitation.


    He placed his hand on the page, closed his eyes, and communicated with the immaterial domain.


    In the immaterial domain''s universe hall, the gentle river of faith energy boiled, tossing about like crazy as the energy flooded out.


    As it splashed, streams of faith energy evaporated into thin air, crossing an untold distance and pouring into the Divination chapter of the Book of Revelations.


    "Mirror world, mirror world, mirror world¡­"


    Hiro repeated the phrase over and over again, and as more of his faith energy was consumed, the clearer an image appeared in his mind.


    At first, it was a speck of light in boundless darkness. Then, the speck expanded into a gray space, then he saw an entire world zooming past, finally locating a fragmented continent.


    It may have seemed small, but Hiro soon realized that the continent was the current Demon Realm.


    The image zoomed in on a certain region on the continent, then an area, and not soon later¡ªHiro found the Decay Canyon.


    Not too long after, Hiro found the Valdmor Stronghold and the desired object of his divination¡ªan entrance node to the mirror world.


    With no time to spare, Hiro''s eyes snapped open and he teleported over, only to find himself in the sky above the stronghold.


    "No wonder!" Hiro exclaimed, finding a shard of glass hovering in the air. As it spun about, sometimes the image reflected on the glass shard would magnify on someone, taking them into the mirror world inside.


    Looking around, Hiro didn''t see any other shards, and just as he was feeling confused, he felt space ripple.

 Chapter 94: Hiro’s Great Opportunity

    Oh no! Hiro''s expression changed.


    He realized that he was too naive¡ªthe fragments of the mirror were hidden in the void, and they most likely appeared because of the ongoing battle between the lords.


    Who knows how many temporary spaces were created and how they would influence the nearby space?


    As he thought about this, Hiro didn''t hesitate to follow the direction of the mirror and teleport to the ground, standing under its reflected light.


    Before his consciousness was sucked away by the mirror, Hiro summoned Hans and Medusa, tasking them with taking care of his physical body.


    Then, he removed the synchronization effects, which allowed the acting force of the mirror to easily snatch away his consciousness into the mirror world.


    ¡­


    It was a colorful world. A large stronghold that stretched to the end of one''s vision, with a dense circle of fog surrounding its edge.


    The moment Hiro appeared, he was standing on the peak of a tall building and looking into the distance.


    [Notice: Detected the influence of faith energy.]


    [Notice: You''ve successfully warded off the influence of faith energy.]


    ¡­


    "As expected!" Hiro exclaimed, feeling the invisible, murky energy in the air. If not for his pool of faith energy, he''d have been contaminated quite easily.


    However, this bit of faith energy can''t overpower Hiro''s faith energy, let alone the system''s power.


    Even if he lost the system one day, until that day arrived¡ªhe was the pinnacle in each and every field related to the system''s functions.


    With that in mind, Hiro looked at his accumulated achievement points for the past month.


    The trip from the Asmir Stronghold to the Valdmor Stronghold was a long one, not to mention he stayed behind in the Decay Canyon while waiting for a chance to infiltrate the mirror world.


    Thus, Hiro had been saving up achievement points for the past month, planning to use the Mass Enlightenment scroll in the mirror world.


    However, he first needed to test something out.


    "I wonder if brainwashing could be considered to have reduced the intelligence of these demons?" Hiro murmured to himself before he stepped out, jumping off the building.


    With his current strength, descending a building was quite easy. In little to no time, Hiro found himself on the street.


    Looking around, everyone was walking about and doing their own things with blank expressions.


    At best, they would be murmuring things like, "Praise Lord Valdmor."


    And, "Lord Valdmor is the one and only Demon King."


    The more Hiro observed, the more convinced he was of faith energy''s influence on a pure body of consciousness.


    A body of consciousness was the direct link to the soul, so it wasn''t hard to understand.


    Hiro didn''t have time to waste and thus, he approached a random passerby and directly used 1 achievement point to try and unlock their core intelligence.


    A halo of golden light enveloped the dazed demon, slowly seeping into his body of consciousness.


    Soon, his dull eyes flickered, and obvious signs of struggle appeared on his face.


    The next moment, a torrent of faith energy in the surroundings rushed over, attempting to ''cleanse'' away the foreign influence.


    Hiro was shocked. A self-defensive mechanism? Hmm, it makes sense. However, I can tell that this is a rigid procedure, indicating that no one is controlling this treasure at the moment.


    Wait, treasure? Hiro''s eyes sparkled and he slapped his thigh. "How come I didn''t think about this?!"


    He almost spent over 130,000 achievement points using his Mass Enlightenment scroll on a large scale of 130 square kilometers, which would have dealt a heavy blow to Valdmor but not a decisive one.


    However, he remembered that the system had an even more overbearing ability when it came to treasures¡ªthe system inventory.


    As long as he found the core of this place and stored it away into his system inventory, then the system would automatically isolate this region from Valdmor''s overbearing faith energy!


    By relying on his demonic essence and laws alone, Valdmor wouldn''t be an opponent to Asmir, becoming the weak link in the encirclement.


    Thinking about it this way, Hiro''s gaze shifted to the random demon, and his eyes glimmered.


    "Fine, consider yourself lucky to have met me this day," Hiro murmured. Then, he reached out and tapped with his finger on the demon''s forehead and spent 1,000 achievement points directly.


    He used the Level 4 Enlightenment without hesitation!


    Boom!


    A tower of golden light enveloped the demon, gushing into his consciousness body.


    His body began to tremble uncontrollably, clarity returning to his eyes.


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    The entire mirror world shook, as more and more faith energy descended from the sky and onto this location.


    Hiro''s eyes shone brilliantly as he looked into the distance, a smile on his face. "Found it!"


    This made things much easier. Thus, Hiro rushed in the direction of the incoming faith energy, where he was sure to find the source.


    He was utilizing his movement arts to the limits, ignoring the demons on the way as he made it to the center of this illusory stronghold.


    Hiro realized that every constitution in this space was one-dimensional, exposing the exterior of buildings with nothing on the inside.


    Moreover, all the demons were walking on the streets and through the alleyways, but not a single one of them was indoors.


    The more Hiro observed, the more he felt like this treasure was lacking in some aspects.


    Perhaps, it was just a tool to store away souls and the consciousness of living beings, and everything else was a deliberate arrangement by Lord Valdmor.


    As Hiro rushed over, no other demons seemed to have noticed the anomaly in the faith energy, which is easy to explain.


    This treasure can''t absorb the consciousness of powerful existences because their subconscious mind would defend against the influence, passively as well.


    It explains why Hiro''s consciousness was absorbed only after he removed the synchronization.


    Furthermore, the treasure itself won''t absorb the consciousness of someone so powerful, probably because Lord Valdmor had set it up this way.


    As for the world inside, it was easy to understand if one factored in Valdmor''s laws of illusions, which is a law derived from mirages and visual refractions.


    Like this, Hiro easily made his way over to the source of faith energy¡ªa massive mirror that hovered like an octagonal crystal in a location Hiro deemed to be a correspondent with the Demon Tower in reality.


    However, Hiro didn''t have the mind to admire this thing. He placed his hand on its surface, and the torrent of faith energy almost flooded his body of consciousness.


    Luckily, it couldn''t do that with the system''s protection standing in its way, even if Hiro didn''t have faith energy of his own.


    Just as Hiro was about to store the item away, a sudden thought struck him. Can I transfer this faith energy to my universe hall if I use my gluttony physique?


    Hiro''s devouring talent worked on all forms of energy, and this energy followed a rigid set of rules, not being directly by an active entity.


    Moreover, this wasn''t divine energy or demonic essence of the greatest level, but recycled faith energy generated from the illusion and brainwashing effects!


    Although the system mentioned to Hiro that faith energy generated under coercion, negative emotions, and brainwashing wouldn''t be tolerated by it¡ªthis wasn''t the system.


    Demons had no bottom line. To them, faith was faith, regardless of the means used when harvesting it.


    Also, the less faith energy stored inside this core, the fewer achievement points I''d have to spend when I finally take this thing away.


    Thinking back to his experience with the dimensional core of that pocket space, Hiro had already made up his mind.


    With a thought, his consciousness connected with the immaterial domain and formed a bridge with his consciousness body as a medium.


    Then, he began to ''devour'' faith energy in large quantities with his innate divine talent.


    Boom!


    Hiro''s entire consciousness body turned into a black hole, siphoning away the faith energy in the octagonal crystal.


    The effect was immediate!


    Hiro could feel his talent stripping away the impurities, which were the imbued illusion laws, and directing pure faith energy into his body. Discover hidden stories at m,v l''e-NovelFire.net


    In turn, this energy descended from the sea of stars and into the universe hall, flooding the river of faith energy.


    Thinking about it, his universe hall functioned like the Asmir Stronghold and the Valdmor Stronghold.


    When he thought about this, Hiro looked at the octagonal crystal in front of him and wondered to himself. Could it be that this treasure isn''t controlled by Lord Valdmor? Could he be using it as a medium to grasp the laws of this stronghold?


    Hiro shook his head, refusing that idea. If that were the case, this treasure wouldn''t be so weak. Honestly, it was such a stupid decision to keep his foundation in such a place, espionage when Hiro thought about how easily he infiltrated and destroyed it.


    Then, he remembered that this would have been impossible if it weren''t for a few factors such as the boss battle that disturbed the space, the system''s protection, his possession of faith energy, and the innate divine ability¡­


    Thinking about it carefully, Hiro could only come to one conclusion¡­


    That Lord Valdmor is just fucking unlucky¡­

 Chapter 95: Dawnson

    Asmir Stronghold, Demon Tower, top floor.


    It was a vast space bathed in divine energy and holy light. Multicolored streams of mist swirled within the space, and if one were to trace the origin of these colors, they''d find them connected to nine massive mountains.


    Then, they would realize that these weren''t mountains, but the tails of a massive creature resting prone on the ground, its breathing calm and even while its eyes were shut.


    A silent, imperceptible ripple of spatial energy swept over, and the massive creature¡ªAsmir in her Nine-Tailed Fox form, opened her eyes.


    "Aren''t you guys a little too impatient?" Asmir''s voice echoed in the space, but her mouth didn''t open.


    Buzz!


    The endless expanse of white was ripped open, exposing a patch of darkness.


    Looking up, Asmir squinted her eyes and said in a light tone, "How bold of you to find this seat''s true body. Yours tired of living, I suppose."


    "Haha! Here I thought you''d be surprised at how we managed to trace the location of your true body, Asmir. After all, you''re a sly fox who always hides her head and shows her tail¡ªit''s very difficult for us to kill you." S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "You wish to kill this seat?" Asmir finally opened her mouth, no longer transmitting her voice through mental vibrations.


    As she spoke, her voice which was infused with divine energy filled the space.


    From the crack in the void, five figures stepped out.


    A demonic imp, a black tiger, a transparent fish, a gray whale, and a humanoid demon with long black hair.


    The one who spoke was the transparent fish, and it continued to talk while swimming in the void, its body stretching for kilometers in the sky.


    "You''ll soon find out why it''s not wise to go against the common interest of an entire race, you sly fox. That stupid giant couldn''t even handle your clone, what a waste!"


    "Something isn''t right," the fish was interrupted by the black tiger. "Shouldn''t her consciousness be inside the clone? Why is her true body awake?"


    The fish also realized that something was amiss. How could it overlook that little detail?


    They planned to sneak into this pocket dimension through the loophole glitch caused by the causality laws during the war, right?


    According to the plan, they would isolate Asmir''s consciousness outside the dimension, separating it from her true body, and seal the body if they failed to destroy it.


    The fish was too optimistic about killing Asmir to the point where he forgot that key factor in the plan¡ªwhich was the state of Asmir''s true body.


    "Are you sure that it''s not a remnant will left behind in her mind?" Asked the fish, feeling skeptical.


    "Are you stupid?" This time, it was the whale that retorted angrily. "Although the mental powers of this fox is strong, a remnant will can at most communicate with others through mental fluctuations, it''s not strong enough to control the main body into opening the eyes or utilizing divine energy!"


    The fish was a little slow, but he wasn''t stupid.


    It''s just that he assumed that with the presence of divine energy everywhere, it was influenced by their intrusion and not Asmir''s deliberate control.


    "Dawnson, are you insulting this seat by bringing along these fools?" Asmir ignored everyone else and looked at the humanoid demon with black hair.


    The demon, Dawnson, smiled. His smile was kind, bright, and somewhat infectious as he waved his hand. "You children have too much energy to spare, it''s fine to be a little mischievous once in a while. Sigh, I really wonder why you left home back then, Asmir."


    When the demon spoke, the others went silent. He continued, "It''s already checkmate, you know. Your stronghold is surrounded, and three times at that. Do you like my pets? Grooming them to this extent wasn''t an easy task, you know."


    "A waste of time and resources," Asmir replied coldly. "If anything, only that little imp isn''t half-bad, but he''s far from worthy to earn this seat''s recognition."


    Dawnson sighed. "Back then, I told the Master that you''re still a child and your personality wasn''t firm enough, easily influenced by the outside world. He didn''t listen, and a few centuries later, you returned home with such stupid, childish, and radical ideas.


    "You even left home with such grand and foolish ambitions. I really don''t know why the Master would allow it, but the situation is already clear as it is. Even without making a move, I already got you cornered with these little pets of mine, even though we started from the same line."


    Asmir didn''t say anything. She slowly stood up, and in the flashing light of divine energy, her main body transformed into a humanoid form as well.


    "I was wondering where they got their hands on a vessel of such high quality," Asmir spoke slowly.


    Dawnson frowned, as judging from Asmir''s words, something must have happened to the minor realm fragment¡ªsomething unexpected.


    He wanted to say something, but his expression turned cold, the kind temperament from earlier washed away in an instant.


    "You''re insane," Dawnson said, his expression darkening.


    "What''s wrong?" Asked the fish, as he wasn''t on their level, and he couldn''t understand what happened to cause their Master''s expression to turn so hideous.


    However, although he was weaker than Asmir and Dawnson, he wasn''t a weakling.


    He quickly noticed that something was wrong.


    However, it was the demonic imp who spoke up in a dark tone, "You actually used the minor realm fragment together with the loopholes we created to seal off this space, screening us from the Demon Realm."


    Everyone''s expressions turned ugly. This was no different from indefinite exile, because only when the spatial coordinates of the minor realm fragment adjusted to the spatial coordinates of the pocket dimension would the connection between two independent spaces be stable¡ªat least stable enough to permit passage.


    However, there was a 50:50 chance that the dimension would integrate the realm fragment after an unknown period of time, and the other possibility was certain destruction.


    In a sense, no matter who the winner of this competition is, even if they could sense the location of the Demon Realm, they couldn''t afford to open a portal.


    No passage is stable enough to withstand the twisting force of two higher dimensions grinding into one another.


    "You''ve gone mad!" Dawnson wasn''t in the mood for any pleasantries. "Although the Master said to teach you a lesson and bring you back, I''ll kill you if I had to."


    Then, he waved his hand and spoke coldly, "Attack her while I try to offset the merger between the two dimensions."


    As he spoke, he heard a scream of pain from the demons around him. Confused, he turned his head to look at the source of the voice.


    "Someone is attacking my faith energy!" Valdmor screamed, his expression ugly.


    The divine energy around his body was fluctuating fiercely, as though a bomb about to explode. Obviously, his slow regeneration of faith energy couldn''t sustain the presence of divine energy, and its attribute was slowly turning into pure demonic essence.


    "How is this possible?" Dawnson frowned so hard his eyebrows could squeeze into one.


    They accounted for all five of Asmir''s generals, so no one would have the time to raid Valdmor''s base.


    Moreover, everyone understood how difficult it was to infiltrate that place without absolute strength. If someone of that level approached, no one would miss the signs.


    Dawnson looked at Asmir, but he couldn''t see her expression.


    "Little Miss," Dawnson suppressed his anger and spoke bluntly. "You know the importance of that treasure to our family, you wouldn''t want to touch some lines now, right?"


    Behind the veil of light, Asmir''s eyes flickered, but she didn''t say anything. After all, she hadn''t expected Hiro to do something so extreme either.


    A stronghold represented more than just territory, and most Stronghold Lords were no more than gatekeepers if put bluntly.


    As long as the stronghold''s foundation remained unharmed, no one would bother with the "gatekeeper."


    It could be anyone, just like the "pets" raised by Dawnson, and the six generals raised by Asmir.


    Just like Dawnson, Asmir treated her generals like little pets, a source of enjoyment.


    However, some toys were just too precious to be touched, like that Mirror World, which was just one item from an entire set.


    While Asmir remained silent, Valdmor''s eyes turned red and he spat out a mouthful of purplish-black blood.


    "MY CONNECTION TO THE MIRROR WORLD WAS SEVERED! YOU MUST HAVE GONE MAD, ASMIR!!!!" Valdmor went nuts, and his energy snapped out of control.


    With the imbalance of faith energy and demonic essence, the latter quickly devoured the former, causing Valdmor''s aura to drop significantly!


    At this moment, he was truly hopping mad!


    As "pets", their foundation was trash! They relied on the balance between faith energy and demonic essence to reach their level.


    To demons like Asmir and Dawnson, faith energy is just a supplement and a tool, same with laws. However, to some demons, faith energy, and laws were very important lifelines.


    Dawnson didn''t expect Asmir to be so ruthless, while Asmir didn''t expect Hiro to be so ruthless either.


    However, she could only watch silently as Valdmor cursed, raving about as his body slowly shriveled up. Enjoy exclusive adventures from m-v l''-NovelFire.net

 Chapter 96: Sneak Attack

    After exhausting the faith energy from the octagonal crystal, it was much easier for Hiro to take the treasure into his system''s inventory. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It only cost him 10,000 achievement points.


    While Hiro was surprised by the low price, the system told him that this mirror was only a fragment of a greater treasure, hence the low price.


    As it turned out, there was a hard limit on the number of "prisoners" this mirror could contain at a time, not to mention their individual and collective strength.


    Yes, there was a limit on the individual strength of a captive and the collective strength of all captives inside the illusory world.


    When the Mirror World entered the system''s inventory, Hiro''s consciousness returned to his body automatically. Furthermore, the consciousness of the millions of demons trapped inside were also released into the world.


    Because they lost their "vessels" and protection, these bodies of consciousness evaporated under the harsh conditions outside.


    For a moment, Hiro felt like he could hear the shrill screams of the dead. However, he didn''t have the time to waste.


    Hiro had a feeling that no matter how occupied with a battle that demonic imp was, he''d definitely rush over to the stronghold after suffering from such a loss.


    Thus, he went all out and synchronized with Sitri, bringing down the bloodline suppression of a Celestial Demon onto the hollow stronghold.


    Hiro didn''t have any talent for studying illusion spells, nor did he reach a point where he could tap into the power of laws with his true body.


    At the moment, the laws under Sitri''s control weren''t something Hiro could comprehend, he could only use them instinctively based on a game''s mechanics.


    Thus, he couldn''t waste his time thinking about occupying the Demon Tower and taking this stronghold for his own.


    What he could do now was rush back and help the five generals under Asmir push forward as fast as possible.


    Just because Hiro couldn''t do it, this didn''t mean that Asmir''s generals were incompetent.


    He decided to give them this opportunity by providing help, albeit indirectly.


    Thus, Hiro quickly covered himself up with demonic essence, shrouding his appearance from prying eyes.


    Under the concealment of demonic essence, he also activated the system''s concealment function. Continue your journey with m|v-l''-NovelFire.net


    No matter what, Hiro refused to believe that he was the only one with access to prophetic abilities like the divination chapter from the Book of Revelations.


    With that in mind, Hiro turned around and left quickly, rushing in the direction of the nearest battlefield.


    ¡­


    Soon, a horizon bathing in crimson hot flames filled Hiro''s eyes. It was an isolated region of fire and lightning, but this space isolation technique wasn''t strong enough.


    Thus, the aftermath of the battle between two fierce generals easily affected the outside world.


    As for the two demon armies, they acted oblivious to the destruction above their heads¡ªthe rain of fire and lightning, and they continued to grind into each other.


    Flesh and purplish-black blood spilled on the ground, and countless demonic arts both individualistic and uniform were launched.


    As the two armies were in the heat of the intense battle, something happened. All of a sudden, an expansion of darkness engulfed the two armies and the blazing horizon.


    Two words echoed silently in the ears of everyone present, sending a chill down their spines.


    Purgatory Domain¡­


    Just as they were basking in their ignorance and confusion, the darkness twisted as millions of short blades, like tentacles with acute sensory, stabbed out from unpredictable angles.


    When the darkness faded, half the demons on the battlefield realized that their counterparts¡ªthe enemies they were engaged with¡ªhad died.


    Corpses fell over in unison, slumped on the dirt road. For a moment, the whole battlefield entered a state of lulled silence, and no one knew how to respond.


    No one expected the sneak attack from such a powerful existence, but a moment later, an enraged roar shook the sky as the sealed space was destroyed to bits.


    "DESPICABLE!"


    Boom!


    A thick bolt of lightning descended from the sky¡ªpale gray, a sharp contrast with the blue sea of lightning that entwined with the crimson flames.


    Furthermore, this lightning bolt came with a menacing purpose, striking at the demon general who was also wreathed with lightning.


    "You''re fucking mad! Caw! Caw!"


    The black raven flapped his wings, instantly withdrawing from the striking range. The other demon, a golden eagle, spread his wings and screeched loudly.


    Boom!


    The lightning struck his body, charring it black. However, it didn''t care, because he got himself an opportunity to disengage from the fierce battle.


    His golden, large eyes swept the battlefield while screaming, "Show yourself! What pride is there to have in killing weaklings with a sneak attack?! Is this how your Stronghold''s Lord does things?!"


    The black raven shouted back, "Caw! Watch your mouth you dumb bird! Don''t talk nonsense!"


    In the distance, Hiro waved his hand dismissively and said, "Harvest!"


    Boom!


    The demonic energy within the range of his Purgatory Domain moved with his hand, and a small vortex appeared on his palm.


    Demonic energy moved like a torrent, pouring into the small vortex, ignoring the limitations of time and distance.


    The golden eagle looked closely, and he immediately noticed what Hiro was doing.


    "You''re really tired of living!" shouted the golden eagle, and as he ignored the black raven, he shot toward Hiro with great speed.


    Hiro didn''t care. He waved his other hand and spoke plainly, "Bone Sword!"


    Crack!


    The bones in the bodies of the millions of demons fractured and shot into the sky, their speed rivaling that of the golden eagle, if not faster.


    However, since the vast army was separating the two, the bones arrived at Hiro''s side first.


    Then, they joined together and morphed into an exquisite bone sword in Hiro''s hand.


    From the bone marrow of demons, this sword had a great affinity to demonic energy and demonic essence, much to Hiro''s liking.


    Thus, he moved his right hand along the spine, body, and edge of the sword, redirecting the demonic energy extract into the bone sword.


    Buzz!


    Pale gray lightning sprinkled in the sky, on the verge of descent. However, Hiro executed his technique flawlessly, compressing immense energy into an energy construct derived from the Infinite Sword Matrix.


    The golden eagle wasn''t an idiot, and the closer he was to Hiro, the more obvious the higher bloodline suppression felt.


    It was something on the level of that mysterious existence behind his lord, a level of power he couldn''t understand.


    Thus, he cautiously slowed down, but he maintained his fierce expression as though he was about to rip Hiro to shreds.


    At any rate, he decided to probe this stranger''s power first. However, he didn''t expect Hiro to slash with his sword without a word.


    Whoosh!


    A condensed beam of energy that looked like the tip of a rapier blade stabbed out was shot at an incredible speed.


    This speed exceeded the golden eagle''s reaction time, and by the time he felt death approaching, the strike brushed past his massive head.


    In that moment of fear, the eagle lost control over his energy and muscles, almost falling from the sky. This made everyone think that the stranger had killed the general in one shot.


    Let alone them, even the black raven was shocked silly as it watched. However, he quickly felt an ominous sensation, as though death was approaching him silently, hurriedly, and with an unprecedented determination.


    However, this feeling came and went like a haze¡ªan illusion. Just as the black raven was feeling confused, he heard a loud explosion coming from behind him.


    The black raven wasn''t an idiot, so he immediately turned back to look, only to be stunned.


    Then, his expression darkened as he shouted angrily, "Caw! You fucking INGRATE!"


    Boom!


    A pale blue lightning bolt descended from the sky, striking past the black raven.


    Far off, a silhouette was blasted out from his stealth after colliding with Hiro''s attack, and it was a humanoid demon cloaked with an eerie black shadow.


    He had a pair of purple, sparkling eyes.


    With a muffled grunt, he suppressed the pain wreaking havoc in his body. Then, a few other figures stepped out, their colorful eyes the only distinctive feature about them.


    They joined forces and together, they blocked the lightning bolt, warding off the retaliation from the world.


    "That person was on guard against us, I suppose our plans were useless."


    "Do you think they noticed the glitch zones in the stronghold?"


    "If even our assassination plan was exposed, I guess everything else is for naught."


    Hiro didn''t say anything to interrupt them. Instead, he tossed something out, and as it exploded, a signal was sent somewhere.


    Everyone sensed the fluctuations, but they were confused as to why the signal was sent out, mainly because they couldn''t track it down.


    Seeing this scene, another person stepped out from the void and said, "Little Crow, since when did we demons promote gratitude and kindness? Don''t make me laugh."

 Chapter 97: Targeting the Wilhelm Family

    The black raven was hopping mad to see the general appearing here, seemingly totally fine and at ease. This could only mean that his opponent left for another battlefield.


    From the looks of it, this general was planning to rebel from the very beginning. As for the concealed demons, the black raven didn''t even bother with exposing them.


    At this moment, another ripple in space attracted everyone''s attention. From there, a humanoid demoness carrying a purple umbrella stepped out, standing in the air. Enjoy exclusive content from m-v l''-NovelFire.net


    One of the demons concealed by dark shadows shook slightly, but he quickly controlled himself.


    The woman seemed to have sensed something, as her eyes moved from behind her mask, making eye contact with that demon.


    However, that only lasted for a brief moment before they broke off their gazes, seemingly coming to an agreement.


    Actually, these two were Paimon''s parents, each of them betting on one of the two camps.


    Although the black raven understood that these fellows were the leaders of the great demon clans, he didn''t know their specific identities.


    Behind them was no other than the traitorous general.


    "Caw! Once a dog, always a dog!" the black raven cursed.


    In response, the general shook his head, and his entire body began to expand, turning into a huge dog with blue fur, three heads, and rings of pale gray fire burning on his paws.


    Hiro looked at the three-headed dog and felt that he seemed familiar, striking a resemblance to one of the monsters serving under Hades.


    Then, he looked at the woman who made a sudden appearance and her dark umbrella, connecting her to Paimon.


    That girl must have started her plans in the stronghold, but Hiro didn''t know what contingency plans the other families left behind.


    The Asmir Stronghold must be in a mess right now.


    "Who are you?" Ignoring the black raven, the blue dog looked in Hiro''s direction, asking in a stern tone.


    Hiro gave the dog a look. Although his entire body was concealed, everyone here was an expert and they could infer from his body language that he turned around.


    Realizing that the stranger was staring at him without saying a word, the general didn''t pursue the matter.


    He returned to look at the black raven and spoke leisurely, "You''ve been following Lord Asmir for so long, so you understand a few things just like I do. This isn''t a fight that she can win all on her own; espionage since Lord Dawnson took action personally this time."


    Other than the black raven, everyone else was feeling confused at the mention of that name, Hiro included.


    However, everyone could tell that from this general''s perspective, he didn''t feel like Asmir could be a match against this Dawnson in a one-on-one fight, let alone a siege.


    Hiro was feeling a little curious now. From the way they were talking, it seemed as though there existed demons with exalted identities that placed them above Stronghold Lords.


    However, when Hiro thought about it, these lords were indeed somewhat disappointing in terms of strength.


    Did it have something to do with the purity of their demonic essence? That''s the only thing I can think of, Hiro mused silently.


    If a demon''s bloodline had the ability to store and refine a value of 5 points pure demonic essence, and the rest was standard demonic energy, then it made sense that they''d be weaker than a demon with 7, 9, or 10 points of purified demonic essence.


    However, Hiro didn''t have a scale on hand to determine the purity of a demon''s bloodline and their storage of demonic essence.


    Thinking about it, this is similar to the foundation of a Daoist Immortal, as their strength in any given realm was determined based on their foundation.


    This foundation includes but isn''t limited to secret techniques, body refinement, comprehensions, bloodline, etc.


    When thought of this way, Hiro could understand the disparity in strength between Asmir and the other lords.


    Thus, he could also infer how strong that mysterious Dawnson was. Realizing that it would take too much effort on his part if he wished to lure Asmir''s followers into the Valdmor Stronghold, Hiro began to hesitate.


    Fighting one or two generals wouldn''t pose a problem, but now that there''s a traitor, the other generals will be facing multiple opponents at once.


    The enemy generals who fled would join the other battlefield, and they would be on the roll for the rest of the battle.


    In no time at all, they would besiege the Asmir Stronghold, and if the plot followed the usual pattern, Asmir would show up at the critical moment to save the day.


    Fights on this level would take days if not weeks, and Hiro didn''t want to spend his points in a reckless battle like this one.


    After thinking things through, Hiro turned around and left decisively. He couldn''t be bothered with this fight anymore.


    He didn''t believe that Asmir wouldn''t provide her generals with trump cards. Both the black raven and that woman were facing three opponents at a time, but they didn''t seem too worried.


    Furthermore, even if they couldn''t win, they can retreat. No one was so high up on emotions in such a war, and they wouldn''t toss their lives away.


    Watching the mysterious figure turning around and leaving without a word, everyone else was dumbfounded.


    The black raven was at a loss for words before he turned to the woman, "Caw! Is your partner going to leave just like that?!"


    The woman was also stunned as she asked in confusion, "My partner? I don''t know that person."


    The black raven choked. "What do you mean you don''t know?! Didn''t you arrive after getting his signal?"


    No one was stupid and they could tell that Hiro sent out a signal, it''s just that the arrival of this woman was too coincidental.


    However, from the looks of it, they had assumed wrongly. In fact, even Hiro was a little surprised by the coincidence back then, but he didn''t care.


    He did send out a signal, but this was a different form of signal. It was to inform Asmir that he was within close proximity to the stronghold.


    As the only person capable of helping Asmir in this predicament, Hiro knew some of her plans.


    Thus, he was most likely one of the few who could keep calm in this situation.


    While these demons were confused, Hiro switched to his Arcana Lord character in a secluded area before teleporting directly into the Asmir Stronghold.


    He arrived inside the Passione Tavern''s small office, switched back to his previous looks with red horns and crimson eyes, then stepped out from the office.


    As expected, total chaos. However, the chaos was limited outside the shop, because no one could fight inside.


    At the very least, no ordinary demons could make a ruckus here, especially when the system''s automatic defensive feature was purchased by Hiro a while back.


    However, no one had the peace of mind to sit down and have a drink. At the very least, Hiro thought this way until he noticed someone seated in a dim corner.


    "Oh my," Hiro smiled, dramatically kneading his forehead. "Lady Paimon? What are you doing here?"


    Indeed, it was that demoness. However, she wasn''t wearing her maid attire this time, but a purple palace dress that exuded an air of superiority.


    Her limpid eyes looked up at Hiro, and she smiled faintly. "It''s too bloody back home, not something suitable for a delicate lady like myself. Moreover, no one will pay attention to a missing maid."


    "Ah? If you''ve been dismissed from your duties as a maid, I wouldn''t mind accepting you into my house." Hiro walked over.


    On his way, he pushed aside some of the curtains on the glass windows, allowing the light of day to sprinkle into the shop.


    Sadly, there was too much smoke outside and so, the light was blocked at infrequent intervals. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I''ve been here since yesterday," Paimon spoke, ignoring the latter half of Hiro''s sentence. "I must say, your sudden presence did surprise me a little."


    Hiro smiled. "Just a cheap trick. In any case, I''m very weak, so I had to hide myself."


    Hiro conveniently revealed his aura, which had dropped to peak Tier-7 standards after refining his demonic essence to the extreme.


    Of course, although he was at Tier-7 standards now, his strength was far beyond that level.


    The purity, volume, and density of his demonic energy were incomprehensible at the moment.


    Paimon was more than a little surprised, but her brows were furrowed deeply afterward.


    If she remembered correctly, that guardian wolf from the Wilhelm family was at around Tier-5 standards in strength, even if his true level was below that.


    However, Hiro dealt with him quite easily.


    Then, the only explanation at the moment was that Hiro was hiding his strength, even during such a critical moment.


    "I don''t understand you, Sitri," Paimon shook her head in bewilderment. "Things have already progressed to this point, what else are you planning to do?"


    Hiro looked outside the window at the ongoing pandemonium. Then, he smiled faintly and said, "First, I want to pay the Wilhelm family a visit, we can discuss business after taking advantage of the chaos like everyone else is doing."

 Chapter 98: Divine Technique

    Hiro wondered how Zach was doing at the moment, but he guessed that he shouldn''t be in a good mood.


    Thinking about it, he had no idea what family Paimon belonged to, nor did he know the situation in her family.


    Well, Hiro didn''t care about that too much, so he asked offhandedly, "How''s the situation in your family? You have the time to wander around at a time like this."


    Paimon said, "My Mother killed everyone who posed a threat to her before she went out, but everyone else thinks they''re out there supporting the war effort. So, it''s pretty calm back there, enough for me to relax."


    Hiro blinked. "I guess that works too, but the situation out there doesn''t seem too optimistic."


    Hiro now understood that from Tier-4 standards and above, power was split into three categories.


    First, pure energy from within the body, and it exists in various forms. Second, a mutual coexistence between pure energy and faith energy. Third, the fusion of the aforementioned energies and the birth of divine energy.


    This was knowledge inferred from reality and the simulated game, Draconia.


    Based on his deductions, both generals and family heads are powerhouses on the level of Tier-4, but the generals can draw faith energy from their soldiers during the war.


    If Hiro wasn''t mistaken, the great demon families must have found a way to channel faith energy from their families, hence why he wanted to attack them at this crucial moment.


    Of course, this type of high knowledge isn''t something anyone had access to, not even someone like Paimon or maybe, not even her mother.


    The realms of faith energy and divine energy are too distant from demons on their level.


    With that in mind, Hiro stood up and stretched, licking his lips. "If you want to protect your Mother, I suggest you return to your family and check the situation. If I''m not wrong, a huge number of them should be missing, and it''s not because they''re helping in the war efforts."


    Paimon frowned and asked, "What is that supposed to mean? Anyway, even if they escaped the stronghold during the chaos, they can''t do anything to my Mother."


    Hiro shook his head and clicked his tongue, feeling exasperated. "Girl, I can''t say some things, nor can I hint at them. Let me put it this way¡ªthey can be somewhere performing some forbidden ritual, which can either curse your Mother or empower your Father.


    "Weaklings have their merits when they join in great numbers, don''t look down on them."


    Hiro understood that he didn''t have much time to waste, so he quickly got up to leave. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I''ve thought about it," Hiro murmured to himself as he continued on his way, hands tucked in his pockets. "There should be something like an avatar or a cloning technique, right?"


    As he spoke, he summoned the system''s shop interface and searched for the relevant techniques. As expected, he found a technique.


    However, it was on the same level as his innate physique, a divine technique.


    Nine Clones Secret Technique!


    [Price]: 100,000 Achievement Points.


    [Description]: The Nine Clones Divine Technique allows the user to separate their energy, essence, and spirit under the guidance of an alternative consciousness. Once a clone is created, it will strip away one of the user''s powers and grow independently.


    [Notice]: You can generate one clone at a time after learning the technique, and each subsequent clone would require 10x the amount of points spent. Discover more stories at m,v l''e-NovelFire.net


    [Notice]: After forming the first clone and separating your consciousness, can alternate the main consciousness between the clones at will, regardless of distance, at a certain cost.


    ¡­


    Hiro inhaled sharply. As expected, divine techniques were something else.


    It would be a problem to spend 100,000 points now since he had saved up over 300,000 points, but he had more than one energy system in his body.


    A Sorcerer''s spiritual energy, a Daoist''s spirit Qi, a Demon''s demonic essence, and a Dragon''s bloodline power.


    If he wanted to separate three of these power systems into independent clones, it would cost him 100,000 points for the first clone, 1,000,000 points for the second clone, and 10,000,000 points for the third clone.


    His current daily limit which hovers at around 5,000 points wouldn''t be enough to keep up with the expenditures.


    Eh? Am I thinking too much? Hiro slapped his thigh. All of those are synchronized power systems! They''re not mine to begin with!


    Hiro felt like an idiot. In his real body, he only had two power systems, the Sorcerer''s spiritual energy and the Demon''s demonic energy respectively.


    Thus, he only needed one clone at the moment. Even if he got his hands on more clones in the future, they would be empty husks without the synchronization feature.


    "Can I separate a clone for faith energy and keep it in the universe hall? This way, I can leave it on autopilot to keep an eye on Arabella, Juvia, and Bella. At the very least, it could notify me when something serious happens, as I can''t keep my eye on them all day, all year round."


    The more Hiro thought about it, the more he felt it was feasible. However, at the moment, his priority was to create a clone for his Sorcerer''s spiritual energy and keep it in the isolated training space, peacefully accumulating spiritual energy for growth.


    Meanwhile, his Demon body can make use of Asmir''s connections to grow stronger in the Demon Realm.


    After making up his mind, Hiro entered a hidden corner and opened a portal to his simulated space.


    He wondered if he should spend more points to increase the time dilation ratio. At the moment, it was fixed at 7:1 between simulation and reality.


    The last time, he paid 1,600 points, so it wouldn''t cost much. After musing over it for a while, Hiro decided to spend.


    3,200 points¡­


    6,400 points¡­


    12,800 points¡­


    [Notice]: You''ve reached the maximum limit of time dilation at a ratio of 10:1. If you wish to unlock the next maximum limit of 100:1, you need to upgrade the {Simulation Space}.


    ¡­


    Hiro hadn''t expected to be stopped by the system after spending 22,400 points, but on second thought, it made sense.


    These must be the limitations of the tutorial version, right? Thinking back, if he saved up the points earned from the three high-priority missions, he could have saved up 150,000 points.


    If he hadn''t spent them on summoning servants, miscellaneous skills, and other items such as potions¡ªupgrading the system''s features wouldn''t have been a strain on his finances.


    Looking at his points, they shrank by at least half after this round of purchases. However, he didn''t regret it.


    Hiro entered the isolated space, taking advantage of the spiritual energy inside to separate a clone for himself.


    The process lasted for six months, which was beyond Hiro''s expectations.


    Furthermore, the pain of having a part of his soul torn out was unbearable. Luckily, he was all alone in the space, so he could shout and scream to his heart''s content without worries.


    Six months later, Hiro''s blood essence joined with the spiritual energy, a hollow body of consciousness, and a strand of his soul to generate a clone.


    Hiro slumped on the ground, exhausted.


    He looked at the naked version of himself floating in the air, surrounded by spiritual energy that transformed constantly.


    At times, it generated fire. At other times, it was water. Then, nature bloomed and whithered It was quite magical.


    At his current level, Hiro didn''t need the system''s statistics to inform him of his current power level.


    Honestly, it would be too bothersome to keep tabs on the various power systems in the future.


    After thinking about it, the only critical information he needed from the system was the points count, gems count, and inventory list.


    Everything else was a secondary priority.


    Looking at his clone, Hiro planted a mental command inside the secondary consciousness¡ªcontinue refining spiritual energy!


    After taking stalk of his current condition, Hiro purchased a few healing potions from the system shop, consumed them to remedy his current headache, and left the isolated space.


    He realized that with the current strength of his soul and consciousness, his clones weren''t that intelligent.


    They could be considered as dumb if put bluntly. Hence, entrusting them with sensitive tasks that required comprehensive inference abilities was impossible.


    For example, if he wanted to visit a mistress in the future and leave a clone behind, that wouldn''t fool his wife, even if he married a country bumpkin.


    However, their rigid thought process allowed them to follow simple commands, such as the command to peacefully train and grow stronger, or to periodically send telepathic feedback to the main consciousness.


    Hiro wondered if he should buy a divine technique to strengthen his consciousness.


    Then, he visited the system''s store to check for more divine techniques, but he found them grayed out with a cooldown notice.


    A purchase cooldown period of 359 days? There''s such a thing as divine techniques?!


    Hiro couldn''t believe it so he went for the skills section, checking the divine-tier skills.


    Then, he realized that the cooldown restriction was universal to all which was divine. Furthermore, from the looks of it, the time in the simulation space was excluded.

 Chapter 99: Asmir’s Summons

    Hiro sighed, not feeling too surprised about it.


    If the system made everything so convenient for him, it wouldn''t make sense.


    Sorting out his thoughts, Hiro figured out his current priorities: Completing Draconia and upgrading his pocket dimension, helping Asmir assimilate the surroundings strongholds and inviting her to join the Unfathomables, and transporting more living creatures into his domain to harvest more faith energy.


    These priorities could be both difficult and easy simultaneously, and Hiro could tend to them simultaneously.


    After leaving the isolated space and looking around, Hiro noticed that the fuse for internal strife in the stronghold was lit.


    With the masters busy with their own fights both outside and inside the stronghold, there wasn''t anyone left to uphold the law and order anymore. Find your next read on m_v l|e-NovelFire.net


    Demons surrendered to their intrinsic qualities of violence. Touching his chin, Hiro began to count the time.


    "I''m on a six-day delay now, can I even make it in time to make some trouble for the great families?"


    Since the stronghold wasn''t under siege yet, it was a good sign. It means that Hiro had time on his hands, it''s just that he didn''t know how much time.


    "Seems like I can''t make use of this chance to make contributions in an open and above-board manner," Hiro rubbed his head.


    "So be it, benefits are benefits no matter what happens." Hiro sighed.


    After making up his mind, he synchronized with the Daoist character, suppressing his spirit Qi and making use of his physical body to move out.


    With his current divine sense, it was easy to sweep the stronghold one district at a time.


    During such a chaotic time, it was impossible to hide the fluctuations of his consciousness that moved out like a tide, and it would undoubtedly draw the attention of some powerful beings outside the stronghold.


    However, the situation both outside the stronghold and inside Asmir''s space was at an impasse, and no one could stop Hiro from acting wantonly.


    In minutes, Hiro arrived at his first destination which was the Wilhelm family residence.


    With a thought, his consciousness gathered and condensed. Following the principles of the Infinite Sword Matrix, a myriad of invisible swords descended onto the compound.


    Phasing through all physical obstructions without leaving a trace, the sword struck down the Wilhelm family members between their brows, and they fell like flies.


    Hiro could only rely on his physical strength and the power of his consciousness to act in this situation, as any emissions of energy outside the category of demonic energy weren''t ideal.


    He wanted to help Asmir, not pin a target on her back. Wanting to revolutionize the demon society was one thing, but to blatantly side with outsiders was another matter altogether.


    With that thought in mind, Hiro was ruthless with his actions. Since he couldn''t use his innate divine ability¡ªgluttony¡ªto extract demonic energy remotely, Hiro devoured the consciousness of his victims instead.


    Who knows, maybe he could raise his consciousness to a level where his clones could act independently one day.


    With his divine sense, Hiro could see through almost every corner of the residence. If he couldn''t, he would barge inside through brute force.


    At this moment, with no powerhouses around to keep him in check, Hiro was unstoppable.


    He didn''t spare anyone, especially when he found a group of demons in the midst of praying for their ancestors'' safe return.


    Others might not be able to see it, but Hiro could sense the faith energy revolving around these demons.


    As time passed, Hiro started to feel suspicious. "Weird, why can''t I find that little guy Zach?"


    At this point, Hiro realized that the Wilhelm family might have evacuated during his six days of absence.


    Since he didn''t have the time to waste, Hiro swept through the other great demon families in the nearby districts.


    However, their situation was similar, with the exception of one family. Hiro found many beautiful demons, female demons, holding down the fort.


    As his divine sense out, he guessed that this was Paimon''s family, mainly because he saw the impostor Third Young Master moving about and giving orders.


    While he was lost in thoughts, Hiro felt a tug in his heart and heard a faint sound calling out for him.


    To be precise, the voice was calling out to the Planeswalker, his supposed alter ego.


    Hiro realized that Asmir''s battle must have entered a critical point, and she was asking him to prepare.


    Of course, Asmir wouldn''t banish herself together with her enemies. If she didn''t know about Hiro''s ability to bypass the turbulence of space-time or any and all methods of sealing space, she wouldn''t have pulled such a stunt.


    In return for this favor, she wouldn''t mind forming an alliance of sorts with the Unfathomables, promising to take care of "Hiro" in the future.


    Of course, from her perspective, the deal was with Sitri the demon under her, and not the Unfathomables.


    Hiro told her that he had nine chances to request help from the Unfathomables.


    However, he wouldn''t tell her how many times he had left to request for help, only that it was sufficient to help her tide over this calamity.


    With that in mind, Hiro told her that with the long-distance suppression, he could only be on par with her in strength at most, and only inside an isolated space where the laws of the Demon Realm cannot be utilized.


    This was more than enough for Asmir.


    ¡­


    "Give up, Asmir. Let''s work together to sustain a channel to the Demon Realm, and I promise to return you to my Master in one piece."


    Dawnson''s tone was barely keeping calm at the moment. Even with his underlinings holding Asmir back for the past six days, he couldn''t make heads or tails from the collision of two dimensions.


    The space outside was like a churning twister that couldn''t be seen through no matter how he tried.


    He couldn''t sustain a portal under these circumstances, not all on his own.


    Far away, a host of massive creatures were caught in a chaotic battle. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A massive whale, a massive fox, a massive black tiger, and a massive fish. Looking into the distance, the torn limbs of a demonic imp scattered, and he lay unconscious in the void.


    It was unknown whether he was dead or alive.


    The light surrounding Asmir''s nine tails was dim, and the divine energy on her body fluctuated crazily.


    Although Dawnson didn''t seem to be in bad shape on the outside, only he knew how exhausted his demonic essence was at the moment, conversely affecting his divine energy.


    His subordinates didn''t seem in any better condition either. As things stood, it was only a matter of time before all of them lost all energy.


    In an isolated space like this one, it was impossible to draw demonic essence from the environment, let alone faith energy to replenish themselves.


    They can only spend energy, not the other way around. One unit spent is one unit gone, for good.


    Seeing that Asmir ignored him and continued to fight fiercely, taking on attacks only to retaliate with greater ferocity, Dawnson was incensed.


    "Since she wants to die so badly, finish her in one blow! Laws are useless here, take advantage of her death to tear an opening in the dimension!" Dawnson decided to be ruthless, deciding to abandon his efforts over the past week.


    The moment he stopped communicating with the space, a wave of energy rushed back into his body, the spatial turbulence jolting his internal organs.


    A trickle of purplish-black blood leaked from the corner of his mouth, but his livid expression calmed down.


    His eyes were deep, gloomy, and cold as his aura began to condense.


    "You''re dead," Dawnson said those words lightly, but his killing intent almost solidified around his person.


    This time, Asmir''s body flashed and she retreated decisively. However, Dawnson didn''t seem to care.


    He wanted to say that it was too late to ask for mercy now since the last channel to the Demon Realm was already lost.


    No one could forcefully connect to the realm without paying a heavy price, and he decided to put this price on Asmir''s head.


    Even if he failed, he would simply refine this dimension at his leisure without any distractions, which is faster than waiting for the fusion to be completed.


    However, he didn''t expect Asmir''s voice to echo out, "This seat agrees to your conditions!"


    Dawnson was stunned. What conditions? Didn''t you listen to a word I said? It''s too late now!


    Dawnson was about to speak when something unbelievable happened.


    A portal opened next to Asmir. Dawnson couldn''t believe his eyes, and he began to doubt himself.


    However, a heavy aura exploded out from the portal, accompanied by an unbearable feeling of bloodline suppression.


    "M-master¡­?" Dawnson almost fell to his knees, but he quickly realized that something was amiss.


    This feeling wasn''t right, but he couldn''t put his finger on it. The feeling was there but the essence seemed.. lacking?


    While he was lost in thoughts, a young man wreathed in black hellfire stepped out from the portal, a layer of haze concealing his features.


    No matter how Dawnson tried, he couldn''t see through the mist. However, Dawnson quickly realized that this stranger''s face wasn''t the issue here.


    Rather, what condition was Asmir talking about?

 Chapter 100: Innate Abilities

    Standing by Asmir''s side, Hiro looked no different from an ant with his current body.


    However, it was this ant that drew everyone''s attention, and for no other reason than his ability to open up a portal under such circumstances.


    "You guys are huge," Hiro murmured, looking around with interest. Then, he sized up Asmir in awe. He hadn''t expected her true body to be so massive.


    Last time he recorded the coordinates of this pocket dimension, he didn''t get the chance to meet her true body.


    Of course, he exposed the fact that the Unfathomables can get their hands on any coordinates as long as they visit any space at least once.


    If Asmir wanted to guarantee her secrecy in the future, she had to find a new pocket dimension for herself.


    The black tiger, the fish, and the whale surrounded Asmir and Hiro, but their eyes were locked on the latter.


    "Who are you?" Dawnson asked in a low voice, his tone undoubtedly authoritative, if not threatening. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hiro followed the voice and when he saw the massive humanoid demon shrouded in darkness, he ignored him.


    Hiro looked at Asmir and asked, "Do you need any help? My time is limited."


    Asmir''s eyes flickered as she asked tentatively, "Can you keep that one under control? This seat can act without worries to finish off these lowly things first."


    Hiro raised an eyebrow. "You don''t want me to kill him?"


    Hiro didn''t believe that he could not kill the current Asmir in an isolated environment like this one. Furthermore, if Asmir had the time to chat, it meant that the other party''s strength wasn''t much stronger than her.


    "Killing him isn''t worth the consequence," Asmir responded quickly. "Unless you''re willing to take responsibility and help this seat again in the future."


    Hiro moved his eyes away from Asmir and replied lightly, "It''s not up to me. Rules are rules, and I''m following them."


    Asmir lowered her head and looked at the young man. She didn''t say anything, but she understood that this answer hinted at something.


    For example, Hiro''s quota had yet to expire.


    Of course, there was no such quota to begin with. Hiro only said that to increase his own value, and because he didn''t want to be exhausted to death helping Asmir handle these matters.


    Dawnson''s killing intent flared up again at being ignored, and just as he was about to make a move, Hiro''s figure blurred.


    He left the encirclement of the three Stronghold Lords easily, appearing in front of Dawnson.


    "Little guy¡­" Dawnson wanted to berate Hiro harshly, but his voice was caught in his throat.


    That''s because the hellfire around Hiro boiled up uncontrollably, blooming into a sea of black flames behind his back.


    The upper body of a humanoid silhouette climbed from the sea of black flames, and other than the obscured face which resembled a slate of emptiness, his body seemed like an enlarged version of Hiro''s current body.


    As the silhouette stood straight, tongues of black flames danced about, condensing into an alternate form of the Infinite Sword Matrix.


    At first, Dawnson was shocked by the display, but he quickly realized that this energy didn''t contain a hint of faith energy.


    In a sense, this was pure demonic essence, not divine energy.


    He frowned, wondering if this stranger was holding back on purpose to play a defensive battle.


    As for Hiro, his thoughts were simple.


    During his synchronization state, his energy was nigh infinite. Of course, that doesn''t include faith energy, as the system couldn''t generate faith energy for some reason.


    If he used faith energy, he''d have to draw it from the universe hall.


    To be blunt about it, Hiro''s faith energy was insufficient to contend against these behemoths who had countless demons at their beck and call.


    However, as Dawnson had guessed, Hiro was planning to play the defensive game by spamming his ability to condense energy attacks from his limitless pool of energy.


    A black sword whizzed over, striking at Dawnson''s forehead.


    Dawnson grunted coldly and waved his hand forward, projecting a demonic essence claw.


    Bang!


    The two attacks met in mid-air, canceling out one another as they shattered into motes of demonic essence.


    Hiro waved his hand, and a vortex with great suction force formed in his palm. The force acted on the motes of energy, devouring it whole.


    Hiro clenched his fists, nodding.


    "I almost forgot," Hiro raised his head and looked back, quickly locating the deformed body of the demonic imp, Valdmor.


    He waved his hand, and a rain of black swords descended onto the imp''s body.


    "Impudent!" Dawnson screamed, his voice imbued with great energy. However, the massive silhouette snapped his fingers, causing another shockwave to ripple out.


    This one was also infused with a huge amount of demonic essence, easily overpowering Dawnson''s attack.


    "Are you mad?!" Dawnson''s forehead throbbed from anger, feeling exasperated.


    This person spent demonic essence like water, and he didn''t even bother using demonic energy of lower quality.


    Dawnson didn''t know how much demonic essence this person had in their body, but recovering demonic essence was very difficult, unlike demonic energy.


    In the meantime, the swords descended onto Valdmor''s body, tearing him apart.


    Boom!


    A cloud of demonic energy and demonic essence exploded out, together with a surge of faith energy.


    The spectacle was breathtaking as the different energies intertwined, but it was a short-lived phenomenon.


    All of that energy was sucked away by Hiro from a distance, taking full advantage of his ability''s increased range during the synchronization state.


    Curse you! Curse you! Curse you¡­


    As the energy dissipated, everyone heard a shrill scream. Hiro was more than a little surprised, "This guy was alive?"


    Thinking about it, this imp mastered the laws of illusions, so it didn''t seem too surprising that he could have fooled the perception of everyone else.


    Asmir seemed to have arrived at a similar conclusion, but she didn''t care. Even if he mounted a sneak attack on her, he wouldn''t have been able to harm her.


    Noticing that Hiro had been able to block Dawnson from interfering with her battlefield, she no longer held back.


    Her low voice echoed out, "I''ve been using causality laws for so long, it appears as though you little things have forgotten about this seat''s true power."


    Her white fur glowed with nine shades, the brightest of colors concentrated on her tails as they glowed gray, blue, green, red, gold, transparent, black, white, and purple.


    Furthermore, her pupils turned into multicolored vortices that spun rapidly, quickly expanding and occupying her irises, followed by her eyes.


    As Asmir''s aura spiked up, she disregarded faith energy completely, focusing on the use of her demonic essence and the innate talent of her race.


    "What''s going on?" Asked the massive fish, feeling frightened.


    "Don''t act recklessly!" Dawnson shouted from behind, sounding anxious. "That''s the innate ability of her race, the Nine Arts, but she can''t maintain for long! Stall for time!"


    Hiro was curious, so he looked back to check.


    An innate ability? Hiro mulled over it, because he remembered how Sitri had his own innate abilities in the game.


    Purgatory Domain, Bone Sword, and the Bone Armor. The strength of those abilities was proportional to Sitri''s level, but they were ridiculously overpowered within the same power level.


    He now understood why the summoning token for pure blood Nine-Tailed Demon Fox from the system was so expensive.


    "Can they stall this seat?" Asmir asked with unbridled disdain. Obviously, Dawnson thought too much of his underlinings.


    "You spent your time and resources nurturing them and their respective strongholds for this day, thinking that you''ve provided them with great power," Asmir continued in a harsh tone of ridicule. "Someone on your level ought to know that transparent power is no true power."


    Dawnson had nothing to say. He should have expected Asmir to pull such a move after what she did to Giant.


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    Even now, that fool was crossing the ocean on foot, trying to move his stronghold from the sea to the land.


    Dawnson could have helped him, but he was too disappointed and infuriated with that guy.


    Even with divine energy, he couldn''t handle a projected clone of Asmir''s, not to mention losing his stronghold in the aftermath of the battle.


    Seeing Hiro getting a little distracted, Dawnson''s body blurred as he moved like lightning.


    In a moment, he circumvented Hiro and was racing toward Asmir who was preparing to cast a powerful demonic art.


    "Die!"


    Dawnson stretched his hand and swatted down. From above, the space cracked like glass, a black claw falling from the void.


    "How troublesome," Hiro murmured.


    Just as the claw was about to smash into Asmir''s back, her instincts screamed danger.


    She turned back to look, but she saw nothing.


    Well, there was something.


    An expanse of darkness was this close to engulfing her figure, and this stretch of darkness covered the other half of her pocket dimension.


    "Don''t worry about this guy," Hiro''s voice drifted into her mind. "I can bury him alive with demonic essence if I wanted to."

 Chapter 101: The Vessel

    As he said, Hiro allowed the purgatory domain to descend onto this space, confining Dawnson within.


    Unless he expended a greater volume of demonic essence to break the domain, it was impossible to escape. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Of course, he could use divine energy to try, but said energy was precious¡ªespecially in an isolated space like this one.


    So, Dawnson had no choice but to obediently accept this loss and wait for Asmir to finish off his pets.


    In the darkness of the Purgatory Domain, Dawnson was going mad.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Explosions sounded everywhere as he blasted off with his demonic arts.


    He even reverted to his original body, a massive demon with twelve arms and six black wings, striking randomly at the space around him.


    However, it was useless.


    Dawnson didn''t know this but all energy-based attacks were soundlessly devoured by Hiro''s innate divine power of gluttony, while the force from his physical attacks wasn''t enough to shatter the Purgatory Domain.


    As for divine energy, Dawnson''s faith energy wasn''t sufficient to generate divine energy.


    Not everyone was like Hiro who had an immaterial domain. Hiro''s domain existed between dimensions, and it wouldn''t be blocked by obscure concepts such as distance and time.


    Thinking about it, Hiro started his path to divinity with a greater foundation than most Paranormals.


    The pocket dimension with near-infinite growth potential, the immaterial domain that bypassed space-time, and the various tools provided by the system''s reward mechanism.


    Even in a world without special powers, the existence of his quantum watch and the accompanying artificial intelligence, Ei, was a great cheat in and of itself.


    From a high altitude vantage point, Hiro sat cross-legged with a hand resting on his chin as he watched silently.


    He had to admit that home-field advantages were something scary. If he fought Dawnson within the latter''s stronghold, the situation would have been reversed at the moment.


    Hiro felt regret at the fact that he couldn''t see what''s happening outside the domain to witness the full strength of Asmir, as he was plenty curious about her innate abilities.


    "Should I kill this guy?" Hiro lifted his head and looked over, musing at his options for the moment.


    There wasn''t much to be gained from this guy. Well, he could milk him dry of demonic essence and maybe whatever faith energy he had left.


    Asmir said not to kill him, but she didn''t mention anything about incapacitating him.


    Perhaps she thought that I''d do great if I could stall him at the very least? After making up his mind, Hiro pressed his hand down.


    His five fingers snapped with an audible crack that haunts the ears. Then, the five fingers morphed into five bone swords with a swirling miasma of demonic energy around them.


    In the silent darkness, they stabbed out during a crucial moment of weakness while Dawnson was absorbed in his tirade of madness.


    Pfft! Pfff! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!


    Dawnson felt the five bone swords stabbing into his flesh, wedged into five of his vital organs with great ease.


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    It wasn''t painful at all, actually. However, Dawnson felt uneasy, and one of his hands moved in an attempt to find these swords.


    However, they were so small¡ªlike needles or shards of wooden splinters. He could feel them, but he couldn''t pinpoint their position with great accuracy.


    Just as Dawnson was wondering whether or not to rip out his five organs altogether, Hiro clenched his bloodied fist.


    "Devour," he whispered gently.


    The five fingers buzzed, each transforming into a tiny vortex with an insane suction force acting on the demonic energy, demonic essence, and whatever remnants of faith energy were left inside Dawnson''s body.


    Roar!


    Dawnson immediately felt the change and the sudden pain of having his energy ripped off from his body.


    He grew even more violent, and as he thrashed about, he began shouting nonsense¡ªmerely grasping at straws.


    "What did Asmir promise you?! I''ll double the offer! No, I''ll triple it!


    "Where did you come from?! Do you know who I am? Don''t you know who stands behind me?! This idealistic woman will drag the demon race into oblivion!


    "Whatever promises she made, who can guarantee that she''ll follow through on her words?! Let me tell you, she''s all on her own unless she decides to repent to the Master!


    "Ugh! What are you doing?! Let me go you fucking peasant! Fight me fair and square you coward!


    "I''m unwilling to accept this! I''M UNWILLING!!!"


    ¡­


    Alas, it was futile.


    Hiro pursed his lips. As long as Asmir was on her own, then Hiro would benefit.


    What can he do with a clan of powerful demons of such a long lineage? Rope them all into his pitiful pocket dimension?


    He wanted to build his force in preparation for the war of the New World as soon as possible.


    He didn''t care if he added demons to his banner because he didn''t inherit this world''s prejudice against them.


    Dawnson''s body shriveled up at an alarming rate and the bone swords inside his body turned from pale white to purplish-black with lines of golden script etched over them.


    At this moment, Hiro''s five fingers recovered and his hand seemed brand new.


    Conversely¡ªas Dawnson''s body shrank, the five bone swords increased in size.


    Soon, five slender long swords stabbed out from Dawnson''s humanoid body, like an intricate cross of bone spurs, pinning his body into the void.


    Purple blood dripped from his wounds and fell into the darkness. Dawnson''s lips moved, his voice was hoarse and unrecognizable.


    Looking at the five bone swords that underwent a weird mutation, Hiro kept the sword stabbed into Dawnson''s heart and recalled the other four.


    Looking at the four bone swords disappearing into the darkness, Dawnson''s eyes flickered with helplessness and anger.


    Whenever he tried to muster up a lick of energy, the sword would devour it whole.


    ¡­


    High above, Hiro sat cross-legged and surveyed the mutated bone swords and the lines of inscription on their bodies.


    He wondered if this had anything to do with Dawnson''s bloodline, but he decided that this wasn''t the time to study them.


    After thinking for a moment, Hiro tried to store them in the system inventory.


    [Notice]: Detected Mutated Bone Swords with a unique quality. Their forms had deviated from the original, and so, a sufficient cost of achievement points will be deducted if you wish to store them in the system''s inventory.


    12,000 achievement points will be deducted.


    ¡­


    Hiro looked at the notification. If he did the math, each sword would require 3,000 points.


    Since it was rare to encounter someone on Dawnson''s level, Hiro confirmed the transaction without hesitation.


    The four swords shone with a golden light and disappeared, reappearing inside his inventory space next to the mass enlightenment scroll and two game vouchers.


    "Should I absorb some of his consciousness to strengthen my clone?" Hiro mulled over it for a moment and shook his head.


    It wasn''t worth it.


    He closed his eyes and waited paternity.


    As he waited, Hiro wondered about the situation in the outside world and the current war effort.


    However, no matter how dire the situation was outside, the bottom line remains that as long as Asmir was alive, everything was fine.


    ¡­


    It was a living hell in the stronghold.


    The walls were breached on two fronts and the four armies of the enemies found their way into the stronghold.


    Like locusts, they plundered and killed their way through the various districts one street at a time.


    The black raven, two demon generals, and Paimon''s mother were backed into a corner as they stood before the Demon Tower.


    Surrounded on all sides, the four of them split up to guard the four cardinal directions respectively.


    On the other side, the leaders of the Great Demon families lined up together with the golden eagle, the traitor demon general, and a few other powerful demons.


    It may seem like a standoff at the moment, but the black raven knew that things weren''t looking good.


    "Give up, Crow! Save yourself some time and dignity by coming over to this side as early as possible. Perhaps, the Master will find it in him to forgive you for the sake of your rare bloodline."


    The black raven, now a blazing ball of crimson flames, spread his wings wide and screeched loudly, "Caw! You fucking traitor, shut up!"


    "Why bother? Can''t you see the bigger picture? Asmir can''t survive this crisis no matter how brilliant she is¡­"


    "Is this seat''s name something you can spout from your mouth?" A light voice echoed from the Demon Tower, drawing everyone''s attention.


    At first, they were shocked by the tone, and as they looked over, the black raven couldn''t believe his eyes.


    "Y-you¡­"


    A petite demon girl with long black hair and a pair of purple horns on her forehead walked over from the depths of the Demon Tower.


    The tower suffered many wounds on this day, and she was walking through one of the chasms that marred its structure.


    The black raven remembered this girl as the demonic vessel used to seal the minor realm fragment, but he couldn''t understand what she was doing here.


    Furthermore, that tone¡­ It sounded very much like the tone of Lord Asmir¡­


    The black raven was confused, What''s going on?

 Chapter 102: The Curtain Falls

    As she walked over, her petite stature slowly increased, transforming into a mature woman in seconds.


    Then, her skin split as motes of light sprinkled out, quickly bathing her in a screen of holy energy and obscuring her from the viewers'' eyes.


    It couldn''t be helped¡ªbone spurs jutted from her elbows, shoulder blades, and calves. They tore at her clothes, and if not for the obscuring light, her body would have been unduly exposed.


    "What do you know? This girl''s bloodline makes for a perfect vessel. This seat should thank Dawnson when the chance presents itself," said the woman.


    No, at the moment, she was Asmir, the lord of the stronghold.


    If things went according to Dawnson''s plans, this girl''s body would have been destroyed by the energy from the minor realm fragment back then.


    It''s just that they hadn''t accounted for Hiro''s innate divine ability of gluttony that canceled out the fuse between demonic essence and the energy contained within the fragment.


    By the time Asmir arrived, all she had to do was use her laws of causality to restrain the minor realm fragment with the properties of Hiro''s innate divine ability.


    Although she couldn''t investigate said power because of the system''s concealment features, she could make use of it.


    It took some time, but she later extracted the influence of the minor realm fragment from the girl''s body. Then, although cruel, Asmir refined her body into a vessel for the projected clone.


    This race of demons went extinct precisely because their bloodline made them into perfect power vessels, especially for those who fear death.


    Asmir didn''t fear death, but she didn''t wish to arrive in the nick of time when her stronghold was on the verge of collapse either.


    Between the life of a stranger and her countless years of effort, the choice was simple.


    Thus, Asmir didn''t even bother with worthless threats and empty talks.


    She gently raised a hand and lowered it.


    Buzz!


    Thin threads¡ªmillions of them¡ªcrisscrossed into the void, filling the stronghold''s airspace and alleyways.


    "Not good!"


    It was unknown who shouted, but it didn''t matter. With a flip of Asmir''s palm, the situation took a drastic change.


    As faith energy poured down from the sky and onto the stronghold, divine energy shone brilliantly to reinforce the countless strings.


    All damage done to the stronghold from the start of this long war seemed to fade gradually at an accelerated pace.


    The demon generals and the heads of the Great Demon families found themselves locked onto by a thread each, and this thread connected to the intricate network mapping out the entire stronghold.


    They dashed away, entered temporary subspace, and attacked the threads¡ªit was useless.


    The more damage was restored from the stronghold, the stronger the sense of foreboding each of them felt.


    Asmir watched them scurrying chaotically through the sky with cold indifference.


    Her lowered palm squeezed into a fist, and all of a sudden, the stronghold was robbed of all sound and color.


    Darkness descended, and in the silence, flashes of golden light streaked across in the form of a golden web of threads.


    Muffled explosions resounded in the darkness, accompanied by grunts of pain.


    A while later, the veil of darkness was lifted.


    The black raven, Paimon''s mother, and the other two generals looked around them in a daze.


    The stronghold returned to its state as though the entire war was but an illusion.


    No buildings were damaged, no streets were destroyed¡ªeven the Demon Tower stood tall and erect without a scratch.


    However, a beautiful nebula of blood and purplish-black miasma hung in the skies above the stronghold, a deep stench of blood carried by the wind.


    The hand holding onto the umbrella shook uncontrollably as Paimon''s mother surveyed the area. Then, after taking a deep breath, she left.


    As it turned out, Lord Asmir wasn''t sealed after all, and her clone obtained an independent body capable of independent thoughts. Explore stories at m,v l''e-NovelFire.net


    What a joke, what a joke¡­


    ¡­


    Bzzt!


    A huge portal opened inside Asmir''s library, and her true body walked out. Her white fur was drenched in blood, but it wasn''t her own.


    Hiro walked out from the same portal, followed by an unconscious Dawnson who was impaled on the bone sword. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The moment the portal closed, Hiro canceled off the synchronization while switching up the cosmetics on his body.


    Noticing the sharp decline in the aura, Asmir turned to look. With a thud, Hiro fell to both knees, propping himself up with both hands while gasping.


    Asmir frowned. It seemed like this method of projecting power onto another''s body had a detrimental effect on Hiro''s body.


    However, when she thought about it, this also made sense. After thinking for a moment, her nine tails swished over, a wave of energy carried the incapacitated Dawnson as their figures disappeared.


    She didn''t say anything to Hiro, leaving him behind to rest.


    After Asmir left, Hiro relaxed his body and went to lie down on the floor, his limbs spread eagle, and his eyes staring upward.


    A few minutes later, Hiro closed his eyes and his consciousness drifted. Since he was expected to rest, he would do just that.


    ¡­


    Simulation Space, Draconia.


    The moment Hiro opened his eyes, what greeted him was a horde of monsters trampling over the residents of a small town.


    Hiro''s character, Diego, was overseeing the brutal display while standing on a high hill in the distance.


    He wasn''t alone, though.


    The current vice-leader of his guild¡ªa third-rate guild¡ªstood in front of him.


    A host of guild members were with them, and all of them watched the onslaught silently while waiting for their orders.


    "Should we make our move now? I can''t bear to watch this massacre unfold," one of the guild members said, his knuckles turning white.


    "It''s useless even if we go now," Hiro immediately rejected the idea. "The second-rate guilds are on their way, and dealing with the monsters is their mission. Our mission is to evacuate the people when the fighting is in full swing, not to attack prematurely and serve as worthless sacrifices."


    "Is your heart made of stone, Diego?!" Shouted that guild member, about to draw his sword and attack right there and then.


    Hiro didn''t even bother looking at him.


    Was his heart made of stone? Possibly.


    His objective in this game was to overthrow the human rule, anyway. Furthermore, he understood that this was all but a simulated fantasy.


    He couldn''t be bothered with growing attached to these people anymore.


    It was difficult at first, but his heart was slowly growing numb. No matter how realistic these people, creatures, and worlds were. At the end of the day, they were just a fantasy.


    At times, Hiro wondered if his entire transmigration was also a deeper fantasy orchestrated by the system.


    However, those thoughts wouldn''t get him anywhere, so Hiro didn''t bother with them.


    As things stood, it wouldn''t take long before Asmir helped him establish his footing in the Demon Realm, even if it was the empty position of a Stronghold Lord under her name.


    Hiro wanted to swim in his thoughts for a moment when he felt a shift in the air currents around his body.


    Before he could react, he felt a fist smashing into his left cheek, snapping him from his daze.


    Bang!


    A muffled sound of air exploding rang out as Hiro was launched back from the punch, his body crashing into a huge boulder to the side.


    Hiro shook his head, feeling as though he could see stars. Then, he spat out a mouthful of saliva mixed in blood, slowly extracting himself from the blunder.


    Crack! Crack!


    Hiro shook his shoulders and snapped his neck back in place, then moved his hand to fix his dislocated jaw.


    "Ugh," Hiro groaned, opened and closed his mouth, then sighed in relief. "That hurt a little, I saw my life flashing through my eyes for a moment back there."


    Seeing the man about to lose his mind, the vice-leader extended a hand and spoke in an authoritative voice, "Enough! Diego is looking after the bigger picture, that''s all! You don''t need to feel so agitated."


    Hiro understood the vice leader''s intentions and didn''t mind playing the devil''s advocate in this situation.


    He said while stretching, "You can jump into the fray now, save maybe a dozen more people before you die. Then, hundreds more will die in the chaos of the great battle that will follow¡­ Or, let them go through this tribulation of life or death on their own, and focus on your mission.


    Their lives aren''t your responsibility, your life is, and our lives are the vice-leader''s responsibility. You can act bravely but not rashly, you can act willfully but not irresponsibly, you can sacrifice yourself for your cause but don''t drag your friends and family with you. That''s just selfish."


    After he finished talking, Hiro touched his lower jaw and smiled. "Mhm, my mouth isn''t broken after all. I don''t like being long-winded, but I had to make sure I haven''t lost out much from that punch, comrade."


    The vice-leader nodded approvingly after hearing what Hiro had to say. This way, no one will blame him or call him cold-hearted for not helping.


    He decided to promote Hiro to become his right-hand man in the future. Such talent would be wasted in the lower-ranked squadrons of the guild.

 Chapter 103: Three Years

    Although Hiro'' explanation sounded reasonable, everyone had a streak of irrationality in them, espionage when it came to matters of life and death.


    Thus, while the vice-leader decided to call it a day, some of the guild members who agreed with the other members started exhibiting signs of hesitation.


    The vice-leader frowned, while Hiro received a notification of two choices.


    Choice 1: Disregard your mission profile and descend the hill, achieving great merits to draw the attention of stronger guilds.


    Choice 2: Keep to your rational train of thought and dissuade as many members as possible from committing to the suicidal operation, which will result in unpredictable consequences as your reputation suffers.


    You have 5 seconds to decide¡­


    ¡­


    The world around Hiro turned gray and slow and a countdown timer appeared in front of him.


    After looking at the options, he seamlessly selected the second option, and time resumed naturally.


    After he selected the option, the vice-leader looked his way and said, "Diego''s analysis is sound, and I won''t risk the lives of my comrades for strangers. The association sent evacuation notices to these people seven days early." Discover exclusive tales on m,v l''e-NovelFire.net


    His meaning was clear. Since they had been warned, they could only blame themselves for being obstinate.


    Nonetheless, some people have a stroke of heroism in their blood, and they wouldn''t sit back and watch as people of their race fell victim to beasts.


    After a heated discussion, they split into two groups. The first group would stay and wait for reinforcements while the other group would descend the hill to help the townsfolk.


    The second group would sign their names on a parchment that would relieve the vice-leader, and in extension, the guild itself from any and all responsibility for their casualties or even deaths.


    This was of course proposed by Hiro and approved by the vice-leader.


    And, just as Hiro expected, a few "hot-blooded" guild members cooled down after this parchment came out, and they defected to the first group.


    Where there was a first, a second would follow. Thus, only four people remained in the group from the original eleven.


    The vice leader nodded approvingly. If eleven out of twenty-five members split from the team, he''d find it difficult to explain himself even if he had the written agreement in hand.


    What kind of a team leader couldn''t control half of his team? However, Hiro''s move was a stroke of genius.


    Now that they would have to pay for the repair cost, equipment fees, and possibly treatment fees for potential wounds from their personal savings, the net profit no longer covered the costs.


    Who was so selfless nowadays? That was an absolute joke.


    Do they want riches and fame all at once? Pure fantasy.


    Of course, these people who pulled out at the last minute felt ashamed of themselves, and what was a better outlet for their hatred other than Hiro?


    Thus, Hiro gained himself a solid haters fan club with eleven registered members off the bat.


    The vice-leader stored the four agreements in his storage pouch, patted it lightly, and cleared his throat.


    "You mean leave now," he said in a solemn tone. "I hope you don''t regret the decisions you made today, and I pray for your safe return. This cold world needs more people like you."


    Although his tone was awe-inspiring, everyone else knew that it was just a show of hands.


    The vice-leader had a reputation to maintain, after all. Furthermore, no one can read minds and record whatever goes on inside them, so who can tell if it''s sincere or not?


    When these words reach the public ear, no one would question them. In fact, they would even commend his rational and strategic thinking, coupled with his magnanimity.


    With the written agreements in hand, he had solid evidence that he didn''t push anyone against their will on this suicidal mission.


    After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Hiro seamlessly moved to stand one step behind the vice-leader, fitting into the role of a "lackey".


    The vice-leader crossed his arms on his chest and didn''t say anything.


    The twenty-five-man team was now a twenty-one-man team, excluding the vice-leader.


    This lineup was enough to complete the mission.


    After thinking about it, the other team members realized that their share of the profits would now increase since the number of profiteers decreased.


    So, the group soon forgot about the distasteful episode and focused on preparing their equipment, magical enchantments, armor, and weapons.


    The vice-leader and Hiro stood on the edge of the hill and watched silently as the beasts wreaked havoc.


    The vice-leader glanced at Hiro''s expression from the corner of his eyes, and his heart trembled a little.


    Hiro''s eyes were dull and bored, as though he wasn''t watching an ongoing massacre but a drama play, a deathly boring one at that.


    Clearly, he wasn''t the type to lose sleep after sacrificing the lives of tens or even hundreds of his brethren.


    For a moment, he began to hesitate if he should keep such a cold-blooded person by his side.


    ¡­


    Time passed.


    After that one mission, Hiro secured himself a footing in the third-rate guild, but his reputation wasn''t that good.


    Not many among his comrades and leaders looked for him for cooperation or missions, which delayed his progress of collecting materials for the necessary awakening potions.


    That changed when the first person approached him for a black deal under the table.


    Since Hiro gave off the nihilistic, cold-blooded feeling, many had thought about using him for underhanded deals.


    For example, dark organizations, fallen nobility, and even terrorists from rivaling nations and dark guilds.


    Hiro didn''t care about anything else as long as he got paid. Thus, he slowly transitioned into becoming a tool to execute shady business.


    Although there wasn''t any evidence of his activities, those in the know weren''t stupid.


    When the pressure on the higher-ups of the third-rate guild grew too much, they decided to kick him out from the guild.


    They''d have killed him if he wasn''t backed by a mysterious and powerful character who needed Hiro''s service.


    As for Hiro, he developed the habit of not completing the current mission unless he received a new mission from a different backer of equal or higher status than his current employer.


    This way, he could preserve his life while dancing on the edge of this dangerous blade.


    Like this, he plundered, killed, massacred, burned, kidnapped, infiltrated, sabotaged, rescued, protected, groomed, lectured, and took part in many jobs of the trade.


    Hiro had no idea how many enemies or allies he created in these short few months of playing Draconia, but whenever he wasn''t playing the game, he would request Asmir for demonic cores for his personal training.


    Time passed like this and in the blink of an eye, three years passed in the real world.


    In the aftermath of such a destructive war of unprecedented casualties; four Stronghold Lords and millions of demons¡ªa great shuffling of power followed.


    Asmir spent a lot of time on legislative and reformation policies, preaching her future vision of the demon world to her new territory.


    Waves of demons were sent out to clear the lands surrounding the four strongholds to allow for safe trade routes between the five strongholds, Asmir''s territory included.


    Hiro didn''t know much about the outside world in these three years, but ten times that time had passed in the game world.


    During these thirty years, Diego''s bloodline awakening had reached a critical point, and he started to grasp the feeling of a certain calling.


    At this moment, he awakened his affinity to space, and this affinity brought him the feeling that a certain hidden space was awaiting his arrival.


    If Hiro speculated correctly, it was supposed to be the realm where the descendants of the mythical creatures hid and waited for an opportunity to strike back at the traitorous magical beasts.


    It would be the start of a new chapter in the plot, ignited by the return of the sacred beasts.


    Well, their descendants at the very least.


    However, Hiro wasn''t in a rush.


    Since he understood the progression of the plot, he decided to build up a shell guild where he could seamlessly integrate the descendants of the sacred beasts without drawing the attention of humans.


    It wasn''t any different from money laundering schemes in the human world.


    Furthermore, he was currently strong enough to conceal his traces from past enemies and employers, especially those with deep and dark secrets.


    Every day was an exciting dance with death in the shadows. Hiro enjoyed this style of life very much.


    Honestly, Hiro felt confused about his identity at certain times.


    Was he a beast in human skin? Was he a human in beast skin?


    Both are correct while both are wrong.


    This philosophical question unnerved Hiro on many occasions, but he didn''t care.


    ¡­


    In the dimly lit library, Hiro opened his eyes and stood up to stretch his body.


    After a sound round of stretching, he checked his current status.


    Name: Hiro.


    Race: Demon.


    Bloodline: N/A.


    Level: 61. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    XP: 98%


    Divine Abilities: Infinite Sword Matrix, Nine Clones Secret Technique, Divine Perception, Guide to Mortal Combat, Martial Instinct¡­


    AP: 18,000,000.


    Gems: 9.


    Skills: Immersive Reading, Professional Calligraphy, Analytical Mind, Professional Combat, Professional Soccer, Espionage IV, Telepathy.


    Inventory: Mutated Bone Sword (4), Lvl. 1 Mass Enlightenment Scroll, Game Voucher (2).

 Chapter 104: Lord Sitri

    It goes without saying that Hiro discovered another limitation on his achievement points after he started saving up.


    If his source of points was faith energy, there was a hard restriction that he could only harvest 500,000 points per month, while the rest was attributed to the river of faith energy directly.


    Nonetheless, stocking up on 18 million points in three years was good enough for him. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He hadn''t expected a completed game would take so much of his time, and he would only enter the final phase of the game after three decades of hard grinding.


    Hiro brought up his hand.


    The reward for completing the game, Return of the Demon Ancestor, appeared in his hand.


    "Should I use this now or wait for a while?"


    Honestly speaking, after living in the Demon Realm for three years and his frequent contact with Asmir, Hiro didn''t have any inhibitions against coexisting with demons.


    In the past, he couldn''t bring himself to separate an area of his pocket dimension for demonic energy and demons, mainly because he didn''t want to explain himself to the prospective members of the Unfathomables.


    However, after witnessing how Asmir carried herself as a lord, Hiro understood that he didn''t need to explain himself at all.


    It was his dimension and his territory, so he didn''t need to give way to anyone.


    ¡­


    Human world, Nexus Country.


    Under Arabella''s lead, Sciatis Holdings Limited took full advantage of the virtual reality game, Seeker''s Legend.


    Following the schedule and after the VR Helmet technology was reverse-engineered to 80%, the company released the Demon Ancestor open beta on the Western Hemisphere servers and the closed beta on the Eastern Hemisphere servers.


    With the connections from Nebula Electronics and the trade routes from Wind Blessed, the promotions for the expansion pack and the prospect of regional servers were hyped to the extreme.


    These must have been the busiest three years of Arabella''s short life, and only she knew how many assassination attempts she survived.


    With Juvia helping her from behind the scenes in the last year, many governmental policies were issued in succession to smooth out Arabella''s operations in the capital.


    Yes, Juvia was now in a leadership position in the capital, and although her position was low in the grand scheme of things, she had amassed many favors from higher-ranking leaders.


    It was easy to accomplish after she "accidentally" revealed her identity as a Paranormal to a leader who was on good terms with her.


    Intelligent, beautiful, and endowed with supernatural powers¡ªthe government couldn''t turn down someone with such prospects.


    Although Juvia lost most of her ordinary connections due to high-security protocol measures, she was still capable of helping Arabella.


    Furthermore, the two weren''t worried about getting caught because their scheme spanned the entire gaming industry.


    It was without a doubt that the S-gear technology pushed for the development of gaming platforms, and when Juvia expressed her stance to support the gaming platform as a whole¡ªespecially with the time dilation breakthrough as the core of her argument¡ªno one would think that she''s deliberately helping the Sciatis Holdings Limited.


    Moreover, their investigations revealed that the owner of the company wasn''t even present at his own company, and he contacted his employees through a secure cloud network.


    After the cooperation between the company and the Committee of Commerce was terminated, Ei hacked into their systems and deleted all data related to Hiro''s true identity, together with hundreds of classified documents.


    The least of everyone''s worries was the lost data¡ªthey were more concerned about the hacker''s ability to get past their advanced firewalls and thrash their servers.


    All in all, many factors played a key role in the expansion of Hiro''s company, and the most clear of them all was the impending war of dimensions.


    ¡­


    "Battle Priestess Berlin," a soft voice called out from nowhere in particular. "Have you let go of your obsessions?"


    Bathed in divine energy, Berlin slowly opened her eyes. Seated on a high platform with numerous statues of benevolent, merciful entities, a tight frown adorned her face.


    An indistinct silhouette appeared in her mind, but it was fuzzy and unclear.


    "I''m not obsessed," Berlin spoke with seven parts doubt and three parts conviction. "I remember clearly¡ªsomeone helped me on that day, and I''m sure they''re somehow connected to the Babylon incident!"


    "Enough!" the voice resounded, and this time, it exhibited a sense of grandiose and profound majesty.


    "If you persist in your ways even after meditation on the sacred platform for an entire year, you leave me no choice but to crucify you and let you experience eighty-one days of purification in divine flames."


    Berlin shuddered, and she bit her bottom lip as a searing headache wrenched her thoughts.


    After so much time had passed and there wasn''t a sign of Babylon''s presence, the Holy Church and the Government were losing patience.


    They believed that at most, that person was just passing by or he didn''t exist to begin with.


    One had to know that the information network of the Holy Church covered the entire Western and Eastern Hemispheres, especially after the so-called unification of religions.


    It was an unprecedented alliance of powers that gathered countless schools of thought in one place.


    "We''ve allowed you to investigate the Rosch family and their activities in the past three decades, and we overlooked it when you touched some of their bottom lines.


    "Although the Rosch is just one Paranormal family, how many families are there in the capital and the Nexus Country, let alone the entire Western Hemisphere?


    "Trust me, some people are more anxious to find Babylon and the so-called Unfathomables than we are."


    Sigh¡­


    Berlin lowered her head, clenching her fists till her knuckles turned white.


    "We will send you to overlook some of our branches overseas, make sure the evacuation of our devoted believers is done smoothly. This world will soon experience a huge change, and Tier-4 powerhouses will no longer be restricted from taking action.


    "We''ve come to an understanding with Master Osmond, and we will leave the capital to him. Whatever happens here, it''s between him and the government, so our presence here is redundant.


    "Little girl, some things can no longer be kept a secret from the public''s eyes, and during these times of unrest, it''s our duty as the Lords'' representatives to bring light and salvation to the lost. If you''re confused, how can you guide others?


    "If you don''t wake up from your confused state of mind in one week, you leave me no other choice¡­"


    The voice faded, and the divine energy disappeared.


    Soon, the room descended into darkness.


    Bang!


    In the darkness, the sound of heavy punches and cracking stones echoed out.


    ¡­


    Demon Realm. Find your next read on m_v l|e-NovelFire.net


    Hiro, disguised as Sitri with his cosmetics, arrived at the throne room where the high staircase bathed in divine light was situated.


    He looked up, sensing the great power from above.


    "Your progress has surprised this seat," Asmir''s voice descended, calm and soothing.


    Hiro smiled faintly and tucked his hands away into the pockets of his pants.


    "It''s nothing," Hiro responded lightly, sounding very humble. "I''ll be departing to my stronghold later today, but I was wondering if you had any instructions in mind for me."


    "This seat has a few things to tell you, now that you''ve mentioned it," Asmir didn''t know why Hiro waited for three years before taking the post as a Stronghold Lord, but she contributed it to his lacking strength.


    Now that he was a Tier-4 powerhouse, he was indeed qualified to oversee a stronghold.


    "This seat is strong enough to overlook the little schemes of my subjects, but you''re different. Hence, you should exhibit caution when selecting your generals and trusted advisors in your new stronghold.


    "Another matter, if you feel like expanding your influence with conquests in the future, it''s fine as long as you don''t encroach upon this seat''s territory. You can expand in the direction of the sea.


    "Further, the Giant Demon should be approaching the black coastline in a few months, and he will surely try to settle down his floating stronghold on land. A conflict between you two is inevitable.


    "Once you leave my stronghold, we can cooperate on some matters, but don''t expect this seat to involve myself in all your problems.


    "Finally, the human world will soon evolve into a realm like our Demon Realm, and a war between our Ancestors and their Deities is inevitable. To prepare for the war, the Ancestors are sure to prepare many vassals of faith energy, and letters of conscription might arrive at any time. If you know what''s good for you, don''t go against the edict of the Ancestors.


    "This shall be all, you may leave now."


    Asmir didn''t wait for Hiro to ask any questions, waving her hand from within the divine light.


    Hiro felt the space around him twisting and the next moment, he was in the sky above and beyond the stronghold.


    He could see the Demon Tower in the distance, and he blinked in confusion.


    She seemed rather, impatient. Hiro felt both confused and amused. To think that he was disposed of just like that after everything he did for her.


    Sigh¡­ The life of a subject is so tiresome.

 Chapter 105: Hiro’s Stronghold

    Hiro chuckled, shaking his head and turning around in the direction of the former Valdmor Stronghold.


    With a thought, he synchronized with the Arcana Lord and teleported over.


    After the great reformation in the wake of the war, its name was due to change.


    However, the residents of the Demon Tower were waiting for their new lord to bestow the stronghold with a new name.


    After arriving above the stronghold that was comparable to the size of a large city from his previous life, Hiro didn''t waste time and immediately arrived at the Demon Tower''s base.


    There weren''t any restrictions to speak of, so Hiro followed Asmir''s advice and arrived at the core of the stronghold situated under the Demon Tower.


    "Is this a law fragment? It looks no different from the fragments I obtain through completing free games," Hiro made this discovery upon entering a silent, empty room.


    It was empty of living presences, of course.


    "Hm, it feels much weaker up close," Hiro commented after climbing the high platform.


    After thinking about it, he figured that it also made sense because the fragments he obtained contained partially completed laws while this one was similar to a token of authority.


    It didn''t enlighten the owner of the illusion law, it only granted them the ability to manipulate the perception of falsehood inside the Demon Realm.


    This made Hiro wonder if these law fragments were mere projections of the real ones. If so, it''s impossible to destroy them, no matter what happened to the stronghold itself.


    With that thought in mind, Hiro brought out the World Mirror and used it as a medium to increase his affinity for illusions.


    With the mirror in hand, he poured his demonic essence into the artifact before channeling it over toward the law fragment.


    ¡­


    The moment Hiro started resonating with the law fragment, the entire stronghold felt a tremor from the Demon Tower, and a shockwave spread to every district, stopping only when the shockwaves reached the great walls.


    Of course, these walls were redundant without any protective barriers, serving as no more than symbolic constructs of energy.


    Tens of millions of ordinary demons looked up to the sky, wondering who their new lord was and what he looked like.


    Soon, their questions were answered as the silhouette of a young man with curved red horns, blazing crimson eyes, and a coat of hellfire appeared in the sky.


    He was cradling the law fragment in his hands and looking down, through from the perspective of the demons, he was looking down on them.


    "In my name as Demon Lord Sitri, I name you Babylon," his voice resounded in the skies of the stronghold like thunder.


    Sitri!


    Babylon!


    Every demon, animal, and beast in the stronghold heard the two names in their minds, loud and clear.


    The moment Hiro''s silhouette disappeared, he heard a soft bell chime in his head as a notification popped up.


    [Notice: Acquired new property; the Babylon Stronghold.]


    [Notice: Hidden achievement, "A Crowned King", has been unlocked. Continue reading at m|v-l''e -NovelFire.net


    Reward: 30 gems.]


    ¡­


    Surprised, Hrio brought out the system''s panel and browsed his different properties.


    Myriad Evils Club, Sciatis Holdings Limited, Luxurious Mansion, Unfathomable Domain (pocket dimension and immaterial domain included), Babylon Stronghold.


    ¡­


    Hiro didn''t care for anything else, but he brought up the menu for the stronghold.


    Rows of data appeared in front of him. The information included the current level of the defensive barrier, which was null due to the lack of a barrier; it included the approximate population of around 48 million residents; it separated ordinary demons, noble blood demons, and great demons into three categories.


    There was also a shop that provided tools such as defensive and offensive barriers. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hiro browsed the shop for the defensive barriers and discovered that the levels of the barriers corresponded to the levels of magical treasures and skills.


    However, the barriers started from Level 3, the equivalent of Tier-7 Paranormals.


    Level 3 Barrier, 10,000 points¡­


    Level 4 Barrier, 100,000 points¡­


    Level 5 Barrier, 1,000,000 points¡­


    Level 6 Barrier, 10,000,000 points¡­


    Level 7 Barrier, 100,000,000 points¡­


    Level 8 Barrier, 1,000,000,000 points¡­


    Level 9 Barrier, 10,000,000,000 points¡­


    ¡­


    Looking at the long string of zeros behind the maximum level barrier, Hiro thought back to his Nine Clones Secret Technique.


    He realized that his ninth clone would also cost him ten billion achievement points.


    Hiro began to sweat; where would he get so many points from?


    "I planned to spend 14 million points on the mass enlightenment scroll¡­" Hiro felt pained.


    The scroll could easily cover the stronghold''s 14,000 square kilometers of landscape, and he would then be able to influence all the infants of the new generation into becoming his loyal followers.


    Looking at the pitiful loyalty measure of 2% on the system''s panel, Hiro wondered if she forego the barrier and obtain the hearts of the people.


    After thinking about the system''s concealment function, Hiro decided to bite the bullet and erect the barrier.


    Even if it couldn''t block overpowered opponents, it was never a bad choice to maintain secrecy and provide a modicum of protection to his people.


    With that in mind, Hiro decisively spent 10 million achievement points on the Level 6 barrier, which was the equivalent of a Tier-4 Paranormal in terms of sturdiness.


    Buzz!


    The stronghold shook abruptly. From the Demon Tower, streaks of intricate lines raced on the ground, the buildings, and the sky.


    The pure demonic essence churned out like a great flood, and with a thought, Hiro grasped the vague feeling that the river of faith energy in the universe hall was roiling.


    Without much thought, Hiro understood that the system was siphoning some of his faith energy to imbue the barrier with divine energy.


    He felt like he was cheated, especially since he already paid 10 million points.


    While waiting for the barrier to be erected, Hiro summoned the system interface and decided to try his luck at the lottery box.


    A colorful cube with mysterious question marks appeared, and without much thought, Hiro selected the 30 gems lottery draw.


    The cube spun crazily, and a burst of colorful lights visible only to Hiro exploded as ten balls of light appeared.


    Then, all of them exploded.


    Other than the numerous compensation prizes of achievement points, Hiro got his hands on two 80% discount vouchers.


    Hiro felt like vomiting blood in anger. If he knew this would happen, he wouldn''t have purchased the barrier at a cost of 10 million points.


    With the discount, he could have bought it for no more than 2 million points instead.


    While feeling sour, Hiro remembered Asmir''s advice for the positions of his generals.


    Taking that into consideration, he had an idea of where to use his discount vouchers.


    Hiro silently opened the servants'' menu from the shop and filtered in his requirements for demons with high bloodline purity.


    The higher, the better.


    After Hiro witnessed the disparity between demons like Asmir and Dawnson when compared to other Stronghold Lords, Hiro was no longer satisfied with summoning tokens that cost 10,000 points.


    He felt like those servants wouldn''t cut it in the long run.


    Hiro spent a long time browsing through the catalog of demons before he finally settled down on four candidates to become his demon generals.


    Each of their summoning tokens costs 4 million achievement points, making for a total of 8 million achievement points for the four summoning tokens.


    With the voucher, Hiro spent 1.6 million points and bought all four tokens, immediately transferring them to his inventory before he checked his current balance.


    Achievement Points: 6,413,800.


    The odd 13,800 points were Hiro''s compensation from the lucky draw, so he didn''t give them much thought.


    After thinking for a while, Hiro purchased a Level 5 barrier enhancement from the stronghold''s menu, which was used on the infrastructure of the stronghold.


    The entire stronghold went dark for fifteen minutes before the barrier flashed, and everyone recovered from their stupor.


    For a moment, the demons felt like they were trapped in a sandbox toy house, and an all-mighty God was looking down on them, playfully manipulating their reality.


    When they snapped back to their senses, they discovered that the dilapidated buildings and poor residential zones, slum areas, and damaged structures were fixed.


    It felt like a dream and a miracle at the same time.


    After they snapped out from their daze, the demons who were left homeless in the wake of the war hurriedly rushed back to their former houses, only to find them as sturdy if not more than they remembered them to be.


    Many of the demons dropped on their knees while those who weren''t bipedal in nature or couldn''t transform lay prone on their flat bellies, exhibiting signs of obedience.


    Although they didn''t speak, some of them were already generating faith energy, which the system gladly accepted on Hiro''s behalf.


    A blinking notification caught Hiro''s eyes as he looked over, realizing that the loyalty measure had risen to 12% in the blink of an eye.


    This indicated that over 10% of the current population had Hiro in their hearts at the moment, which wasn''t a bad start.


    Hiro nodded, but his attention quickly shifted to the four summoning tokens, a wide expectant smile on his face.

 Chapter 106: Returning to the Human World

    Hiro didn''t care for the commotion caused by the sudden repair of the stronghold''s damaged and dilapidated districts.


    With the barrier in place, no one can pry into his secrets from the outside even if they wanted to.


    The same was true for the Demon Tower, as Hiro was certain that the Great Demon families of this stronghold must have left backup plans.


    Taking advantage of his presence in the core of the Demon Tower and the fact that the space had yet to be sealed by the power of laws, Hiro summoned the newly obtained summoning tokens.


    He used his demonic energy to draw four summoning magic circles on the ground and placed the four tokens in the centers of each formation, respectively.


    The first token had the words "Shadow King" inscribed on its surface.


    The second token had the words "Monkey King" inscribed on its surface.


    The third token had the words "Lord Aza''zel" inscribed on its surface.


    The fourth token had the word "Lord Hades" inscribed on its surface.


    All four of them had bloodlines just a little shy of reaching the level of ancestral bloodlines, their purity comparable if not a notch superior to Asmir''s Nine-Tails Fox bloodline.


    After putting the tokens in place, Hiro visited the shop once again to buy the suitable skills he wished to impart to each of the four generals.


    He decided to invest 50,400 points in total on each skill, elevating them to Level 6 directly.


    The espionage skill was already at Level 4, so he only needed to spend 38,400 points to get it to Level 6.


    In total, Hiro needed to invest about 190,000 points on four demon generals who would ultimately start off as Tier-9 Paranormals.


    In the short term, this would undoubtedly be a loss. However, in the long term, the fruits of this investment would definitely make up for the losses a thousand times over.


    With that in mind, Hiro purchased {Art of War VI}, {Art of Deception VI}, and {Art of Torture VI}.


    The first was for the Monkey King, the second was for Lord Aza''zel, and the last one was for Hades.


    As for the Shadow King, Hiro simply upgraded the {Espionage IV} by two levels and prepared it for the demon.


    Like that, Hiro waited patiently while bearing with the pain of spending 190,000 achievement points.


    Soon, Hiro realized that the summoning process was taking much longer than expected, so he sat down and closed his eyes. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After setting up the system to notify him once the summoning ritual was completed, he entered the {Simulation Space} and continued on his quest to clear Draconia.


    ¡­


    Two weeks in real time passed quickly, and only then was Hiro notified of the successful summoning.


    His eyes slowly opened, moving to the four black portals surrounded by four magic circles.


    Soon, four figures stepped out.


    The Shadow Lord was a woman, the other three were men.


    The Monkey King had a masculine build, buffed muscles, and a brown beard. Hiro expected as much, but he was still a little dazed by the disproportionately large arms.


    The Shadow Lord was a tall, scantily clad woman. Her outfit was an assortment of black metallic gear, rounding up her chest and shoulders, and other sensitive areas.


    Once she passed through the portal, black mist diffused from the metallic gear, shrouding her body like a cloud of smoke.


    Lord Aza''zel looked like a refined young man, but his eyes were concealed behind a blindfold with intricate drawings of red and white roses intertwined.


    Finally, Hades was bare-chested, wearing tattered white pants, and long steaming chains wrapped his forearms and dragged behind him on the ground.


    The clanging noise was jarring, to say the least.


    Hiro followed the standard procedures and transferred the four skills respectively, and then he proceeded to enlist them as his generals in the stronghold.


    After waiting for so long, Hiro wasn''t even interested in checking their stats, innate divine abilities, or current levels.


    "Familiarize yourselves with what you need to do after you enter the Demon Tower," Hiro waved his hand. Four tokens that carried his aura appeared, landing in front of the four generals.


    Hiro added, "With your talents, it''s not difficult for you to increase your strength with the tower''s resources. I have something else to do."


    The four generals snapped out of their daze pretty quickly. Bowing in unison, they expressed their understanding and stepped out immediately.


    A gust of wind blew past Hiro''s face, and he was more than a little shocked by how fast they moved.


    Such speed wasn''t something a Tier-9 Paranormal was capable of executing, much less those who had yet to start training.


    For a moment, Hiro felt comforted about the long wait and the spent achievement points.


    Shaking his head, Hiro also stepped out and disappeared, and once the special space was vacated, the law fragment shook slightly.


    Then, the space disappeared as though it had never existed, and it wouldn''t reappear as long as the current Stronghold Lord remained standing.


    ¡­


    When Hiro arrived at the throne room on the uppermost floor of the Demon Tower, he moved past the throne and entered a secure chamber in the back.


    Then, he settled down on a comfortable cushion and waved his hand.


    Buzz!


    The portal to the training space opened, and with a thought, Hiro''s clone stepped out.


    Inside his tower, Hiro wasn''t afraid anyone could spy on him. From outside the stronghold, no one can pry into the barrier no matter what means they try.


    They can only look and observe the happenings on the surface through visual scrutiny, which is as good as useless.


    When his clone stood in front of him, Hiro made a hand seal, and his main consciousness transferred from his current body to the clone.


    The dull look in the clone''s eyes gradually faded away. Soon, Hiro snapped back to his senses.


    In front of him was the demonic version of himself. Indeed, he was very handsome.


    "My five-year plan was cut short, but it can''t be helped¡­ If what Asmir said was true, things must be very chaotic back there."


    Hiro shook his head and started to feel the power in his body. As expected, his Sorcerer was at the peak of Tier-4 standards, which was attributed to many factors.


    For one, there weren''t many Paranormals who actively absorbed the energy from the Unfathomable Domain.


    Another factor was the purity of the energy coupled with the difference in the passage of time. However, the pocket dimension was limited, and until it could expand to become a Minor Realm, it couldn''t give birth to Tier-3 Paranormals no matter what.


    Thus, Hiro was satisfied with his current level of power.


    "Since I have so many points, I''ll stack up on exclusive spells for now," Hiro murmured to himself before he opened the shop and bought spells recklessly.


    He didn''t buy anything less than B-grade spells, but he didn''t go so far as to buy an SS-grade spell either.


    At most, he bought three S-grade spells; an AOE attack, a targeted attack, and a passive protective mantra for the mind.


    Enjoy new stories from mvl


    With the reserves of his current power level, executing one S-grade spell was enough to wring him dry of spirituality.


    After Hiro spent less than three hours digesting the newly gained spells, he planted a mental cue for the clone to silently continue refining demonic essence while drawing the excess faith energy from the stronghold to nurture divine energy.


    He wouldn''t let his clone draw from the main river of faith energy no matter what. If something major happened and someone disrupted the clone''s training, Hiro would be notified immediately.


    When he completed his preparations, Hiro used his ability as the Planeswalker and opened a portal back to his mansion in the Tsukiyomi Lake''s Third Ring.


    ¡­


    Capital City, Hiro''s Mansion.


    It was breaking dawn when Hiro stepped out from the portal and entered his master bedroom.


    Without thinking much, he disrobed from the standard sorcerer outfit that the system had generated for him, burned it to ashes, and strode into his bathing chambers for a comfortable hot bath.


    "Welcome back, Master!"


    Ei''s electronic voice resounded from the ceiling, drawing Hiro''s attention.


    With that reminder, he opened the system space and summoned his quantum watch.


    Obviously, he didn''t need a quantum watch in the Demon Realm, so he almost forgot about it.


    The watch vibrated vigorously once it was on Hiro''s wrist, making him wonder if an advanced artificial intelligence had feelings.


    "Do you have feelings now?" Hiro asked curiously, then he looked up toward the ceiling in search for speakers.


    "I''m the main processing unit for the S-gear technology, Master! I''ve come into contact with all kinds of humans through the virtual world, improving myself in the process!"


    Hiro understood. So, Ei was learning how to better interact with people through the countless simulations in the game.


    "That reminds me, did the expansion pack start yet?" Hiro recalled the current progress of the Seeker''s Legend.


    Although he was very busy, it wasn''t to the point where he didn''t check on his subordinates for the last three years.


    He wondered if he should join the fun in Seeker''s Legend during his free time.


    [End of Volume 2: Living Among Demons]

 Chapter 1 - 1: Inheritor

    "Please sign your name here. I''m sorry, but we can''t keep you in our orphanage anymore; you''re already sixteen years old, above the legal age for protective custody."


    Hiro blinked his eyes, a little confused to find himself in a closed office, seated across a mature beauty in a custom nun outfit.


    She looked too holy to spout such words, but that was the least of Hiro''s concerns at the moment.


    Who am I?!


    Where am I?!


    What custody and what orphanage?!


    Hiro frantically looked around and at himself, only to be disgusted by the discovery.


    He was a sweaty, fat young boy with a round belly, thick fingers, and lips that seemed just as thick.


    For a moment, he wondered what was the purpose of having such a big ass mirror in a small office like this one, but this didn''t distract him from the horrors of his current appearance.


    The only saving grace was the long crimson hair and royal blue eyes, which were honestly quite badass, reminiscent of his OP mage character in his favorite MMORPG games.


    Why am I thinking about games right now?! Hiro scolded himself harshly.


    The woman noticed the bewilderment in his eyes and sighed. "I know you must be feeling both reluctant and confused, but I''m helpless¡­"


    She then passed a few documents, the light taping on the table surface drawing Hiro''s attention to her actions as she explained.


    "I need you to sign these documents, then you can get back to your bed and think about your future¡­


    "The first document is the official release from custody papers, the second document is an application for a new name and household name since no one adopted you.


    "The third document is a helping gift from me; it''s an application for you to become a first-year student in Inter-High, a very good boarding school with a dormitory facility. It should be helpful until you get your life together.


    "Keep in mind that this is only a recommendation letter that will allow you access to the library and the dormitory for the following two weeks. Afterward, you need to take the entrance exams, and I shouldn''t have to tell you what would happen if you failed the exams."


    Hiro signed the documents absentmindedly, and when it was time to register a name and a household name, he paused.


    He obviously wrote down Hiro for his first name, but he struggled greatly in choosing a last name.


    After an indeterminate amount of internal struggle, he settled on choosing Sciatis as a last name, for reasons he himself didn''t know.


    Well, if he was being honest, Sciatis was the name of his clan on a role-playing forum in the past.


    Satisfied, the nun helped the dazed Hiro to his bed where he covered himself up, ignored the inquiries from the other children, and closed his eyes to tackle the headache in his mind.


    Just as Hiro realized the peak of confusion, his entire vision went white. Then, millions of colors combusted from center point blank range, stretching and colliding into a beautiful kaleidoscope space.


    The beautiful colors raced past him, making him feel as though he was traveling at faster than light speed, until he entered a magnificent golden hall.


    Many translucent screens floated around in the hall, numbering in the thousands, each screen displaying the life experience of a different Hiro, yet they all seemed the same.


    Some were young, some were old.


    Some were healthy, some were ill.


    Some were handsome, some were horrid.


    Some were rich, some were poor.


    Some were noble, some were peasants. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Some were scholars, some were warlords.


    Some were terrorists, some were kings.


    Most of these experiences were mundane, but a select few were borderline mystical and extraordinary.


    Hiro''s fuzzy consciousness opened up like a ravenous whirlpool, drawing in the fleeting images, slowly transforming into something tangible in the center of the hall.


    In but one moment, Hiro felt an immense identity crisis, experiencing thousands of lifetimes, a flash in the dark, an instant that might as well have been an infinity.


    Boom!


    An explosion swept through the center of the hall, scattering the light to reveal a handsome young man with long crimson hair and royal blue eyes.


    His eyes seemed out of focus, but he quickly got his senses together and found an anchor to his conflicting identities in the name of Hiro.


    Hiro believed that those must have been his experiences from earlier transmigrations, and he must have reached some critical point, allowing him to remember his past heroic deeds in the river of history.


    That must be it!


    Hiro''s eyes blazed with white-hot passion.


    With such conviction in mind, Hiro truly felt that conquering this sudden crisis was very easy.


    Then¡­


    [Notice: Simulation of 10,000 fantasies successful!]


    [Notice: Congratulations, inheritor of the daily life RPG system! Please work hard and don''t waste this precious opportunity!]


    Hiro blinked his eyes.


    Eh? What?¡­ So, I didn''t transmigrate thousands of times after all?


    As an avid gamer in his previous life, Hiro understood the concept of RPG very well.


    He needed no explanation as to what an RPG system was, but a daily life RPG system?


    Hiro quickly calmed down and assessed his situation.


    "I have three days before my application to leave the orphanage is processed," he mumbled, forcing himself to calm down. "I''ll lock myself in my room and experiment with the system under the guise of adjusting my mental state¡­"


    Hiro felt like such a thing was feasible, as the female manager seemed rather kind and considerate.


    It''d be easy to take advantage of her kindness to hide my secret¡­ Erm, this sounds so wrong!


    Hiro shook his head and wondered how to leave this weird space. However, just as the thought crossed his mind, the magnificent hall around him twisted into millions of stacked colors before dissipating like fluorescent lights in the calm night.


    Everything returned to normal.


    ¡­


    As expected, the orphanage manager didn''t bother Hiro when he announced his intentions to shut himself inside his room for three days.


    During these three days, he frequently visited the magnificent hall, or the system space as he called it, to experiment with the features of the system.


    The most noticeable features were the Missions Catalog, the Shop, and the Lottery Box.


    The missions had different priority levels depending on the events, encounters, and decisions Hiro makes in his daily life, and the rewards were just as diverse.


    At the moment, his top priority was to pass the Inter-High entrance exam and join the famous boarding High School.


    The shop was a self-explanatory feature, where Hiro would use Achievement Points (AP) to buy items like in every other RPG game, while the lottery box was just another gacha feature.


    Of course, he couldn''t use AP for the gacha, but he had to use another form of hard currency¡ªgems.


    Other than missions of the highest priority, Hiro had no clue how to collect gems at the moment, so he couldn''t explore the lottery.


    The lottery box thus remained a mystery.


    Hiro left the system space, his attention returning to the real world and the beautiful orphanage manager standing by his side.


    A black sedan slowly rolled over to a stop by the two.


    The beautiful woman handed Hiro an envelope and spoke in a soft tone, "Here is your new ID, bank card, and temporary student ID for Inter-High. From this point on, you''re on your own, and I can only wish you good luck."


    Hiro accepted the envelope into his chubby hands and nodded with a serious, comical expression. His barely perceivable eyes had a sharp glint in them as he turned around and waddled into the black sedan.


    Seeing him act like a serious op on a mission, the manager couldn''t withhold a light chuckle, nor could she conceal her worries as she let out a light sigh.


    "Again," she expressed softly to the moving car. "I truly wish you good luck."

 Chapter 2 - 2: Grinding

    I''d be damned if I let anyone in the school see me!


    This was Hiro''s thought after he alighted from the black sedan. While he was expected to enter the school grounds and head to the dormitory registry building, he deeply understood the concept of first impressions.


    Thus, under no circumstances was Hiro willing to have his status as a lame fatso imprint itself into the minds of the student body of this school. Hiro sneakily made his escape from the massive steel gate and scurried along the streets, drawing further and further away from the school.


    When he thought he was far enough, Hiro stopped a random passerby with a "good man" vibe around him, asking nicely, "Excuse me, where can I find a shopping center and an ATM machine?"


    The man paused, turning off his phone and storing it away in his pocket before he fixed his silver-rimmed glasses and focused his attention on Hiro. Hiro had the vague illusion that the man''s glasses flashed a bright light as if he was a supremely intelligent existence about to bestow great wisdom.


    Hiro coughed inwardly, maintaining an innocent smile. At the very least, he thought his smile was rather innocent.


    "Of course," the man answered lightly, but it sounded like the tone of a villain for some unknown reason. "There''s a grand shopping center if you go..."


    The man provided Hiro with the location of various business districts across the city and how he could get there through either a taxi or the underground metro stations. Then, he guided him toward a convenience store with an ATM machine across the street.


    "Thanks," said Hiro gratefully before waddling over toward the store. As he walked, he opened the envelope where he found a Nexus Bank credit card and the associated PIN code.


    He checked the code, withdrew some cash from the machine, and waited by the roadside for a taxi. A few minutes later, Hiro got on the taxi and described his desired destination to the driver, who happily complied and started driving.


    ...


    The Blue Shark shopping center was a famous attraction site in this city, or at least that''s what Hiro learned from the taxi driver during their idle chatter time. He also learned that the shopping center was home to many establishments and facilities, including but not limited to fancy restaurants, love hotels, china towns, boxing gyms, etc.


    This shopping center was very close to three famous high schools and had a direct corporation business with one major university, which provides great customer channels.


    Hiro was amazed to learn all that. After contemplating the situation, he decided to visit the gym for a membership after he bought himself a new phone and registered a SIM card.


    What kind of a foolish douchebag would wander the modern society without access to the internet?! Definitely not me! Hiro convinced himself as he entered an electronic shop inside the Grand Mall.


    Honestly, all of these miscellaneous tasks were basic routines in every transmigrator''s starter experience in their new world. Hiro decided to refer to his actions as ''Transmigrator Foundation 101''.


    He bought a small notebook and wrote down his expectations for the ''Transmigrator Foundation 101'', starting with the "First Chapter - Grinding." S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    His to-do list under the first chapter included buying a smartphone, losing weight (a lot of goddamn weight), buying new clothes, and getting a part-time job.


    The moment he finished the list, he heard a soft chime in his mind followed by the appearance of a small, blue pop-up screen in his field of vision.


    [Notice: Daily mission "Grinding" has been created!]


    [Notice: The "Workout" option has been unlocked!]


    ...


    A stream of information appeared in Hiro''s mind.


    Is this also possible? Am I going to be rewarded for something so basic? Hiro was pleasantly surprised as he thought of this. He decided to visit the system space in a bit and check out the new workout option.


    Hiro also wondered if similar options would be unlocked in the future depending on how he went about his daily life. For now, he realized that the server attendant was signaling for him to move forward; it was his turn on the counter.


    After a grueling battle of wits with the server provider, hoping to not get scammed with a package deal for a new phone, unlimited calls, and unlimited data access, Hiro finally acquired a proposal he felt to be fair. Then again, his economic sense in this alternate reality was trash at best, so he didn''t hope for much.


    After activating his phone and SIM card, he inputted his personal information and saved the PIN code for his credit card somewhere secure before crumbling the small piece of paper and swallowing it to remove any risk factor.


    Who knew if someone was stalking me, lurking for an opportunity to fish this paper from a trash bin after I tossed it away? Hiro considered himself smart for taking such precautions.


    Ignoring the weird looks of everyone in the store, he waddled his way and followed the erected signs toward the nearest men''s restroom. Hiro quickly located an empty cubicle and locked himself inside, sat down, and willed for his consciousness to enter the system space.


    After a familiar combustion of millions of stacked colors, Hiro found himself once again in the magnificent hall.


    A dense collection of holographic screens shuttled all around Hiro, each representing a feature of the system, either locked or unlocked.


    With a thought, all but one screen dissipated into motes of light. Hiro had to admit that the system interface was quite convenient, as it would have been annoying if every little detail and feature in the system were clumped into one long column of options.


    Hiro summoned the "Missions" window and focused on the "Grinding" list, finding out that it was a replica of his to-do list in the real world with a progress bar of 0% next to each line of text.


    Then, he focused on another holographic screen with the "Workout" feature, finding a basic chart of his physical attributes in real life.


    A diagram of a fat young man was on the screen. There were various statistics listed down, and all of them were in the red zone.


    Stamina, Strength, Speed, Fat, Endurance, Muscle, etc.


    "Hm," Hiro touched his chin. He browsed the options in the window, quickly locating the option to chart a workout plan.


    After he curiously selected the option, many other features were available to him as a line of text quickly appeared.


    [Please customize the desirable fitness level.]


    A new diagram of Hiro''s body in real life appeared, but this one was viable for custom editing within reasonable parameters.


    What determined the reasonable parameters?


    Hiro quickly found out when a few options popped up. After tapping away for a while, the initial parameters were set.


    [Deadline: 7 days.]


    [Intensity: Extreme.]


    [Formulating a workout plan, do you wish to proceed?]


    Hiro selected yes.


    After a chime, two diagrams of Hiro''s physical attributes in the real world appeared.


    One of them was labeled as "Current" and the other was labeled as "Target".


    The "Grinding" mission screen was updated, displaying a target of daily exercises to be completed every day by midnight.


    From the three tasks on the list, buying clothes was the easiest, while finding a suitable part-time job was subjective.


    Finding a job could be both easy or difficult, leaving only the daily exercises as the task requiring the most hard work and perseverance.


    Hiro sighed.


    It couldn''t be helped, he needed at least one week in the library to prepare for the entrance exams, so he could only punish himself by choosing the highest intensity provided in the workout feature.


    With trepidation in his heart for the upcoming week of hell, Hiro exited the system space.

 Chapter 3 - 3: So It Begins…

    "I''ve always wanted to say this in real life," Hiro stood in the middle of a crowded gym, inspecting the various scary machines out for his life, and gulped nervously.


    While he was fascinated by the system''s efficiency¡ªas each and every machine stipulated in the "Extreme Workout Plan" was highlighted by a blue halo¡ªHiro still felt scared.


    He felt like a man eyeing the noose at the end of the bridge, he yet willingly walked toward it.


    As he drew in a deep breath, tightened his buttocks, and gripped the sweat towel wrapped around his neck tightly, Hiro had but four words to say.


    "And so it begins¡­"


    With fierce determination in his eyes, Hiro waddled over toward the first machine, a startup timer appearing in his field of vision the moment he got on to work.


    The moment Hiro started, a weird energy filled his body, and took hold of it, forcing him to move from one torture machine to the next despite his will.


    I knew it! Hiro screamed in his mind. This damned evil system! Stop forcing my hand!


    One hour later.


    Damn it! Hiro panted, but he was incapable of talking, only his eyeballs rolling around in their sockets, tears mashed up with sweat on his face. I''m gonna die from dehydration! I''m gonna super ventilate to death! S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Well, that didn''t happen as the energy controlling his body would also bring Hiro to a water source whenever necessary, but he was just complaining for the sake of complaining.


    Three hours later¡­


    Hiro was a rolling ball of fat and sweat, and many of the registered members in the gym kept their distance from him.


    Panting like a wounded animal, Hiro went through an additional two-hour grueling workout, rounding up a total of six hours.


    A sweet, heavenly bell chime sounded in Hiro''s mind, followed by the notification that the daily workout quota had been met.


    [Notice: You''ve acquired +10 AP for completing your daily task!]


    After reading the small pop-up notification, Hiro let out a hoarse, inaudible laughter as he slowly drifted to sleep in the temporary rest area.


    Moments later, loud, ear-grating snoring rumbled in the resting area. It was like a punishment from hell, threatening the sanity of many as they left the resting area in flocks.


    Hiro enjoyed a long, wonderful dream. Sadly, good things must come to an end.


    Hiro felt a gentle force rocking him awake from his slumber, and as he slowly opened his eyes, he was met with the figure of a huge muscular man looking down on him.


    "Wake up, kid!" The man spoke with a strong, forceful voice. "We''re closing the gym in fifteen, you better hurry and wash up, collect your spare clothes, and get going!"


    Hiro blinked, feeling numb all over for a brief moment. Then, he remembered where he was; nodding his head groggily as he stood up and waddled away.


    ¡­


    "Where should I spend the night¡­" Hiro carried a sports bag with his gym clothes stored inside as he waddled through the shopping center.


    He thought long and hard about this problem; he obviously couldn''t sleep on the streets.


    However, the nearest motel was in the countryside while the hotels in the shopping district were 3-star hotels at the very least, and booking a room in such a hotel on short notice for one week was too expensive.


    While troubled, Hiro''s eye caught sight of a neon sign. Stunned, he stood there for a moment, and after an internal struggle, Hiro waddled over.


    ¡­


    "Give me a room for one night!" Hiro exclaimed in a hoarse voice as he slapped a 50 nexus bill on the counter.


    The receptionist¡ªa beautiful mature lady¡ªhad a dumbfounded look on her face as she faced the round ball.


    She blinked her eyes in confusion and eyed the empty space next to Hiro as she asked, "Are you here all by yourself, Sir?"


    Hiro had a very serious expression as he answered, "Yes."


    The receptionist didn''t know what to say to this young meatball. "Did you mistake this establishment for something else, Sir¡­?"


    As she spoke, she pointed to the large signboard that said "Cupid Love Motel" by the side.


    Hiro was stumped. Don''t tell me there''s a rule in the policy against this kind of thing. The hell? Did I enter a karaoke bar by chance?!


    Hiro was about to respond when a soft, nimble, and bubbly figure appeared by his side and hugged his left arm.


    He almost withdrew his arm in a conditioned reflex if not for the sudden rush of minted, feminine fragrance that rushed his nostrils.


    The girl who sneak attacked Hiro smiled anxiously and said quickly, "We''re here together, kind lady! Right?!"


    That last word was directed at Hiro as the girl glared his way and bumped her thin hips into him from the side.


    Hiro snapped back to his senses and was rendered speechless. Is this little lady trying to take advantage of me?!


    Hiro was about to retort when he noticed how stunningly beautiful she was.


    I''m not a simp! He said in his mind as he replied with furrowed brows, "You heard her, pretty lady. Please prepare a room for us!"


    Hiro channeled every ounce of conviction to sound steady and reliable, providing that his decision wasn''t the least bit a product of his haywire hormones.


    "Okay then¡­" the receptionist didn''t mind the fiasco. After taking the money, she exchanged it for a room key and a 10 nexus bill which she handed to Hiro.


    The girl snatched the key and rushed into the establishment, leaving Hiro behind with a stunned expression.


    He quickly shook his head, and as he did so, he noticed a host of men in black suits running by the Love Motel''s entrance with anxious expressions.


    He noticed them because they bumped into an old lady, which resulted in her falling unconscious with a crowd of people quickly gathering around her.


    While Hiro''s heart was gripped with pity and anxiety for the old lady, his legs moved and followed the pretty girl into the establishment.


    He could only hope that the old grandma wouldn''t have a bumpy ride on her way to the next life.


    Erm, he meant the hospital.


    ¡­


    Hiro quickly found the designated room and after entering it, he locked the door behind him and looked inside.


    The girl was pacing back and forth in the room, her silky pink hair swishing rhythmically as she chewed on her colorful nails.


    She hurriedly asked the moment she caught sight of Hiro, "Did anyone follow you in?!"


    As expected! Hiro clicked his tongue inwardly in a silent complaint. This beautiful witch is indeed taking advantage of me! Erm, but aren''t I doing the same?


    Hiro shook his head and answered with the negative. Then, he tossed his sports bag on the ground, removed his jacket, and waddled to the bed with a dreamy look in his eyes.


    With a squeak, the bed bounced about as Hiro jumped on, letting out a long sigh of contentment as his muscles relaxed.


    By now, the pink-haired girl also relaxed a little and spent the time necessary to inspect Hiro from top to bottom.


    She thought to herself that this boy was very round and cute, so she asked, "What are you doing in a place like this all alone?"


    Hiro rolled around on the bed and spread his heavy limbs in a sea-star position, looking up at the ceiling while answering, "I''m too poor to afford a hotel room for one week, so I plan to come here often¡­"


    While talking, Hiro suddenly realized something crucial as he began to sweat nervously.


    The pink-haired girl paused for a moment before she also realized the problem, chuckling as she asked, "You don''t honestly think I''d be around for your convenience the next time, do you?"


    Crap! Hiro screamed inwardly as he sat up and said, "We can negotiate!"

 Chapter 4 - 4: The Finish Line is in Sight, Young Man!

    The pink-haired girl chuckled even more when she noticed Hiro''s troubled expression.


    She rolled her eyes and pulled out her phone as she said, "Well, since you''ve allowed this lady to take advantage of you this one time, I''ll give you enough money to book a nearby hotel for the rest of the week. Let me scan your bank card."


    Masaka! Hiro was excited as he stuttered uncontrollably, "A-are you the legendary¡­ Sugar Mommy?!"


    The pink-haired girl was stunned as she blinked in response. "Erm? Legendary what?"


    Hiro woke up and quickly shook his head.


    What am I thinking?! Only a sissy boy without a shred of dignity would feel excited about the prospects of a sugar mommy and unlimited money, food, spoiling, and¡­


    Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa!


    Hiro slapped himself four times and jumped off the bed, quickly handing his card over to the pink-haired girl with a silly smile.


    "Thanks a lot!" Hiro quickly stabilized his emotions and handed his bank card over while asking for the girl''s name.


    Then, he learned that her name was Bella, and after telling her his name, Hiro heard the sweet bell chime followed by the familiar pop-up window.


    [Notice: You''ve unlocked the "Friends List" feature!]


    [Notice: Bella has been added to your friends list!]


    [Notice: You''ve acquired +5 AP for making a new friend!]


    ¡­


    By the time Hiro digested the new information from the system, his phone vibrated to notify him of a new text message.


    Hiro quickly checked it out. As expected, it was a message from the Nexus Bank.


    10,000 credits had been deposited into his account, shocking Hiro so much he almost fumbled over.


    The startup funds from the orphanage were 4,400 nexus credits; as each child in the orphanage starts earning a yearly fund of 1,100 nexus credits annually from when they turn 12.


    If the worst case scenario were to occur and they hit 16 years old without getting adopted, then an allowance of 4,200 nexus credits, the minimum wage of an adult, would be more than enough to assist them during this shaky period of life.


    4,200 nexus credits is indeed a lot of money for a 16-year-old, and it proved a lot of help to Hiro¡ªnever in his dreams did he think that he would earn his first pot of gold this way.


    Should I reconsider the sugar mo- no, no, no, no¡­ Dignity is worth more than gold! Dignity, Hiro! Dignity!


    Bella smiled at the dazed expression on Hiro''s face, chuckled, and turned her back to leave the room.


    "I guess the coast is clear outside for now," she said in her lovely voice. "Even though you''re cute, I can''t afford to be seen walking out from a love hotel in the morning, especially with the company of a man. It''s been nice meeting you, silly Hiro."


    She didn''t give him a chance to talk back, quickly slipping out of the room and letting the door swing back on its own.


    Since they''ve already paid for the room, no one can evict him for the night. Hiro truly appreciated this kind of a win-win situation, jumping on the bed to sleep with a bright smile on his face.


    "My dignity won''t let me take in a sugar mommy," he said with a sigh. "Just wait though, once I''m rich and handsome, I''ll consider becoming your sugar daddy."


    Hiro quickly drifted to sleep with a silly smile on his fat face.


    ¡­ sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Time flowed like usual, and the world waited for no man. You can always stand stagnant in the river of time, but the current won''t stop moving forward, washing away at everything in range.


    Hiro led a static, repetitive life as the masochistic protagonist of a sadistic novel.


    The cycle of eating, getting tortured, sleeping, and repeating became the norm. With a 3-star hotel to back him up, Hiro easily maintained a balance between nutritional food and exhaustive exercise.


    Hiro also discovered that the mysterious energy from the system did more than just force him through the grueling, hell-like training experience; the energy also optimized his body in fascinating ways.


    The workers in the gym witnessed a living miracle, watching as Hiro shaved away layers and layers of fat from his body day in and day out.


    The manager of the gym wanted to use Hiro''s experience as an advertisement for their gym, but the latter adamantly refused!


    No crap! As if I''d leave evidence of my sad, bleak, cold, and ugly past self behind!


    Hiro was so scared they''d secretly film or take videos of him training, that he almost gave up on coming back to the gym altogether.


    Luckily, people take the law seriously in this world, and no one would take pictures without permission in a public space, let alone post them on public platforms.


    Soon, it was the last day of the seven-day streak, and Hiro felt like an entirely different person.


    Handsome wouldn''t cut the guy justice!


    His lithe frame, long crimson hair, deep blue eyes, and soft white skin with a touch of healthy pink. He wore a tight white tank top, nylon pants, and sports shoes.


    If someone asked him for a picture today, he would surely agree.


    Hiro swept his cold gaze around the numerous torture machines in the gym, their daunting blue halos challenging him.


    He bravely stepped forward and prep-talked himself up, "I can see the finish line! I''m almost there!"


    And so, with surprising ease, Hiro finished the unexpected daily task quite early as the system scheduled no more than four hours of training for the last day.


    He ignored the chime of his system and the notifications, focusing on how much achievement points he earned from crossing off this daily task.


    With the daily 10 AP, his accumulated points now reached 75 AP. It should have been 70 AP, but Hiro earned 5 additional points for befriending Bella.


    Again, Hiro ignored the persuasion from the gym manager, paid his membership fees for the day, and closed his membership program before leaving.


    His next destination was a clothing store to complete his next task on the "Grinding" to-do list.


    ¡­


    "Hello, can I be of help, Sir?"


    "You look so handsome in ordinary clothes, Sir, you''d definitely look better in our new batch of fashion season products!"


    "Hey, I have a better eye for fashion~ you girls should move back and let me handle this gentleman instead, hehe~"


    The moment Hiro stepped into the clothing store, many pretty ladies with name tags surrounded him. He felt proud, thinking that this was the type of treatment a transmigrator protagonist was ought to have.


    Ah, I''m so embarrassed¡­ What should I do in this situation? I can''t play favorites here!


    Hiro schooled his expression and smiled at the enthusiastic ladies. "I don''t know anything about fashion, so how about each of you pick a suitable outfit for me to try out? I''ll buy them all!"


    Hiro thought that five sets of clothes wouldn''t be too expensive, as he had made sure to check the shop on the internet and made sure that their prices weren''t sky-high.


    Although he might bleed a little from this because the women were just too adorable to resist, he mentally prepared himself.


    Hm? Should I also work as a clerk in a clothing shop? I''m quite handsome, I can easily swindle¡ªahem, convince a few pretty ladies to buy a lot of colorful clothes with my handsome looks! This sounds quite feasible¡­


    Hiro immediately grew excited and decided to look for a suitable opportunity, a good high-end fashion store, and apply to work as a part-time clerk there.


    If all went too well, he might finish his "Grinding" to-do list today, and he would receive his first ever mission reward.


    Just what could the reward be?! Young man, keep pushing forward!

 Chapter 5 - 5: On Probation

    The five female clerks had a lot of fun playing dress-up on Hiro, and he quite enjoyed playing oblivious when the girls took cheap advantages of him.


    It felt heavenly with their dainty hands tracing his firmly outlined muscles and buffed chest, to the point where he decided to overlook the little mischief that took place below his waist.


    Luckily, the girls didn''t go too far, and the good times eventually came to an end when Hiro left the shop.


    He decided to wear one of the selected outfits for himself, tossing away the oversized shirt and pants he endured for the entire week.


    Wearing a cool dark blue jacket on top of a fancy wrinkled T-shirt, denim pants, and brandy shoes.


    He also had a pair of honey-gold sunglasses that complimented his blazing crimson hair.


    All in all, he was fabulous.


    The system rewarded him 20 AP points for this task on the to-do list, bringing his total up to 95 points.


    Moments later, Hiro did indeed find a famous clothing store and got in touch with the manager, expressing his interest in working as a part-time clerk.


    The manager, a man in fashionable clothing with black-rimmed glasses and white hair, crossed his arms and carefully inspected Hiro.


    "Hm," he gently tapped his right index on his arm while thinking. "It''s not that I''m not tempted to have such a handsome eye candy work in this store, but I can tell at a glance that you don''t know anything about fashion, so how can you work here?"


    Hiro was rendered speechless for a moment as he thought to himself; that''s right, how come I overlooked something that crucial?


    The man went silent for a while and came up with a suggestion.


    "How about this? I can let you work in the storage room. You know, unloading and unboxing packages from delivery, moving them to the shelves, or cleaning up near closing hours. I won''t have you maintain that job permanently, but only for a probation period while you study our store''s fashion catalog.


    If you pass the test one month from now, you can be promoted to a clerk, not to mention that we''re a huge franchise with great promotion opportunities if you work hard enough."


    Hiro''s eyes lit up as he said, "Alright! I can accept that, Manager!"


    The man heaved a sigh of relief, glad to have scored a potential mascot. He also knew how important aesthetics were to people who cared about fashion.


    Perhaps most people would say it''s more important to judge people based on their inner hearts, but such nonsense didn''t exist in the fashion industry.


    If the camera couldn''t capture it, then it was nothing more than hot air for all they cared.


    The man clapped his hands. "Do you want to leave your personal information; name, ID, and bank account with me? If you do, we can start working right away!"


    Hiro felt that the manager''s enthusiasm was on par with his, if not more. Gladly, he followed the manager into the back office and completed the necessary paperwork.


    The moment he signed his name on the electronic documents, the sweet bell chime of the system echoed in his head.


    He ignored the 100 AP from getting a part-time job after a glance and focused on the following notifications.


    [Notice: Congratulations, mission "Grinding" has been completed!]


    [Reward 1: 1x Fantasy Crystal!]


    [Reward 2: 10x Gems!]


    [Reward 3: 1x Game Voucher!]


    [Notice: You''ve unlocked the "Simulation Space" feature!]


    [Notice: You''ve unlocked the "Synchronization" feature!]


    ¡­


    Basic knowledge about the simulation space and the synchronization features flooded Hiro''s mind, leaving him dumbfounded for a moment.


    The simulation space draws from the 10,000 simulated fantasies and games Hiro played in his past life as a foundation, creating a simulated game reality where Hiro becomes a character in the game.


    The synchronization feature allows Hiro to synchronize with any character of his choosing from the simulation space, instantly gaining that character''s ability, power, comprehension, etc. for a limited amount of time.


    That time duration is decided upon by using achievement points, with 10 AP per hour. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    That might look cheap, but the difficulty lay in entering the simulation space, as the simulated games are very expensive.


    The prices range from 60 gems and above!


    Luckily for Hiro, he obtained a voucher to choose one game for free, but he couldn''t put his mind to it.


    Which game should he choose?


    While he was thinking, the manager seemed to have finally completed the registration process and added Hiro''s name to the employee database.


    "Alright, Hiro, everything looks alright to me so we can go into the storage room and I''ll show you the ropes! Are you ready? Oh, by the way, I''m Mathew, but you can call me Matt from now on." Mathew smiled kindly, fixed his glasses, and stood up from behind the desk.


    Hiro quickly snapped back to his senses and asked a question, "Do I need to change my clothes or something?"


    Mathew gave Hiro a weird look. "As long as you look good, I don''t care what you wear. Well, please don''t come here wearing our competitor''s brands, and it would be even better if you put on our clothes."


    Mathew patted Hiro on the shoulder and left the small office. After rubbing his nose and chuckling in embarrassment, Hiro followed after Mathew while checking his balance.


    [Achievement Points: 295.]


    [Gems: 10.]


    It''s so annoying that my AP count isn''t a rounded number¡­ Hiro thought grumpily before he willed for a pop-up window with the system shop to appear.


    He curiously browsed the items since he was feeling a little rich with nearly 300 AP to his name.


    He first checked the lifestyle menu since it was the cheapest.


    Lies.


    It was the only available menu at the moment.


    A vast array of lifestyle items and skills was listed in the shop.


    Cooking skills, driving skills, fighting skills, sports-related skills, academic skills, medical skills, business skills, etc.


    Hiro was overwhelmed by the array of options¡­ and the prices. The more convenient the skill, the pricer it got.


    I don''t have a car, Hiro thought to himself. And even if I wanted to get one, I don''t have the money for it nor do I have the time to apply for driving lessons.


    After considering his options, Hiro chose the safe route and spent 100 AP to buy the {Professional Combat Skills} package.


    Hiro confirmed the purchase, and as soon as he did so, he felt a buzz in his mind followed by that mysterious, familiar energy circulating through his body.


    It touched every fiber of his being, giving Hiro the illusion that his consciousness tagged along to a trip all over his body, introducing facets of the human anatomy that astounded him.


    In a moment, boundless inspiration on how to regulate his forces internally, express them externally, and control his limbs and muscles to execute various combat maneuvers took root in his mind.


    Walking ahead, Mathew suddenly paused and turned his head in confusion. Hiro immediately stopped, looking back at his new manager with a similar level of confusion.


    "Weird," Mathew rubbed the back of his head for a moment, shook his head, and continued walking.


    Hiro silently followed after him.


    "Why did you stop movi-¡­" Mathew turned around again, but his words were stuck in his throat.


    Huh? Mathew was feeling confused.

 Chapter 6 - 6: Entering the Dormitory

    Hiro''s footsteps went dead silent all of a sudden, making Mathew believe that the young boy stopped following him.


    But¡­ Here he was, right behind him?


    Mathew swallowed and said, "You go ahead and walk in front, take the next turn left and you''ll find the storage down the hallway."


    "Oh¡­ Okay?" Although confused, Hiro still complied and walked past Mathew.


    Mathew felt a sudden chill.


    I knew it!


    Mathew coughed and said, "Also, stop walking around in stealth! You''ll give someone a heart attack!"


    Hiro had a look of realization on his face as he coughed awkwardly.


    "Sorry," he apologized while rubbing the back of his head. "It''s unintentional, just call it an occupational disease¡­?"


    What occupational disease? Were you a damn assassin?! Mathew had the urge to say it out loud, but he thought better of it as he patted his chest.


    Hiro struggled with himself for a moment and had to take a few steps until he finally managed to make some noise while walking.


    Forcing himself into it was harder than expected, leaving Hiro speechless. He promised himself to put some time aside to practice and adjust to his current situation later.


    For now, he followed Mathew through the motions, and after getting a hang on what to do, he heard the familiar bell chime.


    [Notice: The "Work" option has been unlocked!]


    Mathew patted his shoulder and said, "You can start working from tomorrow morning, and there are no set hours for now. I mean, a probation period is for us to test your metal and integrity, so I''ll be watching from afar."


    After giving Hiro the opening hours schedule to get familiar with, the two left the clothing store.


    Hiro then gladly left the Blue Shark shopping center with his purchases for the day, hailed a taxi, and went straight for the dormitory.


    ¡­


    With the recommendation letter from the orphanage and the official application, Hiro easily entered the dormitory.


    His room was room 407, a nice place on the fourth floor inside the building. There was a bit of traffic in the dormitory, but people mostly kept to themselves and ignored, or rather ostracized the handsome newcomer.


    Inter-High was a boarding school with many visiting students from the various regions in the Nexus Country and beyond. From the little tidbits of gossip all around, Hiro learned that some students traveled from different countries to study at Inter-High, one of the top high schools in the metropolis.


    Carrying his shopping bags and his folded school uniform in nylon packaging, Hiro reached room 407, brought out his spare keys, and entered the room.


    From inside, one other guy was seated on the lower left bunk bed with a stack of books by his side. He was currently focused on his notebook, while his phone screen was quite active on his other side.


    Hearing the noise, the boy looked up curiously as he remembered locking the door from the inside. This meant that either the dorm manager or a new student had arrived, and the guy immediately figured out that it must be the latter.


    "You must be here for the entrance exams as well, right?" The guy smiled faintly, and although he wasn''t as handsome as Hiro, he gave off the good guy vibe which was somewhat common in the people of this world.


    "Yup," Hiro responded with a smile as he gestured toward the empty beds. "Any of those are taken?"


    The guy shrugged. "The new school year hadn''t started yet, and the freshmen student body remains a mystery. Other than you and me who have to work hard for the entrance exam, the other two roommates remain a mystery."


    Reading between the lines, this roommate of his meant to say that Hiro could choose whichever bed he liked. Noticing the power port on the lower side of the wall, Hiro immediately settled on the bottom bed, placing his bags and school uniform to mark his territory.


    "I guess this will do, then."


    The guy chuckled. "Wise choice, comrade!"


    Hiro chuckled as well, noticing the phone for the second time as he asked curiously, "How can you study and play at the same time?"


    "Oh, this?" The guy blinked before smiling mysteriously. "I don''t need to actively invest in this type of game, so I''m not distracted. You know, the idle type of games, they''re quite popular for gamers who are tied down by the merciless, cruel life..."


    There was a vibe of depression in the guy''s voice. Of course, idle gaming was a great way to get a sense of achievement without needing to invest in the gaming experience, but this gaming experience in and of itself was what most players and gamers desired to begin with.


    What''s the point of gaming if one can''t get the thrill of those blood-boiling action moments and brain-melting R-rated animations? Only true gamers understand the struggles, woes, and joy of the brotherhood... Hiro had a sympathetic look in his eyes as he patted this pitiful comrade on the shoulder.


    Then, something in his mind clicked.


    Idle gaming... AFK growth... Hiro immediately thought back to his free game voucher.


    Of course! Hiro''s eyes shone with a magnificent light as he turned around, kicked off his shoes, and jumped under the covers of his bed.


    "I''m going to rest for the night, brother!"


    The roommate was dumbfounded as he checked the time on his watch and thought, It''s barely 18:00 O''clock...


    He shook his head, tapped his phone''s touch screen for a while, and continued studying for the exams in one week.


    ...


    Hiro experienced the familiar combustion of a million stacked colors before he found himself in the familiar hall. He waved his hand, summoning the interface for the {Work}, {Simulation Space}, and {Synchronization}.


    He pushed back two of the three screens and pulled the {Simulation Space} closer, selected the {Game Menu}, and then hovered over the {Game Shop} catalog.


    He filtered out everything except for idle RPG games and browsed through the array of games on display. Hiro suddenly paused and asked, "System, will the games run in the background even if I''m not actively playing?"


    A blue pop-up window with a line of text appeared in response.


    [Yes.]


    It was one word, but Hiro felt rejuvenated by merely thinking about it. However, this also meant that in the future, missions with a specific deadline would be much harder to complete.


    It also meant that it would be harder to balance out his gaming schedule and real-life schedule...


    Am I destined to play idle farming games for life?!


    Hiro felt horrified. However, he quickly shook his head and selected a xianxia idle RPG game with the voucher. These games were the most straightforward since the character had to do nothing but cultivate in a cultivation cave all day.


    If anything, Hiro only needed to actively improve the meridians, and spirit formations, or engage in sect missions and wilderness exploration to get rewards and cultivation materials. As for getting stronger, it was a passive act, Hiro''s active participation can only determine how fast the character can grow, not how far it can grow.


    [Used 1x Game Voucher!]


    [Obtained Game - Transcendent Taoist and the Legend of Immortality]


    Hiro noticed the small "In-App Purchase" disclaimer under the game''s title, and he felt speechless.


    Really? The achievement points can only be used in the system shop, does this mean that I will need to spend gems to become a whale in the game? A pay-to-win boss?! But gems are too rare...


    Hiro put that idea aside for now. Spending money to get good was a pit that almost every avid gamer fell into at least once, and voluntarily despite how painful it was.


    Shaking his head, Hiro navigated through the {Simulation Space} screen to the {Game Library} and selected the {Transencednt Taoist} game.


    After a few seconds of loading, Hiro''s vision went dark. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 7 - 7: Transcendent Taoist

    Hiro opened his eyes, only to be greeted by a vast, open stone hall.


    He was kneeling on one knee in the center of the hall, his right fist cupped into his left palm at chest level, and his head was lowered so that his vision was met with a flowing white dress and two pretty bare feet.


    He could feel an immortal aura pressing down on him from above, but it was also permeating the entire stone hall.


    "Hear my decree, Daoist Hiro; you will join my Lunar Serenity faction, but you will start as an in-name disciple. Don''t be rude to your seniors in the sect, and cultivate diligently to reach the Golden Core realm¡ªonly then will you be accepted as an official disciple of the Lunar Shift Sect and receive our core teachings!"


    Countless notifications filled Hiro''s vision, but he could guess the gist of it since this wasn''t his first time playing this game. After all, the {Simulation Space} derived from Hiro''s personal gaming experience and the 10,000 fantasies to come up with these modified games.


    The plot progress of most games shared a common skeleton to reference, allowing avid and seasoned gamers to quickly grasp the gameplay rhythm.


    Hiro bowed his head and expressed his gratitude to the Peak Master of the Lunar Serenity faction, and slowly retreated from the hall without lifting his head to peek a look.


    These cultivators and their stupid god complex, Hiro thought to himself. I can almost imagine someone shouting "Courting Death!" at me if I dared to raise my head and look. But seriously, her voice sounded so sweet and divine, that I almost couldn''t hold myself back from looking.


    Hiro was escorted to his private cave dwelling by a fellow disciple. Then, the moment he sat down on the spirit formation, a pop-up window displayed his current in-game stats and progress.


    [Daoist: Hiro.]


    [Sect: Lunar Shift.]


    [Realm: Foundation Establishment 1/10.]


    [Cultivation Base: 100/10,024]


    [Spirit Array: +2 per second]


    ...


    Hiro calculated silently and murmured, "This spirit array is quite good."


    He touched his chin and searched for the notifications that explained the cultivation process, and once he did, his excitement died down a bit.


    As expected, things weren''t so simple.


    The cultivation base bar would reset with each breakthrough; it didn''t matter if the breakthrough was minor or major. While AFK, the cultivation base would accumulate on standby and wait for Hiro to enter the game, because some advancements required the use of pills or undergoing tribulation, and such activities had to be initiated by the player.


    Soon, a minor breakthrough would require 100,000 spirit units, then 200,000, and it would only increase. By then, +2 units per second would amount to nothing! However, if he wanted to upgrade the spirit array, he needed to pay the sect for these upgrades, and this required him to become an official disciple first.


    Should I embrace the darkness and enter the pay-to-win hell? If Hiro spent some gems, he could easily upgrade his spirit array.


    After thinking about it, Hiro gritted his teeth and said, "Rewards are meant to be used! Also, the cheapest lottery ticket cost 5 gems, so I can use 5 gems here first!"


    After he made up his mind, he used the 5 gems to upgrade the spirit array five times in succession, each upgrade increasing the value of units per second by 2 points.


    Hiro then checked his spirit array; +12 per second¡ªmuch better!


    This means that my first breakthrough will arrive in 15 minutes!


    But Hiro didn''t want to wait here and do nothing for the coming 15 minutes, so he decided to mark 19:00 O''clock to be his daily log-in window and cash in the accumulated spirit energy on a daily basis.


    With that in mind, Hiro left the {Simlation Space}, immediately feeling the lack of spirit energy and the immortal vibe in the air. He sighed, already feeling tempted to get back into the game just for the sake of that relaxing atmosphere.


    Before leaving, Hiro spent the remaining achievement points on basic lifestyle skills such as {Immersive Reading Skills} and {Professional Caligraphy Skills}.


    After the purchase, Hiro was left with 10 AP to his name, which he decided to keep as a backup just in case he was forced to use the {Synchrnization} function of the system for some stupid reason.


    You can never be too careful, Hiro told himself. What if I''m not the only guy with protagonist cheats in this world? Most transmigration cliches happened in mystical worlds after all.


    After absorbing a load of stimulations to his brain and neurons to assimilate the skills, together with the load from mastering the {Profesional Combat Skills}, Hiro''s mind was already at a tipping point.


    The moment he left the system space, he fell asleep in record time.


    ...


    After a fruitful night of deep sleep, Hiro slowly woke up to the sound of his roommate''s morning alarm.


    Hiro slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes, looking around in confusion. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    His expression clearly said, What''s this noise?


    "Ah, I''m sorry¡­" Hiro''s roommate quickly woke up and shut off his alarm. "I forgot to switch off my alarm, I got used to sleeping alone in the room."


    He smiled apologetically and rubbed the back of his head.


    "It''s fine," Hiro waved it off with a smile and checked the time. It was 06:30 O''clock, quite early in the morning.


    He remembered that the clothing store opens at 9 in the morning, but employees would arrive around 8, one hour in advance.


    Seeing that he had plenty of free time, Hiro was bored.


    "Why did you wake up so early?" Hiro asked curiously. "Oh¡ªI''m Hiro by the way, and you don''t need to tell me if you''re not feeling like it."


    Hiro climbed down his bed and reached for a handshake with a faint smile.


    "Oh¡­ Marcus, nice to meet you¡­"


    Not expecting his new and handsome roommate to be so agreeable, Marcus was caught off guard for a moment before quickly relaxing.


    "The library," he answered. "It opens in about half an hour, and with the entrance exams coming up in five days, everyone is in a hurry to study the four major subjects."


    "Oh," Hiro remembered that the four major subjects were Math, Religion, Physics, and Chemistry.


    He understood math, physics, and chemistry being among the top four, but Hiro was confused about the religon.


    That was until he learned that religion was unified across all countries under the banner of the Holy Church, where the different Gods and Deities of the various cultures were recognized as members of the Pantheon of the Gods.


    Any religion with a set number of followers, basically a minimum of 1.2 billion followers, would be recognized by the Holy Church.


    Hiro''s first thought about this when he learned of the religious system was, What in the name of¡­?


    But he quickly realized that this way, the church was capable of contending with the worldly superpowers, major countries, and the famous World Council.


    In a way, this was just another setting for the hidden conflict between the Church and the State to enter yet another stalemate.


    Judging by the existence of religious institutions and teachings in the student curriculum, the church must have gotten the upper hand.


    Wait, why am I wasting my time on that nonsense?! Hiro snapped back to his senses and straightened up, energized.


    "I''ll tag along with you," he said to Marcus, already stretching his body. "I also need to study for the exam, so I''ll take this opportunity to check things out¡­ Will you be my guide?"


    Marcus blinked. "Well, of course¡­ why wouldn''t I?"


    He smiled.

 Chapter 8 - 8: Breakthrough!

    With half an hour to go, Marcus pleasantly brought Hiro around the area close to the library building.


    Inter-High High School was a large establishment with many facilities, including sports stadiums, swimming pools, and research laboratories.


    "Here you go," Marcus returned Hiro''s phone to him and said, "This is the official website for the school, and you can find the list of books to read to prepare for the entrance exam here. Also, you can rent the notes from last year''s freshmen if you feel like studying from the books isn''t good enough."


    Marcus then pointed at the few students who were chilling all around the library building''s entrance, explaining that they had clean, organized notes from last year.


    "There''s such a thing?" Hiro was stunned for a moment. Such opportunistic bastards, this tactic is a high-level university scheme where I come from, how hard can a high school exam be?!


    As Hiro thought about it, he checked the website and downloaded a few PDF files of the last three entrance exams held by Inter-High.


    After reviewing the exam papers, he started getting a headache.


    "Is this really a high school exam?!" Hiro couldn''t help but exclaim at the dense questions.


    Each subject had at least 60 questions.


    Luckily, I had the foresight to get the immersive reading skill, but it seems like I''ll have to pull an all-nighter on these subjects.


    As Hiro thought about the massive list of books that he needed to read in the next few days, he began to sweat.


    After considering his options, Hiro decided to bite the bullet and spend some of his current savings. Hiro still had around 8,000 credits in his bank account, and after thinking for a while, he consulted Marcus on which notes to buy.


    Although Marcus felt like Hiro was unnecessarily wasting his money, he still helped him get notes that belonged to the top five students from the last year. They were expensive, about 2,000 credits worth of notes!


    Even Marcus was shocked, not expecting his roommate to be so desprate. He didn''t know that Hiro considered it a worthy investment as long as he could complete a high-priority mission for the system.


    Soon, the library opened its gates and the two of them entered, found a corner, and sat down to sort out the notes and books together. When Hiro learned that he could also rent out copies of the books for a specific fee, he didn''t hesitate.


    I''ve already spent this much, Hiro told himself. Spending some more won''t hurt!


    While feeling pained by the investment, Hiro brought the books and notes to his dormitory room, secured them in a locked cabinet, and left for work.


    ...


    Although working more than the mandatory 4 hours would help Hiro score some brownie points with Manager Matthew, Hiro understood that school was a higher priority than work at the moment. Thus, after his 4-hour shift ended, he quickly returned to the dormitory and invested in studying with Marcus.


    Just like that, time passed by and it was quickly approaching 19:00 O''clock, and while closing his eyes and pretending to be in deep thought, Hiro entered the system space.


    "I will first try my luck with a lottery box," Hiro said in realization, almost forgetting he had 5 gems if not for the mini display screen showing his current currency in the system space.


    Although he only had 15 APs; five extra points after befriending Marcus, that didn''t take away from Hiro''s expectations for the lottery box. The prize pool had many miraculous items and all of them were RPG-related, leaving Hiro wondering just what could the mystery box give him.


    Checking the lottery box window, Hiro discovered that 5 gems were enough to roll the 1x item lottery box, while 30 gems could be used to roll for 10x items. It was quite the discount, but Hiro wasn''t patient enough to slowly collect 30 gems.


    He quickly chose the 1x lottery box option and used his 5 gems. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A box dropped from the window, colorful question marks on all six sides of the mystery cube as it began to spin wildly. After watching for a while, Hiro reached with his finger and tapped the cube, causing it to explore in a shower of bright colors. A soft bell chime sounded in the space.


    [Notice: Congratulations, you''ve acquired 5x Cosmitic Key!]


    ...


    A short description of the {Cosmitic Key} appeared in Hiro''s mind, and he clicked his tongue with a hint of disappointment. After obtaining a game in the {Simulation Space}, the cosmetics sector in the system shop was opened.


    The cosmetic key allows Hiro to choose a "cosplay" gear from the cosmetic section for free, and he wouldn''t need to pay APs for it. These cosmetics can change a person''s temperament and aura, and they can make for a great disguise, but they won''t change Hiro''s strength or body functions in any practical manner.


    Although disappointed, Hiro quickly went to the cosmetics shop and used his five keys to buy five different cosmetic items. After filling the shopping cart, he checked his items list with great satisfaction.


    The list included immortal silver eyes, long silver hair, immortal cyan-blue robes, a flowing milky river visual effect, and an immortal aura visual effect. Of course, all of them had the effect of glowing formations, making it impossible for people to see Hiro''s face clearly through the "cosplay."


    I probably look like an immortal with those effects, Hiro thought to himself with excitement.


    After he confirmed the purchase, Hiro entered the {Simulation Space} and started playing the only game he currently had.


    ...


    Transcendent Taoist, Cave Dwelling.


    Hiro''s character was seated in the middle of the spirit array, cultivating. The moment Hiro opened his eyes, he was immediately delighted with his spiritual harvest for the day.


    He gained over 1 million units of spiritual energy!


    Looking at the long string of numbers, Hiro felt like his investment of 5 gems to upgrade the spirit array was worth it. Checking his status window, there was a {Breakthrough} option blinking next to his cultivation base statistics.


    Hiro selected the option without hesitation, and he kept on spamming the option for the next few seconds while feeling the rush of Spirit Qi cleansing and tempering both his body and mind.


    Hiro almost moaned in pleasure, but he held himself back.


    His cultivation base climbed through the ranks of foundation establishment, quickly stopping at the 8th level of Foundation Establishment, two minor realms away from the Golden Core realm. However, when he checked how many spiritual units were needed for those breakthroughs, he almost vomited.


    This is too much!


    Hiro realized that he needed three if not four days of cultivation before he finally reached the Golden Core realm. For a moment, Hiro felt desprate, only now understanding why those cultivators would seclude themselves for days, weeks, months, and even years just for one or two advancements in their realms.


    [Notice: A wandering labor disciple discovered your cave-dwelling, and he wants to offer you a mysterious treasure in exchange for 300 gold coins, do you accept?]


    An urgent notification appeared in the [Encounters] window, catching Hiro''s attention.


    Curious and realizing that he didn''t lack the gold coins, Hiro decided to accept it.


    A cut scene displaying Hiro''s character leaving the cave, meeting a young female disciple with mud all over her hands and face, and exchanging 300 gold coins for a treasure box was played out. Hiro felt his consciousness detached from the whole affair, but he wasn''t surprised.


    The moment Hiro returned to his cave dwelling, he focused on the treasure box and a notification appeared.


    [Notice: Your cultivation realm is too low and thus you failed to discover the secrets of the treasure!]


    [Notice: Do you wish to use 30 gems to unlock the treasure?]


    Hiro blinked. What in the name of...

 Chapter 9 - 9: Study Group

    With a major breakthrough coming up in a few days, Hiro decided to focus on his work and studies wholeheartedly, allowing the spiritual energy to accumulate until he passed the entrance exams.


    Everyone on the school grounds was currently focused on studying, the only locations one could find students were either in the library or in the dormitory building.


    Today was the last day of preparation before the entrance exam, and when Hiro just finished a call with Manager Matthew to request a leave for the day, Marcus approached him with a smile.


    "Hey, Hiro," Marcus said. "Me and a few of my friends decided to create a prompt study group; we will exchange notes and ideas on the four major subjects, have a sleepover in a friend''s house, and go to the entrance exam together tomorrow morning. What do you think? Wanna come with?"


    "A sleepover study group?" Hiro asked again to confirm, but his tone already betrayed his interest.


    "Yup," Marcus nodded affirmatively. "That girl is rich, and she wants to run for the first year''s students representative."


    "Oh!" Hiro understood the message between the lines; this is basically a watered-down version of a social gathering, and this girl is building up her faction.


    If Hiro had to guess, she would act friendly but not too friendly for now, and later give the cold shoulder to those who failed the entrance exam.


    Furthermore, with only one night away from the exam, it wouldn''t seem awkward to cut a friendship that barely took form.


    Also¡­ Isn''t she quite bold to invite boys for a sleepover? I guess her house must be one of the big ones, those that come with bodyguards and stuff.


    Also, I didn''t know Marcus had such deep connections! As expected of a protagonist''s roommate, I wonder if he''s a member of some secret society¡­


    While Hiro''s thoughts wandered aimlessly, Marcus coughed. He was already used to this handsome friend of his spacing out for no reason.


    "I don''t know how, but you''re already very good in the four major subjects, so I thought this would be a great opportunity for you to integrate into the student body," Marcus said earnestly.


    Hiro felt touched, and his wild guess evolved into a valid hypothesis.


    Marcus didn''t know that Hiro had already labeled him as a special agent double spy raised in a country across the sea.


    However, Hiro''s thoughts were simple; this was a great opportunity to make new friends and farm APs from them.


    With that in mind, Hiro quickly agreed and began to collect his notes. As for the library books, he decided to keep them in the locker cabinet, as it would be irresponsible to bring them to a party.


    Marcus also helped Hiro arrange his notes and printed exam papers, and after less than 15 minutes, both of them left the dormitory building.


    ¡­


    A taxi brought the two young students to the real estate residential zone near the back mountains of the city. Lined up in the space between the mountains and the Tsukiyomi Lake, a host of luxurious mansions were arrayed in a beautiful complex.


    With the invitation card from Marcus, the taxi driver was permitted temporary entry into this highly restricted area of the city where rich entrepreneurs and influential families took residence.


    Hiro was shocked for a long time, just like the taxi driver, as the car moved carefully through the streets.


    Soon, the taxi stopped by the entrance to one of the massive mansions. It was a complex of one main building and five side buildings, including a horse stable and a massive outdoor pool.


    Dozens of students were already gathered near the pool, laughter and cozy music could also be heard from inside the main mansion. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Hey, Marcus! You''re a little late, but I''m glad you didn''t ditch the party! Haha!"


    An enthusiastic young student hurried to greet Marcus and Hiro the moment they stepped through the gate. At first, the guy''s attention was on Marcus, but he quickly noticed Hiro.


    "This is¡­?" He couldn''t help it¡ªHiro was too dashing in his white shirt, black leather jacket, and flowing crimson hair that was arranged smoothly with a headband.


    "My new roommate," Marcus introduced with a smile. "His name is Hiro; I''ve already recommended him to join our group chat, it''s pending for an approval from the administrator."


    Of course, the admins in the group were the close friends of that rich girl, and she was the group''s owner.


    Marcus then introduced this young student to Hiro. "This is one of my childhood friends, his name is Vanti, but we call him V or Vee."


    Hiro and Vanti shook hands, and the latter smiled brightly. "Once the Princess sees him, I''m positive she''d immediately approve his join request! Haha!"


    Vanti clearly thought that with Hiro''s looks alone, the so-called Princess would make him into her friend even if he couldn''t make it into Inter-High, making the latter roll his eyes.


    The trio chatted away as they entered the side mansion designated for the study group, and with Vanti''s guidance, Hiro found an empty cabinet to place his study materials before writing the words "Hiro Sciatis" on a little memo.


    "The study group starts in two hours, and it will end at midnight sharp so that we can all get some sleep for the exams tomorrow at high noon," Vanti explained the predetermined schedule, processing to guide Hiro and Marcus to the main mansion where the fun was at.


    Inside, Vanti hurried to bring Hiro over and introduced him to the Princess, and as he called over respectfully and prepared to introduce the two, Hiro was stunned.


    Hiro noticed the so-called Princess who had long black hair, a beautiful starry dress, and a pair of clear yet cold eyes. However, what caught his attention the most was the one next to the Princess.


    That familiar figure, pink hair, cute dimples, and soft eyes that were innocent yet hid a mark of cunning in their depths.


    The pink-haired girl also noticed Hiro, and she was just as shocked¡ªa cup of fruit juice in her hand slipped and fell to the ground.


    At this moment, everyone around them slowly quieted down as they noticed the weird atmosphere between the two.


    With a weird expression on her face, Bella brought out her phone and sent a message to Hiro''s phone.


    Then, everyone heard the clear chime of a text message on Hiro''s phone. Confused, he also brought out his phone and responded to the sticker with a few question marks.


    Bella''s phone buzzed, confirming her suspicions.


    The girl gasped in both shock and horror as she exclaimed, "Hiro?! What in the¡­ HOW?!!"


    Hiro began to secretly sweat, thinking that someone who remembered his dark and shameful past still existed in his life.


    He wanted to open his mouth and explain, but Bella cut him off. "Not here! Come with me!"


    Like a pink bolt of lightning, Bella rushed over and grabbed Hiro by the arm before bolting toward the spiral staircase, ignoring everyone around.


    "I need to introduce myself¡­" Hiro''s reluctant voice echoed in the silent, awkward room.


    "Fuc- ahem! I mean don''t bother, you have an explanation to give me, young man!" Bella''s cute voice followed.


    Both Vanti and Marcus stood there, dumbfounded. Soon, everyone''s eyes turned to the pair, since they were the ones who brought Hiro along.


    Vanti immediately ditched his friend and pointed at Marcus, exclaiming, "That guy is this dude''s new roommate! I don''t know anything!"


    Vanti quickly disappeared into the crowd, joining them and staring Marcus down with a curious, if not inquisitive gaze.


    The Princess snapped out of her momentary daze and gave Marcus a look.


    "Is he the one friend you recommended?" She asked.


    Marcus nodded while rubbing his head. "Well yeah, but I didn''t know¡­"


    "It''s fine," she waved her hand. Then, she fiddled with her phone for a bit and said. "I already approved of his application to join the group. You can tell us about him later."

 Chapter 10 - 10: Friends! Friends! Friends!

    Bella brought Hiro to a private room, closed the door with a bang, and quickly scanned his body from head to toe.


    She was rather intelligent and insightful; she could tell from his temperament and the look in his eyes that this was the same guy she met in the Cupid Love Hotel about two weeks ago.


    However¡­


    "How did you do it?!" As a girl, Bella was greatly shocked and disquieted by Hiro''s change, and she grabbed him by the collar of his leather jacket while rocking his head back and forth.


    "It must have been a disguise!" Bella exclaimed in realization. "You were putting on a disguise! No way you lost so much weight in such little time¡­ that must be it!"


    Inspiration flashed in Hiro''s eyes and he quickly acted on it¡ªa shocked expression appeared in his clear royal blue eyes, but he averted his gaze to calm down, returning an innocent yet helpless smile.


    "How could that be?" He answered with his hands raised. "This is all the result of honest-to-God hard work!"


    Bella caught the trace of shock that Hiro attempted to conceal by looking away, and this immediately confirmed her preliminary speculations; she immediately felt relieved inside yet curious at the same time.


    Why would he be in disguise? Was it a premeditated plan to intercept me¡ªNo, what am I thinking? Even I feel embarrassed with my imagination¡­


    Bella coughed, but she quickly stopped and gave Hiro an understanding smile while fixing his collar.


    "Yeah, yeah¡­" she remarked. "You must have worked really hard¡ªdon''t worry; I understand!"


    Hiro coughed, grasped Bella''s soft little hands and lowered them from his jacket''s collar as he asked, "What are you doing here? Are you also a student in Inter High?"


    Bella flinched, quickly withdrawing her hands from Hiro''s hold as her cheeks and neck flushed red. Only now did she realize how close the proximity between the two of them were, and her heart started to beat wildly.


    She hoped that her actions didn''t lead to some misunderstanding while she answered patiently, "I have a private homeschooling tutor, so I''m not a student. However, my family and Rosaline''s family have many established cooperations in their respective fields, so we became childhood friends."


    Rosaline? She must be the Princess of the freshmen year, right? Hiro quickly deduced Rosaline''s identity.


    Hiro was a little confused. "If her family is so well off, why would she need to take the entrance exam scholarship? Couldn''t she just apply to enter the school directly with her background and influence?"


    Hiro assumed that Rosaline was in a prestigious middle school, so she shouldn''t lack the necessary grades or achievements to apply directly.


    Bella shook her head and didn''t answer, but Hiro wasn''t disappointed.


    "Anyway," he changed the subject, albeit reluctantly. "Let''s get down there first, people will start to gossip about some prince charming if we don''t make it back soon."


    Bella rolled her eyes. "I didn''t think you''re such a narcissist!"


    Hiro sighed with a heartbroken expression as he lamented. "I also wanted to keep a low profile because I''m too handsome, but who would have expected that I''d be kidnapped by a beauty the moment I walked into the door?"


    As Hiro spoke, he took out his phone to check the reason for the constant buzzing notifications.


    Soon, he discovered that he was accepted into the chat group created by Rosaline, and that she had also added him to many other chat groups.


    Once he accepted these invitations, his contacts list almost exploded with all the new contacts that were automatically added.


    Hiro was exhilarated; he understood by now that the system''s friends list was based on his connections in the real world, much like the low recognition base of Facebook in his past life.


    Although this chat app wasn''t Facebook or Messenger, he still gained close to 200 friends to his account after receiving Rosaline''s endorsement.


    A bright flash of blue light displayed his current friends list window, and he watched with relish as names kept popping up on the screen.


    Although their friendship value was in the single digit, Hiro didn''t care about that at all.


    By the time the notifications calmed down, he made about 283 new friends!


    That''s close to 1,400 APs!


    Hiro never felt this rich in his life! Now, he felt like coming to this sleepover party was already worth it; his main objective for the evening was accomplished!


    Hiro resisted the urge to laugh and rub his chin in contemplation on what skills he should purchase, as he was still waiting for that high-priority mission reward.


    With that in mind, he felt like he should express his gratitude to those people who helped brighten his day!


    Without waiting for the pink-haired girl to respond, Hiro went for the door and opened it.


    "Ah! Ouch-¡­"


    The moment Hiro opened the door, three figures tumbled forward and crashed onto the ground; two girls and one boy.


    Hiro and Bella were stunned, looking at these eavesdroppers with blank expressions.


    The two girls sat up on their folded legs with embarrassed expressions, rubbed the back of their heads, and stuck out their tongues in a playful way.


    As for the boy, he scrambled to his feet and rubbed both his hands in embarrassment as well, not daring to look up.


    "Erm¡­ do you know these three?" Hiro decided to ask Bella, since these three definitely weren''t his friends.


    Bella covered her face in shame. "They''re probably just some little followers of my suitors¡­ Ugh! This is embarrassing!"


    Hiro understood.


    He clicked his tongue and said, "This is so damn cliche! Am I being used as a shield or something? This is going to tarnish my innocent and reputation¡­"


    Hiro''s expression was the splitting image of hopeless distress, and even the three little minions were left speechless, let alone Bella who was boiling in anger.


    Before those little fists could rain down fires of redemption on his handsome face, Hiro laughed loudly and dashed out the door, escaping the scene.


    ¡­


    The awkward atmosphere on the main floor had already dissolved under the influence of gossip, drinks, and soothing music.


    They were all teenagers; carefree and friendly to one another as a means to relax before the day of the foreboding exam. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    No one was in the mind to stick their noses up someone else''s private life with such a crucial turning point in their lives approaching.


    Hiro couldn''t find neither Rosaline or Marcus, but it was Vanti who found him and tossed an arm around his shoulders while laughing.


    "Haha! You hid yourself quite well! I didn''t know that you had connections to the influential friends of the Princess! Dude, you''re set for life! I''m so jealous!"


    "What''s there to be jealous about?" Hiro disentangled himself from Vanti and took two steps away. "I''m probably gonna end up as a human shield, then some powerful CEO daddy will knock on my door one day, and if I''m lucky enough; I wouldn''t end up as a castrated cold corpse on some unknown street in winter."


    Vanti shivered and gave Hiro a sympathetic look. "Now that you''ve put it this way, I truly feel sorry for you. If there''s any way I can help you, please don''t come looking for me."


    This damned opportunistic is friend material?! Hiro was rendered speechless, turning around and walking towards the pool without saying a word.


    Vanti laughed, following Hiro to bask in the attention while the good times lasted.


    Hiro didn''t mind, nor did he care.


    Although it was a little bit of a challenge to navigate through the gossip and probing attempts from everyone by the pool, he managed to mingle with the crowd just fine.


    Soon, everyone was called into the side mansion reserved for the group study session, and Hiro followed along silently.

 Chapter 11 - 11: Elixir Potions

    Inside the side mansion.


    Hiro grouped up with Marcus who had disappeared for the entirety of the party, Vanti who was glued to him the whole time, and two other girls.


    Many mini groups formed in the spacious hall, and under Rosaline''s directives, each group had to focus on one of the four major subjects of math, physics, chemistry, and religion.


    That was supposed to be the plan, but Hiro raised his hand and suggested that each group be comprised of five people¡ªfour of them proficient in one of the respective fields and the last member being a jack of all trades.


    Then, after fifteen minutes of joint, closed study, each group would list down their confusions and questions in the form of notes before passing them to the nearby group.


    Like this, the groups would alternately exchange notes that included diverse methods to approach different questions, and after the rotation was completed, everyone would have gained equally from one another.


    Rosaline thought seriously about Hiro''s suggestion and decided to make a vote for it.


    Ultimately, everyone agreed, and that''s how they split into over a dozen groups, each group with five members.


    Then, everyone got handed a printed copy of past entrance exams to look into.


    Hiro sighed in relief, glad that his last-minute suggestion wasn''t turned down. Then, he closed his eyes to enter the system space as fast as possible while the exam papers were being arranged.


    ¡­


    In the system space, Hiro brought the system shop window closer to himself.


    With 1,430 points to his name, Hiro went for the consumables section.


    "These items exist in every RPG game, the shop must have some of them¡­" Hiro muttered to himself while scrolling down to the elixir section.


    It just occurred to him that while permanent skills were very expensive, almost all RPG games had temporary buffs.


    He decided to make use of his current "fame hype" to set favorable conditions for his next step. Luckily, Hiro wasn''t disappointed.


    Hiro found potions that would temporarily boost the status of his character!


    Although each potion cost 200 points, Hiro wasn''t about to act stingy!


    He directly brought a bottle of {Intelligence Potion}, which would increase focus and comprehension for 60 minutes.


    Then, he spent another 200 points to buy a bottle of {Memory Potion}, which would give him a photographic memory buff for 60 minutes.


    Those, together with his {Immersive Reading} skill, would allow Hiro to become a study god for the next one hour.


    Although this time was enough for Hiro to rotate between only four groups, he decided that he would check the effects first.


    If everything went well, he might spend another 400 points to give himself the necessary boost.


    However, Hiro quickly remembered that his objective wasn''t to ace the exam¡ªhe only needed to pass it!


    With that in mind, he calmed down and decided to save the remaining 1,030 points.


    Two bottles of purple potions appeared in front of Hiro, which he consumed immediately before opening his eyes.


    The four around Hiro immediately noticed the change; he seemed more focused, serious, and scarily dedicated.


    In this group, Hiro was the jack of all trades.


    Marcus was the go-to when it came to math.


    Vanti was the go-to when it came to religion.


    The other two girls were responsible for the scientific fields respectively¡ªphysics and chemistry.


    With a clap of her hands, Rosaline signaled everyone to start as she timed her stopwatch to 15 minutes!


    Hiro didn''t notice any of that because he was already in the zone. With his memory potion activated and granting him a temporary photographic memory, he spent the first five minutes flipping through the notes of his teammates.


    Everyone was stunned to see Hiro''s eyes scanning through their notebooks, mainly because they didn''t think he was doing anything other than skimming through.


    Feeling that his mind couldn''t keep up with the intake of information despite his increased intelligence, Hiro gritted his teeth and activated another of his system''s abilities.


    {Synchronization}!


    Although his in-game character wasn''t a Golden Core cultivator, it was a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator!


    The gap between ordinary people and the Foundation Establishment was massive, especially since there existed another major realm in between; the Qi Gathering realm.


    Hiro''s clothes gently fluttered despite the lack of wind in the closed room, and his temperament completely changed.


    Marcus, Bella, and Rosaline had glints in their eyes as they looked over simultaneously, but that moment quickly passed as though it was an illusion.


    Only Bella smiled as though she''d discovered another continent, muttering to herself.


    Using 10 APs, Hiro became a powerful cultivator for a duration of 60 minutes!


    His increased spirituality supplemented his increased intelligence, and he no longer felt burdened. As the jack of all trades in the team, his only mission was to review the notes and point out the relatively obvious inconsistencies.


    Although he wasn''t doing much on the surface, it was Hiro who glued the cohesion of the small study group, allowing everything to proceed smoothly.


    Every 15 minutes, Hiro needed to skim through the exchanged notes, separate them based on the difficulty of the problems, and hand them out to the person responsible for each field.


    Some mixed notes had both physics and math jumbled up, some had religion and irrelevant subjective opinions mixed up with worldwide views, and some had errors in their chemistry formats and components.


    Hiro needed to fix all these minor problems to allow his teammates an easy time sorting out the problems, solving those they could solve, and pushing those beyond their level to someone else.


    Time quickly passed, and as Hiro got more and more proficient in coordinating with his teammates, they started to gain surplus time to discuss among themselves on deeper levels, thus solving more problems.


    Soon, some nearby groups began to skip turns and hand their research progress to Hiro''s group directly.


    Rosaline didn''t say anything about these instances, as she wasn''t a rigid person.


    Things got more ridiculous around the 40-minute mark as the two nearby groups decided to merge with Hiro''s group, forming a small network team with a clear hierarchy.


    With two more assistants, Hiro''s job got easier even when the volume of work increased, but he didn''t mind.


    This only meant that Hiro had the chance to read more ingenious research results from other groups.


    Eventually, Hiro ended up spending another 410 points to get two more potions and another synchronization hour.


    The only difference was that his little group had grown to host five mini-groups, and before it could get out of hand, Rosaline gathered the other mini-groups into another large group on the other side.


    They followed the same format, and the two groups exchanged research notes every 20 minutes.


    Hiro felt like an enlightened Supreme Buddha as he utilized his skills to the extreme, especially his calligraphy skills to dish out notes in a neat and organized manner.


    Hiro didn''t know that in these two hours, he captured the hearts of many maidens.


    Soon, the clock his midnight sharp, and coincidentally, the temporary boosts also ran out.


    Without the steam, exhaustion finally caught up to Hiro, and with countless formulas and numbers swimming in his mind, Hiro slowly stretched out, yawned, and flopped back while slipping into unconsciousness.


    He could only recall that the back of his head landed onto something bouncy, soft, and supple¡ªfeeling extremely comfortable.


    It felt so good, that he immediately fell asleep.


    Rosaline, who had approached Hiro''s group to commend them for their hard work, hadn''t expected to come by and find Hiro falling back to drop on the hard floor. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She subconsciously moved forward and caught his falling body, only to realize her actions a beat later.


    She didn''t express a feeling of being embarrassed at all; rather, she calmly asked for a few buff guys to come over and carry Hiro back to the male''s side mansion, her expression as calm and cold as usual.


    Only she knew how furiously her heart was pounding, and she could feel the eyes of a certain pink-haired chibi poking holes into her back.

 Chapter 12 - 12: Entrance Exam Mission Rewards

    The following morning.


    Hiro was glad to have used his very first synchronization experience in a friendly space, especially after experiencing the drawbacks.


    Now, he was aware more than ever that while he could burrow the power of his in-game characters; it all lay with the foundation of his own body!


    If his body in real life couldn''t withstand the strain of synchronization, then it might lead to irreparable damage, and not some light consequence such as falling unconscious.


    With this in mind, Hiro was even more worried about his upcoming breakthrough, cultivating magical powers, and increasing his strength in Transcendent Taoist!


    As the last person to wake up, Hiro spent less than half an hour sorting out his thoughts and the vast amount of information that flooded his mind.


    With his current knowledge base, passing the entrance exam was guaranteed. However, what comes next?


    As Hiro was thinking, his phone buzzed with an incoming text message.


    [Bella]: Come meet me at¡­


    Looking at the message, Hiro shook his head and got up, washed his face, and left the side mansion reserved for the boys.


    ¡­


    Behind the main mansion was the stables where Rosaline''s family kept their horses.


    The moment Hiro saw the stables, he saw two figures and a host of servants tending to the horses.


    Well, Bella and Rosaline sat to the side, simply watching as the servants groomed and fed the horses.


    Both of them looked over, and it was Bella who waved her hand, inviting Hiro to their side.


    Although confused, Hiro followed her instructions and quickly approached them with a smile.


    "Little brat and Her Highness, how can I help you two?" Hiro wasn''t very concerned with etiquette, directly pulling a wooden stool over and plopping down in front of the two.


    Bella rolled her eyes charmingly. "You don''t need to act in front of us sisters, we''ve invited you over for your own good."


    My own good? Hiro blinked, still waiting for an explanation.


    Rosaline coughed, explaining, "It might have been an accident, but both of us and my family''s higher-ups have noticed your anomaly yesterday¡­"


    Hiro''s eyes widened in shock, but before he could say anything, Rosaline continued.


    "Don''t worry," she told Hiro in a pacifying tone. "Although it''s unexpected, an expert in the family examined your body and said that you might be undergoing a process we call ''Awakening'', and you''ll soon become a Paranormal¡­


    "It''s not confirmed, but the telltale signs are there, and we think that you touched the boundary during an intense moment of single-minded concentration. Nonetheless, since it happened in our territory, we are obliged to let you know what happened to you and what you''re about to get yourself into if the awakening was successful.


    "However, if you don''t awaken and are stuck at the current level, I hope you don''t go around talking too much. Otherwise¡­"


    Rosaline thought that Hiro would panic even more, but after hearing her explanation, he patted his chest and sighed in relief.


    That was scary¡­ Hiro almost thought they discovered his system and abilities to burrow power from an outside source.


    However, this was also a wake-up call for Hiro.


    He shouldn''t act as careless in the future.


    After making that mental note, he lifted his head to meet Rosaline''s eyes. "I¡­ so what I felt yesterday wasn''t just an illusion, was it?"


    "I''m afraid not," Rosaline shook her head and sighed, her feelings a mystery. "As for you, I suppose you can be considered a Tier-9 Paranormal, albeit barely. Strictly speaking, you''re still a Tier-10 human, but you''ve momentarily touched the Tier-9 boundary."


    As Rosaline was talking, she fiddled with her phone and sent him a link to a forum post on a random fandom website for RPG combat discussions.


    "There are millions of fandom websites like this on the internet, but this particular user is considered to be the spokesperson for the major events in our society. It''s an open secret. If you want fundamental information, just scroll through his newsfeed."


    Bella spoke up, "If you become a real Paranormal one day, I''ll let you in on the grownups table as my little henchman!"


    She sounded very proud about it, and Hiro couldn''t help but chuckle to himself.


    After he promised not to do anything reckless in public again, the three of them said goodbye and parted ways.


    When they were far enough, Bella finally couldn''t hold it in anymore and raised her doubts, "Hey, it''s not like your old man to pay so much attention to matters like these, what happened last night?"


    Rosaline looked back at the distant figure growing ever-so-blurry as she mumbled, "I don''t know... because the old man himself isn''t sure either. Anyway, he tasked me to build a good relationship with him, so I guess giving him this warning could be considered as a display of goodwill."


    Bella pouted, lights gleaming in her eyes.


    ¡­


    Everything proceeded smoothly from then on, and quickly, it was high noon.


    Everyone went to the school grounds, submitted their applications, and were escorted into the cold and silent classrooms for their exams.


    Each exam lasted for one hour with a fifteen-minute break between each exam, and so¡­ five stressful hours passed by.


    With today''s technology, it would take one more hour for the computer to tally the results and send them to the students via their student application to their email and phone number.


    At 18:00 O''clock sharp, Hiro heard three beautiful bell chimes.


    One from his email, another from his text messages, and another from the system!


    [Notice: Congratulations, you''ve completed your first high-priority mission!]


    [Mission Briefing: In order to step into society and tackle the first obstacle in this world, the high school''s entrance exam, you learned to utilize your resources, forgoing immediate profits to gain better returns in the future!]


    [Mission Rating: Excellent]


    [Reward 1: 50 gems]


    [Reward 2: Sorcerer Awakening Potion]


    [Reward 3: Analytical Mind Skill]


    [Reward 4: 1,000 Achievement Points]


    [Reward 5: 1x Game Voucher]


    [Reward 6: Time Dilation Feature]


    ¡­


    Hiro was so excited he began to tremble and shake in place, and while he was trying hard to suppress his excitement, Marcus slapped him on the back out of nowhere.


    "Haha," Marcus laughed while waving his phone that displayed his emai. "I''m also excited to have been accepted, and since you''re this happy, there''s no need to hold it in! It''s the time to celebrate!"


    The slap from Marcus brought Hiro back to the current reality, and he immediately calmed down and suppressed his excitement.


    "You''re right," Hiro said, quickly gathering his jacket and shoes. "I need to go somewhere to celebrate! Don''t wait for me tonight!"


    Marcus was stunned, as he planned to say that they could celebrate together. However, Hiro already left the room by the time Marcus opened his mouth.


    Hiro went downstairs, exited to the street, and hailed a taxi to the nearest 3-star hotel. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He was planning to spend tonight in his system space, and he planned to get a new game where he could actively navigate his character!


    During his one hour of waiting for the exams results, he already browsed through the link Rosaline sent his way. In a sense, the Paranormal Society was a mess.


    Magi, cultivators, werewolves, vampires, holy elements, mutants, etc.


    The world was infested with them, hence the unification of power, a decree from the Holy Church, and the power tiers system.


    With that in mind, tiers were separated based on their destructive capabilities, but it could get more complicated than that.


    In any case, it wasn''t for Hiro to worry about.


    Hiro''s current priority was to ingest the sorcerer potion, then get himself a game with focus on sorcery.


    Since there''s a sorcerer''s potion, does that mean I can awaken more potions in the future?


    It was surely something worth looking forward to, and with these thoughts in mind, Hiro booked a room on short notice after paying an additional 35% fee to the hotel.


    Heart beating wildly, he locked himself into his hotel room and went for the bed.

 Chapter 13 - 13: Hiro the Sorcerer

    Millions of colors stacked and combusted, bringing Hiro into the familiar environment of the system space.


    Once inside, he summoned the {Sorcerer Awakening Potion} and digested it.


    Just in case his body succumbed to sleep or something during the awakening process in the real world, his consciousness would remain awake in the system space.


    With that out of mind, Hiro then focused on the {Anaylytical Mind} and {Time Dilation} rewards.


    The first skill was a reward based on his earlier 800-point investment, and this skill was a combination of increased intelligence and photographic memory.


    It increased both his comprehension ability and gifted him with the desired photographic memory, basically turning him into the perfect student model.


    As for the time dilation feature, it would increase the ratio of time between the simulation space and the real world by a factor of 1 upon use, with each use costing double.


    Hiro quickly tested the feature by increasing the time ratio from 1:1 to 2:1 by paying 50 APs, then increasing it again to 3:1 by paying 100 APs.


    Hiro checked his current balance, discovering that he had 1,470 points left. After struggling for a little bit, he decided to bite the bullet and spent 200 more points to get the ratio up to 4:1.


    Like this, his daily sleep could equate to a full day in-game with a surplus of 8 hours.


    Next on the list was the lottery box!


    "I need 30 gems for the 10x lottery box," Hiro was quite excited, as the 10-item lottery box had a higher chance of giving him something with practical value.


    Hiro quickly pushed the irrelevant holographic screens aside and brought the lottery screen over.


    Without hesitation, he used the gems required for the lottery box and watched the cube spin around before exploding into a shower of colorful lights.


    While he was prepared for it, Hiro was still disappointed by the random consultation rewards of achievement points, ranging from 20 to 400 points for each consultation reward.


    Luckily, he obtained two tangible rewards this time!


    [Notice: Congratulations, you''ve acquired the Sorcerer''s Guide to the Five Elements!]


    [Notice: Congratulations, you''ve acquired 3x Futuristic VR Technology blueprints!]


    ¡­


    A dense cluster of information about magic theory barged into Hiro''s mind, and it took him a good fifteen minutes to digest the information.


    Meanwhile, three pitch-black flash drives materialized in front of Hiro, a light blue pop-up window with a brief description hovering above each of them.


    "Futuristic VR technology!" Hiro was ecstatic!


    Although this world had VR technology, it was far from mature enough to permit full immersion as advertised in anime and manga. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    However, this futuristic technology was more than enough to make the push! Although Hiro never thought about creating his own company and entering the gaming industry, no one would say no to free money!


    "Although I can''t start my company right now, I can start preparing for it¡­ I mean, how can I be handsome and rich without my own company?"


    Almost without thinking, Hiro''s spendthrift occupational disease kicked in, and he went to the system shop and browsed through his daily life skills.


    After scrolling through the skills, his eyes finally settled on {Business Acumen I}, {Business Acumen II}, and {Business Acumen III}.


    Their prices were 200 points, 400 points, and 800 points respectively.


    {Business Acumen IV} costs 1,600 points, and looking at that price, Hiro immediately sobered up.


    Even with the consolation rewards, spending 1,400 points to invest in his future company was Hiro''s current limit.


    Somehow, his balance dropped to 1,070 points!


    Hiro didn''t even feel like checking the backlog since the fluctuating value of his points would give him a headache.


    "I''ve decided!" Hiro made a firm resolution as he began to feel the new skill taking effect.


    I''ll make sure to always cash in all my rewards before I start spending gems and points in the future!


    With that mindset, Hiro decided to push the matter of selecting a new game aside before he entered the Transcendent Taoist game.


    ¡­


    Transcendent Taoist, Cave Dwelling.


    A dense, misty spiritual energy surrounded Hiro the moment he opened his eyes.


    Notifications filled his vision, and after he dismissed all of them, he focused on his cultivation base.


    [Daoist: Hiro.]


    [Sect: Lunar Shift.]


    [Realm: Foundation Establishment 10/10.]


    [Cultivation Base: 4,100,000/3,900,000]


    [Spirit Array: +12 per second]


    ¡­


    Hiro decided to undergo tribulation immediately.


    [Notice: You have a 75% chance to ascend the lightning tribulation!]


    [You can use 1 gem to increase your chances by 5%!]


    An option to use the gem appeared, and next to it was the option to consume a golden core pill. However, Hiro didn''t have any pills.


    I can purchase medical pills from the sect! Hiro was surprised, realizing that he hadn''t explored the game properly.


    However, 75% wasn''t a low chance, so Hiro decided to go with the tribulation without a second thought.


    Thunderclouds gathered in the sky, and they started to smite down on Hiro.


    While feeling paralyzed by the barrage of lightning, a sudden thought struck Hiro.


    If a Qi Gathering cultivator could be considered a Tier-10 Paranormal, doesn''t that make me a Tier-8 Paranormal once I''ve achieved the Golden Core realm?


    Also, is it a coincidence that the Holy Church decreed the unification of power systems while the Pantheon of the Gods includes the likes of the Goddess of Magic, Beast God, the Blood Ancestor, Elvenheim, Immortal Monarch the Heavenly Emperor, etc¡­


    I refuse to believe that it''s all but a coincidence! If my guess is true, then the conflict between the Church and the State is deeper than I initially thought¡­


    The 81 lightning strikes from the tribulation passed, and Hiro successfully made it into the Golden Core realm!


    Feeling refreshed, he inspected his stats.


    [Daoist: Hiro.]


    [Sect: Lunar Shift.]


    [Realm: Golden Core 1/10.]


    [Cultivation Base: 12/1,800,000]


    [Spirit Array: +12 per second]


    ¡­


    As expected, the daily 1 million spiritual units are no longer sufficient if Hiro wanted a faster breakthrough in the future. However, he was feeling reluctant about using 5 gems to increase the spirit array rates from 12 units per second to 22 units per second.


    After thinking about it, Hiro went to meet with the leader of the Lunar Serenity faction to receive his rewards for achieving the Golden Core realm.


    Hiro quickly confirmed his status as a true disciple, elevating him from an in-name disciple.


    After receiving his reward which consisted of three spell books, two defensive and one offensive magical spells, Hiro quickly learned them and sent his character on a few sect missions.


    "As long as I gather enough contribution points, I can be promoted and get myself a better spirit array, all without the need to spend my gems!"


    Satisfied, Hiro stacked a number of missions on auto pilot, but he made sure none of them were hard enough to injure his character.


    That way, the chain wouldn''t be broken and his character wouldn''t stop going on missions.


    With that out of hand, Hiro left the simulation space and the system space, quickly falling unconscious together with his body.


    ¡­


    When Hiro woke up from his sleep, the first thing he noticed was the light blue pop-up window with his updated information written on it.


    [Player: Hiro]


    [Class: Sorcerer]


    [Tier: 9]


    [Rank: C]


    ¡­


    Together with the awakening, information appeared in Hiro''s mind as though it was an intuitive knowledge from the depths of his mind.


    Of course, this was information derived from the magic theory, the guide to the five elements, and the awakening potion.


    A Sorcerer''s tier is based on their spirituality, the main focus of Hiro''s future growth.


    Information related to spiritual meditation and the harmony of the elements flowed inside Hiro''s mind, while the separate classifications of tiers and the subdivisions of ranks followed.


    If Hiro had to guess, then his system must have derived the information from the current world, and each tier is subdivided into ranks C, B, A, and S¡­

 Chapter 14 - 14: Sciatis Holdings Limited

    This makes me a C-9 Paranormal according to this world''s standards, right?


    Hiro got off from his bed and checked the time. It was already around 10 in the morning of the following day.


    Calculating the time, Hiro quickly checked out from the hotel after the daily routine and took a taxi to the Committee of Commerce in the city center where he waited in line to register a private company.


    The process was long and boring, but it was quite simple. Other than renting an office in the Committee Building, Hiro needed to lay out a clear blueprint for the future direction of the company.


    He would also need to open a shared bank account for the company in the International Commerce Bank, but the assets that make it into the bank would be frozen until Hiro accumulated 100,000 International Credits of liquidity.


    Usually, a one-year probation wouldn''t be enough for anyone to gather that much money, thus allowing the COC to take over the established foundation of the company to squeeze it dry.


    However, Hiro was different.


    Since he had the blueprints and technology for futuristic VR technology, he made use of the commerce''s endorsement and included teasers for the VR helmet technology in his company''s future plans.


    He was willing to share the technology with up to five partners, signing exclusive contracts not to share the VR helmet technology with anyone else.


    In exchange, 33% of the overall sales profit would go to Hiro''s company, and the contract is due for three years.


    With the current information technology, news travels fast. In less than one hour, Hiro was already on a video call with the five representatives who were decisive enough to sign a letter of intent without any negotiations whatsoever.


    ¡­


    "This office is pretty small, but I guess it will do for now¡­"


    Hiro sat on the leather chair, running his fingers on the plastic keyboard, and took a moment to admire the logo of "Sciatis Holdings Limited" on his waiting screen.


    Soon, a video call request was forwarded to his business account, and he answered the call. As expected, with the exception of the middle man from the COC, everyone else had their company''s logo on, not their live video feed.


    Each of these five companies was a behemoth in the local hardware gaming industry.


    Then again, Hiro understood that overseas taxes would butcher a company''s profits, let alone having to shave off an additional 33%¡­


    And for what? A better hardware? How many companies have claimed that they could revolutionize the VR industry with a realistic, full-immersion dive technology?


    Then, how many actually succeeded?


    Therefore, while the local giants were willing to take the risk and test their luck in the local markets thanks to their connections with the government, the international market was a whole different animal.


    Hiro understood all of this with his new acumen for business, hence why he didn''t care too much about earning money internationally for now.


    The meeting progressed smoothly, and with the CCC presiding over the deal with a handling fee of 3% of the total profit, the discussion reached the contract signing stage. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After all five company representatives signed their end of the deal, they left the video call and went to Hiro to finish the formalities with the CoC handler.


    Towards the end, Hiro requested that out of the five transactions, one of them would deposit the money directly into his Nexus bank account.


    "Are you sure?" The Handler furrowed his brows and advised. "This will account as a separate handling fee, doubling your losses from 3% to 6%! Don''t think so little of 3% just because the number sounds small."


    Hiro hesitated. Honestly, he merely wanted to show off by having a string of zeros in his bank account, because he couldn''t use the company''s money during the one-year probation period.


    Eventually, his vanity won over his rationality and business acumen combined, signing the necessary papers with the handler.


    It''s not that you''re wrong, Mr. Handler, Hiro felt a little guilty about turning down such good advice from the man. However, 3% is really nothing to me since I have yet to reveal my other trump cards!


    The Handler failed to convince Hiro with the voice of reason. Resigned, he ended the call and requested from Hiro to send the related documents to the five companies.


    Unperturbed, Hiro summoned the VR helmet flash drive from his system space and deposited the data into the shared cloud server.


    This server was opened by the five companies together, and it easily proceeded the ton of data.


    In less than 15 minutes, the data was available on the cloud server for all five companies and their respective R&D departments.


    Once the files were confirmed, they sent an email indicating that within three months, the new products would be on the shelves in department stores, and they would transfer 33% of the monthly revenue to the Commerce Bank.


    From there, the Handler would process the necessary taxes and handling fees before depositing the money into Hiro''s private account and the company''s account.


    By the time Hiro left his small office in the COC building, the sun was about to set.


    While Hiro was feeling bored about what to do, he received a phone call from Bella.


    Hiro''s eyes lit up! After he passed the entrance exam to Inter-High, and with the cash cow technology in hand, Hiro decided to quit his job as a clerk in the clothing store.


    Sadly, that meant that he didn''t have anything to do for the following month while he waited for school to start.


    He almost forgot that he was now a Paranormal, so why shouldn''t he do what Paranormals do?


    Without hesitation, he answered the phone and was the first to speak up.


    "I think I''ve awakened!"


    The other end of the phone went silent for a moment before he heard Bella speak, "Come to the school''s club building and head to the third floor, I''ll be waiting by the stairs!"


    Beep!


    The phone hung up.


    Did she ignore what I just said? Hiro felt confused for a moment, but he quickly realized his mistake; he shouldn''t be saying such nonsense in public, let alone on a phone call!


    Shaking his head, Hiro hailed another taxi and left for the school.


    ¡­


    "Took you long enough!" Bella pouted the moment she saw Hiro ascending the stairs.


    With a harrumph, she made a turn for it and skipped away to a private club room at the end of the hallway.


    It was the room directly opposite the student''s council club room, making Hiro wonder if it was intentional.


    Nonetheless, he followed Bella into the room and as expected, Rosaline was already waiting inside while sipping tea.


    "This dolt almost said something that he shouldn''t have, and it was only yesterday that we gave him a warning!"


    Once the door was closed, Bella hopped up and smacked Hiro across the back of his head.


    He could have dodged, but he decided that he deserved that one, rubbing the back of his head while chuckling.


    "Well," he wanted to clarify himself. "I was too excited yet bored; we have one month of free time before school starts, and I have nothing else to do!"


    "So you wanted to ask if people like us had anything else to do during our free time, something fun?" Rosaline asked, her big eyes blinking with a peculiar light.


    "Haha¡­ yeah¡­ Well, do you guys have anything fun to do?" Hiro rubbed his hands and asked expectantly.


    "If you consider mercenary work, assassinations, illegal smuggling, and anything that couldn''t see the light of day as some fun activities¡­ Then yes, by all means, we do fun stuff all day."


    Rosaline''s tone turned cold, oppressive, and foreboading as she spoke. The temperature in the room chilled all of a sudden, and Hiro felt as though his actions thus far had been agonizingly childish.

 Chapter 15 - 15: The Paranormal Lifestyle

    "The world doesn''t make any distinction between good people and bad people; it only provides powers on a whim, and it is up to people on how to make use of these powers.


    "That is to say, people are inherently selfish, born with the original sin. Let me be straightforward with you; everyone who grasped this power in the Paranormal Society is after one thing only, and that is their benefits.


    "It can be their personal benefit, the organization''s benefit, their family''s benefit, or even their enemy''s benefit if the price is high enough.


    "To these people, the lives of people, be it the ordinary or the Paranormal, are just chess pieces¡ªmeans to an end. Let me tell you, no matter how large or small the board is, there are never enough chess pieces to go around.


    "As for you¡ªsomeone without a background, without connections, and most importantly of all; without power¡­ Just what the hell were you thinking?! Are you tired of living?!


    "Just the knowledge that you''re a Paranormal is enough to elevate you from an overlooked chess piece to a potential chess piece! You can be in the wrong place at the wrong time and the next thing you know, the authorities are knocking down your door!


    "In this society, secrecy is an iron law! If Bella''s phone wasn''t modified to counter espionage, you might have disappeared in broad daylight the moment you stepped into a random taxi!"


    After going on her long tirade, Rosaline kneaded her forehead, feeling a headache.


    Hiro had an apologetic, ashamed expression on his face. He knew that he was careless, but he didn''t think it was this bad¡­


    "It''s enough, Rosa¡­" Bella stepped behind Rosaline and gave her stiff shoulders a good massage. "As for you, little guy, why don''t you join under one of our families? At the very least, we can¡­"


    Hiro immediately raised both his hands up and stopped Bella before she could say anything.


    "Hold your horses!" Hiro almost shouted. "I get it, I messed up¡ªhowever! It hadn''t gotten to the point where I''m desperate for your family''s protection! As for Paranormal business, I take it back, I will spend this month playing games and not get myself into trouble!"


    Damn, how could I forget about my system?! I must have been mentally ill this afternoon!


    Hiro almost slapped himself. If anything, he should make use of this month to increase both his cultivation and the level of his character in a new RPG game.


    Rosaline was right, he shouldn''t be pouncing around if he didn''t have the power nor the background to protect himself!


    What could a mere Tier-9 Rank-C Paranormal do in this messed-up society anyway? Lie down and wait for death?


    Even if his cultivator profile was a Tier-8 Rank-C Paranormal, that was still nothing in the grand scheme of things!


    Rosaline blinked her eyes, feeling that her intimidation tactics had backfired. She didn''t want Hiro to retreat from the paranormal circles, only to be careful and find reliance in them.


    However, it seemed like she took things too far.


    "Don''t you want to know how to get stronger though? I mean, I can tell you how, but you can''t make use of this knowledge since you''re all alone and well¡­" Rosaline shut her mouth at this point.


    "All I know so far is that I''m a Sorcerer, and I crave for something called spirituality?" Hiro sighed. He acted both bewildered and lost, as though he didn''t have a clue about what was happening to him.


    Rosaline nodded.


    "That''s your body''s instinctive desire to evolve driving you forward, just like how awakened vampires are drawn to blood rich with vitality. As a Sorcerer, you can grow stronger by meditating in spiritually dense environments or by consuming spiritual resources."


    "Never mind the lengthy exploration," Bella shook her head. "Seriously, you clan people are always so calculative!"


    As she spoke, she fiddled with her phone.


    "Bella!" Rosaline furrowed her brows in displeasure, but it was already too late.


    Hiro''s phone buzzed, and when he checked the messages, it was an app link from Bella.


    Bella stuck out her tongue. "This is the recognized official app for the paranormal circle, and you can only get the app via a referral from an active member."


    Hiro was intrigued and quickly downloaded the app called PARA.


    "Is it safe?" Hiro asked while the app was installed.


    "It is," Bella nodded her head. "It creates a virtual identity for you, and it can''t be traced since the algorithm is floating over millions of ghost cloud servers, and hundreds of ghost servers are being generated daily from the subscription revenue, not even the creators of the app know how many ghost servers there are today. Thousands? Hundreds of thousands? Millions? A billion servers?


    Really, the number is anyone''s guess!"


    Hiro was impressed. He couldn''t believe that the government failed to stop such a cancer from spreading.


    Bella chuckled and explained that the ghost server algorithm had already penetrated into every server provider platform that exists on the web, and it is futile to shut it down unless the world decides to shut down the internet globally for at least 72 hours.


    Hiro tried to imagine the entire planet without internet for three days, but he couldn''t. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The chaos such a thing might generate would be unimaginable. Hiro shuddered at the mere thought.


    According to Bella, not even the person who sent the recommendation through the link would know the identity of the invited and vice versa.


    Since there was an expiration time for the link, Hiro immediately installed the app and registered an account.


    The app asked him to position the front camera near his eye for the retina scan, and Hiro complied.


    He could feel his phone heating up crazily, to the point where he almost dropped it.


    After the phone was connected to an unknown software, it scanned his retina in seconds, then the software was deleted automatically and the phone cooled down.


    The logo of the PARA app was changed to a single eye without either an iris or a pupil, confirming the installation.


    Seeing that Rosaline was about to say something, Bella immediately waved her hand to dismiss Hiro.


    "Now go! Don''t tell anyone about your username on the app, and only accept mission requests when you''re confident enough with both your strength and secrecy lest you draw unwanted attention!"


    Hiro felt grateful to this pink-haired chibi, smiling and nodding before apologizing to Rosaline once again.


    Then, he left.


    Once the door closed and after a moment of silence, Rosaline''s dark expression brightened up and she exchanged a high five with Bella.


    Bella laughed. "The classic good cop bad cop never fails! Honestly, are you sure you want to push him away from your family like this? Your old man will be pissed!"


    "So what?" Rosaline tucked away her hair behind her ear. "They''re out for their own interests, and I''m out for mine. There will come a day when I branch out from the main family, it''s not bad to start laying the foundations from early on."


    Bella sighed with pity. "It''s times like these where I''m glad to be the only child to a rich and powerful daddy. It''s so good to be a rich second generation!"


    ¡­


    That evening, Hiro returned to his dormitory room after cooling down his head. He didn''t immediately register an identity on PARA, mainly because he was scared of getting involved in something impulsively.


    Marcus left a message saying that he planned to take a month long vacation in the countryside relaxing with his family, leaving the dormitory room to Hiro.


    Hiro wasn''t bothered by it, he actually felt pretty good.


    Now, he decided to seclude himself into gaming mode, taking small breaks for food and some sports activities to keep in shape, while spending the rest of his time playing Transcendent Taoist and farming a new RPG game.


    He already found the game to play, an RPG game called Legend of Babylon.

 Chapter 16 - 16: Legend of Babylon

    An open-world sandbox universe RPG game, the Legend of Babylon gave Hiro the feeling that this game was a mix of WoW, DnD, and Middle Earth combined.


    With an array of jobs from warrior, mage, priest, archer, and musician.


    Each main job has two growth routes, and the mage job class can grow into either a summoner or a sorcerer.


    Of course, Hiro chose the sorcerer class.


    While typical games would allow a person to have multiple classes, the {Simulation Space} offered no such thing.


    Each game was limited to one character and no more.


    As for why Hiro chose to play a sorcerer even though the powers from synchronization were temporary¡­


    Well, the power boost may be temporary, but the comprehension and understanding of spells would linger in Hiro''s mind nonetheless!


    While the comprehension and experiences of a cultivator were useless to Hiro since he didn''t have a cultivation talent, the same couldn''t be said for the sorcerer.


    It could be said that once his in-game sorcerer reached a certain height and he successfully synchronized with the character, then spent the synchronization time in meditation to consolidate his gains, his understanding of his class would far exceed his power tier.


    Hiro would only need abundant spirituality to elevate his power tier without fear of having the energy going out of control within his body and spirit.


    ¡­


    Following the short cinematic, the main story in the Legend of Babylon goes like this:


    The Tower of Babylon is a holy relic left behind by Lord Babylon, the creator of life and death, and the gatekeeper of reincarnation.


    It was said that the tower connected the realms of the living and the dead through a celestial bridge between the stars, maintaining order in the world.


    One day, the Monarchs of the Underworld and the God Kings of Heaven decided to shatter the Celestial Bridge, taking advantage of Lord Babylon''s slumber to separate the three realms of life, death, and reincarnation.


    After successfully weakening Lord Babylon, a war erupted between Heaven and the Underworld, a race to rebuild and conquer the Celestial Bridge, robbing Lord Babylon of his source of power, killing him once and for all, and claiming the throne.


    For hundreds of years, the war continued on, relentlessly. Billions of brave Seekers, from Heaven and the Underworld, join the race to the Throne of Babylon day by day.


    When will the chosen one to break the balance between the two realms appear?


    Will he come from Heaven or the Underworld?


    Will he save the three realms, or send them to utter oblivion?¡­


    ¡­


    In a sense, the endgame of the storyline was to either become the strongest Undead Monarch or the strongest God King, sweeping through all opposition, constructing the Celestial Bridge anew, and claiming the throne after slaying Babylon which had long since been forgotten by history.


    Mind you¡ªforgotten¡ªnot dead.


    While he is a weakened Creator Lord, he is still a Creator Lord!


    After viewing the cinematics, Hiro of course chose to become a Seeker from the Heaven Realm, and his job class was a mage!


    He would later choose the sorcerer growth path after reaching level 10, but for now, he needed to blitz through the guidance quests in the newbie village.


    ¡­


    "I can smell the ashes of war, and I can hear the agony of the wicked. This endless cycle of suffering knows no end in sight, as yet another Seeker was born.


    "Tell me, young soul, what is it you truly seek? For all I know, the millions before you and the millions to come to seek but one thing¡ªdamnation¡­"


    Hiro''s character spawned in a ruined chapel.


    The color grading gave the environment a melancholic gray visual impression, not to mention the dispirited piano and violin music playing in the background.


    Hiro had barely started playing, yet he was already feeling a little guilty for the wickedness he was about to rain down on this world.


    Dressed in a simple linen cloth, equipped with a magic branch in hand, Hiro focused on the old priest sweeping away the dusty, abandoned chapel floor.


    "What I seek is what I seek," Hiro fell into his act and spoke with conviction. "You only need to show me the road, as for whether I walk down to my death or not, that''s for me to decide."


    The old priest stopped his action of sweeping the floor, sighed, and waved his hand.


    "Very well," he said as a ray of light left his hand and entered Hiro''s forehead.


    [Notice: You''ve been enlightened!]


    [Notice: You''ve learned the spell: Concentration!]


    [Notice: You''ve learned the spell: Fire Ball!]


    [Notice: You''ve learned the spell: Waterfall!]


    [Notice: You''ve learned the spell: Earthspike!]


    [Notice: You''ve learned the spell: Windblade!]


    [Notice: You''ve learned the spell: Druid Summon!]


    ¡­


    "This is all I can do to help you, young Seeker¡­ If you want to walk down that murky path, even I can''t guarantee how far you can go¡­"


    The old priest sighed, picked up his broom once again, and ignored Hiro as he continued to sweep away at the dust.


    Hiro didn''t have time to waste, so he immediately left the chapel and met up with the other Seekers from the Holy Army. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After talking with the soldiers and making his vows of conviction, he joined the army as a support mage and initiated chapter zero of the main quest¡ªJourney to the Capital.


    Together with a squadron of soldiers from the Holy Army, they changed through hordes of monsters while they accompanied the provisions¡ªthis year''s harvest of crops and wheat.


    On the way, Hiro familiarized himself with the four elemental spells, but he didn''t bother with the summoning spell since he was bound to lose it once he reached level 10.


    Once he chose the sorcerer path, the Druid Summoning spell would be changed for a lightning-based elemental spell.


    If he were to choose the summoner path, his four elemental spells would evolve into four elemental spirits, just like the Wood Druid.


    With that in mind, the squadron rushed through one blockade of monsters after another, circumventing ambushes from the Fallen, and braved through blood and fire until they reached the capital two days later.


    Everyone was exhausted, bloodied, and full of madness and disgust towards the creatures of the Underworld.


    Hiro was now at level 9, and as the only Seeker among the ordinary soldiers, Hiro was directed toward the War Priest Temple where he would be blessed with a Breath of Heaven.


    This was the finale of chapter zero, where the spirituality that took root within his Holy Soul would either grow in the direction of sorcery or summoning.


    Without further ado, Hiro chose the sorcerer path and enjoyed the divine baptism in the cool Heaven''s Breath.


    [Notice: Fireball spell has evolved to Inferno Storm!]


    [Notice: Waterfall spell has evolved to Water Vacuum!]


    [Notice: Earthspike spell has evolved to Earthquake!]


    [Notice: Windblade spell has evolved to Hurricane!]


    [Notice: Your Druid Summon spell was removed!]


    [Notice: You''ve been enlightened!]


    [Notice: You''ve learned the spell: Thunderbolt!]


    ¡­


    After the ceremony, Hiro immediately checked and sensed the elemental power in his body and the ever-present spirituality that kept it under control.


    After inspecting his body deeply, Hiro understood¡ªspirituality existed to enhance and control the elemental power invested in his body, and if he lost control over the spiritual power, an elemental outburst would be the least of Hiro''s worries.


    "No wonder all those cultivators fear facing a Qi deviation¡­ It''s like having your energy racing all over your body when suddenly, a car accident happens. Not only the cars involved in the accident would be damaged, but the cars in the vicinity and the road itself would suffer massive damage."


    If the power in my body happens to overwhelm my spirituality, the outcome is easy to guess. Luckily, I can experiment in the game and apply my comprehension in real life¡­ Hiro''s thoughts were clear.


    The War Priest handed Hiro a scroll with details for his upcoming mission. Although this was a sandbox game, Hiro wasn''t in the mood to test the open world.


    In this upcoming month, he wanted to blitz through the storyline and see how far he could get before school starts.


    For now, though, he needed to get some food and actual sleep; active gaming is different from AFK gaming, and he could already feel his stress levels increasing.

 Chapter 17 - 17: Progress After A Month

    Checking his calendar after waking up, Hiro quickly realized that school starts tomorrow, and Marcus would be returning to the dormitory today.


    Not just Marcus, but the other three students would be making it back as well.


    Stretching, Hiro opened his phone and clicked on the PARA app. As expected, the front camera scanned his iris for retina confirmation, and then he was escorted to the username page.


    There was nothing else; no profile picture, no nickname, no bio, no nothing.


    Just a blank space where he needed to insert the desired username.


    After thinking for a while, Hiro decided on his username¡ªBabylon.


    Hiro quickly confirmed it and entered the app to browse the interface. It was very simple, and there were many threads.


    [New Threads], [Popular Threads], [Currently Trending Threads], [Regional Threads], [Global Threads], and plenty more.


    Hiro thought for a while and decided to narrow down his interests to the Western Region since Nexus County was located on the Western Continent.


    No, there weren''t four continents in this world, only three. However, there were plenty of islands and archipelago clusters on the wide seas and vast oceans, and funnily enough, these consisted of the majority of hard land.


    Of course, only if they were put together into one whole, which was impossible at this point. For some reason, Hiro smelled an epic story behind this bizarre geographical situation.


    Alas, it was something beyond Hiro''s league.


    After clearing his mind, Hiro left the dorm room and climbed the stairs to the school entrance where there wasn''t anyone around.


    It wasn''t early in the morning, but it wasn''t early enough for traffic to build up so Hiro quickly found an empty taxi and directed him to a motel in the suburbs.


    After a 40-minute drive, Hiro gave the driver a 10 nexus dollar tip and booked a room for the evening, not planning to spend the night there.


    He only planned on using the privacy of the room to use 10 APs for an hour of meditation under the synchronization effect with his sorcerer character.


    After paying for a three-hour stay, Hiro entered the motel room and locked the door before finding himself a comfortable position, seated on a couch.


    Then, he closed his eyes and activated the {Synchronization} feature, consuming 10 APs, leaving him with a round number of 1,000 APs.


    Yes, Hiro didn''t get any extra points this month.


    However, his sorcerer character went from Mage, to Sorcerer, and eventually to High Sorcerer.


    He advanced from this world''s standards of Tier-9 to Tier-7 with his endless grinding! The map was too big, and the teleportation fees were very expensive, forcing Hiro to waste time on side quests just to farm gold and equipment most of the time.


    He didn''t know whether he was Rank C, B, A, or S. However, that didn''t matter too much.


    As for his cultivator character, it also advanced from the Golden Core realm to the Nascent Soul realm, which is also considered to be Tier-7.


    However, since the cultivation realms had a clear distinction in minor realms, Hiro could be considered an S-rank with his cultivation reaching 9/10.


    Immediately, Hiro was immersed in his experiences as a Mage, especially the feeling of growing stronger, and the accompanying thoughts and moments of inspiration.


    His acquisition of the Sorcerer''s Guide to the Five Elements smoothly merged with his experience in utilizing the five elements of fire, water, earth, wind, and lightning.


    Also, the moment he figured out the use of his concentration spell, Hiro immediately utilized it to increase his sense of immersion.


    No matter how much meditation was done while under synchronization, the in-game character would never grow stronger. However, Hiro simply wanted to condition his body and nerves to the sensation of perfectly channeled elemental power with the aid of spirituality. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He altered between the cycles of the five elements in his body, while elemental phenomena appeared around Hiro, visually impacting yet harmless to the environment.


    This was the beauty of perfect control; the spells would cause damage if he willed it so, and they''d be mere harmless aesthetics if he willed it so.


    Hiro quickly lost himself in the sensation, and once the hour passed, he could feel the power dissipating from his body into some mysterious void.


    Opening his eyes, Hiro slowly unfurled his palm and concentrated.


    Poof!


    A ball of crimson flame danced in his palm, quickly twisting into a cyclone of wind, only to be compressed into a droplet of water, then morphing into a dark thundercloud.


    The cloud fizzled out into motes of electricity that gravitated toward the ground, and for a brief moment, the floor rumbled beneath Hiro''s feet.


    He clenched his fist in excitement!


    Although the damage was laughable, the degree of control was impeccable!


    Nearly 1,300 hours of hard grinding was worth it!


    "It''s about time," Hiro calmed down and once again opened the PARA app to search for opportunities.


    Many threads mentioned a request for help with handsome payments of either cash or other items of value.


    Hiro quickly filtered out the threads to view those related to sorcery and spirituality as a reward.


    The titles of the threads would mention the danger level and the minimum requirement of strength.


    "I''m not planning to get myself a mission right now," Hiro said to himself. "I''ll scout the nature of the missions and only take part if it''s really worth it."


    With his cosmetics set from the system, Hiro wasn''t worried about exposing his identity even if he were to operate in his own city, let alone the vast Nexus Nation.


    Although he could easily move around the country with the conscience of transportation, Hiro was too lazy for that.


    After going through the threads for a while, he found a few possible missions.


    The first one was a hidden bodyguard mission. Some prestigious old man was taking his granddaughter on a field trip to the suburban mountains to worship their ancestors.


    The danger assessment level was B7.


    As in, the minimum requirement of strength was around B-rank, Tier-7.


    My cultivator profile is an S-rank, Tier-7 Paranormal, so this one shouldn''t be too hard! Hiro thought to himself.


    The other three missions were of a similar nature, mainly because Hiro avoided any missions that required him to actively harm or kill others.


    Fighting in self-defense was fine, but Hiro wasn''t willing to become someone''s weapon for no good reason.


    As Hiro got up and prepared to leave the room, his phone''s ringtone disturbed his thoughts.


    Checking the ID of the caller, Hiro picked it up and answered. "Who''s this? What''s up?"


    The caller ID was unknown, so Hiro had no clue who was it or what they needed from him.


    "I need help! Quickly, post a mission request on PARA to rescue me from these people! It''s a premeditated attack on my father, and I can only use this phone to make one untraceable call before it gets destroyed¡­ The location is¡­"


    Without much time to spare, Hiro quickly jotted down the address. While he was writing down the address, his expression turned a little weird because the location was also in the suburbs, approximately a 15-minute drive from his current location.


    Hiro knew this much because he used his analytical skills to memorize the city''s map, both infrastructures and underground sewers.


    "Why didn''t you ask Rosaline for help instead?" Hiro was confused.


    "They probably expect me to ask for help from her clan, I can''t take the risk¡­ I have to leave now, my time is running out!"


    Beep!


    The connection was lost. Hiro put down the phone and rubbed his chin, a little hesitant since Bella didn''t mention the threat level for this operation.


    After thinking about it for a while, Hiro shook his head and decided to head out personally.


    No matter what, he refused to believe that a Tier-5 Paranormal was involved in this scheme.


    After firming his resolution, Hiro left the motel and chose a blind spot to complete his synchronization. Then, after he equipped his cosmetics, he looked in the direction of the warehouse.


    "Hopefully, I wouldn''t have to pull an Itachi Uchiha slaughter on this one¡­" Hiro murmured before circulating his Spirit Qi and taking to the sky.

 Chapter 18 - 18: On the Radar

    Inside a humid dark container, Bella watched as the small device in her hand crumbled into scrap metal.


    This was a one-time use device connected to her family''s private satellite, and it could bypass jamming signals to connect to both the GPS and phone service.


    With the size of a standard rectangle music player, it was easy to hide in the folds of her bra.


    "Did you call for help?" A mature voice came from the side. It was calm, feminine, and somewhat cold.


    "I did, Mom," Bella answered, sighing as she leaned back into the metal wall. "All we need to do now is wait. Hopefully, it wouldn''t take too long."


    Her mother nodded her head. "I heard them talking about a helicopter. If I''m not wrong, they''re planning to transport us together with the container somewhere hard to find."


    As if to reinforce her words, they heard the loud voice of a helicopter buzzing in the sky.


    Not even the thick, metal walls of the container could numb the noise from reaching their ears.


    Bella''s expression changed, and her mother asked calmly, "How long does it take for your help to arrive?"


    Bella''s face was a little pale as she whispered, "I don''t know¡­ It''s an uncertainty¡­"


    Her mother sighed, closed her eyes, and waited patiently. Since they wanted them as hostages to attack her husband, she was pretty sure their lives were safe.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Hiro also noticed the helicopter that was approaching the container placed right outside the warehouse.


    The container was surrounded on all sides by at least twenty armed soldiers, and by utilizing the skill {Divine Sense II} that was gifted to him from the sect, Hiro immediately spotted Bella and the other woman inside.


    Hiro sighed. "This way of using spirituality to spread out one''s perception is truly marvelous. Sadly, a sorcerer needs to invest the most of their spirituality to control the elemental energy, especially because they don''t have a dantian where they could store it safely."


    Using his divine sense to blind the optical perception of the people around him, Hiro made his way to the container while feeling like an immortal god.


    Once he was close enough to the container and the close to 30 armed guards, Hiro began making hand seals and releasing his Spirit Qi to cast a magical spell.


    A dense fog of ice-attributed energy exploded from Hiro''s body, flooding the ground and air, the container and the helicopter, and obscuring the clear day sky.


    "An attack!" Shouted someone.


    "It''s a smoke bomb!" Another quickly added, and then, everyone began to spray their fire randomly while pressing their backs against the hard steel walls of the container.


    Bella and her mother heard the commotion, and while the former sprang to her feet in alarm, the latter creased her brows to listen carefully.


    Inside the thick fog, Hiro raised his hand forward with an open palm, a translucent construct of thin ice energy reflecting the bullets with sharp, luminous sparks flitting around.


    Hiro cocked his head to the side and spoke in a mysterious, grand voice. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    His chanting filled the thick fog, and as he spoke, the temperature began to fall drastically as a crescent moon descended from above.


    This was the faction''s signature spell, {Lunar Descent II}.


    As the rays of moonlight penetrated the fog, striking the armed men, they slowly realized that this was more than just a smoke bomb.


    Click! Click! Click!


    Their weapons frosted over, bullets stuck in their cold chambers. Then, their fingers turned pale blue with a purple sheen as their bodies began to shake uncontrollably.


    ¡­


    Inside the container.


    "Don''t you think it''s getting cold?" Bella spoke, breathing hot air from her lips as she hugged herself.


    "You don''t need to tell me," answered her mother while gesturing to the metal walls that were slowly freezing over.


    However, the cold seemed to be confined within the metal, as its dark luster quickly turned a deep shade of blue. Then, it shattered like glass, sprinkles of glossy snowflakes drifting into the all-encompassing fog.


    Bella''s mother stood up, dusted her black formal dress, and stepped into the thick fog.


    "Mom!" Bella called out in shock and horror as she hopped over. "It could be dangerous out there!"


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    A powerful gust of wind blew the fog away as Hiro cancelled the magical skill. Bella and her mother barely caught a glimpse of the young man floating like a celestial with the crescent moon in his background.


    A beautiful river of water flowed around his body, thin wisps of immortal fog clouding his figure. Nonetheless, they could see a pair of silver eyes on a blurry face, looking down at them.


    The man nodded his head in satisfaction and like a mirage, his entire being dissolved away with the fleeting cold fog.


    As the wind blew into Bella''s face, she stood there with a dumbfounded expression.


    Since when did such a master appear in our city?! Also, what kind of payment did Hiro promise him?!


    Anxious, she dashed into the warehouse and searched all over the place for her phone. It was locked in a secure box, and the moment she brought it out, it exploded with text messages and missed calls.


    Bella ignored all of it and opened the PARA app, searching the recent missing request threads in the city''s suburban region.


    As she expected, she found an anonymous post requesting help on a rescue mission.


    The details of the mission and the location were all listed, as for the person who accepted the mission, there was only his username marking the thread.


    "Weird, Hiro didn''t even mention anything about rewards¡­ Could it be that this person was passing by and thus accepted the rescue mission out of goodwill?"


    Bella decided to give Hiro a call.


    ¡­


    On the other end, Hiro just landed by the motel when his phone started ringing.


    After turning off his location and starting a VPN, Hiro answered the call.


    "We''re already safe, thank you! Also, what did that expert ask for payment? I''ll compensate you!"


    Hiro blinked and responded, "Payment? He didn''t mention anything about a payment so I didn''t bring it up either¡­ Erm, was it that dangerous to require a payment?"


    Hiro was implying that since he didn''t know the threat level, he couldn''t have offered any payments upfront.


    Bella went silent for a moment before she asked again, "Then, can you contact him?"


    "Why would I contact him? Can''t you do it yourself?" Hiro rolled his eyes.


    "I can, but¡­" Bella was embarrassed, but after she thought about it, she decided to leave it to her father to deal with.


    Hiro''s eyes flashed. As expected, with enough clues, Bella was able to trace down his identity on the app PARA.


    Well, she basically tracked down Babylon, and not Hiro.


    It was easy to find him through the clues such as the location and timing of the incident.


    Luckily, Hiro thought about this possibility on his way to the rescue. If not, how could he explain the sudden appearance of a helper if he didn''t post a help request on PARA?


    However, since the mission was there for the world to see, no one would associate him with Babylon for the foreseeable future.


    Hiro and Bella had some small talk before he hung up the phone. Then, he asked the man at the reception to order a taxi for him, deciding to return to the school''s dormitory to meet up with his future roommates.


    I never thought that my first mission ever in the supernatural society of this world would be a self imposed mission, how sad and pitiful!


    Hiro''s eyes glazed over as he wallowed in self pity for a moment. Then, he shook his head and chuckled to himself.


    At the very least, he was now on the radar of many powerful people. Since Bella could link the clues to find out about Babylon, it was safe to say that both her father and his enemies would connect the dots sooner or later.


    He wouldn''t be surprised if his Babylon account was invited into a couple private or public threads on PARA in the next few days.


    "Oh well," Hiro smiled while leaning his head onto the backseat window. "Surprise me, I''m waiting!"

 Chapter 19 - 19: Go to School

    [Ding! The {Go to School} option has been unlocked!]


    "Is this what you meant by saying the new guy likes to space out?"


    "Haha, yeah¡­ You''ll get used to it."


    Hiro heard Marcus and his other roommate, Elvin, chatting up while gesturing toward himself.


    He withdrew his attention from the pop-up window and chuckled, shaking his head.


    The three of them happened to be in the same class, so they decided to arrange their seats in one row at the back of the class.


    Hiro didn''t know if it was intentional, but if Elvin had a pair of pointed ears, he would have been the splitting image of an elf.


    He was almost as handsome as Hiro, but he was the outgoing, enthusiastic, and somewhat shy around girls type of a dude.


    Hiro rolled his eyes and replied, "I''m trying to get in the mood to give my 100% to the class, you know. It''s called proper time management."


    "Someone seems to be aiming for the top of the class, huh?" Marcus commented with a chuckle, already preparing the books and notebooks for the first period.


    The other students started to file into the class one after another, but the ice wall was ever present, and many kept to themselves or to their small circle of friends.


    Soon, the chime of the first-period bell echoed, followed by the clanking of high heels as their class''s homeroom teacher walked in.


    She wore a formal black outfit and a tight pencil skirt, a white shirt, and a pair of pitch-black eyes that matched her hair.


    Pulling the silver pin from her high bun and allowing her hair to cascade down her slender back, she successfully drew the attention of everyone in the room.


    She introduced herself, and when the class started, Hiro''s two friends would often whisper and join the gossip in the class.


    It couldn''t be helped, Teacher Aiya was beautiful, but Hiro wasn''t paying any attention to that. During the activation of his "Go to School" option, just like going to the gym, a mysterious energy was dictating his actions and thought process.


    It would automatically filter out those unnecessary distractions from affecting the quality of his focus. Even without his active effort, Hiro was absorbing the lecture, sorting it out in his mind, and scribbling his thoughts neatly onto his notebook.


    Thankfully, Hiro wasn''t the only one in the class who was taking things seriously. Even though the Class Advisor and Homeroom Teacher wasn''t saying anything¡ªher limped, cold eyes were oh-so observant.


    Some of the quick-witted students already noticed her eyes darting about in the class even if she didn''t say anything.


    Towards the end of the period, she checked the class register, cross-referenced the seating arrangement with her personal handbook, and wrote a few names on the whiteboard.


    Hiro snapped back from his focused state to find his name, together with six other names, written on the whiteboard.


    "From the names I''ve listed down, those who want to compete for the position of class president, raise your hand," Teacher Aiya spoke in her soft voice.


    After a moment of silence, a collective gasp echoed through the class. After thinking about it for a moment, Hiro decided not to get involved.


    He was already busy with his {Simulation Space}, and will soon be occupied with the Paranormal Society.


    After he achieved the world''s standards of Tier-7 in both games, progressing further became even more challenging.


    The quests both in the Legend of Babylon and Transcendent Taoist became either complicated or very long, consuming up to 3 or 5 days for one simple quest.


    Although Hiro managed to bring up his spirit array''s rate to 22, that would barely amount to 2 million spiritual units per day, leaving him grinding for almost a month to achieve a minor breakthrough.


    Although he could use the remaining 20 gems at his disposal to increase the spirit array''s efficiency by 200 units, he felt as though he would be making a loss.


    Why? Because no amount of progress in that game could reflect on his abilities in real life; at least not in the long term.


    Hiro realized that his future lay in completing the Legend of Babylon, while his cultivator identity could at best be used to accept and issue missions on the PARA.


    While Hiro was feeling conflicted about his future direction of growth, three of the seven candidates raised their hands.


    There were two boys and one girl.


    Teacher Aiya nodded her head and said, "The three of you will serve as my assistants for the upcoming month. I won''t tell you what I expect of you, nor will I reprimand or compliment your efforts during this probation period. At the end of the month, I will select one of you as the class president. That''s all."


    After she finished talking, she began to pack up her materials. One of the boys was quick to act while his competitors were confused.


    He dashed to Teacher Aiya''s side and began to clean the whiteboard. The girl was the second to act, hurrying to sort out the teacher''s notes together with her, helping her pack up the materials.


    The former boy wasn''t insolent enough to help the teacher because he was afraid to create a misunderstanding, but the girl didn''t mind because she was also a female.


    The third student was left there standing with nothing to do, and for a moment, his face heated up.


    As forewarned, Teacher Aiya didn''t comment or exhibit any reaction. When she was sure that there wasn''t anything else left for her to do, she checked her wristwatch for the time, picked up her bag, and walked away.


    What a Mastermind! Hiro couldn''t help but compliment in his mind. The teacher had successfully recruited three hardworking minions to help her do the miscellaneous tasks, and all she offered was the stupid class president position.


    That short episode gave the class a good laugh, but the second period had already started and the teacher walked in.


    The third period followed after, and before Hiro realized it, the bell chimed. Storing his notebook in his school bag¡­ Well, it was a laptop leather bag, Hiro stood up.


    He had colorful notebooks, two for each subject, which kept his bag full. Thus, he kept the school''s books in the desk''s drawer.


    "Hiro!"


    Barely had Hiro finished arranging his stuff when a pink-haired, bubbly Bella burst into the classroom and hopped his way with a smile.


    She lifted two lunchboxes, one in each hand, and said, "Here, Mom asked me to give you this as a thanks for yesterday! Are you busy this lunchtime?"


    It was an obvious invitation for lunch.


    Wait a second¡­


    Hiro blinked and asked, "I thought you didn''t go to this school?"


    Bella rolled her eyes. "I''m a student of this school now, what of it?"


    Hiro''s lips twitched.


    I knew it! Nothing can escape the influence of capitalism and politics! No rules are absolute in this world!


    Then again, this made Hiro wonder just how far the influence of Bella''s family goes.


    Back to the main event¡ªthe invitation for lunch¡ªHiro gladly accepted her offer.


    "Damn, you''re gonna leave us behind just like that?" Marcus acted heartbroken, but it was hard to buy with him being so invested in playing his mobile game.


    Elvin brought his chair and was seated rather close to Marcus with a hungry look in his eyes, pleading to have a turn to play.


    Yeah, I didn''t mention it before but Elvin is broke as hell. The dude doesn''t even have a cellphone, he only made it here with hard work and scholarships!


    Hiro thought about it and decided to give this pitiful roommate of his a new phone after he received the sale shares from the new VR helmet sales. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The gaming hardware companies had already begun promoting the new product, much faster than the estimated three months.


    Then again, three months was just a conservative estimate, but Hiro wasn''t about to complain about it.


    He wanted to joke around with Marcus and Elvin, but Bella stuffed the lunchbox into his arms before dragging him away and leaving the classroom.

 Chapter 20 - 20: High-Priority Mission

    "Is it safe to walk around in the open like that after yesterday?" Hiro asked Bella when they found an isolated outdoor table on the school''s campus.


    In the shade of the large tree, Bella leaned her upper body on the stone table in the utmost unladylike fashion ever, groaning the answer away.


    "It''s fine," she responded. "The conflicts in this society come threefold; one in the open, one in the shadow, and one between bosses. It''s safe to say my father won both the boss battle and the battle in the shadows, leaving only the one in the open, which usually adheres to the laws of the country."


    Oh wow, so these are the unwritten laws and unspoken rules of legends? Seems rather awesome. Hiro thought to himself as he opened up the food packaging.


    [Notice: You''ve acquired a new mission!] S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [Mission: Little Boss!]


    [Mission Description: Your goal is to prepare for a future where your one word can change the lives of many; such a thing cannot be accomplished on your own. Join or create a functional society in the school, and establish your reputation and authority both in the open and in the dark.]


    [Reward: ???]


    ¡­


    Hiro touched his chin and started thinking, a smile on his lips. At last, the system prepared a high-priority life mission for him.


    He also understood that this must be related to Bella''s explanation of the three-way conflicts in the Paranormal Society.


    "You don''t have to think about it so much," Bella poked his forehead with her pair of wooden chopsticks. "Once that''s settled, my dad will find an opportunity to thank you properly. You best be prepared."


    "Haha, I''m not thinking about that stuff too deeply¡­"


    I''m just wondering if these hidden rules apply in a place like a school¡­ Hiro added in his heart. If that were the case, would those big families be planting their underlings on the border of directors? That would make sense.


    After talking with Bella for a while, Hiro excused himself and left for the Administration Building, as he needed to apply for a club to join.


    On the other hand, Bella had to leave to meet up with Rosaline so that she could join the student council later on.


    Although she extended an invitation to Hiro, he politely declined the offer.


    The high-priority mission mentioned that whichever society Hiro joined, He needed to make it to the top of the ladder.


    Hiro wasn''t delusional enough to think that mere grades and prestige were enough to become the Students Council President in this school.


    If he thought deeper into it, this could only mean that Rosaline''s family¡ªthe Rosch family¡ªis considered to be the top Paranormal lineage in this area.


    Unless he became the Rosch''s son-in-law, he could forget about it.


    As he walked towards the Administration Building, Hiro considered his options.


    A club couldn''t be considered an active society unless Hiro lumped all the clubs together as a whole.


    The more Hiro thought about it, the more he realized how difficult it was to establish his influence in the school.


    Thud!


    "Eck¡­ Hey! Are you motherfuckin'' blind?!"


    Hiro took two steps back and looked up, confused. Didn''t I just bump into you by accident? What''s the big deal?!


    Hiro found himself confronted by a young boy who was taller than himself. He had a cool, spiked-up hairstyle with a split 7-3 on the side.


    He had two other guys to his left and right, and they seemed prepared to pounce on Hiro, but that guy stopped them with a wave of his hand.


    He clicked his tongue, spat on the floor, and dusted off his school uniform.


    "Must be a freshman, so I''ll let it slide on account of that," he said after scrutinizing Hiro''s uniform. "Next time¡­ Never mind, better not be a next time, got it?"


    Hiro was still in a state of shock when the tall boy reached out, patted his head and ruffled his hair, then walked away with a cold look in his eyes.


    The two lackeys snorted, and as they passed by, one of them leaned over to whisper in a soft voice, "You''ve messed up big time, boy! Now that you''ve offended Zyd, just wait for a miserable life!"


    After the trio left, Hiro shook out from his daze and slapped his thigh in excitement.


    "That''s it! Brilliant! How come I didn''t think about that?!" Hiro almost laughed out loud as he mumbled to himself in a crazed manner.


    On the other side, the tall boy glanced back from the corner of his eye. Seeing that Hiro didn''t chase after them, he heaved a sigh of relief.


    Damn, that was close! He thought to himself as sweat covered his back. This must be the freshman with connections to the Princess, I almost messed up big time!


    Zyd thanked his lucky stars and connections among the freshmen.


    Although the second-year and third-year students didn''t mingle with the freshmen that much, the school was only so big.


    Of course, these big figures in the school had some chips and minions throughout the layers of the student body.


    Something as big as the gossip about Hiro''s relationship with Bella and Rosaline, although limited to a small number of people, was still something worth considering.


    However, after he went about and acted tough, Zyd couldn''t just back out in front of his subordinates.


    Luckily, that freshman seemed too shocked to react. On the other hand, my reaction speed wasn''t that bad¡ªI found a way out for both of us! Damn, I''m a genius!


    ¡­


    After Hiro calmed down, he was already standing by the entrance to the Administrative Building.


    It wasn''t very crowded, but there was still some traffic going on.


    "Little brother, come get a brochure from here! It has all you need to know about the available clubs and the regulations process!"


    A girl called out to Hiro from the side. After hesitating for a moment, he went over and greeted her a smile.


    Hiro grabbed a colorful magazine from the counter as he spoke, "Hello, sister. Thanks for the trouble."


    "Hm, the school''s budget actually allowed you guys to print such high-quality brochure? I''m a little surprised."


    "Hehe," the girl chuckled. "This is actually the Publishing Agency Club''s contribution, and they''ve paid for it from their personal budget, not the school''s! Sigh, I don''t even know what they''re thinking!"


    "There''s such a thing?" Hiro was more than surprised. As far as he knew, the school in his previous world wouldn''t allow students to invest from their pocket money into school projects.


    It''s easy to imagine how this could break the student body into factions based on class standards.


    No school would promote such counterproductive activities¡­ If some rich second generation scum wanted to invest hundreds if not thousands of dollars into their own club, then what''s the point?


    The girl easily saw through Hiro''s thoughts and laughed. "Don''t think too much about it, little brother. Even if the school didn''t place any restrictions on external sourcing, they still need the approval of the students council to promote such activities."


    Hiro understood. In a sense, the students council is there to police those spoiled brats from acting up too much.


    This could only confirm Hiro''s earlier guesses about the societal structure in the school.


    "Thank you a lot, pretty sister." Hiro complimented her since talking was cheap, and he wouldn''t be losing out.


    While the girl blushed with joy sparkling in her eyes, Hiro focused on the available clubs.


    He easily found his way to the sports section of the brochure, and from the array of available clubs, his eyes settled on Football.


    Although I don''t know much about sports to begin with, since I''m a certified otaku with my reputation to back it up¡ªI still have my system¡­

 Chapter 21 - 21: Delinquent Life?

    Hiro focused a little, and the system shop window overlapped with the brochure.


    The girl thought that Hiro was reading the details carefully, but little did she know that he spent 800 AP to buy the {Professional Soccer Skills} from the system.


    Sigh, I''m back to my bottom line of 240 AP again! After Bella''s incident, Hiro affirmed his resolution to always maintain a spare 24 hours'' worth of synchronization in his system.


    After giving it some thought, he decided to cheat in the Transcendent Taoist game as well.


    Hmm, it wouldn''t be considered cheating if he upgraded the spirit array with the hard-earned gems. As for saving up for new games, he decided to wait for more game vouchers in the future.


    With that in mind, Hiro didn''t dare to procrastinate anymore¡ªhe spent a few minutes with his eyes closed to enter the simulation space and upgrade the spirit array.


    While at it, he noticed that his in-game character had barely made any progress toward reaching the peak of the Nascent Soul realm.


    Damn, Hiro thought to himself. It would take at least three weeks for a breakthrough at this rate. And this is when I''m cheating, how long will it take for my tier to advance in real life at this rate?!


    Hiro felt utterly desperate at this moment.


    The girl standing in front of Hiro thought that he was seriously considering the various clubs and benefits, and she didn''t dare to disturb him.


    While feeling pained about spending the remaining 15 gems to increase the spirit array''s proficiency from 22 to 52 spirit units per second, Hiro opened his eyes.


    Finding the girl looking at him, Hiro asked with his pain masked behind a forced bright smile, "Where do I register for the Football Club?"


    The girl blinked and asked, "Western Football or Soccer Club?"


    How damn professional, Hiro thought to himself as he answered with the latter option.


    The girl happily gave him clear directions and exchanged her phone number with him.


    She said it was just in case Hiro had any other questions, while Hiro did it for the free 5 AP.


    Both parties were happy with what they got from the deal, and they separated on a happy note.


    Hiro spent the rest of the lunch break walking around the school. He observed the students and their various activities while contemplating how to get in contact with the "bad guys" around the block.


    After thinking about it for a while, he figured that it was a pointless, thankless task.


    If it was so easy to catch these guys in school, they wouldn''t bother to exist, to begin with.


    Hiro decided to check his phone and go through the dozens of groups Rosaline added him to recently. From there, many had sent him requests to join other private groups on the messenger app.


    Hiro quickly found an invitation to a group called the "Real Manhood Challenge" and another group called the "Virtual Keyboard Warfare."


    After he joined the two groups, he heard the loud chime of the bell signaling the end of the lunch break.


    Satisfied, Hiro sent a random greeting message to both groups, muted them, and returned to class.


    Things progressed smoothly from then on, and before school ended, he received an email about his application to join the Football Club being accepted.


    The club days were on Monday and Thursday, two days a week.


    The day was Tuesday already, so he had to wait two more days before starting.


    Other than that, he also mingled up a little with the people from the two groups.


    The Real Manhood Challenge group was filled with invitations to extracurricular activities like street soccer, improvised camping, riding mountain bikes around the suburbs, and other "manly" events. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As for the Virtual Keyboard Warfare, their topics revolved around gaming, movies, and the e-life.


    Goes without saying, that their main topic of discussion was the newly developed and hyped S-gear VR helmet.


    As Hiro was too lazy to come up with a fitting name for the base technology, he referred to it as the S-gear, referencing the initials of his last name.


    The S-gear brand was an exclusive technology to Sciatis Holdings Limited, and while Hiro lacked the factories and manpower to produce them, he only needed to hand the blueprints and those big shots would produce the items with a commission.


    Then, they would act as the middleman and sell the product and its source code to the gaming platforms, earning a stable income from both the sales and interest.


    On the surface, the five hardware behemoth companies seemed to have earned the most profits. However, no one knew that Hiro had the blueprints and patents for the futuristic VR pod technology and the VR cabinet technology.


    He had to admit that watching all those e-soldiers hype up his product and brag about their preorders gave him a satisfying feeling.


    Also, it appears that someone with the nickname Great Sage had obtained a spot to become one of the lucky few to test-launch the new VR technology in a few days.


    The test launch would take place on a live stream for both the television and internet platforms, satisfying the public hype.


    There was also an ongoing bid for the spot of the very first sponsorship for the new technology, and Hiro only learned of it from the chat group on his way home.


    ¡­


    [Otherworldly Transmigrator]: Are you guys serious? The bidding war is still ongoing?


    [Great Sage]: Kid Hiro, do you think I''m bragging?! I''m going to be a beta tester in the future, so of course I know about the internal auction! These capitalists sure know how to make money!


    [Otherworldy Transmigrator]: Bet. I believe you, we all believe you¡­


    [Great Sage]: Fuck! You''re really being sarcastic with me! Just wait for the day of the launch, you''ll see for yourself! The bidding price is already at 27.3 million international credits!


    ¡­


    Hiro was shocked. If that was true, then he really lost big time!


    Damn, system! Your business acumen package didn''t mention anything about such tricks! I feel like I wasted my 1,400 points on you!


    Hiro heard a soft bell chime in his head, followed by a floating blue screen with lines of text on it.


    [You''ve acquired {Business Acumen III}, which is the basic skills and principles for business. This won''t make you an international entrepreneur overnight, Host.]


    Only now did Hiro remember that similar to the technique scrolls in Transcendent Taoist, some of the system''s skills weren''t labeled as "Professional" but were designated by I, II, III, IV, and so on and so forth.


    Shaking his head, Hiro returned to the dormitory room, tossed his bag aside, and began to stretch.


    A notification from his phone notified him that someone tagged him in a group chat, and after he checked it, he found out that it was a message in the Real Manhood Challenge chat.


    He quickly opened the chat to check.


    [Mr. Monocle]: @everyone I''m inviting everyone on a night in the A-club for a get-together meeting! If you don''t arrive by nine, you''re a cuck! And I''ll kick you from the chat!


    ¡­


    Hiro rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.


    The A-club was a famous place in the circle of young people, though it wasn''t limited to students from schools.


    To put it bluntly, it was a shady place masquerading as a disco bar. The big brother of the group really knew how to play it big.


    In any case, this was a clear sign that some people in the group were involved with the delinquent life, and Hiro was on the right track.


    Was this some sort of a stunt to test one''s metal? Those weak of hearts wouldn''t dare go to such a place!


    After making up his mind, Hiro played the Legend of Babylon at leisure and when it was about eight in the evening, he changed into a black leather jacket and deep blue denim pants.


    With his crimson hair let loose and a pair of sunglasses pinned on the v-neck of his white shirt, Hiro left the dormitory.


    He knew that whether he joined the delinquent circle or not depended on the outcome of this night, and the thought of it had his heart racing and blood boiling in anticipation.

 Chapter 22 - 22: A-Club

    Five minutes to nine in the evening, Hiro alighted from the taxi across the A-club in the entertainment district, a local area located near the intersection between the suburb and residential region of the city.


    Luckily, there was a lack of traffic, as Hiro would have definitely arrived late otherwise.


    Looking around, Hiro found a group of people around his age range huddled together in pairs or more. They occupied a corner all to themselves, and they were either chatting or tapping away on their phones.


    After thinking for a bit, Hiro checked the chat group and confirmed his guess. Then, he walked over toward the group with an artificially cold expression.


    Here goes nothing¡­ Hiro thought to himself while walking over. When he got close enough to the group, he started to hear their discussions.


    "Broski really did it this time, guys. I heard that he has connections with one of the male hosts in this club, and they will let us through with work passes disguised as part-time waiters."


    "What did you think was going to happen? It''s impossible for you to enter as a customer here, just forget about it!"


    "Tsk tsk, but the people in the chat are really a bunch of pussies. From over 70 members in the chat, only less than 20 people pulled up to the club."


    "Hey, there''s another one coming up! This rounds it up to 20 people, right?"


    "It''s just you guys?" Hiro asked them the moment he got close enough. Although he tried to put up a cold front, he still couldn''t get into the act and took the initiative to start a conversation.


    It couldn''t be helped¡ªhe didn''t have the standard emo protagonist genes in him.


    Then again, that clown bad guy who was always as cheerful as he could get proved that the secret of the trade wasn''t in acting cold and distant. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    So, in the short period of walking over, Hiro switched up his approach and decided to be a little more authentic with himself.


    Nevertheless, he wasn''t about to put white powder on his face and draw a fake smile, it''d be a pity to hide his handsome face.


    Someone turned to Hiro and asked curiously, "What''s your nickname in the group chat?"


    "I didn''t put up a nickname for that group yet, I was only lurking to see how things go," Hiro responded with a smile. "I mean, I didn''t want to embarrass myself in case Broski kicked me from the group later."


    Broski is one of the big names in the delinquent circle of the school, and it was rumored that "Mr. Monocle" is working as a lackey and a middleman for him.


    Broski''s real identity and real name weren''t something many people knew, but his nickname had already spread around to those in the know.


    He never revealed his face to the second-years and freshmen, and only the third-year delinquents had the privilege to visit his house and talk to him face to-face without a disguise.


    It seemed that Mr. Monocle was helping him flesh out new blood for the next "Broski" of the delinquent circle.


    According to Hiro''s understanding, the nickname "Broski" was just an identity, and it must have become something to be passed down in the delinquent circle over the years.


    As the group was discussing enthusiastically with one another, a man in a black suit walked over with a plastic bag in his hand.


    He did a rough count and nodded, tossing the bag over to Hiro, who was closest to the entrance from the man''s position.


    "There should be enough work passes in this bag, put them on and head over to enter from the back entrance. Once you''re inside, you''ll be under periodic surveillance so that we can test your metal and backbone."


    Hiro caught the bag reflexively, gently nodding his head and helping his brothers each pick a work pass so they could pin it on their chests.


    "Got it, man," Hiro didn''t waste time and was the first to leave the spot. As for the others, some of them followed while others stayed behind to ask some questions.


    However, the man in the suit only provided lukewarm answers, not giving them anything of substance.


    Three guys followed after Hiro, forming a small group of four as they walked side by side, simultaneously checking their surroundings.


    "So, you said you''re called Hiro, right? What do you think they mean by testing our mettle and backbone?" Asked one of the guys.


    Hiro thought about it for a moment and responded, "The first thing we need to do is learn the hidden and open rules of this nightclub. From then on, I guess we need to improvise."


    Hiro didn''t know much about the nightclub business, but he understood that most privileged guests are big shots in their respective industries.


    Places like these usually entertained hidden rules that one must follow, and if a small fry like them wanted to survive in these waters, they needed to learn how to avoid the blood in the waters, lest they accidentally got marked by the nearby sharks.


    Although Hiro''s current level put him above the baseline human level, that identity was useless in such a setting.


    "That makes sense, man. But still, it''d be difficult to ask around, I think we might get ourselves into trouble¡­"


    As the group of four walked through the back door, they swiftly made their way to the storage room where the workers gathered.


    Another guy agreed and said, "Hm, I think this must also be part of their test for us. Nonetheless, it''s our advantage to have entered early, those idiots are wasting their time on the guy in a suit. His aura was too strong and cold; he clearly despised them and yet, they tried to butter him up."


    Hiro looked around and ignored the banter of the guys around him. Quickly, his eyes zoomed in on a potential target, and he immediately walked over.


    His actions drew the attention of not only his immediate companions, but the other workers in the room, both the male and female employees.


    Hiro didn''t mind and quickly approached one of the ordinary-looking females waitresses who was putting some foundation on her face.


    Her figure was honestly a disaster in terms of assets, and she was currently attending to her own business in a corner of the room.


    The other female waitresses were socializing across the room with their colleagues.


    "Hm?" Confused, she closed her pocket mirror and looked up. "Can I help you, handsome?"


    Her words didn''t contain any improper insinuations, as it was clear to all that Hiro and his companions were high school students.


    "I''m here to experience the ways of night life, but I don''t want to accidentally offend any big bosses¡­ Say, can I tag along with you for the night?" Hiro extended his hand for a handshake as he spoke.


    The waitress clearly didn''t expect this straightforward approach, and she was at a loss for words.


    The other students who came together with Hiro and the latecomers witnessed this scene, and their eyes lit up as they scanned the area.


    Meanwhile, the girl stored away her pocket mirror and smiled teasingly. "Oh? Say I helped you out this time, what do I get in return?"


    Hiro blinked and responded, "How about this, sister? Other than owing you a favor, I''ll also be your errand boy for the night. If you want anything, just say the word!"


    Hiro slapped his chest, giving her a confidant look as he expressed his loyalty.


    The girl laughed. "Alright, let me give you a test to see if you''re worth this sister''s care and guidance."


    As she spoke, she pointed to a wall across the room and said, "Do you see that poster on the wall? That''s a multilayer blueprint of our nightclub, I''ll give you 10 minutes to get familiar with the place and I''ll test your capabilities. If you satisfy me, don''t worry about your future here."

 Chapter 23 - 23: Natali

    Her voice was quite loud, and everyone heard it. Some shook their heads and laughed bitterly, understanding that this was her way of saying no, albeit in a gentle manner.


    Hiro didn''t mind, he slapped his chest twice and said, "Who do you take me for? This is easy, just leave it to me!"


    "Haha," the woman found Hiro''s actions to be quite comical. "Alright, since you made me laugh, I''ll reward you and allow you to call me by name from now on. I''m Natali, nice to meet you, little guy."


    Like an aunt next door, she ruffled Hiro''s hair and said, "My first advice is to get yourself a new haircut. Having such long hair is too feminine¡ªpass my little test first and I''ll get someone to work on your hair before your shift starts for the day."


    Hiro hadn''t thought much about his long hair before, but now that she mentioned it, he realized that he stuck out like a sore thumb among the other boys.


    No one had such long hair as himself, which wasn''t a good thing in and of itself. Furthermore, even if he wanted long hair to act tough, the cosmetics from the system shop could solve that issue.


    "No problem!" Hiro accepted her offer and ran to the blueprint on the wall. With his current analytical mind, just a glance was more than enough to memorize this little thing.


    As a matter of fact, his skill was the reason he picked up Natali out of everyone present.


    Although he quit from the clothing store, Manager Matthew gave Hiro a booklet of the latest fashion products out of goodwill, as this was a materialistic society that functioned on appearances and practicality.


    Although Natali''s dress code seemed ordinary, the materials and brands of her three-piece dress had a high price value in the tens of thousands.


    Hiro guessed that she was either working here undercover on a mission or that her identity was far beyond a simple nightclub business.


    In any way, someone like her ought to know her way around the world, so he decided to take his chances.


    In the following 10 minutes, the waiters and waitresses got ready for work and left one by one, each either leaving alone or accompanied by a student.


    Soon, it was only Hiro and Natali in the storage room, and Natali clapped her hands.


    "This is it!"


    Hiro stopped and turned his back to the blueprints, hands in his pockets as he flashed a confident smile. "Ask ahead! Test me!"


    Natali nodded her head, smiling charmingly as she started exchanging questions and answers with Hiro.


    "How many rooms is there in the building?"


    "203 rooms excluding the storage, surveillance, bathrooms, and parking spaces all throughout the five floors, underground floors included!"


    Hiro was also shocked by the size of the A-club. According to the blueprints, the buildings to the side were an extension of this club, explaining the high number of rooms.


    Natali was stunned.


    She stood there at a loss for words, stammering her incoherent response for a few seconds before shaking herself out of her reverie¡­


    "How can that be? Close your eyes! You must be cheating!"


    As she spoke, she stepped forward and stood close to the blueprints, shooting off her second question after observing the structures for a few seconds.


    "Where is the location of the standby electric generator room and the corresponding server area?"


    Hiro rolled his eyes, closed them, and reviewed the blueprint in his mind for a few seconds. "There are two standby electric generators, one on the top floor of side building A and the other is located in a hidden compartment inside the underground garage of side building B. As for the server area, there''s no such thing on the blueprint."


    Holding onto Hiro''s shoulders, Natali''s expression was a little weird as she inspected the map on the wall.


    At this point, she had no other choice but to believe it and asked hesitantly, "Are you one of those with a photographic memory?" S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hiro opened his eyes and smiled up at Natali, which represented a tacit admittance from her perspective.


    "Sigh¡­ I can only blame myself for being unlucky this time! Come, I''ll take you out for a quick haircut and then we''ll come back."


    Hiro allowed her to grab his hand and pull him along as he replied, "I''ll be in your care, then."


    "Don''t worry," Natali looked back at Hiro as she walked out of the back entrance, putting an image in her mind.


    I''m torn between a side quiff or a side faux hawk hairstyle. If his hair was all black, a buzz cut would have cut it, but his hair had that blazing flare to it. Forget it, I''ll have my friend give him a mix of both.


    In the blinking street lights, the two of them quickly shuttled through the flow of people to a nearby hair salon.


    ¡­


    40 minutes later, in the same storage room.


    "Are you so obsessed with yourself? This behavior is too much!" Annoyed, Natali snatched her pocket mirror from Hiro''s hands.


    "Hey!" Hiro complained, feeling aggrieved. "You have to admit that I''m qualified as an international fashion model with such looks, why can''t I admire myself a little more?!"


    He had to admit that maybe having long hair wasn''t the best style after all. Then again, it''s probably all a product of circumstance¡ªlong hair was very badass in Wuxia lore, but his current getup set him to be the perfect steampunk villain character.


    This style was much more fitting for the delinquent life, which was the main prospect of his future high-priority mission.


    Thinking of this, Hiro felt even more appreciative of Natali and her friend in the salon.


    Natali rolled her eyes, "Just follow my lead and I''ll walk you through the basics and the hidden rules around here."


    She didn''t even bother catering to his ego anymore, walking towards the hallway leading into the boisterous club.


    Hiro checked his reflection on a random surface nearby one more time, adjusted his expression, and followed in her footsteps with his hands tucked away into his pockets.


    He was prepared to take Natali''s advice as they went about the club, attending to the patrons and customers.


    ¡­


    "There are multiple standards by which you can judge a person''s ability and influence when you come to these places, the most important of them are appearance, company, and temperament."


    ¡­


    "In private rooms, those who are seated closer to the door are usually the people of least significance; but keep in mind that their identity is only considered insignificant when compared to the rest of the people on the table.


    As for the head of the table, it''s located at the end of the room, which is the most prominent position because those who enter will naturally guide their sight to the end of the room, thus paying their respects even if they didn''t aim to in the first place."


    ¡­


    "The actions and attitude of the head of the table usually sets the tone for the entire conversation. For example, if he or she were to display goodwill towards you, everyone in the room will sing to the same tune, and the same goes backwards."


    ¡­


    "You need to learn a few gestures that express your thoughts on the table. For example, if the big boss is personally filling up the drinks for everyone, but excludes a certain person by changing the posture of filling the glass, or doesn''t look them in the eye, or fills half a glass, or asks them if they''re sure about drinking the said wine¡­ It usually sends out a negative signal."


    ¡­


    "Some nightclubs are very open about serving their patrons, but some are like A-club with their own rules. Clubs like these are usually owned by powerful people, so if you happen to be in a club and see that the customers are blatantly touching and feeling up the waitresses, you can tell that the quality of the place is poor. In the future, keep your eyes open¡­"

 Chapter 24 - 24: How Difficult Can It Be?

    Natali and Hiro went through many rounds around the nightclub''s public and private rooms, playing hosts to a number of guests.


    Near the end of the evening, Hiro learned a lot about the ins and outs of the industry, and while he was talking with Natali near the bar, a man in a black suit approached from the distance.


    Both Natali and Hiro noticed him coming over, and the former patted Hiro''s back with a smile and said, "It''s time for you to go."


    Then, she turned around and slipped into the bustling crowd, leaving behind a confused Hiro.


    The man in black passed by Hiro''s side and spoke into his ear, "Follow me quietly."


    Even while confused, Hiro followed along without a word. He understood that this must be the last segment of the so-called test.


    Silently, the two made their way to the staircase and descended to the underground floors. Based on Hiro''s memories, this route led to an area disconnected from the elevator system.


    Soon, he could no longer hear the banging DJ music from the main hall, and only the sounds of the footsteps could be heard.


    Subconsciously, Hiro began to dive into the untapped professional combat skills he purchased from the system a while back.


    In any case, it was better to be prepared than to be caught off guard. As Hiro''s muscles began to build up tension, the two finally crossed over some threshold, allowing them to hear muffled cries of agony.


    The man in black stopped, rested his palm on a thick steel door, and pushed gently.


    The sliding mechanism wasn''t smooth, but the door opened to reveal a hidden flight of stairs that wasn''t recorded on the blueprint.


    Huh? Hiro was stunned. Am I in trouble? sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He felt a little anxious, but he couldn''t back down at that moment. Thus, when the man in black entered the narrow passage, Hiro could only sigh and follow along.


    Worst case scenario, he would beat everyone up and leave. Then, he would consider how to handle this mess at a later date.


    While lost in thoughts, a stench of sweat, blood, and urine assaulted his nostrils, almost causing him to choke to death right there and then.


    However, he quickly controlled his impulses.


    Hiro wasn''t really too bothered by the stench, it was just that he was caught off guard by the sudden rush of foulness.


    He''d gone through and witnessed worse things in the Legend of Babylon, not to mention a little underground torture room.


    The man in black noticed Hiro''s brows creasing tightly for a moment, but that display of discomfort was quickly washed away by a neutral expression.


    He nodded with a hint of approval in his heart, but he didn''t say anything. Soon, they arrived at a closed room with but one ventilation unit located on the corner.


    Hiro also found six of his schoolmates stuck to a wall across the room, shivering in place despite their brave expressions.


    In the center of the room was a man hung upside down, a thick steel hook piercing through each of his calves, and a heavy metal ball chained to his wrists.


    The man was a sorry, bloody mess.


    A half-naked fat man sat on a small stool, his face level with the man''s inverted eyes, and a thick Cuban cigar rested between his thick lips.


    In the four corners of the room were four black-skinned men, but what Hiro found weird was that they were wearing sunglasses in this dimly lit room.


    "Wuwuwu¡­ wuwu¡­ wuwu!!!"


    The chains rattled as the hanged man spoke into the duct tape covering his mouth.


    Hiro somewhat understood the situation in the room. This guy must have broken some rules or crossed some line he shouldn''t have crossed, right?


    "Not a single one of you is gonna do it, then?" Asked the fat man in a deep voice.


    The six boys standing in the back shook uncontrollably, but not a single one of them said a thing.


    The fat man sighed, his large hand covering his sweaty face and rubbing it in annoyance.


    "Where did you get these scumbags from, Fred? I''m telling you to go and tell Broski not to waste my time on these things. Times changed, money can''t solve everything anymore."


    The man in black next to Hiro didn''t seem bothered at all. "It doesn''t matter, just getting to this phase means that they''ve already passed the test. They can''t retreat at this point even if they wanted to."


    "Tsk! Nonetheless, every clique needs a little figurehead. Didn''t you ask me to help choose your little figurehead? My test is quite simple, deliver justice and kill this motherfucker."


    The fat man looked back to inspect Hiro, the newcomer to the party, then pointed at a blackboard that was behind Hiro and next to the door.


    "Hey kid, do you think those crimes constitute a death sentence? We don''t have to go through the proper channels; this man is one of my guys, it''s only right for me to do the cleanup once he crosses the line."


    The fat man noticed Hiro''s unusual calmness in the face of such a brutal scene, so he took the initiative to talk to him.


    Hiro''s thoughts were on something else for a moment, as he realized that the students in this room were the select few to act as the core of the freshmen delinquent group.


    From this group, one of them would supposedly be chosen as the figurehead, basically the leader of the freshmen delinquents.


    Still, isn''t asking us to kill someone a little too much? Then again, it makes sense to keep both the goods and the dirt in the family, lest the man opens his mouth to speak nonsense to the officials¡­


    Wait a moment, aren''t I getting too absorbed into the role of a syndicate? I''m just here to complete a system mission.


    Eh, but isn''t he going to die either way? I might as well get my benefits first, right?


    Hiro turned to face the blackboard. With his analytical mind, he could immediately capture the dense files on the board, coming to a sound conclusion.


    Indeed, this man is human scum.


    Extortion, drugs, sexual assault and abuse, loan sharks, coercion and female solicitation¡­ The list goes on, and Hiro wasn''t even certain of the validity of this evidence.


    Nonetheless, this wasn''t his problem. This guy was definitely not clean, Hiro could deduce this much at the very least.


    "Isn''t it just killing someone? How difficult can it be?" Hiro looked up at Fred and asked casually. "How do you want me to do it?"


    Almost too casually¡­


    The room went silent for a moment, and even the wuwu wuuwuu sounds in the background paused. The man''s eyes were wide open in disbelief.


    A while later, the fat man laughed loud, the fat on his body roiling, twisting the thick tattoos all over his skin.


    Fred didn''t say anything and silently handed a handgun to Hiro. It was a little heavy, obviously not a toy gun.


    Then, he stepped back without saying anything.


    Anyone can talk big, he thought to himself. Talking about killing someone and actually doing it are two separate matters.


    Bang! Splurge!


    "FUCK!" Yelled the fat man as the stool beneath him toppled over. Fred''s eyes opened wide, and the six students almost pissed their pants.


    The fat man''s face was drenched in blood and brain matter from the ruptured skull of their captive, but he was still immersed in the shock of feeling the bullet brushing past his face.


    He was too close to death just now! For a moment, he saw his life flash past his eyes in record time.


    Fred was just as shocked, not expecting this freshman year student to go through it and kill the bastard.


    Everyone looked at the swaying corpse and its blasted head, feeling a chill crawl up their spine when they looked back at Hiro''s expectat expression.


    "Did I become the freshmen''s leader now?" He asked.

 Chapter 25 - 25: Little Boss

    Fred coughed and gestured to one of the four men in the corners to move closer and clean up the fat man''s face.


    The fat man was still reeling from the shock when the drenched towel was removed from his face. Then, he scurried to his feet and gave Hiro a fat thumbs up.


    "Brat! You''re really bold! Haha, come, come! Have a drink with this uncle!"


    Fred hurriedly stepped in between the two of them, kneading his forehead before he sighed deeply. "Not now, Big Cheese. We need to clean up this mess first."


    Then, his cold gaze swept the six students who were clinging to the wall.


    "Goes without saying, you didn''t see anything or hear anything, right? You don''t want to wake up one day to find yourselves upside down, right?"


    His tone was frigid cold, a clear threat to the six eyewitnesses. In all honesty, Fred had not expected Hiro to switch off the safety before shooting the gun.


    Little did he know that Hiro considered the safety button to be a hidden test, thinking that it would have been embarrassing were he to pull the trigger with the safety button on.


    Since it had come to this, Fred couldn''t brush it off as negligence on his end. No one in this world can revive the dead.


    "N-nothing! We saw nothing!"


    No kidding, they wouldn''t dare open their mouths to speak of what happened no matter what.


    Fred wasn''t worried. Even if they went about blabbing their mouths, it wouldn''t cause too much trouble.


    He nodded and said, "Only the six of you and Broski will be aware of Hiro''s identity in the future. On the surface, you six will handle the delinquents in the freshmen year; these are Broski''s instructions."


    "We understand!"


    The six echoed their consent without a fuss.


    Satisfied with their attitude, Fred took out his phone and looked back at Hiro. "I''ll send your contact information to Broski right now, and you should expect someone to add you on the messenger app before inviting you to a group chat later."


    Hiro was about to respond when he heard the soft bell chime in his head, followed by the projection of the blue pop-up window.


    [Mission Progress: 33%]


    [Reward 1: Skill Voucher x1]


    ¡­


    This is new¡­ Hiro thought to himself in surprise. Previously, the system didn''t give him rewards for partially completing the missions, did it?


    Another blue pop-up window appeared.


    [Notice: The system improved a new feature based on the previous daily mission, "Grinding."]


    In other words, the system is also improving based on customer feedback? Hiro was both enlightened and joyous.


    Fred frowned and spoke again, "I don''t have much time to entertain you. Give me your contact information."


    Why is this kid spacing out at a time like this? Fred was both confused and impatient.


    "Oh, right¡­" Hiro quickly focused and brought out his phone, sending his contact information to Fred.


    "Can I leave now?" Hiro asked after the exchange, not wanting to waste his gaming time on ceremonial niceties.


    Fred looked deeply into Hiro''s eyes, as though searching the young man''s soul to check whether he was truly nonplussed by killing someone or was he just putting on an act.


    Eventually, he didn''t manage to see anything.


    With a sigh, he waved his hand and sent Hiro out, feeling exhausted.


    Hiro gladly complied and left the room, and as he was ascending the stairs, he heard the notifications from his phone.


    Checking the situation, he saw "Mr. Monocle" kicking a bunch of people from the Real Manhood Challenge group chat, he then promoted six people to become the official administrators of the group.


    [Mr. Monocle]: The six people I promoted to admin are responsible for running the business among the freshmen year students. From now on, expand carefully, and don''t cause me too much trouble. I''m muting this shit.


    From the 70+ members in the group, only about 29 people were left, Hiro included.


    Hiro then received a friend request from Mr. Monocle, and he swiftly accepted the request.


    Then, he was invited into another group chat called the "Den of Syndicates", but it had about 12 members including himself.


    [Mr. Monocle]: You have a one-time chance to change your nickname in the group, so do it while you still can. This will be your nickname in our circle.


    Hiro noticed that everyone was putting on a nickname, and there was only one admin in the group, while the owner''s nickname was Broski.


    Hiro didn''t waste time and changed his nickname to "Little Boss", omitting his real username.


    [Mr. Monocle]: You really like to play big, calling yourself the Little Boss from the get-go.


    [Little Boss]: It''s nothing, it''s nothing.


    Hiro quickly changed his nickname in the Real Manhood Challenge as well.


    Then, he noticed that while his latest message to the Den of Syndicates was read, no one bothered responding.


    Although it was a little awkward, he didn''t care.


    Since his business in the A-club could be considered to have been finished, he hurriedly left the club and flagged a taxi back to the school''s dormitory.


    On the way, he checked his skill voucher, realizing that it was limited to unlocking skills excluded from the upgrade series. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    For example, he could have used it to unlock {Business Acumen I} but he can''t use it to upgrade to {Business Acumen II}.


    If Hiro knew this was coming, he wouldn''t have spent the 800 AP on {Professional Soccer Skills} earlier today.


    While feeling sour about it, it was around 23:00 O''clock when Hiro entered the dormitory.


    Silently and carefully, he navigated toward the lower bunker bed to the right after closing the door.


    After hoping that he hadn''t disturbed anyone''s sleep, he removed his jacket and without switching into his pajamas, Hiro closed his eyes to sleep while simultaneously entering the system space.


    ¡­


    In the simulation space, Legend of Babylon.


    Hiro spawned inside the church of a random town within the army''s camp.


    After equipping his level 40+ gear which consisted of leather clothing, a necklace, a tall pointed hat, and a sorcerer''s staff, he left the dilapidated church building.


    "Respected High Sorcerer!"


    Someone rushed over on a horse. The steed was panting heavily, thick foam dripping from its mouth, its backside marred with harsh lashes and stab wounds, blood seeping through.


    The moment it felt the weight on its back removed, the horse collapsed to the ground as it quivered in agony. Then, it went still.


    The rider didn''t care one bit; his metallic armor clanked about as he removed his helmet and rushed to one knee.


    In the Legend of Babylon, Hiro went from a Seeker to a Mage, then a Sorcerer, and eventually a High Sorcerer at level 42.


    If he wanted to advance further, he needed to reach level 49 and undergo the job advancement quest that would promote him to a level 50 Wizard.


    He was waiting for the chain quest that would lead him to the next main quest at level 49, and it seems like his patience was rewarded today.


    Looking down at the man who was nearly anxious to death, Hiro said, "At ease, brave soul. Speak, what''s the matter?"


    Hiro waved his hand to conjure some water and wind elements from the ambiance to rinse the soldier and give him some fresh air.


    The man enjoyed the cold breeze and scooped up the water from the air, drinking one mouthful after another, slowly calming down before he looked up at Hiro with worship in his eyes.


    "The frontlines are in great danger, and they require your assistance to buy time until the reinforcements arrive! Three High Sorcerers from the Underworld managed to sneak past our defenses, and they''re rushing to a critical battle point as we speak!"


    Hiro''s eyes flickered. "Is this military intelligence reliable?"

 Chapter 26 - 26: Bella’s Invitation

    The soldier was anxious. "I swear upon my holy soul that it''s true!"


    Hiro cursed inwardly.


    Ordinary people didn''t have a holy soul, only seekers did. However, the mechanics of the game ingrained the belief that everyone had a holy soul, it''s just that most had yet to awaken it due to the fall of Lord Babylon.


    "Alright, I''ll get going immediately."


    Hiro didn''t want to bother with this guy anymore. After all, it''s just a scripted scenario that he needed to follow.


    Since the battle was going to take place within the empire''s lands, Hiro quickly searched for the teleportation circle in the town.


    After paying a teleportation fee of 1,732 gold coins, he waited 33 seconds for the teleportation circle to activate.


    The next moment, Hiro experienced a shift in the environment. Explosions and sounds of air rupturing surrounded him on all sides, and he quickly noticed that the entire base was in disorder.


    "Destroy the teleportation circle!"


    A shout descended from above.


    Hiro''s expression changed. If the teleportation circle was destroyed, the reinforcements would have to travel for two weeks at the very least.


    Just as he looked up, Hiro noticed a black lightning bolt descending from the sky.


    He immediately channeled his spirituality and shouted, his staff pointed to the sky.


    "Barrier spell; Sigh of Protection!" S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A massive, faceless projection emerged from the void behind Hiro, using its translucent hands to cover the teleportation circle.


    It was a wide surface that could fit thousands of soldiers, and Hiro could only go all out with one of his newly unlocked spells with an AOE effect.


    Crack!


    Thin webs spread on the surface of the translucent hands, and within seconds, the spell was on the verge of collapse.


    "Is this going to be a defensive battle?" Hiro mumbled, already seeing through the essence of this quest.


    Then, he began to chant, drawing the elements of nature and investing them into the spell, reinforcing it.


    As expected¡ªthe three High Sorcerers from the enemy camp were trying their best to destroy the teleportation circle as soon as possible, to the point where they ignored the vulnerable army below.


    If they weren''t NPCs in a game, they might have used the army as a hostage to force Hiro''s hands.


    Then again, even if they did do that, Hiro wasn''t sure he would have tried to protect the army unless the quest stipulated so.


    Hiro''s eyebrows furrowed tightly as he tried to imagine the same scenario playing out in real life; what would his choice be then?


    ¡­


    A phone call early in the morning disrupted Hiro''s sleep. Even then, he was already about to wake up and prepare for school, so he wasn''t grumpy about it.


    Hiro groggily reached for his phone and answered, "What''s up?"


    "Hey, I helped you arrange a meeting with Dad today after school, make sure to clear your schedule for dinner!"


    Hearing Bella talking through the phone, Hiro sobered up and asked in a puzzled tone, "Eh? Couldn''t you have just sent a text message?"


    "I don''t want you to give me an excuse later, saying that you didn''t see it! Anyway, I''ve already booked your evening for the day, so you can''t forget about it."


    Hiro sighed, shaking his head. "You make me seem like a busy guy, but I have nothing else to do other than wasting my life away in school and the dormitory for the moment."


    Although Hiro said this, he had to admit that something might have happened during the day to change his priorities.


    Noticing that both Marcus and Elvin had already left the dormitory room, Hiro got up to wash his face and prepare when he noticed that someone was standing at the foot of the bed.


    Mhm? Isn''t this the fourth roommate? He looks kinda familiar¡­


    Hiro was a little confused to find his school uniform folded neatly and offered to him by the fourth roommate¡ªthis guy usually disdained talking to any of his three roommates.


    Hiro brushed it off as a superiority complex at first because this guy was very smart, scoring among the top 10 freshmen in terms of overall score when applying to Inter-High.


    "Wait¡­ you''re one of those six guys, right?" Hiro quickly recalled where he saw him.


    It was only that the room was a little dim last night, and those six were huddled up in the corner, shrinking in fright.


    Now that he looked closely, he immediately recognized him.


    The boy''s face paled, and he shook his head like a rattle drum. "What six guys? I don''t know what you''re talking about, brother. Please don''t talk nonsense¡­"


    Hiro quickly realized his mistake. Yeah, I shouldn''t go shooting off my mouth about last night. Even then, I''m not even scared about it, what is he afraid of?


    Nonetheless, Hiro waved his hand magnanimously. "I understand. You can act naturally around me from now on¡­ Hm, since you''re my roommate, you''ll be my liaison in the future; my eyes and ears, understand?"


    Hiro thought about it and asked, "Your name was Jodi, right? Jodi Roxfield?"


    He answered immediately, "Yes, my friends call me JR or Lil J for short, you can call me Lil J, too¡­"


    He was also happy to be assigned such a key position, but it was only natural since he was the leader''s roommate.


    After placing the uniform next to Hiro, he immediately fiddled with his phone. Hiro assumed that he must be updating the other five about this development.


    As for Hiro, he also began to fiddle with his phone.


    "Oh?" Hiro checked the Virtual Keyboard Warfare group. That Great Sage guy was bragging again, saying that the test run for the VR helmet was going to be launched today.


    After the internal auction, the helmet will be available for preorders online, and it will hit the market in less than three days.


    This means that Hiro would start to earn about 28% of the sales profits in three days.


    Although 2/3 of that income would be deposited into the company''s account directly, even a third of the profits was an incredible amount of money for a high school student like Hiro.


    Just as he wanted to send a message to the Great Sage, asking him if he could tag along to watch the live test, he remembered his upcoming meeting with Bella''s family.


    Hiro pursued his lips, already regretting giving her that promise.


    Sigh¡­ Who told me to be an upright, righteous man of my word? I''ll just follow the live broadcast.


    Hiro checked the Real Manhood Challenge group chat to see if there were any new additions to the gang.


    After all, only the first test was devised by Broski personally; everything after is decided by the six lead figures in the chat, especially after Mr. Monocle muted himself.


    Those six would have their own tests and criteria to inject new members, but they wouldn''t be as harsh as Broski''s requirements.


    With this in mind, Hiro put his phone aside and finished preparing for his second day in school. If there was anything worth looking forward to, it was the war of three kingdoms.


    Erm, more like the war of three factions between the trio gunning for the class president seat.


    Hiro laughed bitterly as he fixed his hairstyle according to the boss lady''s instructions from the beauty salon, closed the dormitory room, and left for class.


    Five minutes to the toll of the bell, Hiro was already in his seat, flanked by Elvin and Marcus from his right and front.


    "You got to the dormitory late last night, so Elvin persuaded me to let you wake up naturally on your own," Marcus said after the greeting.


    Elvin smiled and waved his hand. "I was planning to give you a call if you didn''t wake up, but I noticed your status on iMessenger had switched to online, hence why I didn''t bother."


    When Elvin smiled, a few girls shrieked silently, and Hiro could already imagine himself starring into some BL fantasy in their heads with this feminine elf guy.


    Hiro shuddered and waved his hand. "You don''t need to keep an eye on my activities in the future, I can handle myself¡­"

 Chapter 27 - 27: Interpersonal Missions Interface

    Hiro and his two friends chatted for a while until the bell chimed, and when Aiya walked into the class, she was accompanied by the girl who was competing for the class president seat.


    Hiro didn''t remember her name, so he called her Candidate B. Whenever he looked at her chest area, he would easily remember why he assigned her that nickname.


    The other two boys were Candidate A and Candidate C in his mind. For now, he decided not to care about them until the class president was decided upon.


    After Aiya closed the door to the classroom, Hiro immediately activated his {Go to School} option in the system''s daily activity interface.


    While doing so, he wondered if he should revisit the {Workout} option some other time, not to mention the optical mission interface where he could assign custom missions to complete.


    While he was thinking, a blue pop-up window appeared in front of him.


    [Notice: The optional mission interface has been upgraded. Please pay attention to your interpersonal relationships, and you can trigger daily missions by interacting with items or people who are being highlighted with an indicator halo.]


    Information flooded Hiro''s mind, and he immediately grasped the new custom mission interface.


    In a sense, it was similar to how one can trigger side quests or REP quests in RPG games by interacting with NPCs outside the main story quest line.


    As he thought of this, Hiro activated the custom missions scan function, and he could immediately spot the indicators above the heads of some of his classmates.


    Focusing on an indicator would reveal a small window that classified the mission difficulty, and most of them ranged from very easy to normal difficulty.


    Although Hiro was interested in this interpersonal missions interface, he decided to push it to the back of his mind and focus on class first.


    As for the new mission interface, he would check it out during the lunch break.


    With that in mind, Hiro willed for the system''s user interface windows to disappear.


    Then, the familiar mysterious energy flowed into his body, and before he knew it, he was absorbed in today''s lesson¡­


    ¡­


    The lunch break bell chimed loudly, breaking Hiro out of his focused state.


    Teacher Aiya looked at her wristwatch, then she closed the handbook and began packing her teaching materials for the morning.


    As Hiro regained his senses, he also began to organize his notes and materials while simultaneously activating the interpersonal missions interface.


    A blue wave of light spread out for a radius of 20m before it stopped. Then, several indicators appeared above the heads of a selected group.


    After observing the classroom, Hiro was surprised to find an indicator above Teacher Aiya''s head.


    The difficulty was also set on normal, which was honestly the highest level among everyone present.


    Then again, the troubles adults face ought to be much more difficult than those surrounding teenagers.


    Hiro immediately made up his mind and chose to lock onto her as his mission target.


    A blue pop-up window appeared the moment he made his selection, while the other indicators quickly grayed out and turned offline.


    [Mission Target: Teacher Aiya


    Difficulty: Normal


    Mission Briefing: After a serious conflict with her husband due to his discovered secret lover, she proceeded to file a divorce case and left the house. However, two days after settling in her new apartment, she started to feel that someone or a group of people were watching her in the dark, disrupting her sleep, work efficiency, and extracurricular activities.


    Mission: Investigate the party or parties involved in stalking Teacher Aiya and bring peace of mind to the anxious woman.


    Reward: ???]


    ¡­


    Hiro touched his chin and checked the time on his phone. Luckily, it was Wednesday today and he didn''t have any club activities.


    Other than the dinner with Bella''s family, he was pretty free. Thus, following Aiya and protecting her in the dark shouldn''t cause too much of a problem.


    After sorting out his thoughts, he left the classroom for the school''s cafeteria, received his daily portion of rations, and found a table to have his meal.


    The cafeteria was somewhat deserted since not many people would come here to eat.


    The tuition fees for this school were already sky-high, and anyone who could afford to attend here wasn''t short of lunch money.


    "Oh, I didn''t see you here yesterday¡­ Ah right, you were invited by that pretty girl to eat together!"


    Hiro lifted his head to look. Elvin, who entered this school through a scholarship, also arrived in the cafeteria.


    He helped himself to Hiro''s table, split his steamed potatoes, and whipped some thick cream into the folds before sprinkling some salt.


    His moves were easy and practiced, making the action of eating potatoes seem like high-class etiquette.


    Hiro was truly amazed. After watching for a while, he began to imitate Elvin and ate in the same manner.


    "Don''t mention it¡­ Sigh, it was only one meal, but she''s already inviting me to meet her family¡­"


    Clatter!


    Elvin''s fork fell on the table, but he hurriedly picked it up and looked at Hiro in disbelief.


    Hiro was very satisfied with the look of shock on Elvin''s face, but he put on an annoyed expression. "You might not know, but she''s really persistent! Yeah, her phone call early in the morning is what woke me up¡­"


    As he spoke, Hiro fished out his phone and played out the recording of the call. Ever since he talked to Rosaline about security and related issues, he became extremely careful about things such as hard evidence and whatnot.


    When Elvin heard the recorded conversation, the way he looked at Hiro changed. His eyes were filled with admiration.


    It was clear that he didn''t buy Hiro''s bragging at first, but now, he had no choice but to believe it.


    As the two were talking, another unexpected person entered the cafeteria, drawing everyone''s attention. It was Teacher Aiya.


    Hiro raised an eyebrow. Noticing this, Elvin lowered his voice and said, "I was also surprised to see Teacher Aiya here yesterday, so I asked around. Lately, she was rarely spotted in her personal office¡ªalways staying in an open space or with a host of colleagues."


    Hiro''s mind spun, quickly coming to a conclusion on what happened. After thinking for a while, he pulled out his phone again and sent a message to Jodi.


    [Plant a few kids to monitor Teacher Aiya on her way back home, some people are causing trouble for her in the dark. Let me know if you find anything suspicious.]


    Jodi''s affirmative reply quickly followed.


    Noticing this, Hiro quickly deleted the message history and cleared the cache files of the app. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    On the other side, once Jodi noticed that Hiro''s message was deleted, he was stunned for a moment.


    Then, as if realizing something, his eyes lit up and he too deleted the chat history and refreshed the app.


    Then, he sent a few private messages asking a few students to come meet with him in one of the empty club rooms.


    He was also acting carefully now, infected by Hiro''s attitude. Although he didn''t know why his leader was being so careful, he decided to play along since it felt cool.


    ¡­


    Back in the cafeteria, Hiro finished his food and wiped his mouth with the napkins. Then, under Elvin''s confusion-riddled eyes, he approached Teacher Aiya and sat down.


    Her body tensed up ever-so-slightly, but she quickly calmed down and leveled her gaze with Hiro''s.


    "Student Hiro? What do you want?" Teacher Aiya asked, as this student had left an impression on her with how focused he usually is in class.


    Hiro didn''t say anything¡ªhe opened the notes app on his phone and typed out a sentence, "I suspect that you''re being followed by someone. Do you need help?"


    Then, he pushed his phone to her while acting natural. "Teacher, can I have your email?"


    Aiya was confused at first, but when she looked down and saw the message, her pupils constricted for a moment.


    Then, she quickly calmed down, as if thinking about it seriously.


    Then, she raised her head and started typing on the phone under Hiro''s text while also responding verbally with one word.


    "Yes."

 Chapter 28 - 28: [Bonus] The Short Lifespan of Hardware Supremacy

    Hiro took back his phone and glanced at the text she typed.


    [How did you know I was being followed?]


    Hiro smiled and started typing, but he also kept the conversation going. "Great, there are so many questions I''m confused about, and I hope you''ll help me clear my doubts¡­"


    Hiro then returned his phone to her. "Please confirm if everything is alright with this address."


    [I made an educated guess after learning about your recent activity pattern; it''s like you''re afraid of being alone in a secluded space for too long.]


    Hiro also thought about how she assigned the task of her personal assistant to those gunning for the class president seat.


    Is she using them as human shields? I guess I was rash with my judgment earlier¡­ Hiro''s eyes went out of focus for a little.


    He decided to use his reward from the previous mission to unlock a new skill, and he quickly opened the system shop and identified the desired skill.


    Using the skill voucher, he bought the {Espionage I} skill, which contained tracking, anti-tracking, and counter-surveillance skills.


    Aiya noticed that Hiro was in a daze, so she didn''t say anything else. A moment later, Hiro''s eyes regained focus.


    Then, he felt as though something tangible yet intangible pricked at his skin and the back of his neck. Subconsciously, he turned his head in that direction.


    He noticed an old man on cleaning duty changing the garbage bin''s bag, which seemed alright at first glance.


    However, the garbage bag was barely half full, but the old man was already changing it.


    That didn''t make sense.


    Hiro didn''t look away from the old man, and less than 30 seconds later, the old man lifted his head and made brief eye contact with Hiro, but he quickly retracted his gaze and finished up switching the garbage bag.


    Hiro also retracted his gaze and typed an additional sentence on his phone.


    [The janitor is one of the pests keeping an eye on your movements; I suspect someone paid him off to do it. Anyway, just continue going about your life as usual, I''ll do the investigation for you from the dark.]


    Hiro didn''t give her his phone this time. After giving her less than five seconds to read the message, he deleted the draft and stood up from his seat, greeting her politely before returning to class.


    The bell had already sounded the start of the next period.


    Teacher Aiya looked up at Hiro''s back as he walked away, her tense shoulders finally relaxing.


    God knows how tiring this week had been on her, and she didn''t know who to ask for help because she was afraid they were also involved in this shady operation.


    She hadn''t expected to receive timely assistance from a scholarship student.


    Sighing, she finished her meal and decided to return to the teacher''s meeting room with one of her student assistants, which had become a habitual routine for her at this point.


    No student here came from an easy background, and as long as she used them as her shields, no one would dare act rashly in the school.


    She already endured for a while now, and she decided to trust that Hiro could help her if she endured a while more.


    ¡­


    Hiro had nothing productive on his plate for the rest of the day. Other than visiting Rosaline in the student council''s club room to ask her for information on the old janitor, he didn''t do anything else.


    Towards the end of the day, Hiro left the school grounds when he received a phone call from the Committee of Commerce''s Handler.


    Although surprised, Hiro still chose to answer the call, "Hello, how can I help you?"


    "Mr. Sciatis," the man on the other end spoke in a polite tone.


    "The sales of the VR hardware went better than expected, and the five companies had received a total of 800,000 preorders. According to the contract, they transferred the 33% sales shares to my business account, and after subtracting 6% for my commission, I transferred the money to your personal Nexus Bank and your company''s account. The invoice will be in your inbox in a while now." Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hiro was a little surprised. "So quickly?"


    The Handler responded, "It''s only to be expected, Mr. Sciatis. However, hardware sales will slowly phase out since the technology is a short-term business. I recommend you not to squander your first pot of gold so quickly, and it''s better to find some investments as soon as possible."


    Hiro understood the logic behind the Handler''s advice. It won''t be too long before counterfeits arise in the market through reverse engineering.


    Maintaining a lead through hardware was always a difficult challenge, as cyber security through ingenious software technology always had an edge in the market.


    Why else would things such as monthly subscriptions, season passes, and digital content become so popular?


    As long as it exists in the digital world, its future prospects will always exceed expectations.


    As such, Hiro was also aware that once the hardware proliferated in the high-end market for a sufficient amount of time, the sales volumes would quickly drop after the technology was successfully reverse-engineered.


    At this point, not even the patents would be enough to safeguard this goose that lays golden eggs.


    The Handler continued, "I''m afraid that within two weeks at most, your profits will peak and start to decline. As for the other five hardware behemoths, they can still get high-value contracts to manufacture VR hardware, even if it doesn''t belong to your company."


    Hiro listened quietly. It had to be said that having a business consultant was a great deal.


    Usually, such advice would cost a lot of money per session, but the Handler was providing the information for free.


    Hiro appreciated this kindness.


    After talking with the Handler for a little bit, he hung up the phone.


    Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!


    His phone vibrated, indicating that he received text messages and an email.


    The email was the aforementioned invoice, while the text messages were from the COC and the Nexus Bank.


    Hiro''s profits amounted to 1.7 billion nexus dollars.


    The COC only deals with international credits and with an exchange ratio of 3:1 between nexus dollars and international credits.


    According to the contract, only two-thirds of the total profits would be deposited into his company''s account, amounting to 390 million international credits.


    The remaining 195.4 million international credits would be deposited into his Nexus Bank account, and after the exchange of currency, he would have close to 580 million nexus dollars in liquid funds.


    All of this was mentioned in the invoice in great detail, but Hiro rounded up the numbers in his mind.


    His frozen assets in the company''s account would require three business days to be unfrozen, but things weren''t so troublesome with his Nexus Bank account.


    Hiro opened his bank account on the phone and stared at the long string of numbers on his phone.


    [Balance: 586,402,342.]


    Hiro took in a deep breath, feeling as though he had already achieved financial freedom.


    However, he quickly shook his head when he remembered that the masters on the PARA app requested payments in the millions on a daily basis¡ªhe was still a frog in a well compared to those tycoons.


    The Handler was right about one thing¡ªhardware supremacy had a short lifespan.


    In less than two weeks, the five companies will approach him to terminate the contract and cut their losses short, phasing out the S-gear technology from their shelves.


    The Handler was kind enough to attach a chart with the email, speculating the peak profit Hiro would receive from this deal.


    He also advised him to hire a professional investment consultant to help circulate his assets, and not to leave them resting in the company''s account.


    After all, the COC earned their keep from the taxes and transaction fees¡ªthey wouldn''t welcome a client with an inactive account without much traffic.


    Hiro sorted out his thoughts and decided to deal with this matter when the five companies indicated their intention to terminate the contract.


    After signing deeply, he left the school''s campus on the hunt for an apartment.

 Chapter 29 - 29: [Bonus] Bought A Mansion

    If there was one thing Hiro despised about the protagonists in web novels of his former world, it was their pretentious hypocrisy.


    They understood the ways of the world and understood the psychology of the rich mentality in a rich man''s circle, yet they had the face to put up a humble persona.


    Then, when they encounter judgmental people, they spend half the day arguing and waiting for the opportunity to show off their wealth.


    But for what? Wasn''t it just a waste of time? If you''re rich, and you go to rich circles, then just fuckin act like it, right?


    Hence, before he went on the hunt for a house to buy, Hiro revisited the Blue Shark shopping center and bought luxury clothes.


    Then, for the lack of a driving license, he contacted a servants'' agency to hire a professional driver and a luxury comfort car.


    Everything was done with a few short phone calls, and by the time he finished buying an expensive business suit, a luxury watch, and a pair of high-class sunglasses, the new chofer was already waiting in the parking lot.


    Like this, Hiro made sure not to kill off his precious brain cells on judgmental people once he decided to spend a large some of money.


    ¡­


    Hiro quickly found the car with a matching plate number as mentioned in the digital contract, while the chofer quickly recognized Hiro based on the photo provided in the same documents.


    The driver was a handsome middle-aged man with a lithe figure, sharp features, crystal black eyes, and a steady temperament.


    He was one of the few high-commodity personal drivers with a salary of 200,000 dollars per month.


    With five foreign languages and a professional butler course under his name, Sebastian was a hot commodity in the industry.


    He just happened to terminate a contract with a client who declared bankruptcy when Hiro contacted the agency, hence the smooth transition.


    Seeing Hiro dressed in a high-end gray business suit and leather shoes walking over, Sebastian hurriedly walked over and bowed elegantly.


    "Sir, this way please," Sebastian slowly retreated before opening the rear door for Hiro to step in, a professional smile adorning his face.


    "Not bad," Hiro complimented generously.


    This treatment was worth signing an annual 2.5 million contract with the chofer agency.


    After Hiro got into the black luxury car, Sebastian moved over into the driver''s seat and lowered the tinted partition window so that he could maintain eye contact with Hiro through the rearview mirror.


    "Where to, Sir?" Sebastian asked politely.


    "I want to buy an apartment, any suggestions?" Hiro asked curiously.


    Sebastian thought for a moment and answered cautiously, "If you want a residence worthy of your status, I recommend the Third Ring, you can search it up and avoid my long-winded explanation if you desire it, Sir."


    Hiro wasn''t unreasonable, and he immediately searched for the location on his phone.


    According to the articles, the wide area surrounding the Tsukiyomi Lake was developed into a high-end residential area, separated into seven rings, and each ring was more luxurious than the last proportionally to its distance from the lake.


    The mansions and villas located in the first ring cost hundreds of millions, and the most expensive mansions cost close to 800 million dollars.


    The mansions and villas on the third ring were more affordable since their price range fluctuates from 80 million to 400 million, with many details to factor in, such as servants and domestic taxes. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hiro thought that he was rich with up to 500 million dollars in his bank account, only to realize how idealistic his thoughts were.


    However, he wasn''t willing to lose face in front of his subordinate on their first day, so he kept a calm face and said, "Contact the housing agencies in the third ring, I''ll let you contact an agent and handle the acquisition of my new mansion. As for the budget, limit it to 300 million dollars."


    Sebastian nodded his head. "Leave it to me, Sir, I won''t disappoint you."


    Sebastian understood that his client gave him the opportunity to coordinate his parent company with the real estate company responsible for the housing agency.


    This way, both companies can provide employees like servants, maids, chefs, gardeners, and so on.


    At the end of the day, it was both a win-win situation and also a test for Sebastian. If they satisfied Hiro, there would be room for future deals with this rich client.


    Even so, as a professional servant, Sebastian knew where his current loyalty lies, so he would make sure that his client didn''t lose too much.


    As for Hiro, other than testing whether Sebastian would choose to milk him dry for the company''s benefits or strike a suitable deal, what he valued the most was the company''s referral.


    Without an insider''s referral, it would be difficult to find a clean mansion with guaranteed specs.


    Although Sebastian was driving, he used the voice commands on his phone to make the necessary calls and arranged a meeting with a professional agent.


    The meeting time was half an hour later, which wasn''t too long since it would take at least 20 minutes for Sebastian to drive from the educational district to the high-class residential district.


    The closer they were to the third ring, the less traffic they encountered. Although the total number of residents in the Seven Rings residential district amounted to over 8.2 million citizens, most of them we concentrated in the peripheral rings.


    Very few could afford to live in the fourth and fifth rings, let alone the core three rings. The maintenance fees alone are enough to break a well-off family''s economy.


    Time quickly passed as Hiro browsed through all the available news about the history of the Seven Rings residential district.


    As for Sebastian, he closed the tinted partition and coordinated with his colleagues from the parenting company and the real estate company to finish the troublesome procedures as soon as possible.


    Eventually, when Hiro arrived in the Third Ring, he only needed to sign a few documents and transfer 240 million dollars, a rounded price for the house, electricity, water, servants, and maintenance fees for a full year.


    On one hand, Hiro was quite satisfied with Sebastian''s efficiency since he didn''t have the time to waste on these trivial things¡ªhe didn''t even have the time to walk around his own mansion at the moment.


    On the other hand, his heart was bleeding¡ªhe spent more than half his liquid funds in one day, which was truly ridiculous. It was as though the Handler''s advice went through one ear and left through the other.


    Nevertheless, Hiro was helpless about this matter. As a rich, handsome, and powerful protagonist, he couldn''t spend his days in the school''s dormitory.


    The moment Hiro finished signing the last document and received the keys to his mansion, he heard the system''s distinctive chime in his head, followed by a pop-up window.


    [Notice: You''ve completed the hidden mission¡ª"House of Gold."]


    [Reward: 5% shares of Nebula Electronics.


    You can find the relevant documents on your desk in the study.]


    ¡­


    Hiro was stunned.


    Although he didn''t spend too much time in this world, he understood that Nebula Electronics'' position in the Nexus Country was synonymous with Intel''s position in the U.S. of his past life.


    The biggest shareholder in this company had 19% of the shares, while the second shareholder had 8%, leaving Hiro as the third largest shareholder.


    He hadn''t expected to receive such a big pie the moment he bought his house. Although he was curious, Hiro knew that he didn''t have much time to waste right now.


    Thus, he punched down the impatience in his heart, greeted the housing agent goodbye, and quickly changed into casual, high-end branded clothes before getting into the car.


    Then, he gave Sebastian the address to Bella''s summer house in the suburbs and leaned back into the comfortable seat.


    Sebastian didn''t say much¡ªhe immediately started the car and left through the steel front gate of the mansion, driving steadily past the artificial lake and onto the main road.

 Chapter 30 - 30: Paradox of Belief

    Suburbs, Odin family''s summer mansion.


    It was a cozy front lawn with an array of open gazebos, white decorative chairs, and an artificial pond rich with all kinds of colorful fish.


    Bella sat crouched next to the pond, waving her hand through the water with a gentle smile on her face, chasing after the cuttlefish that loves diving.


    From behind her, her mother approached with gentle steps, her arms hooked around the thick arm of a tall, handsome man with an air of authority around him.


    "Is your friend going to be late?"


    Hearing her father''s voice, Bella turned around as she stood up, dusting her hands off before wiping them down on her long white skirt.


    "He should be here in less than 10 minutes," she answered crisply, having already gotten a message from Hiro on the iMessenger app.


    The man nodded his head and said, "Good then, good. I''ll instruct the servants to prepare the dining table, then."


    After saying that, he lightly patted his wife''s small hand and continued, "You can stay here with our daughter, let me handle the boorish stuff."


    The woman nodded her head lightly, slowly unwinding her arms from his.


    ¡­


    Hiro sat in the backseat of the luxury car, his eyes in a daze as he observed the three translucent screens displaying the information of his three characters.


    [Daily Life]:


    Name: Hiro Sciatis.


    Class: Sorcerer.


    Manual: Guide to the Sorcerer''s Five Elements.


    Tier: 9.


    Rank: C.


    AP: 245.


    Gems: 0.


    Skills: Immersive Reading, Professional Calligraphy, Analytical Mind, Professional Combat, Professional Soccer, Espionage I, Business Acumen III.


    Properties: Sciatis Holdings Limited, 5% Nebula Electronics.


    Private Balance: 297,399,859 nexus dollars.


    Company Balance: 195.4 million international credits.


    ¡­


    [Transcendent Taoist]:


    Daoist: Hiro.


    Sect: Lunar Shift.


    Faction: Lunar Serenity.


    Realm: Nascent Soul 9/10.


    Cultivation Base: 29,200,000/34,000,000.


    Spirit Array: +52 per second.


    Magic Spells: Divine Sense II, Lunar Descent I,


    Advanced Sword Technique III, Advanced Fist Technique III.


    ¡­


    [Legend of Babylon]:


    Seeker: Hiro.


    Level: 43.


    Gold: 38,432.


    Class: Mage.


    Job: High Sorcerer.


    Spells: Concentration, Inferno Storm, Water Vacuum, Earthquake, Hurricane, Thunderbolt, Enchantment, Sigh of Protection, Meteor Shower, Siphon, Curse, Wood Healing, Water Healing.


    ¡­


    "Sir, we''ve entered the Odin family''s private property."


    Sebastian reported through the built-in microphone, drawing Hiro''s attention.


    Coming back to his senses, Hiro dismissed the pop-up windows and fixed his posture, waiting for the car to stop.


    Soon, Sebastian parked the car by the entrance to the summer mansion, hurriedly alighting to open the rear door for Hiro.


    The moment Hiro alighted, the pink-haired Bella was already rushing over with a look of curiosity all over her face.


    "You can afford your personal driver now? This is a little unexpected¡­" Bella knew of Hiro''s financial situation, or at least she thought she did.


    There was always a chance that he was hiding his abilities and wealth, but she wouldn''t blame him for that.


    Hiro smiled. "I accidentally got myself a pot of gold, but if I don''t find myself some investments soon, all my liquid funds would be spent on nothing."


    Bella''s eyes flickered. Does he mean he completed a few missions on PARA to earn some money? Well, some people get lucky with easy missions, so it''s understandable.


    "It''s fine, you just need to remember to be careful and pay attention to secrecy and confidentiality when it comes to these things."


    Bella warned him because many of the low-level missions in the Tier-9 bracket were well-concealed traps. If Hiro wasn''t careful and was baited by high payments, no one would know how he up and disappeared one day. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Their city is a large city with a mountain anchoring its center, a winding river, a great lake, and an industrialized suburban community.


    One person going missing among hundreds of millions of people was truly nothing to speak of.


    The larger the city, the wider the shadow.


    Hiro didn''t understand what she was talking about, but he nodded his head nonetheless.


    "Sebastian, you can take the car for a spin and come back when I call you later."


    Sebastian nodded his head, saluted with a courtesy bow, and then drove the car away. Meanwhile, Bella led Hiro into the house while chatting away.


    Soon, the two entered the main hall and ventured into the dining hall.


    Bella led Hiro to the guest''s seat and spun around to sit directly across from him. When the two sat down and chatted for a minute or two, Bella''s parents walked into the room.


    "Uncle, Auntie¡­" Hiro quickly got up to greet them with a nervous smile.


    Bella''s father waved and laughed. "Brat, you''re already calling me uncle, why act so formal with me? Sit down, sit down quickly¡­"


    Hiro didn''t dare to act presumptuous since Bella''s father was supposedly a powerful Paranormal, even if Hiro didn''t know his specific tier and rank.


    Hiro also gave the wife a curious glance, since this woman left an impression on him when he rescued the mother-and-daughter pair.


    Her temperament was just right, and from the looks of it, Bella took after her father''s boisterous and outgoing temperament while inheriting her mother''s beauty.


    As the four of them sat down, Bella''s father didn''t directly go to the main topic. Instead, he talked about trivial things.


    "I heard that you''re from an orphanage that''s under the jurisdiction of the Holy Church, are you a pious believer?" Bella''s father asked without much thought.


    Hiro thought back to how all the workers in the orphanage were females in nun clothing, thinking that it actually made sense.


    Still, even if the children of the orphanage had gone through some sort of brainwashing and indoctrination, Hiro didn''t have any impression of that.


    After all, he was already 16 years old when he transmigrated, so the orphanage didn''t have any chances of implanting funny ideas into his head.


    "I can''t be described as a pious believer, but it''s not like I discredit the existence of a creator either. Honestly, it''s a paradox of common sense, but it ultimately boils down to one''s mentality." Hiro thought for a moment and constructed his answer based on his experience in his past life.


    "Knowledge comes in realms, and each realm might subvert your worldview in contradictory ways¡­" Hiro eventually concluded.


    Bella''s mother looked at him with a hint of interest in her almond eyes as she asked, "What do you mean by knowledge comes in different realms?"


    Bella''s father also added, "I''m also curious, I''m usually too busy with business matters to think about such philosophical things."


    Noticing that all three of them were looking at him, Hiro cleared his throat and brought an empty plate over.


    The decorative design on the plate depicted numerous circles from the center outwards, and Hiro positioned a chopstick at the center point area of the innermost circle.


    "Let''s say that this chopstick represents mankind''s understanding of the world in a certain period of time¡ªfor example, the times when man didn''t know the cause of natural disasters such as earthquakes, thunderstorms, and tsunamis. Back then, it was believed to be the work of wrathful gods."


    Then, he moved the chopstick to the adjacent, larger circle.


    "A few centuries later, the knowledge of that era explained these phenomena through scientific means, thus debunking the existence of gods and charting it off as stupidity and ignorance."


    A moment later, he moved the chopstick to the third, larger circle.


    "A few centuries later, mankind understood the planet they live in, and thus diverted their curiosity elsewhere¡­ The sky. They observed the stars, the sun, the moon, the planets, and the universe in its glory. Once again, science couldn''t explain this beauty, and ironically, men of this era circled back to their beliefs in the existence of gods and deities."


    At this point, Hiro pushed the chopstick down, causing it to tumble down with a faint clanging noise as he sighed and spread his hands.


    "Once they find an explanation through science, they will once again deny the existence of deities¡­ That is until science is no longer sufficient to explain reality as it is, so mankind would circle back to relying on their belief in deities to stabilize the civilization¡­


    "Do you see what I mean by saying that this bit of knowledge is a paradox?"


    Hiro waited for a response, but he soon realized that the dining table was a little too quiet.


    Did I say something wrong? He wondered.

 Chapter 31 - 31: Dimensional Pockets

    Bella and both her parents stared at Hiro with a hint of disbelief.


    Bella was amazed because she hadn''t thought too deeply about this repetitive pattern before, while her parents were shocked because a 16-year-old shouldn''t have such deep thoughts.


    When Hiro cleared his throat to draw their attention, the family of three finally snapped back to their senses.


    Well, Bella''s mother was the fastest to react, covering her beautiful smile with the back of her right hand as her smiling eyes sized up Hiro once again.


    Bella''s father laughed and clapped his hands.


    Even though such insights had no practical value in today''s society, just having this breadth of mind was already a huge advantage.


    In business, such intangible assets were the cornerstones of a budding business empire.


    Boldness, vision, creativity, insight, forbearance, knowledge, imagination, all of these were intangible qualities that made a great man great.


    Still, Bella''s father shook his head. "Although your perspective is unique, it''s best if you don''t talk about this in a public setting. If the Holy Church catches wind of your worldview on deities, no one on this earth can protect you."


    Hiro understood this principle as well. Actually, this was quite common when a certain belief in some religions reached a certain extreme.


    Even back on Earth, such things were daily occurrences, let alone in this world where the deity with the least base of believers had a minimum of 1.2 billion pious followers to join the Holy Church''s Pantheon of the Gods.


    With Hiro''s current understanding of the religious doctrine of this world, he knew about the Lesser Deities, Greater Deities, and the Mainstream Deities.


    All of these topics were too advanced for the current Hiro¡ªlet alone joining in on the power struggle between the Church and the State, mere ripples from their casual collisions could end him for good.


    Thus, it wasn''t unexpected for someone like Bella''s father to be concerned about Hiro''s current mindset and where he stood.


    As long as he hadn''t reached a certain level, he was better at playing his cards low-key, neutral, and risk-averse.


    "I know what I''m doing, Uncle. Thanks for the advice." Hiro expressed his understanding and appreciation.


    Bella''s father composed himself and said, "We can now move to the other topic, which is to express my gratitude for helping my family."


    "There''s no need to go so far¡­" Hiro just started talking when Bella''s father raised his palm with a stern face.


    He said, "Stop right there, young man. We are a family that separates merits and gratitude; we don''t like owing favors. Although I couldn''t contact Babylon for now, I will express my thanks to you nonetheless."


    He then snapped his fingers, and a servant walked in, a stack tablet in his hands.


    He handed the tablet to Bella''s father, who then proceeded to tap away at the screen for a few seconds before passing the device over to Hiro.


    "I heard from Bella that you''re a Sorcerer, and your power source is spirituality. Thus, I highlighted a few gains from spiritually attributed dimensional pockets for you to choose from."


    Hiro was intrigued as he accepted the device with clear interest, "dimensional pockets?"


    Bella''s father nodded. "This bit of information can also be considered as a form of repaying your kindness, as your level is far from learning about these things. It''s like this¡­"


    According to Bella''s father,¡ªdimensional pockets are points of intersection between parallel realms, a product of a collision between the invisible powers of the higher-level dimensions. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It could only be said that the root cause behind the existence of Paranormals was the radiative energy from these pocket dimensions throughout the history of this world.


    Once a Paranormal reaches a certain level, they would gain the qualifications to explore these pocket dimensions on exploration missions, and these missions could take from three days up to a week, a month, or even a year during extreme conditions.


    Dangers of exploring such pocket dimensions aside, the harvest is quite good if one manages to make it back alive.


    For example, the spirituality-rich resources displayed on the tablet in Hiro''s hands.


    These abnormal fruits, vegetables, minerals, and other resources can help Hiro increase his spirituality''s volume and density, allowing his tier and rank to increase gradually.


    Like the Paranormal tiers, these resources are categorized into different grades from G9 to G1 in descending order, not to forget the corresponding ranks of C, B, A, and S.


    Goes without saying, all the resources displayed on the tablet were grade 9C materials.


    Bella smiled and poked at Hiro''s side, whispering in a devilish tone, "Pick your poison¡­"


    Hiro smiled, already wondering whether or not Bella''s father was looking for Babylon to invite him on a similar expedition.


    However, Hiro had no more than 245 achievement points at the moment, which was sufficient for no more than a single day of synchronization.


    This was too little amount of time, and he couldn''t waste it on an uncertain endeavor like exploring a pocket dimension.


    Moreover, his daoist character was on the verge of achieving a minor breakthrough, getting into the 10th layer of the Nascent Soul realm.


    With the current daily ratio of 4,492,800 Spirit Qi per day, it would take only a few days for him to advance to the next great realm.


    If Hiro logged into the game and took advantage of the time dilation feature while he was in-game, the process would be even faster.


    It''s just that he had to consign himself to sitting down in the same place for two weeks.


    If only he could take a three-day leave from school to focus on secluded cultivation, he could squeeze those two weeks of in-game time into his schedule without a hitch.


    Sigh¡­ Unfortunately, I can''t do things like that, it''s not good to be greedy and anxious for immediate success¡­


    Hiro sorted out his thoughts.


    Even if he played Transcendent Taoist for 8 real-time hours every night, he would only need about ten days to reach the critical breakthrough point.


    Since that''s the case, I''ll ignore my PARA app for the next ten days, then check out these dimensional pockets once my Daoist character meets the Tier-6 standards of this world.


    During this time, Hiro could think of other ways to generate achievement points and an excuse to skip school.


    Hm, tomorrow is my debut day for the Soccer Club, right?


    Hiro''s eyes lit up. If he could become a famous athlete in the school, he could easily generate traffic for his profile on the iMessenger app.


    Hiro quickly opened his phone and downloaded the add-on newsfeed feature for the iMessenger app, upgrading his account to a social media account.


    Soon, his actions were broadcasted on both his friends'' and the public newsfeed, similar to how Facebook and Twitter were operating back on Earth.


    Now, all that''s left is to become an internet celebrity, then wait for the friend requests to pour in and collect those achievement points.


    Bella''s parents thought that Hiro was using his phone to consult the PARA app, but only Bella knew that he was on iMessenger, creating a public account.


    Looking at the notification on her phone, Bella''s cheeks reddened in embarrassment, but she didn''t dare expose Hiro and ruin the solemnity of the atmosphere.


    Once he was satisfied, Hiro put his phone aside and returned his attention to the array of spiritual materials on the display.


    After thinking for a while, Hiro made his choice and picked a chain bracelet that had the effect of amplifying one''s affinity to spirituality, though the effect was limited to weak Paranormals.


    Bella''s father didn''t say anything else; he directly ordered a servant to bring the accessory over, while Hiro didn''t stand on ceremony and directly put it on his right wrist.


    The moment he put it on, he heard a system prompt in his head while a pop-up window appeared in front of him.


    [Notice: You''ve completed the hidden mission, "Treasure Hunt."


    Reward: Unlocked the system''s treasure scanning feature.]

 Chapter 32 - 32: Cultivation Shortcut?

    Information appeared in Hiro''s mind, and for a moment, he sat there with a dumbfounded look.


    Curious, he activated the treasure scanning feature, and a pulse of golden halo spread for his body to a 10m radius.


    Once the halo faded, a golden hall lingered on not only the bracelet but also the bodies of Bella and her parents.


    Once again, Hiro was stunned.


    But after thinking about it for a while, perhaps Bella''s father learned his lesson and decided to squander a bit and provide magical treasures to his wife and daughter.


    This way, they wouldn''t be in life-threatening danger if anything were to happen in the future.


    The family of three thought that the effect of the bracelet surprised Hiro, so while the parents did nothing but smile, Bella snickered and mocked, "What a country bumpkin!"


    Hiro didn''t mind her ridicule. Instead, he smiled and said, "Isn''t it just fine? I''ll rely on your family to provide for me in the future from now on."


    Bella put on a disgusted expression and pretended to wretch. On the other hand, her father laughed and was about to say something when¡­


    Buzz! Buzz!


    Hiro''s phone buzzed with an incoming message. After checking his iMessenger app, he noticed that it was a message from Jodi.


    [Jodi]: Boss, we''ve got some clues on the people stalking Teacher Aiya. Can you come to the school''s parking lot?


    It was almost seven in the evening, and Hiro didn''t expect that the delinquents would camp outside Aiya''s apartment to keep an eye out.


    He was both pleasantly surprised and appreciative of their efforts, so he promised to reward Jodi handsomely later.


    Then, he sent a message to Sebastian to come pick him up before he smiled apologetically.


    "Uncle, Auntie, I have something to do so I must leave here first, sorry for dropping this unexpected news."


    Bella''s parents didn''t mind, and her father waved his hand graciously. "It''s fine, it''s just a pity that you won''t be having dinner with us, the food today was going to be of a high quality."


    "Next time, next time¡­" Hiro promised as he hurriedly got up and left. The moment he stepped outside the door, Sebastian was already waiting by the front gate with the car''s rear door open.


    Hiro smiled bitterly and shook his head, wondering if Sebastian was waiting in some inconspicuous corner.


    Nonetheless, he wasn''t very concerned about these little details. He just got into the backseat and instructed Sebastian to drive to the Inter-High outdoor parking lot before closing his eyes to rest.


    Well, he didn''t rest but rather entered the {simulation space} and started his secluded cultivation.


    Sigh, I knew the system wouldn''t be so convenient; the time dilation would only take effect if I was actively playing the game. It''s really not worth it¡­


    Although these were Hiro''s complaints, he understood that this feature existed to help him blitz through a game''s story mode.


    If he mainly focused on the main story quests and ignored the side quests, hidden quests, and REP (repetitive) quests, he could blitz through the game''s storyline within one week in real time.


    Due to the increasing traffic rate during the evening hours, it was twenty minutes to eight in the evening when Hiro''s car entered the parking lot.


    ¡­


    "Please¡­ this is all I know, I swear¡­"


    Jodi and a few of his lackeys surrounded a skinny man who was kneeling on the dry asphalt ground.


    He had his hands tied behind his back and a thick blindfold on his eyes, and he was practically naked save for a pair of white boxers and white socks.


    Hair disheveled, bruised face, and a busted lower lip with strings of blood-mixed saliva dangling about. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Standing to the side, one of the lackeys inhaled a deep buff of smoke before taking a tuff of the skinny man''s hair in his hand, lifting his head up, and screaming at his face while the thick smoke billowed out.


    "Do you think we''re going to believe this crap?! HUH?! The boss asked you one simple question, and I expect one simple answer! WHO! FUCKIN! SENT YOU?!"


    Bang!


    The lackey followed the question with a knee to the man''s right chest, close enough to give him fractured ribs without endangering the heart.


    Nonetheless, the pain was intolerable.


    The man fell to the ground, convulsing in pain.


    The lackey''s voice was tinged with a hint of ruthlessness as he threatened, "Next time, I''ll start taking off your nails one at a time, then your fingers, then your hands, and then your teeth¡­ Don''t worry, I have all night to waste on a scumbag stalker like you¡­"


    The man trembled, finally breaking down as he started to ramble on.


    To the side, Jodi brought out a small notebook and a pencil before he started writing down the information.


    He recorded the name, phone number, and address of the meeting location for the handover of the bribe money.


    This man was a pitiful person on a communal labor order from the public court for breaking and entry. He just happened to be working in the block near Teacher Aiya''s apartment building, and so he was bribed to keep an eye on her movements.


    After getting a list of names from the thin man through confession, Jodi was satisfied.


    After putting the small notebook away, he looked down at the pitiful man and began to think.


    How to deal with this person? We can''t let him go back and expose our activities¡­ I should have considered this before kidnapping him for an interrogation¡­


    Since he couldn''t figure it out, he decided to keep the man on lockup first, then deal with the aftermath later.


    After giving some instructions to the delinquents, Jodi sent them away after accepting them into the fold of the freshmen delinquents.


    After everyone left, Jodi walked to the other end of the parking lot where a black luxury sedan rested in a dim corner.


    Without further ado, he tapped the tinted read window with the notebook, handed it over to Hiro after the window rolled down, then stood there silently and watched the car driving away.


    Jodi sighed. "Boss sure is boss, he even got himself a personal driver!"


    ¡­


    [Notice: Detected a mission-related item!]


    After receiving the book and going through the information recorded within, Hiro''s mission was updated.


    Although he didn''t know what effects this update after the progress would cause, he was still more than satisfied with the results.


    After he finished going through the notes, he opened the tinted window and tossed the small notebook out.


    After the small notebook left the car, an inconspicuous spark on the cover flared up into a small fireball, reducing the notebook to sparkling cinders in the sedan''s trail.


    Although Hiro wanted to explore the mansion oh so badly, he also didn''t want to waste his gaming time, even if all he did in the game was idle around.


    After having a quick dinner cooked up by the standard chef, he returned to his room and lay comfortably on the king-sized bed.


    After adjusting his clock to go off at seven in the morning, he closed his eyes and fell asleep, while his consciousness went into the system space.


    ¡­


    Soft chirping and gentle immortal wind surrounded Hiro the moment he opened his eyes.


    As he was preparing to indulge in the sensation of continually growing stronger, his vision detached from the scene as a beautiful female disciple approached the cave abode.


    [Notice: Senior Sister Xia Hongli invites you to listen to immortal music, do you accept?]


    A [Yes / No] options window appeared in front of Hiro, followed by the details of his senior sister.


    Her cultivation realm was unknown, meaning she was much stronger than himself. Also, the current favorability was at 80 points, and it wasn''t easy to get it this high since Hiro wasn''t paying too much attention to the game unless he was facing a breakthrough.


    After considering his options, he decided to accept her offer. Thus, from a third-person perspective, Hiro watched his character and the senior sister listening to immortal music next to an immortal pond.


    Three hours later, a set of notifications popped up.


    [Notice: You''ve achieved 85 favorability with a female companion.]


    [Notice: Dual Cultivation with {Xia Hongli} is now available once every 24 hours.]


    Hiro perked up, and he immediately checked the companion''s list and found the name Xia Hongli at the top of the list with 85 points.


    As for the faction leader, it was still at 55 points. He didn''t even have the qualifications to know her name.


    Interested, Hiro immediately chose to initiate a Dual Cultivation session with Senior Sister Xia Hongli.


    Out of nowhere, a dense mist arose and covered the pond, the surrounding ground, and the two young cultivators.


    Hiro''s character took the initiative to flirt and set the mood, while Xia Hongli didn''t offer much resistance. After the first kiss was established, she got up and pulled Hiro''s character by the hand.


    Then, the two disappeared into a ray of light through the clouds.


    The next moment, Hiro received a notification that gave him quite the fright.


    +13,478,400 CB


    [You''ve achieved a minor breakthrough!]

 Chapter 33 - 33: [Bonus] Soccer Club Debut

    Hiro was still in shock the next morning when he opened his eyes.


    One dual cultivation session made up for three days of diligent cultivation!


    Sadly, he could only do it once every 24 real-time hours. Otherwise, his cultivation would skyrocket!


    The surplus from the additional CB points saved him a chunk of time, but he still needed about 52 million units of Spirit Qi to undergo the great tribulation.


    In any case, the estimated time was shortened from ten days to about one week, which is a great improvement.


    In a good mood, Hiro jumped off his bed to shower and prepared for school. As for breakfast, he would have his meal in the car since he didn''t have much time to waste.


    The Third Ring was quite far from the Inter-High education district, and he was afraid of being caught in traffic.


    He also needed to inform the school that he had acquired his personal property for accommodation, so that they would give the dormitory quota to the next person who needed it.


    Today was the third official day of school, and Hiro wasn''t going to be the only one busy running errands all around the administrative building.


    After he alighted from the car, he gave his dormitory keys to Sebastian, and then asked him to fetch the books and notebooks before meeting up in the administrative building''s waiting area.


    While Hiro was waiting for his turn to meet with the freshmen year''s student advisor, he noticed Teacher Aiya making her way into the building.


    She was probably on her way to the meeting room designated for the teachers. After thinking for a bit, Hiro decided on a course of action.


    He used the {synchronization} function of the system for a second, sweeping the entire floor with his divine sense, capturing the movements and micro-expressions of everyone on the floor.


    Then, his divine sense swept out to surround the building, taking in the actions of everyone who had an angle to observe the building''s entrance.


    Then, he immediately shut down the {synchronization} before anyone could notice anything amiss.


    Hiro then smiled and muttered under his breath, "This is more like it. Now, I only need¡­"


    Hiro stood up and walked around the floor and observed the walls. Soon, he found the roster of the school''s teachers, and he was immediately delighted.


    With one glance, he cross-referenced the suspicious teachers from his memory with those on the roster, identifying their names and faces.


    Hiro then fished out his phone, entered the classroom''s chat group, and contemplated sending a direct message to Teacher Aiya.


    After thinking about it, Hiro shook his head and decided against it. In any case, there were only about eight teachers, and he could keep an eye on them without alerting her.


    So, he sent the names list to Jodi instead, while instructing him to keep an eye on them and investigate their interpersonal relationships for any common acquaintances.


    Hiro''s turn was soon called in, and he quickly settled the necessary papers to drop from the dormitory. This way, it wouldn''t cause a commotion if one day the inspection staff couldn''t locate Hiro in the school building during off hours.


    After confirming his schedule for the day with Sebastian, Hiro left the Administrative Building and headed for class.


    ¡­


    The school day passed uneventfully, and other than his brief encounter with Teacher Aiya in the cafeteria, Hiro had another run-in with Zyd.


    Surprisingly, Hiro found Zyd and Vanti hanging out together, making him imagine the trio of Marcus, Zyd, and Vanti causing trouble.


    A double spy, a delinquent, and an opportunistic cheapskate.


    The more Hiro thought about it, the more amused he felt. At least, that was until he arrived at the soccer field for the club activities, only to find the same trio in the same club.


    For a moment, the four of them tacitly grouped up a fair distance away from the team, silently staring down at each other.


    "What a red flag," Hiro was the first to speak, kneading his forehead in pain. Then, he glared at Marcus.


    "This must have been your idea, right?"


    Hiro couldn''t think of any other reason as to why both Vanti and Zyd were in the same club as himself; unless this sneaky innocent-looking Marcus had a hand in it.


    Marcus rolled his eyes. "You''re overthinking things, brother."


    "Really?" Hiro scoffed, pointing at Zyd as he cursed. "Then why is he looking like a married guy caught in a gay AV?!"


    Only now did Marcus realize that Zyd had the classical shocked expression of ''How did he find out?''


    Vanti clutched his stomach and laughed, stomping the ground with his foot.


    Defeated, Marcus could only shrug. "You can''t blame me for this. Since you dropped from the dormitory, I had to think of a way to keep in close contact with you, hence why I settled on joining the same club as you."


    "Then what about these two?" Hiro pointed at Zyd and Vanti, not as irritated as he was confused.


    "Hey!" Vanti wiped his crocodile tears and complained. "I''ve always been a regular on the school''s soccer team! You don''t know, but soccer, football, basketball, and volleyball clubs started operating during the summer holiday, and I was a rare talent scouted to join the school''s team."


    Vanti couldn''t have been more proud of his achievement. However, he didn''t give Zyd the chance to explain himself.


    He pointed at Zyd and said, "As for this guy, he''s a senior member of the club. Although he''s a second-year sophomore, he sucks at this sport. He still couldn''t make it out from Group B into Group A after all this time."


    The Inter-High had two teams for each sport to accommodate the larger number of students.


    Group B could be considered as an extension of Group A''s reserve players, except that they get to compete in friendly exhibition matches.


    As for the critical games, those are left to Group A, and the so-called Top Eleven starting lineup.


    Zyd''s expression turned a little ugly as he hooked Vanti''s head into a headlock, grinding his knuckles into the latter''s head. "Keep talking nonsense and I''ll rip your head off for my next hat trick."


    "Oh great ancestor, please have mercy¡­ have mercy¡­" Vanti struggled to squirm out of Zyd''s headlock. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Then, he moved next to Hiro and breathed easy while rubbing his neck. "Oh, what position are you going to play in, Hiro?"


    Although Vanti asked this, he knew that only the coach would decide on this matter at the end of the day.


    Nonetheless, the first internal competition between the members of Group B was an open competition, each will play in the position they think suits them best.


    The coach will watch from the side and make his judgment based on the performance of the students, making this out to be quite the golden opportunity.


    "Is there a need to ask? Of course, I''m going to play in a forward position¡ªthough it doesn''t matter if it''s center forward or by the wings. I''ll still make it into the top strikers ranks of our team."


    Hiro was very confident, and it was somewhat contagious. Vanti slapped Hiro''s back and exclaimed, "Well said! Don''t worry, I''ll be watching your back from the middle field position. My passes are godly sick, you just need to score."


    "How good is Marcus, then?" Hiro didn''t believe Vanti, but he didn''t call him out on it.


    Hmm, it''s quite distasteful of me to look down on him without playing first. Then again, it can''t be helped¡­ My confidence comes from my system, but where does his confidence come from? What a pretentious guy¡­


    "Him?" Vanti gave Marcus a curious look, touching his chin. "I don''t know, I''ve never seen him playing sports before. All I know is that he likes gaming and stuff."


    "I''m just going to be the errands boy of the team, nothing grand." Marcus hurriedly clarified himself, waving his hand.


    Hiro''s eyes lit up. "Great, I was worried no one would have the time to take good photos and videos of me during the games. Hm, I''ll get you a set of streaming equipments too, you can stream my games live in the future!"


    Marcus blinked his eyes and asked, "When did I agree to do such a thing?"


    Marcus was just being funny, but he didn''t expect Hiro to turn his head and say, "Forget it! I''ll get Elvin to do it instead. I''ll give him a handsome pay so that he could get around his poverty-striken lifestyle too."


    Vanti nodded. "I agree, leave such a good opportunity to that pitiful guy. Sigh, many girls will be disappointed to learn that you two no longer sleep in the same bed¡­"


    "Since when are we sleeping in the same bed?! Damn it, we''re ordinary roommates, who''s maliciously slandering me?!"


    Hiro reacted quite strongly, almost strangling Vanti. Then, they heard the loud whistle from the coach, asking everyone in Group B to line up and split into two teams.


    It was about time for the newbies to debut.

 Chapter 34 - 34: One Thousand

    To Hiro, the long speech from the coach landed on deaf ears. Luckily, he wasn''t the only person who found changing into their sportswear much more interesting than listening to the coach.


    The standard set of soccer shoes couldn''t be said to be very comfortable, but it was still better than the flat sneakers most people wear to class.


    Seeing that everyone was more or so ignoring his speech, the coach sighed helplessly.


    He eventually clapped his hands and called out, "Alright, alright! I''ll give you three minutes to split into two teams, and other than declaring your respective goalkeepers, I don''t care about the rest. You know what to do."


    In a moment, a horde of students moved to the other side of the group.


    Meanwhile, Hiro was too lazy to even bother with the shuffling. Vanti and Zyd stood nearby, also waiting for the shuffling to be over as they watched with clear interest.


    Honestly, the second-year sophomores were more or less familiar with the base level of each other''s skills, but very few of them would stay behind in the club if they couldn''t make it into Group A after an entire school year.


    Thus, while Hiro spotted the occasional sophomore seniors in the crowd, they typically maintained a low profile, not trying to stand out at all.


    In Hiro''s team, Vanti somehow ended up as the team captain. Hiro didn''t even notice when Vanti had put the captain''s armband on his left shoulder.


    It had to be said that this guy''s social skills were top-notch. Soon, the two teams were deployed onto the field, while those who were unlucky enough to be ostracized were left on the benches.


    Well, some people were like Marcus, voluntarily choosing to sit this one out.


    "Damn," looking around, Hiro noticed that more than half the players were in the position to play in forward positions.


    There were no defenders near the penalty box at all, while only three people stood in the midfield positions; right, left, and center respectively.


    While the coach was about to whistle for the kickoff, hordes of students suddenly showed up to watch the match.


    All of them were freshmen.


    From their shouting and cheering, Hiro realized that some of them were already die-hard supporters of a handsome guy on the other team.


    His name was Kenshin, and he was an international student judging based on his appearance and complexion.


    Well of course, how could I forget about such a cliche thing? This must be the popular foreign student.


    Hmm, I''m also considered a foreign student, right? A super foreign student?


    As Hiro thought to this point, he heard his own name being yelled out. Looking over, he saw Bella together with some of her classmates on the other side of the soccer field. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Of course, Bella wasn''t yelling, though she instructed her friends and followers to do the cheering in her stead.


    However, Hiro quickly noticed that many people were shouting his name, but they were looking at the wrong guy.


    Damn, they''re not sincere at all! They only know my name and that my hair is red, so they''re cheering anyone with red hair?


    Understanding that his popularity was on the line, Hiro''s mind turned and he quickly raised an arm to wave at Bella.


    He put on a smile he thought to be bright and confident, but he underestimated how impactful his current level of handsomeness was.


    The moment the girls locked on their target and confirmed that he was adequately handsome, they exploded with louder cheers.


    The soundwaves from the two sides, the ''Go Hiro'' soundwave and the ''Go Ken'' soundwave crossed the soccer field and clashed fiercely.


    Unknowingly, people from both teams started to pack off little by little, leaving Hiro and Kenshin standing on opposing ends on the field, in a direct confrontation.


    Hiro hadn''t expected this sort of development.


    While he and Kenshin stared at one another blankly, the coach''s temper exploded as he yelled loudly.


    "Stop wasting time! Get in your positions or leave the team!"


    No one knew where he got the megaphone from, but no one cared either. They quickly shuffled back to their positions, and Hiro stood next to Zyd in preparation for the kickoff.


    As the whistle blew off, Zyd kicked a straight pass to Hiro''s feet before he ran back to the defense line.


    At the same time, at least six students penetrated the halfway line from both sides and charged toward the opposing team''s penalty box.


    After receiving the ball, Hiro began to familiarize himself with its weight for a few seconds before testing it out by passing the ball to a random student.


    Even if he had professional soccer skills at the moment, he still needed to get a feel of his environment, the ball, and other factors independent of his inherent skills.


    For example, the skill level of his teammates.


    Another example, the environmental factors and how they influenced his speed, maneuverability, and the ball''s trajectory in the air.


    Further away behind the touchline, every fished out their phones and began taking photos before posting on their personal iMessage newsfeed.


    However, what Hiro hadn''t expected was that the students didn''t even follow the basic one-two; one-two passing technique.


    Everyone was so damn adamant about showing off their supreme dribbling skills.


    A random student gets possession of the ball, runs with it, gets tackled then loses the ball.


    Then, the next follows in their footsteps, then the next, and the next.


    At one point, Hiro stood still for a moment before he started to furiously rub his head, feeling both angry and amused.


    Everyone was shouting for a pass, and once they got the ball, they turned deaf and mute with a smug expression that called for a beating.


    Luckily, there were only so many students on the field. Soon, Vanti and Zyd took possession of the ball.


    One of them was a seasoned second-year sophomore student while the other was a talent when it came to situational awareness and passing skills.


    They quickly rushed toward Hiro''s corner and included him into their fold, advancing in a triangle formation.


    At first, Hiro found it a little awkward to handle the ball, but his {Professional Combat Skills} and {Professional Soccer Skills} overlapped in some areas, allowing him to quickly adapt to using his muscles in the ways of an extreme sport.


    From breathing, regulating his strength, distribution of force when sending and receiving the ball, and his situational awareness thanks to his new intuition gained from the {Espionage I} skill.


    Soon, the trio easily penetrated the halfway point and reached the opposing team''s defense line.


    Seeing that both Zyd and Vanti were occupied fending off for themselves, Hiro''s pattern of movement changed.


    He preformed a feint, and instead of passing the ball over, he dragged it along the curve of his shoes, pushed it a few metres ahead, and executed a full-blown sprint before the defenders midfielders could react.


    Just like his team, there weren''t any defenders in the penalty box area, leaving Hiro all alone to confront the goalkeeper.


    Goes without saying, it was an easy goal with the furious ball embedded into the top right corner of the net.


    "Ez!"Hiro shouted a term that confused many students, but no one cared about it and simply followed the herd mentality to shout along.


    "Ez! Ez! Ez!"


    The coach blew the whistle and announced the goal, while Vanti was quick to jump onto Hiro''s back from behind, almost tossing the latter to the ground as he shouted.


    "Amazing shot! Haha, I don''t know what ''Ez'' means but heck, Ez!"


    Hiro didn''t bother explaining some gaming terms from his past world such as ''Ez'' or ''GG.''


    In any case, the pronunciation was very similar to the word easy in multiple foreign languages from this world, so it wouldn''t take long before someone figured it out.


    Someone who captured the entire attack on his camera quickly uploaded the video on the iMessage newsfeed while tagging Hiro, Zyd, and Vanti in the post.


    Quickly, many similar posts followed.


    Since Hiro didn''t place any privacy measures towards friend requests, anyone could add him as a friend and become a follower by the tap of a button.


    Thus, while he was arguing with Vanti, he heard the system''s chime in his mind, notifying him of the constant infusion of friends to his interpersonal relationships window.


    Hiro was more than elated, and this enthusiasm that bubbled inside his heart was searching desperately for an outlet.


    Thus, he quickly urged his teammates to vacate the opposing team''s half of the field and prepare for the kickoff.


    Although he wasn''t the captain of the team, he still carried the aura of a big shot from the previous momentum, and no one dared defy his words.


    For the rest of the game, Kenshin also displayed his skills with long passes, dribbling, and shooting.


    However, one player couldn''t carry the team on his own. When the ball was intercepted, it would quickly find its way to the golden trio of Hiro, Zyd, and Vanti.


    Whenever that happened, Hiro was almost guaranteed to score a goal.


    The game eventually ended with a score of 5:3, with Hiro''s team winning.


    While everyone was happy about the win, Hiro was happy about something else¡­


    He reached the benchmark of 1,000 friends!

 Chapter 35 - 35: Summoning

    The moment Hiro''s friends reached the 1,000 milestone, the interpersonal relationships pop-up window appeared automatically.


    There was an additional column on the screen.


    [Chain Mission]: You''ve unlocked the {Mr. Popular} chain mission by reaching the first milestone of 1,000/1,000 friends.


    [Reward]: Your charm and charisma have increased, and a %1 chance to trigger love at first sight from females with a good impression of you.


    ¡­


    Hiro''s eagerness deflated. That''s it? No achievement points? No gems? Just charm and charisma?!


    As Hiro thought to this point, he also checked the next milestone; it was set at the 10,000 friends benchmark.


    Hiro rubbed his chin in thought. That''s troublesome, there aren''t that many students in this school, so I can''t use my soccer skills to reach that point.


    Hiro then remembered that his goal wasn''t to reach the benchmark, it was only to collect achievement points.


    He made about 800 new friends more or less, gaining over 4,000 achievement points, which was the true harvest.


    Thinking about it, it was really silly of him to think that the milestone would reward him with achievement points if he were to earn 5 points from each new friend on the list either way.


    I''ve become a little greedy¡­ I need to calm down a little bit! Hiro quickly settled his mind and decided to be content with the current harvest.


    Looking at his achievement points count of 4,330 points, Hiro was more than satisfied.


    After listening to the coach''s speech with hardly any focus at all, Hiro prepared to leave school back to his personal mansion to review the acquisition documents of Nebula Electronics'' 5% shares when his phone rang.


    He quickly pulled the phone from his school bag and checked the caller''s ID; COC Handler.


    Hiro quickly answered the phone, "Hello?"


    "Mr. Sciatis," the Handler on the other end spoke respectfully. "Your liquid assets in our internal bank have been verified, and your business account has been officially unfrozen.


    Just wait for the notification via email to arrive, and you''ll be eligible to liaison with our marketing department to hire a business consultant or if you wish to rent or buy a business floor in one of our estates in the city."


    Hiro''s eyes shone. At this moment, he was pretty sure that the Daily Life RPG system would give him a substantial reward for every achievement in real life, as long as that achievement had a huge impact on the trajectory of his life.


    As expected, the system indeed rewarded him for completing the hidden mission, and this one was called the "Fledgling Business Empire" mission.


    He swept away the default notification and focused on the reward.


    Hm? What''s this? A demon summoning ritual? What''s this? Hiro quickly asked the system in his mind.


    A blue window appeared with a few lines of text.


    [Notice: You can summon creatures from the dimension and impart a skill of your own choosing to them. In the future, you can nurture the summoned creature by consuming achievement points to upgrade the skill level.]


    Hiro understood.


    In a sense, he could become a versatile all-rounded genius or he could simply summon creatures and impart his skills to them. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Out of curiosity, Hiro opened the system shop and searched for the various summoning ritual tokens.


    Hiro quickly found the summoning tokens column near the elixir potions column.


    There were all kinds of tokens; demon summoning ritual, heroic spirits summoning ritual, beasts summoning ritual, mythical creatures summoning ritual, etc.


    However, there was a clear notice under the price tag of 10,000 achievement points.


    Irrespective of the summon''s race and individuality, their power level would always start from the bottom.


    Unless they entered an environment friendly to their power system, they wouldn''t be able to increase their strength.


    In a sense, even if Hiro squandered achievement points to increase their core skills, he would need to find suitable pocket dimensions for each and every summoned servant if he wanted to increase their strength.


    Honestly, if it weren''t for the reward this time, I wouldn''t have bothered with such an expensive expenditure.


    After thinking about something, Hiro asked while on his way to the parking lot. System, what about the publicity and identity of the summons?


    [Notice: To provide a better experience for the host, the system will create a false identity for the summons. Furthermore, all summons will appear in humanoid form, thus negating any adverse effects caused by their presence.]


    Hiro could finally relax. After thinking about it, he decided to impart the {Business Acumen III} skill to his summoned servant, then give them the position of Sciatis Holdings Limited CEO.


    Since he would most likely depart on an expedition that would take days if not weeks in the future, he couldn''t leave the company in the hands of someone incompetent.


    With that in mind, Hiro rushed back to his mansion in the Third Ring together with Sebastian, then ignored his kind advice to have dinner as he rushed to his private study.


    ¡­


    Hiro''s Mansion, the Study.


    Hiro locked the door, closed the curtains, and willed for the summoning ritual token to leave the system space and appear in his hand.


    It was a translucent purple prism with a complex diagram on its surface, and following the system''s instructions, Hiro injected his spirituality into the prism.


    The purple prism glowed with an ominous light before the diagrams spread like spiderwebs embedded into thin air.


    Then, the small prism shattered to pieces and collapsed onto itself, turning into a deep swirling vortex¡ªa depthless coldness visible within.


    The vortex expanded into a portal with a radius of one meter. Then, a blue window with statics appeared in front of Hiro.


    [Notice: Please select a skill to impart to the designated summon.]


    Hiro didn''t hesitate to choose the {Business Acumen III} and select confirm.


    [Notice: Please provide the desired identity you wish to bestow to your summon.]


    Hiro was about to appoint her as the CEO of his company when his eyes spun a little in hesitation. Then, he inputted her as the CEO of Nebula Electronics and selected confirm.


    [Notice: You can only assign this identity when you''ve completely acquired Nebula Electronics as your private property.]


    Figures, Hiro pursed his lips. Then, he assigned her the position of his company''s CEO, and everything went smoothly.


    Then, the blue window disappeared, revealing the cold vortex of darkness behind it.


    From said vortex stepped out a fair, slender leg, followed by a milky white thigh and a split purple dress.


    In a moment, a beautiful woman with mature facial features, a curvaceous hourglass figure, charming purple eyes, and wavy brunette hair stepped into the study.


    Curious, Hiro checked her information after catching his breath.


    [Arabella]:


    Race: Demon.


    Bloodline: Succubus.


    Tier: 9.


    Rank: C.


    Skills: Telekinesis, Beguiling Hypnosis, Transformation, Business Acumen III.


    ¡­


    Hiro blinked his eyes. Looking at her set of skills, especially the hypnosis, and transformation, Hiro felt like he had made a mistake.


    Wasn''t it better if I had simply given her the espionage skill and turned her into my spy?


    Forget it! What''s done is done, I can''t do anything about it!


    Then, Hiro noticed the new set of documents that appeared on his table.


    He saw the identification documents and legal procedures the system provided for Arabella.


    Looking through them, Hiro felt jealous. "You have a driving license? Even I don''t have one yet!"


    [Notice: The system provides the summon with the basic understanding of the current world, as well as the basic skills to integrate into the functioning society as smoothly as possible. For example, the common languages, driving skills, and basic education on the level of a PhD graduate.]


    Hiro felt like crying, why couldn''t the system provide me with these credentials for free?


    Even if Hiro could get this knowledge through the system shop, he would still need to go through the motions of school and college to get the legal credentials, despite his base knowledge level.


    However, his summoned servants didn''t need to go through such a troublesome process.


    Sighing, he looked towards Arabella; she was still in a daze, probably receiving the knowledge injection from the system.


    Then, a spark of intelligence flared in her violet eyes before her expression turned animated and lively.


    Arabella smiled at Hiro and greeted him passionately, "Good evening, Young Master!"


    "What''s with the Young Master thing?" Hiro felt goosebumps to face such a mature woman who was old enough to be a mother.


    Furthermore, she acted so subservient towards him, passion and obedience burning in her eyes.


    Arabella tilted her head in confusion as she touched her bottom lip. "Is it wrong? My knowledge base dictates that the rich and powerful young people appreciate this title greatly, so I figured it''s only suitable to address you as such, Master¡­"


    The softness of her voice was so infectious it almost caused Hiro''s bones to melt along.


    He hurriedly waved his hand and said, "That''s them, and I''m me! Just calling me ''Sir'' would do, don''t imitate herd mentality in the future!"


    "Understood, Sir!" Seeing that acting coy was counterproductive, Arabella immediately adopted a professional attitude.


    Finally, Hiro could heave a sigh of relief.


    Now, he only needed to buy an office building for his company. However, that could wait until the five companies terminated their cooperation contract first.


    Hiro realized that everything on his agenda required time, hence, he decided to focus on gaming while he waited for developments in the next few days.

 Chapter 36 - 36: Origin Soul Realm

    Days passed, and on this morning, Hiro opened his eyes with a jubilant expression.


    Finally, his Daoist character broke through the Nascent Soul realm to the Origin Soul realm.


    He failed the tribulation three times, delaying his advancement by three in-game days!


    His current CB was at 4,399,230/92,000,000 and his realm was at the first level of the Origin Soul realm.


    If he couldn''t get more gems or complete sect missions to upgrade the spirit array in the future, it would take half a month at the very least for the next minor breakthrough.


    To Hiro, this was intolerable. However, he couldn''t sacrifice his Legend of Babylon gaming time since his character in that game determined his future prospects in real life.


    Eventually, Hiro determined that his only choice was to complete the high-priority mission as soon as possible, even if it meant going against the established order and facing Broski head-on.


    The only issue was that Broski''s influence had long since penetrated the school and proliferated the syndicate community of the city.


    After thinking about it, Hiro decided to re-establish contact with Natali, and hopefully, he could use her as a breaking point to dip his feet into the waters of the syndicate community.


    No one said that he needed to join the syndicates through the school delinquent''s channels; he had both the power and wealth to join the circle directly.


    With that in mind, Hiro''s eyes glinted with determination. To Hiro, he had no sense of belonging to this world or its humanity; hence he didn''t think that the syndicates were evil, just as he didn''t think that the state was righteous.


    In a world of mysticism like this one, rules were just the blabbering of tens of millions of ordinary mouths.


    After I''ve finished my current mission with Teacher Aiya, I''ll go find Natali. Hiro thought to himself. It would be better if I could trigger a mission with her. I can''t believe I spent such a long time on a mission of easy difficulty, but it can''t be helped; I had to invest all my energy into reaching the Tier-6 standards of this world.


    Hiro opened his phone to check the most recent update from Jodi''s side. Presumably, they found the person who was a common contact point between the suspected teachers.


    All of them would report to this person at one point in time during the week, thus successfully keeping an eye on Teacher Aiya.


    However; this person was always accompanied by a powerful bodyguard, and the delinquents didn''t dare get close to listen in on the conversation.


    However, it doesn''t matter.


    All of this was pointless.


    After thinking for a moment, he sent all of this information to Teacher Aiya; he included all the information gathered ever since he collected the profiles of the eight teachers.


    He also included the picture of the man who was instructing the teachers from behind the scenes, as he believed that Teacher Aiya should know his identity.


    At the end of the message, he simply asked if she needed help.


    It was a Saturday today, and there was no school. According to the intelligence reports, Teacher Aiya should be staying home with her roommate.


    Now that the person pulling the strings was exposed, she shouldn''t be as scared as she used to be; as nothing was more scary than the unknown.


    Hiro was about to go have his morning cold shower when he received a phone call from Teacher Aiya.


    He hadn''t expected her to respond so quickly, let alone call him so early in the morning.


    After he answered the phone, he had yet to say anything when he heard her say that she wanted him to come talk to her at home.


    After thinking about it for a moment, Hiro agreed. Anyway, there was no point in acting secretly now that they had discovered the true culprit.


    Hiro planned to deal with him once and for all later, but he hadn''t expected that he''d also receive a notification from the system.


    [Notice: You''ve completed the interpersonal mission.


    Mission Difficulty: Normal.


    Mission: Investigate the party or parties involved in stalking Teacher Aiya and bring peace of mind to the anxious woman.


    Reward: 5 gems.


    ¡­


    Hiro paused. That''s right; my mission was limited to investigating the people monitoring Teacher Aiya, not dealing with them.


    However, Hiro hesitated a little. I already agreed to meet up with her, does this mean I''ll be doing free labor from this point onwards? Whatever, I''ll do a good deed this one time.


    Hiro sighed. In the future, he needed to pay more attention to the contents of his missions lest he went overboard.


    Moreover, the normal difficulty mission rewarded him with 5 gems, then what about easy and hard? Was there another difficulty level above hard as well?


    Hiro had many questions, but this time, the system didn''t answer him. It seemed that he needed to discover the answers by actively completing the missions.


    "Ah, the life of a protagonist is so difficult."


    Hiro shook his head again and went to have his cold shower and breakfast, and then he returned to his study.


    Arabella left yesterday to liaison with the five companies and the COC. As the Handler had anticipated, the five companies terminated the contract.


    At the moment, the VR helmet technology has become a mainstream industry.


    Even if the quality of the reverse-engineered VR helmet was lower than the S-gear technology, the latter had no more stock in the market.


    Hiro didn''t have any factories or R&D facilities to mass produce the S-gear, making them a limited edition commodity; somewhat of a collectible valuable.


    Hiro gave Arabella a simple mission; which was to acquire an office building that was fully under Hiro''s company.


    After he summoned Arabella successfully, Hiro understood that if he wanted to extract the most value out of the system, he needed to have complete ownership of everything he was invested in.


    He didn''t care how lavish the building was, he only needed it to belong to him 100%.


    With that criterion in mind, Arabella found a building with seventeen floors in a common commercial district, and it wasn''t a prime location.


    Since he lost his {Business Acumen III} skill, Hiro didn''t really know how to set the direction of the company.


    For now, he asked Arabella to invest in research institutes that are developing VR technology, even if she had to acquire these companies by using the S-gear technology''s patent as an incentive. Furthermore, she needed to acquire production factories under the company''s name; Hiro didn''t want his company''s capital chain to be at the mercy of an external source.


    In the long term, they would monitor the institutions and scout for eager talents who are pursuing knowledge and creativity.


    Hiro was certain that when the time came and he dangled the bait of the VR capsule technology, these scientists would jump ship and join his R&D team without hesitation.


    He wasn''t worried about the patents since he had already applied for the core technology of both the capsule and cabinet.


    As for the research team, it was just a formality; a smoke screen.


    Hiro smiled in his study. Since they so desired to sever ties with him, he didn''t care. In the future, the %5 quarterly divadance from Nebula Electronics would be more than sufficient to start manufacturing.


    Hiro had time, he could wait.


    As his thoughts reached this point, he opened his phone to check the next agenda on his schedule¡ªHiro opened the PARA app.


    Then, he checked the threads in his city''s region. As expected, he saw many threads requesting for Babylon by name, and the rewards varied.


    Although Hiro knew that some of these were advertised by the Odin family, there was a chance that most of them were from the family''s enemies.


    They were most likely hoping for revenge.


    Are they stupid? Hiro shook his head as he started going through the threads one by one, only responding to those that provided him with the option to chat with the thread''s owner.


    [Babylon]: ???


    [X Smith]: I want to thank you properly for saving my wife and daughter the other day, can we meet?


    [Babylon]: Didn''t your wife give you my contact information?


    [X Smith]: She lost it.


    [Babylon]: No she didn''t; she''s sending me nudes everyday. It''s annoying.


    [X Smith]: You''re dead.


    Then, the thread was closed.


    Hiro rolled his eyes, then he proceeded to open one thread at a time. Most of them so far were nonsense, while others were curious about who dared to interfere in the Odin''a business.


    It seemed like the conflict of that day was an open secret at the moment.


    Soon, Hiro opened another thread.


    [Babylon]: ???


    [???] : Finally, you answered me!


    [Babylon]: Are you also here to thank me about saving your imaginary wife and daughter?


    [???]: Actually, I''m the daughter that was saved by you¡­ On that day, you were hidden in the cold fog, and we could only see your outline under the crescent moon. We didn''t tell anyone what we saw that day, but I don''t know how to prove my identity to you¡­


    Hiro went silent for a moment.


    Proof? How can something like that be proven so easily? Bella and her mother weren''t the only two at the scene at that time. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    This is such a headache¡­

 Chapter 37 - 37: Hiro’s Busy Saturday (I)

    After going back and forth, they decided to meet at midnight sharp tonight. To avoid any premeditated ambush, Hiro gave the other person general instructions.


    He specified a certain region of the city. Still, he would only provide the specific district 40 minutes to midnight, and he would provide the exact address for the meeting 15 minutes to midnight.


    This level of caution left the other party speechless, but they agreed. Moreover, Hiro also requested that both the mother and daughter needed to arrive at the meeting, and if he didn''t spot them from a distance, he wouldn''t show himself.


    The other party agreed to this request after a few minutes of going back and forth, mainly because they understood that no one can be too careful in the Paranormal Society.


    ¡­


    Just as Hiro was feeling stressed about his tight time schedule, he paused in place.


    Standing by the car''s rear door, Sebastian was a little confused to see his master standing there with a dazed look in his eyes.


    However, Sebastian didn''t dare disturb his master''s thoughts, so he waited patiently.


    Hiro suddenly recalled the {Time Dilation} feature in the system, and after hesitating for a while, he chose to bite the bullet and upgrade the time dilation ratio.


    He quickly called out the status window for this feature. The ratio was at 4:1, and the next upgrade cost was 400 achievement points.


    Hiro started upgrading without hesitation¡­


    400 achievement points¡­


    800 achievement points¡­


    1,600 achievement points¡­


    Hiro wanted to continue, but the next upgrade would cost 3,200 achievement points, but he had already spent 2,800 points from his current savings of 4,330 points.


    Now, he had 1,530 achievement points left, obviously not enough to upgrade the feature once again.


    However, it was sufficient for now, as the ratio had increased to 7:1 between simulation and reality.


    After he finished the upgrades, he took the time to check if he could upgrade the {Treasure Scanning} feature as well.


    However, the system said that he needed to discover and record treasures to upgrade the distance of the scan, and the ratio was proportional.


    For example, registering 100 treasures would upgrade the scan radius to 100m, and the next level was to register 1,000 treasures to upgrade the scan radius to 1,000m.


    In a sense, the system was smart enough to base all its upgrades on achievement points, as Hiro''s daily life wouldn''t be as diverse otherwise.


    The moment Hiro and Sebastian settled inside the car, the latter asked respectfully, "Sir, what''s our schedule for today?"


    Hiro replied lightly, "Take me to Teacher Aiya''s apartment first. Then, I need to check the new building Arabella bought for the company in the commercial district. If anything changes, I''ll let you know."


    Sebastian nodded without a word. As for Hiro, he closed his eyes to enter the system space, as he wanted to spend the 5 gems on a lottery box draw.


    This time, his luck was incredibly good.


    As the lottery box exploded with brilliant colors, a black cube emerged from the lights, and Hiro immediately focused on the small window hovering above it.


    [Notice: You''ve obtained 1x Futuristic Multi-Purpose Quantum Watch]


    [Notice: The quantum watch is installed with a compatible Artificial Intelligence Algorithm.]


    [Notice: Cannot be duplicated, reverse-engineered, traced, or hacked.]


    [Notice: The item is bound to the host via the system space and cannot be traded; the item will cease functionality once removed from the host''s body.]


    [Notice: Items that are bound to the host via the system space can be stored and extracted from the system space at will.]


    ¡­


    Hiro hadn''t expected that so many pop-up notifications would appear after he hit the jackpot. For a moment, his shock reached an extreme that left him unable to react.


    After he reacted, he quickly summoned his previous two rewards¡ªtwo portable flash drives, containing the VR capsule and the VR room technologies respectively.


    "System, can I transfer data directly to my watch?" Hiro asked anxiously.


    Till today, he didn''t dare install this data on any computer in the real world, precisely because he was concerned about cyber security.


    "Also, can you transfer apps from my phone to the watch? Can I transfer the PARA app?"


    If anyone who was in the know saw the PARA app on his phone, it could also spell disaster for Hiro.


    Thus, it could only be said that the multi-purpose quantum watch came at the right time.


    [Notice: The watch can be used as a miniature quantum computer, it can indeed run mobile and computer applications. Do you wish to proceed with the transfer of data?]


    Hiro didn''t hesitate to select yes. Then, the black cube and the two flash drives faded into motes of light, congealing to take the shape of a luxurious wristwatch.


    It didn''t look like an electronic device at all, but rather, it resembled a meticulously designed classic watch.


    Judging by the system''s standards, he assumed that the gold and diamonds inlaid in the craftsmanship of the watch were real.


    Although this watch didn''t look the part of a futuristic technology, Hiro knew that the watch carried a transformation feature, and it would transform into a multi-purpose quantum watch with the tap of a button.


    Its current appearance was only a disguise of a limited edition Patek Philippe watch to fool the public eye.


    After the unpacking of the reward and the transfer of data, the watch disappeared from the system space under Hiro''s eyes.


    Hiro wasn''t in a rush. Just now, he noticed something he overlooked in the system rewards inventory.


    It was a reward from when he competed in the {Grinding} mission, and it was called a {Fantasy Crystal}.


    Hiro was too engrossed in the hype of the system rewards back then, especially the game voucher, and he forgot to check the properties of this reward.


    Without further ado, he pulled up the information on the {Fantasy Crystal}.


    [Fantasy Crystal]: A fragment from the 10,000 fantasies. This item can be used to unlock an immaterial sub-dimension with faith energy as its foundation.


    [Notice: The {Fantasy Crystal} can only be used after you''ve completed the storyline of a minimum of one game.]


    Hiro was still trying to process the meaning of this information when he suddenly asked, "System, how am I supposed to gather faith energy? It''s too dangerous!"


    Although any faith with 1.2 billion devoted believers is qualified to become an established religion, the problem lies in the process of getting to 1.2 billion.


    Goes without saying, not even the Lesser Deities would stand by and watch, let alone the Greater Deities and the Mainstream Deities.


    [Notice: Once you''ve completed a game, you will receive the game''s Developer Source Code as a reward; spread the game to the masses, and you''ll receive faith energy as feedback from the player base in a proportional value to the number of players and their respective levels in-game.]


    Hiro understood, and thus, his enthusiasm was quickly defeated.


    The key factor here was that he had to wait until he completed the storyline of a game. At the moment, he was as far as he could be from completing the Legend of Babylon''s storyline mode.


    This won''t do! Hiro made yet another resolute decision. From now on, Sunday will become my seclusion day to play, unless an extreme emergency pops up!


    ¡­


    Hiro quickly left the system space.


    The moment he did so, he noticed that the watch on his left hand was replaced by the quantum watch. Not only that, but the quantum watch had also changed its appearance to match his previous watch. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Other than a moment of being surprised, Hiro didn''t express any other emotions on his face.


    After all, Sebastian was keeping an eye on him through the rear-view mirror. Although it was with good intentions, one can never be too careful.


    Instead of checking the watch, he opened his phone to examine his current apps. After discovering that the PARA app was nowhere to be seen, Hiro heaved a sigh of relief.


    At the very least, Hiro could consider his confidentiality to be guaranteed in the Paranormal Society, even if the PARA''s millions of cloud servers were to be hacked one day.


    Who''s to say that his watch was the only quantum computer in the world? If anyone used a supercomputer for the sake of intelligence gathering, who can stop them?


    Of course, one way to combat such a troubadour issue would be to constantly create new threads and not go online for a prolonged session.


    Nonetheless, "guaranteed safety" was much better than "highly secure."


    Throughout the trip to Teacher Aiya''s place, Hiro kept going about his immediate and future gains from the system¡ªdoing his best to calm his turbulent emotions beneath the mask of calm.


    By the time Sebastian parked the car in the designated parking lot near the apartment building, Hiro was surprised to find Teacher Aiya waiting for them downstairs on the street.


    Hiro quickly went up to her and asked, "I take it you know the man in the photo?"


    Teacher Aiya was obviously perturbed as she nodded her head and answered in a soft, tired voice.


    "My roommate''s boyfriend."

 Chapter 38 - 38: Hiro’s Busy Saturday (II)

    Such an absurd thing really happened? Hiro was stunned.


    The question was, did Teacher Aiya''s roommate become that man''s girlfriend before or after she rented the apartment?


    Also, was that woman a previous residence or did she rent the apartment together with Aiya?


    Each of these questions had a different answer, but each answer had some scary implications.


    Hiro had to admit¡ªthat man took stalking to the extreme. However, why would he do it?


    Was it to affect Teacher Aiya''s current divorce lawsuit?


    Hiro''s thoughts were a mess, and eventually, he decided that he might as well not think too much. In any case, this was Teacher Aiya''s mess, not his.


    "Then, why don''t you simply move out to live somewhere else?" Hiro asked carelessly.


    He really couldn''t be bothered with this small issue anymore.


    Teacher Aiya shook her head and said, "I can''t do that, it''ll be too obvious. However, I can''t rest at ease knowing that my roommate might be involved with whatever is going on."


    Hiro rubbed his forehead, feeling a little uncomfortable with the situation. After thinking about it for a moment, he suddenly had an idea.


    He turned to Sebastian and said, "Contact your friend from that Housing Agency and pull some strings, arrange for me to become a third-party tenant in her apartment."


    As Hiro spoke, he pointed his finger at Teacher Aiya.


    Both Sebastian and Teacher Aiya were stunned. The former was because his master had just bought a 280 million mansion, only to settle down in a commercial apartment.


    As for the latter, she was stunned because her student was planning to live in the same apartment as herself.


    Although the apartment had a few spare rooms and the landlord definitely wouldn''t mind, something still felt off about this.


    As she was thinking to herself, Hiro suddenly looked up at the building. "It''s a good apartment building, and judging from the size of each floor, I''m sure that the apartments aren''t small. Haven''t the landlord ever approached you about someone with keen interest to rent a room?"


    Hiro''s question brought Teacher Aiya back to reality, and while Sebastian distanced himself to make the phone call, she sank into thoughts.


    What Hiro said did make sense.


    Her application to rent a room in the apartment went smoothly¡ªalmost too smoothly. However, she hadn''t heard anything about new tenants inquiring about the apartments recently.


    The rent definitely wasn''t high, and the location was close to both a police station and a decent hospital.


    Nonetheless, how come no one showed any interest in renting a room? Then, all of a sudden, she recalled how her new roommate appeared together with that boyfriend.


    "Other than my roommate, there hadn''t been anyone else. According to her, he''s a married man, and she''s no more than his kept woman whom he provides for." Teacher Aiya answered honestly.


    Hiro nodded and didn''t say anything, thinking for a while.


    Suddenly, he seemed to have thought about something and asked, "What are the laws regarding divorce? Don''t give me that weird look, I haven''t even had sex before, let alone get into a relationship. I wouldn''t think as far as marriage yet, let alone divorce."


    Teacher Aiya almost treated Hiro as a fool the moment she heard his question, but his words left her both embarrassed and angry.


    She turned her head to the side and answered unwillingly.


    "Nothing too complicated. If I had proof that my spouse cheated, then I would have gotten custody of the children if we ever had any, not to mention that all property under our name would become my property, including 30% of his assets that aren''t registered under our shared household register."


    Hiro touched his chin, his mind analyzing the information. "Oh, do you have proof that he cheated?"


    "No," Teacher Aiya gritted her teeth and answered honestly. "I don''t have any proof that he cheated."


    "Then it''s easy to figure out," Hiro answered in all honesty.


    "They''re probably trying to pin the infidelity crime on you. I mean, think about it for a moment¡­ You''re currently living in the apartment of a supposedly ''kept'' woman of some rich, married man.


    Obviously, he has connections with the landlord, all he needs to do is find the time and place to remove evidence of your roommate''s rental documents and spin a story about your leaving your husband for another man who can provide for you."


    Although it sounded far-fetched, Hiro would rather believe something this ridiculous to be true than chuck it all up to coincidence.


    Obviously, Teacher Aiya thought about it and believed it to be too ridiculous.


    "What about the married man?" Teacher Aiya challenged Hiro. "Wouldn''t his marriage be at risk as well? His wife can easily use this method to target him. Don''t tell me that she wouldn''t dare or that the marriage is fake, because this whole setup is based on the foundation of that man''s married status to begin with."


    Hiro was speechless. "Are you blind to the political power struggles in this world? Even our school can''t escape their influence and schemes."


    Hiro shook his head helplessly. "Their wedding is probably a political marriage without love, just an empty husk. Even if there was evidence of him having extramarital lovers, it would be useless if his spouse didn''t file a suit against him. Moreover, who can say she doesn''t have any lovers of her own? This is a political marriage."


    Teacher Aiya still wasn''t convinced. "That''s all pure speculations."


    Hiro felt like slamming his head into a wall.


    At this moment, Sebastian walked over with an apologetic expression as he shook his head and said, "My friend tried to pull some strings, but the landlord isn''t willing to rent out a room. He said that the entire building is booked."


    Hearing this, Hiro gave Teacher Aiya a look that said, I told you so.


    Teacher Aiya was stunned. She felt that the entire thing sounded quite incredible.


    Although Hiro wasn''t really too invested in her family matters, he was still a little interested as he asked, "Does your husband have any business under him? Logically speaking, the tax revenue of an enterprise is above the legal limit of private property, this could be a reasonable motive to act out such a long-winded plan."


    Teacher Aiya felt that it made sense. However, no matter what, the divorce was already a done deal.


    "Well, seems like it''s not necessary for me to go up to your apartment," Hiro stretched and felt a little better.


    From this point on, it was up to her how to deal with this situation. It could be dangerous, it could even be life-threatening¡ªbut at the very least, she wasn''t grasping at invisible straws anymore.


    Teacher Aiya was stunned for a moment, not expecting Hiro to wash his hands clean from the matter just like that.


    However, she was a grown woman who went through many things. At that moment, she understood her position and where she had to go.


    Hiro nodded in satisfaction. This beautiful teacher will reach very far in life, even if it''s not as far as himself.


    Waving at her with a smile, Hiro gestured to Sebastian and went for the car.


    Sebastian saluted Teacher Aiya respectfully and followed his master, opening the door for Hiro before he got into the driver''s seat and drove off.


    Teacher Aiya watched the car leave for a while. Then, she didn''t return to her apartment but instead, she flagged a taxi and left.


    ¡­


    Sebastian quickly followed the navigation instructions he received from Arabella to arrive at the new Sciatis Holdings building.


    Hiro was disconnected from his company ever since he assigned Arabella as the new CEO, while he withdrew to the shadows as the chairman.


    After the car parked in the underground parking lot, Arabella''s young male assistant was already waiting by the elevator.


    He said, "You have an appointment with CEO Arabella, she sent me here to receive you."


    The male assistant was curious as to who would garner the CEO''s immediate attention. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She actually canceled her meeting for the day just to meet this mysterious person.


    Hiro gave the young male assistant a look, nodded, and followed him into the elevator without saying anything.


    With Arabella''s male assistant leading the way, no one dared to block their path as they made their way to her office on the highest floor.


    If Hiro wasn''t planning to keep a low profile among these random employees, he wouldn''t have acted so discreetly.


    Actually, he was really surprised to find the company so active. According to his understanding, they shouldn''t have any projects going on.


    At most, they would allocate a portion of the company''s resources to search for investments and another portion to account for charity work.


    Other than that, Hiro couldn''t think of anything else. He decided not to think about it since Arabella would explain everything.


    Soon, there was only Arabella and Hiro in her big, empty office.


    Arabella didn''t dare slight her master by sitting on the leather chair behind the mahogany desk.


    Hiro didn''t care to sit down. Instead, he walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window and looked at the bustling city below.


    Slowly, the silence stretched Arabella waited for instructions.

 Chapter 39 - 39: Hiro’s Busy Saturday (III)

    After a long moment of silence, Hiro finally thought back to the activities in the company and asked Arabella to explain the situation for him.


    Then, he understood what he had overlooked.


    The resources of Sciatis Holdings might be limited in terms of connections and assets, but he had overlooked his 5% shares in Nebulae Electronics and the weight of these shares.


    As his CEO, Arabella decided to liaison with the parent company and through an opportune business dinner gathering, she easily obtained the cooperation of hardware and software companies in the gaming industry.


    When those bosses realized that although new, the Sciatis Holdings had shares in Nebula Electronics, they jumped on the wagon to display their goodwill.


    Although they didn''t know how many shares in Nebula Electronics the backer behind Sciatis Holdings had, they still assumed that this budding company was a shell company with great prospects.


    Arabella didn''t deny these assumptions of theirs nor did she confirm them. Thus, she got her hands on valuable information, trade channels, and she even bought a high-tech laboratory with an independent R&D department.


    They could easily branch out into the gaming hardware and software industry, but while the hardware was easy to produce, the software required years and years of coding and programming if they wanted an original source code for their cyber technology.


    "Are you certain that we''re only lacking in terms of cyber technology?" Hiro asked anxiously.


    If that was the case, he could easily use the system and his quantum watche to generate a unique source code that''s compatible with the S-gear technology and the games his company developed in the future.


    Just like Playstation and Xbox from his previous world, he could make S-gear exclusive games that will only work with this technology.


    That way, the amazing games extracted from the system would only function if people bought his S-gear VR technology, especially if he assigned the quantum watch''s artificial intelligence as the highest level of authority in the game.


    It was considered a three-factor authentication method; third of the universal source code would be in the game, another third would be in the S-gear''s operating system, and the last third would be in the main server controlled by the artificial intelligence.


    However, they still needed to expand both their high-tech research institutes and their production factories.


    They can''t keep spending money without earning anything as it would easily break the capital chain and before long, Hiro would have to declare bankruptcy.


    "Don''t worry, Sir," Arabella saw through Hiro''s anxiety and comforted him. "Although we lost five valuable contracts, I sign a letter of intent with over 82 hardware production companies to sell our S-gear products, but each of them would keep 90% of the profits to themselves."


    "10% is good¡­ As long as it can keep the company''s operations afloat while we acquire more facilities." Hiro complimented Arabella''s quick wits.


    Unlike the earlier contracts, all of the profits from this transaction would enter the company''s account, as Hiro couldn''t give up %6 of the handling fees to the COC this time.


    What good would a 4% net profit do? Hiro couldn''t accept it, nor could his company.


    Anyway, he only needed to wait for the quarterly dividend to inject a large amount of capital into his company''s account¡ªenough to expand aggressively and start the research on VR capsules while concurrently producing domestic S-gear for the market.


    Arabella''s goal with signing a losing contract and outsourcing their production was to maintain a sense of brand awareness in the market.


    It would be too ugly if the lifespan of S-gear in the market was less than two months, as it would damage their reputation.


    Thus, even if the production rate was crippled, they had to keep producing and selling at any cost.


    Even if they could only sell in small regions of the Nexus Country due to the lack of far reaching trade channels, supply, and demand.


    This small region was enough. It was more than enough to satisfy Hiro''s current needs.


    Soon, Hiro and Arabella put up a preliminary plan on how to direct the company and navigate through the digital industry.


    After that, Hiro asked her for the location of their new high-tech research institute and facilities, as he planned to install a backdoor for his quantum watch in the system.


    This at the very least would prevent any hackers or cyber pirates from stealing their data. In fact, Hiro intended to block all methods of extracting information.


    ¡­


    Hiro and Sebastian left for the high-tech research institute that was yet to be renamed after the acquisition.


    It was a vast underground laboratory almost five times as large as the Inter-High school, which was a massive scale in and of itself.


    At the moment, Hiro was inside the Head Professor''s office, connecting his watch to the computer and waiting for the artificial intelligence to install the backdoor into the system.


    It was a wireless connection, so it went unnoticed by the others in the room, even as Hiro pretended to be operating on the keyboard.


    "What are you doing exactly?" Asked one of the deputy directors of the institution.


    Hiro raised his head and gave the man a look.


    The man was annoyed, especially because Hiro was just a high school student. If it wasn''t for the orders from above, they wouldn''t even let him enter the laboratory, let alone get access to the admin computer.


    Everyone knew how much data was saved in this computer through the hive network that connects almost every computer in the research institute.


    "I''m improving the cyber security," Hiro decided to give them a simple explanation since they deserved to know this much at the very least.


    The directors, deputy directors, and even the Head Professor were stunned.


    Improving cyber security? Why? Our technology is nothing special, nor is our research data¡­ What''s the point?


    While they were thinking, Hiro''s quantum watch successfully created a cloud network stored inside the watch, transferring all the data from the computers onto the cloud.


    Now, it was impossible to even copy the files onto an external source, let alone move them.


    Furthermore, nothing could be saved on the hard drives inside the computers¡ªall allocated results and data would be transmitted to the cloud directly without an intermediary.


    "From this day onwards, I want all experiments and results to be digitized. I won''t allow for any data to be stored on hardware, printed on paper, emailed, or photographed on camera.


    "Yes, you''re not allowed to bring your phones into the sensitive research regions anymore, but the company will provide you with a phone that is capable of dialing and receiving calls for work purposes.


    "We are researching a very critical piece of VR hardware technology, and we won''t tolerate any sloppiness. You can come over and browse the briefing and framework of the future direction of development, and then you can decide whether you want to stay or leave."


    Many of the upper management positions on the board wanted to protest, but since Hiro was showing them such sensitive information instead of keeping them guessing in the dark, they kept quiet.


    They could measure his sincerity based on the value of the so-called VR technology.


    These people weren''t idiots, and they knew that their supposed boss was just a branch from the Nebula Electronics behemoth.


    Was this some secret technology developed by that entity? They suddenly felt anxious, restless, and expectant.


    After signing a standard non-disclosure confidentiality agreement, they quickly moved to the computer screen, entered the cloud data, and found a highlighted file.


    S-Gear VR Technology and the Virtual Reality Capsule.


    Just a few words had already shocked them.


    However, when they opened the file, they were even more shocked.


    They found futuristic theoretical framework and study on the synchronization between neural network, the receptors, and the electrical impulses generated from the standard VR helmet.


    The files contained data on how to expand the range of activity from monitoring the output and input of neural signals from the brain, to monitoring the neural activity throughout the human body.


    Moreover, the study delved deeper into the fields such as the behavioral patterns of organic matter, health care, neural conductivity, time dilation, and more.


    However, although the framework existed, there was no solid evidence or concrete data. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Everything was just conceptual at this point.


    It was to be expected¡ªthis project was in the development phase, and they needed to burn money, time, and resources to get anything substantial.


    Hiro smiled.


    He could give them the full technology at any point in time, especially since he had already analyzed all of it inside his brain.


    However, where''s the fun in that? How could they get a sense of accomplishment from this?


    If all these researchers felt involved and got that sense of accomplishment, then it would have been a better outcome than having the cold technology and nothing else.


    Seeing that they were too enthusiastic to care about his presence anymore, Hiro and Sebastian silently left the office and the research institute as a whole.


    After assigning some people to reinforce the new security protocols, Hiro rested in the car with his eyes closed.


    "Let''s go back home," Hiro spoke in a deliberately exhausted tone. "I''ve settled all my matters. If anyone asks about me later, tell them to reschedule it."


    "I understand, Sir," Sebastian replied before driving the car away under the apricot light of the waning sun.

 Chapter 40 - 40: Three-Way Balance

    Soon, it was nighttime, and it was close to the stipulated time. In his bedroom, Hiro sat up from the bed and opened a randomizing website on his phone.


    He inserted the names of a few random districts off the top of his head and started the operating algorithm.


    One name after another was eliminated till finally, only two names were left. After Hiro gave them a quick glance, one of the names disappeared.


    "So, it''s District B13?" Hiro didn''t particularly care about the location, as anywhere within the city was fine by him.


    He lifted his quantum watch and asked it to open the PARA app. Then, an interactive screen was projected from the watch, allowing Hiro to send the location to the [???] user in the private thread.


    Hmm, now that I think about it, this is such an obvious hint.


    It was just a random thought on Hiro''s part, but the fact that the church developed the universal tier system, yet this system was reflected in some parts of the city.


    Some districts had normal names such as Voodoo, West Peak, Swamp Hills, etc.


    Other districts were designated as District B13, S7, C1, etc.


    Hiro might be reaching, but what if there was a clear distinction between the territories controlled by the church and those controlled by the state?


    It sounded ridiculously far-fetched, but Hiro had no reason to deny it. Although it was a random thought, it''s still worth keeping in mind.


    It''s very difficult to confirm this matter, but Hiro hadn''t reached a level where he had to worry about these things yet.


    As his thoughts reached this point, Hiro stepped onto the balcony from his master''s bedroom, equipped the cosmetics disguise together with the synchronization, and left the mansion.


    If Hiro''s guesses weren''t wrong, the city was more dangerous than expected. Thus, he didn''t dare to fly in the sky, lest he draw unwanted attention.


    Nonetheless, his speed on land wasn''t that bad either, and ordinary people or people weaker than himself wouldn''t be able to see him.


    The church''s tier system was just the standard average for a person''s destructive ability and the volume of their impact on the world.


    To put it bluntly, one''s ability could be likened to the influence of a star on the fabric of space-time in accordance with the theory of general relativity. A Paranormal''s impact on the world is similar to the sun''s impact on its immediate orbit.


    For example, baseline humans are living within the tolerable limit of the world, and unless they rely on external forces such as war weapons, they couldn''t impact the world''s foundation much.


    When they reach a point where they can shake the world''s foundation, natural disasters may occur as a consequence.


    For example, a bomb at the bottom of the sea will cross a certain threshold, resulting in a tsunami¡ªthese natural phenomena could be understood as a certain backlash from the world since Its tolerance threshold was breached.


    The greater the impact factor of the Paranormal, the greater the response from the world¡ªthis is a universal understanding of power.


    A Paranormal''s impact factor is measured in the unit of vectors, and while this unit can demonstrate the extent of a Paranormal''s impact on the world if they were to go all out, it is only a superficial observation of power.


    It is like the surface of the sea; one can judge its size, but one cannot measure its depth.


    Some abilities cannot be measured by the limited standards of the world''s tolerance threshold¡ªsuch as telepathy, hypnosis, illusions, and divine sense.


    These are diverse methods of manipulating the consciousness, and each inheritance has a different approach to this power.


    Although this power in itself isn''t a destructive force and couldn''t be quantified based on the universal understanding of power, one cannot simply ignore it.


    Thus, those who take the church''s unified power system for granted are doomed to suffer losses in one way or another.


    This system can only determine the size of the ocean, not its depths.


    A person could either be a shallow sea or a deep pond¡ªit''s impossible to know for certain.


    At the very least, Hiro knew that those who judged him based on his Tier-9 Rank-C abilities as a Sorcerer were down on their luck.


    ¡­


    Hiro quickly arrived at the underground parking lot of a large shopping center in District B13''s open plaza.


    He then enveloped the entire district with his divine sense, his consciousness locking onto the figures of Bella and her parents the moment they entered the district.


    The moment he confirmed their identity, Hiro let out a sigh of relief. This was fine, as long as he recognized them.


    Then, he canceled his synchronization and decided to wait until the clock hit 00:45.


    ¡­


    At the entrance to District B13, while driving the car and waiting for the location update from Hiro, Bella''s father furrowed his brow.


    His wife, who was seated on the passenger seat, noticed his frown and asked, "What happened?" Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I don''t know," Bella''s father said. "The moment we entered the district, I felt something observing me in the dark, but I was just a quick glance."


    Bella''s mother fell silent for a moment.


    "It should be that mysterious figure," she surmised. "He should be confirming your identity by checking for our presence in your company. However, I might be wrong, so you better be careful."


    Bella''s father nodded, keeping up his vigilance.


    He said, "If I''m not wrong, he should have arrived in this city recently and doesn''t understand the situation of the powers here yet. I can''t think of any other reason as to why no one knows anything about him."


    Bella asked, "Are we planning to work together with him, Dad? Isn''t it too dangerous?"


    "You don''t understand," her father smiled through the rearview mirror. "No matter how powerful he is, some things can''t be accomplished through brute force. He has the power, and we have the foundation."


    His meaning was clear; they could take what they needed from the other party, especially since they could be considered to have established a cordial relationship through the mission.


    Thinking deeper, perhaps he took action that day with this intention in mind. The more Bella''s father thought about it, the more feasible it sounded.


    He added, "Furthermore, I even brought a gate with me to display our sincerity."


    Bella didn''t say anything, as she understood that her father needed allies that he could rely on the most right now.


    They couldn''t rely on her relationship with Rosaline to handle such sensitive matters, as the Paranormal Clans with deep foundations had their own considerations.


    The waters in the Paranormal Society were too deep, and once those large clans expressed their intention carelessly, no one could predict the domino effect.


    At this moment, the long-awaited three-way balance between the Church, the State, and those ancient clans had been realized.


    No one could forget the horror of that ancient war that lasted for decades, and no one had the heart to reenact such a catastrophe.


    At the very least, the battlefield had shifted from the open world to the pocket dimensions, which is also known as the New World at the moment.


    All of those forces are currently occupied with their migration plans to the New World due to its higher tolerance threshold, as no one wants to be inversely restricted the stronger they become.


    However, how simple is it to carve a piece of territory in the New World? Forget carving a territory, they need to find a suitable pocket dimension first, then consider settling down.


    Bella''s father had a simple idea in mind.


    First, he would give Hiro a taste of what it''s like to have his private territory in the New World, even if the pocket dimension in his possession was a barren land.


    Then, he would tempt Hiro to move out with him to conquer and control other territories in the New World.


    Since Hiro didn''t have anything to lose in this area, he could be the knife in the open while the Odin family provided support and intelligence in the dark.


    As he thought to this point, they finally received a location from Hiro.


    Both apprehensive and excited, Bella''s father changed direction at the nearest intersection and headed toward the shopping center.


    ¡­


    Soon, glaring headlights swept through the underground parking lot. However, it wasn''t necessary since Hiro was waiting by the entrance directly.


    The Odin family easily spotted him standing conspicuously in a corner. The car''s headlights were turned off immediately, and the family of three got out of the car.


    The moment they entered the underground parking lot, Hiro activated his synchronization once again.


    Bella and her parents carefully approached Hiro, and the closer they got, the heavier the passive presence of an Origin Soul cultivator weighed on them.


    Although the pressure was tranquil and accommodating like the gentle white river surrounding Hiro, it still gave the family of three a shock.


    Bella''s father swallowed nervously, not having expected Hiro to have such an unfathomable presence about him.


    They couldn''t see his face clearly, only a pair of unfathomable silver eyes that shone through the hazy obstruction of the gentle mist.


    Bella''s father didn''t dare talk nonsense and immediately retrieved an ancient piece of jade from his pocket, carefully tossing it over to Hiro.

 Chapter 41 - 41: Key

    Watching the rectangle piece of jade making its way over, Hiro didn''t react.


    When it reached within arms reach of Hiro, the jade paused as though it had encountered a viscous swamp.


    Hiro opened his mouth to speak, causing Bella and her mother to hear the all-encompassing chanting voice once again.


    "What''s the meaning of this?"


    The thin mist obscured Hiro''s face, and they couldn''t tell if he was talking to them or if the voice was produced through other means.


    However, that wasn''t important at the moment, as any means of communication proved better than no communication at all.


    As for Hiro, although he asked this question, his mind was on something else.


    He heard a chime in his mind as a blue transparent window appeared with a line of words.


    [Notice: You''ve acquired a ''Key'' to a pocket dimension.]


    [Notice: You''ve completed a hidden mission, "Planewalker."


    Reward 1: A set of coordinates.


    Reward 2: Infinite Sword Matrix. (universal spell)]


    ¡­


    As a string of complicated numbers and letters entered Hiro''s mind, Bella''s father braced himself to speak.


    "This is a show of my sincerity; our family only has two of these ancient keys. You can use it to enter the New World by inputting a set of coordinates into the key, and it will open a temporary gate for you.


    "Of course, the coordinates you obtain second-hand won''t be so valuable because others would have already explored the pocket dimension, and they would only sell the coordinates if the dimension isn''t suitable for human habitation.


    "I can''t give you the coordinates for a pocket dimension in the New World, as these are the foundations of every family and every organization¡ªyou can call it a fallback plan if you wish.


    However, it would be best if you understood that by obtaining a key, you hold the initiative to explore the New World instead of waiting for someone to invite you on an expedition, where you''ll only be a passive party.


    "Also, with the key, you can enter and leave whenever and however you want, and you wouldn''t have to be afraid that the party leader will leave you behind after using you on an expedition." S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡­


    Bella''s father was the enthusiastic and outgoing type, and since he was already pretty nervous, he said a lot.


    However, Hiro didn''t mind¡ªhe liked this type of person who actively provided him with information without him needing to ask.


    If not for the current high-priority mission, Hiro might have dropped out of school and spent his time exploring the various pocket dimensions of the New World.


    Hm, knowing the system, I''m pretty sure that the set of coordinates is suitable for human colonization. However, I also know that things wouldn''t be so easy¡­ Most likely, there will be plenty of danger to settle before I can use the dimension as my backyard.


    Wait, what if I lost this key? System, can I selectively bind items to myself?


    [Notice: You can spend 10 achievement points to bind the ''Key'' to yourself.]


    Hiro blinked in wonder and asked again, Can I bind anything to myself if I spend 10 points?


    [Notice: Each item differs in value depending on its size, volume, and impact factor if the said item was a treasure or a relic.]


    Ah, I knew it wouldn''t be so simple.


    Hiro didn''t hesitate to spend the 10 achievement points to bind the key.


    Actually, he was very happy at the moment.


    With the initiative in his hands for when to leave the New World if he were to go on an expedition, he didn''t need to be so stressed about his points and whether he''d have sufficient synchronization time or not.


    His current points are sufficient for five days of synchronization time if he wants to leave himself a buffer of 240 points for emergencies.


    Bella and her family watched with amazement as the jade piece disappeared into motes of light right under their noses.


    Bella''s eyes were sparkling. As for her parents; her father was barely maintaining his composure from the excitement in his heart while her mother didn''t react much.


    Although she knew of her husband''s affairs and understood a little about the Paranormal Society, she only had a surface understanding of it.


    As he felt greatly satisfied with the man''s sincerity, Hiro asked for his name.


    The man hurriedly introduced himself, "My name is Theo, this is my wife Sheba, and that''s our daughter, Bella."


    He didn''t only introduce himself, he also introduced his family as a gesture of goodwill.


    Hiro nodded and his voice echoed in the underground parking lot, "Babylon."


    "Alright, alright¡­ So, are you willing to go on an expedition with my team? We''ve already formed an alliance with a few other families and factions, and the exploration is almost over. However, I''m afraid that¡­"


    Hiro''s voice interrupted him, "You''re afraid they''ll stab you in the back for short-term profit."


    Theo didn''t deny it, and he smiled. "That''s right, I really don''t trust those bastards¡ªnot one bit."


    Hiro was curious, "Aren''t you afraid that someone will target your family while you''re out on the expedition?"


    Theo was a little surprised.


    "Ah, you probably don''t have any family members or loved ones¡­ Actually, exploring the New World could be seen as a burden carried by humans collectively. It''s something the Big Three advocate for, and anyone who crosses the bottom line to hinder the exploration is simply asking for death.


    "Although all is fair in love and war, that''s limited to the lawless New World, so no one will touch your relatives if you''re risking your life on the other side for the betterment of humanity."


    A scoff was heard echoing all around.


    In Hiro''s opinion, this is nothing more than sheer hypocrisy. However, no matter how hypocritical this seems, even though everyone knows it in their hearts, having a bottom line is still better than having nothing at all.


    Even if that bottom line is blurry, even if it was just an illusion¡ªas long as people believed it to exist, it existed.


    Hiro was impatient, so he told Theo a password. This password will be used to make it easier to identify one another on the PARA app.


    Hiro decided to open a private thread on the app and keep it active 24/7, and only those with the password could enter the thread to contact him actively.


    Theo tried to advise Hiro against keeping his account active to prevent tracking, tracing, and hacking attempts from hostile Paranormals.


    However, Hiro simply refused and said that everything would be fine.


    Helpless, Theo could only give up on convincing Hiro and say goodbye.


    Watching them leaving the underground parking lot, Hiro finally had the chance to immerse himself in the new spell: Infinite Sword Matrix.


    ¡­


    A while later, he opened his eyes in shock.


    Although he had his guess about the universal prefix, he was still surprised by the limits of its applications.


    One can use any sort of energy with the consciousness as a catalyst to create flying swords, but the quality of these swords still depends on the energy used.


    For example, if he used his current Origin Soul Spirit Qi to create the swords, their destructive capabilities would surpass that of his Sorcerer''s elemental-attributed spiritual energy.


    Also, it was called "Infinite" because each sword had a limit as to how much energy it could contain, though in terms of volume, not density or quantity.


    This drawback is compensated for by the flexibility of continuously creating more swords as long as the consciousness and reserves of energy can handle the strain.


    However, both Hiro''s High Sorcerer and Origin Soul characters had their respective preset abilities in accordance with the game.


    Even if he learned the Infinite Sword Matrix, those characters can''t use it¡ªnot in-game nor in real life.


    Hiro could only rely on their high realm and comprehension abilities to learn the spells for his real body to use, but nothing more.


    Similarly, although Hiro could gain inspiration from the games he played, he couldn''t replicate those abilities in real life with his main body.


    For example, he used the Legend of Babylon''s lore to increase his understanding of the Sorcerer''s Guide to the Five Elements.


    After he learned the Infinite Sword Matrix with the help of his current synchronization, Hiro stepped out and disappeared.


    He silently returned to his mansion, intending to grind the Legend of Babylon with the increased time dilation feature.


    Since the following day was a Sunday, Hiro decided to stick to his earlier commitment and spend the entire day grinding his levels in the game.


    Although he was tempted to go searching for Natali to accept a new interpersonal mission or use the key to enter the New World, he still beat down his impatience and decided to put the long-term goal in mind.


    Many of his future plans relied on the key step of completing the Legend of Babylon''s storyline.


    His company''s first VR game, the Fantasy Crystal, and his future as a Paranormal.


    Thus, for the entire day on Sunday, other than eating and three hours of workout in the indoor gym facilities, Hiro spent the day locked up in his study.


    Of course, everyone else simply assumed that he was busy handling his company''s matters and overworking himself to the bone.

 Chapter 42 - 42: Consequences

    "Teacher Aiya is on an emergency leave, so I''ll be your stand-in teacher for the foreseeable future," said the male teacher who surprised the classroom with his entry.


    Well, Hiro wasn''t surprised, as Teacher Aiya''s matters weren''t something to be handled in a day or two. As the new teacher introduced himself, Hiro ignored him completely.


    To Hiro, this teacher was just a background character with a limited presence in his life, and it wouldn''t be long before he faded into obscurity once more.


    Thus, he activated his {Go to School} option and zoned out, filtering out anything and everything that wasn''t related to his studies.


    ¡­


    "This can''t go on, school is too boring," Hiro complained to Elvin in the cafeteria during their lunch break.


    Elvin was too busy with his stomach and its needs for the moment, and so he didn''t even bother with Hiro''s usual complaints.


    "Oh," Hiro suddenly recalled something and opened his bag, pulling out a rectangular box before passing it over to Elvin.


    "Take this," he said, removing the wrappings to reveal the case of a high-quality smartphone.


    Elvin was shocked and put his utensils aside as he looked at Hiro in disbelief. "What do you mean by ''take this''? Is this for me?"


    Hiro rolled his eyes. "If not you, then who else? I''ve already secured my spot in our Soccer Club''s Group B team, so I need someone to take photos and videos of me on the field."


    Elvin was stunned. "You bought me a new phone just to take photos and videos of you playing soccer?"


    He didn''t believe it; he wouldn''t believe it even if someone beat him to death.


    However, Hiro didn''t need Elvin to believe him. He didn''t lack this bit of money.


    Moreover, he truly felt that Elvin was rather pitiful.


    He said, "Don''t think that this job is easy. I''m telling you, you''ll be my personal cameraman in the future when I do big things. For example, I''ll be doing outdoor street soccer streams, and if I become an internet celebrity, you''ll have to take the role of my manager; just take this as an upfront payment."


    Of course, Hiro had no such plans. It was just an excuse to make the pill easier to swallow.


    Elvin wasn''t an idiot, and he quickly saw through Hiro''s intentions. He was so excited his face flushed red, but he was still hesitant to accept it.


    It took a lot of persuasion on Hiro''s side before Elvin finally nodded his head and took the case. He started unboxing the phone right there and then.


    Everything was included inside the packaging, including a SIM card.


    After spending the remaining time of the lunch break configuring the operating system of the phone, Elvin downloaded the iMessage app, registered an account, and immediately added Hiro as his first friend.


    Hiro accepted gladly, relishing the addition of five achievement points. With that out of the way, both of them returned to class in a brighter mood when the bell chimed.


    Elvin didn''t even care that he hadn''t gotten the opportunity to finish his meal; he was busy downloading his favorite games.


    Well, they were Marcus'' favorite games, but Elvin had no choice but to play the same games as that dude, which ultimately led to them both liking the same genre of games.


    The rest of the school day proceeded normally, and in no time at all, it was time for the club activities.


    Hiro was looking forward to the club''s activity today since he got his wingman on his side for the day, but something unexpected happened.


    Well, Hiro should have expected it to happen when three upperclassmen from the sophomore year approached him.


    They ''politely'' asked Hiro to follow them back to someplace, and for convenience, they showed him a photo.


    Yup, it was a picture of Hiro and Teacher Aiya standing under her apartment building on the street.


    "You''ve really picked the right time and place to act," Hiro looked around. At the moment, those who hadn''t left school yet were probably busy with their respective club activities.


    Hiro expected a backlash from getting involved in Teacher Aiya''s matters, but he hadn''t expected to reel in some delinquents in his net.


    Hiro smiled. "I wonder, it doesn''t seem like this matter has Broski behind it, so who is your master?"


    One of the three yelled in a low voice, taking a threatening step forward. "Don''t talk too much! Just follow us obediently, little guy."


    Hiro gave him the side eye, not bothering to respond at all. Observing his silence, the leader of the group frowned and said, "Must we drag you there by force? It won''t look pretty, it won''t feel pretty, and it definitely won''t leave you looking pretty. Think twice."


    Hiro looked up and said dismissively, "You''re not worthy."


    "You¡­"


    The hot-tempered guy lashed out with his eyes wide open, but before he could act, Hiro''s left hand reached for his scalp, grabbed a tuff of his hair, and pulled his head down at a speed he couldn''t react to.


    Bang!


    Two heads collided, and while Hiro''s hairstyle was a little ruffled up, the upperclassman''s eyes shook and rolled back before he slumped to the ground, unconscious and drooling.


    Hiro had to regulate his strength so as not to cause any fractures or leave an open wound, but the guy wouldn''t wake up for a couple of hours.


    The other two were shocked speechless for a moment. Then, the leader of the group creased his brows and looked at Hiro warily.


    "You don''t know what trouble you''ve got yourself into, you should have just tagged along obediently. Do you really think Rosaline and Bella can protect you in this school if some people want you hurting?"


    Hiro scoffed and responded with the same, indifferent line, "Who do you think you are? Threatening me? Are you worthy?"


    Even as he spoke, Hiro moved closer to the two sophomore upperclassmen. At that moment, his aura was off the charts, and he didn''t seem to care about them at all.


    "Move aside or you''ll end up like him," Hiro spoke lightly, then moved through the gap between the two, deliberately bumping shoulders and sending them back a few steps.


    It was a blatant display of strength.


    They gritted their teeth.


    "Hiro, is it? Just obediently wait for death to come, little guy."


    "This isn''t over yet, little guy. You deserve whatever is coming your way, there''s be no room for regret once this is over." sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡­


    Hiro ignored their words, but he was feeling very good inside. Aiming for Broski at the moment might be too far-fetched a fantasy, but that didn''t mean he couldn''t break down other, smaller groups.


    As he thought about it, he pulled out his phone and sent a message to Arabella, asking her to buy a nightclub and leave the General Manager''s spot vacant.


    He already had a candidate in mind for that position, which was naturally Natali.


    After sending the message, Hiro went to the male''s locker room to change into his sports outfit.


    "Eh? Am I that late?" Hiro noticed that there wasn''t a soul to be spotted in the locker room when he entered.


    Hiro''s brows creased. "That''s not right, the lockers were barely touched, let alone opened¡­ Weird, is today''s activity canceled?"


    As Hiro was muttering to himself, he heard the door creaking open from down the hallway, accompanied by ridicule and laughter.


    "Haha, it''s so satisfying to have blackmail material on your teacher. They can''t even say a word even if you beat ''em half to death."


    "It all depends on what blackmail you have on what person. If the humiliation is much greater than the backlash from the blackmail, then you''re asking for trouble."


    "Don''t worry, if Tobby thinks it''s blackmail material, then it''s definitely something diabolical. What a pity, we were so close to getting our hands on some Aiya blackmail stuff, that woman is a fine piece."


    "It''s all that freshman''s fault; he really thinks he''s all that just because he''s some handsome nerd with soccer skills. Let''s see how he plays after we break his legs."


    "Hahaha!"


    "Hahaha!"


    "Hahaha!"


    ¡­


    Hiro understood. It seems like they forced the coach to cancel today''s activities just to deal with his matter.


    After figuring out the situation, Hiro brought up his left wrist and said, "Connect to the surveillance cameras and every electronic device in this building to censor all recording features."


    A synthesized female voice responded, "Done!"


    Then, Hiro dragged a steel chair to place it in the middle of the room, crossed one leg over the other, and clasped his hands with his fingers interlocking.


    He patiently waited, but he didn''t have to wait so long. The laughter was getting closer and closer.


    Soon, a group of thirteen people entered the locker room, some carrying metal pipes, pliers, wooden bats, and ropes.


    The boy following right after the one in the lead was the upperclassman who intercepted Hiro''s way earlier, and he silently made a throat-cutting gesture at Hiro.


    Hiro smirked; instead of replying, he simply moved his lips to mouth the words.


    Are you worthy?

 Chapter 43 - 43: Bloody Mess

    Disclaimer: This chapter contains excessive violence; read at your own discretion!


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª?


    The upperclassman was hopping mad, but before he could act, the leading student waved him off and looked at Hiro.


    His gaze was condescending and cold, as though he was facing a dead man.


    As for Hiro, he was genuinely confused at the moment.


    All of this couldn''t have possibly escaped Broski''s notice, right? Is he testing me or trying to teach me a lesson? Is this some sort of intimidation tactic?


    Hiro couldn''t figure it out, and he decided not to think too much about it.


    He stood up from his seat¡ªHiro already remembered the faces of everyone who entered the room.


    Thus, before they could act all pompous and cool in front of him, Hiro''s body spun clockwise as he gripped the iron chair tightly and flung it at the group.


    He didn''t care who was the unlucky fellow who got hit by the chair first.


    Shocked, the group of students hurriedly dodged in a scramble, but those in the back barely had any time to react when they saw the chair whizzing over.


    Crash!


    The chair smashed into someone''s chest, knocking the air out of their lungs as they lay on the ground, writhing in pain.


    "Kill this motherfucker!"


    No one knew who shouted first, but the remaining twelve rushed over, their eyes red with anger and a sliver of colorless panic.


    "Hey, don''t rip my uniform!"


    Hiro exclaimed, easily dodging a fruit knife¡ªthat somewhat surprised him, he hadn''t expected someone to be so foolish as to bring a knife to a brawl between high school students.


    After dodging, he swung his foot to ring the chime for some sweet chin music, but what sounded was a faint crack of a jaw getting dislocated.


    A trace of ruthlessness flashed in Hiro''s eyes as the fruit knife flipped in the air. He reached out to grab the knife, moving it with a beautiful arc that slashed down on its former holder''s delicate face.


    Skin split apart and blood flowed, soliciting a horrified shriek that disrupted the rhythm of the students.


    Careful not to get any blood on his body and clothes, Hiro moved through the students, giving each of them an identical cut to the face that went away with their right eyes.


    Soon, twelve students were on the ground in a pool of blood, and Hiro carefully stepped over their backs to avoid getting his shoes stained as he approached the supposed leader of the group.


    He smiled and said, "Which eye of yours saw what happened?"


    The upperclassman was horrified, his face drained of all colors as he stepped back in fear until he bumped into the concrete wall.


    "I¡­ I¡­ I didn''t see anything¡­ L-look! There''s a surveillance camera right there!"


    In his panic, the student immediately remembered that the facilities were equipped with cameras¡ªhe immediately caught onto this lifeline.


    Hiro was nonplussed as he said, "Do you think I care about some cameras at this point? Since you can''t answer clearly, I''ll help you out."


    "No! No! No! Wait, wait, wait, wait¡­"


    Slash! Splurge!


    A shrill scream echoed in the closed locker room as the upperclassman fell to his knees, his hands covering both his eyes as blood spilled through his fingertips.


    Hiro looked over at the guy who was hit by the chair at the beginning of the fight. He lay there motionless, head in his crotch, and he didn''t dare to look up.


    Hiro smiled as he asked, "Did you see anything? Hear anything?"


    The student shook violently, but he didn''t dare let out a beep. Hiro nodded in satisfaction as he said, "You have a bright future ahead of you, little guy."


    As he spoke, the fruit knife in his hand caught fire, getting reduced to sparkling cinders that fluttered toward the ventilation unit above.


    Sighing, Hiro walked out of the locker room, careful not to leave any fingerprints or footprints behind.


    It was a very simple application of wind sorcery, creating a pressure buffer between his feet and the floor as he walked out.


    Hiro didn''t care how the school handled the aftermath of what just happened, this whole mess would fall into the hands of whoever cared about it.


    Soon, Hiro found himself in Sebastian''s car, driving back to the mansion.


    Sebastian didn''t ask why Hiro didn''t go to his club activities for the day, as that wasn''t within the scope of his job.


    As curious as he was, Sebastian silently brought Hiro back to the mansion.


    "Prepare the car tonight, I''m heading out to A-Club for some matters," Hiro said to Sebastian as he left the car.


    With his current wealth, buying a nightclub wasn''t a strain on his budget. However, he needed to understand the underlying rules and hidden dangers of directly buying a club within an established syndicate territory. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hiro knew that the matter was far from a simple buy-and-sell deal and the signing of some contracts.


    Even in his former world, underground organizations valued territory the most, let alone in this one.


    As Hiro stepped into his master bedroom to prepare a casual set of clothes for tonight, his phone buzzed with a notification.


    Looking at it, Hiro smiled wordlessly. It was a mention from Mr. Monocle in the Den of Syndicates group.


    [Mr. Monocle]: @Little Boss what do you think you''re doing?!


    [Little Boss]: ???


    [Mr. Monocle]: Don''t play dumb with me, boy.


    [Little Boss]: Do I need to play dumb with someone like you? Who do you think you are? Are you even worthy? If you have something to say, just say it.


    [Mr. Monocle]: Seems like you really think you''re something big now, huh? It was you who disfigured the group of students in the locker room, wasn''t it?


    [Little Boss]: Which eye of yours saw me doing that?


    ¡­


    In a dimly lit room private room, Mr. Monocle saw the message and furrowed his brows.


    The boy seated next to him saw the message, and his entire body shook uncontrollably.


    "It''s him! It''s definitely him, boss! You have to take revenge for our brothers!"


    He could barely contain the horror in his voice, to the point where he hunched over to the other side and puked¡ªthe stench of blood still lingering in his nostrils.


    ¡­


    In the group chat, Mr. Monocle mentioned a few other users in the group. Meanwhile, Hiro muted the chat and tossed his phone to the side.


    "What a waste of time. Ei, just hack everyone in the group and get me their information. I''m done playing this game."


    His quantum watch''s artificial intelligence, named Ei by Hiro, responded with the affirmation.


    In this digital age of information, a quantum watch was like bringing a nuclear weapon in a street fight.


    While Ei did the investigation, Hiro slipped out of his school uniform and went to take a shower.


    With the chat on mute, Hiro no longer bothered with it. After his shower, he went to the study, shut himself in, and continued playing Legend of Babylon.


    He was very close to the endgame, and judging from the plot progression, the maximum level of his character is going to be level 75.


    In a sense, his power level would be somewhere between Tier-4 and Tier-3.


    Although it was a pity, Hiro also understood the system could only get him so far.


    After thinking for a while, Hiro uploaded more data to the research institute''s cloud, speeding up their research process at a matching pace to his plot progression.


    He hoped that by the time he finished the game, the new technology would be ready for mass production.


    If the timeline was right, the completion of the technology, the completion of the game, the quarterly dividend from Nebula Electronics, and the completion of his high-priority mission would coincide.


    Then, it would be much simpler to put his plans in motion; from his premature graduation to fixing a time to join Theo on his expedition.


    By the time they made it back from the expedition, the new technology would have penetrated the market already.


    Hiro was looking forward to these developments, and perhaps it was his excessive enthusiasm, but he progressed much faster in completing the chain quests.


    Before he left for the A-Club, Hiro also entered the Transcendent Daoist game for the daily dual cultivation sessions.


    Now, he had a total of four dual cultivation partners, and all of them had a higher cultivation realm than himself.


    Hiro even doubted that no matter what, all his partners would maintain a higher cultivation base than himself.


    Perhaps, the system designed the game this way to help him.


    In any case, Hiro wasn''t about to complain about it since his cultivation was indeed improving at a much faster rate.


    Soon, it was dark outside, and Hiro left the mansion to find Sebastian waiting for him by the car.


    Wordlessly, Hiro entered the car with Sebastian''s help, then the car drove off into the entertainment center where A-Club was located.

 Chapter 44 - 44: Identity Crisis

    The moment Hiro entered the A-Club through the front door, he immediately commanded Ei to hack the cloud server and search for all materials related to him.


    The last time he was here, he killed someone.


    Although Hiro was positive that nothing of the sort was kept on files, Hiro wanted to be 100% safe.


    Not only the cloud but also the wi-fi network and all devices connected to it, not limited to mobile phones and laptops.


    It was a clean, monumental sweep that lasted for 30 minutes before Ei reported to Hiro that it had indeed found images and videos that could be used as evidence against him.


    "Gather information on everyone who had evidence on me before you delete all of it, don''t leave anything behind," Hiro spoke into his Bluetooth earpiece.


    To make things convenient, he had Ei infiltrate into his smartphone and replace the standard Siri.


    This is far less conspicuous than Hiro talking directly to his watch, and it would draw less attention.


    Ei immediately took action, sent the files to Hiro''s private cloud server, and went silent.


    "What are you doing here?" Hiro was resting his chin on his palm as he leaned into the bar counter, reminiscing in thoughts.


    Then, he felt a tap on his shoulder as a familiar sound echoed in his ear. Turning around, he noticed that it was indeed Natali.


    Hiro smiled, but he didn''t say anything.


    First, he tentatively activated his interpersonal missions feature and waited for the blue halo to scan a radius of 10 meters around himself.


    Hiro''s eyes glittered. As expected, there was a mission indicator above Natali, and it was a normal difficulty mission.


    From his experience, normal difficulties can be fast or slow, depending on his involvement in the mission.


    He could direct the mission from the shadows and allow the mission''s target to go through the motions, or he could help them actively and finish the mission much faster.


    Unlike the last time, Hiro planned to take part in this mission directly, finishing it as soon as possible. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Without hesitation, he accepted the mission and waited for the information from the system.


    [Mission Target: Natali


    Mission Difficulty: Normal


    Mission Briefing: As the child of a former small-time gang leader, she was raised as a natural-born syndicate, grasping the secrets of the trade from a young age.


    Fortunately or unfortunately, she had always been a secret child¡ªwhile this provided her with an amulet to guard her life, it also removed the reservations of her father''s enemies; they thought him to be a no-family man, which led to his death. Help Natali establish a foothold in the Syndicate Society, all in preparation for her future quest for vengeance.


    ¡­


    Hiro''s thoughts shifted and he said, "I have a job proposition for you; I''m buying a nightclub nearby, but I need someone who understands the trade to run things around in my absence."


    Although the music was blasting loudly in the surroundings, Natali was already focused on Hiro and she was somewhat adept at reading lips.


    Thus, she quickly understood the meaning behind Hiro''s words.


    Her eyes flashed, and a smile adorned her face as she said, "You think it''s that easy to enter this circle? I''ll tell you what, if your nightclub is open after three days of the handover procedures, give me a call."


    She then tipped her finger into Hiro''s drink and wrote her number on the counter.


    She knew how good Hiro''s memory was and thus, she quickly wiped the number away with a napkin using her dry hand, brushing her other hand''s wet finger across Hiro''s bottom lip with a wink.


    Turning around, Natali quickly returned to serving the other patrons in the nightclub, leaving Hiro behind shaking his head.


    "She must think that I''m joking," Hiro laughed. Then, he saved the number and got up, preparing to leave.


    At this moment, someone else tapped his shoulder. Looking back, Hiro raised an eyebrow. "Fred? Can I help you?"


    It was the cold man in black. Hiro didn''t know why he came to find him, but he guessed it must be related to Mr. Monocle and the bullshit in the chat group.


    "Come with me, someone wants to see you," Fred said.


    Hiro turned around, gave Fred the side eye, and started to swirl the liquor in his one-shot glass with a nonplussed expression.


    Hiro said in a bored tone, "Well, whoever that is, tell them I still have some time on my hands. They can come and talk."


    If he was planning to slowly climb the ranks under Broski, Hiro might have acted polite and patient with Fred.


    However, now that he had greater things waiting for him, such as exploring the New World, he was no longer in the mood to entertain these little games.


    Fred was stunned for a moment, not knowing how to respond. Then, he remembered that the kid in front of him was someone who dared to kill without batting an eye, and after a moment of internal struggle, Fred decided against making a scene in the open.


    Nodding his head silently, Fred moved to a quiet corner before touching the Bluetooth earpiece in his left ear, saying something into the microphone.


    The disco lights reflected off the golden liquor and onto Hiro''s face. Time passed, and a few minutes later, the blasting music slowly went silent.


    It was unknown when, but people started flowing out from the nightclub in small groups of twos and threes, followed by batches of people.


    However, no one dared to ask or complain.


    Pretty quickly, other than the DJ and security, only the hosts, waiters, and waitresses were left in the club''s main hall.


    Even then, those people left the hall through the staff-designated exit¡ªsome looking over their shoulders, their eyes on the solitary figure seated by the bar counter, swirling the wine glass in his left hand without a care for the world.


    Footfalls sounded, light yet crisp, and someone approached Hiro from the side and took a seat next to him.


    Hiro looked over, and he was greeted by the face of a masked man in a white suit. He had a buzz-cut hairstyle, the big dipped constellation carved onto the side of his head.


    Without a word, he reached for Hiro''s one-shot glass; it was full and untouched.


    Hiro doesn''t drink alcohol; he ordered the drink out of courtesy for the business.


    Thus, he didn''t even bother resisting when the man took his drink and chugged it down in one gulp.


    Hiro said faintly, "Just a reminder, It''s probably poisoned."


    The man had yet to swallow the contents of the cup¡ªhe hurriedly turned to the side and spat out the golden liquor, coughing violently.


    Then, he heard Hiro say, "After second thought, it''s probably okay. I wouldn''t poison you; you''re not worthy."


    The man was angry. A vein bulged on his forehead, and he smashed the glass cup on the ground before he stood up in rage and slammed his hand on the counter.


    Bang!


    The counter shook violently.


    "Do you know what trouble you caused for me? Do you how difficult it will be to gather willing delinquents in the future? Don''t you think you''ve gone too far, boy?"


    "Did I now?" Hiro finally spared the masked man a glance, but he shook his head. "I don''t know what you''re talking about, I was resting at home when suddenly, everyone is saying I crossed some line."


    Hiro turned his body slightly, and before anyone could react, he grabbed the masked man by his jacket''s collar before bringing his face onto the table.


    Bang!


    "Urgh!" The masked man grunted in pain, anchored his hands on the counter, and tried to push back to wrench himself free.


    Alas, it was pointless; he felt as though a mountain was pressing on his back.


    Sounds of guns clocking and safety buttons getting removed were heard. However, the man was scared someone might shoot him by accident and so he yelled for them to put their guns down.


    When the man stopped struggling, Hiro met his quivering eyes and asked, "And what fucking line am I supposed to have crossed? Which eye of yours saw me crossing the line?"


    Hearing Hiro''s words, the man seemed to have recalled something. His body trembled visibly, and his voice carried an undertone of fear as he said, "Hiro, don''t go too far! Careful not to meet with some unwanted incident, or maybe the authorities might come knocking on your door some morning!"


    He was blatantly reminding Hiro of their blackmail material on him. He expected Hiro to retreat, but he was fated to be disappointed.


    "Are you threatening me?" Hiro asked, his voice low and cold.


    Unknowingly, bloodlust oozed out from his eyes, violence radiating from his being.


    With the time dilation feature, it''s not an exaggeration to say that Hiro had spent more time in-game when compared to the real world.


    He almost couldn''t distinguish between his persona in the Legend of Babylon and his persona in the real world¡ªthis was a true identity crisis.


    Although Hiro saw the danger of excessive immersion in the simulation world, he was too impatient to finish the game as soon as possible, resulting in some deviation from his real-life temperament.


    Hiro was this close to plucking out the masked man''s eyes when someone yelled.


    "Boss! We''ve lost the materials! We lost everything!"

 Chapter 45 - 45: Myriad Evils and the Unfathomable

    That shout disrupted the thoughts of both men.


    When Hiro came back to his senses, he realized that he was holding a steel fork a hair''s width away from the masked man''s eye.


    As for the masked man, his eye was wide open, his pupil dilating in shock and fear.


    For a moment, he saw blood and an all-encompassing darkness.


    Clang!


    The fork fell, dispelling the frightening silence that enveloped his being. He breathed easy once more, and he didn''t even care that Hiro slapped his face three times as though patting a disobedient pet.


    "Let me be honest with you," Hiro sighed in resignation. "I don''t care about you, I don''t care about Broski, and I don''t care about your little games in the school. If you see me walking over in the future, just pretend that you took the wrong path and walk away. Alright?"


    At this point, Hiro noticed the danger in his mental state, and he didn''t want to waste his time on these people anymore.


    He already had a preliminary guess on how to handle the current problem. However, he needed to return home first.


    From the corner on the upper floor of the main hall, Natali and a few other workers watched the scene play out in shock.


    One of the waitresses approached Natali and whispered, "How come you didn''t tell us he''s so fierce?"


    Natali had yet to recover from her own shock.


    Then, she recalled that Hiro owed her a favor from back then. Although she took it as a silly joke at first, she didn''t think of it as a joke anymore.


    Perhaps, this little guy¡­ Suddenly, Natali felt herself anticipating the call from Hiro.


    Hiro released his grip on the masked man, stood up, and walked away at a leisurely pace.


    The masked man wanted to control Hiro and ask him to stop, but he quickly remembered what the bodyguard had told him.


    He quickly fished out his phone and sent out a string of messages¡ªit was impossible for them to lose the materials.


    They were kept in a secure cloud network with a randomly generated password¡ªthis password would be split into four different segments and sent to four random people on the upper levels of the group.


    Only when someone gathers all four segments can they view the cloud network''s content; it was limited to viewing, though.


    Editing, adding, and deleting files was something beyond his scope of knowledge.


    How can someone delete blackmail material from there? Although he found it difficult to believe, it was better to confirm it himself rather than waste his time on Hiro.


    As Hiro expected, no one followed him out from the A-Club.


    He immediately asked Sebastian to drive him back to the mansion. While the butler felt that something was wrong with his employer, he followed the instructions without delay.


    Like that, Hiro canceled his plans to visit the nightclub he planned to acquire.


    ¡­


    Inside the study room, Hiro''s mansion.


    Leaning back into his chair, Hiro checked the time; the night was still young.


    After calming down his straying thoughts, Hiro entered the simulation space once again, but he chose to enter the Transcendent Daoist game this time.


    Although he couldn''t do anything other than sit and cultivate in this game, Hiro needed the peaceful and tranquil air of that solitary cave dwelling the most right now.


    Inside the game, hours turned into days as Hiro calmly meditated. Hiro had the option to meditate in real life with the {Concentration} spell, but he still chose this option. sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    For the following few days, Hiro applied for a leave of absence from the school and withdrew from all activities, keeping himself either in the study, the dining hall, or the bedroom.


    With Arabella''s hypnotic abilities, Hiro felt at ease at giving her full rein on the acquisition of a nightclub.


    Even if she faced trouble from the syndicates, money and a little bit of hypnosis would solve the problem.


    Then, he also provided her with Natali''a contact information and worked as a mediator in-between, facilitating the recruitment.


    With those two working together to prop up the nightclub, Hiro could finally relax and continue focusing on his mental state and completing the game.


    Of course, Arabella still asked him to name the nightclub on the opening day.


    After some thought, Hiro settled on "Myriad Evils" as the nightclub''s name.


    ¡­


    Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, the spring break was closing in.


    On this day, Hiro capped at level 70 in the Legend of Babylon, completing the game''s plot.


    As an Arcana Lord, he was comparable to a Tier-4 Paranormal, but only during the synchronization period.


    [Notice: You''ve completed the hidden mission, "Invincibility? It''s just a dream!"


    Reward: 30 gems]


    [Notice: You''ve completed the "Legend of Babylon" main story.


    Reward 1: Legend of Babylon Source Code


    Reward 2: 10,000 achievement points.]


    [Notice: You can now activate the {Fantasy Crystal} when the requirements are met.


    You''ve met the requirement of having completed one game.


    You''ve met the requirements of owning a set of coordinates for an anchor.]


    [Notice: Do you wish to activate the {Fantasy Crystal}?]


    ¡­


    A load of information entered Hiro''s mind the moment he defeated Babylon and occupied the celestial throne.


    Though the battle was intense, Hiro knew in his heart that Babylon was nerfed in the simulation space.


    What Hiro paid most attention to was the so-called anchor for his immaterial dimension.


    Having bound the dimensional key to his system, once he used it to enter the pocket dimension coordinates reward by the system, it was added to his list of anchor points options.


    Although Hiro had yet to explore that place for all its worth, Hiro was confident in the system''s customer service and thus, he chose the dimension as an anchor point without hesitation.


    [Notice: Please designate a name for the immaterial dimension.]


    Hiro was a little surprised as he asked, "Is choosing a name that necessary? After all, it''s immaterial¡­"


    [Notice: Names carrry a lot of weight in the realms of faith energy, so please be careful when encountering symbolism when dealing with faith and deities in the future.]


    Hiro understood, and after thinking for a while, he settled on choosing a name that would represent both his immaterial dimension and his secret organization in the Paranormal Society.


    Especially in the new world.


    "The Unfathomable."


    ¡­


    Hiro opened his eyes in the study and exhaled with a tired expression.


    At long last, he could set his plans in motion and finish that high-priority mission with peace of mind.


    Hiro opened his phone and saw that it was early in the morning; students must be on their way to school for now.


    He sent Jodi a simple message to start the operation before he sent him dense files of information on every delinquent in the school.


    Well, every delinquent that could be described as the head of a clique.


    At the same time, he sent even larger files to Broski and his immediate underlings from his Little Boss account, adding a little bit of a warning at the end.


    From this point onwards, Inter-High was his territory.


    Jobi would claim the credits and act like the new Broski in the school; with the materials he has in hand and the support from Hiro behind the scenes, everything was set to go.


    By the end of today''s school hours, the delinquent circles of the school would shift greatly.


    Another thing that bothered Hiro a little was that Teacher Aiya had yet to return to the school¨Cit had been almost two weeks since she requested for emergency leave.


    All of that aside, Hiro sent a similar message to Arabella after he transferred the Nebula Electronics dividend from his personal account to the company''s account.


    He gave her the green light to start the aggressive expansion plan, acquiring game development teams, production factories, software engineers, and announcing the successful development of the S-gear VR capsule technology.


    By the time all of that was done with, Hiro heard Ei''s synthesized voice. "The game''s source code is ready for use, Master. Do you wish to make any changes?"


    "Yes," Hiro answered without hesitation. "Change the game''s name and everything related to ''Babylon'' in the lore, make it ''The Seeker''s Legend'' instead."


    Hiro would rather the game be called The Seeker''s Legend. This way, no one would have the slightest suspicion about his Babylon identity in the future.


    If his identity was exposed thanks to one game, Hiro might as well kill himself.


    Ei responded with the affirmative, quickly editing the game''s data. With Ei''s capabilities, even a subpar game development team would be capable of replicating the game.


    After all, they would have the help of a futuristic quantum computer in secret.


    However, Hiro knew that the revelation of the new S-gear technology is about to shake not one, but multiple industries.


    Thankfully, the Sciatis Holdings Limited has the shade of a large umbrella like Nebula Electronics behind it, so it would most likely weather this storm.


    As for outsourcing production? The technology would only be announced after the acquisition of the factories, so Hiro wasn''t at all worried.


    At the moment, he was looking forward to the completion of his high-priority mission at the end of the day.


    Also¡­ Hiro smiled, waiting to see how the five behemoths of the gaming hardware industry are going to react.

 Chapter 46 - 46: Little Boss High Priority Mission Rewards

    [Notice: Congratulations, you''ve completed your second high-priority mission!


    [Mission Briefing: A true leader doesn''t have to personally take action, especially when the arena is in the shadowy corners. Although your approach was unorthodox, your outside the box thinking allowed you to complete the mission in record time, exceeding the system''s expectations!


    [Mission Rating: Excellent.


    [Reward 1: 50 gems.


    [Reward 2: 1x Game Voucher.


    [Reward 3: 10,000 Achievement Points.


    [Reward 4: Book of Revelations - Divination Chapter.]


    ¡­


    As expected, the rewards were far less grand than the first high-priority mission completed.


    Well, the divination chapter was something new, but Hiro wasn''t in a hurry to figure it out.


    At the moment, he had 85 gems and over 20,000 achievement points, which was a great haul in and of itself.


    It seems that the standard reward is gems, points, and a game voucher. Hiro thought to himself and asked, "Are all games capped to the equivalent of Tier-4 power level?"


    [Notice: Games purchased through achievement points aren''t restricted to this power level.]


    Hiro asked another question, "What determines the level of restriction?"


    [Notice: Your native world doesn''t tolerate¡ªor rather can''t accommodate power levels above the stipulated limit.]


    In other words, the limit of power in this world was the lowest rank of Tier-4.


    Despite the nourishment from other dimensions for thousands of years, this limit seemed to be the peak of this world.


    Was this the main drive behind exploring the New World? Are the Big Three searching for a place that could accommodate their power?


    The more Hiro thought about it, the more he felt like it made sense.


    Expectantly, Hiro brought up his Legend of Babylon''s character details.


    [Seeker: Hiro


    Level: 70


    Gold: 187,432,213.


    Class: Mage.


    Job: Arcana Lord.


    Spells: Concentration, Inferno Storm, Water Vacuum, Earthquake, Hurricane, Thunderbolt, Enchantment, Hymn of Protection, Meteor Shower, Siphon, Curse, Wood Healing, Water Healing, Bad Omen, Ash Fog, Blizzard, Astral Protection, Omniscient Vision, Instant Teleportation, Advanced Elemental Mastery, Inverse Nova.]


    ¡­


    As expected, Babylon''s ultimate offensive spell¡ªInverse Nova, was learned by him.


    All of these spells were rewards from the War Priest, and if Hiro wanted to learn more spells with greater diversity, he would need to visit the side quests and chain quests.


    Unfortunately, Hiro wasn''t that interested since these spells had no quantitative influence on Hiro in the real world.


    However, here comes the next issue.


    What game shins he get next? Also, how to spend the gems and achievement points?


    The system shop offered him almost everything, which made choosing even harder.


    As for the gems, Hiro was torn between saving them for the lottery or using them to improve the spirit array in the cave dwelling.


    "Forget it¡­ Since I can''t develop for now, then I won''t make a choice."


    Shaking his head, Hiro stood up and stretched in the study. He opened the PARA app on his watch and sent a message to his private thread with Theo.


    [Babylon]: I''m ready.


    Then, he checked the time and muttered to himself, "It''s about time for the press conference. Ei, show me the live broadcast for the S-technology press conference."


    "Affirmative," Ei''s voice echoed in the study.


    A large flat screen on the wall blinked to life, and a ten seconds countdown was displayed on the colorful screen.


    10¡­ 9¡­ 8¡­


    3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­


    ¡­


    S-gear Technology Press Conference, Sciatis Holdings Conference Hall.


    Wearing a black business suit and long, conservative pants, Arabella approached the podium under the flashing lights of the camera shutters.


    Her once cascading purple hair was bundled up in an empress-style high bun, revealing her slender neck and beautiful side profile to the audience.


    Once she reached the podium with the large whiteboard in her backdrop, the reporters went silent, save for the occasional snapshots.


    Arabella smiled. "Thank you for attending the official release announcement for our newest S-gear technology. In the future, Sciatis Holdings Limited''s main industry will revolve around the digital world¡ªspecifically the gaming market.


    "With neutral conductivity as the core of our technology, the newly developed S-gear VR Capsules provide peak comfort, realistic immersion, and health care to allow our users the convenience of a prolonged gaming experience.


    "Our technology is directly connected to a secured, algorithm based cloud server to prevent cheating, hacking, or trolling in our future games¡ªyes, you heard correctly.


    "S-gear technology will develop exclusive games in the future. To prevent counterfeits, reverse engineering, and likeminded menace from proliferating the market, we specifically developed a threefold source code to be installed partially within our exclusive games, the capsule''s operating software, and the cloud network''s algorithms.


    "Even if our competitors were to reverse engineer our hardware technology, they won''t be able to replicate our progress in terms of neural conductivity. We hereby announce that our technology is ahead by at least a decade from the current VR gaming market!


    "Now, I will answer any and all relevant questions from the interested parties; corporations, patents fees, outsourcing, all of it can be discussed in the open for the world to see¡ªSciatis Holdings Limited has nothing to fear, nothing to hide¡­ and the world has nothing that can compare." S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The hall immediately exploded with shouting and raised hands.


    ¡­


    In the study, Hiro smiled brilliantly. His phone rang and he answered.


    "Haha, you''ve really surprised me, Mr. Sciatis," Hiro heard the Handler talking on the other side.


    This man was one of the few who knew of Hiro''s relationship with the Sciatis Holdings company.


    The security and privacy regulations made sure that as little information as possible trickled from the Handler to the outside world, and COC was no exception.


    They only knew that he was responsible for "Company X" but had no access to the information of his client.


    Well, the general manager of the Nexus Branch had access to this information, but such a little company won''t draw his attention yet.


    He responded faintly, "It''s just luck."


    Suddenly, Hiro got an idea on where to spend some of his points. At the moment, Arabella had the {Business Acumen III} skill, which cost him 800 points back then.


    He could further upgrade it now to increase Arabella''s abilities on the negotiation table.


    At the moment, this level of business skill isn''t sufficient to grant her a country-wide perspective on business.


    At best, level 3 skill was comparable to small business on a city or a county scale, which was insufficient to handle the upcoming negotiations with business tycoons and behemoths.


    Without hesitation, Hiro stated spending to upgrade.


    1,600 points¡­


    3,200 points¡­


    6,400 points¡­


    ¡­


    Arabella''s skill was successfully upgraded from {Business Acumen III} to {Business Acumen VI}, costing a total amount of 11,200 points.


    Almost half of his achievement points were gone just like that, but Hiro didn''t regret it.


    Arabella''s current business acumen is sufficient for her to go toe-to-toe with international entrepreneurs on equal footing, and he could rest at ease with leaving his budding business empire in her hands.


    Hiro had 10,320 achievement points left, and he decided not to touch these points until he returned from the Odin family''s expedition.


    Hiro didn''t know that Arabella had blanked out for about five minutes, almost causing a catastrophe in the conference hall.


    Luckily, it was the open discussion segment and everyone was busy discussing in hushed voices, not paying attention to Arabella on the podium.


    "What are your plans for the future of your company, Mr. Sciatis? Do you wish to hire a business consultant from our firm?" The Handler asked politely.


    Hiro remembered that he was on a call with someone. He gathered his thoughts, went silent for a moment, then shook his head.


    "No need, I''m only interested in the banking services of the COC, and I don''t wish to get your organization entangled with my business in the future."


    If he hired their business consultant, they would get access to sensitive information of his company through god knows how many loopholes.


    At the moment, they''re only permitted to keep track of his cash flow and monetary transactions¡ªnothing more and nothing less.


    Furthermore, Hiro was confident that with Arabella''s current abilities, she was equal if not more qualified than the COC''s top business consultants in the Nexus Branch.


    Like the power tiers, the levels of professionalism in the system are separate into I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, and IX; from level 1 to level 9.


    On the other end of the call, the Handler went silent for a moment before laughing lightly.


    If it was someone else, they might have tried to persuade Hiro not to make a clear line between himself and the COC, but this Handler was a little weird.


    He didn''t try to convince Hiro, not even half heartedly, as he immediately complimented Hiro for his foresight.


    "Your company enjoys great future prospects, so your choice is the correct one¡­ Hmm, I''ll help you on my end and close all the loose ends. This way, no one will hound you from this side for your company''s shares in the future.


    "And¡­ good luck, Mr. Sciatis."


    Beep! Beep! Beep!


    The Handler hung up.


    ¡­


    Hiro looked at his phone, speechless. Shaking his head with a smile, he muttered under his breath, "This Handler is really something."


    As Hiro lamented comically, he heard Ei''s voice.


    "Master, you''ve received a reply from Mr. Odin on your private thread. The expedition team has been formed, preparing for departure after midnight."


    Hiro blinked. Their team couldn''t have been on standby just waiting for me, right? Well, it makes sense¡ªI''m too OP after all.

 Chapter 47 - 47: The Expedition

    The parking lot of a random supermarket in the Provincial Capital''s Suburbs.


    A group of masked individuals were waiting, groups of twos and threes positioned sporadically across the open area.


    Counting, there were no less than 30 Paranormals in the parking lot, and all of them waited patiently.


    "So let me get this through my head; we''ve delayed the expedition for so long just to wait for one person? And he''s not even a local, right? Am I the only one ticked off about this?"


    The one who spoke was a man with a lionfish mask, the realistic whiskers swaying about as he talked and made his dissatisfaction known.


    Theo, who was wearing a blank white mask, looked over. "You won the bid to join this expedition, but that doesn''t mean you''re the only one interested. If you want, I can refund you right now and give your spot to the runner-up. We''re not lacking this bit of strength."


    Theo''s voice was low and cold.


    The fish mask scoffed and didn''t respond, but he muttered silently, "Act all high and mighty now, just wait till we''re inside. See if I don''t teach you to be humble."


    Seeing that the troublemaker didn''t say anything anymore, Theo checked his watch for the time, feeling a little anxious.


    "Why is he so late?"


    ¡­


    Hiro wasn''t late¡ªhe was right above them, but the system had just finished updating the power levels from this world''s universal concept to an RPG leveling system.


    The update must have started ever since Hiro cleared Legend of Babylon, and it took some time for the system to gather the necessary data from all over the world.


    The current {Tier} segment on his character profile was replaced with {Level} while the {Rank} segment was replaced by an experience bar.


    Furthermore, his experience bar would increase when Hiro killed other Paranormals, as the system would automatically devour their life force and convert it into universal energy to be used by Hiro.


    It wasn''t limited to ordinary Paranormals, but the inhabitants and natives from other pocket dimensions also counted.


    Not only that, but he would also get experience points from completing interpersonal, hidden, and high-priority missions in the future.


    So, it wasn''t that Hiro was late, but he didn''t wish to reveal himself before the system''s update finished.


    "Finally," Hiro murmured as the upgrade finished. "This feels more like a gaming system, why must I follow the power system designated by the Holy Church?"


    As he was landing from the sky, Hiro checked his updated status window.


    [Name: Hiro Sciatis.


    Class: Sorcerer.


    Level: 11.


    XP: 25%


    Spells: Sorcerer''s Guide to the Five Elements, Infinite Sword Matrix.


    AP: 10,320.


    Gems: 85. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Skills: Immersive Reading, Professional Calligraphy, Analytical Mind, Professional Combat, Professional Soccer, Espionage I.


    Properties: Sciatis Holdings Limited, 5% Nebula Electronics, 23 Production Factories, 14 Scientific Research Institutes, Myriad Evils Nightclub, The Unfathomable.


    Private Balance: 16,988,564 nexus dollars.


    Company Balance: 27.8 million international credits.]


    ¡­


    Satisfied, Hiro landed not too far from Theo.


    The moment he landed silently, Hiro restrained his divine sense and allowed others to perceive his existence and see him in the open.


    Suffice it to say that his sudden appearance gave everyone a minor fright, perhaps with Theo being the sole exception.


    "Master Babylon!" Theo exclaimed from behind his mask, feeling both surprised and relieved by Hiro''s presence.


    The gentle white river and clouds of obscurity provided him with a tranquil feeling, but he knew that the person standing in front of him was a powerful master.


    Far away, the man with a lionfish mask was as equally stunned as everyone else, feeling perturbed.


    "Hey, hey, hey¡­ are you fucking kidding me right now? This is way beyond our league¡­"


    The man next to him nudged his arm and whispered, "Just keep quiet, don''t forget that Raymond also invited a powerful helper, he''s just keeping a low profile, unlike some ostentatious people who like to seek death."


    Similar hushed whispers could be heard among the other small groups, and while Theo and his small group didn''t seem to hear it, Hiro heard everything.


    It couldn''t be helped; his divine sense was too powerful at the moment, it easily encompassed the small supermarket.


    Passively too.


    It seems like Theo did the right thing by taking precautions. Luckily, I alternated between Legend of Babylon and Transcendent Daoist for the last two weeks, otherwise, I wouldn''t be able to contain my irritation and killing intent.


    "Alright everyone, I''m going to open the gate now, come closer but not too close for comfort."


    As Theo spoke, he brought out a familiar rectangular jade before he closed his eyes to focus.


    Hiro knew that Theo was mentally imprinting the coordinates into the key, unlike his sophisticated system where he could add a preset save file with the coordinates into his bounded key.


    After about half a minute of concentration, dark clouds gathered in the sky.


    Oddly, the clouds gathered in a limited area above the supermarket, not spreading the disturbance any further.


    It was as though an invisible boundary had separated them from the outside world.


    As Hiro thought to himself, a silver bolt of lightning zigzagged its way down to strike the spot a few meters away from Theo.


    Then, the lightning bolt went still, lagging in the air right before everyone''s eyes.


    From the jade, a beam of light shone onto the glitching lightning bolt, stabilizing it in space.


    Then, Hiro watched with awe as the long silver crack morphed into an elliptical portal, splitting into a wide passage with an unfamiliar scenery behind it.


    It was a gloomy canopy with dead, dry trees and noxious clouds of miasma weaving in and out of the open land.


    "Be careful once we go in," Theo explained the lore of the pocket dimension. "This used to be a Demonic Stronghold, but like locusts; these demons consumed everything this land had to offer. That was very long ago, and according to credible intelligence, mindless beasts and demonic attribute resources are abound after thousands of years of gestation.


    "Of course, the demonic miasma is corrosive and would surely cause some inconvenience to those on the weaker end of the spectrum. I hope everyone can put their focus on exploring for remnant demonic treasures, corpses, and valuable items.


    "Once we sweep through this pocket dimension, if the profits are high enough, we can request the Holy Church to purify this pocket dimension for us and we can split the territory based on individual contributions, both practical and monetary."


    After confirming that no one had any objections, Theo and his group were the first to enter the portal, followed by Hiro who was rather curious.


    Then, the remaining groups exchanged glances through their masks before they rushed inside, one group at a time.


    ¡­


    [Notice: Spend 1,000 achievement points to extract the pocket dimension''s coordinates!


    Yes/No]


    Hiro blanked out for a moment as he saw the notification. At first, he almost selected no since this pocket dimension was useless to him.


    The environment wasn''t hospitable to humans and multiple people already had the coordinates, let alone the fact that the Holy Church might crusade here to purify the demonic miasma in the near future.


    However, he quickly remembered that this place was very suitable for Arabella, and if he could get his hands on a dimensional key, she would be capable of entering this pocket dimension to get stronger in the future.


    After contemplating his situation for a while, he decided to bite the bullet and extract the coordinates.


    Whatever! Hiro thought to himself. Consider it both an investment and a reward for her hard work these past few weeks. I can''t be stingy with my subordinates.


    "Everyone split up in your respective groups, we will regroup every three hours when I launch a signal flare in the air. Those who are too far from my position at the time, and those who feel like going on their own, feel free to act independently."


    Theo instructed everyone. Then, he turned over to Hiro and asked politely, "Do you want to follow my lead or?"


    Hiro didn''t mind and said, "I''m fine with whatever."


    He hadn''t even explored his own pocket dimension yet; other than testing the portal through the key.


    Hiro didn''t know if his system made it more convenient or something, but the portals he summoned didn''t make much of a commotion.


    They were standard oval-shaped portals like the ones seen in anime and movies.


    Nevertheless, Hiro wasn''t about to nitpick these inconsequential details.


    Getting Hiro''s permission, Theo gestured to the three masked men who seemed to be his subordinates.


    Since they weren''t lacking in firepower, Theo immediately headed in the direction where the demonic miasma was the thickest.


    They were bound to find some powerful demonic creatures and demonic resources in there. In a sense, this miasma should be the product of the decayed body of a powerful demon.


    After confirming Theo''s direction, Hiro promptly spread his vast divine sense in the same direction, scouting for either danger or valuables.


    Hiro''s brows soon knitted together, quite tightly at that. Hmm, something actually blocked my divine sense?!

 Chapter 48 - 48: A Trap?

    Hiro hadn''t expected that there existed a place in this dead realm where his divine sense couldn''t penetrate.


    This caused him to increase his vigilance level by a notch, already feeling tense.


    "What type of creatures are we going to encounter?" Hiro asked when they pulled away from the other groups.


    Theo answered succinctly, "Mostly insecticides, slimes, undead skeletons, and hellspawns; all of which are of very low intelligence, and their basic attack patterns are melee and swarm tactics."


    Hiro nodded his head. Then, the group began to slowly increase their pace since three hours could be long or short depending on how they allocated their time.


    Theo was a little more confident with Hiro on their team, hence he started cutting corners while exploring.


    Hiro didn''t mind because his divine sense was scattered around, and he would know if something or someone were to approach them.


    Suddenly, Hiro''s pupils constricted.


    Spirit qi exploded from beneath his feet as he dashed through Theo and his companions, arriving at the forefront of the group with an energy-long sword in hand.


    Shing!


    Hiro cleaved down at a speed barely perceptible to Theo and his team.


    All they saw was a flash of cold light, followed by a thin wave of sword qi that blasted onto the surface of a speeding boulder.


    The weak trees and thick miasma gave way to the heavy rock as it entered everyone''s field of vision.


    Then, the boulder was split in two from the middle, the two halves separating and rolling to either side of the group.


    ROAR!


    A powerful gust of wind blasted over from the deep, dark foliage. Hiro creased his brows and asked, "Who gave you these coordinates?"


    Theo also noticed that something was wrong with this place, especially since there was a clear discrepancy in the intel gathered.


    "I bought the coordinates from a secret gathering, and I wasn''t the only one who got the information, hence why I was anxious to gather a team as soon as possible," Theo answered with an ugly expression.


    Could it be that the sale was a setup? Hiro wondered as he sensed the overwhelming aura building up in the distance.


    He shook his head and muttered inwardly, It can''t be; then this could only be a trap set up by someone else who had access to this pocket dimension. However, the worst-case scenario is that this thing was something left behind by the demons before they left.


    In any case, overthinking at the moment was fruitless.


    "Just use your fire flare signal to gather everyone in one location," Hiro instructed calmly. "It hasn''t been that long since the groups separated, just check who is willing to rendezvous and who isn''t."


    Theo had a bad premonition and asked, "What about you?"


    Hiro clicked his tongue. However, he''d feel pretty disgusted with himself if he started spouting some cheesy lines, especially because he knew that he would be fine regardless.


    Thus, he didn''t even bother talking before rushing into the dense embrace of the black miasma.


    Whatever trap by humans or backdoor set by demons was inside, Hiro wasn''t at all worried.


    Even if his Origin Soul realm cultivation wasn''t enough, he could always fall back on his Arcana Lord character.


    While my cultivation is already so high, my divine sense is still stuck at the third level. In terms of range, it''s very far¡ªbut in terms of quality, it''s very low.


    Hiro checked his stats and as expected, he hadn''t improved much on his divine sense, still stuck at {Divine Sense III}, while it should have caught up to his cultivation and reached a minimum of {Divine Sense IV} by now.


    Although there were only two levels of difference, each upgrade brought about a qualitative change.


    However, to get his hands on the higher-level cultivation manuals, Hiro needed to complete sect missions and exploration quests, which is boring since he could only watch his character from a detached perspective.


    Anyway, Hiro wasn''t in a hurry to get his hands on a new game, so he might as well spend a few days rounding up the magic spells, martial arts, and other qualities in his Daoist character.


    As his thoughts reached this point, he activated the {Lunar Descent III}, the equivalent of a Tier-7 AOE attack.


    From outside the miasma, one could see wisps of cold fog intertwined with the coiling darkness.


    Viscous as they were, the two colors contrasted sharply with one another as corrupted snowflakes drifted about.


    Hiro could feel the resistance of the miasma that shackled down his domain, but a crescent moon had descended from the cold mist nonetheless.


    It couldn''t be stopped.


    Cold moonlight pierced the darkness from sporadic angles, allowing Hiro''s divine sense to penetrate deeper and deeper.


    There, he found something¡­ A broodmother? S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hiro was shocked by the scene. A massive earthworm-like creature occupied a large swamp of bubbling, acidic fluids.


    Plumes of dense miasma and pungent liquid were expunged from its body with each breath, and countless small eggs fell over into the swamp beneath its body.


    The moment Hiro saw it, the creature seemed to have sensed something as it raised its head and roared, revealing a wide cylindrical mouth housing rows and rows of rotating sharp teeth.


    The teeth spun like a chainsaw both clockwise and counterclockwise, and despite the lack of sound, Hiro saw visible shockwaves rippling out from its mouth.


    It felt like a silent shriek¡ªa summoning¡­ And, it was a summoning indeed.


    From the trees, the ground, the decrepit foliage, the swamp, the sky, and from regions beyond the mortal sight¡ªan army of insecticides crawled over.


    Hiro inhaled sharply, and his aura slowly changed into something violent yet cold.


    He invested even more of his spirit qi into the {Lunar Descent III} spell, hastening the descent of the crescent moon.


    Then, notification after notification of experience points popped up in front of Hiro, but the value was too little.


    + 1 XP¡­


    + 1 XP¡­


    + 12 XP¡­


    ¡­


    If Hiro wasn''t mistaken, then the value of experience points was determined based on the gap in power.


    If he wasn''t in his {synchronization} mode at the moment, then the experience points would have been much greater.


    Nonetheless, the numbers kinda made up for the quality, quickly filling up the experience bar of his real level.


    Regardless, Hiro wasn''t paying attention to this detail at the moment. A question arose in his mind as he adopted a close-quarter martial stance.


    Is this the only broodmother in this pocket dimension? As the question rang in his mind, Hiro directed a slow-motion punch.


    As his hand moved, and his center of gravity lowered, wisps of cold air gathered at the tips of his knuckles.


    The cold air from the domain, gravitating around like a twisted cyclone, erupted forward while projecting a translucent fist image.


    Whoosh! Boom!


    The blast of cold air exploded on the surface of the broodmother, spreading onto the swamp both surface and depth.


    As the freezing spirit qi spread, more and more insects died, while a clear frozen path was created on the potentially poisoned swamp water.


    Without hesitation, Hiro controlled the cold air and fashioned a long sword crafted from black ice, spiriting his way toward the broodmother.


    At the moment, this creature had yet to consume its offspring to grow stronger, leaving it immobile and vulnerable.


    Hiro''s eyes glinted sharply, determined not to provide it the opportunity for an evolution.


    ¡­


    Following Hiro''s instructions, Theo brought out the signal flare and fired it into the sky.


    In the dim dark, a bright red streaking across the sky was very obvious. Following the next few minutes later, about sixteen people made it over, but there wasn''t a sign of anyone else.


    In total, about thirteen people were missing, which was a little off. Theo creased his brows, feeling a little perturbed.


    "Where are the rest?" Theo asked, even though he had an answer in his heart.


    The people around looked at one another, not knowing how to respond.


    "No use in acting dumb at this point," a woman with a brown wolf mask said. "I already felt like something was wrong from the beginning, and I doubt your intuition is any worse than mine."


    As she spoke, her eyes swept past everyone.


    Since someone did take the initiative, the others also spoke up.


    "While I was roaming around, some locations seemed simple to get through while others gave me the creeps¡ªthey felt like I was gazing into certain death."


    "Exactly, I had a similar feeling. Actually, I get that feeling even now, just by standing here and looking into this dense miasma."


    ¡­


    Theo listened to everyone quietly, and as he was about to speak, a shrill cry erupted from behind.


    REEEEEE!!!!


    Boom!


    The swirling miasma seemed to lose its cohesiveness as it exploded out like a smoke bomb. However, silver rays of light completely demolished the miasma, slowly dissipating to reveal a massive broodmother writhing in pain, splashing in dirty waters.


    A massive, thick ice blade pinned it down¡ªpiercing from its head and into the depths of the swamp.


    On its back stood a figure obscured in misty white clouds, but compared to the massive sword, he seemed more like a midget.


    + 4,128 XP¡­

 Chapter 49 - 49: Inferno

    Hiro panted heavily.


    Just now, he tried to forcefully use the {Infinite Sword Matrix} because he was lacking in offense spells.


    Although he couldn''t use the real spell, he already grasped its foundations, allowing him to construct one sword.


    Although it was just one sword, he discovered that he could pour his consciousness and spirit qi into this sword without reservation, resulting in the creation of such a massive construct.


    If not for this, Hiro had no idea how he could have penetrated through the broodmother''s defenses.


    All-in-all, this demonic creature was weak, its only advantages being the army of insects and the high defense value.


    Once both factors are eliminated, the danger level drops considerably.


    Bzzz! Bzzz! Bzzz!


    Suddenly, everyone heard discordant buzzing noises from the distance. Looking over, they saw massive lumps of miasma taking to the skies, parting to reveal broodmothers in flight.


    Massive, translucent wings spread from their back, keeping them airborne and far from melee range.


    "They''ve been forced into premature evolution," someone below said.


    He seemed like an expert when it came to these biological atrocities, as he spotted the troublesome nature of the broodmothers so quickly.


    Five¡­ six¡­ nine¡­ twelve¡­ fifteen!


    So many broodmothers took to the sky in one go, followed by the loud laughter of a man who had long since discarded his mask.


    His laughter boomed from the distance.


    "You didn''t expect this, did you? Haha, It''s surprising how many idiots jumped at the moment Master Osmond displayed his dissatisfaction with you, the little guy from the Odin family! Thanks to their stupidity, I had sufficient offerings to awaken these precious little things¡­"


    As his voice echoed in the dimly lit skies, the broodmothers issued silent screams.


    In answer to their calls, millions of insects gathered from all over the realm, blotting the skies from the eight directions.


    Theo''s expression was ugly, the same as everyone else.


    Someone brought out their dimensional key to open a portal to the outside world, but the silent shrieks from the broodmothers shook the fragile space of this waning pocket dimension.


    The mocking laughter continued. "Don''t even try to run; it''s pointless! Just die and become nutrients for my cause! I need to prepare for the next batch of idiots!"


    Someone couldn''t hold it in anymore and cursed loudly, "Fuck! These people are lunatics! Traitors!"


    "Well," the woman with a wolf mask said, "If these things are under his control, it''s not considered as working in cahoots with external races. The church would turn a blind eye; I mean, didn''t they subdue demons too?"


    That person went silent. Of course, he knew about it¡ªhe was just venting his anger.


    Theo sucked in a deep breath and looked over at Hiro, asking hesitantly, "Master Babylon, can you handle it?"


    Hiro went silent for a moment and responded in a soothing voice that resonated from all sides, seemingly overwhelming the shrieking of the broodmothers.


    "It''s possible, but¡­" his voice carried a hint of hesitation. "I''d be breaking the rules of my organization; I''m not supposed to reveal my true strength yet."


    Is he still limiting himself? Theo was stunned, suddenly recalling how Hiro casually saved Bella and didn''t seem to be lacking anything.


    His mind and imagination started running wild, and not just him¡ªeveryone else was equally stunned.


    "I can guarantee that I won''t speak a word of what happens here; my men are trustworthy, Master Babylon!" Theo discarded those thoughts and quickly made a promise.


    The wolf-masked woman followed, "I can speak for myself as well; I won''t say a word."


    "Me too, Master Babylon!"


    "Me too¡­"


    ¡­


    Soon, everyone expressed their sincere stance. Well, no one wanted to fall under the radar of two powerful masters.


    It seems like this trap was set by Master Osmond to target Master Babylon, who supposedly showed up out of nowhere to foil some plans regarding the Odins.


    Hiro felt refreshed inside.


    Yes, worship me more! Sigh, I hope someone would ask about my organization''s name, this way I can show off even more. No, it should be done one step at a time¡­


    "Alright then," Hiro''s voice echoed. "Get ready to use your keys at any moment, this dimension is too weak¡ªmy powers will most likely cause a backlash."


    Backlash? Everyone''s expression changed.


    While they were immersed in their shock, Hiro''s aura dwindled at an alarming rate.


    Soon, he gave off the feeling of an ordinary Tiet 9 Paranormal, confusing their senses.


    However, that didn''t last for too long as the next moment, Hiro synchronized with the Arcana Lord.


    His aura went from weak to deep, bottomless¡ªunfathomable!


    Hiro raised a hand and muttered, "Hymn of Protection."


    Boom!


    Space shook. Then, a massive translucent figure rose from the ground, bent over, and covered the large group of people with his palms, creating a transparent dome above their heads.


    The illusory figure had no particular facial features, just like the current Hiro.


    Everyone felt the boundless energy contained within the projection, making them feel weak and tiny in the face of absolute strength.


    When they next came to their senses, Hiro was in the sky, high above the projection, his hands clasped behind his back.


    Then, they heard a chanting voice reverberating all around¡ªfar and near, and the long string of chants ended with one word.


    "Inferno."


    ¡­


    Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!


    Streaks of blazing cinders phased into existence from thin air, slowly gravitating toward one another to form dense clusters.


    Each cluster spun crazily, drawing air and miasma toward itself¡ªinto its boiling, white-hot core. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Everyone watched in astonishment as one infernal cyclone after another took shape, connecting the ground and the sky.


    The heat that twisted light and blurred the eyes encompassed the entire pocket dimension, and the loud shrieking of the broodmothers turned into wailing¡ªcries of anguish.


    Hiro watched silently, even when the man in the distance started screaming like a madman.


    + 1 XP¡­


    + 1 XP¡­


    +1 XP¡­


    ¡­


    Everyone and everything outside the protection was gradually restored to ashes under the storm of fire.


    Theo and everyone else watched, their eyes full of horror. Then, one after another, they tried their dimensional keys.


    "It works!"


    Someone yelled, becoming the first but not the last to leave.


    The sky cracked, the ground quaked¡ªthe world was preparing to retaliate, but Hiro watched silently.


    This beautiful inferno was a display of his power. Just by standing here, the world felt threatened by his presence.


    This feeling was too¡­ intoxicating.


    ¡­


    Boom!


    Theo, the wolf-mask woman, and the rest tumbled out from the shaking portal and looked back in horror.


    The long elliptical line contracted, twisted, and collapsed into a black sphere on the verge of eruption.


    The immense fluctuations of power sent shivers down the spines of everyone present, and they had a feeling of certain death approaching them.


    Just as they were at a loss on what to do, someone walked out from the black sphere of energy¡ªunharmed.


    Hiro was still immersed in the notification he received after he unintentionally destroyed the pocket dimension.


    [Notice: You''ve completed the hidden mission, "Apocalypse Incarnate."


    [Reward 1: Innate physique, "Gluttony."


    [Reward 2: 5% shares exchange coupon.


    ¡­


    "Master Babylon, be careful!"


    Theo shouted, feeling scared.


    Hiro looked up, noticing the volatile concentration of energy.


    After thinking for a while, he raised his palm and said, "Gluttony."


    A gravitational force erupted from the center of his palm, and under everyone''s stunned gaze, the ball of energy twisted¡ªand despite its struggles, it was drawn into Hiro''s palm.


    Feeling the surge of energy, Hiro felt amazing, and a number of notifications popped up.


    [Notice: You''ve leveled up!]


    [Notice: You''ve leveled up!]


    [Notice: You''ve leveled up!]


    [Notice: You''ve leveled up!]


    ¡­


    [Notice: You''ve leveled up!]


    [Notice: You''ve leveled up!]


    ¡­


    His main body reached level 30 in one go, stunning him. Hiro quickly snapped back to his senses, inspecting his surroundings.


    "Don''t contact me anytime soon, I''ll let you know when I need something," Hiro''s disembodied voice echoed.


    Then, he activated his {Omniscient Vision} to lock onto the location of his mansion before teleporting into his study room.


    Theo and everyone else were still in a daze, only coming back to their senses when another one of Hiro''s sentences sounded in the air.


    "It''s fine to share my contact information with your little friends, Theo. Consider it an advanced payment for keeping whatever happened today a secret."


    ¡­


    Hiro appeared inside the study, and just as he canceled his synchronization, he received a notification that the interpersonal mission was completed.


    After being stunned for a moment, Hiro remembered that Arabella was the one helping Natali get around in the nightclub.


    In a sense, Hiro just discovered that he could regulate his interpersonal missions to his summoned servants, and he would still get awarded when they finished it.


    However, 5 gems no longer gave Hiro that much excitement, especially since he already had over 80 gems waiting to be spent.


    After leaving the study and entering the bathing chambers in his master''s bedroom, Hiro got comfortable in bed and got prepared to focus on Transcendent Daoist.


    Until he found pocket dimesnsions that were strong enough to handle his Arcana Lord''s overwhelming power, he needed to round up his other character.


    With his lessons learned, Hiro decided to complete missions and stack up on offensive, defensive, and auxiliary skills as soon as possible¡­

 Chapter 50 - 50: Antique City

    Ring! Ring!


    Ring! Ring!


    ¡­


    Groaning, Hiro shifted on his bed before reaching for the bedside stand, dragging his phone over to check the caller ID.


    "Eh? Why is this guy calling me so early in the morning?" Hiro muttered with a hint of annoyance in his voice before answering Vanti''s call.


    "What is it?" Hiro asked, not bothering to cover up the exhaustion in his voice.


    "Our chance is here, Hiro!" Vanti''s excited voice drifted over. "Our names are registered on the away game lineup during the spring break! It''s such a pity that Zyd didn''t make it, but it''s our chance to make it into the Group A lineup after the match!"


    Hiro felt that something wasn''t right, and after thinking about it, he asked, "Alright then, what''s the inside story?"


    "Haha, you''re really smart," Vanti chuckled lightly. "Actually, our school''s Group A team had always lost to this high school in the past, and the coach doesn''t want to harm their morale because the summer tournament is around the corner, so¡­"


    "So he''s sending Group B students just for the sake of formalities, right?" Hiro scoffed.


    "Who cares?" Vanti exclaimed, and Hiro could visualize him rolling his eyes.


    "It''s still an opportunity for us! With my passes and your ridiculous talent, we can definitely bring home a beautiful win. Then, we can rely on the momentum to barge our way into Group A''s official lineup!"


    Hiro thought about it and felt a little tempted.


    Furthermore, the expedition went downhill, clearing Hiro''s schedule for the spring break.


    Although unexpected, it was a welcome surprise nonetheless.


    Hiro said that he would think about it before hanging up the call, taking a shower, and returning to his study room. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Inside the study room, Hiro relaxed a little and commanded the system to open a portal to his personal pocket dimension.


    The moment the portal appeared, a translucent blue window popped up in front of Hiro.


    [Notice: You''ve triggered a high-priority mission!


    [Mission: My Domain


    [Mission Briefing: You have acquired both a material dimension and an immaterial dimension. Now, you need to make use of your current resources to develop the pocket dimension into a Domain.


    [Hint: Take advantage of your status as the most powerful, intelligent, and resourceful creature in the pocket dimension to establish your authority. You can intimidate, tame, or enlighten the living creatures of the dimension to aid in your mission.


    [Notice: You''ve unlocked the {Enlightenment} feature, allowing you to bestow creatures with intelligence.]


    ¡­


    Hiro processed the new high-priority mission while checking the new {Enlightenment} ability.


    At a cost of one achievement point, it would unlock a creature''s intelligence.


    At a cost of ten achievement points, it would grant them the intelligence of an infant.


    At a cost of 100 achievement points, it would grant them the intelligence of a toddler.


    1,000 points is the equivalent of a five-year-old, and 10,000 points for the equivalent of a seven-year-old.


    He could even grant them the intelligence of a young adult directly by spending 100,000 points.


    Hiro secretly wiped his cold sweat. Just as he thought that earning so many achievement points was easy, something like this happened.


    Looking at the portal to his pocket dimension, Hiro hesitated for a moment. He didn''t know how many creatures there were because he didn''t understand the ecosystem of his pocket dimension yet.


    However, he did have a direction for the search.


    If he could locate natural treasures, it would be easy to find powerful creatures camping nearby.


    These creatures usually dominated the peak of the food chain. Thus, instead of enlightening creatures in mass numbers, he could enlighten the most powerful ones and wait for the snowball effect.


    Although he couldn''t communicate with the smaller animals, he could leave it to their stronger counterparts.


    With that in mind, Hiro''s first thought was to hit the antique city, if for nothing more than locating treasures to upgrade the range of his treasure-scanning function.


    After making up his mind, Hiro closed the portal and brought out his phone to call Bella.


    The call soon connected.


    "What?" Bella''s hushed voice could be heard on the other end. "I''m in class right now."


    Hiro let out an ''oh'' and said, "I forgot that you''re in class right now; forget it, I was checking to see if you''re interested in visiting the antique city with me."


    "Teacher! I got an emergency call from home, my mother fainted and is in critical condition¡­"


    Hiro was stunned as he listened to Bella bullshitting her way into requesting a leave from the teacher.


    Soon, he heard Bella''s cheerful yet somehow evil laugh, and an image of a pink-haired chibi demoness appeared in his mind.


    When the noises around Bella died down, she told Hiro that she would be waiting for him at the school''s parking lot.


    She knew that Hiro bought a house and had a personal driver, even if she remained clueless about what type of house he bought.


    Hiro didn''t mind, she probably used his driver as an excuse for the teachers as well.


    Shaking his head, Hiro sent Sebastian a message to prepare the car while he went to change his clothes.


    After communicating with Arabella and learning that everything in the company and the nightclub was fine, he reminded her to ship the first manufactured VR capsule, the S-gear #0 to his mansion.


    Less than fifteen minutes later, the car set off for the school.


    ¡­


    Antique City.


    It was called a city, but it was just a district constructed in the scenic area of the provincial capital; all buildings were constructed of natural wood, and no mechanical forms of transport were allowed into this district.


    It is said that this was a policy passed down for decades now, preserving the sense of antiquity in the district.


    "Aren''t you too excited?" Hiro asked, a little confused as he watched Bella hop from one stall to the next.


    Most of the ''antiques'' on display were old trinkets, nothing worth Bella''s attention.


    Regardless, she treated them as though they were long-lost treasures.


    Well, honestly speaking, some of them were rare treasures in the antique world, as Hiro''s system kept detecting buried treasures among the piles of trinkets.


    Although Hiro discovered them, he wasn''t about to buy them; this wasn''t his goal in coming here.


    "What do you know?!" Bella harrumphed coldly, but her eyes sparkled with interest a moment later as she picked up an old, handmade plushie doll.


    "These things might not be valuable from a profit-oriented market standpoint, but you can feel the care and devotion poured into their creation. These things carry emotions, aspirations, and contentment from the past to our present, and perhaps to a future where neither you nor me exist anymore¡­"


    Bella''s last words came out as a murmur, but Hiro could hear her clearly. He hadn''t expected this goofball chibi to have such deep thoughts about antiques.


    Then again, he could understand where Bella came from. The market can''t determine the value of everything in this world.


    At the end of the day, sentiment carries the most weight and most precious inheritance.


    When Hiro looked at this old town once again and thought back to the government''s policies that aimed to protect and preserve it, he seemed to understand something.


    This district in itself was an antique passed down from generation to generation, and its value in the eyes of the higher-ups must be astronomically high.


    "Haha, well said! Well said, little girl."


    Hiro and Bella turned to the side and they saw an old couple standing right next to them.


    They were holding onto the hands of a chubby little boy, and the boy had the same look of curiosity as Bella''s in his eyes.


    Bella''s eyes shone as she greeted the old couple. "You think so too, Grandpa?"


    Clearly, she was excited to find a kindred spirit in this old man.


    The old man laughed and waved his hand, helping Bella straighten up.


    "Sigh, only when this old man saw through life and death did I realize the value of sentiment and inheritance, allowing me to let go and return to my family in my old days."


    He had a look of appreciation in his eyes and it increased the more he observed Bella''s bubbly character.


    "My sons and daughters are already too old, so I can only hope to pass down this spirit to the next generation. I can only say that I failed them when they were young, and I don''t wish to repeat the same mistake¡­"


    Hiro''s sense of awe gradually disappeared, replaced with impatience.


    Is this old man going to take all day reminiscing life? I don''t have all day¡­


    Seeing that the group of four were chatting happily, Hiro shook his head and wandered off to the nearby stalls.


    As long as he was in the same street as Bella, he could keep an eye on her activities.


    It''s troubling that his scan''s range was limited to 10m; he wouldn''t have to bother with multitasking otherwise.


    Hiro checked the system''s encyclopedia for discovered treasures for the current treasure count, nodding in satisfaction.


    I''ve discovered 37 treasures, I only need about 73 more to get the upgrade. Hiro thought to himself.

 Chapter 51 - 51: A Pocket Dimension With Limitless Growth Potential

    If Hiro wanted to increase the overall level of his dimension''s ecosystem, it would be akin to filling a bottomless pit with the amount of spending necessary.


    He could go down two routes.


    The first is to unlock the living creature''s rudimentary intelligence and leave the rest in the hands of time, and the second is to invest tons of achievement points to directly raise a few wise leaders among the various species.


    Both sides had pros and cons, but Hiro wasn''t patient enough to take the first route.


    After thinking about it, Hiro decided to take the second route and start by increasing the detection range of treasures, and once he located a few promising creatures to be enlightened, he could take advantage of the upcoming away game to raise his popularity.


    Once Hiro gathered sufficient achievement points to enlighten creatures in the masses, his high-priority mission could be considered to have been half completed.


    Hmm, I should find a test subject to check the effect of the enlightenment feature.


    Hiro started looking around his surroundings for small animals. Soon, he found a target.


    It was a small snake, coiled in the shade of a wooden plank. Eh? What''s a snake doing here?


    Hiro was stunned for a moment, but he didn''t think too much about it. With a twirl of his finger, the wind pressed down on the snake to immobilize it.


    Alarmed, the snake started struggling and wiggling around, but it was useless.


    After approaching the snake, Hiro placed his hand on its head and spent one achievement point to bestow it with heightened intelligence.


    A stream of mysterious energy that felt both familiar and unfamiliar transferred from Hiro''s hand to the snake''s brain.


    The white snake''s sleek body trembled for a moment before calming down. Hiro canceled the wind''s pressure and waited patiently.


    A few seconds later, the white snake moved.


    It slithered along Hiro''s arm, climbed to his shoulder, and started to nuzzle its triangular head against his cheek.


    Hiro raised an eyebrow.


    Wait, don''t tell me this ability comes with an automatic brainwashing effect? Honestly, it''s quite convenient.


    Hiro was tempted to try this ability on humans. However, he denied it a moment later.


    Not because of some morality or bottom line, but because he didn''t have the achievement points to spend on human experimentation.


    Maybe after the away game if I had the points to spare¡­ Hiro thought to himself.


    He then reached with his finger and tapped the snake''s head, simultaneously investing 10 achievement points to elevate its intelligence to that of a human toddler''s level.


    The snake''s eyes widened and glazed over; its head wobbled about before it snapped back to its senses.


    Suddenly, Hiro had a weird feeling.


    He focused, trying to grasp this fleeting sensation, and soon, he realized¡ªtelepathy.


    He looked at the snake in shock. A mental connection?


    Hiro realized that he could read the snake''s thoughts, even though they surfaced in his mind in fragmented images.


    It was an inexplicable feeling, but he was sure of his intuition. It silently expressed its desire for a¡­ A name?


    Hiro thought for a moment. He didn''t know much about naming animals since he didn''t have pets in the past.


    However, he did read a lot of fiction and myths during his free time.


    Hiro expressed his opinion, "Since you''re a snake, how about Medusa? She''s pretty popular in my hometown."


    The white snake shook its tail and hissed happily, and so, Hiro decided on its name and gender in one go.


    Hiro spent a couple of hours roaming the antique city together with Bella, and he even bought a few useless trinkets for the girl.


    Soon, his encyclopedia registered over 1,000 different treasures of varying values, and some of them were Paranormal treasures.


    Although Hiro was surprised to find them, he didn''t care to buy them since they were mostly silverware to ward vampires or statues of deities.


    Although unwilling, Bella eventually called her family''s driver to get her home while Hiro returned to his mansion, quickly locking himself up in the study.


    Once inside, he opened the portal and stepped in.


    ¡­


    Hiro appeared in a hollow concave near the core of the dimension.


    "I didn''t expect the Fantasy Crystal to have this effect too," Hiro muttered as he crossed his arms.


    No matter how he looked at it, his first priority mission couldn''t justify such a reward.


    At the moment, the Fantasy Crystal was fusing with the core of this small dimension, slowly integrating the entire pocket dimension into his system.


    He could already see a stats panel for the dimension, and the fusion rate between the immaterial and material dimensions was also displayed.


    Judging from the system''s assessment, this pocket dimension was a minor realm, and it was still in the early development phase.


    Every pocket dimension had a core of its own, but what makes Hiro''s pocket dimension special is that it had already nurtured a will of its own, all thanks to the existence of the Fantasy Crystal.


    More aptly described, Hiro''s will is being integrated into the core of the pocket dimension as the fusion between the core and the crystal is carried out.


    Furthermore, with the Fantasy Crystal as a medium connecting this realm to Hiro, whenever he completed a game and added its laws into the crystal, the core of this pocket dimension would digest the laws and discharge them into the pocket dimension.


    Put bluntly, if Hiro wanted this pocket dimension to be capable of nurturing demons; all he had to do was complete a game with demons as the focal point of its storyline.


    That goes to say that at the moment, the world is slowly but surely getting saturated with elemental-attributed spiritual energy.


    Hiro wanted to step out and leave, but Medusa started expressing her thoughts frantically, catching his attention. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He almost forgot that he had a snake perched on his shoulder.


    "You want to go up there?" Hiro asked to confirm, feeling incredulous.


    Medusa fervently expressed its agreement.


    After thinking about it for a while, Hiro picked it up and placed it beneath the floating, multicolored orb.


    Bathing in the multicolored light, Medusa expressed her joy before it coiled all over herself, burying her head and going still a moment later.


    Hiro observed her for a while, then shook his head and left. Whatever, let it do what it wants for now; it''s just a child.


    Hiro synchronized with his Arcana Lord for a split second to teleport back to the surface of the pocket dimension.


    In that split second, the world shook imprecisely. Hiro heaved a sigh of relief and wiped his sweat.


    He thoughtfully changed his entrance point from the core of the pocket dimension to the open plains outside.


    He looked around.


    Unlike the poisoned pocket dimension on the verge of collapse, this one was a vast world brimming with verdant hills, towering mountains, open meadows, and running rivers.


    Although it didn''t have any seas or oceans, there were plenty of massive lakes; some of the mountains were anchored in the middle of the largest lakes.


    There was no sun and no moon, but a wide astronomical belt covered the sky from one horizon to the other.


    It was multicolored, like a rainbow, and its luminosity varied in intensity; sometimes it was so bright it resembled the midday sun, and sometimes it was gentle and dim, like the full moon on a summer night.


    After enjoying his surroundings for a while, Hiro spread out his treasure scanning halo and started walking around.


    At the moment, this pocket dimension wasn''t very stable, as the integration between the core and the Fantasy Crystal had yet to be completed.


    The higher the degree of integration, the firmer this pocket dimension''s foundation and correspondingly, the higher its degree of tolerance.


    Until then, this pocket dimension is sealed to outsiders, with Hiro being the sole exception.


    After walking around for half a day, Hiro found many natural treasures in the form of plants, precious stones, and rare creatures.


    As he walked around, enlightening the leaders in each pack of wild beasts and the oldest plants in a range of flora, Hiro finally stopped when he spent a total of 4,220 points.


    His achievement points count fell to a rounded figure¡ª5,000 points to be exact.


    He used 1,000 enlightenment option on four creatures in the four directions respectively, making each of them a lord in their respective regions.


    As for the other 220 points, he ended up spending them on a whim when he found a family of fluffy, tri-pupil squirrels.


    Each of the parents was bestowed with the intelligence of a toddler, while each of their two children was bestowed with the intelligence of an infant.


    It was done on a whim because Hiro realized that other than these four, he couldn''t find any creatures of a similar species.


    And they weren''t living in a tree hole, but rather in an underground rockery that trickled with a sweet, spiritual nectar.


    It could be said that Hiro did this out of curiosity and a sense of investment, leaving him with a sense of anticipation toward their future.


    Once this matter was over, Hiro was delighted to find that the integration process jumped to 41%.

 Chapter 52 - 52: Noire City

    Time moved on, and one week later, Hiro found himself on the soccer team''s school bus in the open parking lot.


    "Shit dude, isn''t this your Class Advisor and Homeroom Teacher? Wasn''t she on an emergency leave of absence?" Hiro''s thoughts were brought back to the present when Vanti elbowed his side.


    Hiro lifted his hea off the bus''s window and looked down the aisle. Then, a hint of surprised glimmer in his eyes.


    I almost forgot about her¡­ Wait, don''t tell me she didn''t come back to school all this time?


    For a while now, Hiro was doing his schoolwork from home since he no longer had any missions related to school.


    He didn''t know whether she came back to school or not, but based on Vanti''s expression and words, she only came back today.


    As he was thinking, Teacher Aiya walked toward them and said to Vanti, "Vacate this seat for me, student."


    "Oh," Vanti was stunned for a moment, late to react. Teacher Aiya had to repeat herself once again before he finally snapped out of it and hurried to stand up.


    "Sure, sure," Vanti uttered in a fluster. "I was warming up this seat for you anyway, teacher¡­"


    Hiro shook his head. "Dumbass¡­"


    Vanti scurried away.


    Teacher Aiya pressed down on her pencil skirt and sat down, her motion naturally drawing Hiro''s gaze to her black leggings and thick thighs.


    He blinked his eyes before turning his gaze away. Luckily, she didn''t notice it.


    "Is everything okay?" Hiro asked, stretching lazily. Honestly, he didn''t care¡ªbut it was polite to ask.


    "It was over when I gave up my shares of our assets to him, now I''m living with my parents," Teacher Aiya responded.


    She added after a while, "I might have to quit school as well, the guy behind my ex isn''t pleased and it might impact my school life."


    Hiro raised an eyebrow. He wondered if she took advantage of the away game so she could find the time to relax.


    Hiro turned his head around the bus and to his astonishment, many students were using the S-gear VR helmets.


    The new operating system was installed in the helmets, allowing them to play the Seeker''s Legend without a hitch.


    Thinking about it, the fusion rate was moving up the last week, already reaching up to 68% even without Hiro''s direct involvement.


    It would make sense if this all happened due to the game''s popularity exploding.


    However, Hiro quickly returned his attention to the matter at hand and asked, "You don''t want to quit teaching, do you?"


    Seeing her brows furrowed, Hiro sighed.


    Then, he pulled out his phone and texted Rosaline, asking if she had enough time to have a call.


    After that time when he called Bella and she was still in class, Hiro decided to check whether or not he could call someone before doing it.


    When he received the green light from Rosaline, he called.


    "What are you doing?" Teacher Aiya asked in a hushed voice.


    She didn''t have to do that, though.


    The students in their immediate vicinity were occupied with playing VR games, and no one was paying particular attention to them.


    Hiro gestured for her to keep quiet for a moment before he answered the call.


    Then, he briefly explained the situation to Rosaline, putting great emphasis on how many of the teachers are being oppressed through blackmail materials while others have sold themselves out.


    Although Rosaline was just a student and the school was a state-owned institution, her Rosch family still had a say in the political circle.


    At the very least, outsiders would have to tip-toe their way around her influence if they wanted to scheme in the dark.


    But that''s all there was to it¡ªschemes in the dark; once Rosaline started actively paying attention to the situation, the entire game would change.


    A few minutes later, Hiro ended the call with Rosaline and said, "It should be a done deal now, you don''t have to worry about it."


    On the other end, Rosaline put her phone down on the desk in the student council room and sighed.


    "It took him so long to finally ask for my help, and here I thought such a day would never come¡­" Rosaline shook her head, smiled, and picked up the phone again to make some inquiries of her own.


    It seems like she needed to spend the spring break cleaning up the maggots in her school lest they ruin her future arrangements.


    ¡­


    Teacher Aiya didn''t know what to say.


    She had no clue who Hiro called or what was about to happen after the call, but she had a feeling that the school was about to change somehow.


    Not knowing what to say, she fell silent. As for Hiro, he closed his eyes, giving off the feeling that he had gone to sleep.


    Seeing this, Teacher Aiya didn''t say anything else and closed her eyes to rest. At the very least, she knew that she could relax her tense nerves when she was next to Hiro.


    She didn''t know why, but her intuition said so.


    ¡­


    Millions of colors stacked and then stretched infinitely, later exploding in a familiar pattern before Hiro''s consciousness arrived at the system space.


    For the past week, Hiro spent over a month and a half doing missions in the simulation space¡ªincreasing his proficiency in the various spells, learning martial arts, and getting along with various female elders and faction leaders in the sect. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He was already at the peak of the Soul Origin realm, and he only needed to go through the tribulation to ascend to Tier-5 standards.


    However, Hiro didn''t dare to take that step.


    If both his ace characters became a burden rather than a trump card, what was he supposed to do?


    With that in mind, Hiro focused on the lottery box instead. With 90 gems, he was tempted to run the ten-item lottery ticket at least once.


    Without hesitation, Hiro spent the 30 gems and watched as a multicolored box dropped from the lottery screen.


    The box spun crazily, beams of light shooting out, and then it exploded.


    Notifications poured down, and most of them were consolation prizes of additional achievement points.


    In total, Hiro earned back 3,000 achievement points, rounding his points up to 8,000.


    Among the rewards, five pulls were of substantial value¡ªfive mystery boxes hovered in the system space.


    [Notice: You''ve obtained 1x Level 1 Mass Enlightnemt scroll.]


    [Notice: You''ve obtained 5x Cosmetic Key.]


    [Notice: You''ve obtained an 80% Discount Voucher.]


    [Notice: You''ve acquired 100% of Stargaze Comfort shares.]


    ¡­


    Information poured into Hiro''s mind.


    Mass Enlightment Scroll¡ªbestows level 1 intelligence to creatures in a certain range, determined by the number of achievement points invested for each 1m diameter at a rate of 1:1.


    Discount Voucher¡ªone-time use indiscriminate discount on all items in the system shop.


    As for Stargaze Comfort, it was a chain of five-star hotels, hot springs, and spa entertainment centers in the region.


    It''s a private company that didn''t get listed yet so no one knows about its financial situation.


    However, its estimated value is around 3 billion dollars¡ªdomestic currency.


    ¡­


    Hiro''s attention went to the Mass Enlightenment scroll. The level 1 enlightenment cost 1 achievement point to begin with, so the only upside to this item was the area of effect benefit.


    It could save Hiro a lot of time if he ever decided to awaken the intelligence of all living creatures within a certain range, but whether that was good or bad, Hiro didn''t know yet.


    The second best option was the discount voucher.


    Hiro could use it to buy something he once deemed to be too expensive. For example, he could use it to cut down the price of a summoning ritual token from 10,000 achievement points to 2,000.


    Another use would be to purchase games, especially since games are sold in the system shop for gems.


    An 80% discount on gem spending is very tempting.


    Another option was to buy a weapon, an awakening potion, a powerful spell manual, or anything practical for his current self.


    Honestly, Hiro had too many options, but he only had one discount voucher.


    If only this was a wholesale voucher for everything on my purchase cart, things would have been much simpler¡­


    Hiro shook his head and decided to keep the voucher away for now, since he couldn''t decide on what to buy.


    After sorting out his rewards, Hiro entered the simulation space and continued to solidfy his character''s foundation.


    Luckily, he discovered the weaknesses early on and still had the time to amend for those mistakes. Otherwise, he would have turned into a paper tiger¡ªsomeone with nothing more than a high cultivation base but nothing else to show.


    ¡­


    Time passed, and six hours later, the school bus finally entered its destination, Noire City.


    For this friendly competition, the Noire Education Committee went all out as the hosts.


    From reception, food, lodging, entertainment, and tour around the city''s attractions.


    The brochure featured everything to be expected on this two weeks long vacation in Noire.


    The match was set three days before the spring break''s last day, allowing the students from both schools to mingle and get along.


    The higher ups had a simple thought in mind for setting things up this way.


    Hopefully, the two teams would get along well so that the loser wouldn''t have any bad taste in their mouths afterwards.


    Hopefully.

 Chapter 53 - 53: Relaxing Two Weeks

    If they followed the universal scheme, Noire City could be considered a third-tier city at best, not at all comparable to a first-tier city like the provincial capital.


    Then again, each province could afford to maintain one top-tier city, and this is when talking about a superpower country like the Nexus Country.


    Some countries can''t afford to keep up with the standards of top-tier cities, even though Hiro was oblivious to the hidden conditions a city must meet to earn its position as a top-tier city.


    As for countries, at least from the Paranormal Society standpoint, Hiro understood that a superpower country has control over many pocket dimensions with friendly environments towards humans.


    It was an open secret at this point in time.


    Hiro''s thoughts were simple; since the brutal war decades ago started due to the discovery of those pocket dimensions, could it be that the registered loss of billions of lives was a smokescreen practiced by some countries to facilitate an easier migration?


    How deep is the foundation of the superpowers? How many generations of humans have been raised in the pocket dimension? What are the odds that most of those humans were now Paranormals thanks to the nourishment of the dimension''s laws?


    The more Hiro understood the Paranormal Society, the less he understood the current world.


    He still couldn''t see things clearly. It was too scary.


    "What are you thinking about? Dude, this is a vacation! Do I have to spell it out for you? Stop having that ''I have the world on my shoulders'' expression and relax!"


    Vanti ambushed Hiro with a slap on the shoulder the moment they left the bus station.


    "For once in your life, Vee, you''re right," Hiro rubbed his shoulder and smiled.


    He decided to spend the next few days as a normal high schooler without much worries in his mind.


    Hiro recognized that he didn''t have any pressing matters to call for his immediate attention.


    His company? Arabella is doing just fine, especially with the contracts to create new VR games on a joint venture with other companies.


    His high-priority mission? The four beast kings in the four directions are doing fine, except for the fact that with higher intelligence, their desires and ambitions are getting amplified.


    Conflicts over territory are bound to happen, but what was a pleasant surprise to Hiro was that once a creature with high spirituality died, their souls broke down into as many fragments as was required for blank reincarnation.


    In a sense, if a creature''s intelligence was high enough as reflected upon their spirituality, one death could result in the birth of tens or hundreds of creatures.


    As for these newly born creatures, while the intelligence and spirituality of their fragmented souls would be low, the potential would still be there.


    Once he made this discovery, Hiro almost tossed humans into his pocket dimension and used them as living sacrifices.


    Most people didn''t believe in the existence of souls, but as a transmigrator, Hiro would be the first to slap such people in the face.


    Hiro realized that his thoughts had arrived at a bleak, dark place¡ªand he quickly shook himself out of it.


    So what if sacrificing human lives can escalate the development of my pocket dimension? I''m not that desperate.


    Thinking about it, how old is this world? How many billions of lives were lost to the river of time and the mindless wars? Most of the landmass now lay in ruins across the vast oceans, but this world is still as fragile.


    Hiro forgot that the current world''s source of mystical energy was the countless pocket dimensions feeding power into the world and that this world didn''t have an energy core of its own.


    Otherwise, it might have long evolved into something greater than a pocket dimension, a realm, or a small world.


    However, it was fine that Hiro didn''t know.


    At the very least, these things aren''t something he should dabble into at the moment. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After sorting out his thoughts, Hiro approached Vanti, wrapped his arm around this good friend''s shoulder, and chuckled.


    "Alright Vee, let''s have fun and relax while we still can. I''m afraid that the locals will murder us once I wipe the floor with their soccer team."


    Vanti blinked, not expecting the sudden wave of enthusiasm. It was rare to see Hiro without a deep frown or an absentminded gaze.


    "I know a good gaming workshop nearby," Vanti tested the waters. "Are you coming with? Seeker''s Legend is a pretty good game."


    Hiro cinged hard. "No, pick something else¡ªif I wanted to relax in the real world, why would I dive into a simulation game?"


    Hiro thought for a moment and said, "Let''s go to a waterpark, the zoo, the shopping centers, or anything like an entertainment facility¡ªI haven''t tried karaoke yet, I also heard that there''s a good ice skating ring in this city."


    Vanti had a serious expression as he asked in a deep voice, "You''re paying for it?"


    Hiro blinked. "Of course, why not?"


    Vanti laughed heartily and patted Hiro''s back, yelling to the bus behind them, "Guys! Come on quickly, our ace striker will bring you to experience the world of the rich!"


    Hiro''s eyes widened. However, before he could say anything, a host of hot-blooded students rushed over.


    "Eh?" Hiro blinked and rubbed his eyes. "It''s fine if Kenshin was here, but where did Marcus show up from?"


    Marcus smiled. "I''m the only willing errand boy in our year, so¡­"


    Bullshit, Hiro exclaimed inside his heart.


    As if I''d buy such an excuse.


    Wait¡­ Hiro''s eyes glimmered as he silently used the treasure-scanning feature on Marcus.


    Then¡­ his entire body exploded with golden light.


    I fucking knew it! Hiro almost yelled the moment he confirmed the ridiculous number of magical treasures on Marcus'' body.


    "I''ll be supervising your group activities in the city to avoid any misunderstandings or accidents."


    Looking back, Hiro noticed that Teacher Aiya had also arrived, and her excuse was quite solid.


    Helpeds, Hiro laughed and decided not to think about it.


    For these two weeks, he would just take it as having a small field trip with his friends and schoolmates.


    ¡­


    Ever since he transmigrated, these must have been the most relaxed two weeks Hiro had experienced.


    He didn''t enter the system space, he didn''t check the notifications, he didn''t contact Arabella, he didn''t check the PARA app, he didn''t do any of that.


    During the day, he would relax and play.


    During the night, he would relax and sleep.


    Today was the eve of the friendly soccer match with Noire''s Third High, and the students of both teams decided to spend the evening in one of the large resorts in the city.


    Of course, Hiro paid for the full booking.


    His extravagance and generosity stunned a lot of people, but it also helped him make a lot of friends.


    Male friends, female friends, and special friends¡­


    ¡­


    Resonating laughter and giggles in a five-star hotel suite woke Hiro up from a satisfying slumber.


    He slowly opened his eyes, and his bodily senses flickered to life at the same moment.


    A sensation of heavy softness pressed on Hiro''s chest as flashes from last night''s special massage service flooded his mind.


    Well, unsurprisingly, the special massage escalated to something pink and fluffy in the large hotel suite.


    Looking down at the beautiful brunette''s head occupying his chest, Hiro pulled up the silky covers from her lower back up to her shoulders before slowly disentangling himself from her tight hug.


    The door to the bathing chambers was wide open, allowing the laughter and conversation between the number of girls inside to echo out.


    "Haha, when you called for reinforcements last night, I thought you were joking with me."


    "Aya~ I wish I was joking, I wouldn''t have called for you if the two of us could have handled it. Sigh, poor Mei Mei is still sleeping like a log of wood! I doubt she''d wake up anytime soon."


    "Haha, who told you to tempt death? He didn''t ask for special service, but you had to push your buttons with such a cute guy."


    ¡­


    Hearing the conversations, Hiro shook his head with a bitter smile. Well, there goes his V-card, and he can''t even remember which one of the girls took it.


    The lights were too dim at the time.


    However, from their conversation, it should have been this brunette who took the brunt of the assault.


    Hiro went to the clothing rack in the corner where his clothes had been neatly arranged for him. Just as he was sorting them out and deciding what to wear, a wet and warm body hugged him from behind.


    What followed was a giggle and, "What are you doing? You can''t leave without having a good bath to clean your body. Come, us sisters will scrub you clean¡­ I promise we won''t bite this time."


    Hearing her reminder, Hiro turned to look at the bite marks on his left shoulder with a chuckle.


    "Well, I can''t guarantee that I won''t bite, though."


    As he said that, Hiro spun around and carried the eldest and most mature of the girls in his arms, and as she wrapped her legs around his firm waist, another off-screen action scene played out.

 Chapter 54 - 54: Skill Chart

    "You got yourself a girlfriend?" Vanti asked with a weird look when Hiro arrived at the meeting place for the school''s soccer team.


    Since each and every student had their own interests, Hiro eventually handed out cash allowances for the students to spend while he spent the last two days enjoying himself.


    Vanti hadn''t expected that a local brunette would tag along behind Hiro when they met today.


    Hiro shrugged. "Not a girlfriend, more like a local friend with benefits¡­"


    Vanti quickly jumped forward, covered Hiro''s mouth, and pulled him aside. "Don''t say that stuff in front of other people, you idiot! Men want face, women want face too! Sigh¡­"


    Vanti then began to educate Hiro on the ways of the world in hushed whispers.


    Basically, even if it''s a fantasy bubble¡ªif it looks beautiful¡ªdon''t pop it. It''s enough that the two people involved know that it''s just a fantasy, but it''s not necessary to advertise it.


    Hiro felt a little embarrassed and laughed to cover it up, readily agreeing.


    Then, Vanti turned over to the beautiful brunette and introduced himself, "Sister-in-law, you can call me Vee, but my name is Vanti."


    She chuckled and covered her mouth, her eyes rippling as she responded, "Jessica, but you can call me Jessie, just like my friends do."


    Vanti was about to say something when the other nine starting players, the substitute players, and the benched players arrived one by one.


    They entered through the school''s front gate, most of them having one thing in common.


    They either had one or two girls leaning against their bodies, laughing and chatting along.


    Vanti felt lost for a moment.


    What happened to integrity? What happened to morality? How come everyone has girls fawning all over them? Was I the only one who spent his money on gaming workshops?!


    What was difficult for Vanti to understand was the fact that even Marcus, the errand boy, had a blue-haired beauty strung to his arm.


    Hiro also noticed this, and he was tempted to scan her body for treasures because this was truly something unexpected, but he decided against it.


    It wasn''t easy to get this far with the mindset of an ordinary high-school student, and he wasn''t about to let this experience slip away due to a moment of curiosity.


    Soon, the teachers arrived.


    They were the coach, Teacher Aiya, and a local teacher who happened to be the coach''s assistant.


    "I see that everyone is here," he checked the time on his watch while smiling. "This match will be broadcast on the internal channel of the Sports Committee of the Provincial Educational Department, I hope everyone will do their best."


    "On the what?!" S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "There will be a live broadcast?!"


    "This my first time hearing about this, will this affect our grades?"


    "Haha, my university scholarship is in sight!"


    ¡­


    The reactions of the crowd were mixed, but confusion was the prevalent sentiment among the students.


    Forget the students, even Teacher Aiya was a little surprised.


    Looking around, Hiro noticed that Vanti had a faint smile; it was the common "As expected," expression.


    "You knew about this?" Hiro asked in a hushed tone.


    "Of course," Vanti replied smugly. "How can I mess up on such an opportunity? I had to pull some strings and call in some favors, or else this pie would have landed on Group A''s lap."


    He then patted Hrio''s shoulder. "You don''t have to thank me, brother. Just introduce me to a cute local friend later, I feel like I''m the only one missing out."


    Hiro wasn''t even paying attention to Vanti''s stupid request, his mind was calculating how much fame he could get from this soccer match.


    His social media would explode, and he would get a ton of friends and followers on iMessage newsfeed.


    Forget that loads of achievement points he could get his hands on, how many of Mr. Popular''s chain missions would be completed in one go?


    Forget it, I''ll just go all out! Hiro''s eyes shone brilliantly as he excused himself to make a phone call.


    ¡­


    Sciatis Holdings Limited, Chief Executive Office.


    Seated behind the desk while no less than twenty holographic screens shuttled back and forth in front of her, Arabella''s fingers were like a blurred image while tapping away on five holographic keyboards.


    Her mind was in a state of absolute focus as she reviewed the statistics of the companies that signed a cooperation agreement with them.


    Then, a notification of an incoming high-priority call caught her eye, and after confirming the identity of the caller, she immediately answered while simultaneously putting everything else aside.


    "Master? You want to sponsor the broadcast of a high-school soccer match? Broadcast directly on Seeker''s Legend internal channel? Alright, alright, I understand."


    Soon, a server-wide announcement was made on the Seeker''s Legend game.


    Those who tune in to watch the live broadcast will earn a 40% reduction cost on all expenditures in the game for a week.


    The game would also provide a portal for the top 5 players of the game, leading directly to their social media profiles.


    Then, Arabella called the Committee of Sports and donated 5 million international credits in the name of the S-gear Technology Department, rewarding a million to each of the top three players in the match and leaving the rest in the hands of the committee.


    In less than fifteen minutes, the entire stage was set, and all that was left was for the broadcast to start.


    ¡­


    Perhaps only Hiro understood the magnitude of the upcoming match, hence why he was so focused while waiting in the locker rooms prepared for the visiting team.


    He sat alone in a corner, his brain working overdrive to bring out all the professional soccer skills in his mind, enhancing them with his muscle memory from the professional combat skills.


    "Maybe we shouldn''t have let him know that this match will be going live?" Vanti whispered to Marcus, who was holding a bucket of ice and canned soda.


    Marcus thought for a moment, took out a small ice cube and tossed it in his mouth, and chewed on it for a while.


    Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!


    Swallowing the cold ice, Marcus shrugged helplessly and said, "Look at him, he looks like he''s about to give it his 9,000%; I don''t see what''s the problem."


    Vanti touched his chin.


    "The problem is, if he''s too outstanding, I''d feel like I prepared all of this and stood out to gain nothing! People won''t say ''Look at those two! A perfect assist and perfect scoring!'' They will only think that this dude is good while my role is inconsequential¡­ They''d think that anyone could replace me! This is not good¡­"


    "Indeed that''s not good," Marcus nodded his head seriously and sighed. "But you''re venting your heart out to the wrong person, I don''t have such worries. I can securely occupy this errand boy seat uncontested."


    Vanti stared blankly for a moment. Then, he shook his head and went to another corner, his expression sharpening to a point where it was a splitting image of Hiro''s.


    Slowly, this caused a ripple effect and the once cozy and relaxed atmosphere tensed up.


    Thud!


    In another corner, Kenshin also sat down with his chin on his joined knuckles, elbows on his knees, and his eyes narrowed sharply.


    Soon, there was no more chatter and banter in the room, and all of a sudden, Marcus felt out of place.


    Not to be ostracized, he also found a place to sit, his gaze burning holes into the ice bucket, a solemn expression in his eyes as he found something to distract himself.


    When the coach walked in while dragging the blackboard to revise the game plan, he almost got a fright from the cold and gloomy atmosphere in the room.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Everyone''s gaze shifted to the coach.


    He gulped, feeling as though thin steel needles were about to puncture his skin.


    Before he could talk, Hiro stood up and like a gust of wind, he grabbed the chalk and the blackboard before pulling it to the center of the room.


    Then, he got his hands on the coach''s terminal and pulled out all the data on the students and their respective analyses.


    The information provided by the system was all-inclusive¡ªit''s just that Hiro focused all his attention on the most lucrative position in the field.


    However, now he needed to study the capabilities of all his teammates to draw the perfect balance and game plan.


    With that in mind, he tweaked the blackboard and operated the hologram projection feature before connecting it to the terminal.


    Then, he sorted out the files of the students with Ei''s help, projecting an individual, all-inclusive skill tree for each student.


    Everyone stared blankly at the chart that popped out of nowhere.


    [Skill Tree: Ball Skills, Passing, Shooting, Defense, Physical, Mental, Goalkeeper.]


    [Ball Skills]: Ball Control, Dribbling.


    [Passing]: Crossing, Short Pass, Long Pass.


    [Shooting]: Heading, Shot Power, Finishing, Long Shots, Curve, Free Kicks Acc, Penalties, Volleys.


    [Defense]: Marking, Slide Tackle, Stand Tackle.


    [Physical]: Acceleration, Stamina, Strength, Balance, Sprint Speed, Agility, Jumping.


    [Mental]: Aggression, Reactions, Att. Position, Interceptions, Vision, Composure.


    [Goalkeeper]: GK Positioning, GK Diving, GK Handling, GK Kicking, GK Reflexes.


    ¡­


    Then, Hiro''s hands blurred as each student''s profile was assigned a different chart with different statistics, stunning them even more.

 Chapter 55 - 55: 300k

    At the end of the day, students were only students, and they could only be considered soccer enthusiasts at most.


    Hiro''s only compromise was to develop a game plan where each student would be squeezed dry in the efforts of setting the stage for him.


    Thus, as expected, a weird scene played out on the live broadcast.


    The Group B soccer team from the provincial capital''s Inter-High would follow only two tactics, aptly described as contraction and expansion.


    When the ball was with the opposition, two rings of players, a circle of three followed by a circle of five would close the net on the ball''s position.


    Once the ball was retrieved, they would leave the field to three players, namely Hiro, Vanti, and Kenshin while the rest of the players tried their best to intercept the opposition.


    As long as Hiro made it into the penalty box, doesn''t matter from which position, all it takes is one shot and the ball would curve beautifully into the net from an inconceivable angle.


    Hiro and Vanti helped Kenshin score some goals too, but for the most part, Hiro flipped the game into a one-sided display of professional soccer skills.


    Once the final whistle for the second half resounded, the entire stadium and rows upon rows of locals looked at the scoreboard blankly.


    Some were cursing, some closed their eyes and shame, and some were crying hoarsely while throwing their garbage at the resting benches of the local soccer team.


    By now, almost everyone knew that the match was being broadcasted live, and they felt humiliated.


    03:11!


    The scoreboard was 03:11 in favor of the away team!


    Hiro alone scored eight goals while he left a hat trick for Kenshin!


    About five goals were wasted because he wasted his time either dribbling or fooling around, toying with the other players'' feelings.


    Today was a complete and utter disaster, and no amount of previous bounding or spending money on mutual activity could bury such hatred under the rug in such a short amount of time.


    Thus, the coach wisely withdrew from the post-game celebration dinner and hurried stowed the students in the bus, driving back to the provincial capital without a word of goodbye.


    He was scared that if they lingered for an hour more, some students would be sent to the hospital bed, not a booked hotel.


    ¡­


    Inter-High''s school bus.


    Everyone was quiet, and even if they weren''t keeping silent, they were discussing in hushed whispers.


    Despite the great, blood-boiling victory, no one expressed it through celebratory applause, laughter, or dancing.


    The reason was simple, Hiro was sleeping.


    Well, everyone thought that Hiro had drafted and exhausted himself to the point where the moment he settled on his seat, he fell asleep.


    His head even tilted to the side little by little until he leaned comfortably on Teacher Aiya''s shoulder, but she didn''t act repulsed nor pushed him away.


    Rather, she too closed her eyes.


    The last two weeks were a much-needed mental distraction for her, especially when she received news from the school about a potential promotion.


    She didn''t know what happened exactly, but she attributed it to Hiro pulling some strings in the background.


    As for Hiro, he was immersed in the world of Transcendent Daoist. Although he was committed to not using the system for two weeks, he wasn''t about to waste 14 weeks of cultivation time.


    That''s 440,000,000 worth of CB at the very least. True, Hiro wasn''t planning to advance from the peak of the Origin Soul realm to the next major realm anytime soon, and for two reasons.


    First, the majority of the known pocket dimension can''t withstand the power of his Arcana Lord character, and he wasn''t about to make a similar mistake with his Daoist character.


    Second, he still felt like his foundation was too lacking, and while he would lose his accumulated CB when leaving from one sect to learn the techniques of a different sect, he could always invest the CB somewhere else.


    For example, the cultivation of the physical body.


    Body refinement had always been a thing in the wuxia lore, and this game was no exception.


    After paying sufficient contribution points to the sect, Hiro received the necessary scrolls to train in body refinement.


    Afterward, he dumped all his CB into the body refinement realms. Some major tribulations were failure, and wasting a considerable amount of his CBA, but Hiro didn''t mind.


    Soon, his body cultivation reached the fifth realm, catching up to his spirit qi cultivation base.


    He was one step away on both ends from reaching the Tier-4 standards of his current world.


    The benefit is obvious, he could fuse the laws of immortal cultivation into his Unfathomable dimension, as the games exchanged through vouchers would end when Hiro''s characters reached a certain level of strength.


    As for the disadvantages, they were also obvious because Hiro couldn''t risk synchronizing with a character above the Tier-5 Rank-S standards.


    As far as Hiro was concerned, as long as it didn''t involve the New World, only a select few could truly threaten his life at the moment.


    Once he settled on a new game and leveled up his character to Tier-5 standards, then he would gladly take that step and complete the current game.


    Sadly, this game''s format was useless for VR gaming, else he would have made use of the game''s source code.


    Before Hiro left the sect to join one of the top sects with harsher requirements, he returned to the system space and scrolled through the notifications for the past two weeks.


    As he was scrolling through, one notification caught his eye.


    [Notice: Triggered love at first sight! Jessica has fallen in love with you.]


    ¡­


    Well, this explains a lot¡­ However, thinking about how Jessica was a service girl in a five-star hotel, Hiro felt a little off.


    She''s not going to quit her job and devote herself to a one-side love now, is she?


    Hiro didn''t think too much about it.


    The system remained somewhat silent throughout the two weeks, save for the occasional +5 achievement points when some of the local students added him on iMessage.


    Then, toward the last few hours, the expected explosion of achievement points happened.


    Hiro looked at the dense pack of +5 notifications with a wide grin. Judging by his total number of achievement points, a very small percentage of the gamers who watched the live stream went out of their way to follow his public account.


    Regardless, this was by far the greatest harvest of achievement points up to date.


    Hiro opened his friend''s list and pulled over the Mr. Popular chain mission tag.


    He focused on the friend count and the attached rewards. At first, it was just an increase in charm and charisma, and it kept rising till the chance of triggering love at first sight stopped at 10%.


    Then, practical rewards started pouring in.


    [Notice: You''ve achieved a milestone of 100,000 friends, completing the "Mr. Popular" chain mission.


    [Reward 1: You''ve acquired the skill {Telepathy} and can use it on all living creatures.


    Reward 2: 30 gems.]


    ¡­


    [Notice: You''ve achieved a milestone of 200,000 friends, completing the "Mr. Popular" chain mission.


    [Reward 1: You''ve upgraded the {Simulation Space} and it can now be used as an independent cultivation space.


    [Reward 2: 1x Magic Dragon Summoning Token.]


    ¡­


    [Notice: You''ve achieved a milestone of 300,000 friends, completing the "Mr. Popular" chain mission.


    [Reward 1: 1x Level 2 Mass Enlightenment Scroll.


    [Reward 2: 80% Discount Voucher.]


    ¡­


    [Notice: You''ve reached the limit of gaining friends through this platform, please think of another way to establish connections.]


    ¡­ S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hiro was stunned.


    Doing the math, it seemed like this wasn''t a loophole by the system, but it was bait instead.


    300,000 followers from his social media public account were allocated to his friends list, and the limit was capped.


    Hiro began to sweat since he had no idea how to gather more friends. After thinking about it, his eyes shone.


    Maybe I should start a guild in a VR game and have people add me as friends there? It should work, right? System?


    [Notice: Your virtual persona can indeed make friends, but the limit is capped at 300,000 friends just as well.]


    Hiro expected this, but he didn''t care.


    If the key lie in which identity he used to make friends, he could easily rotate professions in real life.


    He can make 300k friends as a gamer, 300k friends as a teacher, 300k friends as a doctor, 300k friends as a policeman¡­


    The list can be endless.


    This is why Hiro felt like it was a trap.


    The system was forcing his hand again!


    However, he wasn''t against the idea, as it was also a challenge.


    Looking at his list of rewards, what Hiro liked the most was the upgrade to the {Simulation Space}


    It became a possibility for him to use it as a cultivation room in real life!


    Although it was just a single room that only he could enter, it was technically a private pocket dimension with a time dilation feature.


    Best of all, it was something for his real body, not the synchronization characters!

 Chapter 56 - 56: My Domain High-Priority Mission Reward

    It took Hiro a lot of time to calm down after learning what an upgraded {Simulaion Space} entailed.


    If it could be upgraded once again, does this mean I can simulate the environment of the completed games and try them with my real body? Hiro thought to himself in glee.


    Hiro quickly pulled up his real-life character sheet.


    [Name: Hiro Sciatis]


    Class: Sorcerer.


    Level: 32.


    XP: 88%


    Spells: Sorcerer''s Guide to the Five Elements, Infinite Sword Matrix.


    AP: 1,511,183.


    Gems: 90.


    Servants: Succubus Arabella (Lvl 13).


    Skills: Immersive Reading, Professional Calligraphy, Analytical Mind, Professional Combat, Professional Soccer, Espionage I, Telepathy.


    Inventory: Dimensional Key, 80% Discount Voucher (2), Lvl. 1 Mass Enlightenment Scroll, Lvl.2 Mass Enlightenment Scroll, Magic Dragon Summoning Token, Game Voucher.


    ¡­


    Hiro''s eyes were drawn to the last segment on his character sheet. Since money was just a number to him at this point, he removed his bank balance and the company''s balance from his character sheet.


    Instead, he added an inventory option.


    Things became much simpler this way.


    Hiro also noticed that the only difference between the Lvl1 and Lvl2 enlightenment scrolls was their efficiency, not the cost of use.


    Thus, at the moment, he felt like the Lvl1 scroll was a great scam. Nonetheless, these weren''t things he could buy with just a few gems, so he decided to just keep them.


    As for the dragon summoning, he decided to do it inside his pocket dimension and allow her to silently cultivate under the dimension''s core.


    Perhaps she could gain something after the mass enlightenment and as the core is slowly transforming.


    Hiro figured that the upcoming mass enlightenment would be the straw to break the camel''s back and allow the dimension to metamorphosis, attuning to the laws of sorcery.


    Hm, the Unfathomables are about to welcome their third member, a Magic Dragon!


    Hiro was both excited and impatient. Thus, as an outlet for these emotions, he entered the {Simulation Space}, quit the current sect, and joined one of the top 5 sects in the game.


    The Sword God Shrine, is a sect of sword cultivators.


    Then, Hiro started doing sect missions crazily to gather contribution points, which he would later use to learn the sect''s martial arts and magic spells.


    Hours passed quickly, and soon, the bus arrived back at the Inter-High public parking lot where the students alighted from the bus.


    Hiro wasn''t in the mind to waste time talking with the other students. After bidding farewell to the students, he quickly approached Sebastian who was waiting next to the car.


    Sebastian knew Hiro enough to tell that his master was in a hurry. Thus, he didn''t say anything and quickly escorted Hiro to the mansion.


    As expected by the staff in the mansion, Hiro locked himself up in the study.


    "Master is so hardworking, I''ve never seen a rich young man this dedicated to his work before."


    "Sigh, don''t mention it. Those second-generation Young Masters only know how to spend their family''s hard-earned money, little understand how difficult it is to raise money."


    "Okay you two, stop gossiping and go clean the indoor swimming pool and the indoor gym facilities."


    "Yes!"


    "Right away!"


    ¡­


    While the servants were lamenting how little rest their employer enjoyed in his life, he was excitedly looking at the colorful portal that opened right underneath the multicolored dimensional core.


    Medusa curled around Hiro''s neck, its triangular head curiously looking at the oval hole in the air.


    Soon, a petite silver-haired young lady with a pair of silver eyes housing elliptical pupils walked out.


    She wore a tight-fitting leather skin suit beneath a shining white armor, a long spear floating behind her back.


    [Juvia]:


    Race: Dragon.


    Bloodline: Magic Dragon.


    Level: 10.


    Skills: Transformation, Dragon Roar, Time Manipulation, Political Wisdom VI.


    ¡­ sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hiro observed Juvia, feeling quite satisfied.


    Like Arabella, he exchanged a daily life skill just for her and spent 6,400 points, increasing her proficiency to level 6.


    With the management skills of the all-inclusive {Political Wisdom VI}, managing a small province wouldn''t be a problem, let alone an underdeveloped pocket dimension.


    After giving Juvia the command to stay here with Medusa to cultivate quietly, he used his current authority in the dimension to teleport silently to the outside world.


    Since the dimension''s core was right beneath his feet, a few hundred kilometers underground, he decided to make this location the focal point of the pocket dimension.


    Hiro synchronized with his Daoist character to expedite the process of moving around the pocket dimension and finding the ideal location to initiate mass enlightenment.


    Then, he burned through his current achievement points and pushed the range of the enlightenment to a large sphere with a diameter of 1,500 kilometers.


    A massive halo expanded from Hiro''s body to cover the ground and the sky, like a celestial phenomenon.


    Of course, Hiro used the level 2 scroll.


    He could feel himself connecting with the minds of countless sentient creatures, both flora and fauna, and he could faintly perceive his image taking root in the depths of their minds.


    It was only a faint feeling, but it was akin to a germinating seed that would one day sprout into a magnificent tree.


    As the seeds took shape, Hiro began to feel countless inexplicable emotions, millions of fragmented thoughts flooded his mind in flashing, brief images.


    Immersed in the wonderful feeling, Hiro lost track of his sense of self and time, and he didn''t even pay it any mind when the system notifications flashed in his mind.


    [Notice: The integration process has reached 81%]


    ¡­


    [Notice: The integration process has reached 88%]


    ¡­


    [Notice: The integration process has reached 90%


    Finalizing the construction of the immaterial dimension]


    ¡­


    [Notice: The integration has entered the critical phase, facilitating the great merger.]


    ¡­


    [Notice: The great merger is underway, facilitating the creation of the personal domain with the Fantasy Crystal as the foundation.


    Drawing the Legend of Babylon''s framework as a reference point.


    Constructing the Babylon Throne and the Celestial Bridge.


    Failed to construct the Heaven and the Underworld due to the lack of frameworks for divine energy and nether energy.]


    ¡­


    [Notice: Congratulations, you''ve completed your third high-priority mission!


    [Mission Briefing: This is your last mission in the tutorial, and the system had no expectations for you.


    [Mission Rating: Excellent.


    [Reward 1: 50 gems.


    [Reward 2: 1x Game Voucher.


    [Reward 3: 10,000 Achievement Points.


    [Reward 4: Book of Revelations - Curse Chapter.]


    ¡­


    Only after the long string of notifications did the wonderful sensation leave Hiro''s body.


    He happened to catch notice of the high-priority mission completion notification, and he opened his eyes in shock.


    Tutorial? What do you mean tutorial?!


    However, thinking about it, the system did give him a high-priority mission for each critical aspect of this world''s daily life.


    If he followed Bella''s explanation about this world''s structure, one can only gain a foothold if they covered three fronts; the world in the open, the world in the dark, and the Paranormal Society otherwise known as the world of bosses.


    Each of the high-priority missions was tailored to a specific aspect, and they did indeed help Hiro with setting the foundation.


    However, without the high-priority missions, Hiro would lose an easy channel for earning 50 gems and game vouchers.


    Does this mean that I can only farm gems by completing games and doing interpersonal missions in the future?


    Hiro felt like throwing up. However, those feelings were pushed aside when he took note of his current location.


    "Eh? This place looks both familiar and unfamiliar," Hiro quickly remembered this location.


    It was Babylon''s throne room¡ªthe final location for the boss battle!


    If not for the fact that his synchronized status was canceled the moment he activated the mass enlightenment scroll, he would have thought himself to be in the simulation space.


    "Right, this should be the immaterial domain¡­ Mhm, the sensation is right, I''m only here with my consciousness."


    According to the lore in the Legend of Babylon, his throne room existed above the Celestial Bridge, while the bridge was located above the starry sky.


    Looking down from the high-back chair stationed on the magnificent throne, Hiro saw a translucent river extending from the foot of the throne towards the infinite distance.


    Yes, the throne room wasn''t a room, but rather, an expansive miniature cosmos!


    Hiro''s current body was a celestial giant not unlike a roaming celestial body, occupying a vast region of space above the stars.


    With a thought from his mind, the cosmos shifted, and the river beneath his throne expanded.


    In the water, every corner in the pocket dimension was visible, while the ripples in the water displayed fragmented scenes with the inhabitants of the pocket dimension as a focal point.


    With another thought, he glimpsed into the game world of the Seeker''s Legend with the flowing faith energy as a medium, and he could even expand upon the channel to view the players who are offline in their daily lives.


    As he focused, he noticed that the shallow river was the concentration of faith energy, as invisible threads tore through the immaterial void and connected to the millions of players and sentient creatures.


    Hiro had the feeling of absolute control; he could draw the consciousness of every creature connected to the river through a thread of faith energy¡ªbut this was merely the tip of the iceberg!


    For a moment, Hiro forgot about the feeling of being an all-mighty deity and instead, he acted like a child trying out a new toy!


    [End of Volume 1 ¡ª Tutorial]

 Chapter 57 - 57: Famous

    Is this the feeling of being omniscient spoken of in legends? No wonder the church is hung up on the issue of believers. Even if their peak powerhouses can''t intrude on the fragile world, they can use believers as nodes to keep an eye on what happens here.


    Still, the prerequisite of 1.2 billion believers is quite harsh, can it be that they can only construct an immaterial dimension of faith energy once they reach a critical benchmark?


    Perhaps, if it wasn''t for the Fantasy Crystal, I wouldn''t have been able to make this immaterial dimension a reality.


    After experimenting with the faith energy and the immaterial dimension for a while, Hiro retrieved his consciousness from the space and returned to his real body.


    The next moment he opened his eyes, he realized how stiff his muscles were at the moment.


    Confused, he stretched his body and hurriedly left the pocket dimension, and returned to his study.


    The moment he stepped into the study, he observed the digital clock on the wall for the calendar, which frightened him.


    He spent no less than three weeks inside the pocket dimension! Luckily, the mysterious energy from the system kept his body in a healthy condition while the pocket dimension was undergoing a metamorphosis into a domain.


    However, losing touch with the outside world for so long was quite troublesome!


    Hiro hurriedly checked his phone, and as he expected, it had over a thousand text messages and hundreds of missed phone calls.


    Checking his quantum watch, Hiro also noticed dozens of messages on the PARA app, specifically in his private thread.


    Theo must have given the private thread''s password to the other Paranormals from the last time, and from the looks of it, something big must have happened in the Paranormal Society.


    Hiro quickly opened the thread and sent a message.


    [Babylon]: I''m busy. Make it short.


    He didn''t bother with the PARA app anymore and went to check his phone.


    There were messages from Teacher Aiya, Rosaline, Bella, Jessica, Vanti, Elvin, and some other unknown numbers.


    Most of the calls were from Bella and Vanti, so Hiro sent them a short reply together with everyone else with the message broadcast feature.


    As for the load of messages, he marked all of them on read and didn''t bother looking at them a second time.


    Hiro anticipated that Bella would probably call him anytime soon. However, before then, he suddenly got an idea.


    He opened the portal to his pocket dimension and summoned Juvia, only to be momentarily shocked when he saw her.


    She was already at level 20 according to the system''s classifications, a certified Tier-8 Paranormal.


    Her advancement was just too fast.


    Well, more like Hiro''s advancement in the real world was too slow since he didn''t bother with raising his power level.


    Her white armor transformed into a gender-neutral business suit as she bowed to Hiro and greeted, "Did you call for me, Master?"


    Hiro nodded and pointed at the documents on the desk. "Take your identification documents and go take the civil servant exam. I have high hopes for you, Juvia. Just keep your connections with me a secret."


    Juvia''s eyes glimmered, clear excitement brewing within her little head as she nodded seriously. "Don''t worry, Master. I won''t disappoint you."


    She approached the desk, took the envelope with her legal identification documents inside, and then swiftly left the study.


    With her current strength, leaving the mansion without drawing attention was an easy task.


    Watching her disappear like that, Hiro''s heart burned with excitement and expectations.


    He wondered how far Juvia could go as a civil servant. With the system concealing her powers, no one in this world can see through her identity as a dragon or her current strength.


    Hiro touched his chin and sent Arabella a message, requesting her opinion on which stocks in the international market he should buy.


    He told her that he could buy %5 of any company, regardless of size; she only needed to recommend him the best choice.


    He gave her one week to do the necessary research. Although Nebula Electronics was a big company, it was still a local tyrant with roots in the Nexus Country, not a behemoth on the international scale.


    As for the COC, it was more like an alliance of common interests, not a company.


    This way, one of his trusted generals went out to establish a budding business empire while the other went out to climb the political ladder.


    The future so far seemed very bright.


    Ring! Ring!


    His phone rang, but unexpectedly, it was Rosaline who called him and not Bella.


    Although a little surprised, Hiro picked up the call and answered, "Hello?"


    "I really thought you were dead in some forsaken corner, little guy. I have a few things to discuss with you, are you free to meet me right now?"


    "I was busy handling some private matters, so I wasn''t around for a long time. Also, it depends on what kind of business is it, can you tell me?"


    "It''s the kind of business that can''t be discussed on the phone, do you understand me now?"


    "I understand. Let me see, what time is it now? It''s almost nine in the evening, is it alright if we meet at such a late hour?"


    "It''s alright, just meet me in two hours. I''ll send you a location, is that okay?"


    "Yeah, I guess I''ll see you in two hours."


    Beep!


    ¡­


    Hiro put his phone down and contemplated for a while. Then, he opened the PARA app and skimmed through the most recent messages.


    As expected, something big happened.


    The church launched an expedition that lasted for ten years into a vast pocket dimension with a surface area of over 300 million square kilometers.


    However, the dimension''s core cracked during the expedition, destroying the equilibrium of the pocket dimension.


    In a hurry, the powerhouses retreated lest the entire dimension collapsed, ruining their decade-long expedition.


    However, the dimension was infested with hostile races from other worlds, the church couldn''t sit still and watch them take all the valuables away.


    At first, they called for mid-tier Paranormals to help them sweep through the dimension and collect the treasures and materials, but the pocket dimension kept deteriorating.


    Soon, only low-tier Paranormals could enter safely, forcing the mid-tier powerhouses to evacuate. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Theo wanted to invite him during the brief window where mid-tier Paranormals were allowed entry, but he wasn''t contactable during that time.


    He said it was a missed opportunity, what a pity. Now, only Tier-9, Tier-8, and Tier-7 Paranormals were allowed to enter the pocket dimension.


    Anyone stronger than that couldn''t enter even if they tried, because the gate opened by the Holy Church would reject them.


    After reading the message, Hiro could guess what type of "Talk" Rosaline was about to have with him.


    [Babylon]: What are the attributes of that dimension''s laws?


    Usually, such large pocket dimensions are called Minor Realms, and they sustain more than one mystical law.


    For example, the Minor Realm from where the vampires and werewolves came from, not to mention that some sources detailed that elves came from the same Minor Realm.


    Soon, someone responded.


    [???]: Most of the energy is chaotic neutral energy that anyone can absorb, but the conversion rate is very low. If one was to absorb 10 units of energy, 8.2 units would be wasted. There''s also a sliver of pure demonic energy, which is also the main cause of the deteriorating core.


    [Babylon]: Okay.


    Hiro closed the PARA app and began to contemplate silently.


    ¡­


    Two hours later.


    Seven Inch is a famous lakeside view tea pavilion on the other side of the Tsukiyomi Lake.


    Goes without saying, it''s incredibly expensive. To avoid inconveniencing both himself and Rosaline, a distinguished daughter of the Rosch family, Hiro picked an expensive set of branded clothing for the occasion.


    The moment the car stopped by the entrance to the Seven Inch Pavilion, Hiro slowly alighted while maintaining his image in mind.


    However, he soon found out how redundant his actions were¡­


    AHHH!!


    A shrill shout attracted the attention of many pedestrians, some were frowning in displeasure.


    A host of teenagers, probably second-generation rich youngsters, spotted Hiro from a distance.


    The girls in the group shouted, "CRIMSON ACE HIRO! IT''S CRIMSON ACE HIRO! PLEASE I WANT AN AUTOGRAPH!"


    Then, they rushed over like hungry beasts.


    Shocked, Hiro hurried to the pavilion''s entrance and was about to mention Rosaline''s name for a reservation, only to notice that the receptionist was blushing deeply.


    "P-please can I have an autograph¡­"


    For a professional receptionist in a high-end establishment, stuttering once was already a catastrophe for her, but she didn''t care and stretched out a small notebook to Hiro.


    Looking down, Hiro was stunned to find his image on the notebook as a printed cover.


    It was his image receiving a long pass through the air on his chest, the impact and the wind causing his short hair to flare like a dancing flame, his eyes sharp and focused.


    Everything else aside, the image was too badass.


    Seeing that the teenagers were almost on his heels, Hiro grabbed the receptionist''s pen and scribbled an autograph with his professional calligraphy skills.


    Who can challenge me? They''re not worthy!


    ¡ªYours truly¡­


    After leaving his first name, he bid farewell to the girl and rushed inside, his heart beating wildly as he looked back; a tide of people was already rushing over.


    Fame is truly scary¡­

 Chapter 58 - 58: Rosaline’s Invitation

    "I didn''t think our freshman year was hiding such a good soccer player," Rosaline teased with a smile in the private room.


    Hiro scratched his head, acting embarrassed, but he was grinning with confidence.


    He responded while smiling, "It was only a matter of time before I made it big, it''s nothing serious."


    "You didn''t rely on your special abilities to perform so well, did you?" Rosaline asked seriously all of a sudden.


    Hiro scoffed. "Do you think I''m that foolish? Of course not, this is all raw, pure talent!"


    Rosaline looked deeply into Hiro''s eyes for a prolonged moment before slowly nodding her head. "Okay, I believe you. I''m glad you know how important it is to hold back¡­ By the way, what level did you reach now? I can find a vector measuring machine for you if you want."


    "No need," Hiro waved his hand. "Weak is weak, it doesn''t matter how weak."


    Hiro paused and added, "This must be about that pocket dimension, right? Are you inviting me on your team or something?"


    Rosaline was stunned for a moment before she collected herself with a smile. "It seems like you''ve made yourself quite a few capable friends to get your hands on this information."


    Hiro blinked. "Is it that serious?"


    Rosaline raised an eyebrow and said, "This is very classified information, how could the church publicize their failed expedition to the Paranormal Society openly? Anyone who got their hands on this information must have a wide network."


    Hiro didn''t give it much thought beforehand, as he wasn''t in touch with this side of society for long.


    However, thinking about it now, the Holy Church was like one of the strongest organizations in this world, how could anyone get their hands on secret intelligence about its movements in such a short time?


    Theo''s friends are really capable, it seems like the Odins family is more complicated than I thought. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    On the surface, Hiro still acted as though this was nothing big as he said, "It still doesn''t feel like a big deal. I mean, I also know the reason behind the core''s deterioration, let alone something so trivial as a failed expedition."


    Rosaline''s eyes hardened as she reassessed Hiro, thinking to herself. Could it be that he was missing the last three weeks because of something related to this expedition? How entangled is he with the Paranormals already?


    While shocked, Rosaline was also relieved to know that this little guy was no longer a clueless blockhead.


    "My family is also taking part in this expedition hosted by the Holy Church, but we''re not the only interested party¡­"


    According to Rosaline, the Big Three are going to send a batch of promising youngsters into the crumbling pocket dimension on a military expedition.


    This will serve as both a training mission and a contribution to humanity. So far, no one has gotten their hands on a Minor Realm large enough to support the human population.


    This Minor Realm was a big breakthrough point toward colonizing the New World, but no one expected that other races from other worlds had their eyes on it too.


    It''s still unclear how pocket dimensions came to be and how many worlds like their current world were connected to these pocket dimensions.


    However, the possibility of a different race or a different civilization locating the coordinates of their world through an unstable pocket dimension wasn''t low.


    Thus, every encounter between different races or different civilizations in a pocket dimension ended in the destruction of the pocket dimension.


    It doesn''t matter who was stronger and who was weaker upon first contact, as no one was willing to take the risk.


    If they could find our world through the pocket dimension, we could also find their world.


    It was like a game of chess on the racial scale.


    Since the pocket dimension was already on the countdown to destruction, how could they not feel anxious about the resources accumulated for a decade?


    The Holy Church had drawn out a map for the explored areas, and the mission of the new batch of explorers was to tap into the uncharted territory.


    Find anything of value from herbs, treasures, remnants of civilization, dimensional keys¡ªanything of value could be brought back and sold to the church.


    Of course, they wouldn''t buy it for money, but they would exchange it for suitable resources.


    For example, Hiro could obtain spirituality-rich resources to increase his personal strength as a Sorcerer.


    Many families and governmental agencies agreed to send their young talents, but these two would also treat this expedition as a test for their young.


    Rosaline''s siblings and cousins from the other branches of the family will be joining the fray, not as her helpers but as her competitors.


    At least, that should have been the case until she declared her intention to withdraw from the competition to become the next head of the family, which shocked a lot of elders, including her parents.


    As a punishment, the family wouldn''t provide her with any help or resources on the expedition¡ªsince she decided to use this expedition as her first pot of gold to affirm a foothold in the Paranormal Society, then the family would let her work all alone.


    Once she realized how ruthless and fearsome the Paranormal Society was without the backing of her family, only then would she realize her mistakes and come back to make amends.


    This brought her here to this dinner meeting.


    Rosaline said in earnest, "I''ve already invited Bella and she agreed to help me, now I''m formally inviting you to join my party and help me, too."


    Hiro blinked and asked in confusion, "Have you lost your mind? Wait, tell me you''ve secretly gathered some resources for yourself before ditching your family¡­"


    "Did you stash away a few billion dollars? Did you bewitch some capable subordinates to help you?"


    "When you say you''re all on your own, you don''t literally mean it that way, right?"


    ¡­


    Hiro fired off a string of questions, only to be met with Rosaline''s silence as she stared back at him with a faint smile.


    "What''s the big deal?" Rosaline picked up her teacup and took a sip. "Look at Bella''s family, it''s doing alright even though they only have her father. Also, I don''t have any enemies, they''re the Rosch family''s enemies so no one will target me."


    Hiro''s eyes twitched.


    Bella''s father is anything but a simple character. If even the Rosch family is oblivious to his true background, then these waters run too deep.


    No simple character would draw the attention of some Master Osmond, but that guy is hiding too deeply.


    He somehow used me to shield the entity behind him, now no one knows who is exactly behind the Odins. If I''m not wrong, he should be some big shot from the government.


    Hiro''s guess was baseless, but he trusted his gut feeling very much. Nonetheless, this doesn''t change the fact that I rescued his wife and daughter.


    Hiro concluded that whoever was behind Theo didn''t care about Theo''s family, as long as Theo himself was fine and well.


    This type of ruthlessness and coldness probably doesn''t sit well with the man, especially since his personality is so passionate, hence why although he''s being targeted by an overpowered enemy, that enemy doesn''t dare cross some lines either.


    Hmm, seems like They used me as a shield and that Master Osmond is going to use me as giving himself a way out, especially since he wouldn''t want to offend the big shot behind the Odins.


    Hiro scoffed inwardly, did they really think that he was some scapegoat that could be used to divert attention and cut losses?


    Did they think that targeting an outsider without influence in the provincial capital was better than getting entangled in the deep murky waters of the capital?


    Hiro had but one thing to say about his current standoff with those two parties, and it wasn''t something pretty.


    Are they worthy?


    Rosaline tapped the surface of the low table with her teacup, drawing Hiro''s attention to herself once again.


    "I heard that you tend to space out a lot without any rhyme or reason, but I didn''t expect it to happen even during such a tense conversation¡­" Rosaline smiled.


    Hiro shook his head, hesitated for a moment, and said solemnly, "Just take this piece of information as repayment for what you''ve done to help me so far. The waters of the Odins family are deeper than you think; it''s an ocean that could swallow your Rosch family without a ripple, let alone some tricks in the Paranormal Society."


    Hiro leaned forward, his chin resting on his knuckles while his elbow was propped on the table. "Let me put it this way, the Odins family is one thing, but Theo Odin is a whole different animal. Don''t ask me how I know, but just know that targeting Bella and her mother is one thing, while targeting Theo is a whole different matter."


    Rosaline''s hands paused, her eyes narrowed dangerously as she spoke, "You mean to say that Theo is in a similar position to my current self, just under different circumstances?"

 Chapter 59 - 59: What’s Your Worth?

    Hiro thought about it and replied with an uncertain tone, "I think I can put it this way; he eloped from his family with a secret lover. All in all, whoever is behind the Odins, their bottom line is Theo, not the family of three."


    In a sense, whoever is protecting Theo doesn''t extend the umbrella of protection to his wife and daughter, leaving their safety up to Theo''s ability.


    If Rosaline thought about it this way, it would make sense as to why most of the attacks on the Odins recently were targeted toward Theo''s immediate family, not Theo himself.


    It''s like they''re testing the waters¡ªtesting the tolerance limits of whoever is behind the Odins.


    And from the looks of it, the mother and daughter pair, Sheba and Bella, didn''t fall within the scope of a bottom line.


    However, even if that was the case, no one would dare go overboard for fear of triggering the cesspool that was Theo''s unbridled counterattack, which could pull everyone into the deep waters.


    Thus, the survival of the Odin''s so far wasn''t a matter of excellence, but a matter of some awkwardly established, delicate balance. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The Odins was just a small chess piece between two behemoths; anyone could destroy it casually, but no one dared to do it.


    That was until a new chess piece in the form of Babylon was introduced, allowing both parties to divert their attention elsewhere.


    When Rosaline''s thoughts reached this point, something clicked in her mind as she blurted out, "You''ve kept in contact with Babylon, haven''t you?! No, you most likely joined him or them, right?! This explains why you know so much¡­"


    Rosaline had an ''enlightened'' expression as her thoughts raced at light speed.


    Hiro stared, dumbfounded.


    Did I just expose myself by repaying kindness with kindness? No, that''s it, I''ll have to be an ungrateful bastard in the future¡ªI can''t risk getting myself exposed for something so stupid again!


    Hiro coughed, fixing his sharp glare on Rosaline. It was the typical "You talk too much" type of glare¡ªa flat-out warning.


    Hiro wondered if he should get Arabella to hypnotize and wipe away Rosaline''s memories of this particular conversation.


    Rosaline realized that she was overreacting, and she could feel an invisible noose slowly closing in on her neck.


    She began to sweat profusely.


    If the entity behind Babylon was so powerful that it could draw the attention of the two behemoths that caught the Odins family in the middle, all while evading the Rosch family''s investigation efforts, it wasn''t something for her to meddle in.


    She could very well disappear from the face of this earth by midnight, let alone make it into the New World''s new expedition party.


    An awkward silence descended in the private room, and Hiro just stared silently at Rosaline.


    His eyes were getting darker and darker, and it seemed that he was about to act at any moment now.


    "I won''t say anything," Rosaline could only say this much, but she knew that this verbal guarantee wasn''t worth anything.


    Just as she was sweating on what to do, Hiro sighed and shook his head. "Forget it, saying anything now is useless."


    Hiro stood up from his seat and prepared himself to leave. The atmosphere was no longer suitable for a conversation.


    "Wait," Rosaline gathered her courage and stood up, taking a deep breath. "Let me meet with Babylon, I can prove my sincerity to him if we meet face to face. At worst, I''ll immediately disown my family and join him."


    Hiro gave her a silly look, "Without your family''s extended influence, what''s the point of keeping you? Maybe if you became the family head and handed the Rosch family as collateral, he might be interested."


    Leaving those words in the air, Hiro left.


    Rosaline was stunned on the spot.


    Use her family as a bargaining chip to become a subordinate? Is her Rosch family so little in their eyes?


    For a moment, she stood there in a daze, her mind whirling furiously.


    ¡­


    After an arduous struggle, Hiro finally made it through the crowd of enthusiastic teenagers and entered his car.


    Without hesitation, Sebastian drove off into the distance, and only then did Hiro heave a sigh of relief.


    Then, his phone buzzed with an incoming text message, and it was from Rosaline.


    [Rosaline]: If I represented my line of the family to invite you to join my party, would you join me?


    Hiro thought for a moment and replied that it wouldn''t hurt to take a look. At the very least, he might as well help her climb the ladder of power in her family.


    Since he couldn''t silence her for eternity, he might as well drag her down the path of stabbing her family in the back.


    As for how to do it? Hiro''s eyes glinted coldly.


    Since he already agreed to help Rosaline in the pocket dimension, Hiro returned home and locked himself in the study to prepare.


    His preparations were simple.


    First, he exchanged one of the game vouchers for a game with demonic lore, and it was another sandbox open-world game called Return of the Demon Ancestor.


    The plot follows the story of Sitri¡­


    A Great Demon with the Celestial Demon bloodline who exhausted his demonic powers trying to save the demon realm from crashing into the Divine Kingdom of the Heavenly Emperor.


    After exhausting his potential to the extreme, he is left wandering the cosmos together with the remnants of the demon realm, eventually ending up in a chaotic region that is engulfed in total anarchy.


    The demon realm ends up as a floating island in that region, and demons are enslaved by the powerful races who had a foothold in that chaotic region.


    When Sitri woke up to find his people enslaved and treated like toys, practice dummies, and even cheap currency¡ªhis anger stimulated his dormant bloodline.


    From then on, he walks a path of blood and slaughter to replenish his lost bloodline powers, eventually turning the chaotic region into the new Demon Realm, where he plans for the next war against the Heavenly Emperor.


    ¡­


    Hiro didn''t hesitate to get his hands on the game, and for the following days, his lifestyle alternated between playing Transcendent Daoist, Return of the Demon Ancestor, and secluding himself in the private cultivation room to get familiar with the Infinite Sword Matrix.


    His favorite combination of elemental swords was the wind and lightning formation, where he would construct three lightning swords and six wind swords.


    At this moment, nine swords were his limit unless he wanted to sacrifice control and accuracy for a wider destructive range.


    What Hiro found pleasing was that his personal cultivation room was an extension of his pocket dimension, which means that the attributes and laws of the pocket dimension determined the environment of his cultivation space.


    Soon, a week in real life passed.


    ¡­


    A gray vortex appeared in the study room, and Hiro slowly walked out.


    His crimson hair had sparks of neon blue interlocking within, and one of his ruby eyes had also turned pale blue momentarily.


    He slowly calmed down the rioting, robust spirituality within his body, suppressing his aura to the extreme with his eyes closed.


    Thin, transparent swords swam around his figure like fish in water, slowly fading into his body after kicking up a gust of billowing wind.


    Although it was just one week in real life, Hiro spent close to 50 days in either mindless training or leveling up in the new game.


    He quickly checked the status window for his Sitri character.


    [Name: Sitri (Hero)]


    Level: 40 (Tier-7 Rank-S)


    Gold: 13,456


    Race: Demon


    Bloodline: Celestial Demon


    Special Abilities: Purgatory Domain, Rampage, Blood Ignition, Bone Armor, Bone Sword, Demonic Bewitchment.


    ¡­


    The progress couldn''t be called slow, but it couldn''t be called fast either. This was the drawback of not having any teleportation circles in the chaotic region.


    When Hiro''s army of demons wanted to move from one area to the next, the logistics and transportation would always hinder their progress.


    Furthermore, Hiro learned his lesson that excessive killing and indulgence in the {Simulation Space} would affect his mentality in the real world; hence why he didn''t go all out.


    Another reason was the limitations of the pocket dimension¡ªit can''t withstand a power level above Tier-7.


    Also, another factor was the unlikely possibility of meeting with a demonic squad inside the pocket dimension.


    Just in case, Hiro used the five cosmetic keys in the shop to get himself a Demon Mask, Hellflame Tailcoat, Demon Gloves, Demon Boots, and a demonic-looking haircut.


    With the aura from his synchronized game character, no one would be able to differentiate him from an actual demon.


    With these preparations, Hiro was looking forward to the expedition. If he could worm his way into the demon world with his disguise, he could obtain that world''s coordinates and obtain a Holy Land for Arabella''s training.


    Hiro thought about it, and he didn''t wish to imbue his pocket dimension with demonic attributes, even if he did complete the game.


    As he was stretching, Hiro''s phone began to ring loudly. After confirming that the call was from Rosaline, he smiled.

 Chapter 60 - 60: Wind Blessed

    When Hiro arrived at one of the abandoned industrial parks in the suburbs, he found plenty of black cars lined in formation outside the perimeter.


    He asked Sebastian to stop there and not wait for him, as he would be busy on an excursion with a group of friends for a long time.


    Of course, as the driver and butler, Sebastian had nothing else to say other than to wish Hiro good luck and safety.


    A young woman with an indifferent expression received Hiro, bringing him to meet with Rosaline and her group of immediate family and subordinates.


    This group of youths were the descendants from her line of the family, and their strength should be at around the same level as Rosaline if not weaker.


    However, Hiro had no idea as to what''s their actual level of power, he only knew that not a single one of them was a threat to him.


    Hiro approached Rosaline and greeted her with a faint smile. Then, he started looking around.


    "If you''re looking for Bella, she''s not coming with us. Her family wouldn''t allow her to get involved in something like this."


    Hiro didn''t mind. If he wasn''t mistaken, although Bella was involved with the Paranormal Society, it was just a matter of circumstance.


    Perhaps if she didn''t have sufficient treasures on her body, even the weakest Tier-9 could handle her with ease.


    Hiro wondered if he could get his hands on some awakening potions and distribute them to other people, would they work just the same?


    "Cousin, is this the retainer you brought over?" A person from the side asked curiously.


    The voice carried no malicious intent, just pure curiosity since Rosaline refused to bring a family-designated retainer, claiming that she would invite an outsider.


    "A retainer?" Hiro raised an eyebrow and moved his eyes from Rosaline to her siblings and cousins, finding that each of them had someone standing behind them in a servile manner.


    Are they treating me like some kind of a servant? Hiro was a little amused.


    Rosaline''s grandfather had plenty of children, thus his family line was rather populated.


    On the one hand, it could increase the chances of a genius being born in his line of descendants; on the other hand, the internal competition would also increase together with the shrinking of resources.


    "He''s not my retainer," Rosaline said, emphasizing the word. "I requested his help this one time, that''s all."


    The true retainers looked over curiously, some even harbored a sense of hostility for one reason or another.


    Hearing her words, Rosaline''s other siblings and cousins were also curious, but this wasn''t the time to chat.


    From a distance, they heard the loud noise of the approaching helicopter, and everyone got ready.


    Hiro looked up curiously. A helicopter?


    "All gates controlled by the church and the state are located on islands throughout the five seas," Rosaline noticed Hiro''s expression and explained.


    She didn''t question why the mysterious organization behind him didn''t tell him something so trivial, as this piece of information was rather relative.


    Unless Hiro''s strength reached a certain level, she doubted that the sphere of his missions would expand beyond the provincial capital of the country.


    Then again, this is only from the paranormal aspect, as Rosaline had recently connected the newly established Sciatis Holdings Limited with Hiro.


    Word in the circle is that this is a shell company brought up by Nebula Electronics.


    This means that Hiro was also a figurehead for the company. After some careful investigation, Rosaline found out that everything in the company from top to bottom was under the control of a female CEO.


    That CEO, Arabella, was very talented and never suffered a loss ever since she took a position in the company.


    Rosaline had reasons to believe that Arabella was the true hidden chess piece planted by that mysterious organization to infiltrate the provincial capital''s sphere of influence.


    Of course, Sciatis Holdings Limited wasn''t even qualified to become a small boat in the restless deep sea that is the capital, but it was slowly anchoring itself in these deep waters.


    Even still, Rosaline didn''t dare investigate too much into this company''s matters.


    "I see," Hiro nodded thoughtfully after hearing Rosaline''s explanation. He wasn''t really interested in the location of these gates, as he had no plans to infiltrate their pocket dimensions anytime soon.


    If Hiro guessed correctly, the only reason as to why they kept these gates open despite the ludicrous exhaustion of resources was the steady flow of faith energy.


    As long as the bottom line of faith energy wasn''t compromised, then it didn''t matter how many resources they burned in order to keep the gates open.


    Furthermore, when the backlash from the world arrived; the sea was a vast and open space.


    Not many lives would be at risk.


    As Hiro was thinking, his phone''s ringtone went off, disrupting the solemn atmosphere.


    A young man with cold features looked over, displeased. "This is such an important and secretive operation, and you kept your phone turned on? Are you stupid?"


    Hiro gave the guy the side eye and turned his head away, answering the call without much thought.


    "Master, I''ll send you a list of recommended stocks to acquire right now, I hope I''m not disturbing you."


    Hearing Arabella''s voice, Hiro was delighted.


    Thankfully, her research was over before he left for the New World, as things could have gotten a little inconvenient otherwise.


    "Good work," Hiro praised earnestly. "Wait for my return, I have a good reward waiting for you."


    "Why thank you, Master!" Arabella was delighted. Finally, she earned praise from her master¡ªit had been such a long time.


    "Mhm, take care."


    After hanging up, Hiro checked his email and found a list of ten companies that were heavily stationed in the country, but their influence overseas wasn''t that bad.


    Most of them were trading companies that worked in the logistics and transportation business.


    This wasn''t a surprise to Hiro since these companies could be considered neutral third parties in most business deals. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After going through the companies, Hiro put his eyes on a multibillion-dollar company where the largest shareholder only had 4.2% of the shares.


    After making up his mind, Hiro instructed the system to use the %5 shares voucher to exchange for Wind Blessed''s shares.


    Wind Blessed was an e-commerce trading company, but it only handled the transportation of bulk goods.


    From wood, construction materials, exportation of goods, and importation of goods.


    They have stocks in various industries from aerial transport to overseas shipping, and they even have their internal trading network inside the country.


    These channels were very helpful to Sciatis Holdings Limited''s future expansion, even if they couldn''t use them immediately.


    Hiro knew that Arabella would find these channels useful one way or another.


    Hiro then instructed Ei, his artificial intelligence program, to switch the dividend policy so that Hiro wouldn''t receive the money transfer, but it would be kept in the Wind Blessed company''s account.


    This way, not even the COC would know that he silently acquired the largest shares in this trading behemoth.


    It wouldn''t hurt to be careful.


    After he sent the acquisition target to Arabella and told her to coordinate with Ei for anything she needed in the future, he stopped fiddling with his phone and made it back to the group.


    The helicopter was already above them, and it was slowly descending towards the landing platform.


    Rosaline had yet to say anything when that young man stormed over with a cold expression.


    "Typical fodder side-character¡­" Hiro murmured in a low voice, and as expected, the young man stood so close to Hiro that their noses almost touched.


    His deep, terrifyingly cold eyes drilled into Hiro''s crimson pools. "This is no picnic, little guy. This is your first and last warning, understand?!"


    Bang!


    Everyone gasped in shock when Hiro smashed his forehead into the young man''s nose bridge.


    The young man stumbled back two steps, and a moment later, his eyes rolled to the back of his head before he fell back; unconscious.


    Hiro shook his head vigorously before combing back his messy red hair, muttering something.


    "I remember now," a retainer suddenly recalled something and whispered to their master. "This should be Crimson Ace, he''s really popular on social media right now."


    These heirs and proud daughters invested their time in their training, not the happenings in the world of internet celebrities.


    Thus, their retainers quickly explained Hiro''s background. What they meant to convey was that Hiro''s physical strength was abnormal.


    To dominate an entire sorcerer match for over 90 minutes without exhibiting any signs of fatigue wasn''t something so simple, not even for Paranormals.


    Especially since it happened in public and it was guaranteed that Hiro hadn''t used any unusual energy throughout the game.


    They thought that Hiro''s abnormality was related to some sort of physique enhancing Paranormal inheritance.


    Such inheritances weren''t rare in the outside world, and it could explain his explosive physical attributes.


    Nonetheless, wasn''t it too much of him to dare attack a member of the Rosch family in their midst?


    "My bad," Hiro seemed to realize that he needed to make an excuse for his actions.


    "My nose is quite sensitive, I just sneezed uncontrollably."


    Then, realizing that something was amiss with his excuse, Hiro cupped his nose and bent over violently while coughing.


    ACHOO!

 Chapter 61 - 61: Cheap Tricks

    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Three shadows dashed forward at an incredible speed.


    Clang! Clang! Bang!


    Hiro saw the space in front of him blur for a moment before Rosaline appeared, wielding two short blades in her hands.


    After parrying two sharp weapons, she spun on her heels and kicked the last shadow in the chest, sending all three assailants flying away.


    "Rosa!" Yelled the last assailant who tumbled for a dozen meters before standing up, dust covering his body.


    "Mind your own business; I don''t want to be known as someone who indulges in killing one''s own."


    Rosaline was helpless, but she could only do this to save the lives of these fools.


    "Are you really going to side with outsiders in front of all these people? Who will trust you in the family after this?" Another person asked, his tone sullen.


    Rosaline didn''t respond. Instead, she turned around and headed for the chopper while saying in a loud voice, "You can either waste your time here or hurry up; time waits for no one."


    "Tsk, count yourself lucky, kid. However, I wouldn''t be too happy if I were you, no one can guess what might go wrong while exploring the unknown dimension."


    Two guys picked up the unconscious young man with them as they also rushed to the helicopter, deciding to give Rosaline some face this once.


    Hiro blinked, the spark of pale blue lightning flickering in the depths of his pupils dissipating away as he sighed in disappointment.


    Like the others, he followed Rosaline into the helicopter. Since not everyone could get on board at once, the helicopter was scheduled for more than one trip, sending batch after batch to the island.


    As the daughter to the eldest son in the second generation of the Rosch family, Rosaline also had the qualifications to join the first batch.


    Hiro silently followed along.


    "Turn off your phones," said a female mentor of the Rosch family. She was in the co-pilot seat in the helicopter.


    A few people pulled out their phones and turned them off accordingly. Watching this display, Hiro stifled a laugh, while Rosaline''s face darkened a little.


    The flight lasted for almost nineteen hours.


    The helicopter had to make a couple of detours to refill the engine and avoid some unknown dangers on the way, but no one explained what danger they were avoiding.


    Throughout the trip, as usual, during long-distance travel, Hiro was immersed in the {Simulation Space} without paying the outside world any mind.


    In recent times, Hiro must have changed sects at least five or six times, training in the laws, martial arts, and magic spells of several doctrines in the game.


    It wasn''t for anything other than an experiment on Hiro''s part. He was curious to know what would happen if the character in the game mastered so many diverse laws, even when some of them were inherently contradictory.


    How would the core of his dimension, which was connected to the system, develop?


    All wuxia lore often mentioned the Great Dao and the 3,000 paths to the Great Dao, and while he couldn''t learn all of them in one game, learning two or three shouldn''t be a problem.


    The question was, would any creatures in his pocket dimension find their path to the Great Dao as a product of this early experiment?


    These were all questions that wouldn''t get any immediate answers, so Hiro didn''t spend too much time dwelling on them.


    Suddenly, Hiro felt an external stimulus which prompted him to leave the {Simulation Space} and open his eyes.


    "Are we there yet?" Hiro asked while stretching his upper body.


    "We''re about to land at any moment now," Rosaline answered, but she sounded a bit distracted.


    Looking around, Hiro noticed the malicious gazes from some retainers and their respective masters, immediately understanding the situation.


    Shaking his head, Hiro chuckled lightly and cracked his knuckles, neck, and shoulders before half-closing his eyes.


    "Life is short," he muttered to himself. "Enjoy it while it lasts."


    ¡­


    After a not-so-cumbersome procedure, the host of young adults alighted from the helicopter and were escorted toward the depths of the nameless island.


    On the way, Hiro observed his surroundings.


    There wasn''t a trace of life other than plants and all kinds of insects; anything remotely larger than an adult''s head couldn''t be seen.


    The sea on all sides stretched for god knows how far, and at least on the surface, it looked tranquil.


    Helicopters came buzzing in from all sides, bursting through thick white clouds to drop their load of passengers onto readily prepared boats.


    After restocking, and without approaching the island, the helicopters would take off and disappear in a matter of minutes.


    "Such tight security," Hiro muttered to himself.


    Soon, the Rosch family entourage joined the rest of the recruits in a vast, open space.


    In the center of the space was a massive oval structure fleshed out from sci-fi movies, surrounded by women in nun clothes and men in clergymen attires.


    Standing before the gate with his back to the crowd was an old man, kneeling while praying piously in hushed murmurs.


    Hands clasped to his chest and head bowed almost too low, only his aged voice accompanied by the chirping of some out-of-sight insects could be heard.


    Whoever saw this old man would get the urge to respect him and stay silent, just out of reverence for such deep faith.


    [Notice: You''re being influenced by faith energy, you can use 1 achievement point to resist.]


    The notification from the system woke Hiro up and he immediately chose to pay. Then, he paid another point before tapping his index and middle fingers, which carried a mysterious energy, onto Rosaline''s forehead.


    The accumulating, bone-deep reverence in Rosaline''s eyes slowly faded away as clarity returned to her blurry eyes.


    She shivered, her black eyes reflecting Hiro''s disdainful expression while he cast his eyes at the old man in a prayer position.


    Quickly, Rosaline realized what happened just now, and the last remnants of her confusion turned into apprehension and fear.


    Looking around, not only the scions from the Rosch family, but plenty of young talents from all over the country were watching with solemn awe and a hint of unmistakable reverence.


    She didn''t understand how she was getting brainwashed, even when she had kept her guard up this whole time.


    Rosaline wanted to ask, but she knew that this wasn''t the time or place. Maybe, once they were inside the pocket dimension, she would get the chance.


    Just so they wouldn''t draw anyone''s attention, both Hiro and Rosaline acted the part while waiting patiently.


    Hours passed, and no one seemed to be getting bored or tired from simply standing there and doing nothing.


    This started to give the feeling of a mass religious gathering when thousands of people finally populated the vast space.


    All of a sudden, the pious murmurs stopped, yet the rapturous silence continued on.


    The old man slowly raised his head and looked up at the oval structure.


    "Beloved children of faith," his voice sounded once again.


    "A perilous journey awaits you on a land bathed in the blood of the faithful. They will always keep you company as long as you keep the reverence in your hearts. You won''t be alone, you won''t be abandoned; you will surely thrive and survive. Come, children of faith, may the Lords watch over you."


    Finally, the gathered crowd slowly came to their senses, and consciously or otherwise, they shouted enthusiastically in a positive response.


    Watching this scene, Rosaline felt as though a page was torn from the world she recognized thus far. If not for Hiro''s she would have been just like them, and she wouldn''t even realize.


    She wasn''t unfamiliar with psychological cues and subtle brainwashing, but what scared her was the fact that she didn''t even know how it happened, let alone have the ability to counter it.


    Who knows when and where or how many times had she been influenced in a similar fashion? All of a sudden, her sense of self was slowly crumbling, and she was on the verge of mental collapse there and then.


    Tap!


    Hiro noticed her abnormality and flicked her forehead, and not lightly.


    "Eek!" Rosaline''s head bounced back as steam rose from her bruised, flat forehead.


    She almost crouched down from the pain, holding her forehead in both hands as her teary eyes glared hard at Hiro. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She was this close to growling like an offended puppy if not for the current environment.


    "You''re thinking too much into this," Hiro shook his head and sighed.


    "This cheap trick isn''t as powerful as you imagine it to be, it could only be said that it worked this time by playing on the feelings of tension, fear of death, and the unknown in your heart. This type of energy can''t affect you when you''re in your optimal state of mind."


    Not to mention, everyone was tired when this seed of worry and fear toward the unknown fermented in their hearts for close to half a day.


    As Hiro said, these are cheap tricks at best.

 Chapter 62 - 62: Entering the Pocket Dimension

    Hearing the explanation from Hiro, Rosaline collected herself and sighed in relief.


    Of course, the other and deeper factor was that this small island was most likely a node of faith energy, and plenty of the faith energy was concentrated in the air.


    That old priest was most likely praying to galvanize the energy onto this location.


    In a populated city where the government is openly and secretly contending with the church, such a setup was most likely to fail brilliantly.


    Bzzzt!


    The oval structure flickered to life as dense energy waves rolled out. Slowly, a dimensional gate took shape before everyone''s eyes.


    "Don''t be afraid, children of faith!" Shouted the old man. "Keep reverence in your heart and the Lords will watch over you!"


    Then, he stepped aside while the nuns made an inviting gesture, allowing the different parties to proceed in batches into the gate.


    They also held a large printed map, presenting it to the explorers for a brief look.


    This way, they couldn''t say that they went inside blind. Anyway, the entrance location was already cleaned up by the people from the Holy Church, so it wasn''t that dangerous.


    Soon, it was the Rosch family''s turn.


    Hiro and Rosaline were the last to enter, and it was for nothing else other than Hiro taking his time to take in the details of every map presented by the nuns.


    A few minutes later and after getting a picture of the entire territory in his mind, Hiro and Rosaline stepped through the dimensional gate and appeared in the designated area for the Rosch family.


    "Die!"


    This time, not three, but eight figures ambushed Hiro and Rosaline all at the same time.


    Rosaline''s heart skipped a beat; she was about to act. However, Hiro beat her to it this time.


    Bzzzt! Bzzzt! Bzzzt! Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Three lightning swords took form around Hiro''s body before exploding out with an unbelievable speed, leaving nothing but a flashing blur in Rosaline''s eyes.


    Other than that, six wind swords, barely perceivable, moved in the blinding lights emitted from the electric flare.


    When the lightning swords were close enough to their targets and the ambushing group calculated the timing to parry, block, or even counterattack¡ªthe wind swords exploded with an even greater speed, directly killing off six people by penetrating their heads.


    Blood splattered all around, shocking the members of the Rosh family¡ªRosaline included.


    Then, the six wind swords split up, two swords each fusing into one of the lightning swords.


    Immense pressure radiated out, comparable to an S-Rank Tier-7 Paranormal, and weighed heavily on the hearts of the spectators.


    "Stop this instance! That''s enough!"


    Shouted a female member of the family, but Hiro acted deaf and continued on with his slaughter.


    Hiro had his fair share of battles, and a group of immature brats like them had no chance against him at all.


    Furious, the rest of the group drew out their weapons and were about to act. At this moment, Hiro gave Rosaline the side eye.


    "Kill them all," he said lightly. "This is the only way for you to prove your loyalty."


    As he spoke, Hiro''s attacks stopped aiming for the kill. Rather, they crippled the youngsters of the Rosch family.


    As a form of ''mercy'', Hiro finished off Rosaline''s immediate family.


    Rosaline was still reeling from the shock of what Hiro had just said.


    Kill them? Me? Rosaline''s head was blank, and she felt very confused.


    "I thought this is a normal occurrence in your family," Hiro tilted his head. In the backdrop of their conversation, Rosaline''s living cousins had faces full of horror as they begged to be spared.


    Some of them even cursed Rosaline for betraying the family¡ªbetraying her blood.


    These accusations stabbed deep into Rosaline''s psyche, and for a moment, she didn''t know what to do.


    Hiro wasn''t in a rush. Meanwhile, he silently paid 1,000 achievement points to the system and extracted the coordinates of this pocket dimension.


    A few minutes later, Hiro creased his brows and asked impatiently, "What? Can''t do it?"


    Rosaline bit her bottom lip and responded in a defeated hoarse voice. "I¡­ I can''t, I can''t do it¡­ Anything else is fine, but I can''t do this¡­"


    Hiro didn''t even want to listen to her explanation. After all, he also understood the difficulty of his request.


    He waved his hand, and a new dimensional gate opened. No one could see where it led to, but a woman clad in white armor and carrying a long white spear walked out.


    As he had anticipated something like this, Hiro had stationed Juvia on the other end of the portal inside his personal pocket dimension.


    Hiro said, "Since you can''t bear to kill them, they''ll have to wait as guests somewhere else patiently."


    Rosaline watched as the woman in white armor picked up her brothers and sisters before tossing them into the gate, and although she was curious about where it led to, she didn''t dare ask.


    "Aren''t you concerned about my loyalty? I''ve already refused your orders once¡­" Although she was afraid, Rosaline had to say this.


    Then, they heard a groan coming from somewhere. It was coming from two young men¡ªthey were among Rosaline''s distant relatives.


    More like her cousins.


    Hiro smiled and pointed at them. "Kill the two of them and you can walk out of here alive. Don''t do it, and your entire Rosch family will be buried with you."


    "Wait, wait, wait¡­ Don''t! I didn''t see or hear anything, I swear!"


    "Please spare my life, cousin! Please spare my life!"


    Rosaline was racked with indecision for a split second before affirming her choice. Hiro had already shown great tolerance by allowing her immediate family to leave, even if they were hostages.


    Thus, she moved swiftly and killed both young men, and her hands were still trembling even after she swept the blood away from her short blades.


    "This is more like it," Hiro murmured to himself with a smile. "Now, everything is in order."


    After he finished talking, the quantum watch on his wrist flashed, projecting a holographic screen that played out random scenes of what just happened.


    They were shaky, and the angle was manipulated as though it was a collection of images and videos taken from a distance.


    Such editing was very simple for a quantum computer.


    Of course, Hiro''s voice and visage were blurred. As for Rosaline, her features were somewhat blurry, but those familiar with her could immediately tell.


    Of course, anyone could investigate and find out that the one who joined Rosaline on the expedition was Hiro, but who can prove that it wasn''t someone she met inside the pocket dimension?


    No matter what, they can''t act without proof.


    Even if they did, the Rosch family can''t handle Hiro anymore.


    Rosaline''s expression turned pale, not having expected the ordinary-looking watch on Hiro''s wrist to be an advanced technological device.


    Especially when she heard the static voice from her cousins toward the very end¡ªshe knew that she was already trapped.


    The scene of her immediate family''s capture was removed, but anyone who watched this clip would think that Rosaline had killed all of her family members.


    Hiro clapped his hands. "This settles it, then. I''ll be leaving this pocket dimension, and you can do what you want. If you find yourself in trouble, request help from the Unfathomable Throne¡ªbetter be sincere about it."


    Just as the system had mentioned in the past, names carry mysterious powers when it comes to faith energy.


    Since Hiro''s domain was called the Unfathomable, and the highest order of power was the Unfathomable Throne derived from the Babylon Throne, this name will immediately trigger a response from his domain.


    It usually wouldn''t work that way, but Rosaline had a direct connection to him, the owner of the domain, so many of the tedious steps could be skipped.


    "I need to create some trinkets and expose them to the faith energy," Hiro mumbled to himself in a whisper, but he moved to the dimensional gate without hesitation.


    [Notice: The system can provide tokens of authority with varying density of faith energy for the host. The lowest grade is for free.]


    As he was walking away, the system''s notification appeared in his mind and line of sight.


    Hiro raised an eyebrow, but he didn''t stop.


    Anyway, he didn''t need these tokens at the moment.


    Rosaline''s eyes glimmered, and she connected the dots on her own. This was eerily similar to the ways of the Holy Church and thus, she decided not to follow Hiro''s advice.


    In any case, she was carrying a dimensional key, so her life wasn''t in serious danger.


    She watched Hiro''s back as it disappeared into the dimensional gate before she turned around and left.


    A while after Rosaline left, another dimensional gate opened in the same spot.


    However, what walked out from the gate was someone clad in intricate demonic attire, blazing red eyes shimmering through a devious mask.


    As pitch-black demonic energy rolled out from his person, he opened his arms wide and took in a deep breath.


    "Such pure demonic energy," he spoke in a hoarse, deep voice. "Sadly, my strength won''t change no matter how much I draw into my body."


    He sighed, feeling that it was a pity.


    After testing his compatibility with the demonic energy, Hiro canceled the synchronized state but kept the cosmetics on, picked a direction, and left unhurriedly.

 Chapter 63 - 63: Kind Great Demon

    With the help of the system''s concealment features, Hiro easily removed all traces of spirituality from his body.


    Although he didn''t have demonic energy either, he at least looked the part of a demonic creature.


    Hiro conveniently activated the treasure-scanning feature while advancing toward the core of the pocket dimension, as highlighted by the maps provided by the church.


    Although the pocket dimension was very large, the entrance point designated by the church wasn''t too far from the core area.


    However, that area was also the central point of the conflict where the Outsiders from the different worlds are gathered. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hiro sneakily traveled for more than ten days, avoiding humans when necessary and killing the weird creatures he found on his path when he encountered them.


    Hiro found many chaotic treasures as well.


    Like the chaotic neutral energy in the air, any and all Paranormals can use these treasures, but the efficiency of the transmission and conversion of energy weakens the effects of the treasures.


    Hiro didn''t even bother wasting his achievement points to store them inside his inventory space.


    If he couldn''t use them to full capacity, Hiro would just ignore them. However, he did take a fancy to a stone sword, mainly for the trace of pure demonic energy flowing through the chaotic energy.


    "I''m really tempted to try using the gluttony physique on these energies¡­ Sadly, I''m already at the peak of my current tier, and I can''t afford to advance higher right now."


    Hiro cast a disappointed look at the heap of treasures he found in an underground bunker.


    It must have been some shelter for the creatures who once lived here, or perhaps it was something constructed by the church during their expedition.


    Nonetheless, the treasures left behind were scrap metal at best, and that was from the church''s perspective, as the presence of the demonic energy couldn''t be hidden.


    Growl¡­


    The ground shook as a low growl reverberated from a dark corner.


    Hiro looked over, and he quickly noticed deep purple bloodstains on the concrete floor, their trail leading into the darkness.


    Hiro raised an eyebrow, infusing spirituality into his eyes as they gleamed with a bright crimson light, allowing Hiro''s vision to penetrate the darkness.


    "A lion cub? No, although it looks similar, this one has horns and twin tails¡­ Hm? There are two of them?"


    Hiro waved his hand and cast a simple fireball spell, illuminating the corner. Then, he saw a larger creature¡ªthis one''s horns were ripped off, and even its brains were visible through the cracks in its skull.


    Moreover, the tip of both its tails were also cut off, and blood oozed out from its now toothless maw.


    The low growling came from the small cub who seemed to have sensed Hiro''s approach, and it was just the little guy''s instinctive reaction to threats.


    "This creature must have been pregnant when it was besieged, so it escaped here to give birth even when its life was slipping away," Hiro concluded after examining the condition of the dying creature.


    Hiro took a step forward.


    The cub growled even louder, and the horns on its head slowly turned darker and darker, a sliver of pure demonic energy concentrating on the tip of its horns.


    Its pale yellow fur slowly turned a shade of a deep, menacing red as its small body trembled, then doubled in size at a rate visible to the naked eye.


    Hiro raised an eyebrow, especially when a tri-edged sharp spike took form on the tip of each tail, looking dearly threatening.


    Hiro paused, and he began to think. It''d be such a pity to kill this little fellow, it might prove useful in the future¡­


    Just as Hiro thought to this point, he heard a commotion from the outside.


    "The trails lead this way, hurry up!"


    It was someone talking in the demonic tongue. Luckily, Hiro learned both the demonic and draconian tongues upon contracting Arabella and Juvia.


    Thus, he easily interpreted the talks outside.


    Of course, after countless years of wars between worlds in the ever-changing battlefield that is the pocket dimension, different civilizations grasped knowledge correlating to their enemies one way or another.


    For example, it''s not difficult to book a language course on the PARA app to learn Ancient Elvin, Demonic Tongue, Rune Language, etc.


    It''s just a matter of convenience and affordability.


    Likewise, it wouldn''t be weird if Hiro encountered an Outsider who spoke the human language.


    With that in mind, Hiro dispelled the fireball spell and concealed his spirituality once again, reverting back to looking like a wandering demonic creature.


    After thinking for a while, Hiro temporarily activated his {Synchronization} and chose the Demon Ancestor Sitri to synchronize with.


    Though contained, dense and pure demonic energy rolled and tossed about inside Hiro''s body, slowly radiating outwards.


    "Eh? What''s this? Such pure holy energy!" A demon outside cried out, followed by the exclamations of at least twenty more.


    They rushed inside, frantically at that¡ªalmost causing the underground structure to collapse.


    Well, it did collapse¡ªslabs of concrete and metal fell from the ceiling.


    Roar!


    The demonic lion cub roared at the falling piece of concrete, as it was large enough to slap both mother and child to death.


    Hiro''s eyes narrowed, and from the hilt of his stone sword, a black flame ignited and crawled onto the sword''s edge and spine.


    Hiro waved his hand, sending a wave of hellfire in a crescent blast, silently seeping into the large stone slab. Then, the flames exploded¡ªengulfing the falling stone.


    Growl!


    The demonic lion cub roared anxiously, sparks of dark energy flickering on its twin horns, but nothing came out.


    Just as it thought it would die, the black flames dispersed into a cloud of darkness above the two creatures, and whichever debris and metal landed into the fire was evaporated into nothingness.


    When the horde of demonic creatures finally stepped into the torn hall, they realized what kind of mess they made¡ªalmost killing the two demonic lions!


    "Are you looking to die?" Hiro asked in a low, threatening voice. The demonic energy around his body spread out like tendrils of pure darkness, morphing into fearsome black flames.


    The flames rose to form a creepy skull behind his back, almost filling up the entire space inside the underground hall.


    The immense pressure caused most of the demonic creatures to either kneel or directly lie flat on the ground, trembling.


    "Please spare us, we were careless! We were afraid that something happened to the Demonic Leo!"


    "Please, this is a mission handed down to us by Lord Zenka, please spare our lives!"


    Lord Zenka? Hiro latched onto that name, and as his mind spun, he snorted coldly and said, "Do you see the mother Demonic Leo? It was already injured and on the verge of death, and your recklessness almost finished it off!"


    The host of demonic creatures trembled.


    Some of them looked like mammals, some like aquatic creatures, and some had the appearance of birds; all of them were somewhat humanoid in stature.


    "We¡­ we have prepared a dimensional key, Sire!"


    The demonic creatures scrambled to respond. In their opening, someone with such pure demonic energy was surely someone of high status.


    "Oh?" Hiro raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "Good, I lost my key to the despicable humans. I thought I would be stuck here for good."


    "This¡­" The leading demonic creature began to sweat buckets. "We only have a single-time use key that can transport one living entity, so¡­"


    Hiro understood. Hmm, this is quite troublesome¡­ System, can you extract the coordinates from the key?


    [Notice: Yes, it''s possible.]


    Hiro breathed a sigh of relief. That''s good, that''s good¡­


    Hiro glanced back at the heavily wounded mother Leo and the Leo cub, deep in thought.


    "Alright," he said in a low, deep voice. "Give me the key, I''ll send the Leo cub back first, its mother doesn''t look like it can survive for long."


    The demonic creature sighed in relief. Luckily, this Sire doesn''t seem to be unreasonable¡ªwhen did our world give rise to such an understanding Great Demon?


    The leading demonic creature didn''t hesitate to give the black and purple demonic seal to Hiro, still trembling.


    As Hiro held the dimensional key, he didn''t hesitate to spend another 1,000 achievement points to obtain the coordinates for the Demon World.


    Hiro couldn''t help but smile beneath his mask, a smile that reached his sparkling crimson eyes.


    "Mhm, this is good stuff," Hiro commented before pointing the seal at the weary Leo cub.


    With a squeeze, the seal shattered and a small oval portal appeared. Then, a suction force acted on the Leo cub, and despite its apprehension and struggles, it was dragged into the portal.


    After the portal disappeared, the seal''s remnants were reduced to powder that drifted in the wind.


    "Now," Hiro shook the dust off his hand and while the lesser demonic creatures breathed a sigh of relief, Hiro swung down the stone sword and reduced the injured mother Leo to drifting cinders of hellfire.


    Seeing this, the lesser demonic creatures trembled in fear.

 Chapter 64 - 64: Vanquish the Unholy

    "S-sire¡­ We have a palanquin worthy of your status¡­ Why don''t we help you get back to the camp? We can solve your key issues there¡­"


    Hiro looked back at the cluster of scared demons, nodding appreciatively. "How sensible of you. Alright, I''ll protect you on the way to the camp."


    The lesser demonic creatures rejoiced, and their leader secretly felt smug at how smart he was.


    Thus, Hiro joined the random entourage of demons, roaming the desolate pocket dimension in search for resources, humans to kill, and whatever was worthy of their attention on the way.


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    Inside the creepy palanquin, Hiro sat on a modest throne constructed from the bones of myriad races, looking past the thin curtains and taking in the scenery this pocket dimension had to offer.


    Dark clouds, red sand, cracked earth, and billowing smoke. It was the scene of an encroaching catastrophe.


    As they went along, the entourage of lesser demonic creatures around him increased considerably, and all manners of weird creatures surrounded his palanquin.


    It couldn''t be helped, as every life had the instinctive drive to survive, seeking shelter under the strong.


    However, this also meant that Hiro had to occasionally synchronize with his demonic character for frequent fights, which was a loss of achievement points in his mind.


    Unfortunately, he could only bear with it for now.


    "Sire, I sense a powerful team of humans up ahead!"


    Zenka''s subordinate, the demon with the physique that resembled that of a human the most, hurriedly reported.


    "Is that so?" Hiro was yawning when he heard the report. Rubbing his eyes tiredly, he synchronized with Sitri once again, his consciousness flooding out.


    It was menacing, dark, gloomy, and filled with slaughter intent. It was like an expansion cloud of doom, quickly covering up an area of over a dozen kilometers.


    On the other side.


    "Not good," the person leading the group cried out. "It''s a Great Demon! A very powerful Great Demon"


    He quickly armed himself with a bow.


    Two golden earrings glimmered brightly on his long ears, and two golden arrows appeared by his side.


    Then another two, and another two, and more kept appearing. The light emitted from the arrows seemed to expel the darkness little by little, and in a short moment, the others around him geared up with their respective weapons.


    The leader''s expression was firm and resolute as he knocked five arrows on the silver bowstring, howling to the sky as he stretched the string to the limit.


    "I''ll buy some time, make a run for it!"


    As he shouted, five incomparably bright arrows tore through the air, spinning rapidly.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    The cloud of darkness, which represented Hiro''s sweeping consciousness, suffered greatly as its form distorted.


    In the distance, Hiro''s eyes squinted as he let out a soft snort of pain, quickly disengaging his consciousness from the demonic energy.


    Then, he waved his hand, and the demonic energy condensed into a humanoid figure with robust muscles, a thick long tail, and a pair of bat wings.


    The figure seemed both real and illusory, and as its blank expression looked down, a ball of demonic energy started to form where its mouth should have been.


    In the palanquin, Hiro lowered his hand and spoke coldly, "Rampage."


    Rampage!


    One of Sitri''s awakened abilities¡ªit can gather demonic energy from the elements into a densely compact sphere of energy that would soon explode like a bomb, indiscriminately attacking all elements unaffiliated with demonic energy.


    "Not good," the man in the lead, who was obviously an awakened elf, had an ugly expression.


    He was only a Tier-8, and although he was at the peak of his tier, it was still nothing in the face of a Tier-7 Great Demon.


    Just as he thought he was about to die, a resplendent golden sword descended from the sky.


    "Sword of Judgment!"


    Pfft!


    The sword tore through the concentration of demonic energy, penetrated the chest of the incantation, and brought it down to the ground with a rumbling boom!


    The demonic energy quickly dispersed, together with the condensed humanoid creature.


    Only the massive golden sword remained embedded in the red ground, emitting a terrifying holy energy.


    Hiro raised an eyebrow and slowly stood up inside his palanquin, "A battle priest from the Holy Church! Interesting, I can test the unification of universal energy and faith energy!"


    Hiro was a little excited to meet such a powerful opponent. He didn''t know that the Holy Church had left behind squadrons of paladins and battle priests.


    However, it also made sense. Even if they relinquished some of the profits, they wouldn''t give up completely.


    Also, this was Hiro''s chance to disengage from the demonic entourage without arousing suspicion.


    "This will be a tough opponent," Hiro kicked out and destroyed over half of the demonic palanquin. "You little fellows should leave first, don''t worry¡­"


    Barely had Hiro finished talking when the demonic creatures tossed the palanquin to the ground with a thud!


    Then, they scrambled away without as much as a glance behind them.


    AHHHH!


    They screamed frantically, the radiations of the golden light tearing wounds into their flesh and skin, some of them going blind as hot steam rose from their bodies.


    "Damn," Hiro was surprised, not expecting the divine energy to affect these fellows so much.


    In the distance, a host of men and women in clergy and nun clothes, geared toward combat, slowly walked over on a golden bridge of light.


    As they moved, the bridge shrank from the back and extended to the front, continually expanding, using some mysterious method to compensate for energy waste and generate a pushing force.


    "That''s an interesting treasure," Hiro was amazed, but not very impressed. Cultivators around Tier-7 could already fly, and even if it was for short distances.


    "Seems like this is indeed a Great Demon."


    Above the bridge of light, the leading battle priest. No, but rather battle priestess, observed with narrowed eyes.


    The waves of divine energy had a minimal impact on the person standing in front of them, which meant that his resistance to divine energy was greater than expected.


    However, this wasn''t as simple as resistance.


    Divine energy was a mix of faith energy with the universal energy practiced by the Paranormals of the Holy Church.


    As faith energy directly targeted the souls of the demonic creatures, they obviously couldn''t resist. However, Hiro also counted as a divine existence, if only barely.


    Thus, such little faith energy couldn''t really do much to him, unless it was controlled by someone much stronger.


    Hiro looked up, meeting the eyes of the battle priestess with his crimson gaze, hellfire dancing around his body.


    As their gazes clashed, sparks seemed to have ignited in the invisible void. The priestess'' expression hardened as she jumped off the goldfish light bridge, shouting to her companions.


    "Leave this place quickly!"


    She wasn''t in the mood to whisper her instructions, as the tension in her body forced her to shout out those words.


    Bone armor!


    Hiro''s eyes shifted, and spurs of bones jutted from his spine before twisting into a black exoskeleton with large bone wings.


    He stretched out his hand toward the torn-down palanquin, pulling the stone sword over with tendrils of demonic energy.


    The female priestess extended her hand out, the bracelet on her wrist transforming into a golden trident.


    From midair, she spun and spun to generate momentum before tossing the trident like a javelin.


    Boom!


    Air exploded, and a powerful penetrating force carried the trident over.


    Bone sword!


    Hiro activated another ability, bone fragments dispersed from the exoskeleton and wrapped around the stone sword.


    On the sword''s spine, jagged bone fragments lined up like a chainsaw, and surges of demonic energy flooded into the sword.


    Hiro''s mind shifted, using the minimal comprehension of the Infinite Sword Matrix to cast a sword from hellfire, fusing it with the bone sword.


    As his aura skyrocketed, Hiro stomped the ground¡ªthin cracks webbed out from beneath his feet and the next moment, the pressure caused the earth to explode.


    Hiro swung his sword out, directly clashing with the trident. He could have dodged this attack, but what''s the point?


    Bzzzt! Bzzzt! Bzzzt!


    The clashing energies generated all manners of redundant forces¡ªkinetic, thermal, magnetic, dynamic, divine, and demonic.


    The priestess who saw the ongoing collision didn''t even bother waiting for the outcome as she clasped her small hands.


    Light as a feather, she landed on the trident with impeccable balance, her voice echoing like a decree from the Lords above.


    "In my name, Vanquish the Unholy!"


    Boom!


    Streams of faith energy gathered from all directions, concentrating above the battle priestess.


    Rays of golden lights penetrated the chaotic neutral energy that formed dense clouds above, revealing a shining star.


    As the star spun, more and more faith energy gathered, compressed, and locked onto both the priestess and Hiro.


    "I don''t believe you will survive the great cleansing, you damned heretic!"


    Hiro looked up, his eyes shooting past the battle priestess and staring at the gathering faith energy above.


    "So, that''s how you guys use faith energy to attack?" Hiro murmured, his struggling slowly giving way to a relaxed posture, dense demonic energy roiling about inside his body.


    Hiro chuckled lightly, his voice superimposed the chanting as it sounded devilishly demonic and sinister, "Vanquish me? Are you worthy?"

 Chapter 65 - 65: Battle Priestess Berlin

    The battle priestess was shocked to hear his demonic voice resonating with the chaotic neutral energy.


    However, before she could complete her offensive spell, Hiro''s lips moved.


    Purgatory Domain!


    A torrent of demonic energy, like a pillar of darkness, climbed to the sky from Hiro''s body.


    With a strand of faith energy imbued within the darkness, it quickly expanded into a dome that covered the sky and the ground.


    The priestess looked up in shock. The all-consuming darkness isolated them from the outside world.


    Not only that, she also felt that her mysterious connection with her Lords was being interfered with. As a result, she lost control over the star of divine energy in the sky.


    Buzz!


    Her energy went out of control for a split second, but that split second was enough to cost her the standoff with Hiro.


    Capitalizing on her weakness, Hiro roared with pure menace, black hellfire exploding on his skeletal wings. With a flap, his momentum burst, the force of his slash tipping the balance of power.


    Bang!


    The battle priestess was alarmed. "Not good!"


    She felt a tearing force acting on her muscles, and the soles of her feet went numb for a split second. Then, the force swept through her entire body, sending her flying.


    The golden spear kept buzzing in midair as the conduit to the overwhelming clash between the two forces, and before the momentum could wear off, Hiro reached out to grab the spear.


    Hiss!


    The direct contact with the divine energy burned his palm, and the demonic energy was growing restless.


    Hiro gnashed his teeth, squeezing the spear hard. Gluttony!


    As Hiro shouted in his heart, a great suction force worked on the spear, drawing divine energy into Hiro''s body.


    The light-attributed energy was stored in his body, while the faith energy was stripped away and channeled to his pocket dimension through a mysterious connection.


    Hiro''s eyes gleamed with joy. As expected, I can increase faith energy this way, there is no need to worry about populating the Unfathomable Domain!


    Boom!


    After flying away for a few seconds, the battle priestess finally crashed into the barrier of the purgatory''s domain. Vast swaths of demonic energy flooded her body, and since it was tainted with faith energy, her divine energy protection had no way of stopping it.


    Crackling noises sounded as the bones in her body gave way under the pressure.


    Pffft!


    The battle priestess spat out a mouthful of dark blood, but she persisted and gritted her teeth. "You will die a HORRIBLE death!"


    After she shouted, the energy in her body started going out of control, fluctuating violently.


    Hiro had just finished absorbing the faith energy when he noticed this, and his expression changed.


    Hindering faith energy was something, but cutting off the flow of faith energy was something else altogether!


    In such a destitute place like this crumbling dimension, a sudden loss of a source of faith energy would most likely draw the attention of some Lesser Deities.


    As Hiro''s mind spun rapidly, he had an idea.


    He canceled the synchronization, and before the battle priestess could notice that something was off, he used his lightning elements to form a massive lightning sword.


    Hiro had to brun through a lot of energy to create a single large sword with the Infinite Sword Matrix, and he had to make appear as though the sword attacked from the outside.


    Boom!


    The battle priestess looked up in shock.


    Then, she saw a massive construct of pale blue lightning piercing through the darkness.


    Then, before she decided to self-detonate, lightning bolts exploded in all directions.


    Still, in the cosmetics of the demonic creature, Hiro strained his vocal cords and let out a long, unwilling howl before having the Purgatory Domain implode onto itself.


    Sensing the impending catastrophe, the battle priestess wasn''t at all worried.


    In any case, she was already prepared to sacrifice herself for the cause of her Lords.


    She closed her eyes and waited for death as explosions rocked the world all around her.


    Then, when the dust settled, she was a little surprised. Slowly, she opened her eyes, and in the distance, she saw a young man in casual clothes and a black windbreaker.


    By him on either side was a small lightning sword, and they were spinning like crazy while emitting a threatening aura.


    She could tell that this was a high level of sorcery, but she couldn''t recognize this man.


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    The demonic energy in her body acted up again, and she fell to her knees with a thud.


    The holy armor on her body was riddled with holes, and her helmet cracked before breaking down.


    Beneath it was a small round face and short black hair. This girl had an ordinary, girl-next-door appearance, but it couldn''t suppress her valiant aura.


    It seemed like the young man noticed her as he looked over. Her first thought was that he was incredibly handsome.


    As for Hiro, he was stunned.


    Are you kidding me?


    [Notice: Berlin has triggered the 10% chance of love at first sight!]


    Hiro was flabbergasted for a long, long moment.


    These sanctimonious nuns can fall in love as well? Is the trick to triggering this chance related to how hard I beat wo-¡­ Cough! Cough! Let''s not go down that rabbit hole!


    These random thoughts can get me into real trouble in my previous life!


    ¡­


    Nonetheless, Hiro''s body was quickly engulfed with wind magic, and he swiftly moved over to Berlin''s side.


    Berlin was feeling flustered for some unknown reason, and she shouted anxiously in warning, "Don''t come closer! I''m infected with this unholy power!"


    Hiro didn''t mind. With a smile, he waved his hand, a powerful suction force acting up on Berlin''s body.


    Then, with a tinge of discomfort, Berlin felt the demonic energy in her body growing restless before getting sucked away.


    A swirling ball of miasma, which was in fact demonic energy, clustered above Hiro''s palm before crimson-hot flames burned it to a wisp of smoke.


    Then, Hiro waved his other hand, a green halo of gentle energy suffusing Berlin''s body, seeping into her muscles and bones before slowly healing her.


    Berlin was stunned.


    Lightning attribute, wind attribute, fire attribute, and nature attribute? Is this guy a walking incarnation of the five elements?


    Hiro wanted to clean her up with the water magic, but he felt like it would be inappropriate to do that. Thus, he cleared his throat and turned around.


    "That Great Demon has escaped. Even though he had expended a lot of his energy, I still couldn''t make him stay. Sigh." Hiro sounded very disappointed.


    Berlin snapped back to her senses.


    "Don''t overthink it," she shook her head to clear away all distracting thoughts before she slowly stood up. "It''s already good enough that he was heavily exhausted, don''t beat yourself up over it."


    Hiro blinked. Hm? Why is she so different from how Jessica acted? Do different girls have different means of expressing their feelings?


    Hiro was deep in thought. This is something worth researching. In the future, I can''t take a girl''s actions and words at face value.


    Look at this girl, I already know that she''s head over heels for me; it''s practically a done deal, yet she''s acting all aloof, high, and mighty.


    ¡­


    Berlin ignored her fiercely beating heart with supreme willpower, her gaze landing on the spear in the center of the battlefield.


    Her expression immediately turned ugly.


    Hiro followed her gaze, then he felt a little awkward. That weapon was drained dry from all divine powers by him, so it turned into no more than a scrap of metal at this point.


    Using the system''s treasure-scanning function, Hiro realized that this girl wasn''t carrying any other treasures on her body.


    Thinking about it, she most likely engaged him with the resolution to die in battle, so she probably sent away all her treasures with that group of priests and nuns.


    Hiro checked his current achievement points.


    From approximately 15,000 points, he was down to 12,540 points.


    Thinking about it, I haven''t exchanged for things like weapons and armor from my system shop. Hiro suddenly realized.


    Weapons can greatly enhance a person''s battle prowess, especially when they can store faith energy.


    Even his servants had their personal weapons, but all he had were cosmetic items without any effects whatsoever.


    "That''s your weapon?" Hiro asked, as he didn''t want to act suspiciously.


    "Yes," Berlin furrowed her brows. "I don''t have any other items on me, and my companions had already left."


    After responding, Berlin was shocked.


    Why did I answer so readily? No, I need to work on my willpower when I come back, how can my emotions be swayed so easily? Even if he saved my life, it shouldn''t be like this!


    "Oh, by the way, my name is Hiro. Since we''re both exploring alone at the moment, why don''t we join hands?" Hiro naturally extended his hand for a handshake.


    "Oh, okay¡­ Berlin¡­" Berlin reached out to hold his hand in a daze. Then, after a moment of being stunned, she withdrew her hand as though she had just dipped it in burning lava.


    "How can you touch a woman so casually?!" Berlin shouted in shame and anger, feeling defiled.


    What''s wrong with my head? What happened to me all of a sudden?!


    She felt like beating someone up.

 Chapter 66 - 66: Acquiring Arabella’s Reward

    She can''t be serious. Hiro was amused with Berlin''s reaction.


    He didn''t know whether she was inherently shy or if this was a byproduct of the church''s teachings.


    "I''m just being polite, you don''t have to mind it so much," Hiro waved his hand dismissively and looked around. "We should hurry up. The sooner you reunite with your peers, the better."


    Hiro only exposed himself to prevent the girl from killing herself, he wasn''t planning to stick to her side from this point onwards.


    Berlin calmed down, and after giving the broken spear a reluctant look, she fixed her disheveled hair and turned to leave.


    She wanted to tell Hiro not to follow her and that she''d be fine on her own, but the words wouldn''t leave her mouth.


    Then, she gritted her teeth and chose silence.


    As in, she didn''t start a conversation with Hiro nor did she respond to his initiative. After figuring that out, Hiro also stopped talking with her.


    Instead, he summoned the various pages of the system shop while walking, searching for items of value.


    Weapons and versatile spells were in high demand for Hiro at the moment. However, it was weird for a Sorcerer to use melee weapons, that wasn''t the case for magic weapons.


    For example, the spear from earlier could be used as a magical item, not a pure melee weapon.


    Hiro also searched for weapons or items that had an augmentation effect on his consciousness, as these would benefit his usage of the Infinite Sword Matrix.


    This feeling is too uncomfortable, Berlin thought to herself as she hoisted the tattered helmet under her left armpit.


    She snuck glances toward Hiro from time to time, but she couldn''t tell whether he was acting oblivious to the awkwardness in the air or not.


    Suddenly, Hiro stopped as clarity returned to his eyes. He turned his head to look up and far away, his eyebrows raised.


    "What?!" Berlin''s train of thought was disrupted so suddenly¡ªshe involuntarily cried out and took two steps back.


    Then, her cheeks flushed a little in embarrassment.


    Hiro didn''t care, it was natural for Berlin to feel insecure next to a male stranger, especially when she lost her weapon¡ªthe only means by which she could defend herself.


    Hiro said, "Your peers have returned, it seems like they were worried about you." sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Of course, he couldn''t see or sense them from so far away. It''s just that his treasure-scanning range was 1,000m and thus, Hiro''s system notified him when the bridge of light reappeared.


    It was approaching at a fast speed, too.


    "Really?!" Berlin was excited, but she didn''t doubt Hiro''s words; it was as if her first instinct was to believe him no matter what he said.


    When she noticed that something was off, Hiro had already turned around, wind magic surrounding his body.


    Obviously, he was preparing to leave as soon as possible.


    Berlin frowned and asked, "What are you doing?"


    Hiro glanced back over his shoulder, thinking that this was quite a silly question. He knew in his heart that this battle priestess must have some high prestige or popularity among her peers.


    If they saw her unsightly image in the presence of a man who wasn''t among their circle of faith, who knew how those zealots would react?


    Thus, he left without hesitation. Hiro didn''t even bother responding to her question, immediately speeding away like a violent gale.


    As the wind kicked up in her face, Berlin stood there with a dazed look on her face.


    Did he ignore her just now? She was stunned.


    Moments later, she noticed the trace of a golden hue on the horizon, realizing that her peers had indeed come back to check on her.


    However, for some reason, she didn''t find it in her to feel excited anymore. Although she didn''t know the specific reason, she understood that Hiro must have left because of their return.


    Somehow, she felt a sliver of resentment, unknowingly murmuring, "Why did they come back so quickly¡­"


    ¡­


    "Phew," Hiro sighed in relief when the light bridge was no longer within the one-kilometer range of his treasure-scanning feature.


    That was a close call, Hiro commented lightly in his heart.


    He didn''t wish to get entangled with the Holy Church over a woman, even if she was a battle priestess.


    He would much rather get together with an ordinary woman who was obedient and stayed out of trouble.


    So far, Hiro''s only attachments to this world consist of his little friendship with Bella, Elvin, and Vanti.


    Everyone else was a mere acquiescence at best. Especially now, since he earned the {Planewalker} title and was provided with the ability to extract the coordinates of any pocket dimension, realm, or world he stepped into.


    It was quite obvious to Hiro that the government and the Greater Deities of the Holy Church had long since started migrating their core assets to the New World.


    Since his perspective changed, it was easy for him to guess that the second devastating war would occur when those behemoths had no more attachments to this world.


    Once they found a suitable realm for humanity to migrate, and once they shifted their core assets to the new territory, the countdown for a great war unlike any other would begin.


    This was Hiro''s current window of opportunity to milk the tens of billions of humans throughout the three continents dry of all resources and benefits, key among them being faith energy.


    I''ve already completed my objective of coming here by getting my hands on the coordinates of the Demon Realm, Hiro''s thoughts shifted, and he was at a loss.


    He thought that he would need to infiltrate the demon camp, and join them in a few battles against the humans, and only then would he earn enough trust to visit the Demon Realm.


    However, he hadn''t expected them to put so much emphasis on the purity of demonic energy.


    I wonder how pure was the demonic energy that corroded the dimension''s core. Hmm, I promised Arabella a reward, should I bring back that demonic energy?


    With his innate gluttony physique, it shouldn''t be a problem to extract that demonic energy and store it in the system''s inventory at the cost of paying achievement points.


    It''s just a question of how many achievement points he needed to pay for such pure demonic energy.


    "Whatever," Hiro shook his head. "I should be generous to my subordinates. Even though we''re bound by a contract, their ability to think and feel isn''t restricted at all. The happier they are, the more productive they''d be, and they might start taking initiative without needing to receive my orders in the future."


    This was something Hiro noticed when he compared Arabella''s attitude to Juvia''s attitude.


    Obviously, since the latter enjoyed great benefits from his dimension, she exhibited greater enthusiasm, sometimes going out of her way to share some gossip and unconfirmed information she caught wind of.


    As a beautiful young lady, many leaders in social circles and meet-up parties would share some internal gossip with her.


    What family''s master had declined in some field, losing authority to another family''s master?


    What business is going to receive aid from the government with policies and taxes?


    What factions are fighting openly and covertly against one another, or joining hands to form new alliances through the exchange of benefits?


    Hiro never asked Juvia to do all of this, but she personally made the judgment that this would be helpful to her Master, and so she proceeded with it.


    As Ei, the artificial intelligence powered by a quantum processor was helping her from the dark, no one could find out about her little antics.


    Thinking about this, Hiro decided that he needed to give this sliver of demonic energy to Arabella, and then give her a short seven-day vacation to roam the Demon Realm.


    Her professional team can take over the company''s affairs in the meantime.


    After he affirmed his decision, Hiro turned around and followed the map in his memories, heading toward the dimension''s core.


    With his treasure-scanning activity, he easily avoided the regions with active treasures of fairly high quality, allowing him to avoid any unnecessary conflicts.


    On the way, his treasures encyclopedia also grew rapidly, further extending the range of his treasure-scanning at an interval of 10m increments.


    Soon, it shot up to 1.1km, 1.2km, and 1.3km, and it stopped at 1.5km when Hiro''s treasure-scanning range suddenly spiked up, highlighting many high-level treasures.


    The colorful array of various attributes almost blinded Hiro.


    Light, dark, wind, lightning, water, chaos, gravity, kinetic, frost, blood, moonlight, earth, smoke, plasma, etc.


    This signified that Hiro had mostly likely stepped onto an active battlefield, and the fighting was intense.


    With that in mind, Hiro understood that he could no longer circumvent the conflicts to approach the dimension''s core unnoticed.


    Perhaps, the active battlefield had something to do with this core, as nothing else would justify the intensity of the battle.


    Suddenly, two treasures highlighted by Hiro on the priority list were caught within his scan range, and Hiro raised his eyebrows.


    One of them was Rosaline''s twin short swords and the other was, unsurprisingly, the light bridge.

 Chapter 67 - 67: Exposed

    "How lively," Hiro found himself on a high hill not too far from the great canyon that separated the various parties involved in the battle.


    Seated in an inconspicuous corner and with the system keeping his aura in check, Hiro watched as the battle played out.


    The most intense battle was probably the location of the dimension''s core, and everyone engaged in that battle was at the peak of Tier-7 in terms of level.


    As for their abilities and skills, all kinds of colorful spells and enchanting tactics were on display.


    "I don''t want to waste my time here¡­ Also, I can use this chance to show off instead of working hard for something so easily obtained."


    After Hiro made up his mind, he slowly stepped forward to the hill''s edge.


    Then, the cosmetics around his body changed together with the aura exuded from his person.


    Now, he was wearing the "Babylon" cosmetics, and a hazy white halo surrounded his body as a murky silver river whirled in currents along his frame.


    Hiro had to admit that although it was a pity to reset the CB and spirit arrays to the starting line whenever he switched sects, it no longer felt bad when his goal had changed.


    Now, he was no longer obsessed with elevating his Daoist character from Tier-5 to Tier-4 standards.


    Instead, he was obsessed with missions, contribution points, and learning the various martial arts and magic spells offered by the different schools.


    It had gotten to a point where Hiro no longer remembered how many tricks his Daoist character had accumulated.


    In any case, he could be considered a walking library of secret manuals.


    If this were the real world, his reputation would have long since spread, and no sect would accept him.


    The reputation of someone who joins a sect only to learn their secret techniques, martial arts, and spells then leaves¡­ Which sect would accept him?


    They''d have to worry about whether or not this person would share their core teachings with outsiders, be it voluntarily or otherwise.


    Furthermore, Hiro had plans to purchase the genuine expansion package from the system shop with gems.


    Hiro discovered that expansion packs existed in the system''s catalog, but he had yet to complete the conditions for unlocking that feature.


    As for what the condition was, he didn''t know.


    If he had to guess, it was probably a set requirement to complete a set number of games or purchase a complete game with gems at least once.


    In any case, with 140 gems and the 80% discount voucher, he could cut down the price of any original game as long as it didn''t exceed 700 gems in price.


    If he remembered correctly, there existed games with a price range from 520 gems to 680 gems in the shop, the only conundrum was; what game to buy?


    With these thoughts in mind, Hiro released his aura as he moved to the center of the battlefield, his figure floating in the air.


    Rumble! Rumble!


    The entire world started to shake as the massive pressure of Hiro''s aura spread for hundreds of thousands of kilometers in all directions.


    The invisible threads of law and order operating in the background experienced a strain strong enough to bend and twist the fabric of reality.


    Spatial fissures over 10km long webbed across the sky, revealing a depthless void.


    Those in the sky and those on the ground, and even those hidden underground; they felt waves of pressure from all sides, squeezing them to death.


    The pocket dimension was about to reset itself and experience destruction in one last attempt at self-preservation.


    "Hurry and leave! Someone is breaking the rules!"


    "What the fuck is going on?! I thought the Holy Church has blocked all entry channels?!"


    "Who cares?! Run for your lives!"


    ¡­


    While the majority of the participants were scrambling to run away, activating one dimensional key after another and escaping back to their respective worlds or realms, a group of battle priests and priestesses rushed to the sky.


    They were protected by a shell of golden divine energy, but even then, they could hardly move over 20m above the ground.


    "Who are you?! State your name and purpose this instant!" Shouted the leading battle priest.


    A massive broadsword floated horizontally on his side, and his buff arms were crossed in front of his chest, veins bulging noticeably through his skin.


    Hiro swept them with a brief glance before ignoring the guy and the divine energy completely.


    With one step, he moved next to the dimension''s core which was levitating in the air, spinning crazily with visible cracks.


    Can I take this thing into my inventory? Hiro asked the system in his mind.


    [Notice: This core is severely damaged, and it can only be repaired when the laws of the dimension are reset. However, the pure demonic energy is restricting the operations of the laws, slowly corroding and converting the essence of the dimension. In conclusion, you will need to purify and fix the laws of the dimension in the process of retrieving the item.


    Estimated value: 100,000,000 achievement points.]


    Hiro stared at the notice, feeling his teeth ache. Then again, this was a pocket dimension with over 300 million square kilometers of landscape, so of course it wouldn''t be cheap to fix it.


    The demonic energy was corroding this place for over a decade, and it seemed like the church had no plans to expend energy in the efforts of fixing it up.


    After a moment of silence, Hiro asked the system again, Then, how much will it cost to store the demonic energy in my inventory?


    [Notice: Since the host can use the innate gluttony physique as a catalyst, together with the help from the dimension''s self-protection mechanism, the system doesn''t need to exert much energy in the process of extraction.


    Estimated value: 10,000 achievement points.]


    Hiro gritted his teeth hard, questioning whether it was worth it to spend 10,000 achievement points just to reward Arabella.


    This is a strand of demonic energy obtained by the cooperative efforts of the system, the pocket dimension, and Hiro''s innate gluttony physique.


    It could be imagined how valuable this thing was.


    Forget about other things, 10,000 achievement points are enough to get another contracted servant with unlimited growth potential.


    In a sense, Hiro was about to double Arabella''s initial capital, and he had no clue how far her level, bloodline, and abilities could improve after she obtained this pure demonic energy.


    At the very least, she would jump the ranks from an ordinary succubus to a Greater Demon, and potentially become a Demon King in the future.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Consecutive explosions in the background woke Hiro up, and after making up his mind, Hiro extended his hand under the stunned gaze of everyone.


    ¡­


    In the crowd, the most but least shocked was probably Rosaline.


    From Bella''s descriptions, she already guessed that this was most likely Babylon, the person who entered the provincial capital''s Paranormal Society recently. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    However, the Holy Church had the power to intercept any and all channels from their world to this pocket dimension, so how could someone else get in?


    Furthermore, the pocket dimension wouldn''t causally allow anyone with an overpowered strength to enter, as that was no different from self-destruction.


    The more Rosaline thought about it, the more confused she became.


    Even if Babylon made it inside from a different world or a different minor realm, he had to get his hands on the coordinates.


    Even if he got his hands on the coordinates, he had to get over the pocket dimension''s operating laws.


    It wasn''t just Rosaline; even the people from the Holy Church, the government, and various influential groups in the Paranormal Society were feeling confused at the moment.


    During their confusion, one of the Great Demons suddenly shouted in alarm and disbelief, "The demonic energy is weakening!"


    It was fine if he hadn''t said anything, but now that he did, everyone closed their eyes and carefully sensed their surroundings.


    The Great Demons were most sensitive to demonic energy, but very quickly, everyone who was strong enough was able to feel it.


    As the creature said, demonic energy was being diluted at an increasing rate. Looking at the cracked dimension''s core, everyone saw wisps of black energy being extracted from the core.


    What?! Seeing this, Berlin was shocked as a scene replayed in her mind. It was the scene of Hiro extracting the demonic energy from her body.


    An absurd, yet not an impossible conclusion popped into her head. Are these two related¡­?


    She didn''t want to believe it; as the difference in strength was just too great. However, she hadn''t learned of any techniques that allowed someone to extract demonic energy in the past.


    This ability was too heaven-defying! If a secret organization got its hands on such an ability, it should be the Holy Church!


    No wonder he didn''t want to meet with the people from the church back then, Berlin assumed that she finally figured things out.


    Looking at the back of the battle priest, she opened her mouth to report her conclusion and guesses. However, the moment she harbored that intent, a piercing, borderline suffocating feeling gripped her heart.


    Berlin frowned, sweating smearing her brows. For some reason, she felt that she would be making an unforgettable mistake were she to expose Hiro''s matter.


    She was confused, Where was this feeling coming from?

 Chapter 68 - 68: The Rosch Family’s Foundation

    Hiro didn''t know whether it was unexpected or to be expected.


    While he was extracting the demonic energy, the backlash from the laws seemed to tone down, as though giving him the time he needed to terminate the disease.


    Be it his illusion or not, Hiro quickly wrapped up the ball of dense, pure demonic energy into his system inventory after paying 10,000 achievement points, leaving him with about 2,400 achievement points.


    Sighing at the extravagance, Hiro used the {Planewalker} title''s effects and opened a gate leading back to the Nexus Country.


    Despite the lockdown from the Great Church on spatial passages, they couldn''t prevent the system from creating a gate, thus allowing Hiro to return to his mansion in Tsukiyomi Lake''s Third Ring.


    Of course, to the onlookers, it appeared as though Hiro returned to a world or a realm outside the Demon Realm and the native human world.


    Hiro immediately canceled his {Synchronization} the moment he stepped into the study. Then, he opened another portal with his real body and stepped inside, appearing not too far from the chaotic battlefield.


    After making a flashy appearance of wind and lightning magic surrounding his body, Hiro rushed over to Rosaline''s side.


    By the time he arrived, the final motes of the portal in the sky disappeared, and only then did Rosaline retract her gaze to stare at Hiro.


    "Was that Babylon?" Rosaline asked in a whisper, even though she knew the answer in her heart.


    Hiro didn''t answer, merely giving her the side eye, which was a validation in and of itself.


    High in the sky, Berlin also noticed Hiro who flashed next to Rosaline, and she immediately noticed the Rosch family''s crest on Rosaline''s clothing.


    Her eyes flashed, but she didn''t say anything.


    "We need to leave quickly," Hiro said, inspecting his surroundings and the dimension that was slowly descending toward destruction.


    Rosaline nodded her head and said, "Don''t worry, the nuns are preparing to open the gate as we speak. Look, they''re done already."


    Rosaline pointed in the direction of the Holy Church''s campsite where a massive oval construction was erected in mere moments.


    Then, divine energy fused into the construct.


    Following the loud noise of energy being channeled, a gate leading to the remote island was opened.


    Without a care for their image or standing, countless Paranormals flocked into the gate.


    The believers didn''t stop them, nor did they reprimand or make things difficult for anyone.


    In but a few minutes, Hiro and Rosaline arrived by the gate. While they were passing through, Hiro felt someone staring intently at him, a basic intuition from his {Espionage I} skill.


    Looking back, he saw Berlin''s ordinary face.


    Ah, she must have noticed something¡ªI was a little reckless! Hiro cursed inwardly as he recalled his actions.


    However, he wasn''t too bothered about it because she was already head over heels for him, so she wouldn''t do anything detrimental to him.


    With that in mind, Hiro relaxed, and before going through the gate, he smiled her way and gave her a light wink.


    Berlin''s face turned a shade of red as she gritted her teeth. What a scumbag! Just you wait, I''ll find you sooner or later!


    ¡­


    It had to be said that the authority of the Holy Church had never been challenged on such a large scale before.


    While everyone was quickly evacuated from the no-name island on helicopters, the team of priests and nuns who were inside the pocket dimension were called back for questioning.


    Of course, this had nothing to do with Hiro, as the air on the helicopter designated for the Rosh family was quite intense.


    The female co-pilot had a stormy expression as she asked, "How did everyone else die? Speak clearly!"


    She was righteously fuming at the moment because the line of multiple branches of the family was cut off just like that.


    How can anyone tolerate this?! How was she supposed to answer to the Old Patriarch and the current head of the family?


    Every 60-year cycle, there would be a power shift. The ''Main Branch'' wasn''t a stable position in the family''s hierarchy, as no one could guarantee that their offspring would awaken as a Paranormal talent.


    Thus, there was the custom of the 60-year-cycle competition between the younger generation who were gifted enough to awaken.


    The winner in the competition would become the inheritor to the family''s position as the family head, elevating their branch of the family to the main branch.


    When the next 60-year cycle ends, this family head would retire and join the council of elders, a council for the retired experts of that generation''s competition.


    They would stay in the council of elders, and when the current Old Patriarch passed away, those who won the competition to become the head of the family during their generation would have the qualifications to become the new Old Patriarch through a process of voting.


    Goes without saying, that the younger generation of the Rosch family didn''t represent the future head of the family, but their future council of elders!


    This was the backbone of the Rosh family and its foundation!


    This loss was too much to bear, and the woman had almost gone hysterical thinking about it!


    "The Holy Church miscalculated this time, it''s not our fault," Rosaline suppressed the discomfort in her heart, throwing out an excuse.


    "What do you mean?" Asked the woman, her expression dark.


    "A powerful existence on the level of a Master, or maybe a Grandmaster even¡ªsneaked into the pocket dimension under everyone''s nose," Rosaline spoke faintly.


    The woman didn''t believe it, exclaiming in disbelief, "Impossible!"


    "If you don''t believe me, you can check the PARA app," Rosaline said lightly.


    Around this time, the threads on the PARA app were going crazy. Goes without saying, that paper can''t contain the fire¡ªeveryone soon found out that the mystery man is someone called Babylon.


    It wasn''t difficult to deduce¡ªthese Paranormals weren''t stupid, especially when someone like Master Osmond was already targeting Babylon.


    His information was quickly brought to light, even if all they knew about him was his appearance and an estimation of his power level.


    Other than that, nothing else could be considered as concrete information.


    Regardless, his mere presence in a pocket dimension¡ªallegedly censored by the Holy Church to boot¡ªwas like a huge stone tossed into the tranquil lake of the Paranormal Society.


    For a moment, the PARA app was a total mess, and this is what greeted the female co-pilot the moment she opened it.


    She was stunned. However, she was also careful; the forums must be under strict surveillance at the moment, and each new thread was open for less than 20 seconds before it got closed. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Then, another thread opens, and the cycle continues.


    No one was stupid, and they wouldn''t stay online long enough to provide potential enemies the opportunity to track them down.


    Suddenly, a private thread was pushed to the top of the discussion, obviously pushed out by someone from the internal server.


    [Unfathomable Throne ¡ª Babylon]


    It was a private thread with less than eight registered members, but there was one highlighted name, apparently online.


    Everyone recognized it; Babylon.


    "This can''t be," the female co-pilot was shocked. "Is this guy crazy?"


    "What happened?" Rosaline asked, both curious and worried.


    "I don''t know if this is really him or not, but someone found a private thread and it''s suspected that this was opened by that Babylon guy¡­ Oh, someone cracked the thread''s PIN code."


    Rosaline narrowed her eyes. "The private thread''s PIN code is a four-digit number, it''s very easy to crack. No one bothers with the password, and no one bothers with cracking it under normal circumstances¡­"


    After glancing at Hiro, Rosaline also pulled out her phone to check the forums.


    Soon, she found the thread in question.


    The moment the password was cracked and punished to the public, the original members left the thread post-haste.


    [???] has left the thread¡­


    [???] has left the thread¡­


    [???] has left the thread¡­


    ¡­


    Now, only the username [Babylon] was in the thread, online.


    Everyone quickly scrolled through the thread to see the records of the conversations.


    After a rigorous check, they came to one conclusion¡ªthis was indeed Babylon.


    [???]: What''s the Unfathomable Throne? Is it some sort of a secret organization?


    [???]: I don''t know, but they''re really reckless!


    [???]: Haha, just wait, someone will crack his location and real identity in no time at all.


    [???]: This proves it, they''re definitely Outsiders, just like those vile demons! Otherwise, how could this guy be so useless? Keeping his account online for the world to see.


    [???]: *Sigh* here I thought this guy was something.


    30 minutes later¡­


    [???]Has anyone cracked it yet? I''m getting stressed from constantly logging out, switching IP, switching VPN, and then logging in again¡ªI don''t remember how many times I did it by now.


    [???]: Same, I''m just waiting for the good news. Don''t worry, those sanctimonious zealots wouldn''t let this slide, they''re probably going all out.


    90 minutes later¡­


    [???]: Say, brothers, how come this guy''s cyber security is so fierce? Even the government has joined in on the fun, but they can''t get past his firewall!


    [???]: Shit! Big news! A counterattack hacked into the government''s servers and threatened to leak all their data! The government is pulling out!


    [???]: Are you serious?! Damn, this guy is biting back; this is so fucking exciting! Haha!

 Chapter 69 - 69: Destination: Demon Realm

    Ostensibly, Hiro kept a low profile for the coming days while the Paranormal Society was in riot.


    Other than applying for an early graduation certificate from school and waiting for the specified exams, most of his time was spent on improving Sitri''s character in the most recent game.


    After all, he decided to shift his operations from this world to the Demon Realm for the next few years.


    In order to do that, Hiro doubled back on his suspicions from early on¡ªthe possibility of purchasing an awakening potion from the system shop.


    There was indeed such a possibility, but the potion was rather expensive¡ª200 gems per potion, and he would only awaken as a Tier-9, even if the demonic energy was the purest kind.


    With the 80% voucher, Hiro only needed to pay 40 gems, which was affordable at the moment.


    However, since raising his strength in real life was much more difficult than doing it in-game, he decided to increase Sitri''s strength as much as possible before his departure.


    With him gone, even if some people had suspicions about his relationship with Babylon, they couldn''t do anything about it.


    As days passed, it was soon the eve of his graduation exams. That night, Arabella went into the mansion unnoticed, and followed Hiro through the portal into his private dimension.


    ¡­


    As the two of them stepped into the pocket dimension, what greeted them was an expanse of large trees¡ªof particular notice were the tree houses high in the canopies.


    After such a long time, the population of the magical beasts¡ªtheir current identity after undergoing reincarnation after reincarnation through the dimension''s core¡ªhad increased significantly.


    Furthermore, their high intelligence and subservience to Juvia led them down the path of transforming into human forms, despite their identity as magical beasts.


    Worthy of note was that many of the new generation magical beasts had innate abilities related to transforming and time manipulation, which Hiro inferred to be a result of Juvia''s presence near the dimension''s core during its maturation period.


    Given a few more years, the innate ability of these magical beasts would probably catch up with the potential of humans and demons, only if the stream of faith energy continued on.


    Hiro wasn''t worried about that, as the Seekers Legend had many patch updates waiting in line, and once the game was milked dry, he planned to introduce the "Return of the Demon Ancestor" as an expansion pack into the lore.


    The return of Sitri, the Demon Ancestor, would unlock a new map in the game.


    Of course, Sitri would become the new antagonist after the main storyline was completed and the servers announced the crowning of the Celestial Emperor.


    One of the lucky guilds will enjoy the favoritism of this NPC¡ªcorrespondingly, they would enjoy the aggro from Sitri and his followers.


    The more Hiro thought about it, the more he liked the idea. With these thoughts in mind, he was in a hurry to return to the study and continue his marathon toward the endgame.


    He looks at Arabella who was waiting there patiently with a respectful expression on her face.


    She was already used to her Master spacing out like this. Thus, she knew all she had to do was wait. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hiro sighed. "I promised you a reward for your hard work all this time; I''m here to fulfill my promise."


    Hiro stretched out his hand, and in his palm, a condensed ball of pure demonic energy appeared.


    As the Lord of this pocket dimension, it was easy for Hiro to suppress the demonic energy from spreading¡ªnot to forget about his innate gluttony physique at play.


    Although Arabella had high expectations for her reward, she was still shocked when she saw the ball of demonic energy.


    Her body shook uncontrollably as her blood boiled in her veins. At the moment, she was just an ordinary demon, but she could tell that this was her ticket to evolution¡ªher ticket to becoming a Great Demon, or even a Supreme Demon.


    Purple light flashed in her eyes as she lost control over her telekinetic powers for a split second, grinding a few pebbles on the ground into dust¡ªher breathing growing hitched.


    "M-master¡­ this¡­" Arabella opened her mouth, but she couldn''t find it in her to refuse such a generous reward.


    The bits of jealousy, envy, and resentment in her heart for not receiving her Master''s attention for such a long time disappeared.


    Connected to Hiro''s soul through the contract, she knew that he had gotten himself another servant.


    Yes, she didn''t know the other party''s identity, and even if they stood face to face, neither of them would recognize the other. However, both of them were aware of the other''s existence.


    Thus, it was only natural for Arabella''s dark thoughts to wander about. It couldn''t be helped, she was also a sentient, highly intelligent, living being.


    She also had the seven emotions and six desires.


    She also longed for recognition from her Master, and this reward was undoubtedly a form of recognition.


    While she was in a daze, Hiro was impatient.


    He flicked the ball of demonic energy into her forehead without hesitation.


    "Gasp!" Arabella''s body shook. Then, tendrils of pure demonic energy encased her figure, like a violet cacoon.


    With a thought, Hiro twisted the laws of this region, concealing it from the perception of all creatures in the pocket dimension.


    Then, he left a portal open next to Arabella while he returned to his study. His next goal was simple: complete the game.


    Days passed, and in the blink of an eye, an entire week slipped by.


    On this day, Hiro finally finished the Return of the Demon Ancestor, and his Demon character was at Level 70, just like his Arcana Lord.


    Also on this day, Hiro received a notice from the system.


    [Notice: Your servant Arabella has successfully evolved to a Great Demon.]


    [Notice: Your servant Arabella has failed in her ecology to a Supreme Demon; her strength doesn''t meet the stipulated requirements.]


    [Arabella]:


    Race: Great Demons


    Level: 40


    Skills: Telekinesis, Beguiling Hypnosis, Transformation, Business Acumen VI, Illusory Domain.


    ¡­


    Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar character sheet, Hiro had a thought, and his data was displayed.


    [Hiro]:


    Name: Hiro Sciatis.


    Class: Sorcerer.


    Level: 40.


    XP: 92%


    Spells: Sorcerer''s Guide to the Five Elements, Infinite Sword Matrix.


    AP: 2,540.


    Gems: 140.


    Skills: Immersive Reading, Professional Calligraphy, Analytical Mind, Professional Combat, Professional Soccer, Espionage I, Telepathy.


    Inventory: 80% Discount Voucher (2), Lvl. 1 Mass Enlightenment Scroll, Game Voucher (2).


    ¡­


    Looking at his current level, Hiro suddenly remembered that his servants couldn''t grow stronger than him¡ªthe real him, excluding his synchronized state.


    In a sense, Arabella''s failed evolution was primarily his fault, not hers.


    Hiro frowned and mumbled, "How troublesome, I miscalculated! That''s 10,000 points down the drain¡­"


    Hiro''s heart ached, and he could feel the bittersweet taste of regret. However, when the portal by his side flashed and Arabella walked out, her face gleaming with borderline worship as she looked at him, some of his regrets melted away.


    Whatever, Hiro thought to himself. I can''t change it now. At the very least, now I know that I can''t neglect my real strength with the illusion of the synchronization feature.


    As Hiro''s thoughts reached this point, he smiled at Arabella. "Congratulations!"


    Thud! Arabella dropped to one knee without hesitation and lowered her head, her enthusiasm sending her telekinetic powers out of control¡ªthe pressure was intense, even for Hiro.


    Now, he realized why he can''t allow his servants to become stronger than himself.


    Coughing, Hiro said, "Calm down!"


    Arabella snapped out from her state of feverish zeal, quickly controlling her power as she looked up. "Thank you for your blessings, Master! If you have any orders for me, I''m listening!"


    Hiro''s back was soaked in sweat as he put on a calm expression.


    He sighed, "I wanted to give you a vacation to relax, but¡­"


    "It''s okay, Master! I''m willing to do your bidding and have no need for rest," Arabella saw through his hesitation and slapped her chest.


    Her purple eyes shone in earnest, and her heart was pumping furiously. She was too excited, and she needed something to expend her energy.


    "Okay," Hiro nodded. "Then, your mission in the long term is to penetrate the overseas gaming market, while your short-term mission is to coordinate with the research and gaming facilities, companies, and involved parties to advertise the upcoming expansion pack in our game.


    "If you want, you can promote this expansion pack as an independent closed-beta project and promise the mainstream players that once the main quest line is completed in the Seekers Legend, there will be a great merger between the main game and the closed-beta, opening a wide PvP event."


    Arabella''s mind spun and she said, "Should we allow players from overseas into the closed beta and use the clash between gamers from either country as a large-scale PvP event?"


    Hiro''s eyes shone brilliantly as he clapped his hands. "Great plan! Rouse the sense of patriotism in the hearts of our players, you can make the announcement and the arrangements as you please; I already uploaded the files to the cloud network!"


    Hiro was satisfied, and so was Arabella.


    The two talked for a while, and later that night, Arabella left in high spirits.


    After sorting out some long-term plans for Juvia as well, Hiro sat in his leather chair and entered the system shop.


    Soon, a dark purple bottle appeared in his hand as his gaze shifted¡ªDemon Awakening Potion.

 Chapter 70 - 70: A Game Between Two Families

    Looking at the potion he just bought with the discount voucher for 40 gems, Hiro looked outside the floor-to-ceiling window while twirling the bottle in his hand.


    A moment later, he uncapped the bottle and downed its contents in one gulp. Afterward, he promptly put on the cosmetics of a demon kin, reached into the system with his mind, and opened a portal leading to the Demon Realm.


    Hiro slid a note declaring his absence from the provincial capital from under his study room''s door and without hesitation, he entered the portal.


    ¡­


    Boom!


    A muffled explosion went off inside Hiro''s body the moment he digested the potion.


    [Notice: Spirituality and demonic energy are conflicting within your body. For your safety, the system has triggered a hidden feature.


    [You can now switch between various character settings at will. While you''re using a specific character mode, the attributes and abilities from the other characters will be rendered inaccessible.]


    [Notice: {Infinite Sword Matrix} is a universal ability and can be used across all character modes.]


    ¡­


    [Hiro]:


    Race: Demon.


    Bloodline: ???


    Level: 11.


    XP: 1%.


    Skills: Infinite Sword Matrix.


    ¡­


    Hiro''s attention was on his current attributes, and he immediately realized why his body felt uncomfortable just now.


    Thinking about something, Hiro immediately opened his palm and concentrated. A moment later, a great suction force appeared in his open palm, and only then did he relax.


    Hiro concluded that his innate physique was something outside the range of skills and attributes, which explained a lot.


    As long as he could use his gluttony physique, then everything else was inconsequential.


    Lifting his head, Hiro took in the scenery of the Demon Realm.


    Ash-gray dust covered everything in sight, and from the looks of it, this terrain was something akin to a large desert.


    Treading forward, Hiro kept his eyes open for any unexpected dangers while he interacted with the system.


    Make sure not to add the demonic-affiliated laws from the game to my personal dimension, okay? Actually, can I use them to improve my bloodline?


    [Notice: The extracted laws will be preserved by the system. No, you have awakened an affinity to pure demonic energy, but you haven''t obtained a bloodline. Hence, improving the bloodline is impossible.]


    Figures, Hiro mused silently. Although I can wantonly absorb demonic energy, my body can only accept the purest form of energy, so most of it will go to waste.


    Demonic energy was very dominating, and it wasn''t like spirituality or elemental-based energies where one can get pretty flexible.


    After a long while of walking in the bleak desert, Hiro ran out of patience.


    He silently synchronized with the Arcana Lord, concealed his aura, and started to teleport.


    This way, it didn''t take long before he stopped at the edge of a massive stronghold the size of an ordinary city.


    Even from outside the stronghold, Hiro could spot the spiraling, demonic tower at the center of the stronghold.


    He teleported one more time inside a vacant alley before he canceled his synchronized state, slowly walking out into the street.


    Hiro looked around.


    Slimes, felines, avian creatures, lizards, humanoid beasts¡ªall mannerisms of demons roamed the streets.


    Humanoid creatures were a minority, and even less were those who were nearly indistinguishable from humans.


    Hiro took a deep breath and stepped out, planning to explore the stronghold.


    "Move! Make way!"


    Thud!


    A speeding figure crashed into Hiro''s chest, catching him off guard while he was taking in the architectural grandeur of the stronghold.


    Hiro took two to three steps back, his momentum canceled out by a sturdy wall behind his back.


    Grunting, Hiro looked up to see a gray-robed figure scrambling up from the ground, and without hesitation, they continued to run down the street.


    "Give way! Stop that thief or give way, stop obstructing us!"


    A hurl of abuse and curses followed from the distance. A pack of single-horned wolves dashed over, a goblin mounted on each of them.


    Whips cracked in the air, occasionally destroying street stalls or harassing other demons.


    However, the goblins seemed to avoid provoking any bipedal or humanoid demons.


    "Theif?" Hiro had a weird expression. "Things like law exist here?"


    "Brother, you must be new here! Caw! Caw!"


    Hiro was startled. A black raven fluttered down and rested on his left shoulder, uninvited.


    "The Lord of this stronghold is greatly inspired by humans, and after we captured a few smart ones, they were forced to improve my lord''s stronghold to meet the standards of what those humans call modern and civilized¡­ Caw! Caw!"


    Hiro didn''t bother removing the black raven from his shoulder, and he raised an eyebrow instead.


    Suddenly, he was a little interested in this lord and their train of thought.


    "Don''t be surprised," said the black raven, its brown eyes reflecting the expression in Hiro''s crimson orbs. "My lord likes everything that is orderly and beautiful, Caw! Then again, as a demon with the nine-tailed fox bloodline, it''s understandable!"


    Hiro recalled the kitsune from the folklore of his past life, already grasping an image of this particular lord.


    How wonderful would it be if this lord was a she and fell in love with me at first sight? Hiro mused the impossible.


    There were great restrictions on the love at first sight, among them was the current state of mind of the target, their mental fortitude, and whether or not Hiro was in disguise.


    If he wore a mask, a cosmetic, or any disguise of any form, then the love at first sight triggered would be invalid.


    Since Hiro was planning to keep his cosmetics disguise active in the Demon Realm, he could forget about scoring any lucky first-sight triggers.


    "You seem to know a lot about this place, little raven," Hiro looked at the black raven on his shoulder, a little interested.


    "You know, the sky is the limit for creatures like myself," the raven responded proudly. "If there''s something that I wish to know in this stronghold, I''m afraid only my lord''s residence can stop me."


    "What boastful words!" Hiro exclaimed, a hint of exaggeration in his tone.


    The black raven was piqued as it proclaimed loudly, "Try me! Caw! Caw!"


    "Well," Hiro rubbed his chin in thought. "I''m new here, so I obviously want a place to stay and do business."


    "Easy," the black raven responded. "See that fugitive that bumped into you earlier? Capture them and you''ll be rewarded handsomely; it''s not impossible to get yourself some property deeds and a startup capture!"


    Hiro looked into the distance, and he could see that the goblins had already surrendered the gray-robed figure.


    "Isn''t it too late already? They''ve already captured that person," Hiro knitted his brows as he responded.


    "Nonsense!" The black raven flapped its wings furiously. "As long as they hadn''t sent the captive to the local garrison, those runts can''t be considered to have finished the job! Caw! Caw!"


    Hiro narrowed his eyes. "I feel like there''s more to this than a simple capture order!"


    "Caw! Caw! Smart! As expected of the demon I look favorably upon," the black raven was elated.


    "It''s a game between two families in the stronghold; both offered great rewards for whoever captured that lass. They wouldn''t personally interfere, they want to test which family has greater prestige in the stronghold by testing which family the bounty hunter chooses to redeem the reward from!"


    Hiro kneaded his forehead. "As expected, it''s not that easy. What''s the background of this demon lass you mentioned? She seems like a humanoid demon, why is she being targeted like this?"


    "Isn''t it obvious? She''s a fallen aristocrat from a conquered stronghold! Spoils of war! Caw! Caw!"


    The black raven flapped its wings, looking anxious. "Hurry and capture her! Snatching her from a group of silly goblins is much easier than contending against what''s to come! Caw! Caw!" sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hiro couldn''t agree more. Thus, he didn''t hesitate any more and stepped in the direction of the commotion.


    From a languid pace, his feet picked up speed, and soon, he bolted forward at an alarming rate.


    The black raven brandished its claws from the talons and sank them into Hiro''s shoulder guard, holding tightly onto dear life while cawing loudly.


    "Can I kill at will?"


    "Caw! NO! Caw!"


    "Tsk!"


    ¡­


    Hiro''s demonic energy exploded out from his body, condensing into three onyx black swords around his body.


    Sensing the dense, pure demonic energy coming off the swords, the black raven was shocked.


    As expected of great little me, my eye for talent is as sharp as ever! The black raven was elated.


    It was shocking when Hiro appeared out of nowhere on the street since he didn''t remember him making an entrance, and the alley he exited from was a dead-end.


    At first, it thought that this guy was looking for trouble, and decided to stick with him, perhaps it could contribute a little to the stronghold''s lord.


    However, it didn''t expect to hit the jackpot this time¡ªsuch pure demonic energy must come from a Great Demon lineage, right?


    While the black raven was thinking of this, Hiro was light-handed enough not to kill any of the goblins¡ªhe cleared a path with the Infinite Sword Matrix by inflicting severe, though not crippling injuries.


    Amid the mayhem, he clutched the frail hand of the dragon lass, picked her up in a princess carry, and bolted away from the street.


    Deep down, Hiro knew that this was merely the beginning.

 Chapter 71 - 71: Surrounded

    "Caw! Run quickly! Caw!"


    The black raven was both excited and scared.


    Although it could take to the skies at any time, it was already too late. Now, if he had taken to the sky after being seen with Hiro, there wouldn''t have been any lack of people gunning for his life.


    Since he already joined this game of influence and prestige, he can only bear with it.


    The petite demoness in Hiro''s arms started to struggle frantically, her desire to escape from her predicament quite strong.


    Alas, she was severely injured and couldn''t muster up demonic energy anymore, and by solely relying on her physical strength, she couldn''t extricate herself.


    As for Hiro, escaping the encirclement of a few low-intellect goblins wasn''t challenging at all. In less than five minutes, and with the black raven leading the way, they successfully escaped.


    "Don''t let your guard down," the black raven advised while flapping his wings. "The big players are yet to join in on the fun, they''re probably negotiating with each other while little guys like us are fooling around!"


    Hiro gave the black raven a curious look of intrigue while thinking, This little guy''s brain isn''t half bad.


    "How much time do we have to prepare, then?" Hiro asked.


    "Caw! It''s evening," the black raven looked up at the darkening sky. "They should be having a banquet now, so their orders will be passed down after dawn hours. Until then, small fries like us can fight all we want."


    The raven flapped his wings and moved from one of Hiro''s shoulders to the other, craning his head to look down.


    "Caw! Aren''t you curious about what she looks like? Caw!"


    "Now that you''ve mentioned it," Hiro suddenly recalled that he was holding onto the game''s ultimate prize.


    He dropped the demoness on the ground and pulled her gray robe, revealing what lay beneath.


    She was very short, about Hiro''s chest in height if and when she tiptoed. Her skin was deep blue, curved spikes jutting from her elbows, and she had four eyes.


    Hiro couldn''t figure out her bloodline, and so he asked the raven. Sadly, the raven was just as clueless.


    "Caw! Don''t ask such a stupid question," the raven was angry and insulted.


    "How many bloodlines are there? Tens of millions! We demons conquered many pocket dimensions, planes, minor realms, and great worlds! How many sons and daughters have we sired all these years? Who bothers to keep count?"


    Hiro felt that it made sense. Other than the 108 ancestral bloodlines, all other demons were a product of mixed breeding.


    It was either between the ancestral bloodlines or between demons and other races, further diversifying the already muddy waters.


    With that in mind, it would truly be a waste of time to study the current encyclopedia of bloodlines in the demon race.


    It''s like someone trying to summarize every last name that existed in the current period of human history, just a waste of time.


    At the end of the day, all of them are humans, just like how all of these are demons.


    Then again, some demons must have been very desperate back in the day; how else would offspring like birds and dogs would populate the realm? S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Seeing the weird look in Hiro''s eyes, the raven was hopping mad, but it couldn''t say anything about it.


    It could only tolerate these disgusting assumptions in silence while cursing those deprived ancestors.


    "Why are you so calm?" Hiro shook his head and asked the girl¡ªshe was no longer struggling.


    The girl pointed at the raven.


    Hiro understood; she must have overheard this guy''s analysis and felt like her current situation was just temporary.


    Someone else would take her at any given time now, so fussing about it wouldn''t help.


    She might as well conserve her energy.


    "Caw! This lass is smart," the black raven calmed down, his brown eyes taking in the girl''s appearance. "What''s your name?"


    The girl didn''t answer. She stood there, silently waiting for Hiro''s next course of action.


    Hiro looked around and asked, "Hey, I''m curious about the two families and their respective bounties. Tell me about it as we walk."


    Hiro wasn''t in a rush either.


    Even if he couldn''t complete this bounty, it was fine as long as used this opportunity to understand the situation in the stronghold.


    He didn''t have to make enemies out of the two families with a great demon lineage.


    He couldn''t afford to offend an ordinary local lord family here, let alone two local overlords.


    "It''s a waste of my breath even if I explained it to you," the raven grumbled.


    "A friendly advice, don''t gossip about these families even if you''re locked up in a cell in the depths of the earth. If they want to know something, they will know."


    "Are you scared?" Hiro taunted the raven while walking through the unfamiliar alleyway.


    "Caw! Yes, I''m very scared! Caw!"


    "Tsk!"


    Hiro was disappointed, as he couldn''t do anything about it if the raven was this traumatized.


    "What if I take the initiative to hand this girl to one of the big players?" Hiro suddenly had this idea.


    Walking in front of Hiro, the girl''s petite body shook a little. On his shoulder, the raven was also a little surprised.


    "That¡­ That''s actually a pretty good idea, I didn''t think about it¡­ Wait, how do you plan to do that?"


    "It''s simple," Hiro smiled. "If we just hand her over, they wouldn''t think much of it. However, if we make them suffer some losses first, then offer her up, I''d get the most benefits."


    Hiro didn''t feel bad about selling demons or treating them like property with a set value.


    Even if he didn''t have any sense of involvement or attachment to the humans of this world, he was still a human.


    Moreover, he wasn''t yet qualified to act all kind and benevolent to a stranger, especially a demoness.


    Since that was the case, he might as well fish out for the most benefits in these troubled waters. However, to do that, he needed to increase his arsenal.


    Relying on the Infinite Sword Matrix alone wouldn''t cut it. Hiro touched his chin and mumbled internally.


    I have a little over 2,500 points left, it''s not enough¡­ Hiro felt what it was like to be broke all over again.


    Although he was tempted to return to the human world and get his hands on quick achievement points, he tempered down this temptation.


    He shouldn''t rely on the system''s easy path to power too much. With his current tools, establishing a foothold in the demon realm shouldn''t be a problem.


    System, can I use the laws extracted from the game to gain Sitri''s skills and abilities?


    [Notice: Yes, but the system doesn''t recommend it. If you merge the laws into the core of a dimension, all creatures within that dimension will gain a certain chance to comprehend the abilities. It''s not worth it to use the laws to empower yourself.]


    Hiro pursued his lips. That makes sense, but I''m very tempted.


    Hiro realized that the habit of attaining easy profits had grown on him. So, he quickly shook his head to get rid of these funny ideas.


    The system''s implied meaning was that there was a certain possibility for Hiro to get his hands on multiple pocket dimensions.


    Understanding this, Hiro was no longer anxious about using the law extract to increase his individual strength.


    At any rate, his Sitri character was already a top-tier fighter, so his life wasn''t in any danger no matter what.


    The black raven was confused. This guy stopped all of a sudden and started zoning out, is he okay?


    The demoness was also confused, but she had other things to worry about. Her eyes darted around, thinking about how to escape.


    "They''re over here!"


    A shout from the intersection ahead snapped Hiro back to his senses. He turned around, but it was too late.


    Floods of demons in all shapes and sizes rushed into the tight alleyway from the streets, the rooftops, and windows.


    Hiro cursed, "Fuck, we''ve been led into a trap!"


    As Hiro looked up, he noticed a group of avian-type demons in the air.


    Hiro glared at the raven and berated, "Are you stupid?! What''s a bird like you doing down here? You should''ve stayed up there to give clear warning signals!"


    The raven was tongue-tied, feeling wronged and angry. "Caw! I¡­ I¡­"


    How should he explain that he feared losing sight of Hiro? If he could enter the stronghold unnoticed, he could leave unnoticed just the same.


    "Hand the girl over!"


    A huge, three-headed vulture descended from the sky, brandishing its talons.


    Hiro looked up and shouted, "Scram!"


    Boom!


    Two lumps of hellfire demonic energy condensed into swords before lashing out with great force, slicing off two of the three heads.


    Screech!


    The vulture''s last head cried out in agony as blood spilled on the ground, the buildings, and the madly rushing demons.


    Although killing wasn''t allowed, Hiro could still beat them up so badly they didn''t dare approach.


    Hiro wanted to step up and bathe the place in blood, but he soon noticed that the petite demoness was clinging to his right leg, her head buried into his abdomen.


    Obviously, she was scared.

 Chapter 72 - 72: Chaos

    "Useless, dumb bird!" Hiro cursed again, and while his heart bled, he entered the system''s shop and spent 1,000 points to buy a demonic attributed weapon.


    It''s such a waste! Hiro gnashed his teeth in deep regret. He only had one discount voucher left, and he wasn''t about to waste it on buying a weapon.


    After thinking about it for a while, Hiro also recalled that he had that interpersonal missions function; he decided to double down on that one later to farm more gems while making use of the mission context to learn about the stronghold.


    "Beat this fucker to death!"


    "Attack all at once!"


    The black raven felt scared for a moment and it immediately took to the sky in an attempt to divert some of the firepower.


    Blasts of demonic energy in the form of bullets, waves, arrows, and irregular shapes hunted him down, but the raven was very skilled in the air.


    It easily dodged some, lured some into friendly fire, and used others to help dampen his momentum and change directions accordingly.


    "Caw! I''m angry, Caw!"


    The raven was incensed. Suddenly, his body began to wriggle and tremble before exploding in size, turning into a massive avian beast the size of a domestic car.


    The sudden increase in size kicked up a sizable storm of demonic energy, and while everyone was in shock, a sudden rumbling sound ripped their senses.


    Boom!


    Dust and debris kicked up, and a zigzagging crevice crept along the concrete floor toward a dilapidated building in the distance, bringing it to ruin.


    When the smoke cleared up, it revealed Hiro surrounded by the cosmetic hellfire, his trench coat fluttering, and a broadsword almost twice his size lodged into the ground.


    A purple, pupilless eye rested on the hilt of the greatsword, red blood vessels webbing out from the eye to the guard, and extended to the body of the greatsword.


    From then, the veins slowly bled out into a deep purple color, transitioning to an onyx black when reaching the sword''s tip.


    However, the charting was left incomplete as the sword''s tip was broken for some unknown reason, leaving wisps of demonic energy leaking out, giving one the illusion that the sharp end of the sword was no more than a cluster of mist.


    "Where did he get that thing from?" The raven was shocked, but it was quickly distracted by a volley of attacks headed his way.


    "Caw! Insolent! Caw!"


    Hiro also noticed the change in the raven''s body, and he felt even angrier. Couldn''t it have transformed earlier and taken us away?


    However, there was no time for regret or anger at the moment. Hiro also thought about leaving the demoness behind, but after thinking about it, it''s not ideal for him to always search for the easy way out.


    Gritting his teeth, he closed his eyes to calm down.


    Recalling on his {Espionage I} skills to enhance his intuition and situational awareness, then adding his {Professional Combat} skills to the mix, his hand gripped the hilt of his greatsword.


    "Get on my back and hold on tight. If you fall off midway, consider yourself unlucky," Hiro said to the small demoness.


    She nodded her head and let go of his leg, quickly jumping on his back and wounding her legs around his waist, her arms latched onto his neck.


    Hiro moved a little to adjust to the additional weight, center of gravity, and deviation in rebounding force from motion.


    By the time he was done adjusting and coordinating, the momentary awe effects from his sudden outburst had faded off, and another group of demons rushed over.


    "If they don''t push my buttons too far, I guess I won''t kill any of them," Hiro murmured. It wasn''t that he feared the stronghold''s lord, but he didn''t want to be forced out of the stronghold so soon.


    No one can explain the sudden appearance of a Tier-4 standard Great Demon out of thin air, and it would draw too much attention.


    "Careful," whispered the female demoness when she noticed Hiro getting a little distracted.


    Hiro looked up, a huge metal barrel was hurtling his way, tossed over by a huge orge.


    Hiro turned back and blocked a punch coming his way with his left hand. Then, he kicked out fiercely with his right foot, lifting the assailant off the ground as his foot sank into their lower abdomen.


    At the very least, Hiro assumed that he targeted their lower torso, even though he wasn''t so certain.


    Without the ground beneath them, Hiro swung the poor demon over his shoulder and slammed them into the incoming barrel.


    As it turned out, a flaming arrow was attached to the barrel from behind, and it was densely packed with flammable liquids. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With a boom, a thick cloud of black ash took to the sky in a mushroom cloud. It was like a smoke bomb had just gone off in the midst of the fight, robbing most creatures of their senses.


    Hiro''s skin prickled, feeling multiple gazes penetrating the thick smoke to land on his body.


    One of them came from up above, and a mental image of a massive, brown eye with his reflection in it popped up in Hiro''s mind.


    Damn, Hiro thought to himself. What a great stalker! Should I get a demon of a similar species for recon?


    The more Hiro thought about it, the more he felt that this raven''s motives were dubious.


    "Cough! Cough¡­" Hiro heard coughing from the demoness, and he quickly assumed that some toxins were in the smoke.


    However, he wasn''t worried.


    Gluttony!


    His innate physique acted up, drawing and devouring all foreign matter that entered his body. The suction force was great, and through limited skin contact, the toxins in the demoness'' body were also extracted.


    Hiro furrowed his brows, as he could feel a strand of suppressed, albeit pure demonic energy struggling inside the body of this demoness.


    He could sense it struggling against the suction force of his gluttony physique, which was forcing the compressed energy from a dormant state into an active one.


    Any further excitement and it would most likely erupt. Hiro was curious, as that wisp of demonic energy was very pure.


    On his back, the demoness was feeling hot and itchy, squirming uncontrollably. It was a feeling as though she was this close to scratching an itch, but her fingers were an imperceptible distance away from reaching.


    It was so close at hand yet so far and unreachable at the same time.


    Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!¡­


    Six individual claws tore through the dark cloud of smoke, aiming for Hiro''s vitals with the goal of severely injuring him.


    "Tsk, how disgusting!" Hiro felt that they were very stupid, assuming that he was at a disadvantage and hence, taking to the field personally.


    He moved directly into the intersection between two assailants.


    As their claws approached, he swiftly shifted his body to avoid an attack on his lower back and heart respectively, allowing their sleek and slender bodies to pass by, inadvertently protecting his right and left flanks.


    Hiro didn''t hold back and brought his greatsword cutting down, and a hind leg took to the air in a spurt of purple blood.


    Hiro quickly raised the greatsword to his face, blocking off another claw attack. Then, leaving the sword suspended in the air, he made for a roundhouse kick to the next assailant who crept in from the back.


    Clang! Bang!


    The sound of the claws impacting the greatsword and Hiro''s heavy boots smashing into a nasty feline skull sounded almost simultaneously.


    Making use of the counterforce from the kick, Hiro pushed back while drawing his greatsword together with him in the retreat.


    His brows creased tightly, as the smoke was thinning out. In all honesty, Hiro would rather fight six enemies in the obscurity of this dense smoke rather than face a stampede of crazy demons.


    "Caw! Just die! I''m angry! Caw!"


    A massive sound wave pressed down from above, accompanied by a great pressure.


    Hiro felt a chill run down his spine and looked up, as great waves of energy were fluctuating chaotically in the sky.


    The wind pressed down, sweeping away the thick, toxic smoke. Then, massive limbs and bodies fell from the sky, accompanied by purple blood.


    The raven''s black feathers were crimson red, much like its massive round eyes.


    The avian beasts encircling it were howling in agony while crashing down to the ground, destroying buildings and street stalls from the fall.


    They weren''t dead per se, but they weren''t far off either.


    "This guy had gone berserk!" Hiro quickly assessed the situation, and he located a deep red spike lodged into the raven''s chest.


    A menacing aura radiated off from the spike, and just by looking at it, Hiro felt a rush of irrational madness striking at his mind.


    Hiro''s mind spun, and without hesitation, he ran off while the greatsword sank into a black portal that appeared by his side.


    Now that he wasn''t fighting, Hiro had the mind to take notice of the body on his back; the girl was breathing hard and her skin was growing hotter by the second.


    Hiro frowned deeply while making use of the chaos to escape the encirclement.


    What''s wrong with this girl''s body? Should I trigger the interpersonal mission on her?

 Chapter 73 - 73: A Vessel

    "Shit! Who used a forbidden curse item? That bird is going nuts!"


    A demon shouted in horror. Then, a blaze of crimson fire ignited on the raven''s black feathers, catching on fire.


    In little to no time, the black raven turned into a blazing ball of flame in the sky, spreading its wings and screeching aloud, wave after wave of heat slamming down.


    Seeing this, the demons slowly stopped attacking, their expressions turning pale in horror and disbelief.


    "Fuck! That''s the 4th general of my lord''s demon army! You''ve all committed treason! Kill him quickly before anyone finds out!"


    A disembodied voice echoed through the region, laced with a hint of bewitching malice.


    Hearing this voice, Hiro frowned.


    That''s because he realized that a magical barrier had quarantined this block of the neighborhood.


    Everything seemed fine on the surface but once he reached out with his hand, it would touch an invisible, bouncy barrier.


    "This is a predetermined trap," Hiro whispered, his mind spinning. "Does this mean the lord isn''t in the stronghold! There''s no way such commotion would escape her notice otherwise."


    The more Hiro thought about it, the more confused he felt. He seemed to have infiltrated the stronghold at a bad time.


    "Ha¡­ Ha¡­ Ha¡­"


    Hot breathing touched Hiro''s shoulder and the back of his neck, reminding him of the female demoness and her plight.


    Hiro''s eyes flicked as he mumbled to himself in both awe and hesitation, "It can''t be, right? I must be overthinking things!"


    Screech! Boom!


    The raven had officially gone berserk at the moment, spitting fire and tossing heated tornadoes that ravaged the buildings below.


    Hiro stopped thinking about it and rushed to a nearby house, seeking shelter in the underground structures.


    Meanwhile, the battle in the sky was growing more intense.


    Space twisted as silver-white chains shot and pierced toward the raven''s wings, chest, abdomen, and back.


    Although the raven''s mind was flooded with chaos and violence, its battle instincts had yet to be dulled out.


    The raven maneuvered with great agility and evaded the silver chains, but the earlier voice returned once again.


    "What are all of you standing there for? Idiots, you''ve already committed treason! Kill him if you don''t wish to die!"


    The demons who were hesitating looked at one another. After all, this was the 4th general, someone appointed by the lord.


    He is below one person and above tens of millions of demons. The influence of a lord is too great, and it''s dubious if they could really escape the prying of a lord''s eyes if and when the time had come.


    Still, there were always demons with a weak mentality, and once one of them made a move, the others would follow.


    As expected, someone could tolerate the pressure no more; they directly used their ultimate attack with the hopes of dealing the most damage.


    Of course, many of the demons attacked because they noticed the curse item embedded in the raven''s chest.


    "Haha, it is rumored that the 4th general''s bloodline is tainted by the Golden Crow''s blood, and he has a great chance of tapping into the potential of that mystical creature!"


    "If we can get our hands on that blood, no matter how diluted the bloodline is, we might be able to evolve into Great Demons!"


    "Everyone, you know in your hearts whether or not this is a lie! Fight for your freedom, for your future, and for a path to being the next Demon Lord!"


    ¡­


    Listening to this soothing voice, Hiro clicked his tongue. Court politics are really something, even demons are affected.


    Then again, these are the negative drawbacks of assuming a power system inspired by humans.


    It was only natural for some demons to grow a scheming bone in their bodies. Hiro didn''t want to think too much into it, but it''s not impossible that these schemes were played out by demons under the directive of human captives.


    At the moment, his current priority was the petite girl who was lying on the floor.


    Well¡­ it wouldn''t do her justice to call her petite at the moment¡­


    Steam rose from her blue skin, and stumps took shape on her forehead before splitting into a pair of twin horns, curved inwardly like crescent moons.


    The steam rising from her body intensified, and Hiro could feel the restless demonic energy in her body about to explode.


    Her muscles began to buzz and dance, while her bones issued creaking noises. A thin stream of sweat raced down her blue skin, and her body began to enlarge in size.


    Hiro watched in awe, but he didn''t plan to intervene whatsoever. He took two steps back and leaned into a nearby wall, his arms crossed to his chest.


    Soon, the girl''s lips parted as she issued a gurgling noise, as though blood was about to spill out from her throat but was stuck there, roiling about on the verge of either erupting or retreating.


    Although it was partly Hiro''s fault that she ended up this way, he wasn''t sure if this woman was caught in the web of a greater scheme.


    Who knew if the powerful underground organizations used this woman as a chess piece and secretly gathered all of their forces under the guise of a negotiation banquet?


    Hiro was all too familiar with the rebellious nature of intelligent, ambitious humans, let alone demons who can grow stronger by feasting on the blood of their brethren.


    The only doubt in Hiro''s mind at the moment was the identity of this so-called slave from the fallen aristocracy.


    Hiro looked up, and through the multilayered structures of the house, he could sense how intense the battle outside was.


    "Why aren''t the other generals coming over to help this bird?" Hiro was curious, as he heard about the forbidden curse item in passing.


    If no one intervened soon, this bird would really go berserk and lose all rationally.


    Hiro''s thoughts were once again interrupted as the woman groaned in pain, her skin splintering with purple blood oozing out.


    "Ah? It can''t be? Is she going to die just like that?" Hiro was stunned.


    Thinking about it, her body seems too weak to contain that strand of demonic energy.


    This could only mean that this energy didn''t even belong to this woman, she was merely used as a vessel for safekeeping.


    Hiro touched his chin. "Well, since you can''t handle it, then I won''t be polite."


    Then, he approached the woman, crouched by her side, and placed his right hand on her abdomen.


    Perhaps purely by instinctive reflex, she gripped his wrists tightly, her long nails wounding around his hand.


    "Relax," Hiro said. "This will be very painful."


    After he said that, he quickly activated the suction force of his innate physique, targeting the pure demonic energy in her body.


    Mhm? Hiro frowned, feeling that something was off. The demonic energy in her body was mismatched with the demonic energy from her origin.


    "Ah, how pitiful¡­" Hiro quickly understood her situation. As he had his experience acting as Sitri, the Demon Ancestor, Hiro learned a lot about demonic energy and its applications.


    He could tell at a glance that in order to use this woman as a vessel for the pure demonic energy, they had to suppress her origin so that it wouldn''t taint the purity of that energy.


    It was a cruel thing to do, forcing her powers and bloodline to regress considerably. This little girl might be an old lady who lived for decades if not hundreds of years.


    Otherwise, an immature origin would have long since crumbled under the pressure. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Nonetheless, this wasn''t of any concern to Hiro as he increased the suction force acting on the pure strand of demonic energy.


    Such a great harvest!


    Hiro was ecstatic; this was enough demonic energy to increase his level by a lot.


    He didn''t know if this was a restriction set by the system, but only his Sorcerer persona enjoyed the treatment of converting any type of energy absorbed to spirituality.


    For his Demon persona, anything other than demonic energy would be a waste.


    Soon, pitch-black tendrils pierced through the woman''s abdomen, accompanied by a burst of purple blood.


    ARGHHH!


    Her back arched, and her head slammed hard into the ground. Cracks webbed out on the solid floor, and she screamed herself hoarse.


    Luckily, the battle outside was as intense as ever, so these screams didn''t draw too much attention.


    Hiro thought that no one would notice his little operation in the basement of an abandoned house; that was until he finally extracted the stand of demonic energy.


    As it turned out, this wasn''t a strand of demonic energy, but a purplish-black shard with a thin crack on its surface.


    The strand of demonic energy leaked through the crack, but when compared to the dense energy within the shard¡ªit seemed inconsequential.


    Shit, Hiro thought to himself.


    [Notice: You''ve discovered the fragment of a Minor Realm''s core.]


    As expected, once the shard was out in the open, a massive wave of energy was projected outwards, and an immense pressure engulfed the entire stronghold.


    Who the fuck hides something like this inside the body of a woman?!


    Hiro was furious, but before he could act, powerful auras erupted from all directions in the stronghold, immediately locking onto Hiro''s position.

 Chapter 74 - 74: Asmir

    By the time Hiro wanted to react, it was already too late. Even if he was quick on his feet, this fragment was too valuable; he didn''t have the required achievement points to store it in the system''s inventory.


    Hiro grabbed the fragment firmly in his hands without hesitation, exerted force on his waist, and spun around with great momentum.


    Bang!


    Hiro tossed the fragment with all his might, crashing it through the building''s structure and sending it sailing through the air¡ªout in the open.


    "No¡­"


    The woman stretched her hand weakly, a hint of resentment in her eyes. Hiro didn''t give a damn about her reaction, as holding onto that fragment right now was no different from courting death.


    ¡­


    "How unexpected," a voice resounded in a dark room, and a pair of crimson eyes flicked gently. "This commotion is too great, she''s going to sense it and return. Abort the operation quickly."


    "Sigh," another voice sounded as a pair of hazy green eyes appeared. "How unlucky, I didn''t expect that girl to be hiding something like that. Her family should have arranged it in a last-ditch effort."


    "No matter," a purple pair of mesmerizing eyes joined the conversation. "I''m curious about the little guy who discovered it, he was decisive enough alright. Such talent and quick thinking reminds me of humans."


    "Haha," the green eyes smiled. "They have that saying; Man Proposes, God Disposes, I take it this is a similar case? What a pity, seems like we need to push back our plans a little."


    The dark room soon descended into silence, as one pair of eyes disappeared after the other.


    ¡­


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Somewhere very far away in a special, sealed space.


    Violent shockwaves shook the sky as the indistinct shadow of a massive nine-tailed blue fox flashed with a multicolored, brilliant light.


    On the other end stood a giant without a neck.


    Five heads expressing joy, sorrow, anger, indifference, and pity levitated above his shoulders, spinning irregularly while keeping an eye on the movements of the fox.


    Suddenly, an invisible ripple¡ªill-timed if one were to say¡ªpassed through both their bodies.


    The huge illusory fox paused for a moment before it shook violently. Then, the projection shattered like a sprinkle of fluorescence in the night, coagulating into the humanoid shape of a woman with fox ears and a sky-blue fluffy tail.


    "Haha, that little sparrow was right, there''s truly a fire in my backyard," as she laughed, she reached with her hand.


    Buzz!


    A paper fan appeared in her hand, and when she was about to cover her smile, she remembered that not just anyone could see her face.


    The five faces of the giant stopped spinning and quickly merged into the indifferent expression, seemingly intent on retreating.


    "Why the hurry?" Asked the beautiful woman as her left hand pointed forward with one finger.


    The giant didn''t seem worried at all, speaking in a relaxed tone. "Consider yourself lucky this time, Asmir."


    As he spoke, his body slowly dissolved into misty fog, like a spoiled oil painting, melting away into space.


    Asmir''s finger didn''t stop as it tapped out into space, her voice echoing melodiously.


    "Do you know? It''s truly rude to leave without properly greeting a lady. Since you''ve already come all the way here, why leave empty-handed? Do you look down on my hospitality?"


    No one responded, as though the giant was already gone.


    ¡­


    Space twisted.


    Below was a raging ocean and above, a floating Iron Citedal.


    A huge giant dropped into the ocean, his body sinking gradually. About half an hour later, his feet hit the seabed below, splintering the ground.


    Then, huge tides swept past, and a few kilometers high tsunami rose in the distance.


    Slowly it approached the giant, crashing into his waist, though it barely swept past his abdomen.


    The giant looked up to the stronghold in the sky and his mouth to speak, but as the words left his mouth, his expression turned pale.


    "Do you know? It''s truly rude to leave without properly greeting a lady. Since you''ve already come all the way here, why leave empty-handed? Do you look down on my hospitality?"


    The giant knew that these words weren''t his, as he was very familiar with this voice.


    In his shock, the giant saw a pure white, illusory finger appearing out of nowhere and tapping in the direction of the stronghold in the sky.


    "NO!"


    The giant shouted, his deep voice rippling out in waves to cancel out the attack. However, it was too late¡ªthe finger seemed to carry a sliver of both his and Asmir''s aura. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The giant''s pupils constricted as he thought about something terrifying¡ªlaws of causality.


    No wonder she was passively enduring the entire fight! I thought I was holding her back¡­


    As this thought surfaced, an explosion of magnificence proportions swept out, hurtling the entire stronghold into the distance.


    A thin yet sturdy barrier of demonic energy appeared around the stronghold, but it soon gave way as cracks webbed out.


    Then¡­ Bang!


    It shattered into fragments.


    The stronghold seemed to lose its ability to maintain flight, crashing toward the vast ocean.


    The giant roared in anger, rushing through the high waves. Luckily or unlucky, he arrived beneath the stronghold in the neck of time.


    Tens of millions of demons felt the ground shaking, experiencing an illusion as though the sky was collapsing. Powerful auras exploded in the stronghold, and six figures appeared outside.


    What they saw shocked them, as they hadn''t expected the defensive formation of their stronghold to be obliterated under one attack.


    They didn''t know that this attack was the accumulation of their lord''s attacks over the span of a few days compressed into a single point.


    "ASMIR! I''LL KILL YOU MYSELF!"


    A furious roar struck like thunder on a stormy night. The stronghold shook, stopping in place.


    Not because of its formation, but because the giant stood beneath the stronghold, carrying it on his back lest it fell into the ocean, to forever disappear.


    He could only brace himself and hold onto the stronghold, pinned beneath its weight as he roared in great anger and humiliation.


    For a proud Great Demon like himself, this was a great shame! Who was worthy to be carried on his back?!


    However, he was also helpless!


    ¡­


    In the sealed space, Asmir smiled.


    Covering her smile with the paper fan, she chuckled lightly before turning into a thin streak of white light that shot away.


    ¡­


    The barrier of demonic energy that locked down the raven couldn''t do the same to a Minro Realm''s fragment.


    It easily tore through the layers of restrictions, shattering the fragile barrier and shooting through the sky.


    In the deep night, that flare of purplish-black aura was too mesmerizing.


    No one among the Great Demons in the stronghold was slow to react.


    An invisible energy wave swept out, and the dark night sky was suddenly illuminated by a brilliant domain, but it was gone just as abruptly as it appeared.


    The fragment, too, was gone.


    However, the powerful ones knew that the Great Demons brought the fight to an independent space lest they incur the world''s retaliation.


    Otherwise, how could the giant watch helplessly as Asmir sunk his stronghold?


    Thanks to the laws of casualties, the cause of her attack was in the independent space while the effect was in the real space, with the giant as the medium for cause and effect.


    Thus, her sneak attack succeeded with minimal repercussions.


    As for these Great Demons, they didn''t dare act brazenly. Nonetheless, who didn''t have one or two pocket dimensions?


    How tempting was the fragment from a destroyed Minor Realm?


    Who didn''t wish to plan for a rainy day in the future?


    Since they destroyed many worlds civilizations, they also understood how fragile these worlds were.


    The moment a world''s coordinates were exposed to a civilization of equal if not greater power, it was already a countdown to damnation.


    With that in mind, no one would refuse a backup plan.


    As the barrier was destroyed, the least of everyone''s worries was the phenomenon in the sky as blazing hot flames spilled over.


    Screech!


    A high-pitched cry caused the buildings to shake.


    "The 4th general has gone mad!"


    A voice sounded through the entire stronghold, hoping to rile the emotions of the demons below.


    "Haha, how lively," a gentle, harmonious voice dwarfed the anxiety and chaos.


    The voice alone seemed to push back against the flames, stunning everyone. No, they weren''t just stunned, they were absolutely dazed.


    Whether they were standing, running, kneeling, laughing, crying, etc.


    Their emotions were suppressed, beyond their control.


    Hiro looked up from the ruined house, his expression solemn. He couldn''t even sense where the voice originated from.


    However, he could sense the volatile faith energy in the air, swirling around the raven and pushing back his flames.


    Hiro then noticed the silhouette of a person shrouded in light, that figure suddenly appeared in front of the raving mad firebird.


    "Little sparrow, you''ve created such a big mess this time," her tone was both admonishing and smiling.


    "Let me see," she tapped his beak, and although no one could see her eyes, scenes of what happened with the black raven as a focal point rolled past her vision.


    Suddenly, her gaze shifted, and Hiro''s figure was reflected in her pure eyes. However, she couldn''t see his past prior to his appearance in the stronghold, which caught her attention.

 Chapter 75 - 75: Imprisonment

    Hiro looked up through the torn-down building, but he couldn''t see through the hazy light concealing the woman''s figure.


    However, he had the feeling that she was looking his way.


    The woman looked up, reached with her hand, and grabbed at the air.


    Buzz!


    The next moment, she retrieved the fragment from the sealed space without destroying it, displaying her degree of control when it came to energy manipulation and application of power.


    Hiro''s lips twitched. What a show-off!


    Once this thought settled, the woman disappeared together with the fragment from the Minor Realm and the forbidden curse item.


    It took a moment for the black raven to regain its senses, and during that time, the woman had already appeared next to Hiro.


    She didn''t speak to him at first. Instead, she waved her hand and pushed the fragment into the female demon''s body.


    Waving her hand, threads of faith energy imbued with the laws of casualties reversed the cause and effect, restoring the fragment to its earlier sealed state while slowly healing the female demon.


    "How bothersome, I don''t dare accept this gift," as she spoke, she snapped her fingers.


    Translucent, multicolored threads spread from the female''s body in all directions, like a web of silk, each thread revealing different scenes.


    When the threads were no longer growing out of the female demon''s body, Hiro noticed that one of them was connected to himself.


    It was very dense, and it revealed his interactions not with the female demon but with the fragment from the Minor Realm.


    Then, like a torn film, the threads snapped one at a time, and the images faded together with it.


    The speed was immense, and in moments, millions of threads snapped.


    Hiro looked outside, and he could easily spot the look of confusion in the eyes of the countless demons on the streets.


    Even the black raven in his capacity as the 4th general, was no exception. When it was Hiro''s turn, something unexpected happened.


    The thread stretched and bent, but didn''t snap.


    Hiro''s heart skipped a beat, as he somewhat understood what happened. It wasn''t Hiro who discovered this fragment, it was the system.


    Following the cause and effect, if she wanted to reverse the situation and use the laws of the Demom Realm to cancel this interaction, this woman had to overpower the system.


    What a joke! Hiro thought to himself. However, he was worried this might offend her.


    As someone who ruled a pocket dimension, he understood how ridiculously overpowered were those with authority.


    Unless they were fighting in an independent space from the Demon Realm, this woman was invincible.


    However, Hiro was also curious. If she was this invincible, how can people plot against her?


    While he was thinking, Asmir was also surprised.


    She inspected Hiro''s body once again, confirming that he was just an ordinary demon with an ordinary bloodline.


    However, she couldn''t see through his past, nor could she tamper with the cause and effect of his actions.


    She frowned.


    This is troublesome, Asmir thought to herself while musing. I can''t let the word of this fragment leak out, my hands are too full at the moment.


    She expected to deal with a rebellion, but she hadn''t expected things to turn out to be so tricky.


    After hesitating for a moment, she waved her hand and left.


    Asmir decided to take both the unconscious female and Hiro together with her.


    The wind blew, and the wrecked basement was left empty.


    "Caw! My head hurts," the black raven''s body shrank in size, and as he flapped his wings, he inspected the surroundings.


    For some reason, he felt like something big had happened. However, he couldn''t remember clearly.


    "Caw! Forget it, let''s see if there''s anything interesting around the stronghold today!"


    Impatient, the black raven flew off, circling the skies of the stronghold while searching for something interesting to do.


    His intuition told him that soon, he wouldn''t have the time to enjoy such leisurely days.


    "Hm? Why do I feel like I forgot about someone interesting? Caw! Whatever! Caw!"


    ¡­


    Hiro felt the world around him spin and in the next moment, he found himself in a huge hall.


    No, it was a huge library, judging from the spiraling bookshelves all around. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I don''t know why you''ve intruded on my stronghold," an enchanting voice, though disembodied, echoed. "As a punishment for trespassing, you''ll serve your sentence as an official in my court until you''ve gained my favor."


    Asmir didn''t dare to act rashly and kill Hiro because she didn''t understand his background clearly.


    Until she saw things clearly, she decided to keep an eye on him. As long as he didn''t leave her side, and by extension, the stronghold; Asmir felt that things should be under control.


    When the voice faded away, Hiro finally calmed down and decided to take stalk of his situation.


    At the moment, he was very nervous.


    He only had one week''s worth of achievement points left if he were to use {Synchronization}.


    For battles on the Stronghold Lord''s level, a casual fight would last for days. Obviously, his synchronization time wasn''t enough.


    Also, if he were to leave, she could easily find him the moment he returned to the Demon Realm.


    It couldn''t be helped, laws of causality were just that unreasonable.


    Hiro directly sat down on the floor and removed his mask, leaving behind the cosmetics of two crimson horns on his forehead.


    No matter what, the system''s disguise was omnipotent, and the demonic energy in his body wouldn''t lie.


    Even if he didn''t wear anything with the exception of those horns, no one can tell his origin as a human.


    Hiro understood that even if he couldn''t sense or see it, he was definitely being observed right now.


    With that in mind, he closed his eyes and started to meditate. Anyway, he hadn''t tried to absorb demonic energy in the Demon Realm yet, and he felt like it was about time to experience it.


    The presence of demonic energy in this place isn''t bad, Hiro thought to himself.


    There wasn''t a need for any complications or techniques, he could just activate his innate physique and draw demonic energy from the environment.


    However, he made sure to control the flow of demonic energy so that he wouldn''t alarm whoever was watching.


    Thinking back to the performance of his demonic followers in the game, he imitated the standards of a demon with an above-average talent.


    Just like that, Hiro found himself in a stable position in the Demon Realm, albeit as a prisoner of sorts.


    He couldn''t get his hands on land, property, or even a worthy job¡ªbut he wasn''t dissatisfied.


    For the following days, if Hiro wasn''t training with his demonic energy, he would then be reading through the countless books in the library.


    Hiro had no idea that this wasn''t an ordinary secret library, but Asmir''s private collection of knowledge.


    As someone who dabbled in the laws of cause and effect, she had a keen interest in history.


    Asmir''s favorite motto¡ªas humans describe it¡ª was: "The present is the effect when the past is the cause, and the present is the cause for the future is the effect."


    Regardless, Hiro also discovered a few manuals of demonic arts stashed away on the shelves, albeit of low quality.


    Despite their low grades, Hiro gladly learned and started to practice them while browsing through the most recent history spanning the last century in the Demon Realm.


    Conquests, both successful and failure; civil wars, both far and near; aristocratic history, the rise and fall.


    Hiro found records on many things, and while he was a little interested in searching for discrepancies in the collection, most of his attention was on the demonic arts and his personal training.


    Hiro thought that he would have to spend days if not weeks, and perhaps months trapped in imprisonment, but he hadn''t expected to be summoned to the throne room one week later.


    Although confused, Hiro answered the summons nonetheless.


    ¡­


    "Caw! I remember you! Wait, what are you doing here?!"


    The moment Hiro stepped into the room, he was shouted¡­ No, rather cawed at by the black raven who was perched on the high back of a luxurious chair.


    Whoosh!


    The others in the room turned their gaze over, a mixture of expressions in their eyes.


    Hiro noticed two humans standing respectively on the side, a male and a female.


    They were shocked to see him, but their expressions quickly dimmed and returned to normal.


    They must have assumed that I''m a human just like them, Hiro mused. But then they noticed my curved horns.


    As both a gamble and an experiment, Hiro was dressed in the black trench coat this time around, but he didn''t conceal his hands and face.


    However, his tailcoat of black hellfire sold him out, exposing his identity to the black raven.


    A gentle voice fell from above. "Mind your manners, little sparrow."


    Hiro traced the voice.


    There, at the end of the hall was a pristine white staircase, enshrouded in holy white mist that contrasted sharply with the demonic ambiance.


    Can she still call herself a demon?! Hiro wanted to curse¡ªthis display was more holy than naked divine energy.


    The moment Hiro looked up, five out of the six demons exploded with anger.


    "Impudent!"


    Six voices overlapped, sweeping out like a heavy tsunami toward Hiro.


    Hiro frowned.

 Chapter 76 - 76: New Career Path

    "Stand down this instant."


    The voice descended from above the staircase once again. Though it sounded calm, gentle, and deliberate even¡ªit still reached Hiro''s ears before the pressure could touch him.


    Like a protective amulet, the voice lingered in the air and around his body, rendering the overwhelming pressure useless.


    Hiro narrowed his eyes.


    This woman had reached a realm where she no longer needed any secret arts or techniques to exhibit meticulous control over her energy. In a sense, as long as the intended ability wasn''t too overbearing, she could create it on the spot.


    Hiro was no longer certain whether she was a Tire-4 standard or stronger than this.


    The voice continued. "Introduce yourself in your capacity as an official, little guy."


    The black raven and everyone else was stunned. Although they knew how much their lord adored human culture and the history of their past dynasties, they also understood that it was just a pastime thing.


    Although she spoke about officials and the royal court quite often, there weren''t any substantial changes to the structure of her ruling at its core.


    In any case, they were demons living among demons, and the language of communication between demons is no other than fighting and killing.


    Asmir didn''t say that the only reason she didn''t put emphasis on the literature officials was the lack of an innate aptitude when it came to learning and studying among demons.


    She couldn''t possibly put a captive human slave in that position either, and the Nine-Tails race was very rare, so she couldn''t find anyone with the required mindset.


    Hiro was an exception, though.


    Although his bloodline was poor, his learning talent wasn''t bad. She had seen it all through the week, hence she decided on what position to give him.


    Though a position in the court was just too broad, so she decided that she might as well allow him to introduce himself, thus giving him the opportunity to choose his desired position.


    Hiro also understood this point, and while he wasn''t proficient in political intrigue, as the political wisdom was handed down to Juvia, this wasn''t the human world.


    There weren''t any deep and conflicting schemes that spanned months, years, and even decades.


    This was a dictatorial realm where the opinion of one person outweighed the opinions of the population.


    Luckily, Hiro still had the {Espionage I} skill since he hadn''t found a suitable servant to inherit it.


    This could also be considered a job, right? Is the system going to map out a carrier path for me?


    As Hiro thought to this point, he performed the standard salute and responded, "This lowly one thanks Her Majesty."


    After saluting the staircase, Hiro turned to the six demons, five of which were hoping for nothing more than to kill him.


    "My name is Sitri, and I will be responsible for Her Majesty''s intelligence network and information gathering in the future."


    I dare say that with my espionage skills, I will uncover all plots, schemes, spies, traitors, and more!


    [Notice: You''ve started a new career!]


    [Job: Intelligence Agent


    Description: You''ve been hired by Asmir as the first literature court official, and she bestowed upon you the authority to manage the flow of information to and from her Demon Tower.]


    ¡­


    "Intelligence network? Caw! What''s that supposed to be? I can see everything that''s happening in the stronghold and report to my lord on time! Caw!"


    "Yeah, you''re so good at it, we almost got painted as the enemy of everyone Stronghold Lord in the Demon Realm under your watchful eye and great protection!"


    "Caw! Who dares defy our lord? They''re truly seeking their own death! Just look at what became from that Sea Titan, what fool!"


    "Idiot, that Sea Titan is just a puppet on strings, who doesn''t know of his foolishness? He actually trapped himself in the Endless Ocean, thinking no one can touch his stronghold there."


    "We''ve frequently left on expeditions that lasted for days, weeks, months and even years¡­ Who knows how many rats sneaked into the stronghold during our absence? As long as they didn''t damage the foundation, no one would know of their presence."


    Another voice sounded, and it was from a demon that looked like a unicorn, but it was black and ominous.


    They were great characters with greater responsibilities, and they couldn''t keep an eye on everyone and everything all this time.


    [Notice: Your mission has been updated!]


    As Hiro listened to them, the system gave him a new daily mission to discover at least three disloyal followers in the Demon Tower.


    His reward would be calculated based on their overall status, influence, and social network.


    In a sense, discovering three disloyal servants wouldn''t amount to discovering one disloyal confidant of the six generals.


    Everyone in the room had their own thoughts, and so did Asmir. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hm, being called Her Majesty and Your Majesty has a nice ring to it. Mhm, seems like I did the right thing, but this also means that his little guy isn''t a native to the Demon Realm.


    Hold on, did he expose himself on purpose? Is he hunting at something? Well, it doesn''t matter¡­ Sigh, my six generals are so disappointing, not one of them is meticulous enough to notice this silent conversation between me and this little guy.


    Well, little sparrow deserves some credit for finding him to begin with, I''ll give him a small reward later.


    ¡­


    "Enough," Asmir spoke up once again. "Our stronghold isn''t the only one to exhibit signs of change after our prolonged battle with the humans. If we don''t wish to be swept by the change, we should be among the first batch of demons to lead the way forward.


    "I can say with certainty that our most recent predicament wasn''t the work of a Great Demon or a higher being; this doesn''t match our style of doing things."


    The six generals went silent. Seeing this, Asmir no longer spoke and decided to dismiss them.


    They concluded their war discussion and the related matters before she summoned Hiro.


    It could only be said that her purpose in summoning Hiro was to introduce him to the upper echelon of power in the Demon Tower.


    The black raven wanted to say something but eventually, he flapped his wings and left without saying a word, exchanging a glance with Hiro on the way.


    Only Asmir, Hiro, and the two human captives were left in the room. Once the six demons left, the two servants also bowed and left while keeping their backs bent.


    Soon, it was just the two of them.


    Hiro relaxed his posture, grabbed the nearby high-back chair, and sat by the conference table.


    A light chuckle sounded from above the staircase. "So, you''re not nervous at all?"


    "Your Majesty, don''t joke around like that¡ªhow can I not be nervous? I''m afraid I''d have collapsed from the pressure if I didn''t grab a seat quickly enough."


    "Haha, alright. I like the way ''Your Majesty'' sounds to the ears, so I won''t harp on this little topic anymore."


    Hiro smiled. "Do you want to learn how to sound more imposing than that, Your Majesty?"


    Asmir was curious. "Oh? How do I sound more imposing, then?"


    "This is called the art of posturing-¡­ Ahem, I mean this is called having a regal aura and a mighty disposition¡­" Hiro coughed and cleared his throat.


    "Just imagine that I am having a meeting with my top officials¡­" Hiro hadn''t finished his words yet when Asmir snapped her fingers.


    Then, a few projections appeared on the seats around the conference table, each of them looking incredibly realistic.


    This can work too? Hiro was stunned, but he quickly shook his head to clear his mind.


    He reviewed a few lines in his mind and started to enter the right mindset before starting his performance.


    "This Seat can act with grandiose and style just the same," Hiro spoke in a deep voice, stood up, and snapped his finger.


    A thin mist surrounded his body, followed by the sound of running water as a silver river circled his body, looking very majestic and imposing.


    Asmir raised an eyebrow from above the staircase, a clear interest in her eyes. "Is this the effect of some treasure? Hm, I can''t see through it, how interesting."


    "Of course! This Seat''s power isn''t something to be comprehended or seen through so easily."


    Hiro was in the mood right now.


    "What little tricks had This Seat not seen? If This Seat doesn''t wish for you to see through some things, you can only accept it."


    Asmir mumbled to herself, "This Seat¡­"


    Then, she cleared her throat and spoke up in a dignified manner, "This Seat will allow you to join the court, you better not disappoint me."


    Ah, what a refreshing experience! Asmir''s eyes shone brightly.


    This indeed sounded more imposing than calling people little fellow and little guy.


    As Asmir thought to this point, she reviewed her actions in the past and simulated an alternate version where she used this figure of speech instead.


    The more she simulated it, the more she felt like she had wasted years of her life in vain.


    She regretted not meeting Hiro much sooner.


    She sighed.


    "This Seat is pleased with your contributions! Speak, how do you wish for This Seat to reward you?"

 Chapter 77 - 77: Planeswalker Envoy

    Hiro''s eyes glimmered and he kicked up the gear a notch.


    He wanted to change his style of speech and say, "We appreciate your enthusiasm."


    This would be the tone of someone who represented not just a ruler or a royal family, but an entire empire.


    However, this wasn''t a suitable perspective in this context, so Hiro decided to hold back until Asmir grew tired of using the current figure of speech.


    However, Hiro apparently thought too much of it because Asmir was too embarrassed to speak like this to him after she just learned about it.


    Thus, Asmir returned to her usual tone of speech, albeit temporarily.


    Her tone had a hint of a smile as she said, "Haha, I was serious about the reward I''ve promised you, little guy."


    Hiro remained silent for a moment because he didn''t know what type of a reward he should ask for.


    After thinking for a moment, he decided to ask for a private residence or a house to stay in. After all, he couldn''t spend his days in the library in the future, right?


    "That''s all?" Asmir was surprised. "You only want a place to stay? That''s not impossible."


    Hiro coughed and added, "Can you give me an entire building? Preferably two floors or more, I will renovate the first floor for business."


    Hiro thought about it and decided that his only way to earn more achievement points was to start working.


    Having multiple jobs at once wouldn''t be a problem, and according to how the system did things, each time he sold a beverage in his soon-to-be-opened bar should count as an achievement.


    Since it was a legitimate job, there wouldn''t be a cap limit of 300,000 points in the future, or so Hiro hoped because he had yet to reach that limit in a daily job.


    Asmir was curious and asked, "Do you still need a job? Isn''t working for me enough?"


    Hiro explained, "How can I integrate into the common layers of your people and build an information network without creating a social hub? You know, demons let their secrets out when the alcohol does the talking."


    Asmir thought about it and felt that it made sense. If Hiro kept mingling with demons of high status and neglected the less fortunate demons, he could miss out on many opportunities to gather information.


    Asmir''s voice drifted over, "Alright then, just wait for my good news, little guy."


    Hiro hesitated for a moment and asked, "What happened to that female demon?"


    Asmir raised an eyebrow. "The vessel, right? I placed her somewhere secure for now, lest she caused some trouble."


    Hiro thought that it made sense. Suddenly, he felt a fleeting wave of killing intent, but it was quickly restrained.


    Sadly, after going through the world of Babylon and playing as Sitri in the realistic simulation space, Hiro was very sensitive to such things.


    Regardless, he also understood how important the secret hidden within that demon''s body was.


    Hiro hesitated for a moment, should he gift Asmir with the fragments of law he earned from the demon game? S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    That fragment was very helpful to the core of a dimension, especially a demonic-attributed dimension.


    Forget it, Hiro mused to himself. I should focus on doing my job for now. Everything else can wait, I''ll only feel at ease when I have saved up 10,000 points.


    As Hiro cleared up his thoughts, he decided to heed the system''s advice and keep the fragments of law in the inventory space for future use.


    Who knows, this Asmir might be generous enough to give him a pocket dimension in the future.


    Hiro told himself that it was just a dream, but it wasn''t bad for a youth to have dreams.


    "I have one question," Asmir finally couldn''t contain her curiosity or rather her cautiousness.


    Hiro knew that this was coming sooner or later so he said, "Please go ahead."


    Asmir remained silent for a while before she finally asked, "You''re hiding your strength, aren''t you?"


    Hiro thought about it and replied, "Not necessarily¡­ I can be either strong or weak depending on the situation. When I''m in dire straits, I can get help."


    "What kind of help?" Asmir probed further.


    Hiro thought about it for a moment, looked around, and asked, "Is this place secure enough?"


    Asmir didn''t respond immediately, as she understood what Hiro meant. A moment later, Hiro could feel something change, but he didn''t know what changed exactly.


    "I''ve sealed this space," Asmir spoke from her position above the staircase. "No one will know what happened inside this place."


    To be honest, Asmir was also very curious.


    Hiro knew that guesses and conjectures could only protect him for so long, and he needed to give her something substantial so she would hold back and not kill him on a whim one day.


    Thus, Hiro immediately adjusted his state of mind, closed his eyes, and focused.


    Of course, this was just a pretense¡ªa show for Asmir to watch. With the system''s help, his aura and bloodline continued to weaken in presence until they were completely gone.


    Asmir was shocked; even with her strength, if Hiro wasn''t standing beneath her gaze, she''d have missed him.


    She would only find him by using the laws of casualties with the realm fragment as a medium.


    However, her attention soon shifted as a mysterious power exploded from within Hiro''s body.


    First, it was Sitri''s bloodline power, which originated from the Celestial Demon Bloodline.


    In the game, this was practically the highest bloodline a demon could get their hands on.


    As the bloodline suppression permeated the space, Asmir felt her heart skip a beat.


    Then, Hiro''s aura skyrocketed to the standards of Tier-4, and it was the absolute peak of that tier.


    Although this was much weaker than Asmir, especially when one accounted for her stronghold, faith energy, and the laws of the Demon Realm¡ªshe still felt a little awestruck because she assumed that this strength was something projected into Hiro''s body from an unknown distance.


    Hiro opened his eyes and they were no longer crimson, but a flare of bright silver.


    His demeanor also changed into that of an almighty expert who had seen through the world.


    He clasped his hands behind his back, curiously inspecting the space all around him.


    Now that he had used the synchronization feature and looked at this space through the eyes of Sitri, Hiro noticed many things he hadn''t seen before.


    At first glance, this space seemed like a fragile bubble that could burst at any time.


    However, a second glance would reveal how tightly sealed this space was.


    Hiro thought back to how the Holy Church would claim to have sealed the space around the human world, and he now somewhat understood.


    But he had to put on act for Asmir now.


    Hiro sighed in disappointment and didn''t even look toward the staircase above.


    He reached out with his hand and tapped out with a finger, but he was actually activating the planeswalker feature to open a portal.


    Of course, this portal wouldn''t lead to his pocket dimension or the human world as he had to act safe.


    It actually leads to the most recent pocket dimension that the church opened to the public.


    However, the destination didn''t matter because what matters now was posturing.


    As expected, he heard a gasp of shock from the staircase above. "Impossible!"


    Asmir was stunned.


    The space rumbled; dense faith energy and power of laws flooded the sealed space, attempting to twist and destroy the portal or sever its connection to the Demon Realm.


    It was useless.


    Please, who do you think you are? My cheat system isn''t so easily bullied! Hiro thought to himself.


    This was a display of strength! Hiro wanted to give Asmir the illusion that whoever was behind him, they could easily enter the Demon Realm whenever and wherever they pleased.


    Asmir indeed had this thought in mind, so she quickly acted and said, "Don''t be in such a hurry to leave, I have a little bit of fate with this child."


    Her voice was gentle and persuasive, and after hearing it, Hiro stopped.


    However, he didn''t turn to face her but decided to cancel off the synchronization directly.


    Hiro''s aura quickly deflated while the portal closed. Then, he let out a gasp, breathing heavily while bending over to catch his breath.


    Asmir was stunned as she thought, he believed me just like that? Or is it that he couldn''t maintain that state for long?


    She immediately shook her head as it didn''t matter. If he wished to fight, he''d simply cross over.


    That person already knew her identity and location, not to mention that she couldn''t stop him from coming over even if she desired to.


    Thus, whether he used this body as a vessel or not didn''t matter. As she thought to this point, Asmir''s voice grew gentler as she spoke.


    "Sitri, is that your teacher?"


    With his head lowered, Hiro smiled and thought to himself, bingo! Sigh, it''s so easy to fool experts when you challenge their common sense.


    "No, Your Majesty," Hiro gasped for air while responding. "That''s the Planeswalker, an envoy responsible for transportation between planes."


    Hiro decided to say this and leave the rest to her imagination.

 Chapter 78 - 78: New Game

    How great would it be if Asmir fell in love with me at first sight? Okay, I can stop dreaming about it now.


    Asmir was really generous with Hiro.


    She didn''t only give him a three-storey building consisting of a bar and rental rooms, she also expended her faith energy to give everyone a psychological cue, making them believe that this place had a long history in the stronghold.


    This way, the re-opening of the business wouldn''t seem abrupt in the eyes of the commoners and in turn, their masters among the high-class demons.


    After entering the old building with a host of male and female servants, Hiro assigned them the menial tasks of cleaning up, stocking the storeroom, and checking the upper floors.


    Hiro didn''t know much about alcohol and beverages, so he made an order list to store anything popular.


    Setting up the Passione Tavern finished after half a day of hard work. Toward the end, Hiro kept five decent-looking female demons with adequate self-defense qualities to work as waitresses.


    Then, he retreated into the shop owner''s office to work on the rules and menu items for the tavern.


    As a stronghold ruled by law under the dictatorship of Asmir, such things were standard protocol.


    Hiro jotted down simple rules such as no fighting, no sexual harassment, no instigation through taunts or gestures, no paying on credit, no sleeping in the bar after closing hours, no inflicting damage to the furniture and properties, etc.


    Hiro then listed fair prices for drinks, lodging, and long-term rental contracts on a separate parchment, leaving a small note at the bottom corner that read "I buy information."


    Although it seemed like an obvious bait and no one would open their mouths recklessly, Hiro was casting a long line to fish at the moment, so he didn''t care.


    Smart demons would approach him under the guise of renting or lodging for a night while their true purpose might be to sell information.


    Some might be willing to pay for information.


    Hiro wasn''t anxious about his current mission to discover traitors in the Demon Tower, as he hoped to upgrade his {Espionage I} skill through the bar''s revenue first.


    Hiro leaned back into his chair and mumbled under his breath, "System, open a new job for me as a shop owner. Also, how many achievement points will I get for selling beverages and providing lodging services?"


    [Notice: Currently analyzing the currency system in your environment, please wait patiently.]


    Hiro wanted to ask if he could use gems to buy achievement points when he suddenly realized how stupid of an idea that would be.


    It would be such a waste!


    As Hiro''s train of thought reached this point, he suddenly realized something else.


    When the bar is crowded, wouldn''t I be able to infer a lot of information if I were to scan for interpersonal missions? The mission briefing is more than enough to deduce a lot of vital data based on the difficulty level and the specific task details.


    Hiro was also hesitant about which game to buy at the moment. With the 80% voucher in his hand, his budget allowed him to buy any game under 500 gems in price.


    After giving it some thought and witnessing the strength Asmir displayed, Hiro understood that between Tier-4 and Tier-3 existed a massive gap.


    However, Hiro also understood that the key factor was faith energy and laws, and no matter how broken the {Synchronization} feature was, it couldn''t generate faith energy out of nowhere.


    [Notice: If you complete a game you''ve purchased through gems, there''s a slight possibility to obtain a minor realm fragment imbued with the attributes of the game you''ve completed.] S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hiro was stunned. "Are you trying to tempt me with that ''slight'' possibility?! Aren''t you simply hunkering after my gems?"


    The system didn''t respond this time. Although feeling a little uncomfortable, Hiro couldn''t contain his eagerness for long.


    After all, he saw how eager those great characters were to obtain the fragment from a minor realm.


    However, Hiro wasn''t stupid.


    Finishing a game with a Tier-4 powerhouse as the final boss was one thing, but finishing off a game with a potential Tier-2 powerhouse as the final boss was something else altogether.


    Even with the time dilation feature, it might take months or years in real time to complete such an endeavor.


    After struggling with himself for a very long time, Hiro finally opened the system shop and filtered out all games above the 480 gems benchmark.


    Then, he added an additional filter to remove immortal cultivation-related games, demonic themes-related games, and sorcery-related games from th list.


    After thinking about it, he removed sci-fi and urban fantasy games because he felt that their world wasn''t comprehensive enough to invoke novelty.


    Hiro had to think about the long run for no reason other than his company''s future prospects.


    Even if the Paranormals decided to abandon the Old World and move out to the New World in full force, it wouldn''t hurt to leave some foundation behind.


    Such a massive source of faith energy couldn''t be neglected. Taking in mind that most of the living creatures in his pocket dimension were magical beasts, Hiro settled for a game with mythical creatures in the lore.


    After browsing for a few minutes, he found a game that cost 425 gems, which would be reduced to 85 gems after the 80% discount.


    It was a game called Draconia.


    The main game plot of the game revolved around dragons. As for the specific lore and storyline, Hiro had to first launch the game so he could understand it.


    After confirming the purchase, Hiro let out a sigh of relief, though he felt a sting of pain in his heart as he watched his gems fall from 100 to a mere 15 gems.


    "It''s okay," Hiro told himself. "I can complete three hard missions and I can round them up to thirty¡­"


    After encouraging himself, Hiro prepared for the opening of the tavern in the following day.


    As long as the system hadn''t finished assessing the currency and designing a working plan for him, Hiro wasn''t planning to open for business yet.


    When the workers saw Hiro leaving the manager''s office, they quickly greeted him.


    "Greetings, Master!"


    "Greetings, Master!"


    ¡­


    As maids and servants, they would address Hiro as Master both in private and public settings, while the customers would simply address him as the "Shopkeeper" in the future.


    Hiro nodded and said, "Keep up the good work."


    Then, he activated the interpersonal missions and the treasure-scanning function consecutively.


    All of them had missions of easy difficulty above their heads, and they didn''t have any treasures on their bodies.


    This usually meant that they were small characters so Hiro didn''t give them a second glance.


    "I''m going up to rest, you can return in three days for the opening," Hiro instructed.


    He already inquired with the system, and it shouldn''t take more than two days for the system to collect data on the interactions between demons in the stronghold.


    However, Hiro decided to play it safe just in case.


    The five maids hurriedly expressed their understanding before leaving the bar in a hurry.


    Hiro sighed, feeling glad that the cosmetics would cancel out his love-at-first-sight charm.


    Otherwise, he would suffer from a headache if Asmir kept assigning female demons to work for him.


    ¡­


    After making the arrangements, Hiro went to the master bedroom on the third floor of the building. After a quick shower, he went to sleep.


    Of course, he hoped he could enter his training space in the real world to enjoy the time-dilation benefits, but Hiro had this feeling that Asmir was definitely keeping an eye on him.


    He could still remember their long conversation in that sealed space about the Unfathomables and his purpose in coming to the Demon Realm.


    Most likely, Asmir decided to keep him around as a backup for herself in case this realm encountered a disaster in the future.


    Hiro wasn''t certain, but he had the feeling that Asmir was interested in joining the Unfathomables.


    Hiro thought about it, but there was no way for him to collect faith energy from the demons.


    Resigned, he decided to advance his Daoist character to Tier-4 standards and add immortal Qi elements to his pocket dimension as soon as possible.


    Then, he could focus all his energy on Draconia. At any rate, he only needed time to accumulate enough spirit Qi for both his spiritual cultivation and physical cultivation.


    After making up his mind, Hiro entered the {Simulation Space} and selected the new game from the library.


    Then, he calmly watched the introductory cutscenes, immersed in the lore.


    ¡­


    The rebellion of the myriad races brought an end to the reign of the Sacred Beasts, starting with the Dragons.


    Although these high and mighty creatures were reclusive from worldly affairs, they couldn''t escape the machinations of the greedy, ambitious creatures who occupied the majority of the food chain in the world.


    It was too late to react when the disaster fell.

 Chapter 79 - 79: Passione Tavern

    The Dragon Ancestor was trapped, and a mysterious power weakened the bloodlines of the Sacred Beasts that occupied the pinnacle of the food chain. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A war that spanned the world for tens of thousands of years was brought to a premature end as the world could no longer resist the scars of battle.


    Although caught by surprise, the Sacred Beasts weren''t fools, and their rise to power for the second time was just a matter of time.


    ¡­


    The story of Draconia follows a simple plot where the main character is disguised as a descendant of a dragon with impure blood, but he is in fact a pure-blooded dragon.


    The seal on his bloodline would loosen gradually as he grows progressively stronger.


    With the long-term mission of growing strong enough to release the Dragon Ancestor from his shackles, Hiro must navigate the world of myriad races infested with both humans and magical beasts.


    As a consequence of the war between the magical beasts, humans finally found their chance to intrude upon the territory of magical beasts, especially after the Sacred Beasts were dealt a heavy blow.


    The lore was frighteningly vast, and Hiro realized that his earlier estimation was correct and that he would need a lot of time to finish this simulation.


    Regardless, Hiro wasn''t in a hurry this time around and so, he slowly began to familiarize himself with the game through the night and the following two days.


    ¡­


    [Notice: Check the Shopkeeper window to browse through the unlocked features for your new job.]


    Hiro woke up on this day with this notification floating in front of him. Although he was a little surprised at first, Hiro quickly transitioned to confusion as he wondered why his job as an official didn''t have a customized panel.


    [Notice: As the one and only owner of the tavern, it is only natural that it is included among your property list. If you manage to become the lord of the stronghold, the system will generate the appropriate panel.]


    Tsk! Hiro clicked his tongue. Forget it, this matter is such a tall order, I better focus on my little tavern.


    As the tavern had facilities such as lodging, rental rooms, a bar, and other miscellaneous services such as buying and selling information¡ªthe window designated for this job had plenty of panels.


    There was also a panel that provided Hiro with custom services from the system for purchase, like protection and counter-sabotage measures.


    The system also offered options to upgrade the rooms, the decor, a cleaning service, and plenty more.


    "How come my company doesn''t have such a panel?" Hiro was curious.


    [Notice: The scale of your company is beyond the system''s authority range.]


    Hiro thought that it made sense. Comparing a small tavern to a great company with many affiliated businesses was a little too much.


    He would have called the system lazy if it wasn''t actively monitoring his private pocket dimension on a daily basis.


    Hiro quickly got up and took a bath, preparing himself for the first day of business in the stronghold.


    ¡­


    The universe, vast as it was, didn''t rob the life within from common phenomena such as the ever-present cycle of day and night.


    Even in a land infested with crawling demons and grotesque creatures, there was that sliver of beauty when the rays of dawn penetrated the deep, dimly lit sky during the late hours of a long night.


    As a stronghold slowly transitioned into an industrial land, many demons young and old rose from their sleep at this hour.


    Although most of them went out on their day to hunt, kill, fight, abuse, and practice their daily norms of being demons¡ªsome were slowly embracing the change education and constant influence on human culture brought upon them.


    It wasn''t that demons were creatures of low intelligence that lacked creativity, but it was rare to encounter a race like humans whom despite their wielding of great power, they kept the majority of their race in the dark.


    This permitted the proliferation of pure traditions, even if they were useless practices to most.


    Those great civilizations with intelligence had long since closed themselves off from the vast plane, and finding them was very difficult.


    Even when found, the dangers were too great.


    Unlike humans, whose curiosity outpaced their cautiousness, leading them to stumble upon the traces left behind by demons.


    A race that didn''t value the safety of their home met a homeless race who couldn''t wait to find a stable land.


    The outcome of their fateful encounter didn''t have to be guessed.


    Furthermore, the intensity of hunting and explorations had spiked up in the last few days¡ªHiro assumed that it had something to do with the six generals.


    It could be said that although the plot to cause chaos in the stronghold failed, it had forced the hidden dragon to show its tail.


    If they hadn''t started preparing for a rainy day yet, then those high-ranking demons were truly foolish.


    Hiro wouldn''t complain, but the demons on the lower end of the statue spectrum would surely have bellies full of complaints.


    Where should they vent these feelings?


    Bars, inns, restaurants, and brothels.


    In the last few days, the entertainment industry spiked in business, and it was in the midst of such a spike that Hiro''s Passione Tavern opened.


    Those in the trade caught wind of the opening day, and it was none other than their lack of understanding toward this new establishment that kept them from acting recklessly.


    However, even if they didn''t act recklessly, they''d still go over for a drink to test things out.


    When evening arrived, Hiro stood behind the counter while the five female demons took to their stations.


    Two of them stood by the door to greet guests, two others stood in conspicuous corners and perked up their ears with eyes fully focused, and the last stood by the staircase leading upstairs.


    When customers started to enter through the front door, one waitress gently explained the rules while the other displayed a parchment with the items on the menu.


    Hiro was cleaning the glasses with different sizes labeled as M, L, and XL with a piece of cloth when he heard that familiar yet unfamiliar cry.


    "Caw! Make way for this lord! Caw!"


    His expression didn''t change, but he started cursing in his heart. Don''t you have anything better to do? Why are you here in a bar?!


    The black raven flew past the customers and the two waitresses, circling around in the air for a little before landing on Hiro''s shoulder.


    Now, even if he beat people to death, no one would believe that his place had nothing to do with Asmir.


    This is so infuriating!


    Hiro smacked the black raven on his small head and scolded, "What are you doing here?!"


    "Caw! You dare to hit this lord?! Are you looking to die?!"


    Although the black raven said this, he didn''t act and continued to perch on Hiro''s shoulder.


    His brown eyes swept the menu and other than the standard drinks available in every bar, there was one additional drink labeled as the passione special.


    "Eh? What''s this? Caw! Give me one of your passione special!"


    Hiro also noticed this new addition, and he immediately recognized it as an addition from the system.


    The panel did offer recipes for drinks and beverages, and this one was for free.


    Inspecting the drinks rack, he found an array of bottles with a new bottle added to the mix.


    To make things easier, there was a label on the bottle, something that was incongruous with the style of the other alcoholic beverages.


    "Bloodstained Glass? What''s with this name?" Hiro mumbled to himself, but he still answered the black raven. "Pay up first!"


    The black raven went mad. "Caw! What do you take me for?! Do you think this lord wouldn''t pay?!"


    Hiro didn''t care.


    The currency in the Demon Realm was different between each stronghold, as the relationships between them were too chaotic.


    Each lord had their own thoughts and aspirations, turning each stronghold into a micro-society¡ªan independent country with its own schools of thought.


    In Asmir''s stronghold, the currency was silver and gold, and above that was the currency of rare minerals and ore.


    The system spent three days to make a clear distinction in value, and eventually, Hiro learned that each gold coin gained was an achievement point earned.


    However, each of the standard drinks was sold in the range of 3 to 9 silver coins, with a gold coin amounting to 1,000 silver coins.


    The Bloodstained Glass was sold for 20 silver coins, which means that Hiro had to sell 50 special drinks to earn an achievement point.


    Looking at the haggard and exhausted demons who looked like they could barely fork out 10 silver coins, Hiro felt heartache.


    With that in mind, he was even more ruthless as he said, "If you don''t pay upfront, you can forget about it!"


    The black raven was mad. "What''s our relationship?! Even if I don''t pay you now, it''s because I can''t carry money on me! Allow this lord to patronize your shopfront for you this once, you won''t lose out!"


    Hiro didn''t speak. Instead, he pointed toward the rule that stated: "We don''t accept buying on credit!"

 Chapter 80 - 80: A Lowly Servant

    No matter how hard the black raven tried to garner sympathy and a sense of friendship from Hiro, the latter didn''t budge in the least.


    The black raven had no clue that his constant nagging had triggered the curiosity of some people, and most of them were scouts from reputable places.


    They obviously recognized the black raven''s identity even without his transformation into the massive Crimson Crow.


    Soon, Hiro realized another problem.


    The shapes and sizes of demons weren''t at all uniform¡ªsome were tall, some were short, and some were bipedal creatures while others were not.


    Most of them couldn''t even be seated properly on the chairs, thus they ended up standing foolishly by the tables.


    Hiro kneaded his forehead and sighed.


    "This is so troublesome," he mumbled to himself while musing silently. "Forget it, those who can sit will sit, and those who can''t can only blame themselves for being stupid."


    The transformation ability wasn''t difficult to learn, but these demons simply thought too highly of themselves and didn''t wish to take on human form in their day-to-day lives.


    Hiro understood where they came from as no sane human would voluntarily transform into a cat or dog on a whim.


    Seeing that he couldn''t get a free drink, the black raven cried out in injustice for a while before flapping away, leaving the first floor.


    He decided to call on some of his subordinates to pay on his behalf, he would just treat at as giving them an opportunity to fawn on him.


    "The 4th general has left," two humanoid demons were huddled together in a corner, whispering.


    When they noticed that the coast was clear, one of them stepped out and ordered two Bloodstained Glasses.


    When Hiro reported the price, the demon didn''t haggle and directly paid with four silver coins in denominations of ten.


    Hiro nodded lightly, and for the lack of professional bartender skills, he directly poured some drinks with ice from the bottle rack.


    The drink was thick in the color of blood, and if one looked closely, light refracted through the drink and provided the illusion of shattered glass swimming inside.


    If they didn''t see the drink being poured into the glasses directly, they''d have thought that someone was trying to assassinate them by planting such sharp shards in their drinks.


    The demons gazed with fascination at what they could describe as a visual miracle, as they couldn''t sense any fluctuations of energy or any backhanded tricks.


    This display alone was enough to cover for their expenses. As they sipped their drinks and leaned into the bar counter, they expressed their will to linger around, not planning to head back and search for seats.


    Hiro gave the two of them a look and scanned for interpersonal missions.


    Hmm? Hiro raised an eyebrow, as he gleamed something. Although it was another easy difficulty mission, the description was worth a second glance.


    [Mission Briefing: A lowly servant who aspires to achieve greater things. His inconspicuous position at the bottom food chain of a great family brought a lot of stress to his nerves, so he decided to follow the Third Young Master, running errands such as gathering information and sowing discord in the ranks of his young master''s enemies.


    Help the lowly servant gain the recognition of his young master, thus allowing him to rise in the ranks among hundreds of other lowly servants.]


    ¡­


    As expected, Hiro was pleased. Although the briefing centered around the lowly servant and didn''t mention the names of his master and the great family, it still provided him with clues.


    For example, this impromptu trip was an impulsive decision and wasn''t an order from above.


    Thus, the chances of drawing the attention of someone with high status were very low. Nonetheless, it shouldn''t be a big problem to start casting the net this early.


    Thinking of this, Hiro started a light conversation with the demon.


    "Do you need anything else, sir?" Hiro asked politely.


    The demon was a little baffled at first, as a lowly servant like him hadn''t been spoken to so politely before.


    Even when outside, as he was using the transformation ability to gain a humanoid form, many demons detested him.


    One had to know that transformation ability came in different tiers, and they reflected the demon''s aptitude and bloodline purity.


    Take this demon for example, other than walking on two legs and using his two arms the same way a human would, his appearance was just too grotesque.


    He had long tentacles for a chin, six disproportionate eyes, uneven ears, and pale green skin dotted with pop marks and grease.


    His companion didn''t have it any better.


    Honestly, Hiro had the urge to kill them the moment these two stepped up to him, the stench wafting off their bodies enough to start a chemical pandemic if left unchecked among the common people.


    After being stunned for a while, the lowly servant felt flattered and laughed.


    Sticky mucus splattered on the lapels of his linen shirt as he laughed, taking up the medium-sized Bloodstained Glass and chugging it down in one gulp.


    "Gah! Amazing drink, amazing!"


    Hiro didn''t know how to appreciate drinks and so he didn''t elaborate on the origins and the contents of this Bloodstained Glass, but anything new ought to taste great to these demons after years of stagnation in the wine business.


    Feeling happy, the demon slammed the medium-sized cup onto the bar counter and wiped his mouth with his dry hand.


    "Is it true that you sell information? What kind of information do you have?" The lowly servant asked.


    Hiro acted mysterious, looking around to make sure that no one was listening before he leaned forward and whispered something.


    The lowly servant shot to his feet and stared at Hiro in disbelief. It couldn''t be helped, Hiro basically recited some of the details provided to him from the mission briefing.


    The demon was feeling incredulous as he asked, "How did you know?"


    Hiro smiled and didn''t respond.


    Although the demon was silly, he wasn''t stupid beyond saving and said, "I''m willing to pay for information!"


    Hiro felt satisfied. He called for a maid to take over the bar for him while he invited the lowly servant into the manager''s office.


    Hiro had to force himself not to act and kill this guy, as he was too disgusting.


    Hiro accepted the easy difficulty mission in passing.


    Easy difficulty missions had a reward of 3 gems, normal difficulty missions had a reward of 5 gems, hard difficulty missions had a reward of 7 gems, and extreme difficulty missions had a reward of 10 gems.


    The mission was to help this guy score some brownie points with his young master, so Hiro decided to give him a few high-value points.


    After they entered the office, Hiro made up his offer directly. "This piece of information is very valuable, and it might help your Third Young Master with his competition to become the next head of the family¡­"


    The lowly servant was stunned again, how did he know that I was serving the Third Young Master? Did someone betray us?


    That was impossible because he was recruited randomly from the streets. This was the way his young master did things, spontaneously and without thinking too deeply into things.


    However, this Shopkeeper actually found out about the plans laid out by his young master, making him feel jittery.


    The lowly servant no longer dared to act haughty as he spoke, "N-name your price, Sire¡­"


    Hiro opened his mouth and said, "1,000 silver coins."


    The lowly servant was stunned. "That''s too much! Even I¡­"


    He didn''t finish his words because Hiro approached him and whispered something shocking.


    What rebellion? What war? Something like this happened?! Why can''t I remember anything?!


    Of course, they can''t remember because Asmir acted personally. However, Hiro didn''t believe that those ancient clans were fools and didn''t have any countermeasures for such a thing.


    Otherwise, no one would dare rebel in this lifetime.


    It was worth mentioning that the two great demon families who issued the game to hunt the female demon had gone quiet ever since that incident, and the underground gangs who supposedly held a banquet to discuss the capture of the woman had disappeared silently. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I gave you some clues, but if you want to buy the information now, the price went up to 5,000 silver coins. Let your young master decide."


    The lowly servant was in disbelief. However, remembering that this Shopkeeper had a good relationship with a general, his suspicions were somewhat abated.


    Whatever! I''ll just report this to the young master before the others found out about how valuable the information in this place is!


    The lowly servant made up his mind, bowed slightly, and directly left.


    Hiro smiled. The moment the mission was completed, it would mean that the lowly servant had garnered the attention of his young master.


    This would also mean that the fish had caught the bait.


    Hiro thought for a moment, rapped the desk with his fingers, and made up his mind.


    After collecting sufficient achievement points, other than upgrading his {Espionage I} skill, he would also use the last mass enlightenment scroll.


    There ought to be many demons who had yet to unlock their intelligence, and mass targeting them would allow him to have eyes and ears all over the stronghold.


    How great of an intelligence network would that be?

 Chapter 81 - 81: Hard Difficulty Mission

    "System, you must create a new format to earn achievement points for me, some places doesn''t have technology or social media! You can''t expect me to live on like this in the future, right?"


    The system didn''t respond, but Hiro knew that it took his complaint in mind. The system would surely generate a new formula to earn achievement points, and Hiro was willing to wait.


    ¡­


    With the first person as an example, more and more servants and lackeys who were out to scout things out approached Hiro.


    However, the volume of work was indeed very low because the only specialty drink was beyond the budget of the common folk.


    Hiro wasn''t in a rush. The more traffic there was in the bar, the more mission briefings he could read and in turn, the more he learned about the situation in the stronghold.


    Hiro made it a habit to write down the key points of each mission briefing, keep them in a small booklet, and spend a night''s time arranging the information before memorizing it.


    Sadly, all of them were small characters in the grand scheme of things, and whatever information he gleaned from them wasn''t useful for his future plans.


    Also, even if he found something worthy of his attention, he couldn''t trigger the mission because he wasn''t allowed to take on more than one interpersonal mission at a time.


    Things continued on at this pace until a few days later when Hiro received the notification he''d been waiting for.


    The easy interpersonal mission was completed and he earned himself 3 gems, which indicates that the lowly servant and the third young master of whichever family that was had finally met.


    Standing behind the bar counter while looking through the dozen or so demons drinking and laughing, teasing the waitresses, and chatting away their worries.


    Hiro wondered when and how that young master would approach him for that information.


    Hiro sighed, he hadn''t expected that a day would come when he had to plan so meticulously just to earn five achievement points.


    Something like this was easily accomplished in the modern human world, and more than that.


    For a moment, Hiro was tempted to go back to the Nexus Country to collect a harvest of achievement points.


    While he was lost in thoughts, the door was pushed open as a host of rough and fierce humanoid demons walked in, separating the crowd.


    Here it comes! Hiro''s eyes shone with an expectant light. The moment the young man dressed in embroidered fashionable clothing stepped into the bar, Hiro activated his interpersonal missions.


    As expected, a mission indicator appeared above the young man.


    Eh? Hiro was stunned. That mission briefing sounds a little off¡­


    It difficultly was set to normal, as for the mission briefing¡­ It was to help the imposter confess his true feelings to the Third Mistress and be accepted by her?


    Which third mistress? Hiro moved his line of sight behind the young man where a little maid was following on tiptoes, keeping the young man''s coattail above the smudged ground.


    ¡­


    [Target: Paimon.


    Mission difficulty: Hard.


    Mission Briefing: When she was born, it just happened that the head of the family was out on an expedition. With a ruthless heart, her mother executed the midwife, the servants in the bedroom chambers, and all servants who entered the courtyard on that day.


    Ever since then, she was disguised as the maid to a swapped baby, waiting in the shadows with her mother for an opportunity to usurp authority.


    Help Third Mistress Paimon create an opportunity for her mother to act.]


    ¡­


    Hiro felt like killing someone. Everyone''s mind was set on usurping authority; from the lowly servants to the lofty lords.


    While he was cursing in his heart, Hiro heard a pleasant chime as the system notification popped up.


    [Notice: In view of your circumstances, the system has created an alternate method of earning achievement points through the medium of faith energy. When your devoted believers pray to the Unfathomable Throne sincerely, each prayer will constitute 1 achievement point.


    Please keep in mind that corrosion, mind control, and solicitation attempts won''t contribute to your achievement points.]


    ¡­


    Hiro didn''t have the time to enjoy this new feature because the young man was already standing in front of him.


    "I want to buy information," said the young man who was disguised as the Third Young Master.


    Of course, Hiro wouldn''t expose him, but he still couldn''t help but sneak a glance at the little maid behind him.


    Their eyes met for the briefest of moments before she lowered her head, seemingly out of shyness.


    Hiro didn''t believe it but he didn''t care either, responding to the young man by inviting him over into the back office.


    The waitresses were already used to demons buying and selling information from their boss so they didn''t act up, but they were still shocked inside because of this new patron''s identity.


    The lowly servant from earlier didn''t follow them to the Passione Tavern as a countermeasure, but the demons in the bar still didn''t dare breathe too loose.


    The young man and his maid entered the small office while the guards were left outside to guard the area.


    Hiro didn''t put on any airs and sat on his desk, leaning back while crossing his arms with a faint smile. "You should know my price."


    The young man waved his hand, and the maid stepped out with a small box in her hand.


    She opened it, revealing five shimmering gold coins, the equivalent of 5,000 silver coins.


    Hiro didn''t need to check for their authenticity because the treasure-scanning system had already identified them.


    It was worth mentioning that the silver and gold coins used by Asmir were products of some magical treasure, and they had the minute effect of tranquilizing the spirit.


    Demons were irritable creatures by nature, and it would have been much more difficult to standardize a generic form of law and order without playing these little tricks.


    It was such a pity that no matter how many coins Hiro scanned with his treasure-scanning feature, all of them would fall under the same name and category in the system''s database.


    "How straightforward," Hiro praised and took the small box. Internationally or otherwise, the maid''s fingertips brushed against Hiro''s hand, but he didn''t mind.


    The maid''s brows furrowed for a split second before she smoothed them over with a relaxed, borderline shy expression as she retreated.


    Hiro moved to the other side of the desk, picked up a quill and paper, then started writing.


    One of the recent expeditions was a premeditated trap to send a specific item into the stronghold.


    This item is a ticking time bomb that will draw the gazes from the interested parties, potentially kicking up a war between the Demonic Strongholds with Lord Asmir as the eye of the storm. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It was the 4th general who accidentally discovered the plot, allowing unforeseen circumstances to expose the hint of a plot that almost caused Lord Asmir great losses.


    Unfortunately, the danger lurks in the waters even at this moment, and it is unknown how many great figures are conspiring in the dark to strike once again, and this time, with greater force.


    ¡­


    Hiro rolled up the paper after blowing the ink dry, then tossed it over to the maid who was walking past the young man.


    The maid acted quickly and moved her hands swiftly, catching the paper.


    "Ah," Hiro slapped his forehead. "My hand slipped a little, but it''s not a problem. Just make sure to burn the paper after reading its contents, this paper can''t leave this room."


    The young man froze for a moment, but he quickly reacted and said, "Read it for me."


    The maid bowed and said, "As you wish, Third Young Master."


    Hiro raised an eyebrow, but he didn''t say anything.


    It seems like these two didn''t know about Asmir''s laws and her grasp over cause and effect.


    Once they spoke of that matter, they would immediately arouse Asmir''s suspicions.


    Sigh, seems like their position in the family is pitifully low. No wonder the mission difficulty is determined to be hard.


    The mission difficulty is based on Hiro''s real-life attributes, not taking the {Synchronization} ability into account.


    Hiro couldn''t bear to see them committing to such a stupid mistake since they would surely implicate him.


    As long as the words weren''t spoken, with the help from the system, he could still conceal such little tricks from Asmir.


    The moment she realized that something was off and began to act, those astute grandpas and grandmas would also notice.


    "I say, your position in the family is really pitiful, Third Young Mistress," Hiro sighed and kneaded his forehead. "The moment you speak those words, Lord Asmir will immediately notice you."


    The young man froze, his hand subconsciously moving towards his weapon.


    "Are you blind?!" He shouted defensively, wanting to defend his case, but the maid behind him stopped him.


    "Enough!"


    After reading the contents of the paper, she also knew that mouthing those words might get her head off her shoulders.


    She didn''t know why, but her instincts wouldn''t lie to her. Furthermore, this young Shopkeeper sold such dangerous information for a mere five gold coins.


    She understood that his aim wasn''t the transaction, but her identity.


    She no longer wasted time acting shy as she stepped out, her gaze cold and piercing as she asked, "What do you want?"

 Chapter 82 - 82: Fallout

    The young man stepped up to shield for the demoness as he spoke up, "Who are you and what are you doing here?!"


    He wanted to take the paper from Paimon because for one, he was curious to know what was written on there.


    Two, he felt jealous, as though his lover was sharing a secret with another man.


    However, he couldn''t grab the paper before it was turned to dust by Paimon, not allowing him to read the contents.


    It wasn''t that she didn''t trust him, but such a matter was too grave a secret and couldn''t be spoken of lightly.


    The young man''s expression changed, but he wasn''t stupid nor was he irrational, so he quickly calmed down and assumed his true identity as Paimon''s substitute and servant.


    He bowed his head and retreated to the corner, keeping his expression hidden with a lowered head.


    "I''ll ask again," Paimon moved closer to Hiro and spoke forcefully. "What do you want?"


    Hiro appreciated the demoness standing in front of him, not understanding why her family had a prejudice against female demons.


    "Isn''t it obvious? I''m someone who sells and buys information for a living, but this isn''t something little me can do by myself."


    Hiro spread his hands and shrugged, his tone indicating that he needed her help as much as she needed his help.


    "Can''t I just get you killed and raze this place to the ground?" Paimon asked.


    Hiro feigned shock as he responded, "How pitiful, you don''t even know that this building is Lord Asmir''s private property¡­ Sigh, your position in your family is really low, Third Mistress."


    Of course, no one would bother investigating the background of this a place yet, so it was only natural that demons from great families had yet to come knocking on his door.


    Even if they found out, they''d most likely send their heirs to investigate the situation as some sort of a test.


    In any case, Hiro did this to get under Paimon''s skin. Sadly, it didn''t work.


    "Don''t make me look down on your intelligence, playing such little tricks on me will get you nowhere," Paimon didn''t exhibit any weakness whatsoever.


    "Be it this building or the entire stronghold as a whole, what here doesn''t belong to Lord Asmir? Or are you trying to say that my lord is emotionally invested in this little business?"


    Hiro blinked his eyes, feeling speechless for a moment. He couldn''t say yes because at the end of the day, this building was ''gifted'' to him as a reward, and Asmir wouldn''t care about it.


    She only cared for the results and not the process.


    Even if this entire building were to be flattened to the ground, Asmir''s bottom line would be Hiro''s life, and not a cheap tavern.


    "Fine," Hiro clapped reluctantly, seemingly applauding Paimon''s intelligence. "I like talking to smart people the most. I won''t beat around the bush, I truly need an insider in each of the great families under Lord Asmir as soon as possible."


    Hiro thought about following them into the territory of their families and inspecting the place through his interpersonal missions, but that wouldn''t be too good.


    An interpersonal mission is triggered based on the target''s urgent needs, and the desires of demons are endless.


    Even if he read through hundreds of mission descriptions, they''d be useless if he didn''t meet the right person.


    As for meeting with those figures of lofty status in the family, that''d be no different from courting death.


    Hiro didn''t know if they saw him tossing away the minor realm fragment that day, and he wasn''t sure if one or many of them had their own means to preserve their memories of that day.


    They might give Asmir face and keep what they knew to themselves, but they wouldn''t give Hiro face if he were to appear in front of them.


    With that in mind, Hiro crossed out the option of visiting the greater demon families in person.


    The next best option was to gain the support of an insider, preferably someone dissatisfied with their current lot in life.


    Paimon waved her hand and said, "You can wait outside first."


    The young man was stunned. "But my lady¡­"


    "He won''t feel at ease discussing things with me if you don''t leave, am I right?" Paimon first spoke to the young man before asking Hiro.


    Hiro didn''t really mind because he wouldn''t be the one worrying about keeping a secret.


    However, he decided to give this young demoness some face and played along with her.


    He crossed his arms, a playful smile on his lips as he closed his eyes, seemingly at peace with waiting.


    "See?" Paimon clenched her little fists, as though she was suppressing her indignation.


    The young man took three steps forward, making sure that Paimon couldn''t see his expression as he confronted Hiro.


    He spoke through gritted teeth. "I''m trustworthy enough!"


    Hiro ignored him, humming a soft tone while swaying his head lightly.


    Demonic energy crackled around the young man''s fingers, black lines streaking across his skin, as though he was about to make his move.


    Hiro remained motionless, not making a move. In fact, the humming grew a notch louder, as though taunting the young man to act.


    When nothing happened after like ten seconds of waiting, Hiro slowly lazily opened his eyes.


    "Stop flaunting this little bit of demonic energy, are you still a man?" Hiro yawned, covering his mouth with his backhand.


    A vein snapped on the young man''s forehead, the anger boiling, hot enough to cause imperfections in his transformation ability.


    His muscles kept inflating and deflating in alternating cycles, almost ripping his embroidered clothing to shreds.


    When Paimon didn''t say anything, the young man let out a low bellow and condensed his demonic energy into a purplish-black sphere of energy, lunging it toward Hiro''s face.


    Hiro didn''t do anything, but the sphere of energy reflected in his eyes grew smaller and smaller the closer it got.


    By the time it reached his palm, it was the size of a small pearl, silently dissipating into Hiro''s skin.


    Concentrated energy attacks were the least of Hiro''s worries. It might have been a challenge if the demon used demonic arts instead.


    "Smart people really love to test others a little too much," Hiro waved his hand impatiently.


    "Test me? Are you worthy?" Hiro''s tone grew a little cold as he turned his back, moved around the desk, and sat down while waving his hand. "You guys can leave, our transaction is over."


    How many wise and smart people did Hiro encounter while clearing Legend of Babylon and Return of the Demon Ancestor?


    What sorts of plots had he not seen?


    Paimon must have been aware of this guy''s feelings for her since a long time ago, so it was very easy to play on his feelings to make him do her bidding.


    At first, Hiro thought that she was using the pretense of secrecy to create an environment where they could discuss one one-on-one.


    However, it turned out that she was waiting for her right-hand man to make a move and test Hiro''s strength.


    She only needed to sense the fluctuations of Hiro''s demonic energy to roughly guess his level of strength.


    Both Hiro''s sorcerer and demon stats were at the peak of Tier-7 standards at the moment, but he was certain that this level of strength was useless in front of a demon heiress like Paimon.


    He was ready to stealthily synchronize with one of his characters, but he hadn''t expected the demon to use an energy attack, which was pretty much useless against his innate gluttony physique.


    Paimon frowned, mainly because she didn''t understand how Hiro dispelled that attack.


    Was it the effect of some magical treasure or a demonic art? I couldn''t see through it.


    When she touched Hiro earlier, she couldn''t see through his level of strength either.


    However, Paimon didn''t like ambiguities and uncertainties, so she decided to make another attempt, which ultimately failed.


    She sighed, shook her head, and assumed her position as a maid once again.


    This was the signal to leave.


    The young man understood.


    Snorting coldly, he turned his back and left the office, Paimon following behind him.


    When the two of them left, Hiro kneaded his forehead and sank into thoughts.


    This continued on until midnight, the start of a new day.


    [Notice: You''ve earned 5,300 achievement points!]


    Hiro started, looking at the notification that broke his train of thought. Soon, he understood. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    These were the achievement points generated from faith energy. Not the passive faith energy from Seeker''s Legend players and the inhabitants in the pocket dimension, but active contributions from devoted believers.


    Only the first generation of enlightened magical beasts met Hiro in person and had a solid impression of his existence, which could explain the low ratio of points.


    If Hiro desired more points, he needed to become an active part in the lives of those magical beasts.


    "Should I start constructing cathedrals all over the place then? Forget it, let things develop naturally."


    Hiro didn''t wish to turn to brainwashing creatures into sanctimonious fools just to earn that bit of achievement points.


    If that happened, he would really look down on himself. What he needed to consider now were contingency plans for his fallout with Paimon.

 Chapter 83 - 83: Glitch Areas

    The bar closed two hours after midnight, allowing the guests who rented rooms on the second and third floors to sleep.


    After the closure, Hiro dressed himself up in a long black coat and left the Passione Tavern.


    Although he couldn''t perform mass enlightenment yet, as such a huge change would surely garner Asmir''s attention¡ªHiro could easily walk through the districts of the stronghold to enlighten creatures one at a time.


    Even if most demons had their intelligence unlocked naturally, he could upgrade their intelligence to the 2nd or 3rd level of enlightenment.


    As long as they didn''t have the intelligence quotient of toddlers, things were simple.


    As Hiro stepped out from the tavern''s back door and into the dimly lit alley under the twilight sky.


    Toward the east, rays of sunlight penetrated the night sky, accompanied by the chirping of birds and little animals.


    On a whim, Hiro opened a small portal with the help of the system''s concealment and brought Medusa out.


    The silver snake slithered along the ground and climbed up Hiro''s legs, and waist, and settled on his shoulder.


    "Don''t tell me you haven''t learned how to transform yet?" Hiro asked curiously.


    Medusa evolved into a magical beast together with the evolution of the pocket dimension, and she naturally learned how to transform into human form.


    "I don''t like to transform. I can''t coil around Master''s neck like this if I''m in my human form," Medusa answered matter-of-factly as her slender and warm body coiled around Hiro''s neck.


    Before the portal closed, a tri-pupils squirrel squeezed its way out, rolling on the ground.


    The squirrel had golden fur, and each of its pupils had a different color, twinkling like a bright kaleidoscope.


    Hiro was stunned, but he quickly remembered where he last saw this squirrel.


    The squirrel quickly dashed over and climbed to Hiro''s other shoulder, using the fluffy tail to fawn on Hiro by brushing his face.


    "Master, I''ve finally got to meet you again!" The squirrel''s voice was immature, but Hiro could recognize it as the voice of a little boy.


    Of course, the snake and squirrel didn''t speak normally but rather telepathically.


    "Why did you follow me out here? Master didn''t summon you," Medusa was displeased.


    How long had it been since she last saw Hiro? But the moment was ruined by this little guy jumping into the portal after her.


    Hiro also didn''t expect another beast to jump into the portal after Medusa, but he then realized that portals wouldn''t distinguish between different creatures or objects.


    As long as someone managed to enter the portal before it closed, they could easily get to the other side.


    Next time, he should try to find out whether it is safe to open the portal before going ahead and doing it.


    Since the pocket dimension was his territory, Hiro could use the faith energy to mentally view the pocket dimension in his mediation.


    Although the process was taxing and would consume faith energy, prevention is always better than treatment.


    "It''s okay, I don''t mind," Hiro placated Meduda with a pat on the head. Honestly, he was also feeling a little lonely and out of touch in this place.


    He didn''t have friends here, and although it sounded childish and stupid for him to keep himself locked up here when he could do greater things back in the human world, Hiro still pushed through with it.


    He was worried that Berlin might sell him out on one hand, and keen on establishing a foothold for Arabella here on the other hand.


    Medusa reluctantly accepted this new situation, but she nonetheless hissed in displeasure at the squirrel.


    "Do you have a name?" Hiro asked the squeeze and switched topics.


    "He doesn''t," Medusa was quick to reply while rolling her head. "Ever since he learned that you gave me my name, he''s been pestering me and waiting for you to show up to give him a name as well."


    As it turned out, the magical beasts from the four directions would occasionally travel to meet with Meuda, also known as the ''Divine Serpent'' in the pocket dimension, to pay their respects.


    This guy was fearless and innocent, so Medusa wouldn''t mind spoiling him every now and then.


    As things progressed, they eventually got along pretty well and talked about their respective encounters with Hiro.


    That''s when the little squirrel decided that it must also be named by Hiro and not his parents.


    Hiro didn''t give it much thought and named the little guy Hans.


    Hans was very happy to finally get a name for himself, but he suddenly went silent and started to look around frantically.


    "Master, something is wrong!"


    Hiro stopped, a little confused. But then, he quickly realized that something was wrong indeed.


    "I''ve been walking for such a long time but I haven''t gotten to the end of this alley," Hiro stroked his chin in realization.


    "But it doesn''t feel like an illusion or a maze formation to me."


    Hiro turned his gaze to Hans and asked, "What do you think, little guy?"


    Hans was at a loss, scratching his head with his tiny hands. "I don''t know, but I feel like we stopped moving a long time ago."


    Hiro decided to pay more attention to his surroundings as he started to walk forward again.


    This time, it was obvious that something was wrong since Hiro kept walking in place.


    "Huh? Interesting," Hiro stopped and squatted down, touching the ground.


    Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.


    However, the more it was like this the more intriguing things are. Since Hiro couldn''t sense the energy even with his innate physique, it could only mean one thing.


    This was power on the level of laws.


    "Is this some sort of backlash or error in Asmir''s foundation? That is to say, the trap they set was almost successful?" Hiro was deep in thought.


    If the cycle of cause and effect was disturbed, it makes sense for such adverse effects to appear now after Asmir''s large-scale operation the other day.


    Although there was a delay of an entire month, and the discrepancy is on such a minor scale that it could only affect the normal demons, this was still a sign of decline in the foundation.


    Hiro confirmed his assumption by allowing his demonic energy to circulate, exhibiting his current power level.


    As expected, he easily walked out from the ''glitch'' zone unhindered.


    Hiro then used the system to seal his power once again and walked around the ''glitch'' zone, confirming the area''s sphere of influence.


    "How troublesome," Hiro scratched his head and muttered. As long as the demons had a sliver of active demonic energy inside their bodies, they wouldn''t be obstructed by these glitch areas.


    However, being unobstructed by them doesn''t deny their existence.


    Hiro was now torn between informing Asmir of his discoveries or keeping them under wraps¡ªall in preparation to reap some benefits in the ensuing chaos.


    "Forget it, since I''m already an employed intelligence official, I should do my job well and earn some favorable points with Her Highness."


    Hiro chuckled to himself and continued on his way. However, he changed his direction towards the Demon Tower, and he maintained his power level in check.


    This way, he could easily find more glitch areas on the way. With the map of the entire stronghold in his mind, Hiro could keep track of the positions for each glitch area.


    He wondered if the glitch areas were spontaneous, permanent, or under some unexpected influence.


    If someone was influencing them from the dark, it could only mean that Asmir was too careless.


    Controlling cause and effect doesn''t make her the sole hegemon who wields this authority, she is just the top-level administrator.


    However, the stronghold was really too large to explore on foot.


    Looking into the distance where the Demon Tower breached the clouds in the sky, Hiro felt tired just thinking about walking all the way there.


    He decided to leave the matter of finding these glitch areas to Asmir. Hard labor wasn''t his responsibility, he only needed to report his discoveries.


    Using a movement technique from the demonic arts, Hiro arrived at the Demon Tower by high noon.


    The guards almost stopped him from entering, but Hiro had one of the black raven''s tokens with him, so he easily entered the tower. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Once inside, a servant approached him to lead the way toward the upper floors of the tower.


    The servant eyed Hiro curiously because rumors spread that the lord''s new habit of speech was influenced by this little guy.


    Hiro also inspected the servant, his thoughts wandering towards those creatures of myth called Naga.


    The servant was huge.


    The lower half was that of a snake, while the upper half was that of a humanoid demon.


    Hiro then noticed the servant''s eyes move to Medusa and Hans on his shoulders.


    "These are?" The servant was very curious.


    Hiro smiled and didn''t reply. So far, he didn''t know which of these servants and so-called followers of Asmir were traitors.


    When Hiro tried to use the interpersonal missions scan, he discovered that the information displayed was useless.

 Chapter 84 - 84: Reporting In

    Anything related to his mission in the Demon Tower was censored off. Since that was the case, it was better not to get too friendly with others at random.


    Soon, Hiro once again entered Asmir''s throne room. Then, the servant who accompanied Hiro left, leaving him all alone.


    A while later, holy light censored the tall staircase, and Asmir''s voice drifted over from above. "This seat is busy, speak quickly."


    Hiro''s lips twitched, feeling a little awkward being confronted with a style of speech of his own introduction.


    However, he wasn''t going to harp on this matter now.


    Hiro cleared his throat. "Your foundation in the laws of cause and effect is being undermined, did you notice anything?"


    The throne room descended into silence for a while. Then, Hiro felt the space shift, recognizing it as Asmir''s method to isolate them.


    Her voice then drifted over as she asked, "What did you find out?"


    Even as she asked, she was already sweeping the entire stronghold with her senses, trying to find the discrepancies mentioned by Hiro.


    "Can I get a map of the stronghold?" Hiro asked, and a map appeared on the conference table the next instant.


    Hiro walked to the map while explaining his discoveries, "It was just a coincidence because I''m in the habit of keeping my powers sealed, making me no different from an ordinary demon without any activities of demonic energy in my body.


    "The defective areas are very small, barely noticeable under normal circumstances espoused when the patrolling teams are above the standard of ordinary demons.


    "Take this spot for example, there''s a flaw in the operation of the cause and effect laws which would result in an endless loop, unless the volume of energy reaches above a certain threefold."


    Hiro pointed towards the location of the first glitch zone and elaborated on his findings, assumptions, and worst-case scenarios.


    Asmir didn''t say anything, but Hiro was certain that she was carefully investigating the aforementioned glitch area.


    A while later, the space returned to normal and Asmir''s voice sounded, "This seat appreciates your efforts. I''ll send orders to include ordinary demons into the patrol teams, and they will report any discrepancies to you."


    "Eh?" Hiro was a little troubled. However, an order was an order, so he could only compromise and negotiate.


    "I don''t want anyone to contact me directly, as it would impede my progress in my other mission to identify traitors. How about this? Give each team a map, have them mark out the conspicuous positions, and I''ll review the maps at a later date."


    "You''re worried that you''ll get caught in the crossfire? Don''t worry, this seat can guarantee your safety."


    Hiro''s mind spun and he said, "Why don''t you put this responsibility in the hands of someone else? After they''re done with it, they can report to me directly."


    "Alright, then. I can allow you this one request for your efforts. Do you have someone in mind?"


    "Yes, actually I do¡­"


    The image of a certain maid appeared in Hiro''s mind as he smiled. Even if she didn''t wish to help him voluntarily, he would drag her into the murky waters.


    Asmir didn''t mind. At least on the surface, everyone in the stronghold was her subjects and she could order them as she pleased.


    However, the glitch areas were a true danger.


    If her enemies positioned themselves inside those glitch areas during a crucial moment, they could easily evade her attacks and calculations that are being powered by the laws of causality.


    Luckily, she discovered this problem early.


    Hiro soon left the throne room. Asmir didn''t ask about Medusa and Hans, she didn''t even mention their existence the entire time.


    It seemed like she was turning a blind eye to Hiro''s actions as long as they weren''t affecting her directly or indirectly.


    The moment he descended from the highest floor of the Demon Tower, Hiro pulled out his character screen and began to upgrade his {Espionage I} skill.


    He spent 2,800 achievement points to upgrade the skill from {Espionage I} to {Espionage IV}.


    Hiro stood rooted to the spot for a while, digesting the techniques and information that suddenly appeared in his mind.


    These techniques included attentiveness to details, sixth sense enhancement, lie detection, disguise, tracking, etc.


    Since Hiro didn''t have any suspects in mind at the moment, he decided to leave the Demon Tower directly.


    Whoever acted weird and tried to keep an eye on him from the shadows ought to be a suspect. While walking down the various hallways and spiral stairs, Hiro remembered the faces of many servants and followers.


    The list wasn''t long nor short, but he found at least two or three suspects every five floors or so.


    Some of them could be innocent, and they''re probably nothing more than curious about Hiro. However, others among them could be potential spies.


    At the very least, he should expect to be followed by a group of demons on his way back to the Passione Tavern.


    Using movement techniques from demonic arts, another half a day elapsed when Hiro finally made it back to the tavern.


    However, something seemed off about it.


    A stench of blood hung in the air, and it was eerily silent inside.


    "Master, be careful," Medusa hissed, coiling even tighter on Hiro''s neck. Hans was also exhibiting signs of hostility.


    A crowd of demons gathered around the tavern but no one dared to enter.


    Hiro''s brows furrowed deeply, and after taking a deep breath, he pushed through the crowd and entered the bar floor.


    Shards of wood and glass cracked and shattered beneath his boots the moment Hiro stepped inside, but what caught his eye was something else.


    Three young demons dressed fashionably sat in one corner, chatting and laughing while watching the five waitresses.


    The five of them were tied up by the wrists and hung up, streaks of whip lashes all over their bodies.


    Warm, purple blood dripped on the ground as their unconscious bodies swayed unsteadily.


    "Oh, welcome back!" One of the young demons laughed and clapped his hands.


    He asked with a smile, "I heard you sell and buy information, right? Ah, don''t bother with the shabby reception, your little maids were very rude and needed to be taught a lesson."


    Hiro kneaded his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.


    Hiring people to work might prove a little difficult after today''s episode, but the fame of this place could also shoot up depending on how he handled things.


    Hiro silently synchronized with the Daoist character to make use of its powerful physical stats, as he didn''t plan on using any energy whatsoever.


    Even without spells and arts, the physical might of a body cultivator at the peak of Tier-5 was more than enough to handle this group of arrogant heirs.


    After making sure that no sneak attacks would strike him, Hiro began to process the events of the day.


    "Ah," Hiro clapped his hands, putting on the act of someone who just got enlightened to a great fact. "I must have been followed on my way to the Demon Tower, right?"


    Hiro accounted for demons following him from the tower back to the tavern but forgot to account for the other way around.


    The moment these young heirs confirmed his connection to the Demon Tower, they decided to act.


    Those in the know were already aware that the wind in the stronghold was about to change, and it was about time for everyone to pick sides.


    It wasn''t difficult to figure out Asmir''s intentions behind allowing one of her subordinates to start buying and selling information.


    However, those families must be worried about what type of information would Asmir allow this little tavern to sell.


    Over the years, she must be aware of many secrets that couldn''t see the light of day, or at the very least, this information shouldn''t land in the hands of the enemy.


    Hiro confirmed this assumption from the mission briefing hovering above each of the three young masters.


    There were hints that they were tasked with making sure no secrets of their families were to be sold through a third party.


    However, each of the three had a different end goal for their mission, indicating the difference in their ambitions and goals.


    The young master on Hiro''s left nodded with a hint of disappointment in his tone, "Smart, but not too smart. Is this the standard of someone taking on such an important position?"


    Hiro shrugged and asked, "I''m curious, how come you''re acting so lawlessly?"


    This time, it was the man on Hiro''s right side who spoke up, "The law regiment won''t bother with something so trivial, we can pay the compensation money after we''re done here and walk off scott-free."


    The three of them laughed, treating it as spending lavishly for once.


    "But I have to say," the same demon shook his head in ridicule. "You''re really heartless, you didn''t even spare your waitresses a second glance."


    Hiro cracked his neck and knuckles, warming up a little as he said, "If they can''t endure this bit of hardship, they wouldn''t have been hired to begin with, right?"


    S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 85 - 85: The Wilhelm Family

    As expected, the five female demons shook slightly, spitting some blood and smiling bitterly.


    The female demon who would usually take Hiro''s place behind the bar counter was the first to snap back to her senses, speaking in a hoarse yet stable voice.


    "We know how these young masters think, Sire Shopkeeper¡­ So, we decided that we might as well indulge them a little¡­"


    "What?!"


    The young masters were both shocked and angry, feeling humiliated for some reason.


    It''s like when you beat your baby brother and feel happy about bullying him, only to find out later on that your baby brother allowed you to win for fear of accidentally killing you.


    Their expressions turned unsightly, and without their urging, a few of the bodyguards walking around the bar came over.


    Since their masters were unhappy, they had to help them vent. However, they were a little too weak, too slow.


    Hiro stepped out¡ªhis footsteps were light yet powerful, with masterful control over his exerted strength, appearing like a phantom behind the three young masters.


    Instinctively, their demonic energy exploded out.


    Boom!


    The weakest of them was the the peak of Tier-7 standards, and the strongest was around the upper levels of Tier-6 standards.


    The moment Hiro noticed this, his hands moved swiftly to knock the weakest of the three unconscious before his palms clamped down on the shoulders of the strongest.


    Pinned to the chair, the young master felt an agonizing pain as his bones issued creaking noises. It was incredibly painful.


    A pair of black wings almost unfurled from his back, but Hiro''s fingers shattered his shoulder blades and dug into his flesh, the stabbing sensation paralyzing his wings.


    A silent scream and streams of drool left his gaping mouth, rows of razor-sharp teeth exposed to the air.


    "Let go of Young Master Zach!" A demon with the stature of a wolf stepped out from a dark corner, its eyes blazing red with a flickering flame dancing within.


    There was a mark of a crescent moon on the wolf''s forehead, and it was pulsating with a purplish-black glow.


    A bodyguard who had just gotten over his shock screamed in fear and anger, "Unhand him this instant! If not, no one in this stronghold can vouch for your life!"


    Growl!


    The demonic wolf waved his claw, and following a purple flash, that same bodyguard was dismembered into pieces.


    Before his flesh and blood hit the ground, it ignited into black flames, dissipating completely.


    "Useless fool," the demonic wolf growled in irritation, but he quickly surpassed his emotions and looked over once again.


    He didn''t say anything, but his eyes transmitted his thoughts clearly.


    Zach laughed through the pain. "Haha, you''re done this time! You really dare touch an heir to the Wilhelm family! I don''t know if you''re fearless or brainless!"


    Crack!


    "ARGH!" Zach screamed in pain as Hiro squeezed his hands, almost joining Zach''s shoulder blades into one.


    Bones spurred out from his flesh, and deep purple blood splattered out and stained Hiro''s clothes. "Seems like your Wilhelm family doesn''t put Lord Asmir in its eyes anymore, I suppose?"


    The wolf''s eyes narrowed as his killing intent oozed out, but it was confined within the walls of the first floor.


    Zach choked, but he hurried to say, "Are you saying that Lord Asmir will fallout with the Wilhelm family just for you? Are you stupid or something?"


    Zach wouldn''t dare speak what''s in his heart even if someone was to beat him to death.


    Which Great Demon family didn''t wish to progress? Which Great Demon was satisfied with reaching Tier-3 standards and stopping there?


    No one! S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Ambition and greed are inherent traits of demons, no matter how civilized of an act they put up in public.


    The killing intent from the demonic wolf spread out swiftly and faded just as swiftly.


    Hiro acted as though he didn''t sense anything and smiled. "You know in your heart whether I''m valuable or not to Her Majesty Asmir, but I know that you won''t be leaving this place alive if you don''t compensate me handsomely."


    Hiro looked around the broken chairs and stained floors, ruined bar, and wasted beverages.


    He clicked his tongue a few times and moved his gaze to the demonic wolf, waiting for an answer.


    The wolf could see no fear or hesitation in Hiro''s crimson eyes, and he knew that Hiro wasn''t joking.


    "Name your price," the demonic wolf opened his maw and spoke hoarsely.


    Hiro didn''t calculate manually but looked at the storefront panel provided by the system, allowing it to calculate the losses based on the compensation laws in the human world.


    A long list of damaged items appeared on the translucent blue screen, but of course, only Hiro could see it.


    "Taking your actions against my employees as well as your acts of disturbing the peace in my shop, not to mention breaking the rules listed out in black and white, you owe me a debt of 509,700 silver coins¡ªI''ll round it up to 510 gold coins for you because I''m feeling generous."


    The demonic wolf was furious, his gray fur standing erect, a tint of bloody red bleeding into the texture as his fangs and claws extended into the open.


    "Are you looking to die?"


    Hiro''s smiling expression slowly faded. In the demonic wolf''s eyes, Hiro''s figure blurred out for a moment.


    Just as he expected an attack from behind, Hrio''s figure appeared in front.


    "Do you think I''ll sneak attack you? Are you even worthy?" Hiro''s face was this close to the wolf''s, their crimson eyes meeting one another.


    The wolf''s heart skipped a beat, and before it could move, Hiro''s hand swatted down as though smashing a fly.


    Bang!


    His fingers spread and clutched the wolf by his massive head, slamming it into the ground with a forceful impact.


    The wolf''s extended fangs penetrated his own lower jaw, purple blood spilling on the floor. He whined in agony, but his voice was cut midway as he felt the demonic energy in his body growing excited.


    Then, a massive suction force acted on the demonic energy and left his body, rendering him paralyzed and scared.


    He wanted to speak, but Hiro''s grip was too forceful, keeping his maw pinned to the ground with the long fangs as an anchor.


    In moments, the demonic energy inside the demonic wolf''s body was sucked dry, leaving behind a miserable carcass that Hiro pulverized to dust with his physical pressure.


    Zach just got his senses together as the overwhelming pain abated a little, only to witness this scene.


    Forget Zach, everyone else¡ªthe waitresses included, were stunned.


    Hiro dusted his hands off and looked back at Zach who no longer dared to move recklessly.


    "Can you pay me the gold coins now or do you think that I won''t dare to kill?" Hiro''s question scared Zach so much that he almost fainted.


    Every creature longs for life and no one is wholly unafraid of death.


    Even those who claim to be fearless, they''d have their moments of being unwilling to resign themselves to an unworthy death.


    Who would willingly choose death if they could live? Moreover, he only needed to pay in gold and silver to save his life.


    Zach suppressed his pain and decided to play the long game instead. He muttered in his heart that Hiro''s reckoning wasn''t far off and put on an ugly smile.


    "I''ll pay! I''ll compensate you¡­" Zach quickly gestured to one of his guards.


    The guard left and returned with a bag of precious stones in hand, giving it to Hiro with both hands.


    "I don''t have gold on me, but these stones are enough to make up for it!" Zach was quick to explain.


    Hiro didn''t need the explanation because the system would automatically calculate the difference and account for the net profit.


    When the system gave him the green light, Hiro woke the other two demons up and ordered Zach to get them up to speed.


    After hearing Zach''s account and getting persuaded the hard way, they also paid the compensation money.


    Feeling generous, Hiro gave a gold coin to each of the waitresses and sent them home.


    Then, he announced that the tavern would be closed for three days. In those three days, Hiro decided to enlist a security measure through the system shop.


    Also, his Daoist character was finally ready to take the final step in both physical and spirit Qi cultivation, reaching the Tier-4 standards and completing the demo.


    There wasn''t much to be gained from going around the various sects in the game anymore¡ªeven the contribution missions were completed and Hiro had risen from an ordinary disciple to the Vice Sect Master position in every sect.


    With those accomplishments, Hiro felt very fulfilled, even though the game was the idle AFK type.


    His only regret was that he couldn''t bed the first Sect Master he met in the game, because he couldn''t join a sect after leaving it.


    It was such a pity. Every gamer had that one dream of staining a goddess with the mortal soil, and Hiro was no exception.


    Three days later, Hiro spent the 1,500 achievement points he earned from the compensation and an additional 1,500 achievement points from his savings to upgrade the Passione Tavern''s facilities.


    To celebrate the upgrades, he took the final step in Transcendent Taoist, completing the demo.

 Chapter 86 - 86: Contacting Arabella and Juvia

    [Notice: You''ve completed the game: Transcendent Taoist, Legend of Immortality!


    [Reward 1: Transcendent Taoist, Legend of Immortality! Source code


    Reward 2: 10,000 achievement points ]


    ¡­


    Three days after the conflict, Hiro checked the clearance notification and sighed. He didn''t expect to get so many points all at once, especially since he had been harvesting an average of 5,000 daily points from his pocket dimension.


    Now, his points were just a tiny sliver away from 20,000. Although it seemed like a lot of points, Hiro understood deep down that this wasn''t the case.


    Hiro quickly brought up his demon character information.


    [Name: Hiro Sciatis.


    Race: Demon.


    Bloodline: N/A


    Level: 45.


    XP: 21%


    Spells: Sorcerer''s Guide to the Five Elements, Infinite Sword Matrix.


    AP: 29,108.


    Gems: 9.


    Skills: Immersive Reading, Professional Calligraphy, Analytical Mind, Professional Combat, Professional Soccer, Espionage IV, Telepathy.


    Inventory: Lvl. 1 Mass Enlightenment Scroll, Game Voucher (2).] S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡­


    Looking at the mass enlightenment scroll, Hiro recalled something.


    Long ago, he obtained two chapters from an item called the Book of Revelations, and they were the divination chapter and the curse chapter respectively.


    Hiro searched the system space with his consciousness and found the book.


    "Mhm? It''s absorbing faith energy?" Hiro noticed that the once dim and lifeless book was radiating with a holy aura.


    He immediately recognized this aura as the faith energy from his pocket dimension.


    "It has to be faith energy? I can''t use gems or achievement points to use this book?"


    [Notice: The Book of Revelations exists and operates within the laws, and it consumes faith energy or lifespan as a sacrifice to operate.]


    Hiro hesitated.


    Lifespan didn''t need to be mentioned, and he didn''t know the ratio that must be sacrificed.


    As for faith energy, it was the foundation of his territory. In a sense, faith energy could be treated as a special kind of resource, and it wouldn''t be an exaggeration to call it the hard currency of the Gods.


    However, divination was a very useful ability to have, especially when Hiro was out to unravel schemes and plots from his enemies.


    For example, if he paid the sufficient price now, he could easily figure out the identities of the traitors in the Demon Tower.


    Furthermore, he wouldn''t be using the system''s ability to accomplish this feat, but he would be relying on his own capabilities.


    All these thoughts about faith energy and whatnot reminded Hiro that he had yet to check on Arabella and the others through the immaterial domain''s connection.


    After washing up and going downstairs and into his office, Hiro locked the door and sat on the leather, high-back chair.


    He closed his eyes and began to extend his senses. Hiro had to admit that locating the Unfathomable Throne when he wasn''t inside his pocket dimension was harder than expected.


    However difficult it was, Hiro patiently waited while concentrating. A few minutes later, Hiro finally grasped the right feeling, and his consciousness left his body, entering the immaterial domain.


    A high throne stationed above a running river of faith energy, extending like the Milky Way through a vast ocean of stars situated right outside the magnificent hall.


    Into the sea of stars, two constellations stood out conspicuously, outlining the shape of a seductive demoness and a slumbering dragon.


    Hiro focused his sight on the constellation representing Arabella, and as the stars shifted, they formed a hazy screen.


    In the screen, Arabella''s figure took form before her surroundings turned crystal clear.


    The river of faith energy below began to churn and boil, a clear indicator that the energy was being exhausted at an alarming rate.


    Hiro sent out a telepathic thought through the projection of faith energy, his voice sounding in Arabella''s head.


    ¡­


    Sciatis Holdings Limited, Executive Floor.


    Seated with the floor-to-ceiling window as her backdrop, dressed in a high-class purple suit and a pair of silver-rimmed glasses, Arabella was focused on tapping away at one column of information after another.


    Multiple holographic screens shifted, projected from the sci-fi desk that was connected to multiple international servers.


    When Arabella heard Hiro''s voice sounding in her head, her hands shook and she almost missed a key window in the stock exchange, which would have cost the company millions of international currency in investments.


    However, a small emoticon of a cute robot with the words "Ei" displayed on its screen jumped from the corner, keeping up with the operation.


    Meanwhile, Arabella pulled back from the sci-fi dashboard and responded with a telepathic thought, densely packed with a myriad of emotions.


    "Master? You''re finally willing to contact me!"


    "I don''t have much time," Hiro wasn''t willing to burn through his faith energy so extravagantly. "How''s the progress with expansion overseas and the Seeker''s Legend expansion pack?"


    Arabella pushed down her impatience and condensed a load of information into a telepathic thought and sent it to Hiro.


    As a succubus, such mental tricks were her bread and butter, and she didn''t need to expend too much energy for something so simple.


    She didn''t only update Hiro on the company''s affairs, but she also brought up Natali and the nightclub, Myriad Evils, in the compiled list.


    There were also bits and pieces about the daily lives of Bella, Aiya, Rosaline, Marcus, Vanti, and Elvin in her report.


    Worth noting was that a woman called Berlin kept on visiting his mansion on Tsukiyomi Lake''s Third Ring, and Sebastian was finding it difficult to keep her in check.


    It wouldn''t be long before she came knocking on the company''s doors at this rate.


    As for overseas expansion, things went on smoothly with the covert help from the Wind Blessed company and its internal network of connections.


    Sciatis Holdings Limited started to branch out from a tech and gaming-oriented focus to real estate, angel investment, entertainment, fashion, and security.


    It couldn''t be helped.


    With Arabella''s current business acumen, investing all of that intelligence into one business venture would be torturous.


    Thus, she could only branch out to other avenues if she wanted to keep her workaholic tendencies sanity in check.


    As for the Seeker''s Legend, the new patch that includes the division between the Western Side of the Universe and the Eastern Side of the Universe is about to be introduced.


    After Sciatis Holdings Limited established a foothold in the eastern mainstream gaming market and acquired the necessary server providers, they would launch the closed beta.


    Once the foundation is firm enough, both servers in the Western Continent and the Eastern Continent will launch the open beta for the new update.


    Hiro didn''t care about the little details too much, but this long-term plan would take a year at minimum to be executed.


    After giving Arabella some nice compliments and sufficient praise for her hard work, he disconnected from the telepathic connection and switched targets to Juvia.


    ¡­


    At the moment, Juvia was accompanying a team of leaders on a routine inspection.


    This was standard protocol after a promotion, as the leaders of her new workplace were getting to know her and vice versa.


    "You''re so young, yet you''re already the Deputy Chief of the Commission for Discipline Inspection, how promising!"


    A leader who was a woman in her late forties complimented Juvia, a hint of admiration and bitterness in her eyes.


    Juvia smiled humbly and lowered her head, albeit not too much. "You praise me too much, Cheif Zayne¡­ My position sounds glorified, but I''m just the deputy in a small district, nothing worth mentioning."


    Chief Zayne was the big boss in a city-wide region, while Juvia was the deputy in a district-wide region. Even if the difference between their titles seemed to be no more than one level, only an idiot would buy that.


    Even if Juvia was promoted to the position of a chief, she would only jump from a district-wide office to a small town.


    At best, she would become a Mayor''s secretary, and the road from there to getting a position of power and influence on a city scale was an arduous journey.


    Chief Zayne was very satisfied with Juvia''s performance over the past half a year.


    Despite her beautiful and delicate appearance, she didn''t shy away from getting her hands dirty, tough labor, and sleepless nights on the job.


    Also, she was very clever and all her immediate superiors thus far gave recommendations with flying colors.


    Some of her past superiors had nefarious thoughts of impending her development just to keep her as their right-hand woman.


    Even then, Juvia never doubled-crossed her superiors or skipped a chain of command to get her way.


    The more Chief Zayne looked at Juvia, the more she liked her.


    Hiro watched this interaction on the screen and figured that he didn''t need to intervene in Juvia''s matters.


    Even if he wanted to, he didn''t dabble much in politics to begin with. At most, he could only help her by upgrading her political wisdom, but it was too early for that.


    When Juvia wasn''t in the immediate vicinity of any of the leaders, Hiro sent her some praise and a lighthearted sentence carrying his expectations for her in a telepathic thought.


    He told her that he''s always keeping an eye on her and is looking forward to her progress on her path as a public servant, then cut off the connection.

 Chapter 87 - 87: Choosing Sides

    Juvia, who was on her way to the ladies restroom to avoid some bad social interactions, suddenly froze on the spot. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Then, a beautiful smile arced on her thin, pink lips. However, that hint of a smile quickly disappeared as she turned around and returned to the gathering spot.


    After thinking about it, she decided to expand her circle of connections despite the discomfort of dealing with these leaders, as some of which had peculiar temperaments and disgusting personalities.


    ¡­


    Hiro was very satisfied with Arabella''s and Juvia''s performance during his absence.


    Since there was nothing to worry about in the human world, Hiro''s focus returned to his main body as his consciousness withdrew from the immaterial domain.


    With Medusa and Hans keeping him company, life was no longer monotonous in the Demon Realm.


    As his immediate need for achievement points was resolved, Hiro treated his job as the Shopkeeper of the Passione Tavern as a pastime activity.


    After the whole debacle with the heir of the Wilhelm family, Hiro''s tavern caught the eye of many influential figures.


    With more people of high status sauntering in and out of the bar, not only did the sales of the Bloodstained Glass increase, but Hiro also got his hands on valuable snippets of information.


    With his analytical mind, he only needed to write down the information on paper once and he would remember it.


    With slight effort, organizing the inferred information based on their value was easily accomplished.


    During his free time, Hiro would walk around the stronghold one district at a time, occasionally providing enlightenment to stray demonic creatures in the vicinity of key positions around his tavern and the Demon Tower.


    Of course, Hiro didn''t forget returning to Asmir''s private library to read and train, accumulating demonic energy, condensing and purifying it, all to increase his strength.


    Hiro was enjoying the stability of this new life routine, and two weeks later, he was summoned to the throne room by Asmir once again.


    ¡­


    In the familiar throne room, Hiro stood beneath the staircase of light and immersed himself in the familiar sensation of space being isolated.


    "Tell me you''ve made some progress with your task. This seat is getting impatient, my important plans can''t move forward without picking out the traitors in the dark."


    Just like how Hiro didn''t want to use up faith energy on something as trivial as contacting Arabella and Juvia so frequently, Asmir didn''t wish to use up her faith energy on a few nameless flies.


    Since she had capable subordinates, why not use them?


    Hiro also guessed that this was the reason why Asmir called for him. Hence, he pulled out a parchment scroll from his coat''s inner pocket.


    "I''ve been observing the movement from every suspicious party in the last two weeks during my spontaneous visits in and out of the Demon Tower, and this here is a list of the crucial suspects.


    "The list includes material and logical evidence, as well as a list of accomplices, middlemen, and instigators behind the scenes. Some of them were correct, cheated, or fooled into unwittingly becoming traitors."


    Hiro wasn''t wasting his time and his talent as a level 4 espionage agent the last two weeks.


    Moreover, with his divine sense reaching the Tier-4 standards, it was easy for him to keep track of multiple suspects at once when they had left the Demon Tower.


    Of course, Hiro''s guarantor was none other than the system. The moment he found sufficient evidence on someone, the system would immediately evaluate his work and reward him with the corresponding achievement points.


    Following this process, Hiro eliminated the names of those who didn''t earn him any achievement points, but he kept tracking them to find the most suspicious individuals they''d been in contact with.


    All of those suspects were marked as unwitting victims to greater schemes, and they''re most likely sacrificial pawns used to misguide Asmir''s investigation efforts.


    If they could force Asmir to expend faith energy on such trivial matters, they''d consider it a win on their part.


    As Hiro finished talking, the parchment scroll flew up from his hand and into the light on the staircase.


    Hiro continued, "Among the higher chain of command, I can''t investigate much, but I have a hunch that one of the six generals is a traitor. Of course, this matter will be left to Your Majesty''s discretion."


    Asmir took a look at the parchment and was stunned. The scroll was very thick when folded, which indicated how long the list was.


    With the current strength of her consciousness, she easily scanned the entire list in a brief moment, but she was still shocked and infuriated by the large number of traitors.


    Of course, the Demon Tower had hundreds of thousands of lowly demons, not to mention tens of thousands of noble demons walking in and out of the tower on a daily basis.


    The confidants in the middle and upper sections of the tower are bound to have numerous interactions, countless even, and it was easy for some of them to be tempted.


    It was already a miracle that the list included less than 1,000 traitors, but Asmir didn''t seem to think so.


    Especially when 13 of the traitors were demons with positions in the upper levels of the Demon Tower.


    Asmir''s fluctuating emotions seemed to affect the isolated space, as invisible ripples began to shake the surroundings.


    Hiro frowned. "It''s pointless to be angry about such things. Creatures seek survival first and foremost, and the only method to guarantee survival is one''s own strength.


    "This is a world that runs by the fist of the strongest, but you changed this fundamental law when you tried to force the culture of a different civilization on these demons.


    "The weaklings among them would surely appreciate your kindness when they''re weak and need your protection, but this same kindness will become a hindrance to their ambitions when they''re strong enough.


    "In ordinary times, no one would notice these small issues, but it''s different when someone is deliberately fanning the flames of ambition in the heart of greedy, unrestrained, and unreasonable demons."


    Hiro didn''t wish to interfere, but he suddenly became enlightened by the prospect of building a stronghold in the Demon Realm.


    To do that, he needed both territory and citizens from the Demon Realm.


    In the future, he could get his hands on the core of a pocket dimension, infuse the demonic laws in his possession into it, and then create an isolated region of demons in his personal pocket dimension.


    That should be sufficient to upgrade his pocket dimension into a Minor Realm.


    Hiro''s plans didn''t stop at that¡ªhe wanted to use one of his game vouchers to get his hands on laws correlating to the Netherworld, transforming the demonic region into something like a hellish prison.


    Hiro was always fascinated with the lore of the harsh abyss which could serve as both a ground for training elites and a hole to punish the wicked.


    Thinking about it, the more games he completed, the faster the expansion of his pocket dimension.


    The only issue was that the tutorial missions were already over, hence he couldn''t get his hands on game vouchers anymore.


    He only had two of them left in his inventory.


    In the future, he could only rely on his luck to obtain discount vouchers from the lottery box and grind gems from interpersonal missions.


    Since completing demo games will reward him with law fragments suitable for a dimension''s core, would completing purchased games reward him with minor realm fragments?


    It was something worth pondering. However, the difficulty of clearing Draconia was much greater than Hiro expected.


    Since the lore was antagonistic to mythical races, Hiro couldn''t use his racial abilities on a whim during quests, as that would constitute immediate failure.


    Hiro''s character in the game had the bloodline of a Void Dragon from the Magical Dragons branch.


    Though it was of a similar branch to Juvia, her specialty was time magic while his specialty was space magic.


    Another thing that made the game''s difficulty so high was the seal on Hiro''s bloodline.


    It was a seal that would loosen gradually as Hiro''s strength increased and his ability to conceal himself improved, which had the adverse effect of limiting his talent and potential on the surface during the early stages of the game.


    This way, the powerful organizations and guilds ignored him, scorned him, and at worst times¡ªoutright bullied him.


    It was too difficult to find friendly NPCs, build up a reputation, and find resources to both negate the seal''s suppression and increase his strength.


    Hiro''s thoughts continued to wander aimlessly until he heard a light cough that buzzed in his head.


    He immediately snapped back to the present, realizing that he was spacing out again.


    "You''re saying that the ensuing rebellion is this seat''s fault?" Asmir''s voice drifted over, clearly displeased.


    Hiro didn''t know how to respond, as that was indeed what he meant to say. However, he planned to make friends with Asmir, so he couldn''t be too blunt about it.


    "You thought too much, Your Majesty," Hiro clarified.


    "Creatures strive for survival, the weak strive for strength, and civilizations strive for progress. It''s just that Your Majesty''s vision is too far for these short-sighted demons to realize your wisdom. The moment you decided on this path, it was destined to be a path of difficulty, blood, and slaughter!


    "Your Majesty, those demons might not share your vision, but I do!"

 Chapter 88 - 88: Understanding Universal Spells

    "Your Majesty, those demons might not share your vision, but I do!" Hiro''s voice was firm and resounding, resonating with the emotions in Asmir''s heart.


    However, she wasn''t the type of person to let emotions control their actions.


    As Hiro said, she had a far-sighted vision, but that didn''t mean others on her level had short-sighted visions.


    Asmir''s opponents weren''t her disloyal subjects but instead, her opponents were the other lords.


    The Giant was just one of their lackeys, but he was already a Stronghold Lord, even if he was just a foolish muscle head.


    Nonetheless, she was intelligent enough to understand how her actions had affected the lives of those under her.


    "It''s impossible to please everyone," Asmir spoke concisely. "A rebellion was coming sooner or later, regardless of how this seat does things."


    Hiro silently mused that goading someone of this level with flattery was a waste of time, and his expression turned serious.


    "Your Majesty, since my mission to identify the disloyal subjects is finished, why don''t I infiltrate the enemy''s stronghold to gather intelligence and indulge in sabotage warfare?"


    Hiro thought that this would be a great idea, as he could establish a foundation for himself in the enemy territory for the inevitable hostile takeover.


    "You have your own thoughts regarding this matter, right?" Asmir saw through Hiro''s thoughts at a glance. "Maybe it is the will of the person behind you?"


    Hiro coughed, feeling exposed. However, he didn''t lose his calm and said, "This is indeed related to my mission here. Your Majesty, you can also join my organization, I''m sure you can fit right in!"


    At the moment, the Unfathomables didn''t have many members ¡ª at least not many quality members.


    Hiro was waiting for when Juvia and Arabella achieved Tier-5 or Tier-4 standards, which shouldn''t take long thanks to their special circumstances.


    As for Rosaline, that woman was useless unless she grasped full control over the Rosch family. Thinking about it, they shouldn''t be having it easy at the moment.


    This brought his thoughts back to Bella, that bubbly pink-haired brat. Hopefully, Theo wouldn''t endanger her and her mother, Sheba.


    Sigh, so many things must be happening back there, I didn''t even realize that I''m already feeling somewhat attached to these people.


    "Is this an invitation from your backer?" Asmir asked curiously. "If they wish to speak to this seat, they should do so directly."


    I''m talking with you right now, Hiro mused in his heart, but cut the conversation short otherwise.


    System! Hiro suddenly got an idea and asked impatiently. Since the simulation space can be upgraded into a training space, does that mean other features can also be upgraded? For example, the synchronization feature?


    [Notice: Yes, it can be upgraded when the conditions are met.]


    Hiro hurriedly asked in his mind, what are the conditions, and what will happen then?


    [Notice: You''ve already started clearing the conditions, and you''ll find out when you''re done.]


    Hiro clicked his tongue. At the moment, he was doing far too many things concurrently, especially since the activities of his servants were calculated as an extension of his abilities.


    When Hiro''s train of thought reached this point, he was stunned for a moment.


    Hold on, Hiro quickly checked his achievement points balance after so many days of accumulation.


    With the daily injection of faith energy, achievement points were no longer an urgent worry, allowing Hiro to focus on bigger plans.


    107,900¡­


    Seeing that he had over one hundred thousand achievement points, Hiro''s mind spun as his eyes inadvertently looked toward the staircase of light.


    Thinking for a moment, he activated his interpersonal missions interface.


    As expected, a mission indicator appeared in the seat of light.


    [Target: Nine-Tailed Fox, Asmir


    Mission Difficulty: ???


    Mission Briefing: ???]


    ¡­


    [Notice: You''re not qualified to take missions on the level of this target.]


    ¡­


    Hiro clicked his tongue, but he wasn''t disappointed.


    The system would measure the difficulty of missions without accounting for his cheat codes, so it wouldn''t allow missions that couldn''t be completed with the main body''s efforts.


    While Hiro was lost in thought, the space shook a little and the light disappeared, revealing an empty staircase.


    Then, Asmir''s voice drifted over, resounding from all corners.


    "This is a list of Stronghold Lords who are in hostile relationships with me, and you can choose where you wish to go after you thought it through."


    Ah, Hiro blinked his eyes and smacked his lips in annoyance. I was zoning out again, wasn''t I? This is such a bad habit!


    A parchment scroll fell in front of Hiro, and he grabbed it. Then, he opened the system shop and went for the servants section.


    He keyed in the filters for the Nine-Tailed Fox bloodline in the demon race section.


    I don''t believe she won''t be interested if I could find a suitable heir for her, Hiro thought to himself as he checked the prices.


    Hiro didn''t explore the full options back then because he was short on points, but he quickly found many interesting things.


    He could filter out the bloodline purity and inheritance of specific servants, and the greater the servant''s potential, the higher their price.


    Arabella''s potential was low, but it was increased thanks to the purified demonic energy obtained by Hiro.


    As for Juvia, her potential was enhanced thanks to the influence of the Fantasy Crystal.


    If not for these two incidents, these two women''s ceilings would have been the peak of Tier-5 standards at best.


    Hiro quickly filtered out a juvenile Nine-Tailed Fox with the bloodline potential of a Greater Demon.


    "So damn expensive?" Hiro was stunned.


    This servant would cost 80,000 achievement points, but it would still start as a Tier-9 demon.


    To Hiro, this felt like a rip-off. However, he understood that the system was very fair when it came to prices. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If he wanted to impart her a level 6 skill, Hiro would need to invest 12,600 points on top of the earlier 80,000.


    The thing is, Hiro couldn''t guarantee that Asmir would take in this summoned servant as her successor even if he brought her up.


    As a cautious ruler, just the mere fact that she wouldn''t be able to see the servant''s past would most likely throw her off.


    Thinking about it, unless Hiro brought up the topic in a straightforward manner, he had zero chance of getting Asmir to trust the summoned servant.


    Forget it, Hiro shook his head. I can''t rely on servants and mindless followers to fill up the ranks of my generals, I''ll try to conquer Asmir completely with my abilities.


    Hiro made up his mind, cast a deep look into the depths of the Demon Tower, and left without a word.


    ¡­


    Once Hiro returned to the secure office room in the tavern, he closed his eyes and entered the system space.


    A familiar yet unfamiliar rush of colors surrounded Hiro''s consciousness before he appeared in the vast hall once again.


    "It''s been such a long time since I appeared here," Hiro stretched his illusory body and looked around.


    Nothing changed.


    If not for Hiro''s sudden urge to have a change of scenery, he might not have entered this space.


    "Since I''m rich, I want to see what spells I can get my hands on," Hiro remembered that the system had universal spells, such as the Infinite Sword Matrix.


    After experiencing the synchronization with so many characters, Hiro understood that power fell into three basic dimensions.


    These dimensions were raw strength-oriented, energy-oriented, and consciousness-oriented applications.


    Put simply, they were an expression of essence, energy, and spirit.


    There was no concrete difference between spirit Qi, spirituality, demonic energy, nature energy, elemental energy, etc.


    Just as there was no concrete difference between psychic energy, consciousness, mental power, soul power, etc.


    As for physical attributes traits, an explanation wasn''t even needed.


    Otherwise, the concept of universal spells wouldn''t exist in the system shop.


    Why? Because at their foundation, all spells, skills, abilities, and magical arts represented an exquisite pattern of expressing energy.


    If Hiro wanted to put it in layman''s terms, a surface area could be measured with square miles or square kilometers¡ªthe different units are varying methods of expressing distance, but the distance remains constant.


    Another factor confirming Hiro''s conclusion was the existence of divine energy.


    Any of the aforementioned energies, once fused with faith energy, evolves into the universal form of divine energy.


    It doesn''t matter if it was a Demon Lord or a Pope from the most holy of churches, both can use divine energy.


    Once Hiro grasped this point, he no longer cared for the exclusive spells and abilities he learned in games and were brought about by the synchronization feature, but he would rather focus on universal spells.


    In principle, any and all spells Hiro learned in his capacity as either a Sorcerer or a Demon can be modified to the extent of achieving universal application.


    However, he was too lazy to make the necessary deductions.


    Since that was the case, he might as well buy universal spells directly from the system shop.


    With that in mind, Hiro opened the spells category and opened the {Universal Spells} menu.


    Looking at the array of spells and their price tags, Hiro sucked in a cold breath of air.

 Chapter 89 - 89: The Valdmor Stronghold

    Inside the system space.


    Hiro quickly recovered from the shock. Looking at the prices, Hiro filtered out perception-based spells first, both passive and active abilities.


    The spells were ranked SS, S, A, B, and C. There wasn''t a specific tier to the spells as the power exhibited by each spell was proportional to the user''s tier.


    However, even in the same tier, there exists the powerful and the weak. For example, the Infinite Sword Matrix was an S-ranked universal spell.


    In the perception category of universal spells, Hiro quickly found the equivalent of {Divine Sense} and bought it.


    [Item: Divine Perception.


    Rank: S.


    Compatibility: Universal.


    Price: 40,000 points.]


    ¡­


    With the {Divine Perception} as an example, Hiro browsed the other items in the shop.


    The pricing of items had an increment of 10,000 points per rank, but the base price of each item was different.


    For example, a sword technique could have variations in the C, B, A, and S categories, but an exclusive S-ranked technique would usually cost more points.


    Hiro assumed that some spells and arts in the shop had the potential of evolving in the future, while other items could not be simplified any further.


    Hiro bought a mix of sword techniques ranging from C-rank to A-rank and another technique that taught him how to condense energy into various weapons.


    At the end of the day, Hiro almost spent his entire savings of achievement points on universal spells, martial arts, and exquisite techniques.


    After spending the night in the system space to get himself familiarized with his new techniques and spells, Hiro woke up feeling refreshed.


    ¡­


    Business in the Passione Tavern continued as usual, while Hiro grew bolder and started to enter his training space without worrying about Asmir''s negative reactions.


    As expected, even if she noticed his actions, Asmir didn''t say or do anything.


    A few days quickly went by, during which, Hiro also studied the information on the enemy strongholds provided by Asmir.


    His target was a stronghold under the rule of Lord Valdmor, a mutated Demonic Imp.


    He was most skilled with the practice of illusions, and the most dangerous aspect of his stronghold was the existence of mirror worlds.


    Some of the reflections on any surface inside the stronghold weren''t a cause of natural phenomena but an illusion. These illusions could easily draw someone''s mind, stealing their soul and trapping it within Valdmor''s mirror world.


    In that world, souls would undergo subtle hypnosis, slowly forgetting that they were trapped within an illusion, treating it as though it was reality.


    Then, influenced by the environment, worship from their bones to Lord Valdmor takes root, allowing him to maintain his strong foundation without worries.


    The demons below him can complain and riot all they want, but since his foundation was in the mirror world where countless souls were trapped over the years, it''s pointless even if they were to riot and rebel.


    Hiro didn''t know what opportunities this Demonic Imp grasped to mutate his bloodline and rise to power, but it didn''t matter much.


    His {Divine Perception} was an S-rank ability and could see through illusions, as long as the entrapment power wasn''t too great.


    While walking toward the Demon Tower to relay his decision to Asmir, Hiro checked out his current stats.


    [Name: Hiro Sciatis.


    Race: Demon.


    Bloodline: N/A


    Level: 48.


    XP: 77%


    Universal Spells: Infinite Sword Matrix, Divine Perception, Guide to Mortal Combat, Martial Instinct¡­


    AP: 14,830.


    Gems: 9.


    Skills: Immersive Reading, Professional Calligraphy, Analytical Mind, Professional Combat, Professional Soccer, Espionage IV, Telepathy.


    Inventory: Lvl. 1 Mass Enlightenment Scroll, Game Voucher (2).]


    ¡­


    As Hiro approached the Demon Tower, a beast carriage moved past him, only to screech to a halt a moment later.


    Then, a maid walked down from the carriage and bowed toward Hiro. "Sire, my Third Young Master wishes to speak with you, please follow me into the carriage."


    Hiro looked up and smiled faintly. It was no other than Paimon, the heiress acting out the role of a maid.


    After thinking for a moment, Hiro shrugged and climbed into the carriage, followed by Paimon.


    The moment the curtains closed, Hiro sensed the activation of a barrier mechanism, and the sound from the outside was immediately isolated.


    "You''ve offended the Wilhelm family," Paimon said, though her tone was quite nonchalant as she continued, "Despite that, Lord Asmir refuses to give you up. I can infer that you hold a special status¡­"


    Paimon didn''t continue talking because she knew that Hiro could understand her point.


    Recently, Lord Asmir handed down a mission that pointed at her substitute, directly naming him for the task.


    How did someone on their level catch Lord Asmir''s eye? Although Paimon was confused, she still carried on with the task.


    However, as time passed, she started to pick up on some clues. Although it was a pain to bring ordinary demons around to stroll around aimlessly, Paimon was very smart.


    When she noticed how the ordinary people were being trapped by an invisible power one after another, and how this was a mission issued directly by Lord Asmir, she guessed the implications.


    The idea alone frightened her so much, that she didn''t dare speak rashly. Connecting her conversations with Hiro the other day, she smelled something fishy going on.


    However, she couldn''t swallow her pride and visit Hiro''s tavern, because that would mean her admitting her mistake and apologizing.


    It could be said that she was on her way to report her recent findings, but she didn''t expect to bump into Hiro.


    She wanted to ask so many questions, but she didn''t know what to say.


    As for Hiro, he took advantage of this moment to accept the interpersonal mission with Paimon as the target.


    "What?" Hiro crossed his legs and smiled, responding calmly. "Can''t you treasure an opportunity when you grasp it? I pulled you from a clown role in the circus, and now you''re just a bystander who will enjoy the show."


    Paimon understood Hiro''s meaning.


    Since Lord Asmir was already aware of the plan to undermine her laws, the fight was over before it started.


    The Great Demon families inside the stronghold and the enemies outside the stronghold can plan and play tricks slowly, thinking everything is going on smoothly.


    However, they''re oblivious to the fact that they''ve already been exposed, it''s just that the person they''re up against wants to watch some more.


    The Nine-Tailed Fox is a capricious, playful creature. When there''s fun to be had, they wouldn''t refuse it. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Paimon took a deep breath, relaxed her tense nerves, and asked, "When does it start?"


    Hiro shrugged and answered, "Who knows? Let the clowns prance around as much as they want, I won''t be here to witness it anyway."


    Paimon furrowed her brows. Hiro could tell that she was worried about her family, but he shook his head.


    "You''re smarter than this, large families like yours won''t put all the eggs in one basket, who''s to say that you weren''t pushed to the side as a backup plan?"


    Why would Kings and Emperors sire more heirs even after the birth of the Crown Prince?


    It''s such a simple principle.


    As for Paimon, she and her mother were trying hard to climb the books of the family head''s favor all this time, and they were so focused on the prestige, fame, and benefits of a large family to the point where they overlooked the possibility of it all going away in a fortnight.


    From Hiro''s perspective, once the great families suffered heavy losses in the upcoming rebellion, Asmir would only spare the branch families and the middle-tier powerhouses.


    After all, she couldn''t exterminate these demons once and for all, the stronghold needed them.


    Luckily, Paimon wasn''t beyond saving and quickly got her act together.


    Regardless, Paimon couldn''t find it in her to thank Hiro even after realizing that he had actually helped her out.


    She was still suspicious, thinking that he had some ulterior motives behind helping her.


    In a sense, she was right, but she could never guess his true motives. The carriage continued on, and soon, they arrived at the Demon Tower.


    Hiro bade farewell to Paimon and proceeded to follow his usual path to the upper levels.


    While moving through, Hiro noticed that plenty of old faces were removed from posts or transferred elsewhere.


    Hiro raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself that he might have assumed wrongly.


    It seemed like Asmir was planning to take the initiative this time around.


    Whatever, Hiro touched his chin and began to contemplate his next course of action. This move from Asmir would definitely have a ripple effect on her enemies, the Valdmor Stronghold included.


    In that case, he needed to act quickly.


    After rushing to the upper levels of the Demon Tower and informing Asmir of his decision, Hiro quickly left on a flying mount.


    On the highest level of the Demon Tower, a figure surrounded by light stared into the distance.


    "If you can really take down that stronghold on your own, this seat might consider your offer seriously," Asmir said, her tone devoid of emotion.


    "This realm''s lifespan is approaching its end anyway, and as you''ve said, beings on our level can''t keep all eggs in one basket."

 Chapter 90 - 90: Hiro’s Flawd Mindset

    Hiro didn''t take the flying demon to the Valdmor Stronghold, but he abandoned it after crossing a certain distance.


    He was unsure if they had any aerial surveillance around the stronghold, so he would rather synchronize with his Arcana Lord character and constantly teleport over.


    Taking his experience with Asmir as an example, Hiro didn''t sneak into the stronghold this time around.


    Instead, he landed in the barren valley that wasn''t too far or too close from the stronghold.


    Then, he bought new cosmetics to change his appearance, even if by a little. As he wasn''t sure about the activities of traitors in the Demon Tower, he made slight yet obvious adjustments.


    He removed the crimson horns and exchanged them for a pair of black wings, fluffy and full. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    His hair color was also changed to black, the same with his eyes. Like this, even if information about his appearance were to spread back, no one would know of his infiltration.


    Another layer of safety was that Hiro didn''t plan to move into the stronghold directly.


    Instead, he decided to spend a few days hunting around the stronghold, hoping to encounter the demons who were on hunting duty outside the stronghold.


    With that in mind, Hiro stopped concealing his aura, allowing it to radiate like a clear sun in the sky.


    His current standards were just a few points shy of reaching the peak of Tier-6, and he decided to take the opportunity presented to him and level up a few times.


    Summoning his great sword, Hiro walked through the vast and dry canyon.


    Hills that piled up from seemingly demolished mountains, a charred landscape, and a visible purplish-black miasma entered Hiro''s vision.


    He wondered how vast the Demon Realm was since it was one level higher than a minor realm, but Hiro then realized that he didn''t even know how vast a minor realm was supposed to be.


    He didn''t know whether the human world could be considered a pocket dimension, a minor realm, or a great realm like this one.


    He only knew that while the Demon Realm could easily accommodate an existence on the level of Tier-3 standards, as long as a Tier-2 being didn''t actively attack, the realm would also permit it.


    Thus, they could easily exist within the same space as their followers, believers, worshippers, or whatever one called them.


    The Pantheon of the Gods from the Holy Church was different. Once they achieve Tier-4 standards, they can no longer exist within the same space anymore.


    The backlash from the world would immediately target them. However, the human world was similar to his pocket dimension in the aspect of growth.


    According to current resources, the planet was ever evolving towards the direction of a minor realm.


    Maybe I should take some time off from my grinding in Draconia to ask around for information. If I found out the criteria for advancement for Tier-4, Tier-3, and Tier-2 from the game, I could better understand the overall picture.


    Information asymmetry was a scary thing, and Hiro understood this point very well.


    A living example would be Asmir''s knowledge of the ''hidden'' trap being laid out inside her territory, but her enemies remained clueless about it.


    Thus, their perspective remains limited to the stronghold, while Asmirm''s perspective has already elevated to encompass three or four other strongholds, their respective lords, and more.


    How will the others compare?


    As Hiro was walking aimlessly through the canyon, the sound of something tearing through the air whooshed past his face.


    "Eh?" Hiro was a little surprised, quickly activating his divine perception ability.


    Hiro''s consciousness was much stronger than those on his level after experiencing so many years in the simulation space.


    As his perception spread out, the load of information his mind proceeded at every moment was incredibly vast. Thus, he easily calculated the trajectory of the object, its speed, acceleration, and starting point of launch.


    With that data in mind, he quickly located a hidden cavity in the ground where shoots of purple bamboo sprouted out, among them were a few snapped ones.


    At first glance, no one would suspect anything, but Hiro trusted his judgment very much.


    Thus, he started walking in that direction while raising his great sword high. The aura around Hiro''s body congealed towards the sword''s massive edge.


    Thin red veins inscribed on the sword pulsated, and the pressure increased greatly.


    Hiro''s grip tightened, and without wasting his time bluffing or probing, he swung the sword down with great force.


    The heavy sword slashed down, bringing down the pressure of a fallen meteor, blasting the miasma in the surroundings away.


    As the sword descended, one of the bamboo shoots finally moved. It fell to the ground with a soft ''plop'' while a shadow rushed out from underground.


    Boom!


    Shreds of stone, dust, and plants exploded out from the impact, but Hiro''s eye caught on the pressure of a creature that looked like a mix between a snake and a lizard.


    It had a long, sleek body. It also had three rows of small wings on its back, hard scales, and a pair of intelligent yet viscous eyes.


    Using a slanted rock surface as a springboard, the creature bounced back toward Hiro with greater speed and force.


    The momentum from Hiro''s attack had yet to dissipate, and the demon caught this window of opportunity and aimed to bite off a chunk of Hiro''s flesh.


    However, Hiro wasn''t so inflexible as to wholly rely on a weapon. He didn''t even lift his sword off the ground. Instead, he released his grip, a sphere of demonic energy concentrating in his right palm.


    As he clenched his fist, the sphere morphed into a short sword of concentrated energy.


    The flying snake demon sensed a great threat as its senses screamed DEATH! Six wings unfurled at once, making use of the sudden air resistance to slow down its movements.


    With a whoosh, Hiro''s short sword swung over in a beautiful arc, leaving a thin stream of blood on the snake''s triangular head.


    One moment too late and its skull would have been split in half. The snake''s momentum didn''t stop, but it made clever use of aerodynamics to circumvent Hiro''s body, shooting off into the purplish-black miasma.


    A loud hissing sound filled with anger, humiliation, and unwillingness resounded.


    It was too fast, and Hiro couldn''t catch up just because he wanted to. Hiro was about to synchronize with a character out of impulse when he suddenly stopped himself.


    He can''t rely on external strength to handle each and every situation where his true capabilities prove inefficient.


    Hiro sat down on the shattered ground and leaned his back against the broad blade of his great sword, frowning deeply.


    The system offered him great power, which made him very complacent because he knew that there was a fallback option no matter what he did.


    However, at the roots of everything, the system wasn''t his. The same mysterious existence that gave him the system could take it back just as easily.


    Since that was the case, is it alright for him to feel so relaxed?


    "System, are you permanently bound to me?" Hiro decided to ask directly.


    [Notice: No. Your life experience will be compiled and used as a reference point for the next host.]


    Hiro''s eyes twitched as he continued asking, "Do you mean that the 10,000 lifetimes of experience I witnessed on my first day were compiled from previous hosts?"


    [Notice: Correct.]


    Hiro took in a deep breath because if he remembered correctly, all of those experiences ended with a tragic death.


    [Notice: The system isn''t permanently bound to you, but the items earned through your efforts are yours. For example, the quantum watch.]


    "You mean to say that while the convenient features such as treasure-scanning, interpersonal missions, training space, and the simulation space are an extension of the system''s authority, this doesn''t extend to material possessions?"


    [Notice: Correct. As such, the system heavily advises the host to stop worrying about cost-effective measures. Host, remember your first high-priority mission.]


    Hiro recalled how he went about his first high-priority mission, and the one thing worthy of note was his reckless spending of points to buy potions back then.


    The system rated his actions as risky investments and great returns, rewarding his foresight for foregoing immediate benefits.


    Thinking about it, the system would always push him in the direction of foregoing immediate benefits and focusing on long-term development plans.


    After thinking about it, Hiro realized that his current mindset was very dangerous.


    He even dared to tease and play a Great Demon like Asmir, feeling invincible from his position as the carrier of a cheat like the system.


    The more he thought about it, the colder he felt.


    What was he thinking?


    Hiro felt conflicted.


    Now, he was torn between investing his time in completing Draconia or using that time in the training space to max out his current Sorcerer stats.


    If he focused on condensing his spirituality instead of clearing the game, he could easily reach Tier-4 standards with his true body.


    However, he could use the same amount of time to complete the game and reach Tier-2 standards with his Void Dragon character.


    Furthermore, the rewards from completing a purchased game for the first time are ought to be very generous.


    Having the foresight to forego immediate benefits was indeed a virtue, but these benefits were too tempting¡­

 Chapter 91 - 91: Watching Live Drama

    Hiro thought about the issue for half a day and eventually, he couldn''t come to a conclusion.


    To get his mind off the recent troubles, Hiro got up from the cracked ground and decided to roam the Decay Canyon, killing monsters and absorbing their demonic energy.


    However, since Hiro couldn''t upgrade his ''bloodline'' as a demon, he decided to increase the quality of the demonic energy he absorbed instead.


    It was easy to apply by using his gluttony physique, sensing the demonic energy, and extracting pure demonic essence from the demonic energy for his training.


    The downside was that his progress in leveling up slowed down considerably.


    However, after thinking back to the choices between short-term and long-term returns, Hiro still decided to seek for long-term improvements when it came to his personal strength.


    At the very least, he still had the system to fall back on at the moment. If and when he no longer had the system, his current foundation would be sufficient to prop him up.


    With that in mind, Hiro went off on a killing spree in the canyon, clearing large batches of demons in the area regardless of their level.


    To Hiro, the only difference between demons is their bloodline''s capacity to purify and contain pure demonic essence.


    Thus, demons of low bloodline, regardless of their tier or level, carried the same volume of demonic essence.


    There wasn''t strong or weak in Hiro''s eyes, at least not in this canyon.


    The killing spree went on for an entire day and night, and when Hiro discovered no traces of demon activities within his range of perception, he finally stopped.


    He didn''t bother bringing up the system panel to check his status because he could feel the changes in his body.


    He could tell that he was a far way from getting to the next tier, so the minor increments in strength were useless.


    At the very least, Hiro was still in the process of recycling his reserves of the demonic energy that he haphazardly refined during his stay in the Demon Realm.


    His current goal was to recycle all of it into demonic essence, and only then would he look forward to more improvements.


    As for infiltrating the Valdmor Stronghold?


    That can wait until Asmir plays her cards and was engaged in the battle with her enemies.


    None of the close strongholds would be spared if Asmir decided to go out on an expansion expedition.


    Hiro looked around the canyon, and in his mind, he thought back to the incomplete map of this realm.


    He wondered if the strongholds were positioned in strategic locations after their strength and influence had reached a certain level.


    If not, it wouldn''t make sense that no matter how desperate the situation was, the location of some prominent strongholds remained the same despite the passage of time.


    The owners changed, but the strongholds remained the same, like ancient relics that wouldn''t budge no matter the era.


    "Since I have nothing better to do, why don''t I check on the activities of my servants?" Hiro felt tempted.


    He discovered that by interacting with his servants, even if briefly, their faith energy output had increased. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It felt like playing with the stock market.


    Spending a bit of faith energy, presenting them with a feeling of awe, and then harvesting greater reverence in the form of faith energy.


    Sadly, the telepathy skill only worked on those with a contracted relationship with him, else he could have played the role of a deity to a few other people.


    He wouldn''t dare use faith energy for long-range communication, as he felt like it wasn''t worth it.


    After making up his mind, Hiro found a secluded spot in the canyon, concealed his presence with the system''s help, and thought for a moment.


    I should get myself a concealment ability from the system as well. This is so convenient, it''d be a pity if I lost it for no good reason.


    Pushing that decision to the back of his mind, Hiro closed his eyes and started to feel out for the presence of his immaterial domain.


    With the last time as an experience, Hiro quickly got his consciousness onto the Unfathomable Throne, in the universe hall.


    Then, his attention moved to the constellations in the sky outside the hall, this time focusing on Juvia''s constellation first.


    Soon, the constellation rippled and displayed a scene.


    ¡­


    Dressed in a conservative female suit, Juvia sat behind a wooden desk in a small office.


    Her silver hair was in braided style, hanging loose behind her back. She was going through legal papers at the moment, passing on some of her signatures while writing down the word "Rejected" at other times.


    Occasionally, she would take a few moments of her time to write down a detailed analysis of why the proposal was rejected, and she would then add small hints for improvement.


    Suddenly, someone knocked on the door three times at a pace that was neither hurried nor relaxed.


    Juvia waited for exactly 30 seconds before she slowly said, "Come in."


    During that half a minute of time, she arranged the documents on her desk and placed them upside down, preventing whoever it was that came to visit from taking a look, even if it was unintentional.


    Soon, a fat man walked in, his expression a little nervous judging from his twitching cheeks and sweating forehead.


    "Cheif Juvia, I''m sorry to disturb you at such a late hour," the fat man said, but he didn''t dare to take a seat.


    Logically, the man should address her as Deputy Chief, and he shouldn''t be using her first name in the address.


    However, in the political arena, calling a deputy chief as chief would hint at a person''s goodwill, while Juvia didn''t like to use the random last name provided by the fake documents.


    For one, she was a proud dragon and wouldn''t go around with a human surname to declare her identity.


    As for the other reason, Hiro never bothered with her surname, so she assumed he didn''t like it and thus, she didn''t like it either.


    Of course, some of the leaders and higher-ups don''t care about her feelings, while some of her enemies would deliberately say things that could get under her skin just to get a reaction.


    With that in mind, Juvia understood that this man might have visited her for a favor.


    As for saying that he visited her at a late hour, it was because office hours were about to be over.


    However, only naive people with low EQ would take something like office hours seriously in the public service sector.


    To government officials and public servants, things like work hours and the usual 8 hours 6 days a week routine was just a formality on paper.


    Even when they''re home, government officials are still working.


    However, Juvia understood that this man was simply expressing his apology in advance, hinting that he had something serious going on.


    Juvia stood up with a gentle, welcoming smile on her beautiful face and gestured with her hand, "Please take a seat first, catch your breath."


    After she spoke, she walked to the water dispenser in the corner and prepared a paper cup of cold water.


    The fat man was seemingly surprised by the respectful reception, and for a moment, he didn''t know how to act.


    "Relax," Juvia brought the two paper cups back to the desk and sat down first. "It''s hot outside, and I can tell that you''re feeling uncomfortable. Don''t stand on ceremony with me, comrade."


    Only after Juvia sat down did the fat man approach the desk, pull a chair over, and take a seat.


    However, he sat with his bottom on the edge of the chair, grabbed the water cup with both hands, and expressed his thanks before taking a tentative sip of water.


    Seeing how causal and relaxed Juvia was, the fat man finally relaxed his nerves.


    His eyes unintentionally wandered around, and when the corner of his eyes noticed the papers on the desk, he immediately retracted his sight.


    Thankfully, he didn''t see anything.


    "Chief Juvia, you must seek justice for me this time," the fat man''s expression was incredibly anxious, and his eyes were red.


    "What happened?" Juvia asked calmly, maintaining her gentle expression.


    "My business is a small construction company, and we won the bid for the elementary school construction project in your district this season.


    "However, it turned out that the investment company providing funding for us was a shell company to a shady business, and they want us to help them launder money through using cheap construction materials and returning the excessive costs to them¡­


    "They threatened my company with their connections from above, and I''m really trapped this time¡­ Other than my company, I have nothing! I didn''t marry, I don''t have children, and even my parents and old and want nothing more than a peaceful life¡­


    "I can''t agree to their demands, but I can''t turn back after accepting the bid this time, otherwise my company is done for! However, how can I play with the lives of elementary school children?! My conscience can''t take it!


    "Please, I have no one to go to for this, please help me¡­"


    As he spoke, the fat man finally broke down sobbing, his words leaving his mouth in slurred sentences.

 Chapter 92 - 92: Bella’s Ritual

    How exciting!


    Hiro was very curious about how things would turn out, how would Juvia handle the corrupted officials and appease the public, and how would his relationship with her superiors turn out to be.


    The further one climbs up the social ladder, they would realize that it isn''t a ladder at all, but a civilized imitation of the food chain pyramid.


    Just as ruthless and bloody, yet it all happened in the dark, behind the public eyes.


    At some point, if you want to climb up, you have to drag someone down. It''s impossible to keep moving up while maintaining a good relationship with your superiors all the time.


    To prevent excessive tension and malicious competition, promotions across the government sector enjoy a wide range.


    You can be responsible for public security today, and financial investments tomorrow, and perhaps you''d end up as nothing more than a secretary the day after.


    Capabilities, results, and accomplishments represented everything in the government sector.


    This way, even if your direct superior had a long term and was in no position to step down, you can always get a transfer order to another post, which is another way of getting promoted.


    Superiors wouldn''t have to worry too much about their subordinates stabbing them in the back, and subordinates wouldn''t have to worry about their superiors suppressing them too much.


    Sadly, Hiro wasn''t planning to burn through his faith energy to watch this drama to the end. He knew that such things would take days of work, preparations, investigations, and more.


    He couldn''t possibly just sit back and watch without worries. Feelings both satisfied and expectant, Hiro disconnected from the projection and returned to the universe hall.


    After thinking for a moment, he decided not to check on Arabella''s situation. He felt like she needed his help the least, especially since her hypnotic charming abilities were like nuclear weapons in the business sector.


    Arabella was smart enough not to make things too obvious, and so, she wouldn''t get caught unless she blatantly exposed her demonic energy.


    With the system censoring her energy and masking her presence, nothing would happen as long as she didn''t poke the hornet''s nest called the Holy Church.


    As Hiro was lost in thoughts, he noticed the stars in the distance shifting about, slowly taking on the form of a petite girl surrounded by twinkling stars.


    The stars projected the image of countless treasures, and looking at them, one person came to Hiro''s mind.


    It can''t be, right? Although feeling skeptical, Hiro still connected his mind to the new constellation.


    As he did so, he witnessed a breathtaking scene. From the constellation, a river of faith energy sprinkled with starlight descended like a waterfall, pouring into the running current of faith energy below.


    Then, Hiro felt a mental connection¡ªsomething similar to a contact yet it wasn''t truly a contact¡ªbinding him to the constellation.


    Burning with curiosity, Hiro immediately took a look at the scene displayed through the constellation''s projection.


    ¡­


    It was pink all around, and on the bed in the middle of the room, concealed behind dense curtains of a luxurious canopy, Hiro saw Bella seated on the mattress while magical treasures surrounded her body.


    Six drops of blood essence flowed out from her forehead, shot into the cavities of the mysterious treasures, and then ignited like oil in a lantern.


    Is this some sort of a ritual to contact the deities? Hiro observed quietly, but he couldn''t listen in to what was going on inside Bella''s mind.


    Telepathy was a two-way street, and if he wanted to listen to her inner thoughts, she would also hear his in return.


    Hiro was prepared to make such a gamble as he feared to disturb her concentration.


    However, after going through all of those books in Asmir''s library, Hiro could deduce what Bella was doing at the moment.


    A while later, Bella opened her eyes with a pale complexion and muttered, "Did Master Babylon hear me? I''m not a real Paranormal so I can only use my lifespan and blood essence as a sacrifice¡­"


    As Hiro listened to her words, his heart moved slightly.


    What did this girl go through recently?


    After hesitating for a moment, Hiro checked the system shop to see if he could get anything to help her as he connected to her mind through telepathy.


    "You have Babylon in your mind, but you have the Unfathomable Throne in your heart, what is it exactly?"


    Hearing the sudden voice in her head, Bella was shocked at first. However, she quickly felt elated.


    However, her excitement died down quickly as she thought things through. Her father divulged to her that Babylon was from some organization called the Unfathomables.


    Even today, Babylon''s thread on the PARA app was open for the world to try their best, yet no one could hack into his device, whatever it was.


    This issue was a very serious matter, and if Babylon''s actions weren''t so open and above board, her father wouldn''t have told her anything.


    She knew a little about deities, and she assumed that perhaps the Unfathomables were a faction created by some deity who fractured from the Holy Church.


    With that in mind, she attempted to use a ritual designated to communicate with the deities, using her lifespan and blood essence as the price.


    Now, Hiro also understood that the wave of faith energy he received was converted from lifespan and blood essence, not devout worship.


    As Bella''s mind was in a mess, her thoughts were an open book to Hiro, who immediately understood her situation.


    As it turned out, her father had disappeared for a while now, and she was all alone with her mother at home.


    She was worried that she''d be abducted by her father''s enemies once more, especially since the tension around Babylon and the Unfathomables was increasing.


    With that in mind, she hoped to seek help from Babylon, or anyone from their organization.


    The thing is, Hiro didn''t know how to help her.


    Yes, he could go back to the human world, but what can he do then? He didn''t know if the Holy Church was setting up an ambush for him.


    From the looks of it, Berlin didn''t betray Hiro and expose his ''connection'' to the Unfathomables or Babylon¡ªat least the connection in her mind.


    Should I buy her an awakening potion? Hiro thought to himself and looked into the system shop.


    Then, he was shocked. 100,000 achievement points for one potion?!


    Hiro didn''t think that the price of awakening potions would spike up after a purchase, so he immediately shelved the idea away.


    After thinking about it, Hiro asked the system in his mind, System, can I give out servant summoning tokens?


    Bella was rich, and she could afford to raise her own summoned servant if she had one to protect her at all times.


    Also, it was very cheap if he went for something with low potential. In the short term, he didn''t need to get her something with Tier-4 potential, just a Tier-5 potential is enough.


    [Notice: Under certain prerequisites, yes. Currently, the human Bella and the creatures under the influence of your enlightenment are eligible to receive your gifts.]


    While Hiro was glad about the response he received from the system, Bella''s chaotic mind finally settled down.


    "Are you the deity behind Master Babylon? Can I talk to him, please?" Bella supported herself on the bed, panting heavily while asking for help.


    "He can''t help you at the moment," Hiro''s deep voice echoed in her head. "However, I''ve already accepted your sacrifice, so I will help you this once."


    As Hiro spoke, he decided to bleed a little for this pink-haired goofball and spent the points for a servant token with ordinary potential, a healing potion, an invisibility potion, a night vision potion, a speed buff potion, a strength buff potion, and other helpful items.


    Toward the end, Hiro ended up spending over 30,000 points, which was something he saved up during the last few days of camping in the Decay Canyon.


    While feeling pained, and before Bella could respond, Hiro gritted his teeth and burned a portion of his faith energy to condense a collection of information, transmitting it into Bella''s mind while transferring the items over to her.


    With his planeswalker ability, it was easy to use faith energy as a bridge to open a direct portal in Bella''s bedroom.


    From the portal, bottles of potions fell on the bed together with a summoning token that had the image of a black leopard engraved on it.


    In her confusion, Bella felt a wave of dizziness strike her mind, and a wave of information exploded forth. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Summoning Token? Potions? A summoning ritual?


    As this information flooded her mind, Bella was utterly dumbfounded.


    Is this the foundation of a secret organization? They can give out Paranormals just like that?!


    Bella didn''t dare to believe it. Thus, she hurriedly gathered her thoughts, expressed her thanks, and cleared out the traces of the communication ritual before setting up the required atmosphere for the summoning ritual.


    After gathering her thoughts once again and taking in a deep breath, Bella stood in the center of the freshly drawn magical circle before holding up the summoning token, channeling some of her blood essence into the token for lack of any alternative, and crushed it.


    Then, something unbelievable happened¡­

 Chapter 93 - 93: Finding the Mirror World

    As the lights dimmed, an oval portal appeared silently, a twisted swarm of colors exposed within.


    From there, a petite girl almost as tall as Bella walked out, dressed in a gothic princess style with her hair split into two high buns, one being white and the other black.


    Shifting shadows of leopards, one chasing after the other, kept shuttling on the surface of


    her gray princess dress.


    Hiro watched this scene play out, and judging by Bella''s reaction, it was apparent that she couldn''t see any holographic screens with system prompts.


    After confirming that fact, Hiro withdrew his attention from her constellation. Looking at the decreased volume of the river of faith energy, Hiro felt a pain in his heart.


    However, he quickly pushed that negative energy away. Even if he suffered a loss this time, he figured it was worth it for one of his few friends.


    It would be boring if everyone he kept by his side were either a contracted servant from the system or some magical creature that couldn''t harbor any complicated thoughts.


    While this lifestyle had the least risk factor, it was also the most boring. Thus, adding a little color and an element of unpredictability to his daily life was much better.


    After deciding that it''d be better to wait for the replenishment of faith energy, Hiro withdrew his consciousness from the immaterial domain to his real body.


    ¡­


    Hiro slowly stood up and dusted off some dirt and leaves from his body. His perception spread out like a tide, and once he realized that no one was around him, he stepped out with a movement demonic art.


    As usual, he continued to refine his combat instincts as a demon who relied on demonic essence, all the while absorbing whatever bits of energy the lowly demons provided. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    This slow process lasted for an entire week when suddenly, the entire canyon shook.


    Hiro stopped on the peak of a torn-down mountain, looking in the direction of the Valdmor Stronghold.


    There, a vast swarm of darkness took to the sky. Of course, his current eyesight couldn''t get so far, hence why he synchronized with one of his powerful characters.


    It was only to take a look, and what he saw made him happy.


    Valdmor''s army is finally moving out! However, it would take some time for them to reach Asmir''s Stronghold, so the boss battle would most likely have to wait¡­


    Whatever, let me watch a good show first.


    ¡­


    Hiro silently concealed himself in the canyon and watched as the demonic army marched out.


    If he wasn''t wrong, this army was the vanguard army and would most likely meet with resistance from Asmir''s army on their way to her stronghold.


    Asmir had six generals under her, one of them being suspected of treason. Thus, he advised her to use her generals in pairs while planting a hidden causality link in their bodies.


    Whenever one general did something that would negatively affect the other, she would get a psychological hint remotely.


    Although this might cause one of her generals to suffer a sneak attack, a fatal wound, an abduction, or even death¡­ Finding the identity of the traitor was more important.


    Soldiers and generals were meant to be tools for their rulers during times of war. Any orders, no matter how detrimental to their person, must be executed flawlessly if the interest of the ruler was in the equation.


    As for whether the chess piece could maneuver its way around the chess board to survive after accomplishing the objective?


    That was the ruler''s concern at all.


    Survivors would advance in ranks, undergo more dangerous missions, and keep advancing till the war is won or to their death.


    Asmir understood this principle well, and so did her generals. If they lacked a sense of caution after climbing to the ranks of generals for so many years, then it was time to promote new generals.


    Hiro sat on the mountain peak, watching silently as swarms of demons left the stronghold.


    One shouldn''t have any misconception about the stronghold''s size being small, as each stronghold was no different from an independent country or an independent fiefdom.


    There were tens of millions of demons dwelling within, and it took a lot of time for them to march out.


    Luckily, the canyon wasn''t in their way.


    Now, I can only wait for when the tiger descends the mountain. As Hiro thought about this, he closed his eyes.


    After thinking about it, Hiro decided to finish the Draconia game first. Even though he felt like this power was fake and illusory, even though he knew he might end up losing it one day, he knew that the rewards were real.


    The minor realm he could potentially obtain after clearing this game was worth the risk.


    A personal pocket dimension was the foundation of any power. Take the Demon Realm, the Holy Church, and the State for example.


    Each of them has its foundations in the form of private domains, and Hiro aspires for the same.


    Moreover, what should he do if and when Asmir agrees to join the Unfathomables?


    He needed an identity of equal strength if not stronger than her to convince her.


    With that thought in mind, Hiro closed his eyes and entered the {Simulation Space}, continuing his grinding in the new game.


    Just like that, time gradually passed by.


    Hiro sat on the same mountain spot for close to an entire month, which was more than half a year in-game, doing nothing other than observing the situation while waiting for any signs of battle.


    On this day, the skies dimmed all of a sudden, and a bolt of gray lightning shot across the sky.


    Hiro opened his eyes and looked up. "A retaliation from the laws? Seems like the fight has started. However, it''s not too intense yet."


    From Hiro''s perspective, it could only be considered an intense fight when the lords in the sealed spaces were no longer capable of separating their minds towards maintaining the space.


    When the frequency of the retaliation from the world increases, only then would it mean that the boss fight is at a critical point.


    However, Hiro didn''t care for whether the fight was at a critical point or not. Since Lord Valdmor had already left his stronghold, then it was time to act.


    He slowly stood up from his position, synchronized with the Arcana Lord, and stepped out with his teleportation ability.


    The next moment, Hiro found himself in one corner of the Valdmor Stronghold, his eyes sweeping through the streets.


    He intently focused on every mirror, slate of iron, puddle of water, and shards of plastic or glass.


    While looking around, Hiro naturally activated his treasure-scanning feature, and observed as halos of golden light surrounded a bunch of items.


    However, none of them had the description of a mirror world, no matter how Hiro inspected them.


    At the moment, the entire stronghold was in chaos as demons rushed about, some fighting amongst themselves while others hoping to join the war.


    Just by walking less than five kilometers, Hiro had already killed at least 600 demons who had nothing better to do other than seek death.


    "Where is it?" Hiro frowned, finding it difficult to locate the mirror world.


    After thinking for a while, Hiro decided to pay a certain price and retreated into an abandoned building, finding his way into the basement.


    Then, he raised his hand and tapped out.


    Hiro''s eyes glazed over, and soon, a golden book appeared in front of him.


    Book of Revelations!


    Hiro moved his hand and flipped the pages, quickly finding the Divination chapter.


    Between paying with lifespan and faith energy, Hiro chose the latter without hesitation.


    He placed his hand on the page, closed his eyes, and communicated with the immaterial domain.


    In the immaterial domain''s universe hall, the gentle river of faith energy boiled, tossing about like crazy as the energy flooded out.


    As it splashed, streams of faith energy evaporated into thin air, crossing an untold distance and pouring into the Divination chapter of the Book of Revelations.


    "Mirror world, mirror world, mirror world¡­"


    Hiro repeated the phrase over and over again, and as more of his faith energy was consumed, the clearer an image appeared in his mind.


    At first, it was a speck of light in boundless darkness. Then, the speck expanded into a gray space, then he saw an entire world zooming past, finally locating a fragmented continent.


    It may have seemed small, but Hiro soon realized that the continent was the current Demon Realm.


    The image zoomed in on a certain region on the continent, then an area, and not soon later¡ªHiro found the Decay Canyon.


    Not too long after, Hiro found the Valdmor Stronghold and the desired object of his divination¡ªan entrance node to the mirror world.


    With no time to spare, Hiro''s eyes snapped open and he teleported over, only to find himself in the sky above the stronghold.


    "No wonder!" Hiro exclaimed, finding a shard of glass hovering in the air. As it spun about, sometimes the image reflected on the glass shard would magnify on someone, taking them into the mirror world inside.


    Looking around, Hiro didn''t see any other shards, and just as he was feeling confused, he felt space ripple.

 Chapter 94 - 94: Hiro’s Great Opportunity

    Oh no! Hiro''s expression changed.


    He realized that he was too naive¡ªthe fragments of the mirror were hidden in the void, and they most likely appeared because of the ongoing battle between the lords.


    Who knows how many temporary spaces were created and how they would influence the nearby space?


    As he thought about this, Hiro didn''t hesitate to follow the direction of the mirror and teleport to the ground, standing under its reflected light.


    Before his consciousness was sucked away by the mirror, Hiro summoned Hans and Medusa, tasking them with taking care of his physical body.


    Then, he removed the synchronization effects, which allowed the acting force of the mirror to easily snatch away his consciousness into the mirror world.


    ¡­


    It was a colorful world. A large stronghold that stretched to the end of one''s vision, with a dense circle of fog surrounding its edge.


    The moment Hiro appeared, he was standing on the peak of a tall building and looking into the distance.


    [Notice: Detected the influence of faith energy.]


    [Notice: You''ve successfully warded off the influence of faith energy.]


    ¡­


    "As expected!" Hiro exclaimed, feeling the invisible, murky energy in the air. If not for his pool of faith energy, he''d have been contaminated quite easily.


    However, this bit of faith energy can''t overpower Hiro''s faith energy, let alone the system''s power.


    Even if he lost the system one day, until that day arrived¡ªhe was the pinnacle in each and every field related to the system''s functions.


    With that in mind, Hiro looked at his accumulated achievement points for the past month.


    The trip from the Asmir Stronghold to the Valdmor Stronghold was a long one, not to mention he stayed behind in the Decay Canyon while waiting for a chance to infiltrate the mirror world.


    Thus, Hiro had been saving up achievement points for the past month, planning to use the Mass Enlightenment scroll in the mirror world.


    However, he first needed to test something out.


    "I wonder if brainwashing could be considered to have reduced the intelligence of these demons?" Hiro murmured to himself before he stepped out, jumping off the building.


    With his current strength, descending a building was quite easy. In little to no time, Hiro found himself on the street.


    Looking around, everyone was walking about and doing their own things with blank expressions.


    At best, they would be murmuring things like, "Praise Lord Valdmor."


    And, "Lord Valdmor is the one and only Demon King."


    The more Hiro observed, the more convinced he was of faith energy''s influence on a pure body of consciousness.


    A body of consciousness was the direct link to the soul, so it wasn''t hard to understand.


    Hiro didn''t have time to waste and thus, he approached a random passerby and directly used 1 achievement point to try and unlock their core intelligence.


    A halo of golden light enveloped the dazed demon, slowly seeping into his body of consciousness.


    Soon, his dull eyes flickered, and obvious signs of struggle appeared on his face.


    The next moment, a torrent of faith energy in the surroundings rushed over, attempting to ''cleanse'' away the foreign influence.


    Hiro was shocked. A self-defensive mechanism? Hmm, it makes sense. However, I can tell that this is a rigid procedure, indicating that no one is controlling this treasure at the moment.


    Wait, treasure? Hiro''s eyes sparkled and he slapped his thigh. "How come I didn''t think about this?!"


    He almost spent over 130,000 achievement points using his Mass Enlightenment scroll on a large scale of 130 square kilometers, which would have dealt a heavy blow to Valdmor but not a decisive one.


    However, he remembered that the system had an even more overbearing ability when it came to treasures¡ªthe system inventory.


    As long as he found the core of this place and stored it away into his system inventory, then the system would automatically isolate this region from Valdmor''s overbearing faith energy!


    By relying on his demonic essence and laws alone, Valdmor wouldn''t be an opponent to Asmir, becoming the weak link in the encirclement.


    Thinking about it this way, Hiro''s gaze shifted to the random demon, and his eyes glimmered.


    "Fine, consider yourself lucky to have met me this day," Hiro murmured. Then, he reached out and tapped with his finger on the demon''s forehead and spent 1,000 achievement points directly.


    He used the Level 4 Enlightenment without hesitation!


    Boom!


    A tower of golden light enveloped the demon, gushing into his consciousness body.


    His body began to tremble uncontrollably, clarity returning to his eyes.


    Boom!


    The entire mirror world shook, as more and more faith energy descended from the sky and onto this location.


    Hiro''s eyes shone brilliantly as he looked into the distance, a smile on his face. "Found it!"


    This made things much easier. Thus, Hiro rushed in the direction of the incoming faith energy, where he was sure to find the source.


    He was utilizing his movement arts to the limits, ignoring the demons on the way as he made it to the center of this illusory stronghold.


    Hiro realized that every constitution in this space was one-dimensional, exposing the exterior of buildings with nothing on the inside.


    Moreover, all the demons were walking on the streets and through the alleyways, but not a single one of them was indoors.


    The more Hiro observed, the more he felt like this treasure was lacking in some aspects.


    Perhaps, it was just a tool to store away souls and the consciousness of living beings, and everything else was a deliberate arrangement by Lord Valdmor.


    As Hiro rushed over, no other demons seemed to have noticed the anomaly in the faith energy, which is easy to explain.


    This treasure can''t absorb the consciousness of powerful existences because their subconscious mind would defend against the influence, passively as well. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It explains why Hiro''s consciousness was absorbed only after he removed the synchronization.


    Furthermore, the treasure itself won''t absorb the consciousness of someone so powerful, probably because Lord Valdmor had set it up this way.


    As for the world inside, it was easy to understand if one factored in Valdmor''s laws of illusions, which is a law derived from mirages and visual refractions.


    Like this, Hiro easily made his way over to the source of faith energy¡ªa massive mirror that hovered like an octagonal crystal in a location Hiro deemed to be a correspondent with the Demon Tower in reality.


    However, Hiro didn''t have the mind to admire this thing. He placed his hand on its surface, and the torrent of faith energy almost flooded his body of consciousness.


    Luckily, it couldn''t do that with the system''s protection standing in its way, even if Hiro didn''t have faith energy of his own.


    Just as Hiro was about to store the item away, a sudden thought struck him. Can I transfer this faith energy to my universe hall if I use my gluttony physique?


    Hiro''s devouring talent worked on all forms of energy, and this energy followed a rigid set of rules, not being directly by an active entity.


    Moreover, this wasn''t divine energy or demonic essence of the greatest level, but recycled faith energy generated from the illusion and brainwashing effects!


    Although the system mentioned to Hiro that faith energy generated under coercion, negative emotions, and brainwashing wouldn''t be tolerated by it¡ªthis wasn''t the system.


    Demons had no bottom line. To them, faith was faith, regardless of the means used when harvesting it.


    Also, the less faith energy stored inside this core, the fewer achievement points I''d have to spend when I finally take this thing away.


    Thinking back to his experience with the dimensional core of that pocket space, Hiro had already made up his mind.


    With a thought, his consciousness connected with the immaterial domain and formed a bridge with his consciousness body as a medium.


    Then, he began to ''devour'' faith energy in large quantities with his innate divine talent.


    Boom!


    Hiro''s entire consciousness body turned into a black hole, siphoning away the faith energy in the octagonal crystal.


    The effect was immediate!


    Hiro could feel his talent stripping away the impurities, which were the imbued illusion laws, and directing pure faith energy into his body.


    In turn, this energy descended from the sea of stars and into the universe hall, flooding the river of faith energy.


    Thinking about it, his universe hall functioned like the Asmir Stronghold and the Valdmor Stronghold.


    When he thought about this, Hiro looked at the octagonal crystal in front of him and wondered to himself. Could it be that this treasure isn''t controlled by Lord Valdmor? Could he be using it as a medium to grasp the laws of this stronghold?


    Hiro shook his head, refusing that idea. If that were the case, this treasure wouldn''t be so weak. Honestly, it was such a stupid decision to keep his foundation in such a place, espionage when Hiro thought about how easily he infiltrated and destroyed it.


    Then, he remembered that this would have been impossible if it weren''t for a few factors such as the boss battle that disturbed the space, the system''s protection, his possession of faith energy, and the innate divine ability¡­


    Thinking about it carefully, Hiro could only come to one conclusion¡­


    That Lord Valdmor is just fucking unlucky¡­

 Chapter 95 - 95: Dawnson

    Asmir Stronghold, Demon Tower, top floor.


    It was a vast space bathed in divine energy and holy light. Multicolored streams of mist swirled within the space, and if one were to trace the origin of these colors, they''d find them connected to nine massive mountains.


    Then, they would realize that these weren''t mountains, but the tails of a massive creature resting prone on the ground, its breathing calm and even while its eyes were shut.


    A silent, imperceptible ripple of spatial energy swept over, and the massive creature¡ªAsmir in her Nine-Tailed Fox form, opened her eyes.


    "Aren''t you guys a little too impatient?" Asmir''s voice echoed in the space, but her mouth didn''t open.


    Buzz!


    The endless expanse of white was ripped open, exposing a patch of darkness.


    Looking up, Asmir squinted her eyes and said in a light tone, "How bold of you to find this seat''s true body. Yours tired of living, I suppose."


    "Haha! Here I thought you''d be surprised at how we managed to trace the location of your true body, Asmir. After all, you''re a sly fox who always hides her head and shows her tail¡ªit''s very difficult for us to kill you." S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "You wish to kill this seat?" Asmir finally opened her mouth, no longer transmitting her voice through mental vibrations.


    As she spoke, her voice which was infused with divine energy filled the space.


    From the crack in the void, five figures stepped out.


    A demonic imp, a black tiger, a transparent fish, a gray whale, and a humanoid demon with long black hair.


    The one who spoke was the transparent fish, and it continued to talk while swimming in the void, its body stretching for kilometers in the sky.


    "You''ll soon find out why it''s not wise to go against the common interest of an entire race, you sly fox. That stupid giant couldn''t even handle your clone, what a waste!"


    "Something isn''t right," the fish was interrupted by the black tiger. "Shouldn''t her consciousness be inside the clone? Why is her true body awake?"


    The fish also realized that something was amiss. How could it overlook that little detail?


    They planned to sneak into this pocket dimension through the loophole glitch caused by the causality laws during the war, right?


    According to the plan, they would isolate Asmir''s consciousness outside the dimension, separating it from her true body, and seal the body if they failed to destroy it.


    The fish was too optimistic about killing Asmir to the point where he forgot that key factor in the plan¡ªwhich was the state of Asmir''s true body.


    "Are you sure that it''s not a remnant will left behind in her mind?" Asked the fish, feeling skeptical.


    "Are you stupid?" This time, it was the whale that retorted angrily. "Although the mental powers of this fox is strong, a remnant will can at most communicate with others through mental fluctuations, it''s not strong enough to control the main body into opening the eyes or utilizing divine energy!"


    The fish was a little slow, but he wasn''t stupid.


    It''s just that he assumed that with the presence of divine energy everywhere, it was influenced by their intrusion and not Asmir''s deliberate control.


    "Dawnson, are you insulting this seat by bringing along these fools?" Asmir ignored everyone else and looked at the humanoid demon with black hair.


    The demon, Dawnson, smiled. His smile was kind, bright, and somewhat infectious as he waved his hand. "You children have too much energy to spare, it''s fine to be a little mischievous once in a while. Sigh, I really wonder why you left home back then, Asmir."


    When the demon spoke, the others went silent. He continued, "It''s already checkmate, you know. Your stronghold is surrounded, and three times at that. Do you like my pets? Grooming them to this extent wasn''t an easy task, you know."


    "A waste of time and resources," Asmir replied coldly. "If anything, only that little imp isn''t half-bad, but he''s far from worthy to earn this seat''s recognition."


    Dawnson sighed. "Back then, I told the Master that you''re still a child and your personality wasn''t firm enough, easily influenced by the outside world. He didn''t listen, and a few centuries later, you returned home with such stupid, childish, and radical ideas.


    "You even left home with such grand and foolish ambitions. I really don''t know why the Master would allow it, but the situation is already clear as it is. Even without making a move, I already got you cornered with these little pets of mine, even though we started from the same line."


    Asmir didn''t say anything. She slowly stood up, and in the flashing light of divine energy, her main body transformed into a humanoid form as well.


    "I was wondering where they got their hands on a vessel of such high quality," Asmir spoke slowly.


    Dawnson frowned, as judging from Asmir''s words, something must have happened to the minor realm fragment¡ªsomething unexpected.


    He wanted to say something, but his expression turned cold, the kind temperament from earlier washed away in an instant.


    "You''re insane," Dawnson said, his expression darkening.


    "What''s wrong?" Asked the fish, as he wasn''t on their level, and he couldn''t understand what happened to cause their Master''s expression to turn so hideous.


    However, although he was weaker than Asmir and Dawnson, he wasn''t a weakling.


    He quickly noticed that something was wrong.


    However, it was the demonic imp who spoke up in a dark tone, "You actually used the minor realm fragment together with the loopholes we created to seal off this space, screening us from the Demon Realm."


    Everyone''s expressions turned ugly. This was no different from indefinite exile, because only when the spatial coordinates of the minor realm fragment adjusted to the spatial coordinates of the pocket dimension would the connection between two independent spaces be stable¡ªat least stable enough to permit passage.


    However, there was a 50:50 chance that the dimension would integrate the realm fragment after an unknown period of time, and the other possibility was certain destruction.


    In a sense, no matter who the winner of this competition is, even if they could sense the location of the Demon Realm, they couldn''t afford to open a portal.


    No passage is stable enough to withstand the twisting force of two higher dimensions grinding into one another.


    "You''ve gone mad!" Dawnson wasn''t in the mood for any pleasantries. "Although the Master said to teach you a lesson and bring you back, I''ll kill you if I had to."


    Then, he waved his hand and spoke coldly, "Attack her while I try to offset the merger between the two dimensions."


    As he spoke, he heard a scream of pain from the demons around him. Confused, he turned his head to look at the source of the voice.


    "Someone is attacking my faith energy!" Valdmor screamed, his expression ugly.


    The divine energy around his body was fluctuating fiercely, as though a bomb about to explode. Obviously, his slow regeneration of faith energy couldn''t sustain the presence of divine energy, and its attribute was slowly turning into pure demonic essence.


    "How is this possible?" Dawnson frowned so hard his eyebrows could squeeze into one.


    They accounted for all five of Asmir''s generals, so no one would have the time to raid Valdmor''s base.


    Moreover, everyone understood how difficult it was to infiltrate that place without absolute strength. If someone of that level approached, no one would miss the signs.


    Dawnson looked at Asmir, but he couldn''t see her expression.


    "Little Miss," Dawnson suppressed his anger and spoke bluntly. "You know the importance of that treasure to our family, you wouldn''t want to touch some lines now, right?"


    Behind the veil of light, Asmir''s eyes flickered, but she didn''t say anything. After all, she hadn''t expected Hiro to do something so extreme either.


    A stronghold represented more than just territory, and most Stronghold Lords were no more than gatekeepers if put bluntly.


    As long as the stronghold''s foundation remained unharmed, no one would bother with the "gatekeeper."


    It could be anyone, just like the "pets" raised by Dawnson, and the six generals raised by Asmir.


    Just like Dawnson, Asmir treated her generals like little pets, a source of enjoyment.


    However, some toys were just too precious to be touched, like that Mirror World, which was just one item from an entire set.


    While Asmir remained silent, Valdmor''s eyes turned red and he spat out a mouthful of purplish-black blood.


    "MY CONNECTION TO THE MIRROR WORLD WAS SEVERED! YOU MUST HAVE GONE MAD, ASMIR!!!!" Valdmor went nuts, and his energy snapped out of control.


    With the imbalance of faith energy and demonic essence, the latter quickly devoured the former, causing Valdmor''s aura to drop significantly!


    At this moment, he was truly hopping mad!


    As "pets", their foundation was trash! They relied on the balance between faith energy and demonic essence to reach their level.


    To demons like Asmir and Dawnson, faith energy is just a supplement and a tool, same with laws. However, to some demons, faith energy, and laws were very important lifelines.


    Dawnson didn''t expect Asmir to be so ruthless, while Asmir didn''t expect Hiro to be so ruthless either.


    However, she could only watch silently as Valdmor cursed, raving about as his body slowly shriveled up.

 Chapter 96 - 96: Sneak Attack

    After exhausting the faith energy from the octagonal crystal, it was much easier for Hiro to take the treasure into his system''s inventory.


    It only cost him 10,000 achievement points.


    While Hiro was surprised by the low price, the system told him that this mirror was only a fragment of a greater treasure, hence the low price.


    As it turned out, there was a hard limit on the number of "prisoners" this mirror could contain at a time, not to mention their individual and collective strength.


    Yes, there was a limit on the individual strength of a captive and the collective strength of all captives inside the illusory world.


    When the Mirror World entered the system''s inventory, Hiro''s consciousness returned to his body automatically. Furthermore, the consciousness of the millions of demons trapped inside were also released into the world.


    Because they lost their "vessels" and protection, these bodies of consciousness evaporated under the harsh conditions outside.


    For a moment, Hiro felt like he could hear the shrill screams of the dead. However, he didn''t have the time to waste.


    Hiro had a feeling that no matter how occupied with a battle that demonic imp was, he''d definitely rush over to the stronghold after suffering from such a loss.


    Thus, he went all out and synchronized with Sitri, bringing down the bloodline suppression of a Celestial Demon onto the hollow stronghold.


    Hiro didn''t have any talent for studying illusion spells, nor did he reach a point where he could tap into the power of laws with his true body.


    At the moment, the laws under Sitri''s control weren''t something Hiro could comprehend, he could only use them instinctively based on a game''s mechanics.


    Thus, he couldn''t waste his time thinking about occupying the Demon Tower and taking this stronghold for his own.


    What he could do now was rush back and help the five generals under Asmir push forward as fast as possible.


    Just because Hiro couldn''t do it, this didn''t mean that Asmir''s generals were incompetent.


    He decided to give them this opportunity by providing help, albeit indirectly.


    Thus, Hiro quickly covered himself up with demonic essence, shrouding his appearance from prying eyes.


    Under the concealment of demonic essence, he also activated the system''s concealment function.


    No matter what, Hiro refused to believe that he was the only one with access to prophetic abilities like the divination chapter from the Book of Revelations.


    With that in mind, Hiro turned around and left quickly, rushing in the direction of the nearest battlefield.


    ¡­


    Soon, a horizon bathing in crimson hot flames filled Hiro''s eyes. It was an isolated region of fire and lightning, but this space isolation technique wasn''t strong enough.


    Thus, the aftermath of the battle between two fierce generals easily affected the outside world.


    As for the two demon armies, they acted oblivious to the destruction above their heads¡ªthe rain of fire and lightning, and they continued to grind into each other.


    Flesh and purplish-black blood spilled on the ground, and countless demonic arts both individualistic and uniform were launched.


    As the two armies were in the heat of the intense battle, something happened. All of a sudden, an expansion of darkness engulfed the two armies and the blazing horizon.


    Two words echoed silently in the ears of everyone present, sending a chill down their spines.


    Purgatory Domain¡­


    Just as they were basking in their ignorance and confusion, the darkness twisted as millions of short blades, like tentacles with acute sensory, stabbed out from unpredictable angles.


    When the darkness faded, half the demons on the battlefield realized that their counterparts¡ªthe enemies they were engaged with¡ªhad died.


    Corpses fell over in unison, slumped on the dirt road. For a moment, the whole battlefield entered a state of lulled silence, and no one knew how to respond.


    No one expected the sneak attack from such a powerful existence, but a moment later, an enraged roar shook the sky as the sealed space was destroyed to bits.


    "DESPICABLE!"


    Boom!


    A thick bolt of lightning descended from the sky¡ªpale gray, a sharp contrast with the blue sea of lightning that entwined with the crimson flames.


    Furthermore, this lightning bolt came with a menacing purpose, striking at the demon general who was also wreathed with lightning.


    "You''re fucking mad! Caw! Caw!"


    The black raven flapped his wings, instantly withdrawing from the striking range. The other demon, a golden eagle, spread his wings and screeched loudly.


    Boom!


    The lightning struck his body, charring it black. However, it didn''t care, because he got himself an opportunity to disengage from the fierce battle.


    His golden, large eyes swept the battlefield while screaming, "Show yourself! What pride is there to have in killing weaklings with a sneak attack?! Is this how your Stronghold''s Lord does things?!"


    The black raven shouted back, "Caw! Watch your mouth you dumb bird! Don''t talk nonsense!"


    In the distance, Hiro waved his hand dismissively and said, "Harvest!"


    Boom!


    The demonic energy within the range of his Purgatory Domain moved with his hand, and a small vortex appeared on his palm.


    Demonic energy moved like a torrent, pouring into the small vortex, ignoring the limitations of time and distance.


    The golden eagle looked closely, and he immediately noticed what Hiro was doing.


    "You''re really tired of living!" shouted the golden eagle, and as he ignored the black raven, he shot toward Hiro with great speed.


    Hiro didn''t care. He waved his other hand and spoke plainly, "Bone Sword!"


    Crack!


    The bones in the bodies of the millions of demons fractured and shot into the sky, their speed rivaling that of the golden eagle, if not faster.


    However, since the vast army was separating the two, the bones arrived at Hiro''s side first.


    Then, they joined together and morphed into an exquisite bone sword in Hiro''s hand.


    From the bone marrow of demons, this sword had a great affinity to demonic energy and demonic essence, much to Hiro''s liking.


    Thus, he moved his right hand along the spine, body, and edge of the sword, redirecting the demonic energy extract into the bone sword.


    Buzz!


    Pale gray lightning sprinkled in the sky, on the verge of descent. However, Hiro executed his technique flawlessly, compressing immense energy into an energy construct derived from the Infinite Sword Matrix.


    The golden eagle wasn''t an idiot, and the closer he was to Hiro, the more obvious the higher bloodline suppression felt.


    It was something on the level of that mysterious existence behind his lord, a level of power he couldn''t understand.


    Thus, he cautiously slowed down, but he maintained his fierce expression as though he was about to rip Hiro to shreds.


    At any rate, he decided to probe this stranger''s power first. However, he didn''t expect Hiro to slash with his sword without a word.


    Whoosh!


    A condensed beam of energy that looked like the tip of a rapier blade stabbed out was shot at an incredible speed.


    This speed exceeded the golden eagle''s reaction time, and by the time he felt death approaching, the strike brushed past his massive head.


    In that moment of fear, the eagle lost control over his energy and muscles, almost falling from the sky. This made everyone think that the stranger had killed the general in one shot.


    Let alone them, even the black raven was shocked silly as it watched. However, he quickly felt an ominous sensation, as though death was approaching him silently, hurriedly, and with an unprecedented determination.


    However, this feeling came and went like a haze¡ªan illusion. Just as the black raven was feeling confused, he heard a loud explosion coming from behind him.


    The black raven wasn''t an idiot, so he immediately turned back to look, only to be stunned.


    Then, his expression darkened as he shouted angrily, "Caw! You fucking INGRATE!"


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    A pale blue lightning bolt descended from the sky, striking past the black raven.


    Far off, a silhouette was blasted out from his stealth after colliding with Hiro''s attack, and it was a humanoid demon cloaked with an eerie black shadow.


    He had a pair of purple, sparkling eyes.


    With a muffled grunt, he suppressed the pain wreaking havoc in his body. Then, a few other figures stepped out, their colorful eyes the only distinctive feature about them.


    They joined forces and together, they blocked the lightning bolt, warding off the retaliation from the world.


    "That person was on guard against us, I suppose our plans were useless."


    "Do you think they noticed the glitch zones in the stronghold?"


    "If even our assassination plan was exposed, I guess everything else is for naught."


    Hiro didn''t say anything to interrupt them. Instead, he tossed something out, and as it exploded, a signal was sent somewhere.


    Everyone sensed the fluctuations, but they were confused as to why the signal was sent out, mainly because they couldn''t track it down.


    Seeing this scene, another person stepped out from the void and said, "Little Crow, since when did we demons promote gratitude and kindness? Don''t make me laugh."

 Chapter 97 - 97: Targeting the Wilhelm Family

    The black raven was hopping mad to see the general appearing here, seemingly totally fine and at ease. This could only mean that his opponent left for another battlefield.


    From the looks of it, this general was planning to rebel from the very beginning. As for the concealed demons, the black raven didn''t even bother with exposing them.


    At this moment, another ripple in space attracted everyone''s attention. From there, a humanoid demoness carrying a purple umbrella stepped out, standing in the air.


    One of the demons concealed by dark shadows shook slightly, but he quickly controlled himself.


    The woman seemed to have sensed something, as her eyes moved from behind her mask, making eye contact with that demon.


    However, that only lasted for a brief moment before they broke off their gazes, seemingly coming to an agreement.


    Actually, these two were Paimon''s parents, each of them betting on one of the two camps.


    Although the black raven understood that these fellows were the leaders of the great demon clans, he didn''t know their specific identities.


    Behind them was no other than the traitorous general.


    "Caw! Once a dog, always a dog!" the black raven cursed.


    In response, the general shook his head, and his entire body began to expand, turning into a huge dog with blue fur, three heads, and rings of pale gray fire burning on his paws.


    Hiro looked at the three-headed dog and felt that he seemed familiar, striking a resemblance to one of the monsters serving under Hades.


    Then, he looked at the woman who made a sudden appearance and her dark umbrella, connecting her to Paimon.


    That girl must have started her plans in the stronghold, but Hiro didn''t know what contingency plans the other families left behind.


    The Asmir Stronghold must be in a mess right now.


    "Who are you?" Ignoring the black raven, the blue dog looked in Hiro''s direction, asking in a stern tone.


    Hiro gave the dog a look. Although his entire body was concealed, everyone here was an expert and they could infer from his body language that he turned around.


    Realizing that the stranger was staring at him without saying a word, the general didn''t pursue the matter.


    He returned to look at the black raven and spoke leisurely, "You''ve been following Lord Asmir for so long, so you understand a few things just like I do. This isn''t a fight that she can win all on her own; espionage since Lord Dawnson took action personally this time."


    Other than the black raven, everyone else was feeling confused at the mention of that name, Hiro included.


    However, everyone could tell that from this general''s perspective, he didn''t feel like Asmir could be a match against this Dawnson in a one-on-one fight, let alone a siege.


    Hiro was feeling a little curious now. From the way they were talking, it seemed as though there existed demons with exalted identities that placed them above Stronghold Lords. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    However, when Hiro thought about it, these lords were indeed somewhat disappointing in terms of strength.


    Did it have something to do with the purity of their demonic essence? That''s the only thing I can think of, Hiro mused silently.


    If a demon''s bloodline had the ability to store and refine a value of 5 points pure demonic essence, and the rest was standard demonic energy, then it made sense that they''d be weaker than a demon with 7, 9, or 10 points of purified demonic essence.


    However, Hiro didn''t have a scale on hand to determine the purity of a demon''s bloodline and their storage of demonic essence.


    Thinking about it, this is similar to the foundation of a Daoist Immortal, as their strength in any given realm was determined based on their foundation.


    This foundation includes but isn''t limited to secret techniques, body refinement, comprehensions, bloodline, etc.


    When thought of this way, Hiro could understand the disparity in strength between Asmir and the other lords.


    Thus, he could also infer how strong that mysterious Dawnson was. Realizing that it would take too much effort on his part if he wished to lure Asmir''s followers into the Valdmor Stronghold, Hiro began to hesitate.


    Fighting one or two generals wouldn''t pose a problem, but now that there''s a traitor, the other generals will be facing multiple opponents at once.


    The enemy generals who fled would join the other battlefield, and they would be on the roll for the rest of the battle.


    In no time at all, they would besiege the Asmir Stronghold, and if the plot followed the usual pattern, Asmir would show up at the critical moment to save the day.


    Fights on this level would take days if not weeks, and Hiro didn''t want to spend his points in a reckless battle like this one.


    After thinking things through, Hiro turned around and left decisively. He couldn''t be bothered with this fight anymore.


    He didn''t believe that Asmir wouldn''t provide her generals with trump cards. Both the black raven and that woman were facing three opponents at a time, but they didn''t seem too worried.


    Furthermore, even if they couldn''t win, they can retreat. No one was so high up on emotions in such a war, and they wouldn''t toss their lives away.


    Watching the mysterious figure turning around and leaving without a word, everyone else was dumbfounded.


    The black raven was at a loss for words before he turned to the woman, "Caw! Is your partner going to leave just like that?!"


    The woman was also stunned as she asked in confusion, "My partner? I don''t know that person."


    The black raven choked. "What do you mean you don''t know?! Didn''t you arrive after getting his signal?"


    No one was stupid and they could tell that Hiro sent out a signal, it''s just that the arrival of this woman was too coincidental.


    Read latest chapters at m_v-l''e|m,p| y- r


    However, from the looks of it, they had assumed wrongly. In fact, even Hiro was a little surprised by the coincidence back then, but he didn''t care.


    He did send out a signal, but this was a different form of signal. It was to inform Asmir that he was within close proximity to the stronghold.


    As the only person capable of helping Asmir in this predicament, Hiro knew some of her plans.


    Thus, he was most likely one of the few who could keep calm in this situation.


    While these demons were confused, Hiro switched to his Arcana Lord character in a secluded area before teleporting directly into the Asmir Stronghold.


    He arrived inside the Passione Tavern''s small office, switched back to his previous looks with red horns and crimson eyes, then stepped out from the office.


    As expected, total chaos. However, the chaos was limited outside the shop, because no one could fight inside.


    At the very least, no ordinary demons could make a ruckus here, especially when the system''s automatic defensive feature was purchased by Hiro a while back.


    However, no one had the peace of mind to sit down and have a drink. At the very least, Hiro thought this way until he noticed someone seated in a dim corner.


    "Oh my," Hiro smiled, dramatically kneading his forehead. "Lady Paimon? What are you doing here?"


    Indeed, it was that demoness. However, she wasn''t wearing her maid attire this time, but a purple palace dress that exuded an air of superiority.


    Her limpid eyes looked up at Hiro, and she smiled faintly. "It''s too bloody back home, not something suitable for a delicate lady like myself. Moreover, no one will pay attention to a missing maid."


    "Ah? If you''ve been dismissed from your duties as a maid, I wouldn''t mind accepting you into my house." Hiro walked over.


    On his way, he pushed aside some of the curtains on the glass windows, allowing the light of day to sprinkle into the shop.


    Sadly, there was too much smoke outside and so, the light was blocked at infrequent intervals.


    "I''ve been here since yesterday," Paimon spoke, ignoring the latter half of Hiro''s sentence. "I must say, your sudden presence did surprise me a little."


    Hiro smiled. "Just a cheap trick. In any case, I''m very weak, so I had to hide myself."


    Hiro conveniently revealed his aura, which had dropped to peak Tier-7 standards after refining his demonic essence to the extreme.


    Of course, although he was at Tier-7 standards now, his strength was far beyond that level.


    The purity, volume, and density of his demonic energy were incomprehensible at the moment.


    Paimon was more than a little surprised, but her brows were furrowed deeply afterward.


    If she remembered correctly, that guardian wolf from the Wilhelm family was at around Tier-5 standards in strength, even if his true level was below that.


    However, Hiro dealt with him quite easily.


    Then, the only explanation at the moment was that Hiro was hiding his strength, even during such a critical moment.


    "I don''t understand you, Sitri," Paimon shook her head in bewilderment. "Things have already progressed to this point, what else are you planning to do?"


    Hiro looked outside the window at the ongoing pandemonium. Then, he smiled faintly and said, "First, I want to pay the Wilhelm family a visit, we can discuss business after taking advantage of the chaos like everyone else is doing."

 Chapter 98 - 98: Divine Technique

    Hiro wondered how Zach was doing at the moment, but he guessed that he shouldn''t be in a good mood.


    Thinking about it, he had no idea what family Paimon belonged to, nor did he know the situation in her family.


    Well, Hiro didn''t care about that too much, so he asked offhandedly, "How''s the situation in your family? You have the time to wander around at a time like this."


    Paimon said, "My Mother killed everyone who posed a threat to her before she went out, but everyone else thinks they''re out there supporting the war effort. So, it''s pretty calm back there, enough for me to relax."


    Hiro blinked. "I guess that works too, but the situation out there doesn''t seem too optimistic."


    Hiro now understood that from Tier-4 standards and above, power was split into three categories.


    First, pure energy from within the body, and it exists in various forms. Second, a mutual coexistence between pure energy and faith energy. Third, the fusion of the aforementioned energies and the birth of divine energy.


    This was knowledge inferred from reality and the simulated game, Draconia.


    Based on his deductions, both generals and family heads are powerhouses on the level of Tier-4, but the generals can draw faith energy from their soldiers during the war.


    If Hiro wasn''t mistaken, the great demon families must have found a way to channel faith energy from their families, hence why he wanted to attack them at this crucial moment.


    Of course, this type of high knowledge isn''t something anyone had access to, not even someone like Paimon or maybe, not even her mother.


    The realms of faith energy and divine energy are too distant from demons on their level.


    With that in mind, Hiro stood up and stretched, licking his lips. "If you want to protect your Mother, I suggest you return to your family and check the situation. If I''m not wrong, a huge number of them should be missing, and it''s not because they''re helping in the war efforts."


    Paimon frowned and asked, "What is that supposed to mean? Anyway, even if they escaped the stronghold during the chaos, they can''t do anything to my Mother."


    Hiro shook his head and clicked his tongue, feeling exasperated. "Girl, I can''t say some things, nor can I hint at them. Let me put it this way¡ªthey can be somewhere performing some forbidden ritual, which can either curse your Mother or empower your Father.


    "Weaklings have their merits when they join in great numbers, don''t look down on them."


    Hiro understood that he didn''t have much time to waste, so he quickly got up to leave.


    "I''ve thought about it," Hiro murmured to himself as he continued on his way, hands tucked in his pockets. "There should be something like an avatar or a cloning technique, right?"


    As he spoke, he summoned the system''s shop interface and searched for the relevant techniques. As expected, he found a technique.


    However, it was on the same level as his innate physique, a divine technique.


    Nine Clones Secret Technique!


    [Price]: 100,000 Achievement Points.


    [Description]: The Nine Clones Divine Technique allows the user to separate their energy, essence, and spirit under the guidance of an alternative consciousness. Once a clone is created, it will strip away one of the user''s powers and grow independently.


    [Notice]: You can generate one clone at a time after learning the technique, and each subsequent clone would require 10x the amount of points spent. Discover more stories at m,v l''e|m-p| y r


    [Notice]: After forming the first clone and separating your consciousness, can alternate the main consciousness between the clones at will, regardless of distance, at a certain cost.


    ¡­


    Hiro inhaled sharply. As expected, divine techniques were something else.


    It would be a problem to spend 100,000 points now since he had saved up over 300,000 points, but he had more than one energy system in his body.


    A Sorcerer''s spiritual energy, a Daoist''s spirit Qi, a Demon''s demonic essence, and a Dragon''s bloodline power.


    If he wanted to separate three of these power systems into independent clones, it would cost him 100,000 points for the first clone, 1,000,000 points for the second clone, and 10,000,000 points for the third clone.


    His current daily limit which hovers at around 5,000 points wouldn''t be enough to keep up with the expenditures.


    Eh? Am I thinking too much? Hiro slapped his thigh. All of those are synchronized power systems! They''re not mine to begin with!


    Hiro felt like an idiot. In his real body, he only had two power systems, the Sorcerer''s spiritual energy and the Demon''s demonic energy respectively.


    Thus, he only needed one clone at the moment. Even if he got his hands on more clones in the future, they would be empty husks without the synchronization feature.


    "Can I separate a clone for faith energy and keep it in the universe hall? This way, I can leave it on autopilot to keep an eye on Arabella, Juvia, and Bella. At the very least, it could notify me when something serious happens, as I can''t keep my eye on them all day, all year round."


    The more Hiro thought about it, the more he felt it was feasible. However, at the moment, his priority was to create a clone for his Sorcerer''s spiritual energy and keep it in the isolated training space, peacefully accumulating spiritual energy for growth.


    Meanwhile, his Demon body can make use of Asmir''s connections to grow stronger in the Demon Realm.


    After making up his mind, Hiro entered a hidden corner and opened a portal to his simulated space.


    He wondered if he should spend more points to increase the time dilation ratio. At the moment, it was fixed at 7:1 between simulation and reality.


    The last time, he paid 1,600 points, so it wouldn''t cost much. After musing over it for a while, Hiro decided to spend.


    3,200 points¡­


    6,400 points¡­


    12,800 points¡­


    [Notice]: You''ve reached the maximum limit of time dilation at a ratio of 10:1. If you wish to unlock the next maximum limit of 100:1, you need to upgrade the {Simulation Space}.


    ¡­


    Hiro hadn''t expected to be stopped by the system after spending 22,400 points, but on second thought, it made sense.


    These must be the limitations of the tutorial version, right? Thinking back, if he saved up the points earned from the three high-priority missions, he could have saved up 150,000 points.


    If he hadn''t spent them on summoning servants, miscellaneous skills, and other items such as potions¡ªupgrading the system''s features wouldn''t have been a strain on his finances.


    Looking at his points, they shrank by at least half after this round of purchases. However, he didn''t regret it.


    Hiro entered the isolated space, taking advantage of the spiritual energy inside to separate a clone for himself.


    The process lasted for six months, which was beyond Hiro''s expectations.


    Furthermore, the pain of having a part of his soul torn out was unbearable. Luckily, he was all alone in the space, so he could shout and scream to his heart''s content without worries.


    Six months later, Hiro''s blood essence joined with the spiritual energy, a hollow body of consciousness, and a strand of his soul to generate a clone.


    Hiro slumped on the ground, exhausted.


    He looked at the naked version of himself floating in the air, surrounded by spiritual energy that transformed constantly.


    At times, it generated fire. At other times, it was water. Then, nature bloomed and whithered It was quite magical.


    At his current level, Hiro didn''t need the system''s statistics to inform him of his current power level.


    Honestly, it would be too bothersome to keep tabs on the various power systems in the future. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After thinking about it, the only critical information he needed from the system was the points count, gems count, and inventory list.


    Everything else was a secondary priority.


    Looking at his clone, Hiro planted a mental command inside the secondary consciousness¡ªcontinue refining spiritual energy!


    After taking stalk of his current condition, Hiro purchased a few healing potions from the system shop, consumed them to remedy his current headache, and left the isolated space.


    He realized that with the current strength of his soul and consciousness, his clones weren''t that intelligent.


    They could be considered as dumb if put bluntly. Hence, entrusting them with sensitive tasks that required comprehensive inference abilities was impossible.


    For example, if he wanted to visit a mistress in the future and leave a clone behind, that wouldn''t fool his wife, even if he married a country bumpkin.


    However, their rigid thought process allowed them to follow simple commands, such as the command to peacefully train and grow stronger, or to periodically send telepathic feedback to the main consciousness.


    Hiro wondered if he should buy a divine technique to strengthen his consciousness.


    Then, he visited the system''s store to check for more divine techniques, but he found them grayed out with a cooldown notice.


    A purchase cooldown period of 359 days? There''s such a thing as divine techniques?!


    Hiro couldn''t believe it so he went for the skills section, checking the divine-tier skills.


    Then, he realized that the cooldown restriction was universal to all which was divine. Furthermore, from the looks of it, the time in the simulation space was excluded.

 Chapter 99 - 99: Asmir’s Summons

    Hiro sighed, not feeling too surprised about it.


    If the system made everything so convenient for him, it wouldn''t make sense.


    Sorting out his thoughts, Hiro figured out his current priorities: Completing Draconia and upgrading his pocket dimension, helping Asmir assimilate the surroundings strongholds and inviting her to join the Unfathomables, and transporting more living creatures into his domain to harvest more faith energy.


    These priorities could be both difficult and easy simultaneously, and Hiro could tend to them simultaneously.


    After leaving the isolated space and looking around, Hiro noticed that the fuse for internal strife in the stronghold was lit.


    With the masters busy with their own fights both outside and inside the stronghold, there wasn''t anyone left to uphold the law and order anymore.


    Demons surrendered to their intrinsic qualities of violence. Touching his chin, Hiro began to count the time.


    "I''m on a six-day delay now, can I even make it in time to make some trouble for the great families?"


    Since the stronghold wasn''t under siege yet, it was a good sign. It means that Hiro had time on his hands, it''s just that he didn''t know how much time.


    "Seems like I can''t make use of this chance to make contributions in an open and above-board manner," Hiro rubbed his head.


    "So be it, benefits are benefits no matter what happens." Hiro sighed.


    After making up his mind, he synchronized with the Daoist character, suppressing his spirit Qi and making use of his physical body to move out.


    With his current divine sense, it was easy to sweep the stronghold one district at a time.


    During such a chaotic time, it was impossible to hide the fluctuations of his consciousness that moved out like a tide, and it would undoubtedly draw the attention of some powerful beings outside the stronghold.


    However, the situation both outside the stronghold and inside Asmir''s space was at an impasse, and no one could stop Hiro from acting wantonly.


    In minutes, Hiro arrived at his first destination which was the Wilhelm family residence.


    With a thought, his consciousness gathered and condensed. Following the principles of the Infinite Sword Matrix, a myriad of invisible swords descended onto the compound.


    Phasing through all physical obstructions without leaving a trace, the sword struck down the Wilhelm family members between their brows, and they fell like flies.


    Hiro could only rely on his physical strength and the power of his consciousness to act in this situation, as any emissions of energy outside the category of demonic energy weren''t ideal.


    He wanted to help Asmir, not pin a target on her back. Wanting to revolutionize the demon society was one thing, but to blatantly side with outsiders was another matter altogether.


    With that thought in mind, Hiro was ruthless with his actions. Since he couldn''t use his innate divine ability¡ªgluttony¡ªto extract demonic energy remotely, Hiro devoured the consciousness of his victims instead.


    Who knows, maybe he could raise his consciousness to a level where his clones could act independently one day.


    With his divine sense, Hiro could see through almost every corner of the residence. If he couldn''t, he would barge inside through brute force.


    At this moment, with no powerhouses around to keep him in check, Hiro was unstoppable.


    He didn''t spare anyone, especially when he found a group of demons in the midst of praying for their ancestors'' safe return.


    Others might not be able to see it, but Hiro could sense the faith energy revolving around these demons.


    As time passed, Hiro started to feel suspicious. "Weird, why can''t I find that little guy Zach?"


    At this point, Hiro realized that the Wilhelm family might have evacuated during his six days of absence.


    Since he didn''t have the time to waste, Hiro swept through the other great demon families in the nearby districts.


    However, their situation was similar, with the exception of one family. Hiro found many beautiful demons, female demons, holding down the fort.


    As his divine sense out, he guessed that this was Paimon''s family, mainly because he saw the impostor Third Young Master moving about and giving orders.


    While he was lost in thoughts, Hiro felt a tug in his heart and heard a faint sound calling out for him.


    To be precise, the voice was calling out to the Planeswalker, his supposed alter ego.


    Hiro realized that Asmir''s battle must have entered a critical point, and she was asking him to prepare. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Of course, Asmir wouldn''t banish herself together with her enemies. If she didn''t know about Hiro''s ability to bypass the turbulence of space-time or any and all methods of sealing space, she wouldn''t have pulled such a stunt.


    In return for this favor, she wouldn''t mind forming an alliance of sorts with the Unfathomables, promising to take care of "Hiro" in the future.


    Of course, from her perspective, the deal was with Sitri the demon under her, and not the Unfathomables.


    Hiro told her that he had nine chances to request help from the Unfathomables.


    However, he wouldn''t tell her how many times he had left to request for help, only that it was sufficient to help her tide over this calamity.


    With that in mind, Hiro told her that with the long-distance suppression, he could only be on par with her in strength at most, and only inside an isolated space where the laws of the Demon Realm cannot be utilized.


    This was more than enough for Asmir.


    ¡­


    "Give up, Asmir. Let''s work together to sustain a channel to the Demon Realm, and I promise to return you to my Master in one piece."


    Dawnson''s tone was barely keeping calm at the moment. Even with his underlinings holding Asmir back for the past six days, he couldn''t make heads or tails from the collision of two dimensions.


    The space outside was like a churning twister that couldn''t be seen through no matter how he tried.


    He couldn''t sustain a portal under these circumstances, not all on his own.


    Far away, a host of massive creatures were caught in a chaotic battle.


    A massive whale, a massive fox, a massive black tiger, and a massive fish. Looking into the distance, the torn limbs of a demonic imp scattered, and he lay unconscious in the void.


    It was unknown whether he was dead or alive.


    The light surrounding Asmir''s nine tails was dim, and the divine energy on her body fluctuated crazily.


    Although Dawnson didn''t seem to be in bad shape on the outside, only he knew how exhausted his demonic essence was at the moment, conversely affecting his divine energy.


    His subordinates didn''t seem in any better condition either. As things stood, it was only a matter of time before all of them lost all energy.


    In an isolated space like this one, it was impossible to draw demonic essence from the environment, let alone faith energy to replenish themselves.


    They can only spend energy, not the other way around. One unit spent is one unit gone, for good.


    Seeing that Asmir ignored him and continued to fight fiercely, taking on attacks only to retaliate with greater ferocity, Dawnson was incensed.


    "Since she wants to die so badly, finish her in one blow! Laws are useless here, take advantage of her death to tear an opening in the dimension!" Dawnson decided to be ruthless, deciding to abandon his efforts over the past week.


    The moment he stopped communicating with the space, a wave of energy rushed back into his body, the spatial turbulence jolting his internal organs.


    A trickle of purplish-black blood leaked from the corner of his mouth, but his livid expression calmed down.


    His eyes were deep, gloomy, and cold as his aura began to condense.


    "You''re dead," Dawnson said those words lightly, but his killing intent almost solidified around his person.


    This time, Asmir''s body flashed and she retreated decisively. However, Dawnson didn''t seem to care.


    He wanted to say that it was too late to ask for mercy now since the last channel to the Demon Realm was already lost.


    No one could forcefully connect to the realm without paying a heavy price, and he decided to put this price on Asmir''s head.


    Even if he failed, he would simply refine this dimension at his leisure without any distractions, which is faster than waiting for the fusion to be completed.


    However, he didn''t expect Asmir''s voice to echo out, "This seat agrees to your conditions!"


    Dawnson was stunned. What conditions? Didn''t you listen to a word I said? It''s too late now!


    Dawnson was about to speak when something unbelievable happened.


    A portal opened next to Asmir. Dawnson couldn''t believe his eyes, and he began to doubt himself.


    However, a heavy aura exploded out from the portal, accompanied by an unbearable feeling of bloodline suppression.


    "M-master¡­?" Dawnson almost fell to his knees, but he quickly realized that something was amiss.


    This feeling wasn''t right, but he couldn''t put his finger on it. The feeling was there but the essence seemed.. lacking?


    While he was lost in thoughts, a young man wreathed in black hellfire stepped out from the portal, a layer of haze concealing his features.


    No matter how Dawnson tried, he couldn''t see through the mist. However, Dawnson quickly realized that this stranger''s face wasn''t the issue here.


    Rather, what condition was Asmir talking about?

 Chapter 100 - 100: Innate Abilities

    Standing by Asmir''s side, Hiro looked no different from an ant with his current body.


    However, it was this ant that drew everyone''s attention, and for no other reason than his ability to open up a portal under such circumstances.


    "You guys are huge," Hiro murmured, looking around with interest. Then, he sized up Asmir in awe. He hadn''t expected her true body to be so massive.


    Last time he recorded the coordinates of this pocket dimension, he didn''t get the chance to meet her true body.


    Of course, he exposed the fact that the Unfathomables can get their hands on any coordinates as long as they visit any space at least once.


    If Asmir wanted to guarantee her secrecy in the future, she had to find a new pocket dimension for herself.


    The black tiger, the fish, and the whale surrounded Asmir and Hiro, but their eyes were locked on the latter.


    "Who are you?" Dawnson asked in a low voice, his tone undoubtedly authoritative, if not threatening.


    Hiro followed the voice and when he saw the massive humanoid demon shrouded in darkness, he ignored him.


    Hiro looked at Asmir and asked, "Do you need any help? My time is limited."


    Asmir''s eyes flickered as she asked tentatively, "Can you keep that one under control? This seat can act without worries to finish off these lowly things first."


    Hiro raised an eyebrow. "You don''t want me to kill him?"


    Hiro didn''t believe that he could not kill the current Asmir in an isolated environment like this one. Furthermore, if Asmir had the time to chat, it meant that the other party''s strength wasn''t much stronger than her.


    "Killing him isn''t worth the consequence," Asmir responded quickly. "Unless you''re willing to take responsibility and help this seat again in the future."


    Hiro moved his eyes away from Asmir and replied lightly, "It''s not up to me. Rules are rules, and I''m following them."


    Asmir lowered her head and looked at the young man. She didn''t say anything, but she understood that this answer hinted at something. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    For example, Hiro''s quota had yet to expire.


    Of course, there was no such quota to begin with. Hiro only said that to increase his own value, and because he didn''t want to be exhausted to death helping Asmir handle these matters.


    Dawnson''s killing intent flared up again at being ignored, and just as he was about to make a move, Hiro''s figure blurred.


    He left the encirclement of the three Stronghold Lords easily, appearing in front of Dawnson.


    "Little guy¡­" Dawnson wanted to berate Hiro harshly, but his voice was caught in his throat.


    That''s because the hellfire around Hiro boiled up uncontrollably, blooming into a sea of black flames behind his back.


    The upper body of a humanoid silhouette climbed from the sea of black flames, and other than the obscured face which resembled a slate of emptiness, his body seemed like an enlarged version of Hiro''s current body.


    As the silhouette stood straight, tongues of black flames danced about, condensing into an alternate form of the Infinite Sword Matrix.


    At first, Dawnson was shocked by the display, but he quickly realized that this energy didn''t contain a hint of faith energy.


    In a sense, this was pure demonic essence, not divine energy.


    He frowned, wondering if this stranger was holding back on purpose to play a defensive battle.


    As for Hiro, his thoughts were simple.


    During his synchronization state, his energy was nigh infinite. Of course, that doesn''t include faith energy, as the system couldn''t generate faith energy for some reason.


    If he used faith energy, he''d have to draw it from the universe hall.


    To be blunt about it, Hiro''s faith energy was insufficient to contend against these behemoths who had countless demons at their beck and call.


    However, as Dawnson had guessed, Hiro was planning to play the defensive game by spamming his ability to condense energy attacks from his limitless pool of energy.


    A black sword whizzed over, striking at Dawnson''s forehead.


    Dawnson grunted coldly and waved his hand forward, projecting a demonic essence claw.


    Bang!


    The two attacks met in mid-air, canceling out one another as they shattered into motes of demonic essence.


    Hiro waved his hand, and a vortex with great suction force formed in his palm. The force acted on the motes of energy, devouring it whole.


    Hiro clenched his fists, nodding.


    "I almost forgot," Hiro raised his head and looked back, quickly locating the deformed body of the demonic imp, Valdmor.


    He waved his hand, and a rain of black swords descended onto the imp''s body.


    "Impudent!" Dawnson screamed, his voice imbued with great energy. However, the massive silhouette snapped his fingers, causing another shockwave to ripple out.


    This one was also infused with a huge amount of demonic essence, easily overpowering Dawnson''s attack.


    "Are you mad?!" Dawnson''s forehead throbbed from anger, feeling exasperated.


    This person spent demonic essence like water, and he didn''t even bother using demonic energy of lower quality.


    Dawnson didn''t know how much demonic essence this person had in their body, but recovering demonic essence was very difficult, unlike demonic energy.


    In the meantime, the swords descended onto Valdmor''s body, tearing him apart.


    Boom!


    A cloud of demonic energy and demonic essence exploded out, together with a surge of faith energy.


    The spectacle was breathtaking as the different energies intertwined, but it was a short-lived phenomenon.


    All of that energy was sucked away by Hiro from a distance, taking full advantage of his ability''s increased range during the synchronization state.


    Curse you! Curse you! Curse you¡­


    As the energy dissipated, everyone heard a shrill scream. Hiro was more than a little surprised, "This guy was alive?"


    Thinking about it, this imp mastered the laws of illusions, so it didn''t seem too surprising that he could have fooled the perception of everyone else.


    Asmir seemed to have arrived at a similar conclusion, but she didn''t care. Even if he mounted a sneak attack on her, he wouldn''t have been able to harm her.


    Noticing that Hiro had been able to block Dawnson from interfering with her battlefield, she no longer held back.


    Her low voice echoed out, "I''ve been using causality laws for so long, it appears as though you little things have forgotten about this seat''s true power."


    Her white fur glowed with nine shades, the brightest of colors concentrated on her tails as they glowed gray, blue, green, red, gold, transparent, black, white, and purple.


    Furthermore, her pupils turned into multicolored vortices that spun rapidly, quickly expanding and occupying her irises, followed by her eyes.


    As Asmir''s aura spiked up, she disregarded faith energy completely, focusing on the use of her demonic essence and the innate talent of her race.


    "What''s going on?" Asked the massive fish, feeling frightened.


    "Don''t act recklessly!" Dawnson shouted from behind, sounding anxious. "That''s the innate ability of her race, the Nine Arts, but she can''t maintain for long! Stall for time!"


    Hiro was curious, so he looked back to check.


    An innate ability? Hiro mulled over it, because he remembered how Sitri had his own innate abilities in the game.


    Purgatory Domain, Bone Sword, and the Bone Armor. The strength of those abilities was proportional to Sitri''s level, but they were ridiculously overpowered within the same power level.


    He now understood why the summoning token for pure blood Nine-Tailed Demon Fox from the system was so expensive.


    "Can they stall this seat?" Asmir asked with unbridled disdain. Obviously, Dawnson thought too much of his underlinings.


    "You spent your time and resources nurturing them and their respective strongholds for this day, thinking that you''ve provided them with great power," Asmir continued in a harsh tone of ridicule. "Someone on your level ought to know that transparent power is no true power."


    Dawnson had nothing to say. He should have expected Asmir to pull such a move after what she did to Giant.


    Even now, that fool was crossing the ocean on foot, trying to move his stronghold from the sea to the land.


    Dawnson could have helped him, but he was too disappointed and infuriated with that guy.


    Even with divine energy, he couldn''t handle a projected clone of Asmir''s, not to mention losing his stronghold in the aftermath of the battle.


    Seeing Hiro getting a little distracted, Dawnson''s body blurred as he moved like lightning.


    In a moment, he circumvented Hiro and was racing toward Asmir who was preparing to cast a powerful demonic art.


    "Die!"


    Dawnson stretched his hand and swatted down. From above, the space cracked like glass, a black claw falling from the void.


    "How troublesome," Hiro murmured.


    Just as the claw was about to smash into Asmir''s back, her instincts screamed danger.


    She turned back to look, but she saw nothing.


    Well, there was something.


    An expanse of darkness was this close to engulfing her figure, and this stretch of darkness covered the other half of her pocket dimension.


    "Don''t worry about this guy," Hiro''s voice drifted into her mind. "I can bury him alive with demonic essence if I wanted to."

 Chapter 101 - 101: The Vessel

    As he said, Hiro allowed the purgatory domain to descend onto this space, confining Dawnson within.


    Unless he expended a greater volume of demonic essence to break the domain, it was impossible to escape.


    Of course, he could use divine energy to try, but said energy was precious¡ªespecially in an isolated space like this one.


    So, Dawnson had no choice but to obediently accept this loss and wait for Asmir to finish off his pets.


    In the darkness of the Purgatory Domain, Dawnson was going mad.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Explosions sounded everywhere as he blasted off with his demonic arts.


    He even reverted to his original body, a massive demon with twelve arms and six black wings, striking randomly at the space around him.


    However, it was useless.


    Dawnson didn''t know this but all energy-based attacks were soundlessly devoured by Hiro''s innate divine power of gluttony, while the force from his physical attacks wasn''t enough to shatter the Purgatory Domain.


    As for divine energy, Dawnson''s faith energy wasn''t sufficient to generate divine energy.


    Not everyone was like Hiro who had an immaterial domain. Hiro''s domain existed between dimensions, and it wouldn''t be blocked by obscure concepts such as distance and time.


    Thinking about it, Hiro started his path to divinity with a greater foundation than most Paranormals.


    The pocket dimension with near-infinite growth potential, the immaterial domain that bypassed space-time, and the various tools provided by the system''s reward mechanism.


    Even in a world without special powers, the existence of his quantum watch and the accompanying artificial intelligence, Ei, was a great cheat in and of itself.


    From a high altitude vantage point, Hiro sat cross-legged with a hand resting on his chin as he watched silently.


    He had to admit that home-field advantages were something scary. If he fought Dawnson within the latter''s stronghold, the situation would have been reversed at the moment.


    Hiro felt regret at the fact that he couldn''t see what''s happening outside the domain to witness the full strength of Asmir, as he was plenty curious about her innate abilities.


    "Should I kill this guy?" Hiro lifted his head and looked over, musing at his options for the moment.


    There wasn''t much to be gained from this guy. Well, he could milk him dry of demonic essence and maybe whatever faith energy he had left.


    Asmir said not to kill him, but she didn''t mention anything about incapacitating him. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Perhaps she thought that I''d do great if I could stall him at the very least? After making up his mind, Hiro pressed his hand down.


    His five fingers snapped with an audible crack that haunts the ears. Then, the five fingers morphed into five bone swords with a swirling miasma of demonic energy around them.


    In the silent darkness, they stabbed out during a crucial moment of weakness while Dawnson was absorbed in his tirade of madness.


    Pfft! Pfff! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!


    Dawnson felt the five bone swords stabbing into his flesh, wedged into five of his vital organs with great ease.


    It wasn''t painful at all, actually. However, Dawnson felt uneasy, and one of his hands moved in an attempt to find these swords.


    However, they were so small¡ªlike needles or shards of wooden splinters. He could feel them, but he couldn''t pinpoint their position with great accuracy.


    Just as Dawnson was wondering whether or not to rip out his five organs altogether, Hiro clenched his bloodied fist.


    "Devour," he whispered gently.


    The five fingers buzzed, each transforming into a tiny vortex with an insane suction force acting on the demonic energy, demonic essence, and whatever remnants of faith energy were left inside Dawnson''s body.


    Roar!


    Dawnson immediately felt the change and the sudden pain of having his energy ripped off from his body.


    He grew even more violent, and as he thrashed about, he began shouting nonsense¡ªmerely grasping at straws.


    "What did Asmir promise you?! I''ll double the offer! No, I''ll triple it!


    "Where did you come from?! Do you know who I am? Don''t you know who stands behind me?! This idealistic woman will drag the demon race into oblivion!


    "Whatever promises she made, who can guarantee that she''ll follow through on her words?! Let me tell you, she''s all on her own unless she decides to repent to the Master!


    "Ugh! What are you doing?! Let me go you fucking peasant! Fight me fair and square you coward!


    "I''m unwilling to accept this! I''M UNWILLING!!!"


    ¡­


    Alas, it was futile.


    Hiro pursed his lips. As long as Asmir was on her own, then Hiro would benefit.


    What can he do with a clan of powerful demons of such a long lineage? Rope them all into his pitiful pocket dimension?


    He wanted to build his force in preparation for the war of the New World as soon as possible.


    He didn''t care if he added demons to his banner because he didn''t inherit this world''s prejudice against them.


    Dawnson''s body shriveled up at an alarming rate and the bone swords inside his body turned from pale white to purplish-black with lines of golden script etched over them.


    At this moment, Hiro''s five fingers recovered and his hand seemed brand new.


    Conversely¡ªas Dawnson''s body shrank, the five bone swords increased in size.


    Soon, five slender long swords stabbed out from Dawnson''s humanoid body, like an intricate cross of bone spurs, pinning his body into the void.


    Purple blood dripped from his wounds and fell into the darkness. Dawnson''s lips moved, his voice was hoarse and unrecognizable.


    Looking at the five bone swords that underwent a weird mutation, Hiro kept the sword stabbed into Dawnson''s heart and recalled the other four.


    Looking at the four bone swords disappearing into the darkness, Dawnson''s eyes flickered with helplessness and anger.


    Whenever he tried to muster up a lick of energy, the sword would devour it whole.


    ¡­


    High above, Hiro sat cross-legged and surveyed the mutated bone swords and the lines of inscription on their bodies.


    He wondered if this had anything to do with Dawnson''s bloodline, but he decided that this wasn''t the time to study them.


    After thinking for a moment, Hiro tried to store them in the system inventory.


    [Notice]: Detected Mutated Bone Swords with a unique quality. Their forms had deviated from the original, and so, a sufficient cost of achievement points will be deducted if you wish to store them in the system''s inventory.


    12,000 achievement points will be deducted.


    ¡­


    Hiro looked at the notification. If he did the math, each sword would require 3,000 points.


    Since it was rare to encounter someone on Dawnson''s level, Hiro confirmed the transaction without hesitation.


    The four swords shone with a golden light and disappeared, reappearing inside his inventory space next to the mass enlightenment scroll and two game vouchers.


    "Should I absorb some of his consciousness to strengthen my clone?" Hiro mulled over it for a moment and shook his head.


    It wasn''t worth it.


    He closed his eyes and waited paternity.


    As he waited, Hiro wondered about the situation in the outside world and the current war effort.


    However, no matter how dire the situation was outside, the bottom line remains that as long as Asmir was alive, everything was fine.


    ¡­


    It was a living hell in the stronghold.


    The walls were breached on two fronts and the four armies of the enemies found their way into the stronghold.


    Like locusts, they plundered and killed their way through the various districts one street at a time.


    The black raven, two demon generals, and Paimon''s mother were backed into a corner as they stood before the Demon Tower.


    Surrounded on all sides, the four of them split up to guard the four cardinal directions respectively.


    On the other side, the leaders of the Great Demon families lined up together with the golden eagle, the traitor demon general, and a few other powerful demons.


    It may seem like a standoff at the moment, but the black raven knew that things weren''t looking good.


    "Give up, Crow! Save yourself some time and dignity by coming over to this side as early as possible. Perhaps, the Master will find it in him to forgive you for the sake of your rare bloodline."


    The black raven, now a blazing ball of crimson flames, spread his wings wide and screeched loudly, "Caw! You fucking traitor, shut up!"


    "Why bother? Can''t you see the bigger picture? Asmir can''t survive this crisis no matter how brilliant she is¡­"


    "Is this seat''s name something you can spout from your mouth?" A light voice echoed from the Demon Tower, drawing everyone''s attention.


    At first, they were shocked by the tone, and as they looked over, the black raven couldn''t believe his eyes.


    "Y-you¡­"


    A petite demon girl with long black hair and a pair of purple horns on her forehead walked over from the depths of the Demon Tower.


    The tower suffered many wounds on this day, and she was walking through one of the chasms that marred its structure.


    The black raven remembered this girl as the demonic vessel used to seal the minor realm fragment, but he couldn''t understand what she was doing here.


    Furthermore, that tone¡­ It sounded very much like the tone of Lord Asmir¡­


    The black raven was confused, What''s going on?

 Chapter 102 - 102: The Curtain Falls

    As she walked over, her petite stature slowly increased, transforming into a mature woman in seconds.


    Then, her skin split as motes of light sprinkled out, quickly bathing her in a screen of holy energy and obscuring her from the viewers'' eyes.


    It couldn''t be helped¡ªbone spurs jutted from her elbows, shoulder blades, and calves. They tore at her clothes, and if not for the obscuring light, her body would have been unduly exposed.


    "What do you know? This girl''s bloodline makes for a perfect vessel. This seat should thank Dawnson when the chance presents itself," said the woman.


    No, at the moment, she was Asmir, the lord of the stronghold.


    If things went according to Dawnson''s plans, this girl''s body would have been destroyed by the energy from the minor realm fragment back then.


    It''s just that they hadn''t accounted for Hiro''s innate divine ability of gluttony that canceled out the fuse between demonic essence and the energy contained within the fragment.


    By the time Asmir arrived, all she had to do was use her laws of causality to restrain the minor realm fragment with the properties of Hiro''s innate divine ability.


    Although she couldn''t investigate said power because of the system''s concealment features, she could make use of it.


    It took some time, but she later extracted the influence of the minor realm fragment from the girl''s body. Then, although cruel, Asmir refined her body into a vessel for the projected clone.


    This race of demons went extinct precisely because their bloodline made them into perfect power vessels, especially for those who fear death.


    Asmir didn''t fear death, but she didn''t wish to arrive in the nick of time when her stronghold was on the verge of collapse either.


    Between the life of a stranger and her countless years of effort, the choice was simple.


    Thus, Asmir didn''t even bother with worthless threats and empty talks.


    She gently raised a hand and lowered it. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Buzz!


    Thin threads¡ªmillions of them¡ªcrisscrossed into the void, filling the stronghold''s airspace and alleyways.


    "Not good!"


    It was unknown who shouted, but it didn''t matter. With a flip of Asmir''s palm, the situation took a drastic change.


    As faith energy poured down from the sky and onto the stronghold, divine energy shone brilliantly to reinforce the countless strings.


    All damage done to the stronghold from the start of this long war seemed to fade gradually at an accelerated pace.


    The demon generals and the heads of the Great Demon families found themselves locked onto by a thread each, and this thread connected to the intricate network mapping out the entire stronghold.


    They dashed away, entered temporary subspace, and attacked the threads¡ªit was useless.


    The more damage was restored from the stronghold, the stronger the sense of foreboding each of them felt.


    Asmir watched them scurrying chaotically through the sky with cold indifference.


    Her lowered palm squeezed into a fist, and all of a sudden, the stronghold was robbed of all sound and color.


    Darkness descended, and in the silence, flashes of golden light streaked across in the form of a golden web of threads.


    Muffled explosions resounded in the darkness, accompanied by grunts of pain.


    A while later, the veil of darkness was lifted.


    The black raven, Paimon''s mother, and the other two generals looked around them in a daze.


    The stronghold returned to its state as though the entire war was but an illusion.


    No buildings were damaged, no streets were destroyed¡ªeven the Demon Tower stood tall and erect without a scratch.


    However, a beautiful nebula of blood and purplish-black miasma hung in the skies above the stronghold, a deep stench of blood carried by the wind.


    The hand holding onto the umbrella shook uncontrollably as Paimon''s mother surveyed the area. Then, after taking a deep breath, she left.


    As it turned out, Lord Asmir wasn''t sealed after all, and her clone obtained an independent body capable of independent thoughts.


    What a joke, what a joke¡­


    ¡­


    Bzzt!


    A huge portal opened inside Asmir''s library, and her true body walked out. Her white fur was drenched in blood, but it wasn''t her own.


    Hiro walked out from the same portal, followed by an unconscious Dawnson who was impaled on the bone sword.


    The moment the portal closed, Hiro canceled off the synchronization while switching up the cosmetics on his body.


    Noticing the sharp decline in the aura, Asmir turned to look. With a thud, Hiro fell to both knees, propping himself up with both hands while gasping.


    Asmir frowned. It seemed like this method of projecting power onto another''s body had a detrimental effect on Hiro''s body.


    However, when she thought about it, this also made sense. After thinking for a moment, her nine tails swished over, a wave of energy carried the incapacitated Dawnson as their figures disappeared.


    She didn''t say anything to Hiro, leaving him behind to rest.


    After Asmir left, Hiro relaxed his body and went to lie down on the floor, his limbs spread eagle, and his eyes staring upward.


    A few minutes later, Hiro closed his eyes and his consciousness drifted. Since he was expected to rest, he would do just that.


    ¡­


    Simulation Space, Draconia.


    The moment Hiro opened his eyes, what greeted him was a horde of monsters trampling over the residents of a small town.


    Hiro''s character, Diego, was overseeing the brutal display while standing on a high hill in the distance.


    He wasn''t alone, though.


    The current vice-leader of his guild¡ªa third-rate guild¡ªstood in front of him.


    A host of guild members were with them, and all of them watched the onslaught silently while waiting for their orders.


    "Should we make our move now? I can''t bear to watch this massacre unfold," one of the guild members said, his knuckles turning white.


    "It''s useless even if we go now," Hiro immediately rejected the idea. "The second-rate guilds are on their way, and dealing with the monsters is their mission. Our mission is to evacuate the people when the fighting is in full swing, not to attack prematurely and serve as worthless sacrifices."


    "Is your heart made of stone, Diego?!" Shouted that guild member, about to draw his sword and attack right there and then.


    Hiro didn''t even bother looking at him.


    Was his heart made of stone? Possibly.


    His objective in this game was to overthrow the human rule, anyway. Furthermore, he understood that this was all but a simulated fantasy.


    He couldn''t be bothered with growing attached to these people anymore.


    It was difficult at first, but his heart was slowly growing numb. No matter how realistic these people, creatures, and worlds were. At the end of the day, they were just a fantasy.


    At times, Hiro wondered if his entire transmigration was also a deeper fantasy orchestrated by the system.


    However, those thoughts wouldn''t get him anywhere, so Hiro didn''t bother with them.


    As things stood, it wouldn''t take long before Asmir helped him establish his footing in the Demon Realm, even if it was the empty position of a Stronghold Lord under her name.


    Hiro wanted to swim in his thoughts for a moment when he felt a shift in the air currents around his body.


    Before he could react, he felt a fist smashing into his left cheek, snapping him from his daze.


    Bang!


    A muffled sound of air exploding rang out as Hiro was launched back from the punch, his body crashing into a huge boulder to the side.


    Hiro shook his head, feeling as though he could see stars. Then, he spat out a mouthful of saliva mixed in blood, slowly extracting himself from the blunder.


    Crack! Crack!


    Hiro shook his shoulders and snapped his neck back in place, then moved his hand to fix his dislocated jaw.


    "Ugh," Hiro groaned, opened and closed his mouth, then sighed in relief. "That hurt a little, I saw my life flashing through my eyes for a moment back there."


    Seeing the man about to lose his mind, the vice-leader extended a hand and spoke in an authoritative voice, "Enough! Diego is looking after the bigger picture, that''s all! You don''t need to feel so agitated."


    Hiro understood the vice leader''s intentions and didn''t mind playing the devil''s advocate in this situation.


    He said while stretching, "You can jump into the fray now, save maybe a dozen more people before you die. Then, hundreds more will die in the chaos of the great battle that will follow¡­ Or, let them go through this tribulation of life or death on their own, and focus on your mission.


    Their lives aren''t your responsibility, your life is, and our lives are the vice-leader''s responsibility. You can act bravely but not rashly, you can act willfully but not irresponsibly, you can sacrifice yourself for your cause but don''t drag your friends and family with you. That''s just selfish."


    After he finished talking, Hiro touched his lower jaw and smiled. "Mhm, my mouth isn''t broken after all. I don''t like being long-winded, but I had to make sure I haven''t lost out much from that punch, comrade."


    The vice-leader nodded approvingly after hearing what Hiro had to say. This way, no one will blame him or call him cold-hearted for not helping.


    He decided to promote Hiro to become his right-hand man in the future. Such talent would be wasted in the lower-ranked squadrons of the guild.

 Chapter 103 - 103: Three Years

    Although Hiro'' explanation sounded reasonable, everyone had a streak of irrationality in them, espionage when it came to matters of life and death.


    Thus, while the vice-leader decided to call it a day, some of the guild members who agreed with the other members started exhibiting signs of hesitation.


    The vice-leader frowned, while Hiro received a notification of two choices.


    Choice 1: Disregard your mission profile and descend the hill, achieving great merits to draw the attention of stronger guilds.


    Choice 2: Keep to your rational train of thought and dissuade as many members as possible from committing to the suicidal operation, which will result in unpredictable consequences as your reputation suffers.


    You have 5 seconds to decide¡­


    ¡­


    The world around Hiro turned gray and slow and a countdown timer appeared in front of him.


    After looking at the options, he seamlessly selected the second option, and time resumed naturally.


    After he selected the option, the vice-leader looked his way and said, "Diego''s analysis is sound, and I won''t risk the lives of my comrades for strangers. The association sent evacuation notices to these people seven days early."


    His meaning was clear. Since they had been warned, they could only blame themselves for being obstinate.


    Nonetheless, some people have a stroke of heroism in their blood, and they wouldn''t sit back and watch as people of their race fell victim to beasts.


    After a heated discussion, they split into two groups. The first group would stay and wait for reinforcements while the other group would descend the hill to help the townsfolk.


    The second group would sign their names on a parchment that would relieve the vice-leader, and in extension, the guild itself from any and all responsibility for their casualties or even deaths.


    This was of course proposed by Hiro and approved by the vice-leader.


    And, just as Hiro expected, a few "hot-blooded" guild members cooled down after this parchment came out, and they defected to the first group.


    Where there was a first, a second would follow. Thus, only four people remained in the group from the original eleven.


    The vice leader nodded approvingly. If eleven out of twenty-five members split from the team, he''d find it difficult to explain himself even if he had the written agreement in hand.


    What kind of a team leader couldn''t control half of his team? However, Hiro''s move was a stroke of genius.


    Now that they would have to pay for the repair cost, equipment fees, and possibly treatment fees for potential wounds from their personal savings, the net profit no longer covered the costs.


    Who was so selfless nowadays? That was an absolute joke.


    Do they want riches and fame all at once? Pure fantasy.


    Of course, these people who pulled out at the last minute felt ashamed of themselves, and what was a better outlet for their hatred other than Hiro?


    Thus, Hiro gained himself a solid haters fan club with eleven registered members off the bat.


    The vice-leader stored the four agreements in his storage pouch, patted it lightly, and cleared his throat.


    "You mean leave now," he said in a solemn tone. "I hope you don''t regret the decisions you made today, and I pray for your safe return. This cold world needs more people like you."


    Although his tone was awe-inspiring, everyone else knew that it was just a show of hands.


    The vice-leader had a reputation to maintain, after all. Furthermore, no one can read minds and record whatever goes on inside them, so who can tell if it''s sincere or not?


    When these words reach the public ear, no one would question them. In fact, they would even commend his rational and strategic thinking, coupled with his magnanimity.


    With the written agreements in hand, he had solid evidence that he didn''t push anyone against their will on this suicidal mission.


    After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Hiro seamlessly moved to stand one step behind the vice-leader, fitting into the role of a "lackey".


    The vice-leader crossed his arms on his chest and didn''t say anything.


    The twenty-five-man team was now a twenty-one-man team, excluding the vice-leader.


    This lineup was enough to complete the mission.


    After thinking about it, the other team members realized that their share of the profits would now increase since the number of profiteers decreased.


    So, the group soon forgot about the distasteful episode and focused on preparing their equipment, magical enchantments, armor, and weapons.


    The vice-leader and Hiro stood on the edge of the hill and watched silently as the beasts wreaked havoc.


    The vice-leader glanced at Hiro''s expression from the corner of his eyes, and his heart trembled a little.


    Hiro''s eyes were dull and bored, as though he wasn''t watching an ongoing massacre but a drama play, a deathly boring one at that.


    Clearly, he wasn''t the type to lose sleep after sacrificing the lives of tens or even hundreds of his brethren.


    For a moment, he began to hesitate if he should keep such a cold-blooded person by his side. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡­


    Time passed.


    After that one mission, Hiro secured himself a footing in the third-rate guild, but his reputation wasn''t that good.


    Not many among his comrades and leaders looked for him for cooperation or missions, which delayed his progress of collecting materials for the necessary awakening potions.


    That changed when the first person approached him for a black deal under the table.


    Since Hiro gave off the nihilistic, cold-blooded feeling, many had thought about using him for underhanded deals.


    For example, dark organizations, fallen nobility, and even terrorists from rivaling nations and dark guilds.


    Hiro didn''t care about anything else as long as he got paid. Thus, he slowly transitioned into becoming a tool to execute shady business.


    Although there wasn''t any evidence of his activities, those in the know weren''t stupid.


    When the pressure on the higher-ups of the third-rate guild grew too much, they decided to kick him out from the guild.


    They''d have killed him if he wasn''t backed by a mysterious and powerful character who needed Hiro''s service.


    As for Hiro, he developed the habit of not completing the current mission unless he received a new mission from a different backer of equal or higher status than his current employer.


    This way, he could preserve his life while dancing on the edge of this dangerous blade.


    Like this, he plundered, killed, massacred, burned, kidnapped, infiltrated, sabotaged, rescued, protected, groomed, lectured, and took part in many jobs of the trade.


    Hiro had no idea how many enemies or allies he created in these short few months of playing Draconia, but whenever he wasn''t playing the game, he would request Asmir for demonic cores for his personal training.


    Time passed like this and in the blink of an eye, three years passed in the real world.


    In the aftermath of such a destructive war of unprecedented casualties; four Stronghold Lords and millions of demons¡ªa great shuffling of power followed.


    Asmir spent a lot of time on legislative and reformation policies, preaching her future vision of the demon world to her new territory.


    Waves of demons were sent out to clear the lands surrounding the four strongholds to allow for safe trade routes between the five strongholds, Asmir''s territory included.


    Hiro didn''t know much about the outside world in these three years, but ten times that time had passed in the game world.


    During these thirty years, Diego''s bloodline awakening had reached a critical point, and he started to grasp the feeling of a certain calling.


    At this moment, he awakened his affinity to space, and this affinity brought him the feeling that a certain hidden space was awaiting his arrival.


    If Hiro speculated correctly, it was supposed to be the realm where the descendants of the mythical creatures hid and waited for an opportunity to strike back at the traitorous magical beasts.


    It would be the start of a new chapter in the plot, ignited by the return of the sacred beasts.


    Well, their descendants at the very least.


    However, Hiro wasn''t in a rush.


    Since he understood the progression of the plot, he decided to build up a shell guild where he could seamlessly integrate the descendants of the sacred beasts without drawing the attention of humans.


    It wasn''t any different from money laundering schemes in the human world.


    Furthermore, he was currently strong enough to conceal his traces from past enemies and employers, especially those with deep and dark secrets.


    Every day was an exciting dance with death in the shadows. Hiro enjoyed this style of life very much.


    Honestly, Hiro felt confused about his identity at certain times.


    Was he a beast in human skin? Was he a human in beast skin?


    Both are correct while both are wrong.


    This philosophical question unnerved Hiro on many occasions, but he didn''t care.


    ¡­


    In the dimly lit library, Hiro opened his eyes and stood up to stretch his body.


    After a sound round of stretching, he checked his current status.


    Name: Hiro.


    Race: Demon.


    Bloodline: N/A.


    Level: 61.


    XP: 98%


    Divine Abilities: Infinite Sword Matrix, Nine Clones Secret Technique, Divine Perception, Guide to Mortal Combat, Martial Instinct¡­


    AP: 18,000,000.


    Gems: 9.


    Skills: Immersive Reading, Professional Calligraphy, Analytical Mind, Professional Combat, Professional Soccer, Espionage IV, Telepathy.


    Inventory: Mutated Bone Sword (4), Lvl. 1 Mass Enlightenment Scroll, Game Voucher (2).

 Chapter 104 - 104: Lord Sitri

    It goes without saying that Hiro discovered another limitation on his achievement points after he started saving up.


    If his source of points was faith energy, there was a hard restriction that he could only harvest 500,000 points per month, while the rest was attributed to the river of faith energy directly.


    Nonetheless, stocking up on 18 million points in three years was good enough for him.


    He hadn''t expected a completed game would take so much of his time, and he would only enter the final phase of the game after three decades of hard grinding.


    Hiro brought up his hand.


    The reward for completing the game, Return of the Demon Ancestor, appeared in his hand.


    "Should I use this now or wait for a while?"


    Honestly speaking, after living in the Demon Realm for three years and his frequent contact with Asmir, Hiro didn''t have any inhibitions against coexisting with demons.


    In the past, he couldn''t bring himself to separate an area of his pocket dimension for demonic energy and demons, mainly because he didn''t want to explain himself to the prospective members of the Unfathomables.


    However, after witnessing how Asmir carried herself as a lord, Hiro understood that he didn''t need to explain himself at all.


    It was his dimension and his territory, so he didn''t need to give way to anyone.


    ¡­


    Human world, Nexus Country.


    Under Arabella''s lead, Sciatis Holdings Limited took full advantage of the virtual reality game, Seeker''s Legend.


    Following the schedule and after the VR Helmet technology was reverse-engineered to 80%, the company released the Demon Ancestor open beta on the Western Hemisphere servers and the closed beta on the Eastern Hemisphere servers.


    With the connections from Nebula Electronics and the trade routes from Wind Blessed, the promotions for the expansion pack and the prospect of regional servers were hyped to the extreme.


    These must have been the busiest three years of Arabella''s short life, and only she knew how many assassination attempts she survived.


    With Juvia helping her from behind the scenes in the last year, many governmental policies were issued in succession to smooth out Arabella''s operations in the capital.


    Yes, Juvia was now in a leadership position in the capital, and although her position was low in the grand scheme of things, she had amassed many favors from higher-ranking leaders.


    It was easy to accomplish after she "accidentally" revealed her identity as a Paranormal to a leader who was on good terms with her.


    Intelligent, beautiful, and endowed with supernatural powers¡ªthe government couldn''t turn down someone with such prospects.


    Although Juvia lost most of her ordinary connections due to high-security protocol measures, she was still capable of helping Arabella.


    Furthermore, the two weren''t worried about getting caught because their scheme spanned the entire gaming industry.


    It was without a doubt that the S-gear technology pushed for the development of gaming platforms, and when Juvia expressed her stance to support the gaming platform as a whole¡ªespecially with the time dilation breakthrough as the core of her argument¡ªno one would think that she''s deliberately helping the Sciatis Holdings Limited.


    Moreover, their investigations revealed that the owner of the company wasn''t even present at his own company, and he contacted his employees through a secure cloud network.


    After the cooperation between the company and the Committee of Commerce was terminated, Ei hacked into their systems and deleted all data related to Hiro''s true identity, together with hundreds of classified documents.


    The least of everyone''s worries was the lost data¡ªthey were more concerned about the hacker''s ability to get past their advanced firewalls and thrash their servers.


    All in all, many factors played a key role in the expansion of Hiro''s company, and the most clear of them all was the impending war of dimensions.


    ¡­


    "Battle Priestess Berlin," a soft voice called out from nowhere in particular. "Have you let go of your obsessions?"


    Bathed in divine energy, Berlin slowly opened her eyes. Seated on a high platform with numerous statues of benevolent, merciful entities, a tight frown adorned her face.


    An indistinct silhouette appeared in her mind, but it was fuzzy and unclear.


    "I''m not obsessed," Berlin spoke with seven parts doubt and three parts conviction. "I remember clearly¡ªsomeone helped me on that day, and I''m sure they''re somehow connected to the Babylon incident!"


    "Enough!" the voice resounded, and this time, it exhibited a sense of grandiose and profound majesty.


    "If you persist in your ways even after meditation on the sacred platform for an entire year, you leave me no choice but to crucify you and let you experience eighty-one days of purification in divine flames."


    Berlin shuddered, and she bit her bottom lip as a searing headache wrenched her thoughts.


    After so much time had passed and there wasn''t a sign of Babylon''s presence, the Holy Church and the Government were losing patience.


    They believed that at most, that person was just passing by or he didn''t exist to begin with.


    One had to know that the information network of the Holy Church covered the entire Western and Eastern Hemispheres, especially after the so-called unification of religions.


    It was an unprecedented alliance of powers that gathered countless schools of thought in one place.


    "We''ve allowed you to investigate the Rosch family and their activities in the past three decades, and we overlooked it when you touched some of their bottom lines.


    "Although the Rosch is just one Paranormal family, how many families are there in the capital and the Nexus Country, let alone the entire Western Hemisphere?


    "Trust me, some people are more anxious to find Babylon and the so-called Unfathomables than we are."


    Sigh¡­


    Berlin lowered her head, clenching her fists till her knuckles turned white.


    "We will send you to overlook some of our branches overseas, make sure the evacuation of our devoted believers is done smoothly. This world will soon experience a huge change, and Tier-4 powerhouses will no longer be restricted from taking action.


    "We''ve come to an understanding with Master Osmond, and we will leave the capital to him. Whatever happens here, it''s between him and the government, so our presence here is redundant.


    "Little girl, some things can no longer be kept a secret from the public''s eyes, and during these times of unrest, it''s our duty as the Lords'' representatives to bring light and salvation to the lost. If you''re confused, how can you guide others?


    "If you don''t wake up from your confused state of mind in one week, you leave me no other choice¡­"


    The voice faded, and the divine energy disappeared.


    Soon, the room descended into darkness.


    Bang!


    In the darkness, the sound of heavy punches and cracking stones echoed out.


    ¡­


    Demon Realm.


    Hiro, disguised as Sitri with his cosmetics, arrived at the throne room where the high staircase bathed in divine light was situated.


    He looked up, sensing the great power from above. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Your progress has surprised this seat," Asmir''s voice descended, calm and soothing.


    Hiro smiled faintly and tucked his hands away into the pockets of his pants.


    "It''s nothing," Hiro responded lightly, sounding very humble. "I''ll be departing to my stronghold later today, but I was wondering if you had any instructions in mind for me."


    "This seat has a few things to tell you, now that you''ve mentioned it," Asmir didn''t know why Hiro waited for three years before taking the post as a Stronghold Lord, but she contributed it to his lacking strength.


    Now that he was a Tier-4 powerhouse, he was indeed qualified to oversee a stronghold.


    "This seat is strong enough to overlook the little schemes of my subjects, but you''re different. Hence, you should exhibit caution when selecting your generals and trusted advisors in your new stronghold.


    "Another matter, if you feel like expanding your influence with conquests in the future, it''s fine as long as you don''t encroach upon this seat''s territory. You can expand in the direction of the sea.


    "Further, the Giant Demon should be approaching the black coastline in a few months, and he will surely try to settle down his floating stronghold on land. A conflict between you two is inevitable.


    "Once you leave my stronghold, we can cooperate on some matters, but don''t expect this seat to involve myself in all your problems.


    "Finally, the human world will soon evolve into a realm like our Demon Realm, and a war between our Ancestors and their Deities is inevitable. To prepare for the war, the Ancestors are sure to prepare many vassals of faith energy, and letters of conscription might arrive at any time. If you know what''s good for you, don''t go against the edict of the Ancestors.


    "This shall be all, you may leave now."


    Asmir didn''t wait for Hiro to ask any questions, waving her hand from within the divine light.


    Hiro felt the space around him twisting and the next moment, he was in the sky above and beyond the stronghold.


    He could see the Demon Tower in the distance, and he blinked in confusion.


    She seemed rather, impatient. Hiro felt both confused and amused. To think that he was disposed of just like that after everything he did for her.


    Sigh¡­ The life of a subject is so tiresome.

 Chapter 105 - 105: Hiro’s Stronghold

    Hiro chuckled, shaking his head and turning around in the direction of the former Valdmor Stronghold.


    With a thought, he synchronized with the Arcana Lord and teleported over.


    After the great reformation in the wake of the war, its name was due to change.


    However, the residents of the Demon Tower were waiting for their new lord to bestow the stronghold with a new name.


    After arriving above the stronghold that was comparable to the size of a large city from his previous life, Hiro didn''t waste time and immediately arrived at the Demon Tower''s base.


    There weren''t any restrictions to speak of, so Hiro followed Asmir''s advice and arrived at the core of the stronghold situated under the Demon Tower.


    "Is this a law fragment? It looks no different from the fragments I obtain through completing free games," Hiro made this discovery upon entering a silent, empty room.


    It was empty of living presences, of course.


    "Hm, it feels much weaker up close," Hiro commented after climbing the high platform.


    After thinking about it, he figured that it also made sense because the fragments he obtained contained partially completed laws while this one was similar to a token of authority.


    It didn''t enlighten the owner of the illusion law, it only granted them the ability to manipulate the perception of falsehood inside the Demon Realm.


    This made Hiro wonder if these law fragments were mere projections of the real ones. If so, it''s impossible to destroy them, no matter what happened to the stronghold itself.


    With that thought in mind, Hiro brought out the World Mirror and used it as a medium to increase his affinity for illusions.


    With the mirror in hand, he poured his demonic essence into the artifact before channeling it over toward the law fragment.


    ¡­


    The moment Hiro started resonating with the law fragment, the entire stronghold felt a tremor from the Demon Tower, and a shockwave spread to every district, stopping only when the shockwaves reached the great walls.


    Of course, these walls were redundant without any protective barriers, serving as no more than symbolic constructs of energy.


    Tens of millions of ordinary demons looked up to the sky, wondering who their new lord was and what he looked like.


    Soon, their questions were answered as the silhouette of a young man with curved red horns, blazing crimson eyes, and a coat of hellfire appeared in the sky.


    He was cradling the law fragment in his hands and looking down, through from the perspective of the demons, he was looking down on them.


    "In my name as Demon Lord Sitri, I name you Babylon," his voice resounded in the skies of the stronghold like thunder.


    Sitri!


    Babylon!


    Every demon, animal, and beast in the stronghold heard the two names in their minds, loud and clear.


    The moment Hiro''s silhouette disappeared, he heard a soft bell chime in his head as a notification popped up.


    [Notice: Acquired new property; the Babylon Stronghold.]


    [Notice: Hidden achievement, "A Crowned King", has been unlocked.


    Reward: 30 gems.]


    ¡­


    Surprised, Hrio brought out the system''s panel and browsed his different properties.


    Myriad Evils Club, Sciatis Holdings Limited, Luxurious Mansion, Unfathomable Domain (pocket dimension and immaterial domain included), Babylon Stronghold.


    ¡­


    Hiro didn''t care for anything else, but he brought up the menu for the stronghold.


    Rows of data appeared in front of him. The information included the current level of the defensive barrier, which was null due to the lack of a barrier; it included the approximate population of around 48 million residents; it separated ordinary demons, noble blood demons, and great demons into three categories.


    There was also a shop that provided tools such as defensive and offensive barriers.


    Hiro browsed the shop for the defensive barriers and discovered that the levels of the barriers corresponded to the levels of magical treasures and skills.


    However, the barriers started from Level 3, the equivalent of Tier-7 Paranormals.


    Level 3 Barrier, 10,000 points¡­


    Level 4 Barrier, 100,000 points¡­


    Level 5 Barrier, 1,000,000 points¡­


    Level 6 Barrier, 10,000,000 points¡­


    Level 7 Barrier, 100,000,000 points¡­


    Level 8 Barrier, 1,000,000,000 points¡­


    Level 9 Barrier, 10,000,000,000 points¡­


    ¡­


    Looking at the long string of zeros behind the maximum level barrier, Hiro thought back to his Nine Clones Secret Technique.


    He realized that his ninth clone would also cost him ten billion achievement points.


    Hiro began to sweat; where would he get so many points from?


    "I planned to spend 14 million points on the mass enlightenment scroll¡­" Hiro felt pained.


    The scroll could easily cover the stronghold''s 14,000 square kilometers of landscape, and he would then be able to influence all the infants of the new generation into becoming his loyal followers.


    Looking at the pitiful loyalty measure of 2% on the system''s panel, Hiro wondered if she forego the barrier and obtain the hearts of the people.


    After thinking about the system''s concealment function, Hiro decided to bite the bullet and erect the barrier.


    Even if it couldn''t block overpowered opponents, it was never a bad choice to maintain secrecy and provide a modicum of protection to his people.


    With that in mind, Hiro decisively spent 10 million achievement points on the Level 6 barrier, which was the equivalent of a Tier-4 Paranormal in terms of sturdiness.


    Buzz!


    The stronghold shook abruptly. From the Demon Tower, streaks of intricate lines raced on the ground, the buildings, and the sky.


    The pure demonic essence churned out like a great flood, and with a thought, Hiro grasped the vague feeling that the river of faith energy in the universe hall was roiling.


    Without much thought, Hiro understood that the system was siphoning some of his faith energy to imbue the barrier with divine energy.


    He felt like he was cheated, especially since he already paid 10 million points.


    While waiting for the barrier to be erected, Hiro summoned the system interface and decided to try his luck at the lottery box.


    A colorful cube with mysterious question marks appeared, and without much thought, Hiro selected the 30 gems lottery draw.


    The cube spun crazily, and a burst of colorful lights visible only to Hiro exploded as ten balls of light appeared.


    Then, all of them exploded.


    Other than the numerous compensation prizes of achievement points, Hiro got his hands on two 80% discount vouchers.


    Hiro felt like vomiting blood in anger. If he knew this would happen, he wouldn''t have purchased the barrier at a cost of 10 million points.


    With the discount, he could have bought it for no more than 2 million points instead.


    While feeling sour, Hiro remembered Asmir''s advice for the positions of his generals.


    Taking that into consideration, he had an idea of where to use his discount vouchers. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hiro silently opened the servants'' menu from the shop and filtered in his requirements for demons with high bloodline purity.


    The higher, the better.


    After Hiro witnessed the disparity between demons like Asmir and Dawnson when compared to other Stronghold Lords, Hiro was no longer satisfied with summoning tokens that cost 10,000 points.


    He felt like those servants wouldn''t cut it in the long run.


    Hiro spent a long time browsing through the catalog of demons before he finally settled down on four candidates to become his demon generals.


    Each of their summoning tokens costs 4 million achievement points, making for a total of 8 million achievement points for the four summoning tokens.


    With the voucher, Hiro spent 1.6 million points and bought all four tokens, immediately transferring them to his inventory before he checked his current balance.


    Achievement Points: 6,413,800.


    The odd 13,800 points were Hiro''s compensation from the lucky draw, so he didn''t give them much thought.


    After thinking for a while, Hiro purchased a Level 5 barrier enhancement from the stronghold''s menu, which was used on the infrastructure of the stronghold.


    The entire stronghold went dark for fifteen minutes before the barrier flashed, and everyone recovered from their stupor.


    For a moment, the demons felt like they were trapped in a sandbox toy house, and an all-mighty God was looking down on them, playfully manipulating their reality.


    When they snapped back to their senses, they discovered that the dilapidated buildings and poor residential zones, slum areas, and damaged structures were fixed.


    It felt like a dream and a miracle at the same time.


    After they snapped out from their daze, the demons who were left homeless in the wake of the war hurriedly rushed back to their former houses, only to find them as sturdy if not more than they remembered them to be.


    Many of the demons dropped on their knees while those who weren''t bipedal in nature or couldn''t transform lay prone on their flat bellies, exhibiting signs of obedience.


    Although they didn''t speak, some of them were already generating faith energy, which the system gladly accepted on Hiro''s behalf.


    A blinking notification caught Hiro''s eyes as he looked over, realizing that the loyalty measure had risen to 12% in the blink of an eye.


    This indicated that over 10% of the current population had Hiro in their hearts at the moment, which wasn''t a bad start.


    Hiro nodded, but his attention quickly shifted to the four summoning tokens, a wide expectant smile on his face.

 Chapter 106 - 106: Returning to the Human World

    Hiro didn''t care for the commotion caused by the sudden repair of the stronghold''s damaged and dilapidated districts.


    With the barrier in place, no one can pry into his secrets from the outside even if they wanted to.


    The same was true for the Demon Tower, as Hiro was certain that the Great Demon families of this stronghold must have left backup plans.


    Taking advantage of his presence in the core of the Demon Tower and the fact that the space had yet to be sealed by the power of laws, Hiro summoned the newly obtained summoning tokens.


    He used his demonic energy to draw four summoning magic circles on the ground and placed the four tokens in the centers of each formation, respectively.


    The first token had the words "Shadow King" inscribed on its surface.


    The second token had the words "Monkey King" inscribed on its surface.


    The third token had the words "Lord Aza''zel" inscribed on its surface.


    The fourth token had the word "Lord Hades" inscribed on its surface.


    All four of them had bloodlines just a little shy of reaching the level of ancestral bloodlines, their purity comparable if not a notch superior to Asmir''s Nine-Tails Fox bloodline.


    After putting the tokens in place, Hiro visited the shop once again to buy the suitable skills he wished to impart to each of the four generals.


    He decided to invest 50,400 points in total on each skill, elevating them to Level 6 directly.


    The espionage skill was already at Level 4, so he only needed to spend 38,400 points to get it to Level 6.


    In total, Hiro needed to invest about 190,000 points on four demon generals who would ultimately start off as Tier-9 Paranormals.


    In the short term, this would undoubtedly be a loss. However, in the long term, the fruits of this investment would definitely make up for the losses a thousand times over.


    With that in mind, Hiro purchased {Art of War VI}, {Art of Deception VI}, and {Art of Torture VI}.


    The first was for the Monkey King, the second was for Lord Aza''zel, and the last one was for Hades.


    As for the Shadow King, Hiro simply upgraded the {Espionage IV} by two levels and prepared it for the demon.


    Like that, Hiro waited patiently while bearing with the pain of spending 190,000 achievement points.


    Soon, Hiro realized that the summoning process was taking much longer than expected, so he sat down and closed his eyes.


    After setting up the system to notify him once the summoning ritual was completed, he entered the {Simulation Space} and continued on his quest to clear Draconia.


    ¡­


    Two weeks in real time passed quickly, and only then was Hiro notified of the successful summoning.


    His eyes slowly opened, moving to the four black portals surrounded by four magic circles.


    Soon, four figures stepped out.


    The Shadow Lord was a woman, the other three were men.


    The Monkey King had a masculine build, buffed muscles, and a brown beard. Hiro expected as much, but he was still a little dazed by the disproportionately large arms.


    The Shadow Lord was a tall, scantily clad woman. Her outfit was an assortment of black metallic gear, rounding up her chest and shoulders, and other sensitive areas.


    Once she passed through the portal, black mist diffused from the metallic gear, shrouding her body like a cloud of smoke.


    Lord Aza''zel looked like a refined young man, but his eyes were concealed behind a blindfold with intricate drawings of red and white roses intertwined.


    Finally, Hades was bare-chested, wearing tattered white pants, and long steaming chains wrapped his forearms and dragged behind him on the ground.


    The clanging noise was jarring, to say the least.


    Hiro followed the standard procedures and transferred the four skills respectively, and then he proceeded to enlist them as his generals in the stronghold.


    After waiting for so long, Hiro wasn''t even interested in checking their stats, innate divine abilities, or current levels.


    "Familiarize yourselves with what you need to do after you enter the Demon Tower," Hiro waved his hand. Four tokens that carried his aura appeared, landing in front of the four generals.


    Hiro added, "With your talents, it''s not difficult for you to increase your strength with the tower''s resources. I have something else to do."


    The four generals snapped out of their daze pretty quickly. Bowing in unison, they expressed their understanding and stepped out immediately.


    A gust of wind blew past Hiro''s face, and he was more than a little shocked by how fast they moved.


    Such speed wasn''t something a Tier-9 Paranormal was capable of executing, much less those who had yet to start training.


    For a moment, Hiro felt comforted about the long wait and the spent achievement points.


    Shaking his head, Hiro also stepped out and disappeared, and once the special space was vacated, the law fragment shook slightly.


    Then, the space disappeared as though it had never existed, and it wouldn''t reappear as long as the current Stronghold Lord remained standing.


    ¡­


    When Hiro arrived at the throne room on the uppermost floor of the Demon Tower, he moved past the throne and entered a secure chamber in the back.


    Then, he settled down on a comfortable cushion and waved his hand.


    Buzz!


    The portal to the training space opened, and with a thought, Hiro''s clone stepped out.


    Inside his tower, Hiro wasn''t afraid anyone could spy on him. From outside the stronghold, no one can pry into the barrier no matter what means they try.


    They can only look and observe the happenings on the surface through visual scrutiny, which is as good as useless.


    When his clone stood in front of him, Hiro made a hand seal, and his main consciousness transferred from his current body to the clone.


    The dull look in the clone''s eyes gradually faded away. Soon, Hiro snapped back to his senses.


    In front of him was the demonic version of himself. Indeed, he was very handsome.


    "My five-year plan was cut short, but it can''t be helped¡­ If what Asmir said was true, things must be very chaotic back there."


    Hiro shook his head and started to feel the power in his body. As expected, his Sorcerer was at the peak of Tier-4 standards, which was attributed to many factors.


    For one, there weren''t many Paranormals who actively absorbed the energy from the Unfathomable Domain.


    Another factor was the purity of the energy coupled with the difference in the passage of time. However, the pocket dimension was limited, and until it could expand to become a Minor Realm, it couldn''t give birth to Tier-3 Paranormals no matter what.


    Thus, Hiro was satisfied with his current level of power.


    "Since I have so many points, I''ll stack up on exclusive spells for now," Hiro murmured to himself before he opened the shop and bought spells recklessly.


    He didn''t buy anything less than B-grade spells, but he didn''t go so far as to buy an SS-grade spell either.


    At most, he bought three S-grade spells; an AOE attack, a targeted attack, and a passive protective mantra for the mind.


    With the reserves of his current power level, executing one S-grade spell was enough to wring him dry of spirituality.


    After Hiro spent less than three hours digesting the newly gained spells, he planted a mental cue for the clone to silently continue refining demonic essence while drawing the excess faith energy from the stronghold to nurture divine energy.


    He wouldn''t let his clone draw from the main river of faith energy no matter what. If something major happened and someone disrupted the clone''s training, Hiro would be notified immediately.


    When he completed his preparations, Hiro used his ability as the Planeswalker and opened a portal back to his mansion in the Tsukiyomi Lake''s Third Ring.


    ¡­


    Capital City, Hiro''s Mansion.


    It was breaking dawn when Hiro stepped out from the portal and entered his master bedroom.


    Without thinking much, he disrobed from the standard sorcerer outfit that the system had generated for him, burned it to ashes, and strode into his bathing chambers for a comfortable hot bath.


    "Welcome back, Master!"


    Ei''s electronic voice resounded from the ceiling, drawing Hiro''s attention.


    With that reminder, he opened the system space and summoned his quantum watch.


    Obviously, he didn''t need a quantum watch in the Demon Realm, so he almost forgot about it.


    The watch vibrated vigorously once it was on Hiro''s wrist, making him wonder if an advanced artificial intelligence had feelings.


    "Do you have feelings now?" Hiro asked curiously, then he looked up toward the ceiling in search for speakers.


    "I''m the main processing unit for the S-gear technology, Master! I''ve come into contact with all kinds of humans through the virtual world, improving myself in the process!"


    Hiro understood. So, Ei was learning how to better interact with people through the countless simulations in the game.


    "That reminds me, did the expansion pack start yet?" Hiro recalled the current progress of the Seeker''s Legend. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Although he was very busy, it wasn''t to the point where he didn''t check on his subordinates for the last three years.


    He wondered if he should join the fun in Seeker''s Legend during his free time.


    [End of Volume 2: Living Among Demons]