With the force of the wind vanishing the woman, Lucas, Hera, and Mei were blown away despite the protection of the worldflow. Dust filled the room, making it difficult for Lucas to see what was happening.

  Lucas's eyes began to glow gold, and golden worldflow radiated from his body. Raising his right hand, he swung it downward behind him, and the dust moved as if being pulled by the golden worldflow. As the dust gathered in his palm, it started to dissipate, vanishing as though being absorbed by the golden energy in his right hand.

  Then, a powerful surge of worldflow erupted from his side. Lucas didn’t need to look—he knew exactly who it was. Hera stood with her spear pierced into the ground, shielding herself. But the spear was shattering little by little until it crumbled completely, just like the small sword behind her.

  Looking at Lucas, Hera spoke, her voice filled with concern. "Commander, Mei is—" She didn't ask what was happening—her worry was solely for Mei.

  As commander, Lucas forced himself to remain steady despite the fear coursing through him. His hand trembled—he knew it. The woman was dangerous, and so was the one who wore the necklace: Julian Campbell. Biting his tongue, his right eye turned red once again, but his left remained gold. Worldflow wrapped around his right hand.

  Lucas looked at Hera and raised his hand. Understanding his silent command, Hera picked up one of the shattered crystal fragments and handed it to him.

  Clenching his fist around the crystal, it glowed golden. He raised it high before swinging it downward, instantly forging a sword in his grasp.

  His crimson right eye, glowing with a demonic radiance, widened as he spoke: "Let the truth be shown."

  At once, the dust-filled room was completely cleared.

  Lucas wiped the blood from his eye with his right hand and saw the scene before him. Julian sat on the floor in the middle of the ritual room, gasping for air, his face pressed against the ground. Lucas couldn’t tell what Julian had become. Behind him, Mei lay with her burned hand outstretched—clearly, she had also been thrown by the powerful force. Hera, seeing her condition, rushed to her side to aid her.

  Lucas took a step forward. He had no time to hesitate. He was left with only two choices: kill Julian, who was now a dangerous unknown variable, but risk making the unknown woman their enemy, or follow the plan—use Julian and the necklace, despite the continued risk it posed.

  Clicking his tongue, Lucas looked at Julian and sighed. He couldn't afford to endanger them any further, but that necklace was their only chance of survival. The weight of the decision pressed on him—until Mei spoke.

  "The ritual is a success," she said. "He has become a Worldwalker."

  Lucas instantly turned to her, seeing a small smile on her face—an unspoken confirmation that it was done. Julian hadn’t become a monster or been devoured. He hesitated, the golden worldflow in his right hand dissipating, along with the sword. The weapon returned to its original form—a shattered crystal—before slipping from his fingers and clattering to the ground.

  Looking back at Julian, Lucas thought to himself:

  How laughable. No matter what we do, our lives will always be filled with choices we’re forced to make…

  He chuckled, then snickered. The fear that gripped him earlier now felt laughable—a mockery of himself.

  Reaching Julian’s side, he smiled and asked, "Well? What do you think of becoming one?"

  Slowly, Julian raised his head, his expression filled with fear.

  Lucas laughed, brushing aside everything that had happened as if it were nothing more than an accident. "I guess," he mused, "you’re the most unknown being to me."

  Lucas—unpredictable as ever—looked at Julian and asked, "How do you feel?"

  ...

  I gasped for breath, my heart racing. The voice of the woman earlier, the screams of the monster—they still shook me. But the person in front of me, Lucas, smiled as if none of it had ever happened.

  I tried to calm myself, but something felt different. My eyesight was sharper. My body—something about it had changed entirely.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Suddenly, a sharp pain crawled through me, vibrating through every vein before shooting straight into my brain. It was as if something had forcibly invaded my mind.

  "Ughh…!"

  I winced, clutching my head as worldflow enveloped me. Then, realization struck as the new information successfully settled in my brain. I gasped, overwhelmed, and managed to say, "The Slacker."

  I had gained an authority—one that belonged solely to me. But I couldn’t celebrate because of everything that had just happened—until Lucas chuckled.

  "Heh, so you became a lazy person?"

  Mei, standing behind me, chimed in. "The Slacker? That doesn’t sound amazing at all."

  Hera laughed, finding the situation amusing. But to me, the fear hadn’t left. My hands were still shaking.

  How could they laugh after everything that had just happened?

  I turned to Lucas and demanded, "You saw that woman earlier, right? Why are you laughing after that?"

  Lucas extended his hand to me, still smiling. "I thought we were friends, fighting against the unknown. Besides, fear won’t do anything for us—we already know how to fight it. Or rather, we’re already used to it."

  His eyes held a hint of sadness—an unspoken burden. And I could see it in Mei and Hera as well. Even through their laughter, there was exhaustion. But Lucas—he carried the heaviest weight of all.

  Then he added, "If a person only knows fear, nothing will ever get done. So either I use you and that necklace—which gives us a massive advantage—or I kill you and make that unknown woman our enemy. And from what I’ve seen, that’s a fight we cannot win."

  His words carried a self-mocking tone. I hesitated for a moment, then reached for his hand and stood up. As I did, the trembling in my hands slowly faded.

  But Lucas’s hands were shaking, too.

  "I’d rather use everything I can," he said, "even if it means being used myself—just to save my people."

  I looked at him. A man burdened by so much that I couldn’t even begin to understand his struggles.

  Then Lucas smiled. "So? Are you going to let me use you and your necklace, my friend, and charge toward the unknown—just like you said?"

  Hearing that, I smiled and chuckled, just like the three of them. "Well… isn’t that what’s already happening?"

  Lucas put his glasses back on after wiping them with a cloth. His demonic eyes returned to normal as he said, "Well, that's true. Heh. The ritual you experienced was unique, probably because of that necklace of yours. It protected you from the monster that almost devoured you. You're lucky—others failed because no one protected them from being consumed."

  Curious, I asked, "Then what about when you became a Worldwalker? And what was that voice inside the monster? There were multiple voices."

  Lucas answered, "Well, the monster I ate was the same as yours. They use different voices to catch you off guard. But what you consumed is different. I didn't know a person's will against a monster could be that strong. If it weren't for the necklace, you would have been devoured long ago, your body turned into its nest."

  I gulped but pressed on. "One more thing. What about the woman? How were you able to see her? And what’s up with her?"

  Lucas crossed his arms and looked at me. "I think it's obsessed with you. Perhaps she’s your mother?"

  Annoyed, I immediately replied, "She's not."

  Hera smirked and said, "That was a quick response… and honestly, kinda hurts."

  What? Do you have feelings for that woman? I thought.

  I turned to Hera and asked, "Were you able to see her?"

  She shrugged. "I don't know. Only you and the Commander could see her. Probably because of his authority."

  Before I could say anything else, Mei changed the subject. "Speaking of authority, what kind of ability does The Slacker have?"

  I paused for a moment, but my mind was still stuck on that woman. Lucas must've noticed because he reassured me, "If it’s about the woman, don’t worry. We’ll investigate it thoroughly, and I’ll discuss it with the higher-ups. For now, we should focus on you—on the ability you gained. Let’s talk about that first."

  Even so, I was still worried. "What did you see in that woman? No—rather, what was your impression of her?"

  Lucas sighed before answering, "Well, one thing is certain: when I saw her, I knew she was dangerous. She might not be real. It’s hard to explain, but… she’s beyond truth itself—something even my authority can’t comprehend."

  Something beyond truth itself…? I thought, looking at my palm. I clenched and unclenched my fist, realizing that ever since I woke up, I had been caught in something I didn’t understand.

  Lucas then changed the subject. "Enough of that. Now, let’s talk about your authority. You should be able to use it like breathing."

  I asked, "How?"

  Lucas pondered for a moment before saying, "Well, didn’t the authority just enter you?"

  "Yeah, I know that, but how do I activate it?"

  "Oh, right." Lucas nodded. "First of all, you have to feel the worldflow in your veins, circulating through your body. Close your eyes and sense it. Since you ate the monster’s heart, you should be able to feel it easily. Then, channel that worldflow, like awakening your authority. Remember, you are the authority. The worldflow is charging you. Now, think about activating it through your brain."

  Feels like a pretty shitty explanation coming from a smart guy… I thought, raising an eyebrow at him.

  Lucas gave a thumbs-up. "It’s easier to feel than to explain, trust me."

  I glanced at Hera and Mei. They both shrugged.

  With no other choice, I did as Lucas said. Feel the worldflow...

  I closed my eyes and focused. Then, I felt it—a surge of power circulating through my veins like it was my own blood. It began to manifest, radiating from my body, enveloping me.

  Lucas smirked. "A fast learner, huh? It took me thirty minutes just to feel it."

  Just like he said, it was like channeling the authority, because the authority was me.

  But suddenly, as I was about to fully grasp it, I collapsed. A red mist began to form in front of me.

  Lucas, Mei, and Hera all watched. Lucas instinctively looked at the necklace, but it showed no reaction. He was about to radiate his worldflow—until the being in the mist appeared.

  It was me.