In the dark ritual room, four people stood as a red mist appeared. Three of them were on high alert, their surroundings barely illuminated by the faint glow of crystals embedded in the walls. One by one, the crystals flickered to life, but the dim light did little to dispel the tension in the air.

  From within the mist, I emerged.

  Lucas reacted instantly, his body tensing, while Hera moved to shield Mei. A flash of red flickered in Lucas’s eyes—his demonic authority manifesting—but before he could act, I quickly spoke.

  “Stop.”

  Lucas’s gaze snapped to me.

  A sharp pain surged through my head, and I instinctively clutched it, wincing. Despite the agony, my mind felt strangely clear, as if sharpened by an unseen force. I knew what the red mist was. I knew why it had appeared. Because I had caused it.

  Even in the dim light, my vision was enhanced, allowing me to see everything with unsettling clarity.

  Lucas narrowed his eyes. “Is this your authority?”

  I met his gaze and replied, “I don’t know… but yes.”

  Then, without warning, a searing pain erupted in my chest.

  The figure emerging from the red mist—an identical copy of me—began to tremble violently. Blood gushed from its mouth as it staggered forward. Lucas instinctively stepped back, while Hera pulled Mei away.

  “Stop.” My voice came out strained, but the command held authority.

  A pulse of worldflow radiated from the being, and then, in a horrifying display, it began to tear itself apart. It clawed at its own chest, its fingers digging deep into its flesh.

  Lucas, Hera, and Mei remained still, watching with unsettling calm, as if they had witnessed this kind of thing before.

  I, however, stood frozen in disbelief, thinking... What in the actual fuck?

  The copy of me—the entity created by my authority—continued to rip itself apart in a gruesome fashion. Blood splattered onto the floor, pooling at its feet. And then, as its body collapsed, the blood began to dissolve into black smoke, vanishing into the air until nothing remained.

  I gasped, struggling for breath, clutching my chest as the pain lingered. However, even after seeing this gruesome scene, there was no fear in me. Instead, my mind remained calm.

  Is this the benefit of becoming a Worldwalker?

  It was as if I could think properly without distractions. My mind felt enhanced, sharpened.

  Despite the pain, I can feel my body reacting to it as if suppressing it.

  Then, as the identical copy of me vanishes, a rotting stench fills the air, assaulting my nose. The smell is so strong that Lucas and Hera instantly cover their noses. I do the same. "Ugh... it stinks," I think to myself. However, Mei remains completely unfazed by the smell.

  Breaking the silence without a single care for the stench, as if she were already used to it, Mei speaks. "This is the first stage of being a Worldwalker—the Awakening. What you're feeling now is the pain caused by using your Authority before your body has fully adapted to it."

  I forced out a breath. “And you didn’t think to warn me?”

  Mei merely shrugged. “It’s better to experience it firsthand. You’ll be doing this every day until you master it.”

  “Every day?” I repeated.

  She nodded. “Yes. All Worldwalkers who gain an authority must go through this process. The only way to master it is to use it repeatedly. That’s why you’ll need someone to observe you.”

  Lucas smirked. “It’s completely normal. When I first gained my authority, my eyes felt like they were being gouged out. I was constantly weeping blood. This is just the first side effect. Eventually, you’ll master it, and by the time you reach Cycle 10, you won’t even need to train anymore.”

  Stolen novel; please report.

  I exhaled slowly, feeling the pain gradually fade. Removing my hand from my chest, I finally felt some relief.

  Mei smiled. “So, this is the new authority gained by our squad.”

  Hera scoffed. “Great. We got a lazy one.”

  Lucas chuckled. “Judging by what we just saw, your authority lets you create another version of yourself to do your work. Seems fitting, don’t you think? The Slacker. Maybe mastering your authority just means lying in bed while your clones handle everything for you.”

  Mei tilted her head. “Honestly, that doesn’t sound bad. Imagine having a power that lets you get everything done without lifting a finger.”

  Hera fell into deep thought. “Now that you mention it…” She turned to me, her eyes gleaming with something unsettling. Lucas shared her expression.

  I glanced between them, then at Mei, who sighed. “Good luck.”

  I swallowed hard. “Why are they looking at me like that?”

  Lucas waved a hand dismissively. “Anyway, let’s welcome Julian Campbell. Congratulations on becoming a Worldwalker. Welcome to the Scouts Squad.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Don’t change the subject. You’re planning something, aren’t you?”

  Lucas simply shrugged, looking away.

  At that moment, I realized something.

  I was screwed.

  Then Lucas suddenly stepped forward, reaching into his pocket. “Well, with all that being said…”

  He pulled out a small black ring inscribed with an unknown text and slipped it onto his finger. I eyed him warily.

  “What is that? And why are you coming toward me?”

  Ignoring my question, he pulled out another identical ring and knelt in front of me. Before I could react, he took my right hand and slid the ring onto my finger.

  The moment it settled, the inscriptions glowed with a golden light—just like the ring he wore.

  I stared at it in shock. “What… What is this?”

  Lucas exhaled. “Well, going back to the topic of investigation… this is our way of keeping an eye on you. Now that you’ve successfully become a Worldwalker, we can’t just let you run around unchecked. You’re still under investigation.”

  I frowned. “I see… but what exactly can this ring do?”

  Lucas replied, “This ring lets me track where you are, sense the danger you’re in, monitor your worldflow state, and even see what you see and hear what you hear. In short, it’s the perfect relic for observing you.”

  A disturbing thought crossed my mind. I hesitated before asking, “So… uh… I’m not against it, but…”

  Before I could finish, Lucas cut me off, already knowing what I was about to say. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to spy on you while you’re in the bathroom. What do you take me for?” His tone was exasperated.

  I sighed in relief.

  Lucas stood up, running a hand through his hair. “Julian, the woman, the necklace… and now you. You all need to be thoroughly investigated. Now that I’ve seen the woman myself, I understand how dangerous she is. Even if we try to use her—or let her use us—I can’t afford to ignore the risks.”

  I nodded. “No need to explain. I understand my situation.”

  Lucas smiled and asked, "Good, now then, are you already accustomed to becoming a Worldwalker? What about the feeling of the worldflow?"

  I looked at my fist, closing and opening it, sensing the worldflow radiating inside of me and the changes in my body. I felt much stronger; I had truly become a Worldwalker.

  But my strength was still unknown. I didn’t know the limit of what my body had become, so I thought to myself... knowing the limit of what I can do would actually raise my survival rate. I shouldn’t be arrogant just because I was one of the few to gain an authority. The woman of the necklace, the entity, and the monster I had eaten were proof that I should think carefully...

  So, I turned to Lucas and asked, "How do I test the limit of my strength and my worldflow?"

  Lucas replied, "Don’t worry about that. Just like Mei said, you will continue to practice your authority until you master it. In that time, you'll be able to understand your strength."

  I nodded, and Lucas added, "Well, if that’s all, we should leave this room. Let the others clean it up because leaving it this way is dangerous. After all, this is the place where Worldwalkers ascend to their rank or become a Worldwalker, and the stench is becoming unbearable."

  Lucas covered his nose as he spoke.

  I stood up, picked up the clothes I had removed for the ritual, and used them to wipe the blood and dirt off my body. It was then that I could clearly see how much my body had changed. I had become more fit and muscular, but not overly buff. I couldn’t help but touch my body, becoming engrossed in the changes.

  The three of them looked at me, and Lucas followed with, "You’ll be given time to love your body more. For now, let’s leave."

  With those words, I snapped out of it, embarrassed, and turned away. Hera scoffed, and Mei smiled warmly.

  I then put on my clothes, trying to do anything to reduce my embarrassment, and we walked to the door. Lucas opened it, and as soon as the door was opened, the temperature quickly became hot. It was probably because I had gotten used to the coldness of the room, but my body quickly adapted, and the heat was replaced by a normal temperature.

  We walked toward the door, and Lucas picked up the torch on the wall and lit it. As I looked above, the torches on the wall lit up one after another.

  We went upstairs, chatting a little until we passed the wall where we entered. Lucas quickly opened the door, and as the four of us left, he slid open a drawer on the long table, picked up a towel, and wiped the dirt off him before sitting back and relaxing in his chair. He then leaned down as if looking for something in the long table and pressed something that I wasn’t able to see.

  Maybe it was the same in my prison, where he would call in someone... I thought.

  Mei then said, "Well, it was nice meeting you, Julian. I’ll be taking my leave now. The church will surely be waiting for me." She smiled before saying, "Goodbye." She bowed, placing her hands together, and said, "May the goddess bless you with her blood tears."

  Hera watched Mei leave, then stood by the door. I paid it no mind and instead turned to Lucas, asking, "So what’s going to happen now?"

  Lucas answered, "Well, it’s time to relax now," then laughed. "Well, that’s for you to do. As for me, I have lots of work to do, so you’ll be going back to your prison once again."

  I sighed, knowing it was expected but not surprised... Well, guess I’m not going to have a proper room that isn’t a prison.

  I said, "Haha, I thought I would finally have a proper room for myself now that I’ve joined you, but I guess not."

  Lucas said, "Oh, don’t worry about that. You’ll have your own proper room since you’re one of us now. But not today. We’ll need to decide where to put you, and I have to report what happened today. So, just wait patiently, alright? In the meantime, practice controlling your worldflow and authority. It doesn’t need to be perfect; just get used to it. After I finish my work, I’ll be the one to teach you the way of a Worldwalker."

  Lucas opened a drawer on his long table, took out a piece of paper, and a pen, then began writing. "Well, it’s time for you to go back to your room and rest since your body must have been strained. Practice your worldflow and authority, but don’t overdo it. We don’t want anything to happen to you just because you pushed yourself too hard. For now, rest."

  I then said, "Can’t I take a bath first? I mean, the smell will be terrible if I just let myself be like this."

  Lucas said, "Hmm, now that you mention it, I really need a bath too, hah. But work comes first. Damn it."

  Hera interrupted, "Then I can take him to the bathhouse, as I also need to clean myself."

  Lucas put his hand to his head. "Damn it, you just want to get away from working with me. Fine, go. Maybe I’ll let the others help me with my work when the cleaners come to the room. Hah..."

  Looking at Lucas, I had a sense of enjoyment, and I could see Hera smiling as if she had already planned this. Well, this was a nice feeling...

  Hera then said, as she put her hand in her pocket, "Julian, please follow me. Also, you’ll need to wear a blindfold again."

  I asked, "Really?"

  Hera answered, "Yes."

  Damn it...

  As I was putting it on, Lucas said, "Well, Julian Campbell, good luck."

  I looked at him confused, and he said, "The future awaiting you will surely be hard. I wonder how far you can go." Lucas smiled as he said it.