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The killer wearing the clown mask hailed from an ancient and mysterious organization known as the Secret Order, a group that did not belong to the Churches of the Seven Gods.
The members of this organization all followed the same Sequence pathway. As a mid-level member, the clown killer did not know the specific name of the pathway itself.
He only knew that Sequence 9 was called "Seer," Sequence 8 was called "Clown," Sequence 7 was called "Magician," and Sequence 6 was called "Faceless."
What this Sequence excelled at most was divination.
At Sequence 9, physical fitness improved slightly, while spiritual intuition was greatly enhanced, granting the ability to divine the future.
At Sequence 8, one gained super-strong physical coordination and balance, precise bodily control, outstanding agility and speed, and decent strength. They excelled in technical combat. They could effectively control their facial expressions and body language, making their lies more convincing. Relying on intuition, they could form images in their minds to predict a target's next move. They could also visualize their own appearance in their minds. Furthermore, they could turn soft paper into flying knives, which classified as a spell-like ability.
At Sequence 7, hands became more dexterous and movements more agile. Even without Beyonder powers, one could become a top-tier magician simply by studying diligently. They possessed rapid casting techniques; a Beyonder at this stage did not need to chant incantations or infuse spirituality slowly. With just a simple movement, they could cast corresponding spells or spell-like abilities.
The main abilities included Damage Transfer, Flaming Jump, Air Bullet, Paper Figurine Substitute, Flame Control, Illusion Creation, False Underwater Breathing, Bone Softening, and turning paper into weapons.
At Sequence 6, the Faceless, in addition to significantly enhancing the abilities of Sequence 7, gained the ability to shapeshift, allowing them to turn into anyone.
Their organization usually kept a low profile. Because they were skilled in divination, they were not easily caught by the Beyonders of the Orthodox Churches.
However, the higher-ups of the organization had issued a command: to collect all items related to the Antigonus family.
This was the reason the clown killer had come to Tingen City.
Some time ago, a foolish member of the organization named Regence had accidentally sold the precious Antigonus notebook as if it were a common ancient book.
It was bought by a member of the Aurora Order—who were all like mental patients—and eventually made its way to Tingen City. It was sold to a university history student, causing a supernatural incident that resulted in the deaths of several ordinary people.
This led to the intervention of the Nighthawks, the Beyonder organization of the Church of the Evernight Goddess, making matters troublesome.
The six people at the warehouse just now were Nighthawks affiliated with the Church of the Evernight Goddess.
The higher-ups had promised the clown killer that if he could recover the Antigonus notebook, he would be given the potion formula for the Sequence 6 Faceless.
Therefore, the clown killer came to Tingen City and rented the house belonging to the parents of George's current body to begin his investigation.
Because George's parents had bought a new house, they had rented out their previous one, and the first tenant was this clown killer.
During the rental period, the clown killer had some conflicts with the parents of George's body. Consequently, during today's operation, he casually killed the original owner of George's body—the infant—as an act of retaliation.
If things went smoothly, the clown killer would recover the Antigonus notebook tonight and withdraw.
If things did not go smoothly and the Nighthawks obtained the notebook, hope would be lost, and he would likewise withdraw immediately.
As for the death of an infant less than six months old, it would be seen as a natural occurrence or an accident. The parents would only be blamed for being careless; no one would trace it back to the clown killer.
The parents wouldn't even call the police, and it certainly wouldn't attract the attention of the Nighthawks.
In this world, the Beyonders of the seven major churches existed to maintain order, while almost all other organizations could be defined as evil cults.
It was just that some were less destructive, while others were highly destructive.
The Secret Order belonged to the category of low destructiveness, but if a member was in a bad mood, killing an ordinary person was still a very common occurrence.
As for groups like the Aurora Order, their members were basically either active lunatics or hidden lunatics; it wouldn't be surprising if they caused a massacre.
"As expected, it's not a big issue."
After consuming the Beyonder characteristic precipitated from the Magician, George merely closed his eyes to digest it for two seconds before becoming a Sequence 7 Magician of this world.
After a Beyonder died, the Beyonder characteristic within their body would automatically precipitate out.
These precipitated characteristics could be used as the main ingredient for creating the corresponding potion, but normally, they could not be consumed directly.
Sequence advancement required a step-by-step process. Even when taking it step-by-step, one could lose control if things went poorly.
What did it mean to lose control?
It was like that disgusting thing in the warehouse earlier—going instantly mad and turning into a monster that slaughtered based on instinct alone.
Someone like him, who hadn't experienced Sequence 9 or Sequence 8, directly consuming a Sequence 7 Beyonder characteristic without even an advancement ritual...
Was there a possibility of becoming a Sequence 7?
Yes, but that probability was arguably one in a hundred thousand.
Anyone with a normal brain wouldn't do this.
But George was different. His innate strength was greater than that of a Sequence 0 True God, and his physical body was perversely strong.
It would only take him a few breaths to expel the substances from a mere Sequence 7 characteristic that tried to erode his body and cause a loss of control. It was impossible for any problems to arise.
Let alone Sequence 7, even if it were Sequence 3, he estimated there would be a high probability of success if he swallowed the Beyonder characteristic directly.
However, because he didn't fully understand this world's power system yet, he decided to be cautious. He would start as a low-sequence Beyonder and advance according to the world's normal promotion rules.
This way, he could better understand the power system and avoid potential hidden dangers.
"Let's test this Magician's ability."
George extended his hand in the shape of a gun, aimed at a large tree in front of him, and released the spiritual energy he had just obtained from the Beyonder characteristic.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out, and a small hole immediately appeared on the trunk of the large tree.
"The power is about the same as an ordinary pistol."
Stepping forward to inspect it, George nodded.
Although the power of this Air Bullet might not even be as great as him spitting casually, it belonged to the magical power of this world, after all.
Using it wouldn't attract special attention.
Later, he would spend some time researching Beyonder characteristics and spiritual energy. Once he could convert the energy inside his own body into spiritual energy, the Air Bullet would no longer be limited to this level of power.
He stomped his foot against the ground, causing it to instantly collapse into a huge pit. George threw the clown killer's corpse into it.
After burying the body and taking some of this world's currency found on the killer, he vanished from the spot in a few leaps.
He didn't return home immediately. Instead, he wandered around Tingen City until he found a bookstore.
Using a physical lock-picking spell—brute force applied precisely—he entered the bookstore. He found a pile of primers and related books, left the corresponding amount of money, and then returned home with the books.
(End of Chapter)