Shawn stayed behind.
He watched the Butcher's figure fade away, though he felt the urge to flee, he knew he had to stay.
Without strength, survival would be difficult.
Detective Morty Laine was still watching him, those unspeakable illusions.
"Sit here."
Lady Hecate put down the book in her hand and gazed at Shawn in front of her, softly saying, "From now on, I'll spend half an hour each day teaching you."
"The rest of the time, you read on your own."
"What books you can read, and what you can't, my maid will inform you."
Shawn nodded respectfully and said, "Alright. Madam."
Lady Hecate nodded slightly, then gently raised her hand. A piece of illusory gray-white mist appeared, gradually forming some characters and patterns. Unlike her aged face, Lady Hecate's fingers were slender and fair, her skin like that of an eighteen-year-old girl.
"The first lesson. Magic."
Lady Hecate's voice was cold and stern, she intoned, "This world once had normal magic, but after the world fell, magic became tainted."
Tainted?
Shawn looked up in surprise.
"The essence of all power has been distorted, knowledge has become alive." Saying this, Lady Hecate gazed at Shawn and slowly said, "You should be well aware of this."
Detective Morty Laine.
Those living knowledge.
"To use magic, you must learn to harness living knowledge, for they are a resource." Lady Hecate softly said, "Magic, witchcraft, demon techniques, etc., all spellcasting is closely related to knowledge."
"Knowledge will teach you magic."
"Not understanding this, you will be lost sooner or later."
Shawn nodded silently. The Butcher had warned him that this lady did not like others interrupting her words.
"The essence of the world's power was taken by some unspeakable ancient existences." Lady Hecate continued, "Transcendents who wish to use these powers must reclaim them."
"But before that, you must first learn to steal!"
Steal?
Shawn's mind was a bit overwhelmed.
"Yes. Steal." Lady Hecate seemed to possess the ability to read thoughts, she softly said, "Those ancient existences in slumber cannot detect our theft, as long as you are careful enough, you can steal a part."
Shawn couldn't help but ask, "How to steal?"
Lady Hecate calmly said, "Ritual."
"Their existence is peculiar, even in slumber, even unconsciously, they will automatically respond to specific rituals."
Shawn was silent for a moment and cautiously asked, "What if they awaken?"
Lady Hecate seemed a bit surprised by Shawn's question, thought for a moment, and said, "That would be a disaster."
"But as long as you don't confront them, the abilities you possess will still remain."
"They just won't work on them and their clan."
Shawn inexplicably felt a tinge of despair, but it quickly faded, and he hesitated, "These extraordinary powers don't belong to us?"
Lady Hecate remained silent.
She had realized that the young man in front of her was particularly troublesome, or rather very troublesome, because few people would ask such questions, she softly said, "Yes."
"They don't belong to us before you reclaim the essence of these powers."
Shawn chewed over her words and muttered, "Reclaim?"
Lady Hecate seemed unwilling to continue on this topic, softly said, "When you tread the Path of Destiny in the future, you will know."
Destiny again!
What kind of existence is destiny in this world?
"Transcendents are a pitiful group struggling to survive in the cracks."
"Barely hanging on with a bit of stolen power."
Lady Hecate said somewhat profoundly, "Only by treading the Path of Myth can you possess truly your own power."
Despair.
This time Shawn truly felt despair and fear, although it quickly disappeared.
"Your talent is well suited to being a caster." Lady Hecate softly said, "Compared to other paths of transcendence, the situation of casters is much better."
"At least in most cases, you don't have to worry that your capabilities will be ineffective against certain beings."
"As long as you can harness knowledge."
Shawn remained silent for a long time.
After a while, he respectfully bowed his head and said, "Please, teacher, teach me!"
Lady Hecate heard these words and showed a hint of approval. She stood up and said, "Although the power of magic has been distorted, the essence of the world remains, only its operation has changed."
"We are a group of pitiful beings struggling for survival, using a bit of stolen power."
"But."
"Even ants can reclaim everything!"
"This is humanity's destiny!"
"Before you complete your ascension, before you ascend to Legendary Destiny, you must always remember one thing, your power is stolen, and you must avoid the masters of these power essences!"
What has this world's humanity been through?
Shawn dared not think.
Lady Hecate elegantly rose, and when Shawn looked up, he was surprised to find that the lady before him had dramatically changed her appearance. She was no longer an elderly crone but a radiant, extraordinary beauty of seventeen or eighteen, and her voice had become as crisp as a warbler. She looked at Shawn in front of her and softly said, "Come with me."
"Let me first teach you how to be a competent thief."
Outside the high walls.
The Butcher hadn't left; he stood outside the gate, quietly waiting.
"You arranged Lady Hecate as his mentor?" A doll-like exquisite beautiful girl emerged from the shadows.
The Butcher didn't lift an eye, nodded, and said, "Yes."
The doll-like girl's expression was a bit incredulous, and she softly said, "Then, the price?"
The Butcher's expression was inscrutable, he said in a solemn tone, "That's not your question to ask."
The doll-like girl breathed rapidly for a moment, said in a stern tone, "Letting a demigod of the Path of Death be his mentor, what do you intend to do?"
The Butcher expressionlessly said, "Do what's necessary."
And they parted on bad terms.
This doll-like exquisite girl turned and left, but the Butcher then took out that initial ritual dagger and tossed it directly over, "Catch."
"He won't need this."
The doll-like girl caught the ritual dagger instantaneously without turning her head.
"From today on, I'll be responsible for everything about him." The Butcher paused and said in a solemn tone, "This is also the Chief's arrangement."
Upon saying this.
The Butcher looked up at the majestic black obelisk in the distance, the obelisk that pierced the sky, representing the highest honor of the Path of Death.
Only when the doll-like girl's figure disappeared did the Butcher take out a rusty dark red badge, printed with an ancient pentagram array, adorned with stars by wheat ears. On the back was an ancient inscription engraved with a phrase—"Death is our choice, death is humanity's final shelter."
The Butcher softly said, "Only death can resist them."
The Twelve Mythical Paths, only the Path of Death can confront the ancients head-on.
The talent displayed by that young man was unprecedented, very few Otherworldly souls are born with the tier of Ascender supernatural abilities right after reincarnation.
Among all the mythical paths of the transcendents, only the Path of Death can suppress most of the pollution, although this requires paying a great price, it is incredibly suitable for those souls born different.
"Undying Will."
"He is still a living person but has already possessed a part of the will of the undead."
"The Chief's experiment may have already succeeded." The Butcher's gaze was deep and profound.
.........