The dark, bark-textured strip of cloth in Leyton's hand decayed, crumbling into pieces that fell to the ground, breaking into even finer powder as they descended, and then dissipating into the wind.
Leyton lowered his eyes, his emotions deeply restrained, and murmured in a voice only he could hear:
"Is this the last obsession?"
"Too much time has passed; the spirituality has almost completely dissipated, and no more information can be divined."
"Have the Beyonder characteristics on him disappeared, consumed by the Monster in the Darkness after separating, or did they vitalize into a Monster and leave this place?"
Sighing, Leyton slightly rotated his left wrist, and the abnormal gravity around him suddenly vanished. The distorted tree, which had been suspended in mid-air, crashed to the ground with a thud.
He gazed deeply at the seemingly endless forest. Under the silver-white electric light, the more he looked closely, the more he could feel the sinister nature of this forest.
Withdrawing his gaze, Leyton turned and took two steps back. In the process, his body rapidly became transparent, disintegrating into tiny, sparkling stardust that shot into the sky with a pale blue glow, surging towards the other side of the forest.
On Toscat Island, Anderson, who had left the Future, and Klein, who had transformed into Gehrman Sparrow, found a nearby hotel to stay at.
After Anderson unlocked the door and entered his room, he seemed to finally shed a heavy burden, throwing himself onto a nearby armchair.
After lying quietly for a moment, he suddenly felt thirsty. He slowly got up and poured himself a cup of hot water.
As he drank, he pondered what he would do next:
Go have some drinks, normal drinks, not the kind from the Future that had things added to them! I also need some generous pirates to contribute some pounds to me!
Cough! Cough! Cough!
Anderson suddenly began to cough violently. The glass in his hand slipped and fell to the floor, shattering into pieces. His other hand clutched at his throat, as if he couldn't breathe.
Cough! Cough! He coughed harder and harder, his entire face turning purple with exertion, and his voice gradually became weak.
Then, his eyes flowed with crimson, as if about to ignite with fire, and the veins on the back of his hands wriggled like worms—a sign of losing control!
Bang!
Anderson fell heavily to the ground as if he had lost all strength, his body twitching a few times before becoming still, even his breathing stopped.
About ten seconds later, Anderson, who had been like a corpse, suddenly straightened his back, sat up from the ground, and cautiously touched his face.
"...I almost choked to death just by drinking water!"
"Thank goodness... Otherwise, I'd be the Hunter with the most hilarious cause of death. Is this what they mean by the deadliest dangers often lurking in the most ordinary parts of life? That guy wasn't just trying to scare me!"
"Thank goodness... Before entering that sea area, I spent a fortune on a substitute puppet..."
As he spoke, Anderson pulled a straw doll from the lining of his vest. It had two crudely drawn eyes, a nose, and a mouth in ink.
The doll was already corroding, dripping black liquid drop by drop. In less than ten seconds, it had completely melted into a puddle of dark liquid, lying silently on the floor.
"After leaving that sea area, my bad luck has truly become more fierce..."
"No, I can't drag this out any longer. I must resolve this bad luck on me as soon as possible, or else I won't even dare to drink water in the Future."
Muttering a few words to himself, Anderson disregarded his current state and simply sat cross-legged on the floor, head bowed, eyes closed, hands clasped before his mouth and nose, in a posture of devout prayer:
"The essence of knowledge, the source of mysteries, the light of civilization, the great Agnostos Theos, you are the upholder of truth."
"Your faithful worshipper prays to you, praying for a way to resolve the bad luck on him..."
Anderson repeated his prayer several times in ancient hermes, but received no response. He rose from the floor, somewhat disheartened, debating whether to try again with a different honorific.
Based on my past experience, after bad luck erupts once, I won't be too unlucky for the next two or three days. Having just experienced almost choking to death from drinking water, I shouldn't immediately be punished by God for not being devout enough.
Having made up his mind, Anderson moved to a different spot and began to pray again:
"The Fool who does not belong to this era, you are the Mysterious Ruler above the Gray Fog, you are the King of Yellow and Black Who Holds Good Luck."
"Your faithful worshipper prays to you, praying for a way to resolve the bad luck on him..."
Above the Gray Fog, Klein sat on the high-backed chair belonging to The Fool, looking at the scene extended through the crimson star before him. He felt an urge to strike him down with a bolt of lightning and make him shut up completely.
He leaned back in the high-backed chair, his gaze sweeping over the high-level items on the table, and murmured:
"These items don't involve the domain of fate, and I am just an empty shell of a Fool. Solving problems like bad luck isn't within my capabilities. If this guy dies from bad luck, maybe he can drop some equipment for me."
"No, given Anderson's personality, he shouldn't pray to me so suddenly under normal circumstances. He had plenty of opportunities to pray on the Future, but he only did so now, just after encountering another bout of bad luck? And a potentially fatal one at that. I didn't notice any commotion, so it must have been a very ordinary, very minor thing..."
"Never mind him for now. I'll find an opportunity to ask Will Auceptin or Arrodes."
After making his decision, Klein intended to sever the connection and leave the Gray Fog. He had just raised his hand when his movement suddenly paused.
Given Anderson's personality, to ensure his own safety, he will most likely cling to me when he is plagued by bad luck. Having a Sequence 5 Beyonder he knows nearby is always safer than being alone, even if I might also be one of the dangers he encounters.
What a hassle. The strongest Hunter, and he has an ambiguous relationship with the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom. He can be considered a decent resource and connection.
As thoughts flickered, he extended his spirituality, enveloping the crimson star representing Anderson, and pulled the other party into this space above the Gray Fog.
Crimson light burst forth, then instantly receded, condensing into a young man wearing a white shirt, black vest, and brown wide-legged pants. His golden short hair was parted in a three-seven split, and his emerald eyes still held a hint of confusion.
In places he couldn't see, a crimson, flame-like symbol, as if steeped in rust and blood, composed of blades, spearheads, bows and arrows, and numerous other weapons, slowly emerged.
Is this the symbol of the Hunter Pathway?
Klein glanced at Anderson, who had not yet fully recovered, tapped the edge of the table twice with his finger, making a thudding sound, and then spoke leisurely:
"Why are you tainted with a trace of Ouroboros's power?"
"...Huh?" Anderson was stunned for a moment, then quickly recovered, his expression grave as he looked at the figure shrouded in Gray Fog at the head of the mottled long table. He quickly lowered his head again, only his peripheral vision glancing at his surroundings.
Many of the ancient texts he had read mentioned that gods cannot be looked at directly.
Even if the other party isn't a true god, it's not far off. Anyway, to me, there's no difference.
As Anderson reined in his thoughts, he respectfully recounted everything he had encountered in the temple within the War of the Gods ruins, from beginning to end.
Finally, he gave a self-deprecating laugh and said:
"I even almost choked to death just now from drinking a cup of water. If I hadn't spent a fortune on a life-saving substitute doll before, I'd be a corpse currently precipitating Beyonder characteristics."
He paused, then asked cautiously:
"Excuse me, can I find a way to remove the bad luck on me here? If so, what price do I need to pay?"
Klein, leaning back in the high-backed chair, made no movement, seemingly indifferent to the question, and chuckled lightly:
"I adhere to the principle of equivalent exchange, but you cannot offer me satisfactory compensation right now."
He paused, then continued before Anderson could speak eagerly:
"There will be a regular gathering here. You can seek help from those who participate in the gathering; some of them can solve your problem."
"Gathering?" Anderson looked up in surprise and glanced around.
This place certainly looked like it was frequented by people, but... in a place like this, in front of a great existence, holding a regular gathering? Isn't that a bit too bold, too exciting!
Anderson reined in his scattered thoughts, lowered his head, and spoke with even greater respect:
"Excuse me, may I participate in the gathering here?"
"I am a treasure Hunter active in the Fog Sea. I've been to many places and discovered many treasures. My knowledge is quite extensive, and I also have my own connections in the Beyonder world."
This guy's state is completely different from those who were first pulled into the Gray Fog by me. Although his attitude is respectful, he isn't silent due to caution at all; he talks as much as if he's gossiping with someone.
Moreover, are a Hunter's connections truly not just a list of enemies?
Klein grumbled a few times in his mind. When Anderson fell silent, his expression shifting from calm to uneasy, Klein slowly said:
"Heh, you can. They use Tarot cards as their codenames. You can also choose one for yourself. The duplicate ones have already been removed by me."
As he spoke, he slightly wiggled his finger, and a set of exquisite Tarot cards materialized out of thin air, surrounding Anderson and floating in mid-air.
Anderson looked at the Tarot cards floating beside him and couldn't help but murmur:
"'Emperor'... would that be too arrogant? Hmm, no 'Sun'? Doesn't seem to have 'World' either... Then 'Chariot' it is."
"I choose the Chariot, which overcomes obstacles and achieves victory."