Atticus suddenly waved a hand, forming a mirror before himself.

Through the reflection, he gazed at the crown resting atop his head.

Five gems. The final one glowed dimly.

Atticus frowned.

’Lower level five.’

He had absorbed five level threes... naturally, he felt his level should have risen higher.

Considering everything, Atticus quickly reached a conclusion.

’The rate of growth increases drastically the higher the rank.’

It made sense. Five level threes shouldn’t stand a chance against a true level five.

Atticus slowly exhaled, allowing the lingering power to wash through his body.

Then he suddenly turned toward Unive.

She instantly flinched and froze mid-step, like someone caught doing something they shouldn’t.

"...I-I’m not going anywhere!" she blurted out instinctively, before her face instantly flushed red in embarrassment.

Atticus frowned slightly as he stared at her.

He opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly, a strange sensation washed over him.

Atticus’ gaze abruptly snapped to the side, piercing through the distance.

’It’s time.’

His plan was finally beginning.

Suddenly, the air around him trembled as his Will flared outward, wrapping around the atmosphere itself. It enveloped Unive before the two of them slowly lifted off the ground.

Unive instantly panicked.

"W-what is this?! What’s happening?!"

Atticus’ intense gaze remained fixed on the distance. Then he responded without turning around.

"...we’re returning."

Unive barely had time to react before they shot forward, tearing across the terrain.

Entire forests flattened. Mountains shattered apart. Rivers evaporated.

Every Reverent in the region felt Atticus’ escalating Will, yet none dared move.

Before his unstoppable advance, nothing stood in his way. Yet Atticus didn’t seem to notice any of it.

His icy gaze remained locked onto a single target.

Mosan City.

...

’We’re finally done.’

Anorah released a small sigh as she and the others made their way toward the Hunter Association.

It had taken many hours, but they had managed to complete all of their missions within the allotted timeframe.

But a moment later, she frowned slightly.

The others walked in small groups, casually conversing amongst themselves, while she walked alone. The only other exception was Ozerra, who proudly led the group with a confident stride, though even she had her subordinate accompanying her.

Only now, after separating from the men, did Anorah realize she hadn’t truly grown close to any of them.

Anastasia, whom she could somewhat consider close, constantly wore a faint frown. Freya carried similar expressions most of the time. She was on decent speaking terms with Aurora, however Aurora was currently with Atticus’ ex, Zoey.

Anorah could already imagine how awkward it would feel to insert herself into that conversation.

Anorah sighed softly.

’There are more important things.’

At this point, it was certain her father wasn’t in the First Crown. Yet she still couldn’t stop thinking about what she would say once she eventually found him.

Her father had abandoned her during childhood.

Would he even still want her? Should she still want him? Anorah knew she should feel angry, yet she didn’t feel even the slightest trace of anger.

Suddenly, she felt a gentle tug on her arm. Freya now stood beside her, staring at her with a small frown.

"...you okay?"

Anorah quickly adjusted her expression before offering a smile.

"...yes. I was just thinking."

"Hmm..." Freya narrowed her eyes suspiciously before shrugging. "If you say so. Mom wants you to walk with us."

Anorah glanced toward Anastasia and found her smiling warmly at her.

She blinked slightly, caught off guard, but still nodded.

Moments later, Anorah walked beside Anastasia and Freya.

She could practically feel Anastasia’s curious gaze lingering on her and immediately realized she was about to ask what was wrong, so Anorah quickly decided to take the initiative instead.

"I saw you frowning, Mom. Is something wrong?"

A flicker of darkness passed through Anastasia’s gaze before she released a weary sigh.

"...it’s nothing much. I’m just... worried about Atticus."

"Worried? About the mission?"

"Not that..."

"Mom thinks Brother’s slowly becoming a homicidal maniac."

"Freya!" Anastasia shot her daughter a reproachful look, but Freya merely shrugged.

"What? I’m simplifying it."

Anastasia shook her head before turning back toward Anorah with a tired expression.

"...I mean, you talk to him, right, honey? What does he think about things like this? I understand that in this world people kill to survive, but... Atticus feels different. The way he kills people... how easy he makes it look..."

She hesitated briefly before continuing softly.

"...I just don’t want him to lose himself."

Anorah stared at Anastasia with a complicated expression.

She understood her worries perfectly. However...

’It’s his choice.’

Anorah truly believed that. How Atticus chose to live his life was entirely up to him.

She had known from the very beginning how Atticus viewed the world. To him, only his loved ones mattered. Everyone else was little more than background noise.

Ironically, that very part of him was why she had fallen for him in the first place. It resonated deeply with her, who would do anything for her loved ones.

And because of that, she truly believed Atticus could never lose himself.

As long as his loved ones remained beside him... his anchors... then Atticus would always remain Atticus.

Still, the problem now was how to explain that to Anastasia.

As a mother, seeing her child commit mass murder without even flinching was clearly beginning to weigh heavily on her.

Anorah opened her mouth to speak.

"I—"

"Ah!" Ozerra suddenly exclaimed from ahead. "There’s no one here."

Anorah frowned slightly.

They were right outside the Hunter Association, yet the once-bustling area was now completely deserted.

A bad feeling instantly gripped her.

Her hand immediately moved toward her blade.

"Stay alert."

The others tensed at once, each reaching for their weapons. Slowly, they scanned the surroundings.

But just then, the doors to the Hunter Association suddenly creaked open, and multiple figures stepped out.

Leading them was none other than Elomot, while the Association Chairman trailed obediently behind him alongside Elomot’s subordinate, Kass.

Each of them emitted an overwhelming pressure that seemed to press down upon the entire area.

"Hmm..." Elomot slowly swept his gaze across them with a lecherous smile.

"Delicious."