True Immortal Heart-Chapter 41: The Stories of the World

Near the edge of the estate, a man whose body was covered in burns stood quietly, admiring the breathtaking scenery—the destructive beauty of fire.

He was none other than the unfortunate soul who had once nearly been slain by Dusk — Lucien Dreadmour.

He opened his palm. From the void, a flicker of flame suddenly burst to life in his hand.

He stared at it, entranced, then shifted his gaze toward the blazing mansion. A strange and profound sense of satisfaction welled up within him.

"The fire of wrath... is the greatest masterpiece of all. One day, my fury shall consume the entire world—starting with the wealthy. Ha ha ha ha!"

He threw his head back and laughed maniacally under the bright moonlight, his deranged expression laid bare beneath its silver glow. It was his relentless yearning to let wrath ignite that had forged the man he had become.

Without another word, he turned and walked away, slowly vanishing into the darkness, leaving behind no trace that could be followed.

...

With nothing else left to do, Dusk decided it was time to leave.

"Can I go now?" he asked.

Though Viper was visibly displeased—her thirst for vengeance yet unquenched—she had made a promise. And she kept her word. She gave him a nod.

"Fine. But before you go, leave me your number. When I call for you, you must return. If there’s an extremely urgent reason that prevents your return, I expect a proper explanation. Understood?"

Her demands weren’t unreasonable. Dusk nodded without hesitation.

"Relax. Our cooperation won’t be ending anytime soon."

With that, he opened the door and stepped out of the car. He didn’t have his knives on him at the moment, but that didn’t bother him much. He had a gun now.

Besides, his knives weren’t good enough to take on demons anyway. He’d rather wield a chunk of solid steel—it’d be far more effective.

As one foot touched the ground, a thought crossed his mind: this era might be even more dangerous than anything he’d ever faced before.

And if he didn’t warn her... she might end up making a grave mistake.

He didn’t care for her, nor did he feel any affection. All he wanted was for his partner to become as strong as possible.

"Hey, this era is extremely dangerous. Things far beyond your imagination might start showing up sooner than you expect. Stay sharp."

Hearing those unexpectedly considerate words from him, Viper froze for a moment.

But within seconds, her expression darkened. She furrowed her brows, her eyes turning serious.

From the look in Dusk’s eyes, she could tell—he had only just learned of this himself.

"Understood. I’ll be careful," she said solemnly, giving him a firm nod.

Dusk nodded in return. And with that, the two of them parted ways.

Now alone on the empty streets beneath the silent night sky, he found himself wondering what to do next.

’What now? Freedom feels so great, but I don’t exactly have a concrete plan. I was going to hunt someone down, but now... it wouldn’t do me any good. Maybe I should search for some kind of opportunity?’

Opportunity—often a matter of sheer luck. And the fortuitous chances he once knew of, the ones he was alerted to by the system, were now uncertain. He was about 90% sure they wouldn’t appear the same way as in his memories anymore.

Still, he needed to narrow down the search. Roaming the entire world was simply out of the question.

’Logically speaking, I should be searching the newly emerged lands, but right now, I don’t have the means to reach them. It seems like mountains and hills are my best bet for now. If I’m lucky, I might just find a spirit fruit.’

Earth’s landmass had expanded—true—but not in a chaotic or random way. In fact, the world map hadn’t changed all that drastically.

It was as if the surface of the old Earth had been enclosed inside a vast lake, and beyond that lake, new lands had emerged.

Because of this, human settlements had only experienced earthquakes—no shifts in geography or terrain structure.

And as for spirit fruits? Of course, they had to be found in places where vegetation grew.

Though Dusk’s level couldn’t increase by conventional means due to the system’s interference, the unique powers and energy from spirit fruits could still be stored within his body.

It was already late at night. Even if he made a run for it, reaching the nearest hill would take several hours. Would Dusk stop to rest?

Of course not. He decided to head straight for the hill and find a place to lay low.

After all, he wasn’t feeling the least bit tired. He’d slept enough at Viper’s place to keep himself going until sunrise without issue.

Though the moon was out, the thick foliage covering the hill barely let any of its light through.

Still, Dusk continued making his way up the pitch-dark hillside. He planned to stop only when he reached the summit.

Then suddenly—his stomach growled.

"Damn it, how the hell did I forget to eat? Shit. Am I seriously going to have to steal food tomorrow? I don’t even have any money right now..." he cursed under his breath.

All his money was in his backpack—and that backpack was still at Viper’s place. Which meant that right now, he was broke, had no form of identification, and had nothing he could pawn.

That left him with two options: charity meals... or theft.

Just then, a faint golden light caught the corner of his eye.

He froze, his heart suddenly racing with excitement.

He’d seen golden paper fragments before. They were ancient—carriers of long-forgotten knowledge.

These fragments were known collectively as The Stories of the World.

The author’s identity remained a mystery, though many believed the one who wrote them was none other than the First Human.

The stories recorded on those golden pages were sometimes of immense importance. In fact, the secrets to advancing through the ranks of a Heart Master were said to be among them.

What’s more, these golden pages were incredibly durable. Dusk had never seen anyone—or anything—manage to damage even a corner of one.

Unfortunately, they held no offensive or defensive power.

He swallowed hard and took cautious steps toward the source of the glow.

As he drew closer, a single A4-sized sheet of golden paper emerged from the shadows—weathered, ancient, and unmistakably real.

Grinning with anticipation, he quickly reached out and snatched it up to examine it.

"Hahaha! I never thought I’d actually find one of The Stories of the World. I don’t even know what’s written in this one yet, but something tells me collecting these will pay off big time," he laughed aloud, his voice echoing in the night.