RUMBLE...

Amidst the falling mist and heavy snow.

The faint shadow of a giant, collapsing nest could be seen.

On the side of the road.

A rift of Black Mist was suddenly torn open, and a figure shot out.

Zorn scanned his surroundings. A howling, cold wind mixed with heavy snow raged across Ogrande City.

A massive blizzard was about to arrive.

There were few people in sight; even the carriage drivers had been scared off by the terrifying commotion.

The Forbidden·Imitator had also vanished.

When Zorn captured the Forbidden·Imitator, he had used his Evil Spirit Authority, empowered by his Spiritual Realm, to easily enslave it.

By killing the Spider King and letting the Imitator escape, he could use it to gather crucial intelligence.

Zorn glanced around, a contemplative look on his face, then walked toward a distant carriage.

Vanessa, who had been watching the situation through the carriage window, immediately opened the door as Zorn approached.

"To Split Mist Town."

Zorn ordered as he boarded the carriage.

As the carriage set off.

"Young Master Zorn... It’s all my fault. I was careless..."

Vanessa, sitting beside him, lowered her head like a child who had done something wrong.

"If I had been more careful, I wouldn’t have been caught." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"You’re only Level 2. Your opponents were Level 4 and Level Six. It’s normal that you had no room to resist."

"This time, we’re going into the underground Ancient Ruins. I’ll give you some tasks then. Do them well and advance to Level Three as soon as possible. If we stay long enough, advancing to Level 4 won’t be a problem either."

"Okay!"

Vanessa nodded eagerly.

’At her current Level, Vanessa can only serve as an assistant.’

’She needs to reach a higher Level to be of any real use.’

...

When Zorn arrived at Split Mist Town,

he saw no fewer than twenty steam-powered cars outside the town.

There were even more carriages, forty or fifty of them.

Many nobles had even brought their entire families to Split Mist Town, intending to seek refuge inside the Ancient Ruins.

Seeing this, Zorn couldn’t help but frown.

’I originally estimated that the Harvesters wouldn’t necessarily attack Split Mist Town.’

’But looking at it now...’

’A battle for Split Mist Town seems unavoidable.’

’If the Harvesters, or even people from the Holy Fierce Sun Church, manage to fight their way deep into Split Mist Town...’

’...these nobles would probably get wiped out, and Ogrande City’s official power would be severely diminished.’

’For me, however, it’s not a problem.’

’Deep within these Ancient Ruins, there are many hidden areas that can only be unlocked by completing a series of tasks.’

’I’ve already unlocked several of them while doing tasks before.’

’In these hidden places, I can attack when advancing and defend when retreating.’

’Whether it’s the Harvesters or the Holy Fierce Sun Church...’

’...if they dare charge into the depths of this World...’

’...I alone can make them suffer heavy casualties.’

’Even if they have many Level Six Sequencers.’

Arriving at the main hall in Split Mist Town, Zorn saw Madam Mable directing people and maintaining order.

"How did it go on your end?"

Madam Mable called Zorn to the side and asked, her voice low.

"There was an ambush, but I’ve already taken care of it. It wasn’t a major issue."

Hearing this, Madam Mable raised an eyebrow slightly.

"The core members of the Harvester organization from Saintisman each have a Sequence Level of at least Level Six."

"Even those core members with a Level 5 Sequence Level possess power approaching Level Six."

"You..."

Madam Mable looked Zorn up and down, a strange glint flickering in the depths of her eyes.

"Don’t tell me you killed a Level Six Transcendent!"

Zorn gave a helpless shrug.

"Madam Mable, you think too highly of me. I’m only Level 4."

"If I can’t win, I can always run away!"

Naturally, Madam Mable didn’t quite believe Zorn’s explanation, but she didn’t press the matter.

"There seem to be... quite a few people here!"

Zorn said thoughtfully, looking around the old church hall of Split Mist Town.

Word about the Harvesters had already spread throughout Ogrande City. Combined with the recent deaths of many nobles and the arrival of a terrifying, contaminated steam train today, the panicked nobles desperately sought more protection from Ogrande City.

"Having this many people here isn’t a good thing."

Zorn said slowly, standing next to Madam Mable and glancing around.

"If... the enemy attacks this place... the consequences would be unimaginable."

"That is my concern as well."

Madam Mable’s brows knitted together.

At this, Madam Mable looked at Zorn and spoke with great deliberation.

"Zorn, you’ve completed many tasks inside and are very familiar with the situation."

"How do you think we should arrange our defenses to effectively counter a potential attack?"

Ever since Zorn had arrived in Split Mist Town, whether it was his progress in exploring the Ancient Ruins, his confrontation with Duke Mu Huo, or the proposals he gave for developing the resources within, he had solved numerous problems for Ogrande City.

And this time, the solution Zorn provided for the Torlask Steam Train had been a great success.

Madam Mable had exceptional trust in Zorn’s judgment and strategies.

’Asking me about something this important? She’s really gotten into the habit of relying on me, huh.’

Zorn thought to himself.