['Slave Mark' (Rank 5, Level 1) has been drawn!]

"This is the best ability we could've gotten, Lord of Shadows!"

I nodded, keeping my expression calm even as my thoughts moved quickly.

'This is good.'

Rank 5.

That changed everything.

'It will work on Rank 5 Exorcists too.'

Slave Mark wasn't a single fixed skill. It existed in tiers. Its rank determined the maximum level of Exorcist it could be used on. Lower ranks were useful but limited. Rank 5 meant it could be used on Rank 5 Exorcists.

Once the mark was placed, the target had to follow every order. They couldn't harm the one who marked them, either directly or indirectly. There were no loopholes there.

The condition, however, was the real obstacle.

To activate Slave Mark, the target had to agree to take it.

That single requirement made the ability difficult to use in normal circumstances. Most people would never consent to something that stripped them of their free will.

But once the condition was met, the skill became priceless.

'I have to go to the System Church to find Charlotta's brother. This ability came at exactly the right time.'

The System Church's headquarters was dangerous.

Most of its leaders were unstable, even by the standards of Exorcists.

Some were outright psychopaths. Others had simply lost the ability to distinguish between curiosity and cruelty.

If I showed weakness, or if I refused sharing information too firmly, there was a high chance they would try to capture me.

From there, things would get ugly fast.

They wouldn't hesitate to dissect my brain and extract information directly.

Still, no matter how dangerous the System Church's headquarters were, I had to go there.

'With Slave Mark, as long as I can make even one of them my slave…'

My safety would be guaranteed.

Finding Charlotta's brother would become easier.

And taking control of the organization itself would stop being a distant idea and start looking like an actual plan.

I exhaled slowly.

'Alright. That's enough gacha for now.'

I turned my attention back to Yuna. 'Upgrade Enchant, Lucky-Go-Lucky, and Heal to Rank 4.'

"Yes, Lord of Shadows!" she replied instantly, her posture straightening as if she'd been waiting for the command.

[1,000,000 Soul Shards used.]

[Enchant has reached Rank 4.]

[1,000,000 Soul Shards used.]

[Lucky-Go-Lucky has reached Rank 4.]

[1,000,000 Soul Shards used.]

[Heal has reached Rank 4.]

The notifications appeared one after another.

When it was done, I checked my balance.

Soul Shards: 1,750,002

Not bad. Not great either, considering what was coming.

'How much does it cost to upgrade Rank 4 abilities, Yuna?'

"Two hundred thousand Soul Shards per level, Lord of Shadows."

I considered that for a moment.

'Then upgrade Enchant to Level 5,' I said. I didn't hesitate with this. This skill was absolutely necessary if I wanted a foothold inside the System Church.

[1,000,000 Soul Shards used.]

[Enchant has reached (Rank 4, Level 1) → (Rank 4, Level 5).]

Soul Shards: 750,002

I decided to leave the remaining Soul Shards untouched.

If things went badly, I might need to upgrade Beautify or Heavenly Voice on short notice.

Those abilities were situational, but in the wrong situation, they could be the difference between survival and a dissecting table.

After that, I reached into my spatial ring and took out the contact lens I'd received as a reward for exorcising the Rank 4 Cursed Spirit.

'Yuna, use Inspect on this relic and tell me what it does.'

"Understood, Lord of Shadows."

…

Math POV

The Rank 4 Cursed Spirit, Math, was floating.

There was no ground beneath him. No sky above him. Just a hazy, undefined space that he couldn't understand or observe.

"Is this a dream?" he muttered, his voice echoing faintly.

The last thing he remembered was returning to New Order's headquarters.

The Overseers had been furious with him for forgetting to recruit Caelum. They'd dragged the conversation on longer than necessary, as usual.

After that—

"I don't remember what happened after that. So, this is what happens when one dreams?"

Cursed Spirits couldn't dream.

Dreams were said to be a blessing of the [Supreme One].

Since Cursed Spirits didn't receive His grace, they were excluded from such things entirely.

And yet, Math was here.

That meant only one thing.

"This isn't a dream, is it, Leader?"

A sound answered him.

Pages turning.

The haze around him began to clear, not into shapes or colors, but into something far more unsettling.

A giant book.

Calling it something he "saw" felt inaccurate.

Math had no body. No eyes. No senses in the conventional sense.

There was no space in front of the book for him to stand and observe.

This world was the book.

The pages flipped rapidly.

A single word was highlighted on each page.

[Yes]

When Math read it, another word was highlighted and the pages continued turning endlessly.

[This]

[Is]

[Not]

[A]

[Dream]

"I figured as much," Math replied calmly, even without a mouth to speak with. His tone was casual, and if other Overseers saw this, they would've been livid. "So why was I called?"

Pages turned.

[How]

[Was]

[He?]

"Caelum?" he grinned. "He was… interesting."

The pages trembled, as if amused.

[Chuckle]

[If]

[You]

[Like]

[Him]

[He]

[Must]

[Be]

[Interesting]

The book was knowledge, literally.

Unknown to most, it was the leader of the New Order, a Rank 5 Cursed Spirit.

[Knowledge].

Math and Knowledge spoke for a while, their conversation flowing naturally.

"I see," Math said eventually. "So we need to prepare to secure Leviathan when it appears in a few years."

He nodded to himself.

Leviathan was a Rank 4 Cursed Spirit. Recruiting it made perfect sense.

But the second order was what made him confused.

"We're supposed to help the Rank 3 Cursed Spirit, Romeo and Juliet, advance to Rank 4 and then recruit it?

"That's unusual. You rarely give orders to help a new spirit rank up before it's even part of the organization."

The pages began flipping faster, mirroring Knowledge's emotional state.

[Chuckle]

[Romeo]

[And]

[Juliet]

[That]

[Cursed]

[Spirit]

[Will]

[Be]

[The]

[Overseer]

[Of]

[Floor]

[Forty]

"…What?"

Math's thoughts stalled for the first time in a long while.

"It has the potential to become an Overseer?" he asked, his usual calm cracking just slightly. "You're certain?"

The pages turned once more.

[Yes]

Math exhaled slowly.

"That's… big news," he muttered.

Very big news.

…

Olivia (Inngirl) POV

Olivia was dreaming.

It was a warm dream.

She was sitting on a swing, her legs dangling just above the ground.

Her father stood behind her, hands steady on the ropes as he pushed her forward.

He had brown hair and light wrinkles around his eyes.

His smile was kind. He was tall, and handsome. Exactly as she remembered him.

"Sweetie," he said softly, "I'll be going on a trip shortly."

"When will you be back, Papa?" she asked, her voice small but hopeful.

Somewhere deep inside, she knew this was a dream. She remembered, in a hazy, half-conscious way, that this was their last meeting.

"I'll return as soon as I can. It shouldn't take more than five days."

The swing slowed.

"Do you remember what I told you to do before?" he asked.

"Yes!" Olivia answered eagerly. "If someone asks, I'm a Cursed Spirit. Not a—"

The dream shattered.

Olivia woke up with a sharp gasp, her chest rising too fast. Her eyes burned.

She sat up in bed, then curled in on herself without turning on the lamp. Her knees pressed against her chest as tears slipped down her face.

She didn't make a sound.

The warmth from the dream lingered just long enough to make the room feel unbearably cold.

And then it was gone.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.