Thanks to the recent upgrade of [Null Presence], Seth found that his speed under the spell was incredible.

His body felt much lighter and easier to control, and he could run at an extremely fast pace without getting tired.

It felt as though the normal physical limits of his body had become meaningless.

As he moved through the dark streets, he pondered his next course of action.

He felt a small amount of guilt for leaving Phoebe to handle the coven alone.

But he quickly reasoned through it.

He had already helped her as much as he realistically could.

If he hadn't stepped in, Phoebe's mother and sister might have died from the supernatural disease long before morning arrived.

He had warned her, guided her decisions, found help, and even involved himself in a bit of risk.

As far as Seth was concerned, he had fulfilled more than what was expected of someone who barely knew her.

More importantly, the situation surrounding Phoebe was far too dangerous for him to be deeply tied to.

He reminded himself of this repeatedly—not out of heartlessness, but because it was the truth.

His mind drifted back to that strange warning he had once heard.

He remembered the boy during their search for Jake Williams, the one who appeared to be possessed or controlled by some unknown force.

The boy's voice echoed clearly in his memory:

"You cannot help her. It's impossible."

At the time, Seth did not fully grasp the meaning of those words, but now, after seeing how easily powerful entities were involved in Phoebe's life, the warning made much more sense.

Even tonight was proof of it.

Aside from the fact that Phoebe's mother and sister were turned into living carriers of a supernatural disease—

He had also suspected that the manipulator who controlled his fate was linked to Phoebe somehow.

And looming behind all of this was the Coven of Abomination, an existence far beyond what an ordinary stray witch like him should be making enemies against.

Phoebe's life was tangled with forces that Seth instinctively understood were far above the level he could confront right now.

So a more practical question came to him:

'How has Phoebe survived until today?'

Given everything she was involved in—curses, covens, abominations—her survival seemed almost unreasonable.

After all, if it weren't for Seth's unique situation and capability to resurrect, he truly would have died had he been an ordinary witch like her!

She was kind, a bit clumsy, and often lacked sharp judgment.

Someone like her should have been crushed by those forces a long time ago...

But she wasn't.

And that made Seth think carefully.

He came up with two possible explanations, both equally realistic.

His first theory was that Phoebe had a powerful protector.

Maybe her mentor, Danica, had left something to shield her.

It could also be her childhood friend, Jake Williams, who was secretly guiding her from the shadows.

Seth even considered that Jake Williams might be the manipulator who was controlling his fate.

His second theory was that Phoebe had a specific role in a larger plan.

Certain beings—powerful ones—might see her as a necessary piece in their schemes, keeping her alive until the moment she became useful.

If that was the truth, then her survival was not at all luck or protection, but preparation for a dark end...

Neither possibility gave Seth comfort.

And because of that, he made a firm decision.

'It's not too late to distance myself from her,' he thought.

The risks of staying close were too high.

Unless he absolutely needed a favor from her—like borrowing the magical parchment to contact her mentor—he decided to avoid further entanglement.

His priority had to be his own survival and growth.

'For now... let's focus on getting to the second circle,.

He concluded.

After seeing the advancement notification and experiencing so much danger, his goal was clear.

He needed personal strength above all else.

Getting stronger was the only reliable way to protect himself in this unpredictable world.

...

Sitting on a park bench at night, Seth let himself wander, keeping [Null Presence] calmly activated.

The world moved around him as if he weren't there.

Even at night, Matamisan was quite lively.

People loitered in the dim light of streetlamps and the glow from open shop windows.

Seth scanned the entire place, wanting to find a suitable target for the task mission in order to advance to the second circle.

He saw women with alluring figures dressed in revealing clothes, calling out softly to men who passed by, trying to pull them into shadowy doorways for business.

Not far from them, a drunk man argued loudly with a street vendor over a bowl of noodles he already finished.

Across the road, three teenagers lit cheap fireworks even though it wasn't a holiday, laughing as the sparks shot into the air.

Amidst the noise and movement, Seth simply observed.

His ability hid him perfectly, so no one looked his way.

It was peaceful, in a strange and distant way.

But then something unusual caught his attention.

A skinny, masked man sprinted past the park entrance, clutching a small wallet in his hand.

Behind him, a man and woman chased after him, both shouting profane words.

"Thief!"

"You bastard, stop!"

Seth didn't move at first.

He watched the scene unfold, measuring the thief's speed, the distance between them, and the path ahead.

The thief wasn't fast, he simply knew the shortcuts.

He slipped between stalls, ducked into narrow alleys, and climbed low fences with the kind of ease that came from doing this far too often.

Seth eventually stood up and began following them.

With his upgraded [Null Presence], keeping up was almost effortless.

His steps made no sound, and none of the three individuals sensed him.

The chase dragged on for several minutes.

The couple behind the thief grew tired and slowed down, but the masked man kept darting through unfamiliar corners of the area.

He turned left into a cramped alley, squeezed between two houses, then jumped over a trash bin to take another shortcut.

Little by little, the distance widened.

Soon, the couple could no longer keep up.

Their shouts faded, swallowed by the noise of the busy night streets.

The masked man paused behind a dim corner, breathing hard.

After confirming no one was following him, he let out a long sigh of relief.

His grip on the stolen wallet loosened slightly, though he still held it tightly enough not to lose it.

Seth silently continued tailing him.

The man crossed the street, walked past two closed stores, then slipped into a narrow hallway leading to a run-down apartment building.

The tiles on the floor were cracked, and the walkway smelled faintly of mold.

The thief didn't mind any of it.

He walked straight to a door on the second floor and went inside without hesitation.

Seth stood at the stairwell, watching through the narrow gap left open before the door fully shut.

Inside the tiny apartment, the masked man hurriedly pulled off his mask.

His face was thin—almost sickly—with sunken cheeks and tired, overly small eyes.

His skin looked dry, and his hair was messy despite attempts to flatten it down.

He then crouched near the front door, lifted the corner of a dirty rug, and pulled out an old, worn suit.

The suit was clearly too large for him, but he shook off the dust anyway, brushed his face with his hands, and tried to neaten himself up.

Then he lifted his head, forced his lips into an exaggeratedly bright smile, and raised his voice.

"Little Lei, Daddy is home from work~"

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.