LOM: Lord of Mysticism

Klein jumped in fright but did not dare ask further. The scene before his eyes changed immediately as a swath of colors appeared.

Klein's eyes opened as he carefully turned his head toward the window and saw an unfamiliar figure standing at his desk, rummaging for something in silence.

The lurking figure suddenly paused, and Klein slowly pulled out the revolver and aimed it at the trespasser.

When Klein pointed his gun, the man froze as though he had sensed something.

Following that, he heard a voice. "Good evening, Sir."

The man clasped both his hands together, and his body seemed to be tense. Klein sat up from his bed, aiming at the person. "Please raise both of your hands and turn around. If you move too quickly, I can't guarantee that there won't be a situation where I misfire."

The man raised both of his hands and held them up near his head before turning his body bit by bit. He wore a black tight suit with neat buttons.

"Sir, let's take this outside. Do not disturb the dreams of others." Klein said.

The man swept Klein a glance before slowly walking to the door.

When the door was half-opened, the door was pulled by a strong wind, and it closed with a slam. "Uh..." Benson, who was on the top bunk, was stirred.

At that moment, a leisurely and serene melody entered from outside.

"Oh, the threat of horror, the hope of crimson cries!

One thing at least is certain—that this Life flies;

One thing is certain, and the rest is Lies;

The Flower that once has bloomed forever dies."

The poem seemed to possess the power to calm and relax others. Benson, who was on the top bunk, and Melissa, who was in another room, again fell asleep amid their grogginess.

Klein's body and mind were calm and steady. Suddenly, the man darted off.

Bang! Bang! Klein fired three shots, the bullets slicing through the air.

The man, quick and alert to danger, tilted his body, dodging two of the bullets—but he couldn't react in time, and the last one struck his shoulder.

"Ah!" he groaned, clutching his arm as he disappeared into the night.

Following that, Klein patiently awaited for the battle outside to end.

Within a minute, the tranquil melody stopped, and the night resumed its deep silence.

After a few minutes, he heard Dunn Smith's voice. "It's settled."

Phew. Klein exhaled. He moved to see Dunn Smith and followed him to the end of the corridor amid the weak crimson moonlight.

"It took me some time to enter his dream," Dunn said calmly as he looked at the red moon.

"Do you know his background?" Klein asked.

Dunn nodded. "An ancient organization known as the Secret Order. They were established in the Fourth Epoch and are related to the Solomon Empire and a number of fallen aristocrats of that period. Heh, the Antigonus family's diary came from them. Due to a member's negligence, it entered the black market and was obtained by Welch. They now have sent people in search of it."

He paused before continuing. "We will capture the remaining members they have according to the clues. Well, it might not end too well. These fellows are as good at hiding as the rats in the sewers. But at the very least, they would believe that we have likely obtained the Antigonus family's notebook or that we have obtained a critical clue. In that case, as long as it's not something extremely crucial or important, they would abandon the operation. That is their philosophy on surviving."

"What if the notebook is extremely crucial and important?" Klein asked.

"We know very little of the Secret Order. Our success this time is all thanks to your sharp wits and actions. In light of the possibility of hidden dangers and how heightened perception would aid in finding the notebook, you have a chance at choosing." Dunn said.

"A chance at choosing?" Klein vaguely guessed something.

Dunn said in a serious tone. "Do you wish to become a Beyonder? You can only choose the starting Sequence of an incomplete Sequence.

Of course, you can give up this chance and choose to accumulate the merit you have garnered. Then, all you have to do is wait till there's sufficient room for you to become a Sleepless, which is also the first, complete Sequence the Goddess has bestowed on the Nighthawks."

Indeed… Klein took the initiative to ask, "Then from which of the Sequence 9s can I choose from?"

I have to have detailed information to decide whether to give up or accept, as well as choose which one.

Dunn turned around and said slowly. "Apart from the Sleepless, the Church has three Sequence 9 potion formulas. One of them is Mystery Pryer, which is also the power Old Neil controls. Heh, Rozanne has likely mentioned this to you. She can never hold her tongue."

Dunn continued. "Our Mystery Pryer potion formula and the later Sequences that aren't directly chained were obtained from the Moses Ascetic Order. Back then, it was said that they had yet to fall to corruption. They persisted in their morals and precepts, determined in their pursuit of knowledge, while keeping their secrets strictly confidential.

Anyone that entered the order would be barred from speaking for five years after becoming a Mystery Pryer and would learn to keep silent so as to cultivate and enhance their focus. The maxim of the Moses Ascetic Order—do as you wish, but do no harm—began from them.

Mystery Pryers have a comprehensive but rudimentary understanding and grasp of magic, witchcraft, astrology, and other mystical knowledge. They also know a fair number of magical rituals and can sense certain existences that hide among matter. Therefore, they have to be careful and show respect to their powers as a Beyonder.

We lack a large portion of this Sequence, causing it to be an incomplete chain. For example, its Sequence 8. Of course, perhaps the Holy Cathedral has it."

This pretty much meets all my requirements... Klein nodded slightly. "What about the other two?"

"The second type is named Corpse Collector. Quite a number of cultists who worship Death in the Southern Continent choose it. After consuming the potion, unintelligent dead spirits would mistake them as one of their kind and not attack them.

They would gain resistance to the cold, decay, and corrosion of cadaveric auras. They will be able to directly see a portion of evil spirits and see the characteristics and weaknesses of undead creatures, as well as gain certain attribute enhancements.

We have the Sequence 8 and Sequence 7 that follow it. Heh heh, you probably can guess, it is Sequence 7—Spirit Medium! This was chosen by Daly back then," Dunn explained.

Spirit Medium does appear mysterious and cool, but what I want most is to grasp knowledge of mysticism. Klein did not interject; all he did was listen quietly.

Dunn Smith looked sideways at the crimson moon and said, "We only have Sequence 9 of the third type. Whether the Holy Cathedral has the next, I'm not sure. It's called Seer."

Seer? Klein recalled that Emperor Roselle regretted not choosing Apprentice, Marauder, or Seer.