“Oscar… What have you done?”

Troy felt sinister energy close to his friend’s location so he came to investigate. He found Oscar standing in the middle of a field of corpses. They were the trial takers that flocked to Oscar, followed him, and trusted him.

Oscar had killed them all.

“Troy, who am I?” Oscar said to Troy with his back facing him.

Troy didn't answer.

“I am… Oscar Regisea. I was born as the sole son of a Level 5. I received the best training and the best education. I was supposed to be the best… I have always been the best.”

He let the words sink in.

“So why… am I losing?”

Oscar turned, his face was blank and calm.

“Anne, you, Daystar, Divine Punishment… Except you, these people who sat on top of my head were unknown nobodies. Then there’s that pompous Tanael, who is just one step away from me. The rest are not far behind either. If I just do the same thing as I alway have, would I even stay in the top 10?”

“Oscar,” Troy said softly. The man was not in his right mind so he chose his words and actions carefully. “The world is far wider than our city. There is always a sky beyond the sky. That’s why we must strive to always better ourselves. Believing we are the best is dangerously arrogant.”

If Viers was here, he would say: ‘Ah, I see. You’re undergoing puberty, bro. Deal with it, you pampered posh.’

“I realized the problem, Troy,” Oscar said. “And that is I didn't make use of the entirety of the means available to me. Take Tanael for example… He had no qualms killing people without remorse, didn't hesitate to do underhanded tricks, and betrayed those on the same side for maximizing his betterment. Not only him, there were others who did well for themselves in Stage 3. Meanwhile, I didn't. Because I am of House Regisea. I have a reputation to maintain so I cannot be unscrupulous. These lowborn and I are the same black spark holders but they are gaining sparks at a much faster rate than me. Despite their abilities being lower than mine, I am actually losing… And then weak people flocked to me, for safety and whatnot; further chaining me down with their incessant needs!”

The madness in Oscar’s eyes grew.

“I realized it, Troy. The true form of those below us. Not those that we should be protecting because ‘noblesse oblige’ or ‘they are our responsibility’ crap. They are our stepping stones. We make use of them so we can rise to a higher sky!”

Oscar spread his hands, gesturing to his victims.

“No doubt you have felt traces of dark magic on them. Not only did I get their shards, I also grew stronger from their lives. If I do it in the real world, it would be really messy, but here?” Oscar chuckled. “How foolish of me to not realize this earlier. There are no strong Pathseekers that tell us what to do here. The STRONG make the rules! Here, is our playing ground!”

Troy’s Victa blared in fury as he drew his sword.

“You are walking a dangerous path, brother Oscar. I cannot let you walk one step further,” Troy took a deep breath. “As your friend.”

Oscar’s aura similarly thundered out.

“Stop me if you can, brother.”

Troy, a space affinity swordsman and Oscar, a lighting affinity lancer moved at the same time. Their clash sent out a mighty shockwave in all directions.

***

Stage 3 was no longer a sprawling land of wilderness. Settlements clustered all around the Last City in the center and impenetrable mists surrounded them all. Because Aletro gradually shrunk the space without trial takers’ presence, the distance between Viers’ settlement and others’ was like a far place in the same city block.

Natural disasters and monster disturbances were still a thing so barring special reasons, the trial takers usually stayed at their fortified settlement. Those that dared to come out had to be confident in their self-defense ability because the people hungered for shards.

Easy prey would be swallowed whole.

But Viers, or rather Tanael as the people knew him, was anything but.

“So that’s the clash of energy I saw in the distance. Oscar and Troy…”

“They fought quite intensely but I believe it ended with a draw. Both sides retreated without major injuries,” Izabella said.

“Not the time yet for the conflict to be resolved, Iz. We’re still in Stage 3.”

“Mm-hm. We’re here. Far closer than I remembered,” Izabella looked at the corrupted land where they fought with the Gardeners. They returned here once more but not because of sentimentality. “Devil-God Teorph has tainted this place.”

Garden, plague and putrid… Yep, Teorph is Papa Nurgle’s kin, no doubt about it.

Viers kept the thought to himself. “So can we make use of it?”

“I’ll try. It is an interesting idea though. I’ll give you that,” Izabella took the staff that Viers handed over and started preparing her craft.

Viers suggested absorbing the land’s ‘taint’ to use it at a later date; it seemed a shame to leave the place like that. Of course it couldn't be done easily but the Book World was full of treasures and Izabella gained a staff that fit the requirements of what they wanted to do.

“An enchanter’s specialty is infusing an object with magical properties but I’ve never done something like this before. It might fail and it will take some time.”

“That’s what I’m here for. Do your work in peace. I’ll take care of the pests.”

Izabella started creating a complex magic circle on the ground. In the past, she had enchanted Viers’ sword and helmet but Viers didn't see how she did it. Viers was not familiar with enchanting but her method seemed different from Turfon’s. The old ghost that Viers collected from the grave.

The skilled enchanter that was fond of dressing as a witch started infusing the staff with the essence of rot and decay.

Watching Iz’s work, Viers admitted it involved a skill that he didn't possess.

“Hey… Does the inscription pattern look familiar to you?” Viers said telepathically to the girls.

“Is it?”

“...Mmm, nothing comes to mind.”

Farley and Clarissa failed to recall anything.

“Don't the patterns look similar to the grimoire that you couldn't read?” Paina connected the dots.

“That’s it!” Viers had a eureka moment.

There you have it. The book contains knowledge about enchantments. All three of Chekov’s guns went off at Book World’s Stage 3. It is somewhat poetic.

But the grimoire was still in Dia’s Biome. I didn't have the Thousand Treasure Casket back then. Can’t bring all of my items all the time. Anyways, how should I use this...

Viers’ mind was plotting something yet again.

After some time, Iz finished her work. The wooden staff of sickness and plague’s appearance was as tall as Iz’s neck. Green veins were all over the object’s body. On the crown of the staff, grew colorful tropical flowers that left glittering pollen when it was moved around.

“Despite containing an unpleasant power, it sure looks beautiful,” Viers commented.

“That’s because the enchanter appreciates beauty,” the red-haired witch huffed.

“So what are you calling it?”

“Staff of Pestilence,” Izabella replied.

“Awfully simple isn't it?” Veirs almost felt offended.

“I made it. I get to name it,” Izabella stood her ground. Perhaps it was her artisan’s pride that was talking.

“Pestilence… It is almost as if-”

Viers stopped abruptly, a lamp lit up in his mind.

“...Tanael?” Izabella asked.

“...Good… Yeah, what a good idea… What about…”

Viers mumbled to himself as he started walking back to the settlement.

“Hey, don’t ignore me… How rude,” Izabella chased after him.

***

“Once again, thank you for your assistance,” Aravin smiled refreshingly.

“Don't mention it,” Viper Lady replied.

“Sure you don't want to stay? I really want to pay back your generosity.”

“Thank you for the offer but the girls in my place are waiting for me.”

“I see,” Aravin looked disappointed but turned that frown upside and down just as quickly. Viper Lady gave him a light peck on the cheek. “Eheheh… If you run into trouble, let me know. I’ll come running,” he hit his chest with his hand.

“I will. See you, Aravin.”

“Un, best of luck to you, Jody,” Aravin waved.

Viper Lady walked alone on the road. Her thoughts were somewhere else. It was clear because she sometimes broke into a gentle smile.

“Un-fucking-beliveable,” a baleful voice slithered into her ear from a close distance behind her. She jumped sideways in surprise.

“Tanael! What are you doing here?”

“In the short time I haven't seen you, you’ve changed this drastically? What happened to your Strong Female Character stereotype? I’m pretty sure you like girls too, but in one week you’re readily falling into the embrace of Aravin? What the fuck is this shit?”

Viers accosted with an enraged expression.

“You have no right to tell me what to do,” she said aggressively.

“True. But I have the right to deprive you of your life.”

Unlike their last two meetings, this time Viers was filled with killing intent. It dawned on Viper Lady that the dangerous man in front of her had resolved to kill her.

“And what right is that, you homicidal maniac?” She was well aware that her chance of survival was pretty much zero.

“The divine right of power. Now perish,” Viers’ eyes were freezing cold.

Before the face of death, Viper Lady stood defiant.

“Men like you always-”

A gunshot resounded and Viper Lady fell to the ground. There wasn't a single injury on her body but she was dead.

“Foolish woman. Ain't men like me except me,” Viers replied.

He looted what he could loot and erased his trace of existence from the scene of the crime. He put the corpse into his casket for thorough disposal. Then, with practiced efficiency, Viers left without leaving a single clue.

A minute and a half later, Aravin ran along that same road. Hastily and dramatically.

I’ve got a bad feeling… Jody, you’re okay, right?

He went past the place where Viper Lady lost her life and kept running in the direction of her settlement.

“...Hmph,” Viers scoffed from far away. “Fucking Harem MC.”

The case was made clear, Viers had ascertained Aravin’s nature as an MC. Able to make women fall into his arms left and right as if they were brainless people? What was more clear of a sign than that?

He and Jaime would fight Aravin eventually. If he left Viper Lady as is, she would intervene to save Aravin in a crucial moment. Viers could see the pattern already.

Therefore she must be removed from the board. Letting her give up in the trial would suffice but why would he let her soul go?

Some people were Level 3 in the real world. Aletro reduced the power they could use in the Book World but the soul remained the same, Level 3. And Viper Lady was a Level 3, high-grade nutrition for Viers’ soul.

Viers needed souls to eat.

This wasn't the first atrocity Viers committed and it wouldn’t be his last.