Human nature can be explained with one word—greedy! It isn’t wrong to be curious or to want more, but when it leads to taking more than one should, it is no longer a benevolent desire to achieve more. Wanting more and taking more is the dividing line between achieving and greed.

~Dzbog, the God of Fortune

“Hello!?” Crow called out. “Can you tell us what is happening?”

“You think they can hear you?”

“Yes. The builders crisscrossed this entire place with so many formations and runes that it is impossible to map them out, even with my Sage’s Mind. And… they are all still active.”

“Murder.” It was a single word broadcasted to their minds, but Crow wasn’t sure if that went to everyone or just them.

“Well, that’s not what I was expecting,” Hooligan muttered. “Probably that bald guy with the glyph tattooed on his smooth pate.”

“Heh, doubt it. That guy was a priest, you silly woman. His aura has the golden glow of strong, positive karma. Definitely not a murderer.”

“Then who do you think it is?”

“The silver-haired woman that sits in the corner of the cafeteria. She is a bit of a weirdo and has a murderous aura. I’d put money on it.”

“Nope. Not her,” Hooligan grinned. “I don’t know her, but her sect. The silver hair is from their cultivation method, which is called Quicksilver something or other. She has a murderous aura because cultivating that method requires her to kill people and steal part of their speed. It’s hard to describe, but they are bounty hunters who hunt down evil people. They can no longer cultivate that method if they take power from an innocent.”

“What makes someone innocent? Or guilty? Or evil? How is that determined?”

“Bounties are their main method. They have ways to determine if a bounty is legit, so if you end up with one, expect the Quicksilver Sect to hunt you. Also, if they are attacked, they can kill their attackers. As long as you don’t have a bounty, perform evil acts where they see you, or attack them… they can’t touch you. Well… that’s not true. They are masters at killing without killing.”

“That last part makes no sense.”

“Heh, it does too, bookworm. What if that Quicksilver girl breaks your legs in front of a Scath or an Iron Clawed Bear? You die, but they didn’t kill you. Killing without killing.”

“That’s…”

“Sinister?”

“Yes.”

“Good, now you know. Don’t cross the Quicksilver sect if you can avoid it. I’d have labeled them an evil sect if it wasn’t for their inability to kill innocents. However, she isn’t the killer unless she was attacked, and in that case, we wouldn’t be locked down for murder.”

“Not bad, smartypants. I didn’t really think Quicksilver was the killer, anyway.”

“Pfft, so shameless.”

“I’m serious. Remember yesterday at the cafeteria? Those six people that were on the balcony, away from everyone else. There was a small person who I hesitate to call a man, but he was one. Anyway, I overheard part of their conversation, and it sounds like they found a treasure. Probably something from a fallen contender, but it doesn’t sound like it was anyone from this cycle. Whatever it was, it was enough to cause them to plot against each other. I’m certain of it.”

“And you think it was the smallest of the lot?”

“I’m like eighty percent certain.”

“Why?”

“Instinct? Not sure how I can put it into words. The man was off. Not quite all there. He was talking to himself, but it was bizarre. I’m willing to bet he found the item and the previous owner did something to it. Maybe a soul takeover. He was like the Scath because there was a discordance about him.”

Suddenly, Crow stiffened and held his head while his vision shifted. Whatever was invading his Mind was trying to forcibly hijack his eyes, damaging his mental space or Mind.

“Don’t resist. Judgment is merited.”

Unable to resist anyway, Crow stopped fighting against the power and was looking out the eyes of Colossus. He could sense the Spirit of at least two hundred people watching with him. Whatever kind of formation this was, Crow wanted to learn it.

While distracted, Colossus focused on the man standing outside Sanctuary. It really was the diminutive man Crow mentioned.

“Death to those who violate the laws of Sanctuary.”

With that, the giant stone man cut off the murderer’s limbs. It wouldn’t kill him outright, but Colossus wasn’t done. His massive stone foot stomped down, and everyone saw blood spurt like a human stepping on a bug.

Crow had seen plenty of death, but something like this was unsettling. It was a brutal deterrence for all future would-be violators.

“This is the object of the conflict,” Colossus said, holding up a silver spear with black filigree etched along its shaft. Even Crow was tempted by its beauty.

Colossus didn’t do what Crow expected—destroy the item. Instead, he threw it toward Raven’s Beak. He did not know how strong the Colossus was, but seeing the silver spear flying into the distance, he hoped he never found out.

“Punishment complete. You are free to move about the Sanctuary. Those of you in the field are in a protected bubble that’ll last for sixty seconds from the time we release you.”

Crow stumbled as his vision returned to him, and he nearly screamed as he held his head. Blood came out of his eyes, nose, and ears.

“Crow!?” Hooligan shouted, grabbing onto him. “What the hell happened to you?”

A bottle appeared on the ground near her; inside it were three pills.

“A gift for our inconsideration. He has a powerful Mind, and our forceful intrusion caused him harm. One of those pills will be enough to repair the damage. The other two are compensation.”

Crow coughed and nodded. Accepting the gift. He knew any type of pill that could repair the Mind was rare. It was a massive compensation as far as he was concerned. Hooligan removed one of them and put it in his mouth, and Crow lost consciousness.

No. That wasn’t true. Crow’s Mind elevated to a level beyond mortal, so his body couldn’t handle it. It forced his consciousness into the Spirit Realm. During that brief moment he spent elevated, he glimpsed a Truth about time. It wasn’t what he expected, and because his Three-Headed Crow vision allowed him to see the past, present, and unpredictable future, the Truth he saw was linked to that.

It was hard to explain what he understood. Still, at any given moment, he could show many potential next steps within the current present. He could make people think he was about to perform many actions as long as he had enough mana. Each movement he added into the mix would increase the mana needed exponentially. With his current cultivation, he could display three potential actions. All of them were real, so it was impossible to tell which action was authentic until he performed it.

He didn’t understand what kind of Truth that was or why that was a Truth at all. It wasn’t what he expected when comprehending the Truths, but he didn’t know what else he could call it. He gained an insight into time itself, and this ability was the outcome.

“Crow? Are you awake?”

“Mmm,” Crow acknowledged. “How long was I out?”

“Only an hour. But there were all kinds of strange anomalies around you. Dozens of versions of you were—I’m not sure how to describe it.”

“Time. I discovered a Truth about time.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Hooligan shouted. “One of those pills belongs to me.”

“Okay,” Crow smiled and rubbed her head. A hooligan will always be a hooligan. “But don’t waste it hoping to learn a Truth. It is a lifesaving pill if you suffer mental damage… on second thought—oof!”

Hooligan’s fist landed on his stomach. It wasn’t enough to hurt him, but it caught him off guard since he was already in a prone position.

“I’ll make you unlearn that Golden Mouth of yours,” Hooligan chuckled evilly.