My setting is above yours!

Chapter 43 Promotion to [Supervisor], Gray Fog Arrives Again (5k2)

Investigation commissioned?

Ron raised an eyebrow and looked closely at the gaunt man in front of him.

This person exuded a distinct chill, like a piece of ice carved out of an iceberg...

Looking closely at his face and feeling the chill emanating from him, Ron understood exactly who he was—

Clearly, he is a superhuman of the [Death] sequence!
When Ron first drank the "Gravekeeper" potion, he turned into a deathly pale figure due to the overwhelming contamination and loss of control.

Now, the gaunt man in front of him looked far more terrifying than Ron had back then.

He must have been suffering from far more severe and intense supernatural pollution...

Sequence 8? Or Sequence 7?
Ron looked at the man in front of him with great interest, while Idrisla, standing to the side, paused, seemingly surprised.

"You are... Father Harvey?"

Father Harvey? Idris knows him?
It seems this is indeed a member of the Lost Church, and they even have names...

Ron seemed thoughtful, while Father Harvey nodded curtly and said:
“It’s me… You should understand that I do indeed possess the potion formula for Sequence Seven of Death. Even if the transaction isn’t conducted within the Academy, I can guarantee that I can afford the payment.”

"Now, are you willing to accept my investigation commission? If so, come with me now, and I will take you to the Church of the Lost..."

“This…” Idrila hesitated, “But you haven’t told me what exactly your request is to investigate…”

"..."

Father Harvey was visibly taken aback. He remained silent for a moment, seemingly organizing his thoughts:

"Uh... this is... an investigation commission about a magical tomb."

At this point, his speech returned to normal, and he said coldly:

“A gravedigger reported to me that a pit had suddenly appeared in the cemetery he was guarding, from which a corpse could crawl out.”

"After activating the Magic Vision, I can clearly see that the tomb has been completely tainted by the magic of death."

"I'm going to go inside and investigate this tomb to see what caused its anomaly..."

“But I alone am not enough. As a superhuman of the [Death] sequence, I lack recovery methods and need you, the [Army Priest], to provide me with logistical support.”

...logistical support?
Idris looked at the cold-faced Father Harvey with some suspicion, a feeling that something was amiss.

The Truth Society, the Scorched Earth Sanctuary, and the Lost Church... these three churches, protected by the true God, maintain the stability of Evening Bell City, and they do so not only because of their status as the true God's church.

Strength... Strength is the fundamental reason why these three churches have such a status in Evening Bell City.

Whether it's President Elvis, Father Sue, or Father Harvey, they have all climbed to Sequence Seven, making them the most powerful superhumans in the entire Evening Bell City.

And now, a Sequence 7 is so eager to entrust her, a Sequence 8, with the task of exploring a magical tomb that even a Sequence 7 can't guarantee a safe return...

That's definitely not what he wants to do!
However, after glancing at Ron beside her, Idrila finally made up her mind.

Even if Father Harvey didn't seem to need her help to explore the so-called magical tomb, but had some other purpose, as long as he could get the reward, that was fine.

After all, she didn't think Father Harvey would harm her—in Evening Bell City, there weren't many people like Idrila who had connections to two major orthodox churches.

Although Father Sue is currently preparing to sacrifice her, no one outside of President Elvis is aware of this matter.

To others, Idrila was not only the only nun in the Church of the Scorched Earth Sanctuary, but also an honorary member of the Society of Truth—

Even if it were Father Harvey, if he dared to do anything underhanded to her, he would have to carefully consider whether he would face the wrath of the other two churches.

Perhaps he had some trouble that he couldn't explain in the association, which forced him to tell this lie...

Could it be related to the association?

Idris was pondering this, just about to agree to Father Harvey's request, when she heard Ron's voice beside her:

"This commission is a bit difficult, but we can take it on."

Ron smiled and accepted the request on behalf of Idrila, but also postponed the request in return.

"However, because of the difficulty, we need to prepare for a while... a few days shouldn't cause any problems, right?"

"……Won't."

Father Harvey gave Ron a deep look, then a cold glance at Idrila, and said succinctly:

"I'll be staying at the bookstore for a while; come find me when you're ready."

After saying this, he flicked his black robe and slowly walked away.

Watching Father Harvey leave, Ron whispered to Idrila:

"Do you have a grudge against him?"

"Have a grudge?"

Idrisla was clearly stunned, her face full of confusion:
"Hmm...why do you think that?"

"Although Father Harvey clearly lied and may not really need my help to explore some magical tomb, this shouldn't have anything to do with whether he hates me or not..."

As Idrila spoke, she couldn't help but sigh with a hint of helplessness:

"After all, I haven't left the tower for a long time, and I only met Father Harvey once before..."

indeed.

Ron had to admit that Idrila was right.

She had been detained by Father Sue for so long, and had only met Father Harvey once before; there should obviously be no hatred between them.

But Ron also believed in his own judgment.

Having spent so long struggling in the lower rungs of Ideal City, Ron's ability to read people is far superior to that of the average person.

His experience from two lifetimes had honed his abilities; at the very least, he was certain that Father Harvey had displayed clear hostility towards Idrila…

The hostility was directed only at Idrila, not at Ron, which confirmed to Ron that it wasn't because they wanted to get their hands on the potion recipe for the [Death] Sequence 7.

Perhaps there's some reason behind this, and Father Harvey might really become an enemy...

However, even so, Ron didn't want to let this request go—

[Death] The Sequence Seven potion recipe is within reach, even though Father Harvey never intended to actually pay and instead became their enemy...

For Ron, it was just another way to get the potion!

During his casual conversation with Charles and Idrila today, Ron learned quite a bit of not-so-important occult knowledge.

As mentioned in the introduction to the "Embers of the Age of Gods" setting, loading it grants the ability to possess extraordinary characteristics, allowing one to take a potion and become an extraordinary being.

Charles and Idris also mentioned "extraordinary traits"...

They say that if a superhuman dies, the potion's power does not disappear with their death, but rather is extracted from their blood and transformed into condensed superhuman properties.

If this extraordinary property is not processed, it will eventually blend into nearby objects and become containment objects—like the mask Father Sue brought out.

If handled properly and isolated immediately after the extraordinary properties are extracted, they can be used as the main ingredient for a potion of the corresponding sequence to create a new potion.

In other words, even if Father Harvey really becomes an enemy, Ron can still kill him and use his extraordinary abilities to create a [Death] Sequence 7 potion, thereby advancing to Lv.3!

At that time, because he possessed the main ingredients, he would even be able to directly obtain potion recipes through the spellbook...

However, that was all after we had made all the necessary preparations.

Ron didn't believe that he and Idrila could eliminate a Sequence Seven transcendent who had been around for a long time without any cost...

Moreover, even if they had enough power now, they could not kill Father Harvey without any evidence.

The "Potion Age" is not a society without rules. If Ron really did that, he would probably attract the wrath of the entire Church of God in Evening Bell, as well as the official organizations of the Fran Empire...

At least for now, he still wants to be a law-abiding and good person.

All we need to do is be prepared to defeat Father Harvey...

They could even wait until President Elvis returned, at which point they would have a powerful backer to protect their lives. This way, whether Father Harvey truly intended to fight Ron and Idrila to the death, or whether he simply wanted to invite them to complete a commission without genuine hostility, Ron could handle the situation calmly and gain the opportunity to advance to Sequence Seven.

He pondered this in his heart, then turned to Idrisla and inquired:

"Do you know if Father Harvey has any special abilities? Or any exceptionally difficult objects to contain?"

"There shouldn't be... Father Suer's mask was left in Evening Bell City because of special circumstances. It's impossible for anyone else here to possess such a containment item. Father Harvey is just an ordinary Sequence 7 transcendent.

Idrila shook her head and looked at Ron:

"However, you ask this... does that mean you're already prepared to fight him?"

Ron nodded: "It's better to be prepared... He's clearly hostile towards you, and a fight might be unavoidable."

"But I can't give up this opportunity to obtain the [Death] Sequence Seven potion; we must resolve his request..."

"By then, whether I resolve the matter normally or deal with him, it will be enough to satisfy my goal."

“This… alright.” Idrila hesitated slightly, but ultimately nodded, trusting Ron’s judgment.

“Then I’ll do as you say, Mr. Ron.”

"However, defeating Father Harvey will probably be quite difficult..."

She spoke with a hint of helplessness in her voice:
"Although I know that you have that person's blessing, which allows you to temporarily unleash power comparable to a Sequence Seven transcendent, he is, after all, a priest of the Church of the Lost."

“The Church of the Lost must have some containment objects under his control. Even if they are not as terrifying as that mask, they are enough to make him surpass a normal Sequence 7.”

"If we really want to be his enemy, the two of us at Sequence 8 might not be enough to defeat him..."

Although Idrila's words were phrased delicately, Ron clearly understood what she meant—

Two Sequence 8s think they can beat a Sequence 7 with containment material? What a joke!
Ron actually shared the same thought.

After learning of the existence of the containment object, even at his peak, Ron, who could temporarily reach Lv.3 with the help of the "Ability Amplifier," would not recklessly fight a superhuman whose background was unknown on his own.

But... who says Ron can only rely on himself?

"Who told you we're both only Sequence 8?"

"If I remember correctly, you've been stuck at Sequence Eight for a long time, serving as a [military chaplain] for quite some time, right?"

Ron smirked and pointed to the secret manual of the academy floating on the round table:
"I only caught a glimpse of it, but I saw the [Overseer's] potion ingredients..."

"Don't you want to take advantage of this salon to gather the potion ingredients for the [Overseer] position and advance your career?"

Promotion to [Commander-in-Chief]?
Idrisla paused, then suddenly realized what she had just remembered.

Yeah...why doesn't she consider being promoted to [Supervisor]?
She has been a military chaplain for ten years!

She was only eleven years old when she became a [military chaplain], and it had been so long since the potion was completely digested...

However, due to the lack of merit and the fact that the potion recipe for the [War] sequence was not circulated outside, she was unable to advance for a full ten years, wasting her time until now.

Now, she has both the main ingredients and the potion formula in her hands, and she also has a massive amount of academic points in the Society of Truth—

In theory, if she wanted to, she could immediately gather all the potion ingredients and make the [Overseer] potion!

Why didn't she consider her own promotion?
Doubts arose in her mind, but she didn't pay too much attention to them, focusing all her attention on the [Overseer's] potion ingredients.

She learned the secrets through spiritual contact, and the names of various materials popped up before her eyes. Before long, she selected the materials she needed.

"Fortunately, the creations of battle-hardened spirits are not rare. Anyone could encounter these extraordinary creatures on battlefield ruins, and sometimes you don't even need to kill them to find the weapons they dropped..."

She muttered to herself, quickly completed the transaction, and returned to Ron with a tattered, rusty flag and a pure black, serrated blade of grass.

During this time, Ron carefully examined the secret manual of the academy and found that there was nothing of particular use to him at this gathering.

However, he still stopped Idrila and asked her to buy him a potion recipe for the [Life] Sequence Nine "Pharmacist" as another option for him to advance to a higher sequence in the future.

Unfortunately, for some strange reason, Ron couldn't find a single ingredient for a [Pharmacist] potion throughout the entire gathering...

He had no choice but to temporarily seal away the potion recipe and, together with Idrila, ended the transaction at this secret gathering early, returning to Idrila's room.

Upon returning, Idrila wasted no time. She immediately removed the Minotaur's heart and, following the potion recipe, pierced it directly with the rusty flagpole.

Instantly, crimson lines appeared on the Minotaur's heart and extended along the flagpole of the military banner, shimmering with a faint light.

Drop after drop of blood, stained with the rust of copper and iron, flowed down the flagpole of the military flag and was caught by Idrila in a beaker containing 300 milliliters of pure water, which then stained the beaker with an orange-red color like the sunset.

The Overseer's potion requires a whole day to drain the blood from the Minotaur's heart. This is Idrila's first chance for promotion in ten years, and she takes it very seriously, sitting there waiting all day.

It was almost as if she was afraid someone would break in and steal her potion ingredients...

But putting himself in her shoes, if it were a potion for advancing to the seventh rank of [Death], it would also take a whole day to prepare the materials, and Ron would stare at the potion materials without moving.

Who wouldn't be careful about their chances of promotion?

Ron had nothing else to do, so he simply stayed with Idrila, preparing to protect her as she drank the potion and advanced to the Rank 7 [Overseer].

The day passed quickly, and Ron yawned as he saw that the Minotaur's heart had finally stopped beating.

The translucent heart, shriveled and wrapped around the flagpole, let out only a last drop of murky blood fall into the beaker.

At this moment, the contents of the beaker had completely turned into a murky orange-red color, and apart from being somewhat dirty, it showed no other special features.

Idrila carefully cut off a small section of the nightshade grass, weighed it to confirm it was a standard 15g, and then put it into the beaker.

Then, enduring the pain, he cut open his palm and weighed out 35 milliliters of blood, dripping it into the wound...

The next moment, as if a thunderclap had suddenly exploded, the dark grass and Idrila's crimson blood instantly merged into the murky orange-red, producing a clanging sound like metal clashing.

Like the shadow of weapons striking each other, it emerged in the murky orange-red, and the liquid in the beaker began to throb restlessly, with rusty droplets jumping out of the surface.

Without hesitation, Idrila brought the potion to her lips, tilted her head back, and drank it all in one gulp.

The next moment, it was as if swords and steel spears appeared out of thin air...

Suddenly, dozens of cuts appeared on Idrila's body, and blood gushed out, as if someone were about to slowly slice her into pieces—

But she kept her eyes closed and frowned, and soon the wounds slowly healed, disappearing as if they had never existed.

It seems like it's done?

Ron watched Idrila's advancement with great interest. In his magical vision, Idrila's magical power was steadily increasing, and her magical radiance was becoming brighter and brighter...

But right now.

In the dim light, a hazy gray mist flowed in from outside the door, transforming into a sharp arrow that shot swiftly toward Idrila!

If Ron hadn't decided to protect Idrila by drinking the potion and kept observing her advancement with his magical vision, he wouldn't have been able to spot the arrow!

what is this? !!

Wait, could it be the one that affected Idrila before...?

Ron recalled how he had controlled Idrila before, and how even after being erased by [Illusion Dissolved], she could still transform into a lance and pierce him with gray mist. Without hesitation, he reached out to block the gray arrow and activated [Illusion Dissolved]—

[The "Setting: Fantasy Dissolution" has been eroded by an extreme and excessive "occult influence"!]

[Performance impairment: 75%]

The next moment, he felt dizzy as the arrows made of gray mist hit his hand and exploded like bubbles.

The cold, gray mist trembled and dissipated, leaving no trace.

At the same time, on the other side——

Driven by her lust for power, the Holy Maiden of Evening Bell used illegitimate means to advance to Sequence Seven, but lost it due to corruption...

The muttering stopped abruptly, then resumed after a moment:
The pollution dissipated. She successfully advanced to Sequence Seven and became a "War Overseer."

After a long silence, a weary, aged voice finally broke the silence:

"Damn..."

(End of this chapter)