Leon stood alone at the edge of the field, the tall grass whispering at his ankles.
[Lord of Illusion and Mystery has joined the chat.]
A sudden, icy draft swept through the air, raising goosebumps across his skin. His pulse slowed, as if ti itself had thickened.
W-What? Lord of Illusion and Mystery—shit!
Shit! Shit!
Don’t panic. I have to act calm and keep up my act. No one will know anything.
He knew his identity and location were protected by the mysterious cosmic system.
His hands fumbled with the edge of his robe, knuckles white, legs bouncing in place as he struggled to stay still.
Just act cool
He just had to act cool, and nothing would happen.
If she decides to talk to , I’ll not answer... or give vague replies.
He suspected her reason for appearing might be him—soone claiming to be a Lord, just like her.
Which ant she ca for him.
Lord of Illusion and Mystery: "Who are you, Elental Paragon?"
Seeing her ssage, Leon couldn’t just ignore it. His future career as a causality farr might be in danger if she suspected he was an imposter.
He felt a bead of sweat slip down his temple, heartbeat drumming so loud he thought she might hear it.
He had to play the role of a mysterious master who had been in seclusion for a very long ti.
It was not a choice but a necessity for him.
Elental Paragon: "Why should I tell you, Lord of Illusion and Mystery?"
The woman with otherworldly beauty and an excited look on her face stared at the golden shimring screen with growing intrigue.
Lord of Illusion and Mystery: "Fair enough."
Lord of Illusion and Mystery: "But I’ve never heard of you before. Where did you co from?"
Leon didn’t overthink and answered again.
Elental Paragon: "Why should I tell you, Lord of Illusion and Mystery?"
She—whose title literally contained the word "Mystery"—grew even more excited.
Her fingers traced the transparent chat screen, a predatory smile tugging at her lips.
People usually acted bland in front of her, except for her only cute and lovely Nys.
But now she had found a mysterious toy.
Lord of Illusion and Mystery: "Hehe... I like mysteries quite a lot, dear Elental Paragon. So you don’t have to tell anything."
"But I do have an offer for you. You have to answer one question, and I can give you 100 million casualties for that.
"What do you think? You seem to like them. You must have just beco a Lord or..."
"Then again, it’s still a mystery to what use you could have for them. They’re just worthless to us Lords..."
A pause, and she continued.
"You’re very interesting, Elental Paragon."
Even for a Lord like her, 100 million was a decent amount of causality.
Leon, hearing her words, had stars in his eyes.
His breath caught in his throat, eyes wide. He nearly laughed out loud in glee.
Just answering one question would get him 100 million casualties? He could never give up on that. He needed to collect the cradle seeds of elents, which cost 790 million casualties. He would never have enough.
It’s not like I have to answer if she asks sothing too complicated. I can dodge the question. I can’t pass up this easy opportunity to earn so extra money.
As for her other strange assumptions about him, he decided not to comnt. Let her imagination run wild all she wanted.
Elental Paragon: "I would answer your question, but it will depend on what you ask of ."
Lord of Illusion and Mystery smiled faintly at his reply. If he had accepted too easily, she would’ve found it dull.
Lord of Illusion and Mystery: "Now answer , Elental Paragon—are you from the sa universe as us or not?"
That was all she wanted to know. If he were from a different universe altogether, she would never be able to find him due to the Universal Wall surrounding their own.
She didn’t understand how he had gained access to their cosmic chatroom—this had never happened before.
They didn’t know what lay beyond the walls, but many Lords had similar theories.
And if another Lord had truly been born in their universe, the universal phenonon triggered at such tis wouldn’t have gone unnoticed. So she was sure—sothing about Elental Paragon was truly mysterious.
Even his na, when spoken, had triggered the cosmic phenonon, which only occurred when soone reached their realm.
Leon heard her question.
She’s asking if I’m from the sa universe as her... I have literally no clue.
But it is a big deal to her. My earlier plan to act as a secluded master might have flopped. She already has her own theories about my identity. I don’t know how much knowledge she has, but I’ll play along and string her along her own path.
He was reasonably sure he was currently in the sa universe as her—but what about Earth? What realm would that be considered? Did Earth even exist in the sa universe to begin with? It had no magic at all.
He had no answer to that question.
He chewed at his lower lip, brow knitting as uncertainty twisted in his gut.
I’m technically from Earth—my previous world—and this new one too.
So for one, he was a bit sure that he and the Lord were in the sa universe—but the other Earth, he wasn’t so confident.
He didn’t want to lie. No matter what, she was a Lord of the Universe—an existence even divinities trembled before. Lin Fang, the genius dark elf he’d ntioned before—those were just ants before beings like her.
He didn’t want to deceive her and risk saying sothing that might backfire in the future.
Practically, his soul was from Earth. Maybe he was from both universes—if they were different.
Elental Paragon: "I’m actually not sure."
Up until now, the Lord of Illusion and Mystery had been calm in her dinsion. But seeing that reply, even she was a bit perplexed now as her eyes turned sharp.
A glowing, white-purplish ring ford around her colourless eyes—no pupils—just a rotating circular glow. It spun faster as her focus sharpened.
Strange white and purplish mist ford around her body. After a second, it vanished, and the glow faded back into her skin.
He’s telling the truth.
The mystery around Elental Paragon ran deeper than she had thought.
Lord of Illusion and Mystery: "Don’t worry, my dear mysterious new Lord. I will find where you live... who you are... what your real na is... where you ca from... where you were born... how you look..."
It continued. And continued. Her words turned more intense, more chilling, until a cold shiver crept up Leon’s spine. He couldn’t help but tremble in fear.
Lord of Illusion and Mystery: "Just wait for , dear Elental Paragon. This Lord will be paying you a visit soon. And we’ll continue our chat... from there."
[Lord of Illusion and Mystery has left the chat.]
The silence pressed in, so heavy it felt like a physical weight on his chest. Every breath burned a little colder.
He could only stand there frozen in place, shaking. Her last ssage had terrified him completely.
The golden chat screen faded, and Leon was left alone in the silence of the field. The sky overhead seed a little darker, the wind colder than before. His legs threatened to give out, and he wrapped his arms around himself, shivering. The scent of crushed grass and damp Earth filled his nose. Leon’s heartbeat pounded in his ears, the echo of fear still burning in his veins.
A literal Lord of the Universe was now coming after him.
Fuck my shitty luck! Along with the thought, another notification, which he ignored, because his thoughts were filled with dread of his future.
For a mont, he almost convinced himself it was just an empty threat—until his legs gave way, and he sank to the ground, breath short and ragged.
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