LOM: Lord of Mysticism

By the afternoon of the next day, Klein steadily walked into the Blackthorn Security Company.

"Good morning, Klein. The weather is cool and beautiful today; I'm looking forward to tonight's feast." Rozanne greeted him behind the reception desk.

She looked to the left and right, then she beckoned for Klein to come closer. "I met Madam Daly earlier."

"Spirit Medium, Madam Daly?" Klein asked.

The most famous Spirit Medium from Awwa County had been living at Enmat Harbor all this time, and it wasn't a short distance from Tingen.

"Yes." Rozanne gave a firm nod. "But she has already left. Ah, she is my ideal Beyonder. If I were to become a Spirit Medium, I would leave Tingen and travel all around the world by myself. To Intis, to Feysac, to Feynapotter, to the Southern Continent; to the vast prairies, primitive forests, and snow-covered plains!"

"Even Madam Daly has to apply and obtain permission to leave Enmat Harbor." Klein said.

"I know that, but you can't just remind me about it now and shatter my dreams!" Rozanne said peeved. "The truth is, I would never become a Beyonder. It's too dangerous. I know when I'll die from sudden gunfire. From what I've seen, Beyonders are basically people who turn themselves into monsters to fight against monsters."

"Archbishop Chanis said that we are guardians, but also a bunch of miserable wretches that are constantly fighting against madness," Klein replied, sighing.

The two of them fell silent in unison. Rozanne then said, "The captain wanted you to meet him when you arrived."

"Alright." Klein passed through the partition and entered Dunn's office after knocking on the door.

A middle-aged gentleman put down his coffee cup. "Daly was here."

"She was just transferred to the Backlund diocese, which is the world's busiest and most crowded city. They have the highest population of Beyonders and the most opportunities... She has a higher chance of becoming an archbishop or a senior deacon than me."

"Why?" Klein asked as he took a seat.

Dunn answered, "She has a unique talent in mastering and exploiting Sequence potions... I've mentioned the internal rule of the Nighthawks before. If you want to consume the next potion in the Sequence, you'll have to wait three years and go through a strict examination to prevent any loss of control.

But typically, three years is far from sufficient. I spent three years going from a Sleepless to a Midnight Poet. It took me nine years to go from a Midnight Poet to Nightmare—a full nine years. And to go from Nightmare to Sequence 6, I've already spent three years. I have no idea how many more years I need.

When our bodies age and our energy starts to decline, even if we overcome the latent dangers, we shouldn't attempt advancing anymore. This is because the risk of losing control at that point is so high that it is not worth the risk."

"As for Daly and I, we are different from most Beyonders. After she became a Corpse Collector, she handed in a special application after only a year. She hoped to consume the follow-up potion immediately. What surprised everyone was that she actually passed through the stricter examination and obtained the Gravedigger potion.

It only took her one more year to go from Gravedigger to Spirit Medium. Heh, this year will be her fifth year as a Beyonder. She is only twenty-four this year, young enough to have many opportunities ahead of her."

…

On the surface, she's the most famous Spirit Medium in Awwa County, but she's also a true Spirit Medium... Isn't that acting? Klein thought, recalling how Old Neil had hinted at Madam Daly's knack for rapid advancement. It felt like he'd uncovered the real reason behind her quick progress through the Sequences.

Yet Klein couldn't shake his sense of confusion. Why hadn't others recognized the "acting method"? Why was it treated as some mysterious technique? To Klein, acting seemed embedded in beyond life, almost inevitable. Most Beyonders naturally behaved in alignment with their Sequence's characteristics, as if subconsciously following this "method."

The acting method wasn't really a rigid system at all. It was more like a perspective, a way to embody one's path. But somehow, understanding it consciously seemed to reduce potion digestion time by a drastic amount—up to five times less.

It didn't make sense that no one had noticed this, given how often Beyonders naturally acted according to their Sequence's essence. Madam Daly, for instance, must have intuited at least part of this. A Sequence 9 Sailor typically lived as a sailor or pirate; a Sequence 9 Spectator naturally observed and analyzed people's psyches; a Sequence 9 Lawyer pursued justice, tackling corruption; a Sequence 9 Apothecary brewed cures and tended to the sick. Even a Sequence 9 Seer practiced divination regularly, while Sequence 8 Clowns took on entertaining roles, often performing acrobatics. And it was no different for assassins and instigators, who slipped into dark organizations, sowing discord and chaos.

As far as Klein had observed, every Beyonder seemed to act in alignment with their Sequence to some degree. This raised a puzzling question for him: why was the acting method such a closely guarded secret? How had none of the Beyonders recognized this phenomenon? And why had the many organizations and Churches, with histories spanning over a thousand years and with all their accumulated wisdom and meticulously recorded mystical knowledge and practices, failed to note this simple yet profound realization that "acting" in line with one's Sequence could reduce the remnants of potion spirituality?

To Klein, it defied any logical explanation, leaving him to wonder if there was an intentional gap—or perhaps even a plot hole—in the world's understanding of the acting method.

…

"Captain, you're young enough as well. You're only in your thirties," Klein added.

Dunn took a sip of his coffee and shook his head bitterly.

"Why didn't you ask Madam Daly about her method of mastering and exploiting Sequence potions?" Klein purposely asked.

Dunn put down his coffee cup and massaged his temples as he spoke.

"She told me to become a true Nightmare... I don't know what that means.

Daly and I discussed the possibility of Seer's follow-up potion being Clown. Assuming that the member of the Seers didn't lie to you, she brought up an interesting hypothesis."

"What hypothesis?" Klein asked.

Dunn continued. "A normal Sequence pathway proceeds in a stepped manner. They advance according to a particular similarity. For instance, Sleepless, Midnight Poet, and Nightmare are all obviously related to the darkness of the night, as well as the peaceful sleep and tranquility that are generated from sleep. It can be imagined that every subsequent Sequence would have identical traits, only with more power and a wider scope. They might be linked to secrets, disaster, horror, the crimson moon, etc.

Certain Sequence pathways appear unrelated, but when we analyze them in detail, we can still find similarities, such as Assassin and Instigator. Their implied similarity is to bring people calamities, pain, sorrow, and despair. Hence, the follow-up Sequences should abide by this pattern."

Klein paid close attention and asked, "But Seer and Clown don't have such a connection?"

"Yeah." Dunn nodded. "Daly believes that there might be Sequence pathways that share another kind of relationship. After all, there's a lot we do not know.

She said that, in this sort of pathway, the low to mid-sequence potions would respectively provide the Beyonder with an ability that seems brand new and unrelated to the others. When the Beyonder reaches a point of qualitative change, these abilities will mix into an abnormally powerful 'job' that includes them all.

In other words, the pathway doesn't advance step by step, but instead it's a relationship of dissection and combination.

Each and every advancement is independent and doesn't seem to be related to the others. But in the end..."

"I understand now." Klein was suddenly enlightened, agreeing with Lady Daly's guess and the Captain's metaphor.

Sequence 8 Clown and Sequence 9 Seer are completely different and have brand new abilities. And according to the description from the Nighthawks' intelligence, the corresponding Sequence 7 and Sequence 8 Clown don't share any similarities either.

Klein curiously pressed on, "At which stage would the different abilities combine to form a qualitative change?"

Dunn took another sip of his coffee, chuckling. "Daly and I guessed Sequence 4!"

"Why?" Klein blurted out, unable to hide his surprise.

To Klein, the Sequences followed a clear hierarchy. Sequences 9, 8, and 7 were Low Tier—the initial steps toward godhood, still grounded in the mortal realm. Sequences 6 and 5 ascended to Mid Tier, the realm of half-step gods. At Sequences 4 and 3, one reached the High Tier, gaining the strength of a demi-god. Finally, Sequences 2 and 1 represented the Top Tier, where one attained divinity, becoming a true god and ruler of realms.

Dunn continued, confirming Klein's thoughts. "Because according to the way the churches categorize Sequences, Sequence 4 is the beginning point of the higher Sequences. It is said that merely achieving such a level brings about qualitative changes in vitality and energy. In ancient times, Sequence 4 Beyonders were qualified to be called demigods in the Fourth Epoch. It's a pity that such Beyonders are very rare in this era," Dunn said wistfully.

"If Sequence 4 to Sequence 1 are high-Sequence Beyonders, then who are the low-Sequence Beyonders?" Klein asked with interest.

"Sequences 9 through 7 were considered low-Sequences a thousand years ago. But, in recent centuries, Beyonders are few in number, and each church has listed Sequence 7 as a mid-Sequence." Dunn laughed in a self-deprecating manner.

Sequence 9 and Sequence 8 are low-Sequences. Then, Sequences 7 through 5 are mid-Sequences. Finally, those Sequences 4 and above are high-Sequences. Klein repeated it in his head and inevitably felt a yearning for that.

However, the higher the Sequence, the greater the risk of losing control. Klein thought to himself cautiously and asked, "What is the Sequence 4 potion for the Church of the Goddess called?"

Dunn replied. "In actual fact, I'm not sure. My security clearance isn't high enough for me to be privy to that information. I'll be able to read them when I become a diocese bishop or Nighthawks deacon.

In fact, at least half of the Church's thirteen archbishops and nine senior deacons at the top of the Church's hierarchy are below Sequence 4. Hmm, that's just me being optimistic. The archbishop, Ince Zangwill, who became wanted, lost control when he tried to advance to Sequence 4."

The one who stole the Sealed Artifact '0-08?' His potion was apparently called Gatekeeper. Klein thought and probed, "Is Sleepless Sequence 5 Gatekeeper?"

"No, that's in Spirit Medium's pathway. You'll be allowed to access that information when you reach Sequence 7 and become a bishop or a Captain of a Nighthawks team."

Gatekeeper is Sequence 5 of the Spirit Medium pathway. Does it mean that it's keeping watch over the gates to Hell? Or keeping watch over the gates to the Spirit World? Klein guessed.

"Alright, go to Old Neil and continue with your studies." Dunn smiled and said, "Don't forget about dinner tonight at Old Will's Restaurant. Reservations have been made. I'll introduce you to the rest of the Nighthawks officially."

"Alright, I've already prepared the money." Klein forced a smile.

"No, there's no need. Have you forgotten that we have additional bonuses? The part about you completing an assigned mission." Dunn waved.

Klein replied with a beaming smile, "Alright, Captain."

He turned around and walked towards the door while counting inwardly. He was surprised that Captain Dunn Smith hadn't forgotten to add anything.

A miracle...

...

In the armory, Old Neil stole a glance at Klein, who was in a good mood.

"Don't be obsessed with tonight's dinner. You still have a lot of things to learn, such as more ritualistic magic, ancient Hermes, Dragonish, Elvish, and many more."

"Yeah, every afternoon besides your day off, you have to have at least two hours of combat training with an instructor."

"Combat training? Captain didn't mention it." Klein was shocked.

Old Neil didn't hesitate to answer, "He forgot."