Lord: Sequence Master

Order existed in two forms: the order of heaven and earth, and the order of civilization. Criminal Hunters excelled in disrupting the latter. The essence of civilization's order was law, and crime, at its core, was simply the act of violating the law. If a law declared that murder and arson were not crimes, then no matter how many people a Criminal Hunter killed, it wouldn't be considered breaking civilization's order.

Rosen had never been the merciful type, but he wasn't about to commit mindless slaughter just to grow stronger. Killing alien races and dismantling their order was one thing. However, humanity was the dominant civilization in the main world, meaning that a Criminal Hunter who slaughtered humans would be far more powerful than one who merely hunted goblins. Since he had no intention of becoming a mass murderer among humans, his only viable path was to disrupt the order of heaven and earth.

In truth, those who shattered the order of heaven and earth were the strongest Criminal Hunters. But for one, a mere Sequence 9 had no qualifications to disturb the natural order. Even if they could, as their strength grew, they would inevitably face greater misfortune. Destroying civilization's order made enemies of specific nations, but destroying the order of heaven and earth meant making an enemy of all existence. In time, even entire civilizations would turn against them.

Then again, there was a saying—if the law cannot punish everyone, then the law is meaningless. If a crime involved too many people, punishing them all would be impossible. The highest court of the World Government drafted laws, while various regional courts upheld them. Meanwhile, the laws governing heaven and earth were crafted by the World Will, formed from fragments of the Ancient God's divine essence.

Thus, the greatest crime against the natural order was imprisoning or attempting to kill the World Will itself. Yet, looking at the current state of the Old Continent, it was clear that if the World Will truly had been sealed, the real culprits were not just a few individuals. They were likely the True Gods of the main world, an unknown number of Great True Gods, and the entire civilizations they represented.

In other words, every living being in the main world was already an accomplice to this crime.

Rosen strongly suspected that if the World Will ever broke free, its first act would be to annihilate the world. So, hunting Ash Creatures in the Old Continent was a crime—because the Ash itself was a key part of the seal.

The strength of the Ash directly influenced the strength of the seal on the World Will. Ash Creatures absorbed both Ash and spiritual energy to grow stronger. The more Ash Creatures existed and the more powerful they became, the weaker the seal became. Conversely, if all Ash Creatures were wiped out, the Ash's power would reach its peak, reinforcing the seal.

The real reason the World Government allowed Demigods to explore the Old Continent likely had nothing to do with adventure or research. They were simply using the Demigods as tools to cull the Ash Creatures. Otherwise, why would the Hope Torch in the Old Day Camp require burning Ash Creatures to generate its projections?

Rosen used Ashen Eye to locate areas teeming with Ash Creatures.

Then, he set down his Divine Domain and unleashed his Abyssal Shadowfiends to lure them in.

Everywhere he went, he completely exterminated the Ash Creatures in that region.

But despite the efficiency, he still found it too slow. The Old Continent was simply too vast. No matter how fast he hunted, he could not match the efficiency of over ten thousand Demigods working simultaneously. Even with so many hunters, they were barely able to slow the Ash Creatures' expansion. How was he supposed to surpass their efforts alone?

If he couldn't outpace them, how could he claim to be breaking the order of heaven and earth?

After much deliberation, Rosen decided to borrow external power.

He gathered a Sequence 0 spirit realm fragment turned into a Dimensional Canvas, as well as Divine Paints made from the Ash itself, both highly unique resources found only in the Old Continent.

For five years in the real world, he painted.

Finally, he completed a Sequence 1 spiritual painting.

[Old Day Map: Spiritual Realm Artwork]

[Grade: Sequence 1]

[Effect: The Old Day Map contains a void dimension, allowing an overhead view of all things in the Outer Periphery of the Old Continent from a divine perspective.]

Judging by its abilities, it was essentially a weaker version of the Glory Map.

However, the materials used far exceeded those of the miracle-grade Glory Map.

Rosen had attempted to paint a second Brilliant Map, but while it was easy to present everything in the Outer Periphery of the Old Continent from a god's-eye view, actually editing reality itself was another matter. That would likely require a True God-level miracle painting to achieve.

Through this attempt, he realized he had underestimated just how stable the natural order of the Old Continent was.

Halfway through the painting, he had already changed his mind.

He retrieved a Sequence 3 miracle treasure—the Game Design Blueprint—from the Horror Amusement Park. This treasure had significantly enhanced his control over the Horror Amusement Park, allowing him to modify numerous game scenarios through the blueprint.

Now, he temporarily extracted it, and soon, the Game Design Blueprint began altering the Void Dimension within the Old Day Map according to his will.

Rosen transformed the entire Void Dimension into a 1:1 game-world replica of the Outer Periphery of the Old Continent.

This game world was about 99.99% illusion with 0.01% reality.

There was no other choice—even a Sequence 0 Spirit Realm Fragment wasn't enough to replicate the entire Outer Periphery of the Old Continent.

After modifying the Void Dimension into a game world, Rosen used his Universal Printer to mass-produce copies of the Old Day Map.

While duplicating them, he deliberately applied artistic rendering through the Law of Painting, ensuring that no one would recognize the copies as originating from his hand.

With everything prepared, Rosen distributed 9,999 copies of the duplicated paintings through the Old Day Map's real-world projection capabilities, delivering them to all the demigods.

In the blink of an eye, every demigod—whether stationed at the Old Day Camp or actively exploring the Outer Periphery—found an unfamiliar painting appearing beside them.

All of them cautiously examined the painting, which bore the signature Old Day Game.

Soon, the demigods began to realize just how valuable these Old Day Game spiritual paintings were.

Using the painting as a medium, they could channel their divine consciousness into the game, registering as players.

It was a semi-virtual, semi-real world—more realistic than a virtual game yet more illusory than the Spirit Realm.

The Old Day Game fully replicated the Outer Periphery of the Old Continent, and even updated in real time.

Each player was given a free, ten-kilometer radius of visible game map. If they wanted to expand their map coverage, they had two choices:

Inject Spiritual Energy into the Old Day Game—the more energy invested, the larger the illuminated map area.

Complete in-game missions—most of which involved hunting Ash Creatures, though a few required collecting specific resources.

Some demigods dismissed the Old Day Game as a scam. Others, half-convinced, decided to test it out.

And those who tested it were stunned.

The illuminated game world turned out to be an exact match to reality. Every Ash Creature, every hazard, and every event in reality was faithfully mirrored in the game.

For demigods who wanted to hunt a specific Ash Creature but lacked absolute confidence, the solution was simple:

They could spend more divine consciousness to create an in-game avatar equal to their real strength and practice the hunt in the Old Day Game.

If they succeeded in the game, they could hunt the creature in reality with full confidence.

If they failed repeatedly, they would know to avoid the creature altogether.

The once treacherous and ash-shrouded Old Continent had been transformed—through the Old Day Game—into a half-virtual, half-real wilderness survival game.

In a short span of time, an enormous number of Ash Creatures were slaughtered, and every demigod who believed in the Old Day Game was making a fortune.

The emergence of Old Day Game quickly drew the attention of the World Government.

After an investigation, the true nature of Old Day Game was uncovered.

It was the creation of a painter—one who had somehow gained the ability to ignore the ash's obscuring effects on the Old Continent. This painter was using the demigods of Old Day Camp to purge the ash creatures of the Old Continent. The possible motives were twofold:

One, to sublimate the Old Day Game world.

Or two, to accumulate the sins generated by disrupting the natural order.

If it was the former, then the painter was likely attempting to ascend to Sequence 0 through their painting sequence.

If it was the latter, then it was likely a Sequence 1 Crime Hunter trying to advance to Sequence 0.

Regardless of the reason, Old Day Game did not disrupt the seals of the Old Continent. On the contrary, it actually reinforced them.

Some True Gods remained intrigued, eager to understand how Old Day Game could bypass the ash's obscuring effects.

But with True Gods unable to enter the Old Continent, and lesser deities powerless against Old Day Game, there was nothing they could do.

Gradually, Old Day Game became wildly popular in Old Day Camp, turning into a must-have tool for all demigods exploring the Old Continent.

And through the Old Day Map, Rosen continued to accumulate sins.

Even with over ten thousand demigods hunting ash creatures day and night, it still took Rosen a full ten years to gather enough sin for a perfect transition into Sequence 2 Crime Hunter.

During these years, he had already meticulously prepared all the necessary alchemical ingredients.

On this day, with everything ready, Rosen took out his Potion Vial and began the final preparation.

"Sin born from the destruction of order... The extraordinary essence of a Crime Hunter who has committed the seven deadly sins—Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Lust, Wrath, Envy, and Pride... And finally, the spiritual essence of a Saint..."

After placing the first eight ingredients into the Potion Vial, Rosen instantly teleported to the largest divine temple within his Old God True Realm.

There, within the temple, resided his only Saint—the sole one born from hundreds of billions of believers.

A Saint, who devoted themselves wholly to their deity, was incredibly precious to any True God.

The two Sequence 0 sub-deities under Golden Pharaoh? They were, in fact, his Saints.

The moment Rosen descended into the temple, time itself froze.

The barrel of Dragon God's Wrath was pressed firmly against the Saint's forehead.

The Saint paused briefly, not showing the slightest hint of fear—only joy as he awaited his own death.

He had long known his fate. To him, being transformed into a potion and merged into the body of his god was the highest honor.

Yet for Rosen, personally killing such a devout Saint was undoubtedly his greatest sin.

The Saint's divine essence was pierced through by the thought bullet, and in an instant, it was absorbed into the Potion Vial.

The nine ingredients began to fuse—quickly forming into a crystal sculpture, meticulously replicating Rosen's own form, down to his clothing.

Rosen swallowed the crystal sculpture, and the potion's power immediately seeped into his body and soul.

Finally, through his divine essence, it merged into his Hunter Sequence's extraordinary essence.

His originally card-shaped extraordinary essence transformed at that moment—becoming a crystal sculpture of himself.

Through his extraordinary essence, Rosen felt the innate ability granted by Sequence 2.

[Unpardonable Sin: You wield the Authority of Sin. You can alter the definition of Order and twist the nature of Sin. You can make the innocent irredeemably guilty. You can make the guilty utterly blameless.]

"A Sequence 2 Crime Hunter... What a terrifying innate ability..."

Rosen murmured to himself, shaken.

A normal Crime Hunter had a core innate ability that concealed their own sins, allowing their spiritual essence to grow faster the deeper their sins became.

But his Unpardonable Sin was completely different from an ordinary Crime Hunter.

Not only did he directly wield Authority, but he could also distort the very definition of sin.

For example, under the Noble Code, colluding with an Evil God was a capital crime—a law established by the World Government to maintain order.

But now, Rosen could rewrite that order, making colluding with an Evil God righteous while making not colluding with an Evil God a crime.

In an instant, those who were once innocent would become unforgivable criminals. This was an extremely terrifying way to manipulate others into destruction.

He could even twist the rules so that everyone in his presence was required to kneel.

If someone refused to kneel, then they too would become unforgivable criminals.

At this moment, he could only manipulate civil laws. But once he ascended to True Godhood, he would even be able to warp the laws of Heaven and Earth—to declare the innocent guilty and absolve the guilty as pure.

If legal scholars ever found out about his Unpardonable Sin, they would undoubtedly see him as their greatest enemy.

...

On the Old Continent, Rosen used the Old Day Map to lock onto a group of five Sequence 3 Ash Creatures.

The moment he laid eyes on these Ash Creatures, he distorted the order and redefined sin.

All life was inevitably bound by rules.

The Ash Creatures of the Old Continent were no exception. They were born from the World Will of the Main World, and the order set by the World Will was: drive out foreign demigods and strengthen their race by absorbing more ash.

That was why the Ash Creatures of the Old Continent were so unique—they almost never fought amongst themselves.

Aside from a few rare exceptions, the vast majority of Ash Creatures would never violate the order ingrained into their instincts by the World Will.

But now, Rosen had twisted that order—along with their very instincts.

"The same species should slaughter each other..."

The moment he redefined sin, the five Sequence 3 Ash Creatures turned on each other, attacking with unrelenting savagery—because, in their very being, they believed they were born to kill one another.

...

After testing his ability to condemn the innocent, Rosen proceeded to test his ability to absolve the guilty.

He quickly found another group of Ash Creatures. The moment they saw him, they immediately went berserk, charging at him in a mad frenzy.

His destruction of the Old Continent's order had already made him the greatest enemy of all Ash Creatures.

Even if an Ash Creature was in the middle of a life-or-death battle with another demigod, if Rosen happened to pass by, it would immediately abandon its opponent and lunge at him instead.

"I am innocent..."

The Ash Creatures that had been charging at Rosen suddenly froze in place, their killing intent vanishing entirely.

To suddenly remove the hostility of a powerful enemy at a critical moment...

Even Rosen himself felt a trace of pity for any future opponents he would face.

As he continued to experiment with the hidden depths of Unpardonable Sin, he soon discovered something—

As long as he committed crimes, his power to distort order would grow stronger.

At the same time, his control over the Seven Deadly Sins would also continue to strengthen

After fully familiarizing himself with the power of Unpardonable Sin, Rosen took out the skill crystal left behind by the Hunter Pioneer after ten thousand years of accumulation.

A sculpted crystal figure, formed from his transcendent essence, appeared in his palm. Like a living creature, it reached out to embrace the skill crystal, its mouth suddenly expanding hundreds of times before swallowing it whole in a single bite, beginning the process of merging with the skill inside.

[Hunting Domain: Domain Skill]

[Effect: Expands a Hunting Domain, greatly enhancing the power of the Hunting Authority and significantly increasing the priority level of hunting-related laws within the domain's area of influence.]

For demigods, establishing a domain was not difficult, but a self-created domain was merely a basic, undeveloped form.

Mastering an exclusive domain skill, however, greatly amplified the power of the corresponding Rule Authority.

If Rosen simply relied on his Hunting Authority to shape a domain using divine essence, at most, it would slightly enhance the power of the Hunting Authority—it wouldn't be able to elevate the priority of hunting-related laws to such a significant degree.

The increase in law priority was critical for a god challenging a True God.

A True God wielded Laws, while a god wielded Rules.

If a True God and a god both possessed Hunting Authority, and they fought under the condition of not using any external powers, then the True God, with their control over Hunting Laws, could instantly strip the god of any ability to resist.

The greatest value of this Hunting Domain was that it allowed a god who had mastered Hunting Authority to defy a True God who had mastered Hunting Laws.

While it couldn't completely eliminate the gap between Rules and Laws, it could minimize it to the greatest extent possible.

Among all domain skills, this was one of the absolute best.

If not for ten thousand years of accumulation, if not for the Wisdom God's Divine Core assisting in its creation, there was no way a mere Sequence 1 Hunter Pioneer could have developed such a domain skill that could raise the priority of Laws.

If he ever had to face the usurping Hunting True God in the future, this Hunting Domain would prove invaluable.

But what Rosen valued even more was the potential to use this skill as a reference to create his own domain skill.

He also planned to harness the power of the Wisdom God's Divine Core to develop a self-created Hunter Sequence skill.

But all of this would have to wait—he needed to leave the Old Continent as soon as possible.

Ever since he had disrupted the order of the Old Continent, he had been feeling increasingly unsafe.

Even now, with Unpardonable Sin, that unease had only faded slightly.

Clearly, while Unpardonable Sin could erase the crimes of beings below godhood, it was far from strong enough to influence the World Will of the Main World.

If he stayed any longer, he might provoke the hostility of the World Will itself.

After all, even if the law did not punish the many, the one who stood out the most was often the one made an example of.