The Natives of This World Are Fierce

The car drove slowly down the road. Outside, pedestrians who had forgotten their umbrellas could be seen dashing through the rain.

They had been at the Los Angeles Branch’s Secret Realm from morning till afternoon, and the things they had learned had shattered their worldview multiple times over.

The terrifying Dark Tide was far beyond anything they could have imagined.

It wasn’t some zombie apocalypse or ice age like they had blindly guessed, but a life-or-death invasion from the Otherworld.

The terrifying beings shown in the Illusion Realm made them feel incredibly small.

The thought of what a real Faceless Shadow Ghost infestation would develop into made Blaise’s hair stand on end and a chill run down his spine.

And during the Saint Louis Flame Demon incident, it was as if they had merged with the Shadow of the Red Demoness from that time, experiencing that terrifying lash firsthand.

It was a suffocating feeling of death and destruction, a painful illusion of their very souls being burned.

Even a reenactment said to be at less than half the sensory simulation’s intensity made them feel like they had died and come back.

’Just how strong is the Red Demoness, who fought against an existence so completely beyond comprehension?’

The result was a fact: the beautiful, blurry red figure who always stood by the Staff-Carrying Sage was perfectly fine, while the Flame Demon was confirmed to have been eliminated!

Even now in the car, recalling the immersive scenes from the Illusion Realm still made their blood boil with excitement!

It might be unfortunate to live in this era, but for people like them to be able to dedicate themselves to such a cause was the greatest fortune.

Blaise could now understand the priest’s words: "God will redeem you!"

He didn’t know if God existed, but he truly felt redeemed.

Their hearts were on fire. How many people ever get a second chance at life?

Their past, numb pursuit of money and power had been like a curse. Once they started, they couldn’t stop, because stopping often meant a grim end. They could only drive themselves forward, again and again. The higher their position, the greater their anxiety, as if walking on thin ice.

But now, that curse no longer held any threat. They had a sense of security and a more noble goal.

The more they learned, the more excited they became, a feeling reminiscent of being a child and declaring, "I want to be a hero when I grow up."

Their hearts hadn’t stopped pounding all day.

After the laughter about the Meteorological Bureau died down, the mood in the car finally calmed.

"Boss, Master Sage..."

"Maki, you’re not qualified to use that title yet. Strictly speaking, without permission, only anointed official members can speak the Sage’s name."

Blaise gently chided this subordinate, whom he now found "quite endearing."

"Ah? Is that so? My Mentor didn’t tell me!"

"That’s probably because your Mentor isn’t human and doesn’t pay much attention to etiquette!"

Thinking back on that terrifying vine, it had been a huge shock when it started speaking.

"Yeah, that makes sense. Jenny secretly told me that my Mentor was originally an Elf from the Otherworld, and was beaten into submission by the Sag— uh, by the lord who carries the staff..."

"You’re done for. You actually bad-mouthed your Mentor!"

"No, no, no, no... I didn’t!"

Maki hurriedly promised to pay hush money.

"Hook’s and my Mentor is a beautiful, blonde Witch, but I bet her real age is much older than she looks..."

"Probably... No, definitely! When our Mentor looks at me, I always get this heart-pounding feeling of being seen right through. She’s scarier than my old great-aunt!"

"Hehe..."

Maki snickered. It was obvious who was courting death by discussing a woman’s age, especially a Magic Controller within Dawn.

The atmosphere in the car turned playful and relaxed.

"Boss, what kind of person do you think your Mentor is?"

As they talked, the men in the car grew curious. Their boss was the only one whose Mentor wasn’t present.

Blaise chuckled. "Hehe."

"I’ve only spoken to him on the phone. He’s pretty busy right now, so it’ll be a while before I can meet him. But he’s the leader of the Silent Knight Order! Ha, try not to be jealous!"

"But I could tell from the phone call that he’s a very strict person. As the one directly in charge of us, he’ll probably make us all suffer in the future~!"

He sounded like he was complaining, but it was clearly a way of showing off. It made his six subordinates envious, but also created a relaxed feeling, as if they were on equal footing with their boss.

Qin Xiaoxia had used the Red Demoness’s Illusion Realm Ability, in what felt like a fast-forwarded time freeze, to let the seven burly men experience and understand some of Dawn’s basic "historical" knowledge.

With that as a foundation, they were assigned their respective Mentors. Adhering to tradition (a very real tradition) that only anointed members could serve as Mentors, three of the seven were placed under Mumu, three under Su Su, and Blaise was placed alone under Baru.

"Hook, speed up. Our work starts now. Tonight, we’ll map out our networks of control and connections into a tree diagram..."

The two cars then accelerated, heading toward Blaise’s casino in the rain.

...

Just as Blaise and the others had predicted, the Los Angeles Meteorological Bureau was indeed in a bit of a panic.

A thunderstorm had appeared out of nowhere within minutes. This was too similar to what had happened before!

The moment they observed the atmospheric changes, they contacted the 19th Organizational Department almost immediately.

The people at the Los Angeles Branch didn’t dare to be careless. The first time this happened, it was the Crystal Ore, and the second was the terrifying Flame Demon. What would this third time bring?

Police departments across the city were ready to be dispatched, the National Guard was fully assembled, and attack helicopters had taken off from nearby bases. In short, a rapid response was prepared in the shortest possible time.

Even Norton, who was currently in France, was considering an immediate return.

Then, half an hour passed. An hour passed.

The rain stopped.

Across all of Los Angeles, aside from trivial matters like people reporting lost dogs in the downpour, no major incidents occurred—at least, not on the surface.

A few hours later, the 19th Organizational Department classified it as a potential anomaly that had been resolved by a mysterious force without drawing attention.

To be safe, Baru requested to return to the country to investigate Los Angeles more thoroughly, as he was more familiar with the area. Norton, wanting to be cautious, approved the request. Besides, things in France were currently just a mess of bickering, with only the Death Illusion Barrier left to study.

...

「Two days later.」

A burly, bear-like figure appeared on a street somewhere in downtown Los Angeles.

The homeless, the thugs, and even the stray dogs on the street subconsciously gave him a wide berth. This was a man who radiated the aura of a wild beast.

The dance hall under Blaise’s name had recently closed for business, and his most trusted subordinates had been frequently coming and going.

Of course, besides the initial seven, few understood what had happened. They just assumed their boss was planning a big move.

But strangely, apart from some new restrictive regulations, nothing major seemed to be happening.

However, the more perceptive ones noticed that some of the more unruly people were gone. The pushers who used to hang around the dance hall and other venues selling their wares had also disappeared.

There were some businesses Blaise didn’t engage in, but other factions did, and they always paid enough protection money to operate on Blaise’s turf. But now, it seemed their boss no longer cared about that kind of money.

Tonight, all of Blaise’s core men were gathered in the dance hall, which was supposedly closed for renovations but had seen no actual changes inside.

There were over thirty people here in total. While most of them didn’t know the full story, they understood that their boss must have found a powerful backer.

Most of these men were the original crew who had fought their way up alongside Blaise over more than a decade.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

The door to the dance hall was hammered on violently from the outside. Those close to it could feel the vibrations.

Judging by the time, Blaise knew it had to be his Mentor, but the promised text message hadn’t arrived.

CRASH!

Before Blaise could even order someone to open it, the door was smashed open, the steel bolt bent out of shape.

Baru’s figure, like that of a standing brown bear, appeared in the doorway.

In his eyes, the muzzles of several guns that had been pointed at him out of shock might as well have been nothing.

"Sorry, Blaise. Your door is too flimsy!"

He wore combat pants and leather boots, and his explosive muscles strained the sleeveless undershirt he wore.

With a huge pack slung over his back, Baru strode into the dance hall with heavy steps.

Blaise snapped out of his surprise and quickly ordered his men to lower their guns.

Baru paid it no mind. He kicked his leg back, and with another CLANG, slammed the door shut. He stomped the lock heavily back into shape, sealing the door once more.

"Looks like you haven’t introduced me to your cronies yet?"

"Mentor, I was just being..."

"It’s fine, it’s fine, I get it. Necessary security measures. It’s right for members of the Association to have this level of vigilance."

A smile remained on Baru’s face, the scars shifting with his facial muscles, making him look all the more ferocious and terrifying. Although the others couldn’t see his face clearly, the terror he exuded didn’t diminish in the slightest.

THUD!

The sound of the pack hitting the ground was like a bomb being dropped. The floorboards even cracked slightly.

"This is Moss-Growth Protective Gear. I asked Lord Mumu to cultivate it for me a long time ago. You’re the first batch to try it. You should feel honored!"

GULP.

Blaise, his six men, and the other subordinates all swallowed hard. They had a bad feeling about this.

"It can survive on skin flakes, oil, and sweat. It doesn’t interfere with your clothes and can merge into your subcutaneous layer. A single layer is 0.1 millimeters thick and weighs about half a kilogram per cubic centimeter. It enhances your defense, making it the perfect training tool for a Knight."

"Let’s start with rings for your arms and legs. I hear it can also perform photosynthesis, which will slowly improve your physique!"

"Heheheh, boys, no need to thank me!"

Inside the special backpack, which had split open from the impact of being dropped, clumps of dark green matter pulsed with Life Force under the lights.

"I won’t comment on the seven of you. Since it’s Master Sage’s will, I’ll acknowledge you. Especially you, Blaise. It’s not easy being my student, but if you graduate, there’s a spot for you in the Silent Knight Order!"

Baru’s gaze, as sharp as a falcon’s, swept over the other twenty-odd men.

"And you! You’re the luckiest scum in the world! But perhaps, you’re also the unluckiest!"

"Starting today, life’s Purgatory mode is activated!"

"Evolve or die!"

His booming voice made the cups and glasses in the dance hall tremble.

Unlike Qin Xiaoxia, who was accustomed to using Magic Power, Baru’s thundering voice came purely from the explosive power of his vocal cord muscles.