Chapter 53: Encountering an emissary

Arthur was about to leave the shelter and head toward the next biggest one, the Orion Shelter. He had already made up his mind to move quickly, but just as he was about to step forward, his entire body suddenly froze. His instincts screamed of extreme danger, warning him that his life and death no longer belonged to him.

"What is going on?" Arthur thought grimly. A strange and terrifying sensation spread throughout his body, something he had never experienced even in his previous life. It was as if an incomprehensibly powerful existence had suddenly descended upon this place and was staring directly at him.

Suddenly, he noticed several black particles gathering three meters away from him. They floated silently in the air, slowly converging toward a single point as an ominous aura began spreading through the surroundings. A terrible premonition immediately rose within Arthur’s heart.

He wanted to run.

However, his legs felt incredibly heavy, as though they had been firmly locked in place by an invisible force. Even when he activated Atomic Body Control and attempted to force his body into motion, nothing happened. His muscles responded perfectly to his commands, yet his body simply refused to move.

Arthur could only stand there and watch the strange manifestation taking shape before him. For the first time since his rebirth, he felt completely helpless, unable to do anything except wait for whatever was coming.

Thirty seconds passed.

The black particles had already gathered into the rough shape of a humanoid figure. They continued swirling around one another, gradually becoming denser and more substantial. The vague silhouette slowly began transforming into something that resembled a real creature.

Another minute passed before the manifestation finally stabilized.

Only then could Arthur clearly see the being standing before him. He could not see its face. Instead, where its facial features should have been, there was nothing but a black hole, constantly swirling as though an endless void had been compressed into the shape of a head.

The being wore a dark robe that seemed to absorb the surrounding light. In one hand, it held a strange staff made from an unknown obsidian-like metal, its surface covered with ancient patterns that Arthur could not recognize.

[Name: Kharkov]

[Title: Emissary of the Temple of Erebus]

[Level: ?????]

Arthur’s pupils contracted the moment he saw the information.

He suddenly felt as if a primordial beast was staring directly at him. The entity’s gaze seemed to penetrate through his body, soul, bloodline, and even the deepest secrets hidden within his existence. Yet strangely, there was no immediate killing intent.

Instead, it seemed to be inspecting him with great interest.

" He ru aw fy ni.... "

An ancient voice came from the being’s mouth. The words were filled with an indescribably ancient quality, as though they had originated from an era far older than the current Genesis Realm. Arthur could not understand even a single word.

[Ding! Divine language detected.]

[Due to your authority as a Primordial, the language is being translated.]

The incomprehensible voice suddenly became clear within Arthur’s mind.

"You are an interesting player. I cannot see through your existence, which should not have been possible."

Kharkov’s voice was calm, yet every word seemed to carry an invisible pressure that made the surrounding space tremble slightly. Arthur remained silent, carefully listening to every word spoken by the mysterious emissary.

"So, mortal, I will allow you to join the Supreme Temple of Lord Erebus as a senior disciple without undergoing any trial. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity."

Kharkov paused for a moment before continuing in the same calm tone.

"We stopped accepting players approximately a million years ago. The last disciple we accepted is now a Lesser God."

Arthur’s expression remained calm, but his mind was already in turmoil. He could clearly tell how interested Kharkov was in him. An existence powerful enough to stand beyond the normal leveling system was actually explaining why Arthur should join his temple.

That alone showed how much attention he had attracted.

[Ding! You are being invited to join the Temple of Erebus.]

[Do you wish to accept the invitation?]

A system notification immediately appeared before Arthur.

At the same time, the disgust originating from his bloodline erupted once again.

Arthur was genuinely tempted.

Of course, he had heard of Erebus. The primordial darkness himself. An existence whose name stood at a level completely beyond the gods Arthur had encountered during his previous life.

There were countless temples throughout the Genesis Realm, numbering in the millions or perhaps even billions. They belonged to different known and unknown mythologies, and each temple possessed its own inheritance, power system, requirements, and hierarchy.

The temples themselves were divided into several grades.

Lower Grade Temple, Higher Grade Temple, Mythical Grade Temple, Supreme Grade Temple, and finally, Creation God Temple.

Most temples players encountered throughout their lifetimes were Lower Grade Temples. Temples belonging to mountain gods, tree gods, forest spirits, river gods, and similar beings were relatively common throughout the Genesis Realm.

Higher Grade Temples were much more powerful and prestigious. Temples belonging to gods such as Athena and Aphrodite were among them, and they served as one of the primary sources of power for countless players.

Every player dreamed of joining such a temple.

Even becoming a servant or ordinary disciple was considered an incredible opportunity, because the resources and inheritances available within those temples were far beyond what ordinary players could obtain on their own.

As for Mythical Grade Temples, they were extremely difficult to encounter.

The Temples of Odin, Zeus, Poseidon, Thor, Loki, and Osiris were all examples of Mythical Grade Temples. Finding one was already incredibly difficult, and even after discovering a path leading toward one, entering the temple was an entirely different matter.

Above them stood the Supreme Grade Temples.

To ordinary players, they were nothing more than legends.

Some disciples of Higher Grade Temples had occasionally heard rumors about them, but very few had ever personally witnessed one. Yet now, Arthur was being directly invited into a Supreme Grade Temple as a senior disciple.

It was an opportunity that countless players would willingly risk their lives to obtain.

Unfortunately, his damn bloodline refused to allow him to accept it.

"I don’t wish to join any temple for now, sir."

Arthur carefully maintained a humble attitude as he spoke. He couldn’t even see Kharkov’s level, which meant the emissary’s existence was far beyond the normal leveling system.

Arthur had no intention of becoming the enemy of such an existence.

For several seconds, Kharkov did not react.

The strange black hole where his face should have been continued swirling silently as he stared at Arthur. The atmosphere became increasingly oppressive, and Arthur’s muscles instinctively tensed.

Then Kharkov finally spoke.

[Ding! You have been marked by the Divine Emissary named Kharkov.]

[You cannot join any other temple from now on unless the temple is willing to defy the Temple of Erebus.]

Arthur almost cursed aloud.

How petty could this emissary be?

He had already rejected the invitation politely, yet the other party had immediately blocked him from joining every other temple. Even Arthur’s expression twitched slightly at the absurdity of the situation.

"Mortal, you have piqued my interest, so I will give you a small gift nonetheless."

As Kharkov’s voice fell, a pitch-black card suddenly appeared before Arthur.

Arthur cautiously reached out and took it.

[Name: Entry Permit to the Ruin of Erebus]

[Grade: God Grade]

Arthur’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"You may come and explore the Ruin of Erebus in nine months, if you can find the ruin, of course."

Kharkov’s voice carried a faint trace of amusement.

"I am eager to see how far you can grow. Goodbye, mortal."

The moment his final word fell, Kharkov’s body began dissolving into countless black particles. Within a few seconds, the entire manifestation disappeared without leaving behind the slightest trace.

Only then did Arthur finally release the breath he had been holding.

Cold sweat poured down his body.

His legs were still slightly trembling, and his heart was beating rapidly inside his chest. The moment Kharkov disappeared, the invisible restriction over his body vanished as well, allowing Arthur to move freely again.

Arthur immediately left the shelter and took several deep breaths, forcing himself to calm both his heart and mind. He stood there for quite some time before finally regaining his composure.

"That was dangerous."

Arthur slowly began walking toward the Orion Shelter.

He had experienced countless dangerous situations in his previous life, but none of them had made him feel as powerless as he had just now. The gap between himself and Kharkov was simply too enormous.

He had not even been given the chance to understand what was happening before his body had been completely immobilized.

Arthur’s expression gradually became serious.

He had decided to ask the government for a town in the real world in exchange for the Orion shelter . Although his family possessed enough money to purchase a considerable amount of land, the government did not normally sell such a massive piece of land in Aurora City to a single family.

Arthur needed a special town.

A place where his family could grow safely while remaining hidden from the outside world.

Once the game completely merged with reality, countless ancient monsters would appear on Aethelgard. Humans would also begin mutating, and the world would gradually descend into an unprecedented apocalypse.

Arthur knew that he would not be nearly powerful enough to deal with every threat that would eventually appear.

Therefore, the only thing he could do for now was create a safe haven for his family and gradually strengthen himself until he became powerful enough to face the coming disaster.

"I need to become stronger. Much stronger."

Arthur’s fists tightened slightly.

"If that entity had been hostile toward me, I would have died before even understanding what killed me."

A lingering sense of fear remained within Arthur’s heart.

For the first time since his rebirth, he had truly experienced what it meant to be weak in front of another existence.

While walking, Arthur suddenly began thinking about another matter.

"I wonder where the City of Laos is."

A faint trace of longing appeared in his eyes.

"If I could enter that place, I might be able to purchase a Divine Authority, Divine Bloodline, or even a Divine Physique."

Arthur couldn’t help but sigh.

The City of Laos was a mythical city within the Genesis Realm. According to the rumors, once in a blue moon, a player would accidentally fall into a rotten well and mysteriously appear inside the city.

The players who had managed to enter the City of Laos described it as a miraculous place where almost anything could be found.

In his previous life, Arthur had tried countless methods to discover the entrance.

He had jumped into rotten wells, explored dried-up wells, searched ancient ruined houses, and even investigated countless abandoned locations rumored to contain hidden entrances.

Unfortunately, he had never found the City of Laos.

Arthur continued walking while lost in his thoughts.

Before long, the massive silhouette of a dome-shaped building appeared in the distance. The enormous structure was surrounded by a powerful barrier, and countless monsters could be vaguely seen moving within the protected area.

Arthur’s footsteps gradually came to a stop.

A system notification appeared before his eyes.

[Ding! You have discovered the Orion Shelter.]