Lord of Mysteries: Starting As A Reader

Tyre the Werewolf recognized the face of the girl standing on the rooftop. It belonged to the "prey" he had been obsessed with ever since the ambush at the clothing store months ago. Back then, he had waited two full days in the store's backroom, expecting to see her and her mother's despair after being defiled. Who could have predicted that the man protecting them had access to a demigod-level method? Not only did that man help the girl escape, but he also disrupted Master Steve's plans, allowing Sharon and Maric to escape as well.

The aftermath had been brutal for Tyre. Both Master Steve and Lord Zatwin severely punished him for the failure. How could such a memory not leave a lasting impression?

But now… How long had it been? A mere five months? Could that same fragile, weeping girl now possess the strength to contend with Master Steve?

And judging from the situation, it appeared Master Steve had fallen into her trap and was at a disadvantage.

"No, that's impossible! Not even making a pact with an evil god could result in such a rapid ascent!" Tyre raged internally, struggling to reconcile the scene before him.

However, despite his frustration, he noticed that the girl on the rooftop made no move to attack him. She merely watched coldly.

Similarly, the icy tendrils and ghostly hands binding his ankles and knees hadn't tightened their grip. They merely restricted his movements.

Even with his limited intellect, Tyre realized the girl wasn't hesitating—she simply couldn't finish him off yet.

She's still locked in a contest with Master Steve, who's occupying Ludwell's body! They're wrestling for control in a mystical domain!

If I can do something to tilt the balance...

Determined, Tyre exerted all his strength, trying to break free of the tendrils. But the spectral hands summoned by Jane seemed perfectly suited to restraining brute force like his. No matter how he struggled, he remained immobilized.

"You whore! How many men did you sleep with to get so many magical items?" Tyre sneered, his voice dripping with malice. "Why don't you come down here and join me? Maybe if you satisfy me, I'll even let you have your revenge!"

His voice grew more vicious. "Did you know? Your mother's skin was so pale and smooth. When I tore it apart, the sensation was simply divine!"

Tyre hoped his words would provoke a reaction, destabilizing her composure.

However, Jane was no longer the helpless girl she had been months ago. Her heart was now fortified. She merely cast Tyre a cold glance, letting his words slide off her like water off a duck's back.

In truth, Jane couldn't afford to divide her attention. Master Steve's resistance was far stronger than she had anticipated.

Her initial plan had been to use the Puppet Gloves to control Ludwell's body, baiting Steve into possessing it. She had then hidden herself using a spirit to suppress her presence.

But that had been a trap.

The moment Steve successfully possessed Ludwell, he was ambushed by a powerful demigod spirit hidden within the "gate" Ludwell carried. Steve's spiritual threads immediately fell into Jane's grasp.

However, simultaneously manipulating a demigod spirit and controlling Steve's spiritual threads pushed Jane to her limits, even with the Ring of the Death God enhancing her abilities. Forced to abandon her invisibility, she had summoned another spirit to bind Tyre, diverting what little strength she had left.

Yet Steve, unwilling to be puppeteered so easily, managed to chant an unknown deity's name. This gave him a momentary reprieve, allowing him to regain slight control over his spirit.

Jane, however, noticed the shift and quickly invoked the Ring of the Death God again, strengthening the spirit's hold and reclaiming dominance.

The struggle continued for several minutes. As Steve's resistance waned, his thoughts slowed until he could no longer form coherent ideas, let alone call for external aid.

Jane maintained her focus. Even as the nine-and-a-half-minute mark neared, just seconds before the Mirror World's ten-minute safety threshold, she finally subdued Steve, transforming him into her puppet.

Below, Tyre continued to curse loudly. His vulgarities grew more graphic, painting elaborate, twisted fantasies.

But then, he saw a figure separate from Ludwell's body. It was clad in a black tailcoat and dark red cloak—Steve's spectral form.

"Master Steve!" Tyre exclaimed joyfully. He howled in celebration, his hatred for Jane quickly replaced by lustful anticipation.

His fantasies, however, were cut short. Steve's spirit suddenly descended upon him, invading his body. Tyre's limbs and mouth stopped obeying his commands.

Steve... Master... Why... possess... me?

Before Tyre could process his thoughts, his own hands rose to his head.

Crack!

He twisted his head forcefully, catching a glimpse of his exposed spine.

Snap!

With another twist, he ripped his own head off.

The entire process was eerily silent. Tyre didn't scream or speak.

Even as he held his severed head, blood streaming down his neck, his body remained upright.

Then, faint black-green light began to emerge from his head and torso.

Steve's spirit caught this essence as it materialized. With it in hand, he reattached Tyre's head and gave it a testing turn.

Meanwhile, Jane, mindful of the ten-minute limit, covered the mirror's surface with the black cloth just as the last second ticked away.

The gray and white world vanished, and the three—Jane, Tyre, and Ludwell—reappeared on the darkened street.

Under the cover of night, Jane retrieved a scroll gifted by her captain. Reciting the incantation, she sealed Ludwell back into the scroll.

Next, she commanded Steve to use Tyre's corpse to follow her into the abandoned house she had hidden in earlier.

Once Steve exited Tyre's body, the werewolf's head fell off again. Seeing this, Jane finally broke down.

At first, she wept silently. But soon, her cries grew louder, carrying the weight of all the pain and rage she had suppressed.

After a long while, she wiped her tears and smiled, her face radiant despite the exhaustion.

"Father, Mother… I've avenged you," she murmured.

"The ones who directly killed you are dead. But this isn't over!"

Jane's eyes glinted with determination as she whispered, "Next… I'll destroy the Rose School of Thought!

With that vow, she turned her attention to her spoils, collecting Tyre's Beyonder characteristic and inspecting her prize—Steve the Wraith.

Searching his belongings, she found a small glass vial with its cap half-twisted.

Jane frowned, summoning a spirit to examine it. After confirming its contents, she tightened the cap.

"A vial of deadly toxin…" she muttered. "If Steve hadn't fallen into my trap immediately, he might've used this… The outcome could've been very different."

Shaking off the lingering fear, Jane pocketed the vial and glanced toward the direction of Balam Shipyard.

"I wonder how Sharon's doing?"

With her spirituality nearly depleted, she could only place her trust in Sharon and the others.

---

High above, Bernadette, swaying gently on her natural swing of green vines, observed the scene with a faint smile behind her black veil.

Shifting her gaze toward the shipyard, her brow furrowed momentarily before smoothing out. Her figure turned translucent, dissolving into bubbles that drifted away.

The pea vines coiled back and vanished into the night.

---

At the shipyard, reinforcements led by Wraith Linstor arrived, confirming that Sharon and Maric were indeed free from the effects of the Scarlet Lunar Corona.

Satisfied with the intelligence about their supposed "Potion Professor," Linstor sneered and closed his eyes.

Moments later, he reopened them, holding a dark-golden talisman.

In ancient Hermes, he chanted:

"Law!

"No magical potion shall take effect here!"

Golden light rippled outward, inscribing runes of prohibition into the air and embedding them in the surroundings.

Linstor's gaze turned icier as he reflected:

"Items in the Dream Labyrinth Tower's exchange list sometimes include perfect-clearance rewards from other challengers.

"This time, I wonder who managed to clear a demigod talisman's scenario flawlessly…"

Clearly, Linstor was also a challenger of the Dream Labyrinth Tower!

(End of Chapter)