NOVPUBLow Plane Universe — Fortress
"Damn it!"
"You madman! Stop chasing me with that sword already! You've almost shaved me bald!"
"I just wanted to be a salted fish of a rabbit! Eat, sleep, sleep, eat—that's the life I wanted!"
"I've got zero interest in being the so-called Number One Rabbit in the Universe!"
"When the hell can I go to the upper plane universe and finally be free?!"
"Oh my dear master! When will you finally show up and rescue me from this hell?!"
The rabbit—now nearly fur-less and covered in cuts and scratches—wailed as he sprinted madly, with a fiery-haired, one-eyed swordsman hot on his tail.
Not far away, the Ironback Centipede, carrying a blazing furnace on its back, glanced at the scene with envy and muttered, "In this whole fortress, aside from the Lord and Lady Etenny, the only one who dares talk to him like that is… Brother Rabbit."
Upper Plane Universe — Endless Sanctuary
"Wait a second… isn't today recruitment day at the Sanctuary? Don't you three need to be there?"
Velen, still mulling over the fact that all three candidate saints had reached Rank 1 Law, suddenly asked with a look of curiosity.
"Lord Velen," Alec answered respectfully, "the Sanctuary only recruits once every five years, and the event is overseen personally by the Palace Master and the three elders."
"Besides, it hasn't started yet—we're still early. If you'd like to attend, we can escort you there anytime."
Ding!
"Alert: Temple of the Stars, Eternal Tower, and Ares Academy have each paid a heavy price to hire six Star Emperor Rank Level 9 powerhouses to sabotage this round of Endless Sanctuary's recruitment!"
"Three of them are already mixed into the crowd outside the Sanctuary. The other three are en route."
"Host may randomly assign tycoon Guardians to deal with the threat, or specify individuals."
"Successfully resolving this crisis will yield a random reward."
Velen's eyes narrowed, a sharp glint flashing within them.
These were the same forces that had once taken part in the ambush against Anastasia… and now they dared target his Sanctuary again?
Fine then.
I'll make you pay.
Let this be the beginning of your downfall.
"This is perfect," Velen murmured. "I'll deal with these six Star Emperor scum first. By the time I'm done, those three factions will be scared out of their minds."
"This is mentor's vengeance. So mentor should deliver it herself. Let them linger in fear for a little longer."
With that, Velen calmly instructed the system:
"System, have Red-Hair, Etenny, and Boulderfoot handle the three already outside the Sanctuary. Let Number One deal with the three en route."
Low Plane Universe — Fortress
"COME ON!"
"You one-eyed lunatic! Keep swinging that damn sword at me! Shave off the rest of my fur, why don't you?!"
The rabbit had officially snapped.
He had already been chopped to the brink of madness—whether it was one cut or ten thousand, what did it matter anymore?
Suddenly, the red-haired man stopped in his tracks.
"Master wants me to go to the upper plane universe for something. Wanna come?"
Ignoring the rabbit's tantrum, the red-haired man spoke with indifference.
"Big Bro Red! You look SO cool wielding a sword!"
The nearly hairless rabbit changed tone in a blink, praising him shamelessly without batting an eye.
The surrounding beasts all looked on in collective disgust.
Inside the Fortress Hall
"Big Sis, Master wants me to take care of something, so I'll be stepping out for a bit."
Etenny, sucking on a lollipop, said casually to Anastasia, who was lying exhausted on the ground.
"I haven't even seen Velen's shadow lately," Anastasia muttered. "He doesn't even come back to sleep anymore. What in the world is he so busy with?"
"Big Sis, Master's preparing a massive surprise for you," Etenny said, grinning. "You'll be seeing him every day again soon."
With that, she turned and left the hall.
"…What?"
Anastasia was left dumbfounded.
I'm about to ascend to the upper plane universe soon. How in the world am I supposed to see him every day?
Something felt off about what Etenny said.
A surprise?
More like a disaster waiting to happen!
Upper Plane Universe — Endless Sanctuary
"System, wait a sec…"
"I thought I could only use the tycoon Guardians in situations where I was in danger?"
Velen suddenly realized something and questioned the system.
Ding!
"Host has now reached the threshold of a qualified Extravagant Tycoon. Use of the tycoon Guardians is no longer strictly limited."
"…What?"
Velen was genuinely stunned.
This hands-off policy has gone way too far!
"Then what if I ordered the Guardians to destroy the entire upper plane universe?" he asked half-jokingly.
Ding!
"Reminder: You now have less restriction, not zero restriction."
"If you dare issue such a command, the system dares to lock them up in solitary confinement!"
"…Huh."
So I dare to send them, and you dare to lock them up? What about how THEY feel?
Velen rubbed his chin in thought.
Maybe he should test it out with a Guardian—see if the system was bluffing.
But after a long moment of temptation…
He let out a sigh and gave up the idea.
If the system wasn't bluffing, he might just wipe out the upper plane universe by accident.
That would be… a bit awkward.
"Let's go. I want to check out the recruitment ceremony," he said at last, turning to the three candidate saints.
"After all, it only happens once every five years. I might not even be here next time it happens."
Casual words—spoken without much thought.
But to Stiegler and Lore, those words carried weight.
In their minds, Velen was a saint from some unimaginable sanctuary, just casually passing through the Endless Sanctuary on vacation.
Now hearing this, they both drew the same conclusion:
Velen probably won't stay here more than five years!
What they didn't know… was that what Velen really meant was—
He might not be in the upper plane universe at all.
Above a Certain Mountain Valley…
Three Star Emperor Rank mages tore through the sky, flying toward Endless Sanctuary at breakneck speed.
"Snow Eagle Mage, Blue Mage," said the man in the crimson robe. "We're not being paid much this time. Just disrupt their recruitment—no need to kill anyone."
"If they want us to assassinate elders, they'll have to pay extra."
"Hahaha! Agreed!"
Ghost Poison Mage laughed loudly.
"We're mercenaries, not philanthropists. Killing costs more!"
"Still, we should be cautious," said Blue Mage, his expression darkening.
"The strongest elder in Endless Sanctuary is only Star Emperor Rank 7. But if they pooled all their Stellar Cores into one mage…"
"Not only could they kill a few elders, they might wipe out all eight of them."
"Why us, though? Three rogue mages?"
"Who knows if they've also hired others."
The atmosphere grew tense.
"Too much talk."
A cold, disdainful voice suddenly sliced through the air.
A streak of golden blade light flashed before their eyes.
SPLAT!
Blue Mage was cleaved clean in two mid-air.
His corpse dropped like a stone.
"What the f—?!"
Ghost Poison Mage and Snow Eagle Mage nearly lost their minds.
One sword.
One sword killed a Star Emperor Mage.
Their eyes filled with unspeakable terror.
"Laugh."
"Go on—keep laughing for me."
"Laugh as you were a moment ago while flying toward Endless Sanctuary!"
"If I don't get my fun today, I'll make sure you wish you were never born!"
A golden-armored man appeared before them, his gaze full of mockery and threat.
It was Victor No. 1.
And the hunt had just begun.
