That was... something nearly completely transparent reflecting in Caine's eyes. It seemed like the outer shell of an object, occasionally retracting slightly and vanishing from Caine's sight, or, as if pushed outward by an invisible breeze, extending a bit and revealing fragments of its outline. With this as a reference point, looking upward revealed a deep green, almost black hue standing still—like the color of trees in a black forest. Caine murmured something about it, utterly unable to imagine what this "color" or this "thing" might symbolize, and only dared to speculate that it might be connected to gaining greater control over this mysterious space above the gray mist. Without making any futile attempts, he stepped down from the staircase that seemed to lead to heaven and returned to the palace where he had first manifested himself. Considering the presence of the "Mysterious Queen," Caine made a few arrangements before leaving the realm above the gray mist and returning to his room, to the bathroom. Once the loose ends were tied up, he stepped steadily toward his luggage, pulling out the "Sun Brooch" and fastening it onto the double-breasted formal suit. After all this upheaval, the variety of magical items he could now use and carry had returned to its original state in Beckland. Yet, as a Level 5, he now possessed one of the most formidable abilities among those below the demi-god tier—making him a true powerhouse of the extraordinary world. "Normally, I should be thrilled and excited, but in truth, I'm not—indeed, I haven't even felt truly excited until I finally found the mermaid. To me, it's merely another step toward vengeance; the real goal still lies far ahead. "Next, I need to summarize the guidelines, digest the 'Master of Secret Incantations' elixir, locate the recipes and ingredients corresponding to Sequence 4. Hmm, these tasks will have to be handled after I leave this region, one by one, consulting Mr. Azk, Wil. Onsight, and 'The Mirror' Arados. "Heh, these past few days, I should relax and ease my mind—too much tension might cause it to snap, leading to signs of loss of control..." Kline turned to gaze at the full-length mirror in the room. There he stood, nearly 1.8 meters tall, with black hair and brown eyes, his face lean and his features sharply defined, dressed in a white shirt, a long formal suit, a tie, a hat, and a dark golden sunbird brooch. His expression was calm, his gaze deep and steady. He stood quietly for a moment, then raised both hands to adjust the buttons on the cuffs of his sleeves and gave a gentle拍拍 to his black formal suit. A lightning bolt split the sky, illuminating the layered, dim buildings ahead. The "Monster Hunter" Colin Iliad, bearing two swords, pointed toward the opposite side: "That's the town in the afternoon." His loosely styled white hair swayed continuously in the wind blowing across the open fields. So quickly... Darien, who carried the "Fury of the Wind," remarked with some surprise. He soon found it understandable, since the King's Court of the Giants was located in the vicinity of the Silver City, and the afternoon town itself served as one of the key connecting points between the two. With the lightning casting light on the night, he clearly saw the town's layout—it was built along the foot of the mountain, naturally dividing into upper, middle, and lower levels—and though it was called a town, it was not much smaller than many of the ruins discovered in the Silver City. Here, gray stones have been stacked to form various houses—some entirely hollowed out, reaching nearly ten meters in height, while others are as compact and low as Dairek's current dwelling, so short that a normal human would brush against the roof. These buildings are closely arranged, spreading out in a dense formation, some already collapsed, others still standing, yet all bearing the marks of age and decay. It is entirely different from what was described in the textbooks… Dairek recalled the knowledge he had learned in history class. According to the records of Silver City, the town of Afternoon served as the threshold between reality and myth, where humans and giants lived side by side. It had both nights and days, but all days were in a state of "afternoon"—no matter how dense the fog, how heavy the rain, or how severe the snowfall, the sunlight remained strong and unobstructed. Yet here, it is now dark and gray, even when illuminated by lightning, lacking brightness and vitality. Holding firm to the axe handle, Drik with eyes containing two subtly shrunk suns walked alongside the exploration team, following Chief Colin step by step into the afternoon town. Already cleared during the initial expedition, the streets were littered with traces of decaying flesh and dried-out pus, silent and still, with not a single sound. "Be cautious—there are many strange creatures hidden in the shadows," said Colin Iliat, whose face bore old scars, neither casual nor relaxed, drawing one of his two carried swords with a steady hand, the blade's silver glow subdued. Could this be the threshold of myth? When the Creator abandoned this land, had myth itself been forsaken? Drik couldn't help but imagine the fate of the afternoon town during that great upheaval, instinctively sensing it likely differed from that of the Silver Kingdom. Before he could take a more careful look around, searching for possible clues, he suddenly heard a sharp cry from his teammate on the other side: "Something! Something!" Derek turned his head and saw a transparent face emerging from the surface of the colossal stone house, ten meters high. The face was covered with countless cracks that wound systematically toward the center, forming a vortex-like single eye or mouth. Within the vortex, gales of wind seemed tangible, roaring and bursting forth, while beams of dawn-like light poured out in dense clusters, resembling arrows of light. Pfft, pfft, pfft! These light arrows struck several members of the exploration teams, yet as if hitting a solid city wall, they only produced dull, resonant sounds before fading into the overcast atmosphere. At some point, Colin Iliat, the city's "chief," had knelt and half-sunk his silver straight sword into the decaying gray stone ground, offering the strongest protection to the frontline team members. Meanwhile, the other exploration team members launched their attacks in a well-organized sequence, delivering waves of light storms and red fireballs in turn against the monster. Immediately afterward, the holy light summoned by Dariel fell upon the vortex resembling a single eye. Amid the explosion, the already-cracked massive stone collapsed with a roar, and the transparent face screamed as it vaporized. Though the battle had been relatively easy, Dariel did not feel particularly pleased. He had heard, during his time at the Tarot Circle, discussions from Mr. The Hanged Man and Miss Justice about cases involving extraordinary beings in combat. Drawing upon accumulated experience from battling various monsters in the Silver City and the depths of darkness, he had grown increasingly concerned about the limited methods the Silver City possessed—particularly in controlling beings below the level of half-gods. The situation just witnessed confirmed this concern. Fortunately, the seals formed by the deceased monsters provided some compensation. Dariel silently reflected on this, then heard the Chief instruct: "As originally planned, form groups of three to four, and proceed to explore and clear different areas." "Understood, Chief!" Most of the exploration team members were experienced, and quickly completed the group assignments. Derek's group consists of three members: in addition to himself, there's Joshua and Heine, who had also visited the abandoned temple. Joshua is a "Master of Weapons" from Sequence 7 and possesses a magical glove capable of controlling fire. Heine has recently become a "Dawn Knight" from Sequence 6, growing significantly taller, now reaching 2.3 meters. ——On average, the Silver City's warriors, or "Giants," stand at 1.8 meters (including children over six years old). Even without inheriting exceptional traits, normal genes gradually accumulate changes across generations. Though not yet old, Derek has already approached 1.8 meters and still has room for further growth. According to the assigned objective, Derek, Joshua, and Heine formed a triangular battle formation and entered a narrow alley on the left, exploring each building they could access. Perhaps due to prior clearing efforts, they encountered no monsters throughout their journey, which gradually eased their minds. "Have heard the Six Councilors plan to establish a camp here, turning the afternoon town into our base," Joshua said, reviewing the hall of the house with his left hand wearing a red glove. Heinm nodded, looking down at his two companions. "The real objective seems to be..." he pointed upward. "King's Hall?" Dric asked, somewhat surprised. Aren't they supposed to be heading toward the seaside where Jack and the others arrived? Isn't King's Hall supposed to be bypassed? Dric was puzzled. Heinm shook his head. "I only heard that." He glanced around and indicated the entrance to the basement. "Let's explore this place first." Dric nodded, confident in his night vision and the ability to glow, stepping ahead into the basement. Heinm followed, carrying a lantern wrapped in animal hide, with Joshua right behind him. The basement of this house is notably spacious, with numerous dark, dried streaks scattered across the floor, and the scent of blood—though long faded—still lingers faintly. Derek took in the room and sensed that a ritual had once been held here. Long ago… he silently added, as he spotted stone tables resembling altars, candle stubs left behind, and grew more certain of his hunch. How could the town's residents have quietly gathered in the basement to conduct such a ritual in the afternoon? Under the reign of the Giants' Court, they had been devoted followers of the Giants' King, and later, of the One Who Created All… Was the owner of this house secretly worshipping a different deity? A series of questions arose. Derek approached the altar, where the stone table had once been intricately carved with inscriptions, but which had now been nearly entirely eroded by both natural and unnatural forces. After careful examination, Derek identified three names: "Ululios," "Medici," and "Sasriel." Ululios? Isn't this the name of the "Angel of Fate"? "Mr. Fool" mentioned that Medici is also a King of Angels, and Sasril is another? Deric felt a surge of excitement, yet also fear, and quickly turned around, eager to summon his companions to join in the viewing. But to his surprise, the entrance to the basement was empty and dark—Heinrich and Joshua, who should have been right behind him, were nowhere to be seen! PS: Finally back home, made some adjustments—first posted, then revised.