It was almost sun set when Minami and Valx stepped out of the Adventurer's Guild.
The streets of Haven buzzed with life—merchants shouting prices, adventurers boasting loudly, steel clanking against armor—but Valx glanced at her with a curious tilt of his head.
"So," he said casually, hands behind his head, "where do you stay?"
Minami didn't answer immediately.
For a heartbeat, the truth lingered on her tongue.
In a divine space beyond mortal perception. In a place shaped by my will.
She swallowed it down.
"I… move around," she replied instead. "No fixed place."
Valx raised an eyebrow. "Mysterious. I like it."
She didn't.
Rather than continue the conversation, Minami turned toward one of the busiest streets near the central plaza. Nestled between a weaponsmith and a bustling tavern stood a wide, well-kept building with a golden star etched above its doors.
The All-Star Inn.
It was popular. Clean. Safe.
Perfect.
Inside, the warmth of lantern light greeted them . The innkeeper—a broad man with a sharp eye for coin—looked up as Minami approached the counter.
"How long will you be staying?"
"As long as needed," she replied calmly.
"Two rooms. Two weeks."
The man nodded. "That'll be four gold coins."
Minami didn't hesitate. She placed the coins on the counter, earned through quiet, relentless adventuring over the past week.
Valx blinked. "…Two rooms?"
She shot him a look sharp enough to cut steel.
He laughed awkwardly. "Joking. Joking."
That night, alone in her room, Minami exhaled in relief
The door locked. It was finally time
She raised a hand—and space parted.
A portal bloomed open, revealing her Divine Space.
Stepping through, she summoned her authority.
Overseer.
Reality unfolded before her like a vast map—cities, forests, rivers, kingdoms—every corner of Elythra laid bare beneath her gaze. She zoomed in, past borders and walls, past stone and soil.
Her focus narrowed.
The Human Kingdom of Haven.
Then lower.
Deeper.
The sewer system.
And there—
Her breath caught.
A cocoon, torn open from the inside.
Something had already emerged.
She traced the residue it left behind, following its path through the tunnels… until it vanished.
A dead end.
Unknown form. Unknown strength.
Her jaw tightened.
So it's already moving.
Morning came with whispers.
At the Adventurer's Guild, rumors buzzed like flies around rot.
"People going missing—" "Taken from their homes—" "Haven Knights are investigating—"
Minami approached the counter.
"Bell," she said quietly.
The receptionist's usual cheer was gone.
"Reports came in yesterday. Right after you left. We don't know what's doing it… but the Knights are involved now."
Minami turned toward the quest board.
One notice stood out.
Emergency Request: Assistance Required. Missing Persons Case. Reward: 100 Gold Coins.
Her eyes narrowed.
"This is it," she murmured.
Valx peeked over her shoulder. "One hundred gold…?" His grin widened. "That's steak money."
"Bloody steak," she corrected dryly.
He shrugged. "I don't need blood to survive."
"Sure."
They accepted the quest.
The sewers looked usually creepy
Dark. Damp. Silent in a way that pressed against the mind.
Valx shivered. "I hate this place."
Then they saw it.
A towering, grotesque figure—humanoid, but wrong. Horns curved from its skull. Four unblinking eyes gleamed in the dark. Its limbs were too many, too long, spider-like.
Civilians hung from thick webs along the walls.
Some alive.
Some not.
The creature fed.
Minami stepped forward.
"your stay is long overdue buddy."
She activated MiradEyes.
Agony exploded through her skull.
Blood streamed from her eyes.
"What—?" She staggered. "I can't appraise it—!"
In an instant, it vanished
.
Then—
Pain.
The Blight appeared before her, moving faster than thought.
Valx yelped. "I—uh—moral support!"
"Coward!" she snapped.
She gathered Life Essence, compressing it into her palm—but the creature fed on it. Her power was being drained.
Filled with immerse desperation
She blasted it back with a water ball, barely creating distance.
Then the Blight struck again—impaling her.
Her vision blurred.
I'm going to die.
"No," she growled.
She tore space open and dragged Valx through.
They fell into her Divine Space.
"Where—what—"
"Shut up."
The Codex flared open.
Life Essence critically low. Substitute source engaged.
Power flooded her.
She healed.
Valx stared. "…What are you?"
She met his gaze.
"I am a goddess."
Silence.
"…You're short."
She ignored him.
"That thing was a Blight. One of six."
Valx's expression darkened. "…Then there must be one in the Night Kingdom too."
"Yes."
He exhaled slowly. "That's why I ran. My father sealed my powers. Things were already going wrong."
Minami let out a slow, bitter breath.
"Codex," she said quietly, "I know we've never been on good terms. And I know why."
The floating tome did not respond.
"I know you don't like me," she continued.
"Hell, you probably think I'm reckless. Arrogant. A problem waiting to happen."
She clenched her fists.
"But this situation is bad. Worse than anything I've faced so far. So if you're capable of helping me—just this once—then do it."
Silence lingered.
Then the Codex laughed.
"I thought you would never ask."
Minami's head snapped up. "…You can speak?"
"Of course I can," the Codex replied lazily. "It was my voice you heard the first time you entered this space. I simply chose not to talk."
"Why?"
"Because," it said flatly, "you were a douchebag."
She scoffed despite herself. "Fair."
"You treated power like something to grab and run with. I don't respond well to that." The pages fluttered. "But you've finally reached a point where hesitation is more dangerous than ambition."
Minami's eyes hardened. "Then stop judging and tell me how to survive."
The Codex paused.
"There is a way," it said slowly. "A locked
authority I never told you about."
"Why?"
"Because if misused, it will ruin you."
Minami didn't blink. "Tell me anyway."
The Codex opened wider, ancient symbols glowing.
"It's called the Halving Authority."
The name alone made the Divine Space tremble.
The name alone made the Divine Space tremble.
"This authority allows you to halve
thresholds, durations, and accumulations," the Codex explained.
"Time required. Cost required. Growth required."
Minami frowned. "Be specific."
"The time it takes for a quest to conclude.
The time between sunrise and sunset.
The growth cycle of crops.
The accumulation rate of Life Essence.
Even the threshold required for ascension itself."
Her breath caught.
"…You're saying I can halve the requirement to ascend."
"Yes."
"And Valx?" she asked, glancing at him. "His seal?"
"We cannot break it," the Codex said. "But we can halve its effectiveness—allowing him access to roughly fifty percent of his sealed power."
Minami exhaled sharply.
"And the price?"
The Codex's tone darkened. "You may go berserk. Lose control. Shatter your mind under the strain."