After getting up that morning, Mozo did something unusual. He didn't go to school.
Instead, he stayed in his room, quietly mapping out his future.
Now that the existence of the supernatural world had basically been confirmed, there was no way he could just walk away from it. And if he couldn't walk away, then one thing was certain. He absolutely could not choose the Sequences tied to his enemies.
Most of those beings were evil gods. Their Sequences were practically synonymous with danger and madness. And even if they didn't notice him at the lower levels, the moment he advanced further, it would be no different from walking straight into their hands and offering himself up.
What about those exiled ones?
No. Still too dangerous.
Mozo decisively crossed that option out. He had no intention of spending his days fighting off madness and whispers.
By the same logic, the goddesses' Sequences weren't exactly safe either. Compared to the evil gods, they were relatively better. If he had no other choice, he might be able to survive at the lower or even mid Sequences.
But at higher levels?
He would probably get captured the moment he advanced, then dissected in some divine kingdom.
He might not even make it that far. He could be discovered the moment he started preparing the potion.
Wait.
What if he worked under a gentle goddess? Kept a low profile, disguised himself carefully, and avoided being exposed?
That might actually work.
Mozo paused, tempted for a moment.
But in the end, he still shook his head.
Too risky. His safety would be entirely in someone else's hands.
And Mozo didn't like that.
Using the process of elimination, he crossed out one divine Sequence after another. By the time he finished, his notebook was a mess of scribbles and strike-throughs.
And what remained was only one path.
A brand new divine pathway.
After the great rebellion, countless Uniquenesses had scattered from the Origin. Even now, many of them remained unclaimed and untouched. At least, that was what Mozo remembered.
But unless he had no other choice, he really didn't want to take this route.
It was far too eye-catching.
Unfortunately, he had climbed too high in his dreams. There was practically no existing pathway left whose higher tiers he hadn't offended in some way.
Rubbing his temples, Mozo let out a pained sigh.
If only I had known earlier.
The only consolation was that, thanks to his experiences in the dream world, he actually knew of a complete, undeveloped pathway.
It had once been one of his backup plans, something he prepared back when he was still trying to prove whether the dream world was real.
The problem was that in reality, he had never been able to find any corresponding materials. Not just for that pathway, even for other pathways, he had barely come across anything remotely supernatural.
But now that might change.
Mozo thought of the gathering tonight.
At that mysterious meeting, he might finally be able to obtain the materials needed to prepare his advancement potion.
Just as he was thinking, there was a knock on his door.
When he opened it, he found his landlord standing outside, a refined-looking middle-aged man with a hint of concern on his face.
"Ah, kid," the landlord said with relief after seeing him. "You usually leave early for school, but you didn't come out at all today. I was worried something might've happened."
"But you look fine. That's good. Sorry for the disturbance."
He turned to leave.
Only then did Mozo realize he had spent the entire morning holed up in his room.
After thanking the landlord, Mozo walked him downstairs before heading back up.
He tidied himself up a bit, greeted the landlord again, and then finally left for school.
Once on campus, Mozo quickly realized something was off.
The usually invisible nobody had suddenly become the center of attention.
All around him were curious gazes.
It seemed that despite his efforts yesterday, the rumor mill, powered by overly energetic hormones, had already spread the news about Audrey far and wide.
Honestly, Mozo couldn't help but wonder.
In an age without phones or the internet, how did news spread this fast?
Or was it precisely because there was nothing better to do that people poured all their energy into gossip?
Seriously, are you guys even worthy of being students of Cromwell University?
How are you supposed to build a great empire like this?
Still, things hadn't escalated too far. There were no brainless rich bullies like in light novels, nor any pickup-driving jocks like in American campus dramas.
And in the library, Mozo successfully met Audrey again.
Along with the answer he had been waiting for.
Tonight, he would be allowed to attend the mysterious gathering of supernatural beings.
Following their plan, Mozo left the university near dusk and headed to the shopping district.
After wandering through the crowd for quite some time, he slipped into a hiding spot Audrey had prepared.
Only after night fell did he change his clothes and set off toward Locke Park.
At the third bench in the tulip section, he found Audrey, also in disguise, already waiting for him.
As soon as they met, Mozo recalled someone and asked, "Do you have any way to prevent supernatural tracking?"
He didn't really think that person was an official agent, but being cautious never hurt.
Audrey waved her hand casually.
"No need to worry. Our organizer sets up certain measures in specific areas, things that block tracking, whether physical or mystical."
"Otherwise, how do you think we've managed to stay safe for so long?"
Mozo nodded, relieved. "That's good to hear."
Audrey nodded as well, clearly reassured.
But then she added, "Of course, it comes at a price. After every gathering, we each have to pay fifty gold pounds."
Mozo felt his heart bleed instantly.
He had only just become "rich" for a single day, and now half of it was about to vanish.
Still, paying for safety was reasonable.
Even so, it hurt. It really hurt.
Fifty gold pounds.
That was enough black bread to fill an entire carriage.
No matter how he looked at it, Mozo couldn't help but feel the sting.
But regardless, he was still full of anticipation for tonight.
Following Audrey, he moved through the quiet streets of Thor City.
In the end, under her lead, Mozo arrived at a tavern on the edge of the old district.