To elevate one’s soul to the Divine level, at least a city with a population of one million must be sacrificed. The first option was eliminated by Luca.
It’s unrealistic to reach the Divine level in a short period, so the only remaining option was to rely on drugs.
However, there’s a problem with using drugs too. With his current strength, crafting Superclass potions wasn’t difficult for Luca, but he didn’t have enough materials to create them.
Furthermore, his storage ring was also out of gold…
“Let’s take it one step at a time,” Luca mused. After thinking for a long time, he couldn’t come up with a good solution, so he decided to stop worrying about it. If worse came to worst, he could have Sophia exit the Sea of Mist early. It was a bit of a clumsy method, but it would work if necessary.
He opened his interface and logged out of the game.
…
In the Celephais villa area, in a spacious and well-lit basement, a row of gaming pods were placed. Six of these pods emitted a faint blue light.
Due to the frequent disasters happening around the world recently, Donald and the others had moved the gaming pods into the basement to prevent any accidents from happening after they entered the game.
The sight of both families lying neatly in the pods gave off an oddly humorous vibe.
Hiss— A faint sound of an air valve opening echoed in the quiet basement.
The gaming pod Luca was in slowly opened.
Before he could even step out, the ringtone of a phone began ringing in his ears. The caller ID popped up on the screen of the gaming pod.
He glanced at it, and as expected, it was a call from Coarmy.
“Luca, get over here to Sunshine Tower right now! We’ve found something big!!” As soon as the call was picked up, a middle-aged man’s urgent shout came through.
The background noise included chaotic shouts and the sound of police sirens, likely due to an evacuation in progress.
“I’ll be there soon.” Knowing the urgency, Luca didn’t waste time with words. After hanging up, he quickly left the basement.
By evening, the sky had already darkened. The night sky was devoid of stars, and the air had a slightly damp feel to it, indicating that rain was probably on the way.
He stepped out of the villa holding an umbrella and a briefcase. The streetlights on both sides of the road formed two straight lines, and every hundred meters or so, several uniformed detectives with flashlights were patrolling.
The surrounding villas, once brightly lit, were now dark and silent. A few days ago, there had been explosions and sudden snowstorms in the area, and many of the wealthy residents had moved out overnight.
Luca didn’t drive. Sunshine Tower was located on the edge of Celephais’ downtown area, not too far from the villa district. It would take around ten minutes by car.
But with his current stamina, he could easily get there in just a few minutes on foot, so there was no need to drive.
He was about to find an empty alley to practice some rooftop parkour when suddenly, he heard someone call his name from behind. The voice sounded somewhat familiar.
He turned around and saw a black Maybach slowly driving toward him. A fair, cheerful face with bright eyes poked out of the rear window, waving at him enthusiastically.
It was Yuel, the girl he had saved a few days ago at Celephais High School’s gym.
“Senior, where are you heading?” She waved excitedly while the front passenger window also lowered, revealing the slightly rotund face of Stormlook.
His cheeks were full, and with a warm smile, he invited, “Young man, do you need a ride?”
Luca paused for a moment before responding, “Thanks, Uncle, but I’m heading to Sunshine Tower. Are you guys going that way?”
“Uncle?” Stormlook’s lip twitched. He always thought of himself as still quite young.
Yuel quickly added, “We’re headed to downtown, it’s on the way!”
Luca raised an eyebrow, wondering if downtown and the bustling area were really on the same route, but he didn’t voice his thoughts.
He opened the door and got into the car. The temperature inside the car felt warmer than outside, with a faint floral scent lingering in the air—likely from some luxury-brand perfume.
Luca also noticed that Yuel looked different today. She was wearing an exquisite blue evening gown, her chestnut-colored hair styled elegantly, and a luxurious sapphire necklace adorned her fair neck.
The diamond earrings twinkled in the light from the streetlamps and car headlights, adding a shimmering effect to her delicate face, which looked almost like something out of an anime—like a princess who had stepped straight from the screen.
Sensing his gaze, Yuel instinctively tossed her hair and smiled, “So, how do I look? Pretty, right?”
“Pretty.” Luca smiled and nodded, then asked, “Are you going to a banquet?”
“Yep,” Stormlook replied, “A few business partners from the capital are in Celephais, so we’re just going to show our support.”
Meanwhile, Yuel leaned in closer, her curiosity piqued, “It’s so late, what are you doing at Sunshine Tower?”
“Not much, just going out for a walk with some friends,” Luca answered casually, subtly shifting his body to distance himself from her. He couldn’t help but think, Women these days really have no sense of personal space. Just talking is fine, but why so close?
However, Yuel didn’t seem to get the hint. She leaned in even closer, her bright eyes sparkling as she asked, “Can I come with you? The banquet’s so boring…”
Cough cough. Seeing his daughter inching closer and closer to Luca’s face, Stormlook could no longer hold it in. He cleared his throat sharply.
With a stern look, he scolded, “Yuel, this banquet is important. Don’t act foolish.”
Then, ignoring the pout on Yuel’s face, Stormlook turned to Luca, his tone becoming more serious. “Young man, I just heard that something’s happened at Sunshine Tower. Be careful, alright?”
“Thanks, I’ll be careful.” Luca wasn’t surprised that the other party seemed to know about the players.
Recently, there had been Transcendent incidents happening all around the world. Given Stormlook’s position and status, it was impossible for him to be unaware of everything, especially since this particular incident had involved his daughter.
The group chatted for a short while, and soon the Maybach entered the downtown area.
At some point, a fine drizzle had started to fall from the sky. The not-so-wide roads were bustling with traffic.
Shops and neon signs illuminated the streets with colorful lights, and while there weren’t many people on the sidewalks, some were carrying umbrellas while others held their briefcases above their heads, hurrying along with quick steps.
Though Sunshine Tower was still a few kilometers away, Luca could already see the towering skyscraper standing under the night sky.
Looking up, the building appeared completely dark, without a single light in sight, and it was impossible to make out what was happening inside.
“Boss, the road ahead is blocked.” The driver, somewhat troubled, slowly brought the car to a stop.
The police had set up roadblocks on the road leading to Sunshine Tower, and all vehicles and pedestrians were being turned back.
The group noticed this as well, and Luca spoke up, “This is as far as you need to go. Thanks for the ride. If I have time, I’ll visit you and your family.”
With that, he opened the car door and got out.
At this point, Yuel seemed to have figured out what he was about to do. A hint of worry flashed in her eyes. “Senior, stay safe.”
Luca nodded slightly, opened his black umbrella, and stepped into the crowd, quickly disappearing from view.
Inside the luxury car, Stormlook glanced at his daughter, noticing she was still staring blankly at the street, and teased, “Stop staring. He’s already gone.”
Yuel only then looked away, her gaze lingering a moment longer before she pulled back.
Understanding that his daughter was concerned, Stormlook shook his head. “This kid is different from us. You’d better keep your distance.”
“What’s so different about him?” Yuel twirled a lock of her hair and replied, “I think he’s pretty handsome. Especially that day when he saved me—he was so cool!”
“Not like that jerk Luler, who ditched me and ran off on his own when it mattered most.”
Stormlook lit up a cigar and took a puff, his tone thoughtful. “I know he saved you, and I like the kid too.”
“But you should understand what his job is. I don’t want my daughter to end up a widow.”
“And besides,” he added, “he probably already has a girlfriend.”
“Susie?” Yuel frowned, somewhat upset. “So what? It’s not like this kind of thing has to follow a specific order.”
Stormlook sighed. “There are a lot of young heirs from the big families of the capital at the banquet tonight.”
“If you have the chance, I think it would be better for you to get more involved with them,” Stormlook suggested.
Yuel pursed her lips and said nothing further.
…
The rain continued to fall, and with autumn approaching, the air had grown cooler. The warmth of the day quickly dissipated, carried away by the wind.
Luca took out his identification and handed it to the police officer guarding the entrance. Under the officer’s respectful gaze, he proceeded toward Sunshine Tower.
From a distance, he could see a ring of police cars surrounding the building. The flashing red and blue lights illuminated the lower floors, and over a thousand armed officers formed a tight perimeter around it, making sure no one got too close.
“What’s going on?” Luca approached Coarmy, who was anxiously waiting, and asked.
Startled by the sudden voice, Coarmy turned around and sighed in relief upon seeing Luca. “You’re finally here,” he said, his tone a mix of frustration and relief.
Before Luca could respond, Coarmy quickly explained, “Two hours ago, someone called in saying there was a middle-tier Elite monster inside Sunshine Tower.”
“Yelling’s team was nearby, so they got there first, but after entering, there was no sign of them. “
“Then Kanade and his crew showed up, went inside, and also disappeared. The only person who managed to get out a message was Donlow, using some kind of secret technique.”
“He said we should hurry and get you here. They can’t handle the thing inside. Initial danger level assessment—at least SS-ranked.”
Luca furrowed his brows. What kind of monster was strong enough that even Quagmire and the others couldn’t deal with it?
After all, their strength was among the top of the current players—ranked highly even globally.
There was no time to dwell on it. Luca opened his suitcase, pulled out the Starseeker and Obsidian, and handed them to Coarmy. “If I don’t come back, make sure you get in touch with Drumph and have everyone in Celephais evacuate immediately.”
With that, Luca tossed the suitcase to Coarmy. Without waiting for a response, silver magic runes materialized beneath his feet, and in an instant, his figure vanished from sight.