Chapter 58 Mysterious Reward

[Sacred Geometry: World Will response received.]
[Translating...]
[World Will: Listen to my explanation, the compatibility between this identity and your soul is as high as 99.99%. At that time, he even actively chose you and completely rejected any other Chosen Ones from occupying this identity.]

"Are you serious?"

Mo Xuanyu never expected that he would just come to a mission world and unexpectedly acquire an adoptive father.
And this adoptive father's identity is extraordinary—he is practically the final boss of this world.
If nothing unexpected happens, in subsequent missions, the identity of Moro would certainly be the target of contention and crusades by all the Chosen Ones.
Mo Xuanyu could be considered a pioneer, testing the waters in advance for the Chosen Ones, only to fish up a deep-water torpedo.

[Sacred Geometry: This identity has no abnormalities. Chosen One, please proceed with the mission as usual. Rewards will be distributed as scheduled.]

Since Sacred Geometry confirmed that the rewards would be distributed normally, Mo Xuanyu finally breathed a sigh of relief.
In truth, he had been worried that Sacred Geometry would judge him for cheating after taking a shortcut to obtain the Sky Bell from Moro, and consequently withhold his reward.
Fortunately, Sacred Geometry had a broader perspective.
Thumbs up! Thumbs up!

"I'm not entirely sure either. You were barely a year old when I died." Moro still believed Mo Xuanyu had been speaking to him just moments ago.
He put away his Sorcerer License and tossed the Sky Bell to Mo Xuanyu.
"However, it doesn't matter anymore. Let this farce end here. We shall pretend we never met."

Frankly speaking, Moro had no idea how to face the child he hadn't seen since he was one year old, so he subconsciously chose to escape.

Boom, boom!!

Victor charged out from the ruins of the building once again, preparing to hack to death the person who dared to harm the king.
Seeing this, Moro's figure flickered as he leaped onto the rooftop of the building opposite.
Before leaving, he waved his hand and left Mo Xuanyu with parting words:
"Shake the Sky Bell, and you can leave the Upside-Down World. This place is no home for the living; if you stay here any longer, you might never be able to go back."

With that, Moro's figure vanished among the numerous buildings. Victor could only look around in a daze, ultimately returning to Mo Xuanyu's side empty-handed.
Having failed to execute the person who harmed the king, Victor lacked the face to claim any reward.
He merely dragged his massive blade, limped back into the darkness, and disappeared.

Only Mo Xuanyu remained alone in the ruins.
He picked up the blood-stained Sky Bell and rang it gently.
Jingle, jingle~~

In the blink of an eye, Mo Xuanyu broke free from the Upside-Down World and returned to the library in the real world.
Because the Sky Bell was on the verge of breaking through its seal, all the residents of Red Autumn Town had been urgently evacuated to prevent any ordinary person from accidentally falling into the Upside-Down World.
Inside the Sorcerer Association outpost at the school entrance, Ah Qiu hugged Schrödinger's cat to her chest and sighed with exceptional worry.
"It's been almost a full day and night, and Lord Joshua still hasn't come out..."

"Ah Qiu! Lord Joshua is back!" A logistics assistant pushed open the door, panting heavily.
Ah Qiu hurriedly put away Schrödinger's cat and rushed downstairs, only to see Mo Xuanyu walking back from outside the school covered in blood.

"The Sky Bell has been recovered."
Mo Xuanyu smiled faintly, holding up the Sky Bell in his hand, which was met with cheers from everyone present.
"As expected of Lord Joshua!"
"Long live Lord Joshua!"

Afterwards, Mo Xuanyu took a thorough bath in his hotel room, soaking in a bathtub scattered with rose petals while reviewing his gains from this mission.

[Your second-ring main quest has been completed!]
[Your side quest has been settled and completed!]
[Current total points: 64,300.]
[Total Soul Essence Crystals: 19]

As expected, making money in dungeon instances is the fastest way.
Mo Xuanyu got up from the bathtub, wiped away the water droplets, changed into fresh clothes, and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window to call Association President Ji Yuan.

Beep, beep, beep...
A busy tone sounded on the phone, which was then transferred to the president's assistant.
The other party informed Mo Xuanyu that Ji Yuan was currently dealing with matters concerning the Holy Doctrine branch and was temporarily unavailable to take calls.

On the other end of the line, before the assistant could finish speaking, a blood-stained Ji Yuan had already returned to the office.
"Give me the phone."
Ji Yuan said as he took off his sunglasses and inquired about the situation on Mo Xuanyu's end.

Mo Xuanyu recounted his experiences within the Upside-Down World, while omitting the transaction involving Ouroboros.
However, Ji Yuan's attention was entirely hijacked by the man named Moro.
"If the person you met really was Moro, then he is indeed your father. His records were concealed back then because of the Holy Creation Doctrine."
"Regardless, come back to the capital first. There are a bit too many things happening here."

Ji Yuan's gaze shifted toward the outside window; the landscape of this world was becoming increasingly complex.
The Holy Doctrine branch he had raided had actually been secretly collecting three-grade special cursed objects.
And their purpose in going to such great lengths to collect cursed objects was likely to use the power contained within them to open the Gates of the Abyss.

Legends regarding the Gates of the Abyss had long circulated within the sorcerer community. It was said that cursed power was born because the world once experienced a large-scale invasion of the abyss.
Although the abyss was subsequently repelled by humanity, the lingering contamination directly altered the supernatural particles throughout the entire world, thereby giving birth to cursed power and cursed spirits.

Mo Xuanyu learned of this history while on the train back.
He felt that this was probably true.
"Lord Joshua, we have arrived at the station," Ah Qiu reminded him from the side.

Mo Xuanyu nodded, picked up the overcoat hanging nearby, put it on, and got off the train with Ah Qiu.
On the station platform, to prevent accidents, Ji Yuan had personally brought people to pick him up and also brought Mo Xuanyu a new Sorcerer License.
"Due to your outstanding performance, following a vote by the Association, you have successfully been promoted to a Special-Grade Sorcerer. Congratulations."
"Thank you!" Mo Xuanyu reached out and took the brand-new license.

Previously, the Sorcerer Association actually had only two Special-Grade Sorcerers in total.
These two were: Elder Saul and President Ji Yuan.
Although the number seemed truly sparse, the Sorcerer Association's criteria for judging Special Grade differed from that of the Holy Creation Doctrine.

The Association's Special-Grade Sorcerers must meet the following conditions:
1. Total cursed power must exceed that of a First-Grade Sorcerer by tenfold.
2. Capable of holding Special-Grade cursed objects or cursed spirits over a long term and in a stable manner.
3. Must have hunted at least 3 Special-Grade cursed spirits.

The above conditions were infinitely harsh, but the Doctrine was different.
At the Doctrine, as long as you could temporarily hold a Special-Grade cursed object and cursed spirit, you were a Special-Grade Sorcerer, and no one cared whether you would suffer backlash or not.

This rating system completely disregarded the lives of its members and frequently had them carry extremely dangerous cursed spirits to carry out suicide attacks.
Several First-Grade Sorcerers prior to this had died in these attacks, resulting in heavy losses.
"Fortunately, thanks to the intelligence you interrogated previously, the information regarding that Pope has also been compiled. You can take a look."

Inside the commercial sedan, Ji Yuan handed a document to Mo Xuanyu.

Name: Unknown (Pope, Supreme Pontiff)
Estimated Strength: Special Grade
Contracted Cursed Spirit: Special-Grade Cursed Spirit [Ouroboros]
Ouroboros: According to intelligence descriptions, the form of Ouroboros is a snake-like cursed spirit covered in golden scales on its surface. It can produce a potion called the "Abyss Ouroboros Virus."
After injection of this potion, the mortality rate for ordinary people is close to 99.99%, and those who survive will possess cursed power and become sorcerers.
For humans who were originally sorcerers, the mortality rate upon injection is similarly extremely high, with only one out of ten surviving.
However, that person's total cursed power would experience a tenfold surge, sufficient to allow a First-Grade Sorcerer to leap across ranks to become a Special Grade, while also producing a series of side effects such as cognitive disorder and mental collapse.

Note: All humans infected with the virus will be controlled by the Pope, and there is currently no solution.
...

"Hard to believe, isn't it? The Doctrine is actually capable of manufacturing artificial sorcerers. That's the reason why their numbers are so vast." Ji Yuan's gaze was solemn.
The Association only added a dozen or so new sorcerers each year, and that was only after rigorous evaluation and specialized training before they could officially take office.
Yet the Doctrine merely needed to attract enough ordinary people to quickly raise an army of sorcerers relying on the abyss virus.

Mo Xuanyu asked, "What is their exact headcount?"
Ji Yuan crossed his hands: "Twelve Special-Grade Sorcerers, 36 First-Grade Sorcerers, and even more Second-Grade Sorcerers..."
"So many? I understand."
Mo Xuanyu gently closed his eyes, pondering how many points and Soul Essence Crystals he could get if he wiped all these people out.

Ji Yuan assumed he was tired and thus comforted him,
"There is still good news. We have recently recruited quite a few sorcerers from among the civilians on our side, and among them are elite First-Grade Sorcerers, which has greatly alleviated our pressure."

Mo Xuanyu knew that these "civilian sorcerers" were actually the Chosen Ones of the Association faction in this mission, and they had each been assigned tasks by the Association.

Ji Yuan continued:
"Thank you for your hard work on this mission. Go ahead and get a good rest for two days."
"Right, the Sky Bell is also kept with you for the time being. Elder Saul has completely concealed the barrier along with himself to prevent another attack event."
"Until a successor is found, Elder Saul will not show his face again."

This could not be said to mean Elder Saul was afraid of death; it was simply that he truly could not afford to die at present.
Once Tianyu's barrier was breached, all the past sealed artifacts would reappear in the world once more.

At this moment, the vehicle slowly stopped in front of a villa. This was the resting place prepared by the Association for Mo Xuanyu. Backed by the government, they were hardly short on money.

Having gained some brief free time, Mo Xuanyu began training in the skills he had just comprehended.

The next afternoon.
In the underground training room, Mo Xuanyu took a deep breath, gripped the Nightmare Moon blade tightly in both hands, and slashed a pitch-black blade Qi toward the distant dummy.
After going through dozens of continuous releases, Mo Xuanyu was already able to execute this move instantly.
This technique, Lunar Eclipse, emphasized speed, precision, and ruthlessness; the more spiritual power and willpower poured into it, the faster the speed and the greater the power.
Furthermore, Mo Xuanyu could also attach his Blood Soul to this move to achieve devastating lethality.

He took a shower in the training room, emerged with damp hair, rummaged through the kitchen, and finally pan-seared a simple steak for himself as dinner.