Lord: Sequence Master

In Blue Whale Guild City, Rosen sifted through countless records, disappointed by what he found. Despite the vastness of the Blue Whale Kingdom, it didn't have the ideal core ingredients for a Trap Hunter's potion. Due to the difficulty of setting and concealing traps in the open sea, Trap Hunters were rare in the kingdom.

After several years away from the Blazing Shadow Principality, Rosen found himself missing it for the first time. It seemed that this time, he would have to temporarily leave the Blue Whale Kingdom to find what he needed.

The most economical way to travel to nearby principalities and kingdoms was by sea. But more luxurious methods, like long-distance spatial teleportation, were also available. Some wizard towers connected portals between countries, and Sequence 4 painters could use Hidden Painting to travel between nations through spiritual paintings.

Despite the faster options, Rosen decided against teleportation. Now that he was Sequence 7, his powerful spiritual sense allowed him to fully enter the Spirit Realm with his real body. Since his advancement, Rosen had noticed that his Divine Domain was moving—shifting out of the Noble Sequence Tree's beginner's safety zone, meaning it would soon face delayed challenges.

Wanting to learn more about the Spirit Realm, Rosen chose an extraordinary vehicle capable of traveling through the realm.

After two days of searching, he found a Sequence 5 Knight Driver heading toward the Red Sea Principality. The Driver Sequence didn't have offensive powers but focused entirely on enhancing a vehicle's speed and defense. These drivers were typically trained by large powers like principalities.

The steam train Rosen boarded had only two carriages and carried a small number of passengers, all heading to nearby principalities. Ironically, despite his strength, Rosen, a Sequence 7, was the lowest-ranked among them.

Woo woo!

The train's whistle blew, and as it moved, the train became semi-transparent, vanishing from the physical world and entering the mysterious Spirit Realm.

Through the fogged window, Rosen saw a vast ocean below, clear and free of ash. Mirages of ancient cities built on the backs of giant turtles appeared, towering sky-high structures reached tens of thousands of miles, and titans moved through the ocean while battling volcano-shaped demons.

These sights were not mere illusions but remnants of ancient civilizations that existed deep within the Spirit Realm. While the Spirit Realm's surface was filled with illusions, the deeper one ventured, the more real and ancient these mirages became.

Rosen observed all this with awe until one particular mirage caused his heart to skip a beat.

He saw an intercontinental ballistic missile descending from the sky, obliterating an entire city. Amid the destruction, Rosen spotted a familiar statue being consumed in the nuclear blast—the Statue of Liberty.

His hands trembled.

If these mirages were remnants of ancient civilizations, did this mean his "transmigration" wasn't across space but time? Ever since arriving in this world, Rosen had noticed strange similarities to Earth. The language was different, yet the customs, technology, and even young Rosen's appearance bore a resemblance to his previous life.

The ease with which the Noble Sequence Tree had acknowledged his Howard bloodline raised further questions. Could it be that the Howard family were his descendants from thousands of years in the future? Perhaps his "transmigration" had been caused by the Howard bloodline awakening him from a long sleep within the Mysterious Study Room.

Rosen had once had a girlfriend, a Western woman, before transmigrating. Could his descendants have unknowingly continued the bloodline for millennia?

If so, perhaps he hadn't crossed dimensions but had instead crossed time. But why had Earth, an insignificant planet, evolved into this enormous, supernatural world?

Rosen realized he wouldn't find the answers here. Only by venturing into the deepest parts of the Spirit Realm, where ancient civilizations lingered, could he uncover the truth.

Distracted, Rosen turned from the window and began sketching. He drew scenes from his childhood in an industrial complex—his orphanage, his playmates, and finally, a portrait of his ex-girlfriend.

It was a simple drawing, void of spiritual energy. Though the painting wouldn't come to life, Rosen knew that deep in the Spirit Realm, he might one day find a spiritual realm that matched the painting, allowing these memories to truly live again.

He hung the painting in his Void Gallery, covering it with a white cloth to resist the urge to look at it further.

After a day of travel, the steam train made stops at various principalities, and by noon, Rosen arrived at his destination: the Dungeon Kingdom.

The Dungeon Kingdom wasn't an island or a mobile kingdom like the Blue Whale Kingdom. Instead, it was built deep beneath the ocean floor, established in the heart of the earth as a kingdom for adventurers.

Upon exiting the station, Rosen's first sight was a blazing artificial sun hanging over the kingdom. This was not a real sun but an extraordinary artifact that contained a Sequence 0 ancient demon sealed long ago.

The entire purpose of the Dungeon Kingdom was to continuously weaken the demon's power. Using the artifact, the demon's energy was siphoned off and channeled into dungeons, spawning extraordinary demons for adventurers to hunt. The World Government planned to consume the last of the demon's power once the sun burned out.

Rosen processed a temporary ID card and headed to the Hunter's Guild to form an adventurer group. In contrast to spiritual realms, the Dungeon was a real place with real threats, and adventurers were required to form teams before entering.

"Noble Earl, what name will you give your adventurer group?" the Hunter's Guild staff asked respectfully.

"Demon Hunters," Rosen replied after a brief pause.

He was handed a blank badge to design the group's emblem. Rosen summoned his Divine Pen and quickly drew a demon's head gripping a battle blade in its mouth.

Once registered, Rosen was given 600 adventurer badges. These badges, worth 1,000 spiritual crystals each, qualified as Sequence 9 extraordinary items. Rosen enhanced each one by painting the group's emblem on them, giving them an additional function: in dire situations, members could inject their spiritual energy into the badge and hide within its painting space. Members could even transport themselves to another teammate's badge space.

Rosen divided the 500 Sequence 9 Catfolk in his Divine Domain into ten teams and assigned them to different Sequence 9 dungeons. The Dungeon Kingdom provided an ideal place for leveling up his citizens.

Rosen himself planned to lead the strongest 50 Catfolk into a Sequence 8 dungeon to level up the adventurer group as quickly as possible.

He knew that the core material needed to advance as a Trap Hunter was located in a Sequence 7 dungeon.

Two hours later, Rosen arrived at the entrance to the dungeon. Dungeons in the kingdom manifested as giant, grotesque demon heads made of flesh and blood. Nearby, a stone tablet displayed the dungeon's sequence level and a brief description.

[Deception Lair: Demon Dungeon]

[Level: Sequence 8]

[Entry Limit: 50]

[Description: The Deception Lair will split up adventurer teams. Sequence 8 Deception Demons will disguise themselves as team members, seizing opportunities to kill all humans. A Sequence 7 demon leader roams randomly in the ever-changing maze of the Deception Lair.]

Rosen wasn't particularly concerned. He released his 50 best Catfolk, who had been honing their Shadowcat Sequence powers. Each had mastered Dark Concealment, Elemental Shooting, and Elemental Shield—solid but mass-producible skills that worked in tandem with the Ashen Bees-infused firearms they wielded.

Rosen placed the adventurer group's badge against the stone tablet. Once it lit up, he and the 49 Catfolk entered the dungeon. The 50th Catfolk remained outside, activating Dark Concealment to watch for any ambushers.

Inside the Deception Lair, Rosen immediately noticed the overwhelming scent of sulfur. He quickly suppressed his sense of smell, enhancing his sight and hearing instead. The dungeon was a pitch-black maze of caves, completely silent except for the faint sound of his heartbeat.

Darkness held no threat for Rosen, as his Light and Shadow Mastery allowed him to see clearly. He activated Shadow Stealth and moved through the caves, soon hearing footsteps.

Ahead, he spotted a cautious Catfolk. Rosen raised his hand and fired a bolt from his Godslayer Crossbow, which had been fused into his arm for greater concealment.

The disguised Deception Demon had no chance to react. Even as its body turned to steel, the armor-piercing bolt shot through its head, killing it instantly.

As the demon died, its body reverted to its true form—a short, goblin-like creature with horns. Against Rosen's Mind Canvas, the demon's disguise had been useless. His ability to project its malicious thoughts onto the canvas revealed its intent before it could act.

And so, Rosen continued through the Deception Lair, ready for whatever the dungeon had in store.

(End of Chapter)