NOVEL NEXT Chapter419-Milla Has Arrived?
"Milla! What are you doing here?"
Kate's eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at the old friend she had not seen for countless years.
"Haha, my dear friend," Milla replied with a bright laugh. "I came here just to wander around! But… where exactly is this place? It feels so strange!"
She glanced curiously around her, but then her expression suddenly froze. A heavy realization struck her. Something about this place was wrong.
Kate—hadn't she entered the Backworld thousands of years ago? Did that mean… she herself had also entered the Backworld?
No, that couldn't be right. She had been heading to Thousand-Sun Beach for a leisurely sunbath. How could she have ended up in this desolate, eerie place instead?
Ordinarily, Milla should not have been able to enter the Backworld at all. But earlier, Daniel had opened a portal through the Sacrificial Ritual Circle. Because of that, there was an extremely slim possibility of an anomaly during transit. That tiny chance, so infinitesimal it could be dismissed, had struck Milla like lightning.
She never imagined she would be so "fortunate," stumbling into the Backworld due to a teleportation error—an event that might as well have been one in a billion.
"Milla, it seems you've reached Fake God rank," Kate said, smiling faintly.
Milla gave a helpless laugh. "Well, it has been thousands of years. Reaching Fake God rank isn't something so surprising anymore."
Kate nodded but then asked with a curious look, "If I recall correctly, your ascension ritual was connected to killing a Fake God. Don't tell me you actually managed to slay one?"
"Hahaha, you saw right through me." Milla scratched her head and grinned with pride. "And to be honest, I owe it to Lord Daniel. Without his help, I wouldn't have been able to complete the ritual so easily. Kate, isn't it strange? After all these years, we've ended up standing on the same level again."
Hearing Daniel's name, Kate's lips twitched slightly. Just moments earlier, he had seen five gods descend at once. The sight had shaken him to his core, though outwardly he forced himself to remain calm.
"Regardless," he said with composed tone, "congratulations, Milla. You've finally reached Fake God rank. That's another step closer to becoming a true god."
As the two friends exchanged words, Daniel suddenly appeared before them.
The moment he arrived, both Kate and Milla felt something unusual: their own skills resonated with his. It was as though their abilities might slip out of their control at any moment.
Daniel felt the same, but his sensation was sharper—he realized he could manipulate the skills of others.
Driven by curiosity, he decided to test it. He tried using Milla's ability, summoning a teleportation gate right before him.
To his astonishment, the attempt succeeded. A shining portal opened under his command, and it was undeniably Milla's skill at work.
Daniel blinked, then chuckled inwardly. Wow… I really am getting strong.
He then activated Time Stream, rewinding back to the instant he had first arrived. This time he deliberately refrained from using Milla's power.
Yet when Time Stream unfolded, Kartora's image appeared once again. She was different this time—no longer a puppet, but a projection-like manifestation.
She looked as though she wanted to speak, but no words came. Instead, she simply stood there, eyes fixed on Daniel, silently pleading.
Daniel caught the meaning in her gaze immediately. He turned to Mental Deduction, running billions of simulations to decode her intent. At last, the answer became clear.
"Do not return directly to the time-space where you contacted the gods. Do not come looking for me."
So what was Kartora truly trying to tell him? Why did she appear in so many forms—puppet, projection, and even the Kartora from ten thousand years ago? Would each version of her hold different thoughts? Was she an ally, or an enemy?
Daniel rubbed his temples, feeling a dull ache. The stronger he became, the more mysteries crowded around him. Instead of answers, only questions multiplied.
At least he was now a demigod. As his power grew, he believed one day the veil would lift, and the truth would reveal itself.
For now, he would heed Kartora's warning. Avoiding potential danger was never a mistake. Still, he wouldn't accept it blindly. If he had no choice, he would follow his own judgment—as he had done when opening the Sacrificial Ritual Circle to enter the Backworld.
In the end, his stance was simple: Kartora's words could not be ignored, but neither could they be trusted entirely.
What a headache. Too many possibilities, and no way to simulate them all. Every choice branched into endless consequences. If only he could try every path at once and see every result, things would be so much simpler.
Daniel sighed softly. He was now level 400, and the God Rank Skill Compendium had already unlocked up to the tenth entry. The issue was that the skills ranked within the top thirty were far beyond his reach. Those he currently possessed had mostly been rewards, not synthesized.
Ironically, the hardest task for him now was Task Two of the Star Upgrade Quest: synthesizing a God Rank Skill ranked within the top forty. For that, he lacked the necessary materials.
It seemed the Backworld itself held his only real chance.
The effect of Myriad Worlds Mastery was still active, unaffected even here. That meant the Backworld was slowly being brought under Daniel's control.
The pace was painfully slow, though. According to his calculations, if left undisturbed, it would take at least two hundred thousand years at his current demigod level to fully master the Backworld. Of course, that estimate would change if his strength rose further. Reaching Fake God rank or beyond would accelerate the process dramatically.
Daniel's mind churned with thoughts of his next steps. His pack already bulged with countless Fake God souls.
Turning to Kate, he asked, "Kate, where in the Backworld can I find Fake Gods that are easier to kill? Or places where rare materials can be found?"