Fire Mage-Chapter 658: Divine Pathway

Chapter 658: Divine Pathway

Rowan approached Charles and translated Alistair’s offer. He also handed him a small book.

Charles took it and raised an eyebrow. "What’s this?"

"The book I used to study Rune Language when I was younger," Rowan explained. "You can use it to learn our language."

Flipping through the pages, Charles noted the text was in Blen Tongue.

"I’ll study it when I get the chance," he replied, smiling. "I’m Charles. From a High Plane called Earth. I won’t slow you down."

Rowan translated, and Alistair chuckled.

"He’s a good one. Rowan, stay close to him. Help him with the language—and learn more about his background."

Then Alistair’s gaze shifted to the baby snake coiled around Charles’s neck.

"What’s with the pet snake?"

"Looks like it hatched just today," Nyx replied.

"Doesn’t matter. With this boy around, getting to the Fourth Layer will be much easier," Alistair declared.

Nyx scoffed. "You said that last time. Then we got our asses kicked by the Fallen Jinn and had to run."

"This time is different," Alistair said confidently. "Last time, we didn’t even understand the Jinn’s abilities. One spell and we were done. But now, thanks to a gift from the Nightwind Family Elder, I’m prepared."

Charles listened quietly, piecing together the group’s background.

So, they’re part of the "True Lords." Good to know... A flicker of calculation entered his eyes. Time to plan a little scheme of my own.

As Alistair resumed leading the group in the direction Charles had come from, he occasionally consulted an ancient map.

Charles, setting aside his plans for the moment, followed.

Though they traveled cautiously, avoiding conflict with Legendary Magical Beasts, a few still sensed them and attacked. Fortunately, Alistair’s strange "Divine Spell" helped repel every threat without casualties.

By the end of the day, Charles had learned the truth behind Alistair’s divine powers.

He’s not borrowing it from a god. That divine energy... It’s coming from within. Could he be walking the path of the Divines himself?

A new layer of intrigue unfurled before him—and he was ready to peel it back.

I want to know how the Divine Pathway’s power levels work. Udnir, Raphael, Emerson, and Miguel are all Demigods, but Udnir didn’t consider the others a threat. Why? And how do they compare to the Popes of the Thirteen Churches? Are they more powerful—or equal? And where do I stand now?

Questions spun relentlessly through Charles’s mind.

While following the others, he began to eavesdrop on their conversations, subtly gathering information about the other True Lords’ groups.

After spending a day with them, he picked up valuable insights into the current situation across the factions.

Of the seven churches, only Life and Amber had reached the Second Layer. However, for reasons unknown, the Life Church had withdrawn after their advancement and exited the Dungeon of Star Tombs. Amber Church, along with the True Lords’ family groups, had gone further and arrived at the Third Layer five days prior.

Fairchild, Hawthorne, and Pentagon families are still exploring the Second Layer. They’ll probably arrive within a day or two. Alistair and the others seem to be planning to defeat the Boss Monster on their own and move on to the Fourth Layer before the others catch up.

What truly startled Charles was learning that the True Lords’ group had already fought the Abyssal Hound—and lost two members in the process.

Wait... After I killed the Abyssal Hound, it respawned? Now that I think of it, I didn’t receive any wisdom points from that kill. He frowned, deep in thought, but kept walking beside Rowan and casually continued their conversation.

Whenever battles occurred, Charles avoided casting magic spells. He relied instead on his swordsmanship, subclass, and unique skills—yet that alone was enough to impress everyone.

What astonished them even more was how quickly Charles mastered the Blen language.

"You’re a genius among geniuses, even in a world like Edhen," Alistair praised with a hint of awe.

"His progression might pale in comparison to the Sun God’s... but his potential is clear," Nyx added, clearly trying not to lose face.

Alistair chuckled coldly. "Didn’t you hate that Elven lad when he rose to power? You even sent an assassin to ’test’ his strength. You’ve got some nerve bringing him up now."

"Don’t mind Nyx’s words, Charles," he added, turning to him warmly. "You’re still young. Your future is brighter than any of ours. One day, you might even ascend higher and become the ruler of a world."

Charles responded smoothly in perfect Blen, "I’m flattered, Mr. Alistair. But I have no intention of ruling any world. My goal is to reach the pinnacle of strength."

Everyone smiled, slightly stunned by his eloquence.

"What a humble lad. Your parents must be proud. If I ever meet them, I’ll offer them the finest gem in our world as a gift of friendship," Alistair said sincerely.

"I’m afraid that won’t be possible," Charles replied calmly. "They passed away long ago."

A quiet moment followed before Charles shifted the conversation. "So, how do you plan to defeat the Fallen Jinn? Wouldn’t it be easier if you joined forces with the other groups you mentioned?"

"Hmm? You don’t face the same limitation?" Alistair asked, intrigued. "Only ten people can use the teleportation circle after defeating a boss in the first four layers. And once a boss is slain, it takes over a week to respawn. That’s why we act separately. Honestly, we were worried about how to handle the Third Layer Boss—but your presence gives us a considerable edge."

"I’m happy to help, Mr. Alistair," Charles replied with a nod, then asked, "How strong are the other groups? Are they on par with you? If it’s sensitive, feel free not to answer."

"It’s no secret," Alistair replied. "The Pentagon family is the strongest among the five. They’ve got one Demigod and seven Legend-Rank experts. Even those at the Legend Rank surpass me in power."

"Legend Rank? Demigod? Can you elaborate? In my world, the ranking system is different," Charles asked, crafting a false origin story from his knowledge of the Mystic Worlds game.

I’ll use the ’Garden of Undead’ map’s level-based system as a cover, he mused.

"In my world, power is based on levels. The world rewards Mystics with strength and experience as they level up. We must constantly adventure, train, and survive life-and-death situations to grow. Every ten levels, we face a bottleneck that can only be broken with potions, class gems, or near-death experiences."

Alistair blinked in surprise. "A world with a level system? Fascinating. Then... what level are you?"

Charles considered his capabilities. If I were a player, I’d be about level 65 or 66. I’m still constructing spell models and mostly rely on wisdom and artifacts.

"I’m level 66. I aim to reach level 70 within the next decade or two," he said firmly.

"Hmm, then I’d say I’m around 65 or 66 myself," Alistair replied thoughtfully. "The Pentagon team leader would be about level 69. He’s already mastered his Law Power. Though he hasn’t reached Arch Class, he’s among Edhen’s strongest."

"Arch Class?" Charles tilted his head.

"Yes. It’s considered Rank-7. No one has reached it in Edhen yet. For Mages, we say Archwizard. For Warlocks, Arch Warlord. For other classes, Arch Mystic. Among the others, the Fairchild leader is also about level 69. Hawthorne’s leader should be around my level."

"And the Demigods? I also noticed some strange energy radiating from your heart... Is that the power of faith?" Charles asked, surprising Alistair again.

"So, your world has no gods, huh?" Alistair gave him a curious look and then smiled.

"You know about faith power, but not Demigods... that makes sense. Even our world was godless a few millennia ago. The Divine Pathway is taboo in many realms. Unlike Mystics or Mages, we grow through faith. Anyone can pursue this path, but once you consume a divinity, there’s no turning back."

Seeing the confusion on Charles’s face, he continued.

"For example, I consumed the Divinity of Hunting. I gained a divine skill—Harvest Blessing. It boosts my rewards when opportunities appear in the Dungeon. Those who consume a divinity are called Godkind. We’re like normal people, but with divinity as a trump card, we’re very hard to kill."

He paused, then added, "Next comes the Demigod stage. To reach it, one must consume five or more divinities of the same domain and create a Pseudo Divine Kingdom. Their strength varies. A Demigod with 100,000 believers will far surpass most Legend-Rank Mystics. But a Demigod with a million? Two million? They’d rival even you."

"Then can’t we just infiltrate their Divine Kingdom and destroy their believers?" Rowan interjected.

"No. A Divine Kingdom is like a god’s private Inner World. Entering is easy—escaping is nearly impossible. And the believers inside are another challenge altogether," Nyx added gravely.

"Even if you reach Archwizard level, never pick a fight with a Demigod or True God by entering their Divine Kingdom recklessly," Alistair warned. "I don’t know how one becomes a Low God, but I suspect it involves consuming more Divinities of the same domain."

He looked ahead. "The five families—Hawthorne, Fairchild, True Lords, Pentagon, and Holmes—are Edhen’s strongest. Each has a Demigod-level powerhouse as their trump card."

Heh. And I thought only Empires had Demigods, Charles mused.