Kai stood there with a horrified face as if he was seeing the Door for a second time.

Only men of science like him could fathom how grievous a blunder it was to assume something without considering all plausible explanations. It was a horror beyond the hideously patterned yellow door from his Blood Prophecy. It put a question mark on his very intelligence and cunningness.

Kai almost staggered to the bed, his mouth open.

Meg sat down beside him. "I have never heard of an Item influencing the outer world before unless it's out of the Inventory," she said, her sweet voice entering his ears. "If even the topmost Contestants were in your place, they would have made the same mistake, I am sure."

Her words meant nothing to him now.

Kai never compared himself to others like this. His ambition forbade him. He was the one who would stand at the Peak of Absolute Power alone.

Others could afford to make a mistake like that.

Not Blood Demon.

With every second, anger welled up in his heart. How could he not see it before? Not knowing what your Skills and Items could do was a rookie mistake. Was he some run-of-the-mill newbie? Had he fallen so low that he now lived on his momentary assumptions?

Kai's face became red with shame, blood rising to his eyes, aiming for his brain.

He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths.

Yes, just like that, son, a voice sang within him. Every mistake opens a door to a hidden opportunity. Remember that those who have never blundered can never know the actual taste of victory.

Kai calmed down and snapped the Book open.

-/Petyr./-

Petyr walked out, wearing a night suit similar to Kai.

-/What's the difference between Jon Arryn, Cersei Lannister, Petyr Baelish, Pokeball Expert Kurt, and Professor Elm?/- he asked, keeping Meg in conversation. But he had already found the answer.

The reason for the Book's vibrations was hidden within it.

"The obvious difference is their names, my lord," Petyr quipped slyly. "That's an odd question to test my intelligence."

Kai glared at him. If there was ever a look that said he would kill Petyr, then it was this.

Petyr chuckled. "I was wondering when you will ask me this question," he said, his tone becoming grave. "Jon Arryn is a match. You light this match, and boom, now you have a story. His tale is words forced together on the corner of a piece of paper.

"Kurt and Professor Elm are more than that. They are the torches that light the path when one walks through a story. Yes, they are important, and their existence is crucial to the story. But they are nothing more than that."

Kai gritted his teeth.

The Book shuddered not to tell him he could devour the tale. It shuddered whenever he met a significant main storyline Character. It shuddered in excitement as it included these significant Characters in the tale it was writing.

A Hidden Tale of Kai Stormborn!

It was the fucking Thousand Tales Parasite, Kai cursed.

Petyr continued. "Cersei Lannister and Petyr Baelish," he said, smiling, "Well, my lord, surely you must have guessed by now. They are not matches to begin a story, and they are not torches, either. They…" Petyr trailed off.

Kai stood up, walked to the window, and completed Petyr's words.

-/They ARE the Story./-

For long Kai gazed out, looking at the stars, his thoughts going beyond them.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

This was a moment that would either make him the most powerful Contestant in the Primordial Tower or a nobody. This idea that had just come to him after going through these emotional upheavals would dictate his destiny. Not his Glitch, his Skills, or his Abilities. It would be this sudden moment of realization, Kai knew.

When he turned back, Kai was again himself. His face was calmer than it had ever been.

-/I have decided./- Kai declared to himself. -/I will devour the tales of all the most significant scientists spread across the Multiverse. Characters of Science who won't be a match or a torch, but who would be a Story by themselves. This will be the Multiverse Interdependency unique to me./-

Meg stood up and fell to her knees. "Command me, master," she said, her voice shaking.

-/Prepare a list, my servant,/- Kai said calmly, but his voice boomed. -/Prepare a list of such Characters. And put Orochimaru at its top./-

*

*

Afternoon, June 26

Pokemon Center

New Bark Town

Cersei passed down a look of deep loathing and disappeared.

On the floor, Meg was no better than a corpse. Her face had paled so much that it seemed all her blood had been sucked out of her. Saliva dripped from her mouth as if she were prey clutched in the jaws of a predator.

These were the aftereffects of the Blood Prophecy.

When an idea took root in Kai's mind, he scarcely waited to test out the theory.

He had wondered whether Meg could use the Acts from the Book or not. It turned out she could, to her misfortune. Her fate had nothing to do with Kai. But she was still his servant and was bound to stay with him. Not to mention, he needed to see if that foreign being would again infiltrate the Blood World or not.

Kai certainly won't risk facing that hideous, patterned Door again.

So, the responsibility fell on Meg's shoulders.

Unlike him, though, she didn't have the Fear Manipulation or Titan's Buff to give her HP Regeneration Rate a boost. So Kai took out another HP capsule and stuffed it in her mouth. The capsule showed its potent nature instantly. Such was its power that streams of blood ran down her nose.

Meg coughed profusely and sat up, facing Kai.

"I…" she struggled to find words, recalling the scenes from the blood world. "I saw myself getting crushed to death under the coils of a massive snake."

Kai's eyebrows raised.

He turned to look to his left and saw Selene slithering on the floor playfully.

"No…" Meg said, rubbing away the blood. "It was bigger. Bigger than even me."

-/A Snake-type Pokemon?/- Kai asked, his eyes gleaming with blatant expectation.

Meg nodded. "Oh, I am so sorry, master," she apologized, a massive amount of sadness overcoming the tiredness on her face. "If I hadn't made you devour Golduck, then you could have devoured this Pokemon's Blood Essence."

Kai snorted out a laugh. -/What are you on about?/- he said incredulously. -/Is there any point in regretting things I had no way to know before? There aren't many Snake-type Pokemon, to begin with. So, it is Arbok or Seviper, I reckon. In either case, you would face a 4th-floor Contestant. But why were you facing off with a Contestant like that in the Blood Prophecy? Unless I would make you do so./-

Meg gaped as Kai, word after word, kept dissecting the Blood Prophecy.

Something seemed to have changed about him after his declaration.

Before, Kai had a goal. To become the most powerful Contestant. But it was so far away, both in space and time, that even though Kai's will was strong, he was just flailing his hands in the darkness, hoping to stumble upon some pillar for stability.

The tales he had vowed to devour were now acting as major checkpoints between his ambition and his current state. Not only did it make things easier for him but also cleared his thought process.

The results were more than obvious.

Kai closed his eyes for a second. Then he smiled.

-/Rejoice, my servant,/- he said, smiling. -/For, if I am right, then we will soon meet another "Carl"./-

"Master, you mean…" Meg trailed off.

Kai nodded, turning away from her. -/It's time for another hunt./- he said. -/Chaos, create a Side Mission to Kill the nearest 4th-floor Contestant of Order. Adjust the Mission Summary accordingly./-

…

[

Analyzing the Contestant's Stats…

Analyzation Complete

Creating Side Mission…

…

Congratulations Contestant Kai Stormborn

You have triggered a Side Mission

…

Main Mission: Three heads of the Targaryen Dragon

Side Mission: The Legend of Thunder!

Side Mission Summary: Northman is tasked with protecting Pokemon Trainer Jimmy, a main storyline Character. Young Jimmy's adventure has yet to begin, and he lives with his family at No. 64, Surfer Street, Near New Bark Town's Port.

Side Mission Objective: Kill Northman and destroy Jimmy's home

Side Mission Time Limit: before 27th June

…

Do you accept the Side Mission?

]