The mana vessels hurtled through space at a frightening speed, leaving Infernia as nothing more than a dot in the vast emptiness. Unlike before, the vessels seemed to travel within the same solar system rather than exiting it. Scott lay motionless within his cocoon, his mind preoccupied with the blackened system window and the potential benefits of devouring champions, creatures, and even gods. Yet, he couldn’t shake the lingering concern about the potential side effects of such power. He knew better than anyone that nothing came without a price.

As time passed, three gigantic celestial bodies came into view. The first was a raging ball of fire, slightly larger than Infernia, rhythmically exuding solar flares with odd cold spots appearing briefly on its surface. Next to it was a planet covered in glistening white, like a colossal snowball suspended by invisible strings. The third planet had been split cleanly in half by a massive gyrating mechanical contraption embedded into its shattered halves. Unlike the monotonous neighboring planets, each half of the split planet exhibited unique features. Despite their proximity, the planets didn’t interfere with each other’s gravitational pull, and none had moons or asteroids orbiting them.

Scott frowned, noting the trajectory of the cocoons, which suddenly accelerated toward the icy planet. The mana vessels moved at a breakneck speed, as if prepared to merge with it.

Welcome to Clacion!

The system notification appeared abruptly, and the mana cocoons paused, inches away from breaching the icy planet’s atmosphere.

Mission: Survive! You will be rewarded with 10,000 Exp for every layer descended! You will be rewarded with 20,000 Exp for every alliance eliminated! You will be rewarded with 25,000 Exp for eliminating four groups comprising calamities only! You will be rewarded with 500,000 Exp for eliminating a named Calamity, and clemency! Do you wish to enter as a group or as individuals? Group! Individual!

Scott stared at the series of system notifications; a frown etched on his face. The Calamity of Inquisition’s last message, "survive," mirrored their mission's objective. He knew Orion wasn’t the type to guess, but he couldn’t fathom how the calamity could predict the contents of their next mission unless it was preexisting knowledge. However, he doubted the gods or those in charge would reveal such details to the named calamities.

Scott raised his head, realizing his companions were now awake. However, the party communication channel was closed, and they couldn't manifest their avatars. Zara, Slim, and Ember were shocked to be greeted with a slew of new messages, compounded by the sudden revelation of being in front of a planet. Orion, meanwhile, laughed hysterically, but no one could hear him. Unlike the others, the mage had clicked on the notification as soon as he woke, causing the system windows to disappear.

Scott activated the Imprint of Madness, but nothing changed. The champions remained in their situation. However, Scott’s voice echoed from behind his cocoon, “What option did you choose?” he asked, staring at Orion.

“Ah, we’re in an illusion already?” the mage mused, nodding in realization. “No wonder the readings changed.” Orion muttered while stroking his chin, then suddenly wore a bright smile, focusing on Scott. “As much as I’d love to explore this place, I have absolutely no intention of leaving the group. Where else would I have this much fun if I left?”

Scott turned his attention away from the smiling mage, focusing on Zara and Ember, who still looked dazed. “Are you guys okay?”

“I feel like shit,” Zara grumbled, massaging her temples. “Do they really need to make us unconscious during the transfer?”

“I agree,” Ember chimed in, frowning as she flexed her fingers. “I believe we will be choosing to stay as a group, correct?”

“Yup,” Slim mentioned from the side, showing no reactions whatsoever from the transfer. “But I don’t like the fact that the mission is simply 'survive.' For all we know, there could be creatures, calamities, and even champions beyond our capabilities waiting for us down there—”

“It’s not a possibility; it’s a certainty,” Orion interjected with a chuckle. All eyes fell on the mage, and their expressions turned serious, especially Scott’s. Half of Orion’s face had transformed into a blackened mass with hazy whites for his left eye, parted nose, and the other half of his mouth. Then a system notification suddenly manifested.

The Lesser God of Misfortune reveals himself!

The champions were stunned, unable to believe the message in front of their eyes. While one half of Orion's face and body functioned normally, the Lesser God of Misfortune had firmly taken hold of the other half.

A stuttered laugh escaped from the mage’s blackened half, followed by a rage-inducing voice. “To mimic reality to perfection—what an interesting ability,” he said, eyes fixed on Scott. “I see why he was so interested in you,” he added with a smile.

Scott’s frown deepened. “Who and what are you talking about?” he asked, trying to dispel the illusion, but the lesser god wouldn’t let him.

“I hope you won’t do something as boring as what you did on that rotten planet,” the lesser god continued, ignoring Scott's question. “It wouldn’t make for good viewing, you know. Well, that’s partly why I’m here.” He paused suddenly, stretching Orion’s blackened hand toward the cocoon, which shattered instantly. The possessed mage took a step forward, walking seamlessly across space, only stopping when he stood in front of Scott’s cocoon. The mage stretched out his arm again, and Scott’s cocoon shattered.

“I see why he likes you so much now,” the lesser god giggled, his voice gradually morphing into Orion’s. “Even in this situation, there’s no fear in you,” he said, halting his advance directly in front of Scott. The blackened mass suddenly consumed Orion entirely. “But that’s what will make this more interesting. Not a lot of people catch his attention, so you must be the real deal. I can’t wait to see his reaction when I break his new toy. I’m going to have so much fun with you,” the lesser god declared.

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Scott stared into the entity’s hazy eyes for a moment before averting his gaze to an unremarkable section of space. “And you are?” Scott suddenly questioned.

Zara, Slim, and Ember instinctively turned their attention toward the direction Scott gazed at, unable to see anything. Yet, they found themselves compelled to continue staring as if some strange force held them.

“Impressive,” a deep voice echoed from the abyss. Zara and Ember's forms shuddered violently, their eyes burst, and blood spewed from every possible opening. Slim's bones twisted and burst apart, eliciting a scream of agony. Zara and Ember's muscles and flesh contorted, their bodies writhing in a grotesque dance of pain. The prisoners' screams seemed endless, echoing in the vast emptiness of space as they endured what felt like an eternity of torture, yet their screams didn’t even reach Scott who was less than ten feet away.

Scott's right arm trembled softly, his fingers beginning to twist as if to snap of their own volition. The voidweaver lowered his gaze, and the phenomenon ceased. Raising his head again, his right leg and arm spun in a sickening 360-degree rotation. The sound of tearing flesh and breaking bones filled the void, yet Scott's lips remained impassive.

The lesser god of misfortune, possessing Orion, cackled, his hazy eyes gleaming with joy. Scott touched his right arm with his left, halting the torturous rotations. He did the same with his leg. However, the fingernails on his right hand began to peel off slowly, taking chunks of flesh with them as they moved up his arm. The skin, flailing like living snakes, wrapped tightly around Scott’s neck, squeezing. His right leg spun clockwise while his left spun counterclockwise, mirroring the movements of his arms.

Zara, Slim, and Ember's screams continued, faint echoes in the vastness of space, their voices barely audible. Scott, however, remained emotionless despite his body’s betrayal. He turned his head toward the same location once more. “Is this supposed to make me afraid?”

Space distorted, revealing an elongated being whose form seemed to lean as if falling but stood oddly firm.

The Lesser God of Torture reveals itself!

“I told you it would be worth it, didn’t I?” the lesser god of misfortune said, turning toward the entity that had revealed itself. “It’s a shame we can’t stay longer.”

“Incurring the administrator’s ire isn’t worth it,” the lesser god of torture declared, its form as ambiguous as its voice.

“You’re talking as if you’re not having fun too,” the lesser god of misfortune chuckled.

“That is of no importance,” the lesser god of torture retorted, emotionless.

“You’re right about that,” the lesser god of misfortune said, before turning toward Scott. He pointed his right hand toward Zara, and a blackened blob shot out, attaching itself to her. Then he did the same to Slim and Ember before lowering his hand. “I truly hope you use that same method again. I have always wanted to meet the nameless one,” he declared.

“We should leave,” the lesser god of torture reminded.

“Hold on,” the lesser god of misfortune urged playfully. “I should at least take back a souvenir, don’t you think so?”

He approached Scott, raising his right hand toward the voidweaver's eyes, intending to pluck out his right eye. At that moment, however, the yellow sign flickered, and a crack echoed through space.

“Ah, finally,” the lesser god of misfortune muttered softly, staring at an expansive crack in the far reaches of space. The spatial distortion grew wider and wider, forming a gaping hole.

Slim, Zara, and Ember unleashed bone-chilling screams as their forms exploded into a gory mess. Orion, covered by the tar-like smear, remained unaffected, the lesser god’s hazy eyes focused on the distortion. Massive tentacles emerged from the fissures, and a pulsating yellow glow emanated from deep space. A figure cloaked in yellow slowly emerged from the crack. Simultaneously, another figure appeared in front of Scott and the lesser god of misfortune. The excitement in the lesser god's form vanished, and a hint of emotion flickered across Scott's impassive features.

“Why are you here?” the lesser god of misfortune demanded.

The new figure ignored him, focusing instead on the yellow-cloaked figure. “You can’t be here. Please return. This isn’t the agreed time.”

The figure in yellow hovered for a moment, then suddenly retreated into the portal, along with the massive tentacles. The distortion vanished, as did the pulsating glow.

“I said, why are you here?” the lesser god repeated, glaring at the sickly boatman standing before him.

“You can be here, and I can’t?” the boatman retorted.

The lesser god of misfortune glared. “Is this the intention of the Mad God?”

“Is your presence here known to the administrator?” the boatman shot back.

Neither yielded an inch, the tension between them palpable. Suddenly, the voice of the ominous entity blending with space echoed, “Neither of you will be able to assert your authority in this creature’s mind. A battle is pointless.” The lesser god of torture’s form seemed to dissipate slowly, as if losing interest in the standoff.

“Do you find this amusing?” Scott managed to say, his own flesh still tightening around his neck. The boatman and the lesser god of misfortune turned toward him. “Do you gods think we are just your playthings to do as you please?”

The lesser god of misfortune impassively averted his gaze, glaring at the boatman once more before vanishing. Orion’s form also disappeared. Despite their departure, Scott’s situation remained unchanged.

“You’re not at a level they deem worthy of acknowledging your existence, let alone dignifying your queries with a response. Your existence is as insignificant as any other random speck of dust across the timeline,” the boatman declared impassively.

Scott focused his gaze on the form of the mysterious being while a flurry of questions besieged his mind.

“Does that anger you?” the boatman questioned.

“I felt nothing while watching the only people I care about being ripped apart. Your words mean nothing to me,” Scott declared, a hint of emotion flickering in his eyes. “A day will come when I’ll do the same to him and all the other gods who stand in my way.” The yellow sign flickered nonstop, fueled by the voidweaver's simmering rage.

The boatman, on the other hand, wore a chilling smile as his scar twitched incessantly.

“Are you one of Hastur’s minions?” Scott suddenly asked, shifting the topic.

“I do not serve the Yellow King,” the boatman responded.

“How did you come here, and what did you mean earlier by 'this isn’t the agreed time'?” Scott pressed, bewildered by the presence of two lesser gods and a being he couldn't comprehend within the illusionary space he had created.

“That’s a pointless question. You would neither understand it, nor do I have the desire to explain,” the boatman retorted, seemingly amused.

“Why can’t they just kill me?” Scott asked, his frustration evident.

“Neither the administrator nor the gods would consider doing something as asinine as that. A far greater chaos would consume this dimension.” The boatman paused, floating closer to Scott. “With you alive, there's a fifty-fifty chance of a war breaking out. The gods will have a common enemy against the invaders and finally an excuse to assault the higher dimensions. If any of them were to play a role in your demise directly, it would spark a war between those dreaming of conquering new dimensions and those who hold contrary ideas. That much I can tell you,” the boatman explained.

Scott frowned, then met the boatman’s ominous gaze. “Do you serve the Mad God?”

“Isn’t that obvious?” the boatman replied, a hint of a smile on his lips.

“Who is the Mad God?” Scott asked after a brief pause.

This time, the boatman laughed, shaking his head. “What a nonsensical question,” he said, laughing again. His form began to fade, but his voice echoed once more. “Who wields the Warhammer of the Mad God?” He turned to Scott, smiling. “That should answer your question,” he said as he disappeared.

Scott remained in the emptiness of space; mouth opened in shock at what he had heard.

The nameless one peeks at you!