Chapter 43: Chapter43-Obtaining a God-Rank Chest
Above the black lake, the atmosphere between the three powerful figures instantly became tense.
Conflict was on the verge of breaking out.
...
At the same time, the personnel dispatched by both the City Lord’s Mansion and the Witch Council had already entered the depths of the black lake to conduct their searches.
The people from the City Lord’s Mansion were searching for the spatial fluctuations John had left behind.
Meanwhile, the members of the Witch Council were searching for any residual traces of the entrance to the Trial of the First Seat.
However, no matter what methods either side used, they were unable to find the true entrance.
That was because the Trial of the First Seat was not an ordinary dungeon entrance.
The black lake was merely a door.
Only the key served as the true positioning coordinate.
Now that the key had completed its mission, the trial space had naturally closed completely after John cleared the trial.
Outsiders like them were destined to find nothing.
Not far away, John remained hidden within the shadows, silently observing everything that was happening outside.
He was in no hurry to reveal himself.
Right now, the City Lord’s Mansion wanted to recruit him, and the Witch Council wanted to recruit him as well.
The other forces would undoubtedly arrive in short order too.
If it were any other player, they would probably have rushed out without hesitation, using this opportunity to reap as many benefits as possible.
But John understood very clearly that the more attention he received now, the greater the danger would become.
He lowered his head slightly and looked at the class section on his status panel.
[All-Class Magus]
[Class Core]: Arcane Nexus
[Unique Effect]: Path to Divinity
...
The Arcane Nexus allowed him to perfectly control every skill he possessed.
Even if two skills had conflicting attributes, he could still use them simultaneously through the Arcane Nexus.
As for Path to Divinity, there was no detailed explanation.
However, judging from the phenomenon it had just triggered, John knew this effect was absolutely extraordinary.
There were many paths to becoming a god.
Even with a thousand years of experience and memories from his previous life, John did not dare claim that he knew them all.
Perhaps this Path to Divinity was one of them.
John closed the panel, then glanced at the city lord and the two witches who were still locked in confrontation.
Now was not a suitable time to show himself.
He first needed to figure out exactly what benefits the All-Class Magus class could bring him.
In addition, before the other forces could fully secure the area, he needed to leave this place one step ahead of them.
With a thought, John’s figure silently sank into the shadows.
In the next moment, he swiftly moved toward another side of Axis City.
...
Above the black lake.
At this moment, City Lord Shyron and the two witches from the Witch Council were still facing one another.
Shyron said calmly, "If I truly wanted to seize him, do you think you could stop me?"
The Thorn Witch took a step forward, flames rising around her body.
"Then you are welcome to try."
The Stargazing Witch did not move.
However, she gently tapped her crystal ball.
In the next instant, a ring of star-trail patterns suddenly appeared beneath Shyron’s feet.
The corners of the Stargazing Witch’s lips curved upward, revealing two small fangs as she smiled.
"Lord City Lord, your level is indeed far higher than ours. But if you insist on making a move right now, the two of us are still more than capable of giving you plenty of trouble."
Shyron’s expression darkened.
Each side had its own intentions, and neither was willing to back down.
The smell of gunpowder in the air grew stronger and stronger.
Just then, the first group of scouts returned from the lakebed.
Hughes, a seal master from the City Lord’s Mansion, knelt on one knee and said, "Lord City Lord, we found no trace of the target at the bottom of the lake.
"In addition, the entrance to the Trial of the First Seat has already disappeared. Aside from some residual traces of spatial array sources, we discovered nothing.
"The target we are searching for appears to have already left."
Immediately afterward, members of the Witch Council appeared in flickers of light.
Their report was almost identical.
"Lady Thorn, Lady Stargazing, we found no trace of the trial challenger.
"The black lake now contains only residual spatial fluctuations left after the trial’s closure. Even the traces of the key have completely vanished."
Hearing this, the Thorn Witch’s expression darkened.
The Stargazing Witch, however, merely narrowed her eyes slightly, showing no surprise.
Across from them, City Lord Shyron glanced at the Stargazing Witch.
"It seems that adventurer does not trust any of us."
The Stargazing Witch slowly hugged her crystal ball and said softly, "If he was able to disappear from right under both your eyes and ours, it means he is even more clear-headed than we imagined."
In other words, it was not that they had failed to find John.
It was that John had deliberately avoided every single one of them.
Shyron immediately made a new decision.
"Seal off the Northern Exclusion Zone once more. No force is permitted to enter without authorization.
"My City Lord’s Mansion must reassess the remaining corruption."
The Thorn Witch immediately added, "The Witch Council must also participate in the assessment."
City Lord Shyron glanced at her.
After a moment of hesitation, he ultimately did not refuse.
"Very well. The Witch Council will be permitted to enter."
With that, the two sides reached a compromise.
The City Lord’s Mansion obtained official control over the Northern Exclusion Zone, while the Witch Council obtained the right to participate in the investigation.
However, as for John’s whereabouts, neither side had managed to catch him.
The personnel from both sides gradually withdrew from the black lake.
Before leaving, the Stargazing Witch suddenly turned her head and glanced toward the place where John had just been hiding.
Although she had not truly discovered his trace, she vaguely felt, in the unseen depths of fate, that John’s fate line had broken there for a brief instant.
The Stargazing Witch withdrew her gaze and laughed softly.
"That guy sure runs fast."
Hearing this, the Thorn Witch asked curiously, "Did you see him?"
The Stargazing Witch shook her head.
"No. But I can feel that he should still be alive. His aura is very stable."
...
On the other side.
City Lord Shyron looked toward the black lake, his gaze deep.
By this point, he had also realized one thing.
John was no ordinary adventurer.
This much could be seen from the fact that John had not immediately come to claim his reward from him, nor had he chosen to accept the protection of either side.
Instead, before all the powerful figures could arrive, he had decisively left.
...
Because the City Lord’s Mansion and the Witch Council had reached an agreement, the other forces and players of Axis City were all barred from entering the northern sealed zone.
All they received was a vague piece of information.
An abnormal event had occurred in the Northern Exclusion Zone, and a Hidden Quest was suspected to have been completed.
Both the City Lord’s Mansion and the Witch Council jointly disclosed the matter, but the identity of the quest completer remained unknown.
...
After confirming that the personnel from the City Lord’s Mansion and the Witch Council had all withdrawn, John did not immediately return to Axis City.
Instead, he hid behind an abandoned rock wall on the outskirts of the sealed zone and reopened his inventory.
After he had cleared the Trial of the First Seat, the system had not only rewarded him with the All-Class Magus class core and its unique trait, but had also unlocked an additional God-Rank Chest.
John looked at the chest in his inventory, which was glowing with a faint golden radiance, and his eyes flickered slightly.
This was a God-Rank Chest.
Even in his previous life, a reward of this level was something that countless top players would have fought over like mad.
Not to mention, the game was still in its early stages.
He had never expected to obtain one so soon.
[Open the God-Rank Chest?]
"Open it!"
John did not hesitate and immediately chose to open it.
