Chapter 44: The Neutral Zone, Part 4

I entered my room and decided to take a nap to fully recover. I lay down to sleep, woke up, checked the time, and realized I had only slept for 40 minutes, yet I was completely refreshed because I was not totally exhausted to begin with.

Here, there was absolutely nothing to pass the time, so I decided to meditate and train my abilities a bit. I activated my [Physical Reinforcement] to the point where it began to harm me and activated [Self-Healing] to counteract the damage. Finally, I activated [Continuous Mana Flow] and [Mana Cloaking]. In this way, I am consuming my mana and replenishing it with the environment's mana. By the way, the area on Earth with the highest quantity of mana that I've found is actually five times less in mana quantity than what is here in the Neutral Zone.

******

** Third Person **

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

"Don Cinzia, please get up, open the door, it's an emergency!"

"Mmm, who is it at this hour? Why all the fuss?" The clearly sleepy voice of Taciana Cinzia, who was abruptly awakened by the loud knocking on the door and the alarmed voice of Claire Agnes, could be heard.

Taciana Cinzia checked the time on her phone and saw that it was just 5:49 am, not far from her usual waking time of 6:30 am. She got out of bed, grabbed the jacket she had left on a piece of furniture, draped it over her shoulders, and opened the door to find Claire Agnes clearly distressed, who did not wait for permission to enter and simply stepped in the moment the door opened.

"Well, what happened? What was so shocking that you had to wake me up so early, with such urgency and concern?" asked Taciana Cinzia as she took a cigar from her jacket, put it in her mouth, and was about to light it.

But what Claire Agnes said next was so shocking that Taciana's mouth fell open wide, and the cigar dropped from it.

"They are all gone! All the 'very difficult' missions are gone! Not a single one is left! Not one!" exclaimed Claire Agnes, clearly alarmed and on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

"Repeat what you said, I think I am still too sleepy and didn't understand well," said Taciana Cinzia as she looked at the cigar on the floor and at Claire Agnes, her usually cold and composed right hand acting as if she were about to go mad.

"Don Cinzia! I said that all the 'very difficult' missions have disappeared from the mission board, there is not one left of that difficulty," said Claire Agnes, this time more calmly, but her calmness was closer to madness than serenity.

"Damn it! Are you joking? There are 6 missions with 10 repetitions each, which makes 60 missions in total. Are you telling me we lost at least 60 rookies while we were sleeping? Or even more than 60 if they formed groups? Have you searched for them? How many rookies are left?" said Taciana Cinzia alarmed, as she hurriedly turned on all the screens in her room to look for what she assumed would be a handful of remaining rookies.

But what the screens showed, whether sleeping or just waking up, some even already training or doing some activity, was clearly the same number of rookies that were there before she went to sleep. Seeing them, she felt relieved and relaxed for a moment, but then she frowned and turned her gaze back to Claire Agnes.

"Explain, the rookies are alive, so there is no way they could have taken the missions from the board. Only one mission per person can be taken from the board, except for the basic missions which are infinite and can be taken several at the same time. But any other mission can only be taken one at a time. If it's not started within 30 minutes at the latest, that mission returns to the mission board. The only way for it to disappear permanently is for someone to take it and either complete or fail it. And seeing the rookies alive only means that someone or a group took those missions and completed them, which is impossible to do in less than 6 hours, which is the time we were asleep. So explain to me what the hell is going on, Agnes," said an angry Taciana Cinzia.

"I don't know, I have already ordered the other maids to wake up all the staff and gather in the theater to collect information. I came to wake you up to tell you. If you knew what was happening, then you would cancel the meeting, but seeing that this is not the case, we just have to continue and see if someone knows something," said a totally defeated Claire Agnes as she sighed.

"Damn it! Everything was supposed to be going well and normal, why the hell do strange things have to happen when I'm the damn manager of this place? Damn it!" said Taciana Cinzia, totally annoyed as she left the room and headed to the theater with Claire Agnes following her.

***

** Third Person **

In the theater, nearly 40 people, both men and women, could be seen who had just woken up. Some did not even have time to dress properly, but all were now fully awake and alert. They saw the person in charge of the Neutral Zone enter with her trusted assistant.

Taciana Cinzia entered and looked at them all intently, making them shiver with her gaze.

"Alright, let's not waste time on nonsense. Raise your hand if you went to bed after 12 am yesterday," said Taciana Cinzia, but no one raised their hand, which indicated to her that everyone had gone to bed before that time, just like her and Claire Agnes. This means that there is no way to know what happened after that.

"Who got up today before 3 am, 4 am, 5 am, 6 am?" she began to ask in quick succession, and to her disappointment, those who got up earliest today did so at 5 am onwards. The person who realized that the missions were missing was one of the maids in charge of operating one of the cafeterias in the plaza on the first floor where the bulletin board is located, and she only realized the lack of missions at 5:37 am, which was only 12 minutes before Claire Agnes woke her up.

"Damn, then it's no use, does anyone know anything? Don't say or ask nonsense, only speak if you know something that might be useful, damn it," said a clearly annoyed Taciana Cinzia.

"Boss, I know it's stupid to say, but if the rookies are alive and the missions disappeared, the only explanation is that some group completed them," said one of the armor shop operators.

Taciana Cinzia looked at him, took a deep breath to calm her anger and avoid killing the idiot for saying something stupid, and spoke, "Are you telling me that a rookie or a group of rookies who haven't 'awakened' or received proper training completed 60 very difficult missions in less than 6 damn hours? It would take at least a group of level 4's to be able to do that, or a damn god of war..."

The words she initially said, filled with anger and a clear intention to kill, abruptly stopped at the end as she thought deeply.

A god of war, those final words that abruptly halted invaded her mind, and she thought of one she knows. Although he is not a god of war but of death, the idea does not change; he is a damn god. And coincidentally, just the day before, she was joking about him with Claire Agnes, her right hand.

They joked about how the new anomaly that appeared comes precisely from the place where she knows the damn god of death resides. Taciana wanted to deny the idea with all her might, but the more she thought about how impossible and absurd the situation was, the idea only became more and more realistic.

Then she recalled the events of yesterday one by one, from being notified about the anomaly who made the Tutorial look like a walk in the park while carrying a disabled person on his back.

How he arrived at the Neutral Zone and mocked the situation, how Claire Agnes told her yesterday that she felt uncomfortable under his affectionate and mocking gaze, and how the damned wretch spent hours watching the rookies participate in front of the mission board.

It seemed he was studying how they performed and the risk of the missions, but that was her interpretation. Perhaps he was just waiting for everyone to leave so no one would see his actions, just like now when no one knows what happened.

Then she remembered that he also left when the last people did, but maybe it was just a facade, a lie. If the damned bastard is a god, he clearly knew he was being watched on the screen and pretended to leave so they would stop watching him. When he knew they stopped watching because they went to sleep, he returned and completed everything. It's madness, but if he is a damned god, reason does not apply to him.

"Son of a bitch!" exclaimed Taciana Cinzia, and the poor guy who gave his idea thought she was referring to him. He quickly threw himself to the ground and curled up, hoping not to be killed, but Taciana Cinzia was not remotely referring to him, but to a certain deity passing through her mind.

"Damn it, go occupy your posts and take care of your damn job! This meeting does not matter anymore, get out!" Taciana Cinzia roared her orders and left before anyone else, her steps hurried as she headed to her room with Claire Agnes following closely, completely bewildered by her boss's actions.

They arrived at Taciana Cinzia's room, which is also the control room for the Neutral Zone. The already lit screens all focused on the same room and specifically on the same person, Seol Jihu, who was currently sitting on the floor with his legs crossed in a meditation position, doing just that, meditating.

Taciana was looking at him as if she were studying every millimeter of his body. Fortunately, at this moment, he was not wearing a jacket or shirt, so his torso was fully exposed.

Both women were watching him, and although Claire Agnes did not understand what was happening with her boss, she did not lose sight of her actions. Seeing her so focused on studying the star rookie, she did not neglect her duties as her right hand and also began to study the rookie.

"Can you notice it? Is that normal?" Taciana Cinzia asked, pointing out something that apparently was evident in the image, but was not normal, and she asked for confirmation from her trusted assistant.

"That is definitely not normal. I've seen muscle contractions and spasms occur in athletes after very long exercise marathons, but never in someone who is meditating and not at that level. His muscles contract and relax rapidly as if they were working to the limit at this moment, and not only that, clearly visible muscle tears are appearing all over his body, but at the same time, they heal before our eyes. It's simply madness, I have never seen anything like this before," said Claire Agnes, giving a deeper analysis of the situation.

"Damn it, it's what I feared, it's that damned wretch," said Taciana Cinzia.

'It's incredible, simply incredible. I thought everything would be normal and fine. Investing a good amount of contribution points to pay for the domain of the Neutral Zone and reap the benefits from it, I even prepared a theater stage and a fierce and mind-blowing presentation to scare the rookies.'

'But the person, or rather the deity I least expected to see me perform such acts had to appear. What a shame, by God, I made a fool of myself in front of that damned stupid god of death good for nothing... I want to die,' thought Taciana Cinzia.

"Is everything alright, Don Cinzia?" Claire Agnes asked with concern, noticing her boss turning red after a moment of thought.

"Yes, it's nothing," Taciana Cinzia replied, but she was clearly still flushed with embarrassment as she remembered how she had behaved in front of the novices and how that individual had enjoyed the situation.

She bit her lower lip before saying, "Organize a breakfast meeting with him, go invite him, and remember to be formal and not lose your temper, regardless of whether he acts foolish or mocks you again."

Claire Agnes was surprised by her boss's reactions and orders. She did not understand what was happening, but if these were the commands of the person she respected most in the world, then she would obey without question.

So, she left the room and headed to one of the most luxurious restaurants in the Neutral Zone, ordering them to prepare the best breakfast available for three people, ready at any moment. Then she proceeded to the private rooms on the upper floors where the person she had been avoiding since yesterday was staying, but now she had to not only avoid him but also invite him to breakfast.

****

** Seol Jihu POV **

I kept my abilities active for quite some time but deactivated them upon hearing someone knocking at the door. I checked the time on my phone; it was 6:43 am, so I got up, put on a shirt, and opened the door. To my surprise, it was Claire Agnes standing outside.

"To what do I owe the honor of such a wonderful visit so early in the morning?" I asked flirtatiously to annoy her, but to my surprise, unlike yesterday, she showed no sign of being affected by my flattery.

She was definitely in business mode, unlike yesterday when she was just curious about me. This disappointed me quite a bit, and I also became serious.

"The Neutral Zone manager, Lady Cinzia, invites you to breakfast with her. Please accompany me, and I will take you to where the breakfast will be held," she said very politely.

"I understand, if you allow me a few minutes to freshen up and change into more appropriate attire," I replied in a serious and formal tone. She was quite surprised, and for a moment, her facade of seriousness broke, though she immediately recomposed herself and nodded.

I did not bother closing the door; I simply went to my golden bag and took out the fanny pack which had the supplies to feed uncle Jung, which also contained a few changes of clothes. I chose one and headed to the bathroom for a quick shower and change.

Exiting the bathroom, I saw Claire still waiting at the door. I approached her, and she looked at me for a few seconds before giving a small nod of approval to my current appearance and began to walk.

I followed her, and we descended several floors until we stopped at one in particular. She walked towards a restaurant that was clearly much more luxurious than those I had seen on the other floors and entered. Inside, a maid was waiting and quickly gave instructions to Claire before she continued walking to a room at the back.

She opened the door and indicated for me to enter, so I did and saw that it was a private dining room with a medium-sized table and three seats, with Taciana already seated and waiting.

Taciana stood up and said, "Welcome, Mr. Seol Jihu, please take a seat."

I approached and sat down in one of the chairs, she also sat down, and then Claire, who came in behind took the remaining seat.

"I suppose this is not a social call, is it?" I said with a sigh.

I guess it was impossible for the Neutral Zone administrator, who can see everything that happens from her room, not to have noticed how I swept through the missions last night.

"I don't know, you tell me, does it seem like a social call to you?" she said in a more respectful and less mocking tone than I expected.

Perhaps she was too impressed by my performance yesterday, or maybe my identity was just too obvious because of it.

"I guess the cat's out of the bag, huh? Since that is the case, I would like to know what gave me away. Was it my performance last night, or something else?" I asked, a bit curious, although everything points to it being my performance last night.

That does not change the fact that I fight with a sword, and I thought maybe that would help me to not be easily identified. After all, my performance as the 'god of death' is done unarmed, and the sign of The Shadow is a scythe, so I did not think it could be easily related.

"In reality, it was a series of many, many small coincidences. If even one had been missing, I wouldn't have realized," Taciana replied with much sincerity in her voice.

From what I could see, Claire really has no idea what we're talking about, and when I sent an inquiring look to Taciana, she slightly shook her head to confirm that Claire doesn't know.

"Well, anyway, it's not like I was trying to hide it completely. It would be too annoying to conceal my abilities just to keep my identity hidden, but that does not change the fact that I don't want to announce it yet. So, apart from those of us here, I hope no one else finds out unless it's on their own, like you did, Taciana," I said with more of a commanding tone than a request.

Claire was annoyed by how I changed my way of speaking in front of her boss, but seeing that Taciana was neither offended nor bothered and simply nodded to my words, she said nothing.

"I suppose you have questions and didn't invite me just to confirm my identity and have breakfast, or did you?" I asked.

"I have many, many questions. If you're kind enough to answer them, then I will gladly ask," she said, and I nodded in agreement.

"The first and most important, why are you here?" she asked, and she obviously was not referring to the Neutral Zone, but to Lost Paradise itself.

"Mmmm, it's simpler than it seems. I had promised my help to the deities of Paradise some time ago, but I had to prepare a few things before coming, and now that I have, I came to fulfill my promise," I said calmly, and Taciana nodded in understanding of my response, but Claire looked even more puzzled. I found it funny because I had not clarified the situation for her, and Taciana noticed that I was enjoying this, so she also said nothing, even though she had already agreed that Claire could know.

"How did you clear the missions so quickly? I understand that you are a deity and have abilities that surely border on what we mortals consider possible, but I'm still curious if you cleared them solely with combat power or using some exclusive ability of your type of existence," Taciana asked with quite a bit of curiosity on the subject.

But I found it strange, I thought she had seen my performance from her room, and her words clearly say otherwise. And what's this about referring to me as a deity and to her as a mortal? Did she really believe my performance as a deity? While my performance and my powers on Earth might give that impression, they are still very weak, and I am still at the mortal level.

To reach the level of a deity, I still have a ways to go. My hope is to achieve it here with the resources of Lost Paradise, but it will take some time and effort.

"Didn't you see it from the control room? I thought you had mostly discovered me because you saw my performance clearing the missions," I said, clearly puzzled.

"We went to bed early and only found out this morning," I heard her almost whisper that, clearly embarrassed by it, even her face turned red.

" HAHAHAHA, it's true that you took the first day lightly, which is understandable. Well, if you didn't see what happened, it's obvious you'd have doubts. I actually cleared the missions through brute force, killing all the enemies. For the missions that required me to be on defense for specific times, I simply destroyed everything except what I had to defend until the mission was damaged and completed by the destruction of the setting, not by the time limit," I said, and each word surprised both her and Claire more than I thought.

"You have no idea how much I regret going to bed early; I feel like I missed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," she said sadly and resignedly. Then she continued, "But why did you complete those missions? And what will you do now? You said you came because you finished your preparations, but that means you have plans. What are they?"

"I completed the missions obviously for the Survival Points; I need all I can get to secure the items from the VIP store. What I'll do next is start to put things in order here in Lost Paradise..."

"I see that the deities of Paradise are too restricted by their vows and current situation, and that is why they could not put the Earthlings they brought to supposedly help in order. These Earthlings, instead of coming to help, turned the place into their playground and personal gold mine, which is unacceptable, and I will put them in order. Finally, my plans are simple: to unite all the forces of Lost Paradise into one and completely eradicate the invading Parasites. That is my entire agenda," I said, and Taciana turned pale at my words, and Claire looked at me as if she were seeing a madman who has no idea what's going on around him.

"Why do it? I understand it was a promise, but why make the promise in the first place? Why get involved in this situation? What do you gain in return?" Taciana asked, now scared of what's going to happen. She has seen me conquer the underworld on Earth after making a similar statement, and hearing these kinds of words from my mouth again, she does not doubt my ability; instead, she asks the reason for my actions.

"Are you really asking me that? It seems that you really took this place as your playground; it seems that you lot really are idiots..."

"Let me ask you this: did you think you could plunder this place at will and then leave and be safe, nice, calm, and happy on Earth?

And didn't it cross your mind for even a second that if the weakened deities with less power than the enemy could open a damn passage to Earth, then the enemy, who is stronger, could do the same once she defeats and conquers this place?" I said.

And my words were like a bucket of cold water; they immediately turned pale as if they saw an imminent invasion of Earth the moment the battle in Lost Paradise ends.

"How long do you think Earth will last against a power as great as the Parasite Queen? I'd say a few days at best; maybe nuclear weapons could hurt her, but at most, they would be severe flesh wounds. For deities, those kinds of wounds will never be mortal; if you don't destroy their souls or divinities, with enough time, they will recover and return as if nothing happened, and humanity would not last more than a few days," I said.

Taciana was pale and gathered a bit of courage before asking, "But there are also deities on Earth, there's you, and I heard of another deity called the Martial God, and with him there's also a group of deities, right? I even heard that the Martial God is much stronger than the Parasite Queen," Taciana said, trying to cling to her last lifeline.

"The Martial God is one of the most powerful deities and is almost never on Earth. If the Parasite Queen invades when he's not there to defend, by the time the Martial God returns, there will likely only be memories of Earth left. In my case, I'm currently no match for the Queen; that is why I made my preparations to come here. I need to use many things from this world to strengthen myself and be able to face her," I lied blatantly, taking a bit of pleasure in their expressions of terror.

"Well, I hope I can count on your support. If not, then I'm sorry to say that there will be no escape for you on Earth, and that applies to all the Earthlings who have benefited and used this world as their playground. When the time comes, I will collect from everyone, and there will be no escape," I said as I stood up.

"While I enjoy the company of beautiful ladies at mealtime, this is not the right atmosphere at the moment, so I will take my leave first," I said and left the room.

Claire wanted to stop me, but Taciana gestured for her not to, so she stopped and let me go.

...

[T/N: This is it for today. I just came across a few very interesting fics and I need all the time I can get to be able to read them...]