Morning light passed through the slightly cracked glass window, spilling onto a nearly flawless, exquisite body. The warm sensation teased the young woman's form, adding more fuel to her morning slumber.
But this artistic scene of beauty did not last long. Amidst a faint sound, the sleeping girl suddenly sprang from her bed, her liquid-like eyes staring intently toward the window. Only after spotting the black cat did she finally relax slightly.
"Although the 'fan service' you're providing is indeed very pleasing to the eye, I won't be paying extra for it." The words spoken by the black cat instantly shattered the cute atmosphere. Trissy grabbed a shirt from the bed and draped it over herself, speaking somewhat coldly:
"I thought you weren't coming."
"How could I? When it comes to deals, I am always very serious." The black cat leapt onto the girl's bed and gave a serious wave of its paw. It was a cute gesture, but in Trissy's eyes, it was exceptionally detestable.
"The items are here. Where is the intelligence?" Trissy pulled two tin boxes and several bags of herbal powder from under the bed. The black cat stepped forward to inspect each one before nodding.
"Yegor Einhorn, a Vice Admiral of the Feysac Empire Navy, and also a Sequence 4 Iron-blooded Knight. By the way, the Hunter pathway is controlled by the Einhorn and Sauron families. So, if you ever want to hunt an Iron-blooded Knight in the future and Yegor is already dead, you can start with those two families. Though personally, I recommend the Saurons--after all, the Einhorns are the imperial royalty of Feysac."
"And yet you still give me a demigod from the Einhorn family..." Trissy wasn't particularly interested in the black cat's information--or rather, she wasn't currently desperate enough to seek out demigod-level intelligence.
In contrast, she cared much more about--
"What about the 'deeply relevant' intelligence you mentioned? Why is the Demoness Sect so obsessed with training men to become Witches?"
"It's simple, really. Because they want to get closer to the Primordial... well, a God's name shouldn't be spoken casually. In short, you must understand that the True God whom the Assassin pathway points toward went from male to female during their ascent. As the apex of this sequence, He naturally influences the pathway from the top down. As a result, if a woman takes the Assassin potion, the difficulty of digestion and the probability of losing control are far higher than for a man."
The black cat paced slowly as it explained. Trissy's body suddenly stiffened. Beyond the literal meaning of the cat's words, there seemed to be a massive bombshell hidden within:
"True Gods... also drink Sequence potions?"
"Of course. You didn't know that the True God rank is also known as [Sequence 0]? Why do you think sequences with True Gods usually have no Sequence 1s? Because the potion a True God requires is precisely three portions of Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics!"
The black cat dropped this bombshell without any reservation. Trissy was momentarily dazed, but she quickly suppressed the shock of learning such a secret and pulled her attention back.
"So, what did you mean when you said I am the Demoness Sect's 'most satisfactory work'?"
"Do you know what kind of person increases their sequence the fastest?" The black cat didn't answer directly, instead posing a question of its own.
"Someone who happens to fit the profession the acting method points toward?" Trissy had no intention of circling around with the black cat. Knowing it would eventually provide the answer, she didn't waste time thinking and gave a plausible response.
"Close, but that's only at a single sequence level." The black cat shook its head slightly, one paw resting on the box of Beyonder materials. "The people who find it easiest to increase their sequence are often those who are most similar to the existence at the apex of that pathway. This is because every sequence is influenced from the top down by that apex existence. Just as I said--under the Primordial's influence, men find it easier to digest the Assassin potion. By the same logic, the more similar you are to the True God of that sequence, the easier it is for you to digest the potion."
"So, you're saying... I'm very similar to the Primordial?" Trissy spoke softly, then frowned:
"Is there a problem with that?"
"Exactly. It seems you still have your wits about you." The black cat wore a satisfied expression, extending a front leg and unsheathing its claws. "What is the most important core of the Acting Method?"
"..."
Trissy didn't answer, because she simply didn't know.
"It seems they didn't tell you?" The black cat split its mouth into a somewhat terrifying smile. "Then allow me to provide that education. The core principle of the Acting Method is summarized in one sentence: You are only acting!"
"I... am only acting?" Trissy vaguely remembered the black cat saying something similar when critiquing her portrayal of a Witch. Had he been warning her even then?
But...
"What does that have to do with anything?" Trissy asked, already sensing a vague, ominous connection.
"Because if you get too 'into character', it won't be you digesting the potion--it will be the potion digesting you. Your personality will become increasingly close to the object you are portraying, and then..."
"In the end, I'll overlap with the True God? So that's why you said the more similar someone is to the True God, the easier it is to digest the potion and advance?" Trissy felt her scalp go numb. Although she didn't fully grasp the underlying mechanics, the mere idea of her personality being overridden was terrifying.
If she hadn't known this principle, would she have slowly gotten lost in her role while 'acting', influenced by the potion until she completely considered herself a woman?
"That's the basic idea." The black cat nodded, waving its paw a few times. Suddenly, its expression changed, and in a tone far more sinister than before, it whispered:
"But more importantly... when you reach a certain level of similarity with the True God, you will become the perfect vessel for that Being to descend into reality."
Boom!
Trissy felt like her brain was about to boil.
To become a vessel for a God's descent?
Is that why the Demoness Sect was nurturing her?
She didn't even need to wonder what being a 'vessel' for a God would lead to. Even the mental imprint of a Sequence 9 potion was enough to make a Beyonder lose control completely. How could a God's spirit descending onto one's body ever have a good result?
She took two steps forward, staring intently at the black cat. Just as she was about to speak, the cat suddenly spoke in a mood-killing tone:
"What? The deal is done and now you want to snatch your things back?"
"Who's trying to snatch your things!" Trissy took a deep breath, trying to recover the shattered atmosphere, but she failed. In the end, she simply asked:
"Tell me, why are you telling me all this? Every sentence you've spoken today far exceeds the value of a Sequence 9 potion."
"When it comes to deals, I am always very serious," the black cat replied solemnly. Trissy frowned.
"I don't think selling gold for the price of stone is a sign of seriousness."
"No, what I mean is... these words are worth less than a Sequence 9 potion."
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika Kagura]