In the morning, Catherine was sipping on a cup of tea when her messenger arrived and dropped off a letter.
She opened it and read it. It was from Jace.
After reading the contents, she folded the letter in her hand and looked at it absentmindedly.
In the letter, Jace stated that within a few weeks, he would completely digest his potion, and he needed the necessary ingredients for his Sequence 6 advancement.
His advancement speed was incredibly fast.
It had been about a month and a half since they had last met. Catherine naturally missed Jace and their intense nightly endeavors.
But Catherine was busy—she truly was.
She had spent dozens of sleepless nights thinking deeply about how to safely proceed with her own advancement ritual.
And then, of course, there was the matter of gathering his potion ingredients as well.
An inkling of a plan had finally begun taking place in her head, but it was still going to be the hardest advancement she had ever attempted.
——
1 week later.
Jace's apartment in the Cherwood Borough.
When Jace woke up, it wasn't because he had slept enough, but rather because his spiritual intuition had suddenly been triggered.
He sat up from the bed, throwing away the blanket covering him, and looked around while activating his Spirit Vision, but there was nothing unusual in the room.
On the desk, though, sat something new.
Jace got up and walked over, only to see a black cloth pouch and a formal letter with his name written cleanly on it.
'It was the messenger,' Jace realized.
He sat down on the chair at the desk, picked up the letter, and opened it.
"Jace,
I'm happy to hear that you are so close to fully digesting your potion and preparing to advance.
I've sent the specific ingredients you asked for in the black bag; we can settle the account later.
As for the 'Prometheus' artifact, it will likely take a week or two more to be fully prepared.
In the past month, I've contemplated for days and nights about how to solve the problem of my own advancement, and I believe I have finally found a possible way for me to proceed. However, it will take about a year nonetheless.
And now that I've found a path forward, I hope for you to finally come and meet me after you successfully become a Sequence 6.
I also hope that you don't rush your advancement, as it is an inherently dangerous thing to do. Only attempt it when you are completely ready.
I will wait for you.
— Catherine"
Jace smiled and set the letter aside.
Opening the black bag, he looked at the raw Beyonder ingredients stored within it.
His heart rate spiked out of excitement.
'Not long now, not long...' he muttered inwardly, taking a deep breath to calm himself down.
——
Another week later.
The Stage, It was a much larger this time; the show was mainly reserved for a few dramatic acts and a opera.
But Jace had persuaded the organizers in many ways—including using subtle supernatural methods—to secure himself a small, timed slot in between the different main shows to perform his magic.
There were a few hundred people gathered in the audience here, so the feedback and acting results would be exceptionally good.
After his final performance trick, he bowed deeply to the crowd.
"Wow!"
"Clap, clap, clap!"
'Whistle!'
Clap, clap, clap!
The sound of the audience's applause was thunderous.
'Khachak'— Jace smiled widely as he maintained his bow.
The potion was finally digested.
——
Jace walked down the dimly lit Crimson Lane as he made his way back to his apartment.
Now that he had fully digested the 'Magician' potion, his existing abilities had significantly improved.
For instance, the maximum range of his 'Flame Jumping' and 'Fire Controling' had changed from 30 meters to 50 meters.
His 'Illusion' ability had gotten far better, and his other supplementary skills had also improved significantly, making them much easier for Jace to utilize in rapid succession.
But things were going to be even better after he officially advanced to sequence 6.
When he arrived home, he started brewing the Sequence 6 potion almost immediately.
It was likely not wise of him to attempt an advancement on the exact same day he had fully digested his previous potion, but the risk was hardly significant enough to deter him.
Besides, he simply couldn't wait—not when he had all the necessary materials right in front of him.
After brewing the concoction, he poured it into a clean glass.
He didn't immediately drink it, of course. Even an advancement required meticulous preparations.
He called out Nyx's name into the quiet room, summoning the cat before him.
He then brought out the 'Healing Glove' from his bedroom and had Nyx wear it.
Of course, as Nyx was a cat, the glove didn't exactly fit her small paw properly, but Jace wrapped the fabric around her leg securely enough that she could actively use its functions.
Even if she was a cat, she was still a capable Beyonder.
He then carefully explained the dangerous things that might happen during the process and gave her strict instructions on how to treat him if things went sideways.
Jace's previous advancement to Sequence 7, 'Magician', had been quite hard, but this time he was thoroughly prepared.
He had a Sequence 7 'Psychiatrist' cat on call who could cast 'Placate' on his mind, and she also possessed a magical glove that could be used to restore his physical strength via 'Life Giving', or even be used to heal his frayed soul.
This was all the preparation he could possibly do, and he believed it was more than enough.
—
Half an hour later.
In the living room, Jace sat rigidly on the couch. Before him on the table sat the glass full of potion.
The color of the liquid was an eerie, blackish-green; large, oily bubbles welled up to the surface occasionally, popping to leave behind strange, whispering sounds. The potion looked intensely sinister.
Meanwhile, Nyx the cat sat on his left side on a single-seater chair. Her left foreleg was wrapped securely in the large black glove.
The anticipation and nervousness were obviously visible in her rigid body language.
After a few minutes of mentally preparing himself, Jace reached out, picked up the glass, and drank the potion in one single, big gulp.
The effect was immediate. His senses and mind went completely numb.
It was as if his consciousness were thrown entirely out of his physical form, leaving him unable to feel anything around him.
Then, the intense, chaotic ravings of 'Hornacis-Flegrea' started to descend violently on what little clarity remained of his mind.
That was exactly when the physical mutations began. The skin on his face and body began to visibly melt, turning a sickly white and dark hue like scorched, dripping wax.
His bones too started getting incredibly soft, as though they were liquefying from the inside out.
Jace instantly realized this was bad.
He couldn't let this physical degradation continue. Right now, he couldn't control any of his body because all of his senses were completely numbed; if he continued to let this happen, he would lose control and mutate into a monster.
He had to forcefully reclaim control of his own body. And that was exactly what he did. He summoned every ounce of mental power he could muster, enduring the horrific ravings while forcing himself into a state of Cogitation.
One by one, he slowly started to regain control of his numbed senses and every small, melting part of his physical body.
Time went by as he fought to gain total control over his body and he did, but it wasn't over yet—now he had to endure this excruciating state for several minutes before it was all over.
Currently, his physical body looked disgusting. There were pale, irregular granules breaking out all over his flesh, and his skin was still half-melted.
He just had to endure.
But his strength had been entirely depleted in the brutal process of reclaiming his body.
The intense ravings of 'Hornacis-Flegrea' still hadn't stopped yet, meaning he had to endure that mental assault as well—but he was running on empty. How could he hold out?
Nyx was watching the entire terrifying process with alert eyes.
By now, Jace was writhing painfully on the floor, looking so thoroughly grotesque and mutated that even as a Sequence 7 Beyonder, Nyx instinctively wanted to avert her eyes and unsee the whole thing.
At one point, she even thought that Jace had completely lost control. But after watching his remaining movements carefully, she realized that this struggle was part of the advancement process.
With her Spirit Vision activated, Nyx saw that Jace was entirely out of physical and mental strength. It was finally time for her to act.
She trotted near his writhing form, placed her heavily gloved paw firmly onto his back, and immediately started using the 'Life Giving' ability of the glove.
While she poured vitality into him, she also began continuously Placating' Jace's mind.
Jace felt a warm wave of physical strength slowly return to his limbs, and his chaotic mind became noticeably calmer.
Seizing the opportunity, he pushed himself deeper into Cogitation to resist the ravings better and endure the final stretch.
After a few tense minutes, the final physical changes occurred.
The ugly, pale granules on his face and body began to fade, merging smoothly back into his skin. His physical form reverted cleanly back to its original appearance.
A few minutes later, the horrific ravings in his ears grew significantly quieter, fading into a distant murmur.
Jace finally opened his eyes.
He was now a Sequence 6.
He was a 'Faceless'.
End of Volume 1 (83 chapters, 87,000+ words)
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A/N:- Thank you very much for following the novel
We will begin with 2nd Volume right away. 2nd Volume will contain the arc of Faceless and Marrionettist.
Meanwhile, leave some reviews if you like to the book