"What happened?"
"All those people are gone, just like that?"
***
When the advanced mages of the fire church and warriors of the kingdom right next to them heard the commotion and rushed to the adventure guild to see what happened, they couldn't help but be dumbfounded.
They saw hundreds of people scattered on the market street facing the guild, their bodies lifeless unmoving, yet not even a drop of blood could be spotted on the ground.
To make matters even worse, they spotted a few mages and warriors famous throughout Mountain Rock City, their bodies similarly lying on the ground, dead if they weren't mistaken and their senses didn't trick them.
"Tell me I'm dreaming, Blank…" the middle-aged man mumbled to the white-haired woman in front of him, also getting crushed by the immense pressure pressing down on them.
The shock he was currently experiencing was so great that he even forgot to add 'diver' when he addressed her. Even with his status as a diver skirmisher, this was the first time he had seen hundreds of people drop dead like flies.
The shock the middle-aged man experienced was further intensified when he saw Dean suddenly emerging from the adventure guild and quietly watching the hundreds of people scattered across the ground with an emotionless face.
Normally, no mage or warrior could ever hope to resist them with the help of the magic barrier they set up. Yet, now, the barrier was effortlessly shattered like glass, and even the people who were maintaining it died on the spot.
Fear!
Unprecedented fear sprouted in the depths of the middle-aged man's heart.
He knew that only one thing could ever accomplish such a feat, but whenever he thought about it, his mind failed to comprehend how this kid suddenly became one.
At this moment, he heard diver Blank slowly mutter with similar shock visible in her eyes," He is a diver."
The middle-aged man still had his doubts at first, but when he heard his commander's confirmation, he took a closer look at Dean, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets.
Not because of his identity as a diver. No, he was also a diver himself.
He was fearful because of Dean's ability to fly and destroy the barrier like a mere ballon standing in his way.
He mumbled, his voice trailing off in between," A hea... heaven-ranked c...card?"
Diver Blank was as shocked as him, but given her current position, she mustered up some of her strength and spoke, still not daring to resist the pressure least to anger Dean even more and create unnecessary disputes.
" Dean, let us talk. Our actions right now were based on your family taking the cards without having a diver themselves. Since we just confirmed your identity as a diver, all your past crimes will be forgiven, and you can instantly join our ranks if you wish for it."
Even though Dean suppressed her, she still dared to speak that way, not because she was dumb, but because she knew that she could evenly fight him if he dared to take this any further.
Their shock was related to how Dean became a Diver in the first place and the power of the card he obtained. But even then, they can still use their trump card given to them by the star seeker and defend themselves.
" Listen to her kid, the world of mages and warriors is but a front operated by these people; their power is fake, and divers are the real strength and true one. You still have 40 seconds left before I'm gone, so wisely decide on your next actions."
The voice of an old man filled with wisdom sounded in Dean's mind.
Dea understood this much after the old man's explanation earlier; hence, he agreed with his words and flew down, ready to have a chat with the people on the ground.
The real reason for sparing the people who just tried to kill him, on the other hand, was entirely different.
***
Several seconds ago, when the white-robed man just entered the adventure guild and sent an exe flying in Dean's direction...
' Damn it, Am I placed in a world full of idiots or what? Why will anyone attack someone for no reason for f**k s*ke.' Dean cursed, his face turning ugly after he saw the axe headed towards him.
Knowing full well that his shadow blending technique is useless when there is so much light around, he quickly summonsed his third card, uncaring about the side effects of it being cursed or not.
' A card is still a card; its origins don't matter if It can indeed save me as it states in the description.'
Woosh!
The axe was traveling with speed invisible to the naked eye, but luckily for Dean, his body was trained in his younger days, so he could faintly see it closing in on him in a moment.
The axe of light the man wielded transformed into tens of blinding beams halfway through that attacked Dean from all directions.
The beams vaporized everything in their path. Even the apprentice mages and rank one warriors in the hall that got struck were instantly reduced to ashes.
However, right before the beams were about to transform Dean into a sponge, giving him a quick free ticket to the world of the dead.
Time froze!
An old man's voice, unlike any Dean had ever heard, entered his ears.
"The sun beyond the mountain glows. The Yellow River seaward flows. One can enjoy a grander sight by climbing to a greater height. Isn't this your dream mortal?"
In the blink of an eye, Dean found himself standing on top of the universe, his eyes looking down on every star, planet, dimension, and even supreme beings who once thought they were eternal.
" Now, aren't you a lucky one mortal? Who would have ever thought that the great supreme master of all time would be sneak attacked by those godly relics of ancient times to find myself trapped inside you."
Suddenly, Dean was pulled back to the real world; everything was still frozen in place.
' Power, such a lovely sight.'
He marveled over the scene around him, his heart beating loudly, his eyes sparkling with new light as he gazed at the axe filled with unimaginable power about to kill him on the spot.
'Yet, all that power didn't matter in front of greater power.' He thought with a sneer.
'But then again, it's just power; this supreme being or whatever was still trapped inside of a card.'
'What use to having this much power if at the end of the day, you will lose your life or be a slave for another person?'
'What is the use of power that could shake the world itself? No, the universe itself, yet still dying at the end.'
'Losing your free will.'
'Losing what you worked for your entire life, for god knows how long.'
'Eternal life is what really matters.'
'Power should be a weapon used to achieve that goal, not a weapon used to rule over others or display your immense strength in front of everyone.'
'Without eternal life, I'll one day become like this old man, if not worse.'
'Book of Immortality! Even though I don't trust you, even though you are shrouded with mysteries, I'll still take that slim chance of obtaining what you promised me.'
'I don't want to die again.'
'I don't.'
'I want to keep on living!'
As he thought of that, the power display of the old man in front of him became meaningless.
He indeed felt amazed and will strive to lay his hands on such strength.
However, he wants more, more than just this.