Elomot, a member of the Mosan family, was the one behind everything. Yet out of all the details Atticus had learned, one stood out above the rest.

’He wants me away from the city.’

No... not the city.

His people.

The brief time Atticus had spent around Elomot had already revealed the sort of man he was.

He had attempted to kill Gladious simply because the man refused to hand over his daughter. Then there was the army of barely clothed women constantly surrounding him wherever he went.

He was after the women in their group.

Atticus’s gaze turned so cold it felt capable of freezing a planet. Yet almost immediately, he felt something stir in response to his anger, causing his brows to furrow slightly.

’The Primal Will...’

The will of the reverents had begun to boil within him.

Even now, it refused to assimilate with his own will, as though disdaining the very thought.

Instead, it latched onto him, feeding off his anger and magnifying it far beyond what it should’ve been.

What was meant to be controlled rage rapidly began spiraling out of proportion.

Atticus slowly exhaled, suppressing the emotions surging within him. Yet the coldness in his eyes only deepened.

There was a chance Elomot merely intended to lure him away long enough to make a move on his people.

However, Atticus also couldn’t dismiss the possibility that the location he had been sent to wasn’t safe at all.

’It could be a trap.’

The moment that thought crossed his mind, a strange calm settled over Atticus.

This... was a perfect opportunity.

He had already grown disillusioned with the Hunter system. Killing reverents and slowly climbing the rankings would take far too long.

With ten years already wasted within the Span, he couldn’t afford to waste any more time.

Yet this situation had just handed him the perfect chance to accelerate everything.

Now, he could complete his main quest far faster.

As the others walked beside him, Atticus’s mind began to move.

...

The group had arrived at Mosan City at midday, beneath the crimson sun hanging high overhead.

An hour later, they had already decided on their next course of action.

Though Ozeroth and Ozerra remained deeply unsettled by the revelation that the attendant was an agent of their mother, Atticus managed to convince them to leave the matter aside until after the mission was completed. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

The Hunter Association had assigned each of them separate missions requiring them to venture into the Wilds.

However, Atticus had witnessed the dangers of the Wildelands firsthand and understood better than anyone the importance of preparation.

There was one thing they all needed first.

"...this is where you can find Will Limiters, Supreme Lord."

Atticus lifted his gaze toward the vast bustling street ahead.

Numerous stalls stretched along the roadway while all sorts of people moved through the crowded marketplace, some haggling loudly over prices while others kept their heads lowered as they passed in silence.

This was the Hunter Marketplace, a place where nearly anything needed to survive within the Wilds could be purchased.

Moments later, after Gladious reluctantly bartered away some of his most valuable possessions, they finally managed to acquire the Will Limiters.

Atticus lowered his eyes toward the bronze bracelet now fastened around his wrist.

The instant he put it on, he felt an invisible wave spread across his body. It formed a strange barrier around him, suppressing his will and preventing it from leaking beyond a certain threshold.

’So this is what he used.’

Though Elomot’s artifact had appeared far more powerful, capable of concealing will over a much wider area, it still operated on the same principle.

Glancing around, Atticus saw the others now wearing similar bronze bracelets around their wrists.

Not long after, they arrived at the city gates, and Atticus turned toward the group.

"I want all the women moving together."

"...all the women?"

Frowns immediately appeared across several faces. Anorah raised a brow slightly.

"Wouldn’t splitting up be faster? Our missions are all over the place. We’d cover more ground that way."

The others nodded in agreement.

"It’s safer this way." Atticus shook his head firmly. "Just do it. For me?"

Anorah’s eyes narrowed faintly as she studied him, as though she could already tell he was hiding something.

’How does she always know?’

For a brief moment, Atticus considered telling them his plan. However, the thought was discarded almost instantly.

What he was about to do... was immoral by every standard.

He couldn’t allow anyone to interfere.

Maintaining a calm expression, Atticus simply waited in silence.

"My star actor is clearly just worried about everyone’s safety." Whisker suddenly chimed in. "The Wilds are unpredictable. One moment you’re walking peacefully, the next moment a reverent is chewing on your spine. Groups are better."

"I agree," Avalon added with a nod.

Ozeroth, Azeron, and Magnus also nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, Anorah finally relented, though the suspicious look in her eyes never fully disappeared from Atticus.

With the matter settled, the group divided themselves accordingly.

Atticus, Whisker, Ozeroth, Azeron, and Zion chose to move alone. Magnus, Avalon, Caldor, Thomas, Kancilot, and Ae’ark formed a group.

The final group consisted of all the women.

"We’ll be back."

"...of course, Supreme Lord!"

After giving Gladious a curt nod, the groups departed from the city.

...

Atticus had to cross an enormous stretch of land to reach his destination. It lay even farther than Gladious’s stronghold, deep within the outer reaches of the First Crown.

However, with the aid of the Will Limiter and without the burden of protecting others, Atticus’s speed became terrifying.

What had once taken days to traverse now required less than an hour.

Soon, he arrived at his destination.

It was a vast expanse of land littered with volcanoes scattered great distances apart from one another.

Thick dark fumes billowed endlessly from their depths, rising into the sky before merging together into a massive blanket of black clouds that cast the entire region into perpetual gloom.

Atticus’s gaze swept across the area in an instant.

’At the bottom.’

Even without removing the limiter, he could still sense the immense pressure emanating from the depths of the largest volcano.

Reverents.

Still, Atticus merely gave a slight nod.

The next moment, his figure vanished, reappearing atop a tree nearly five hundred meters away from the volcanic region.

Then, he waited.

Thirty minutes passed in the blink of an eye. Just as it began to seem like no one else would arrive, Atticus caught sight of a streak of light shooting through the distance.

His eyes sharpened instantly.

’Finally.’

Seconds later, the streak reached the volcanic region and came to a silent halt above it.

The moment Atticus saw the figure within the light, his eyes narrowed slightly.

’It’s her.’

The same attendant who had received them earlier.

The one they had identified as an agent of the Pride Queen.