Clay slowly leaned back against the gryphon saddle while the cold wind continued brushing past him.

His expression gradually calmed down again, but inside his mind, countless thoughts were still running wildly.

The system had given him permission.

Four chances.

Four attempts.

No backlash.

At least... supposedly.

Even now, Clay still did not fully trust it.

After all, this was the same defective system that almost got outplayed by his own loophole involving Maid Cy.

Still—

If Maxwell truly wanted to target him, then sitting around and pretending nothing was happening would only make things worse later.

Clay sighed quietly.

"So troublesome..."

Frazanna and the others below were still looking upward at him carefully, none of them daring to interrupt his silence. From their perspective, the young master of the Valmont Family suddenly became quiet in the middle of the conversation for unknown reasons.

To them, it looked mysterious.

To Clay, however—

I’m trying not to get murdered by plot.

He rubbed his forehead again.

Then finally, he spoke inside his head.

"Fine."

"If I’m really going to deal with him..."

His eyes slowly narrowed.

"...then first I need to pinpoint his location."

The system immediately answered.

"Correct."

Clay frowned.

"How am I even supposed to find him?"

The system replied calmly.

"The host currently possesses several advantages."

Clay blinked slightly.

"...Such as?"

"Maxwell is injured."

"He possesses unstable draconic mana."

"He recently experienced emotional trauma."

"He also currently possesses strong killing intent toward the host."

Clay’s expression became strange.

"...That helps?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"The stronger his obsession becomes, the easier he is to track."

Clay stared blankly ahead.

"...That sounds horrifying."

"It is efficient."

Clay sighed.

"Can you track him directly?"

"No."

Clay immediately looked annoyed again.

"Of course you can’t."

"I can only estimate."

Clay clicked his tongue softly.

"Then estimate."

The system became quiet for a moment.

Several seconds passed.

The gryphon continued flying steadily above the roads while Frazanna and the others remained waiting below.

Then finally—

"Based on current calculations..."

The system spoke slowly.

"...the probability of Maxwell remaining near the border region is low."

Clay nodded slightly.

"That makes sense."

"He escaped Maid Cy."

"He’d probably run far away first."

The system continued.

"However..."

Clay’s eye twitched slightly.

"There’s always a however."

"Yes."

Clay sighed deeply.

"Go on."

"The probability of Maxwell seeking allies is high."

Clay frowned.

"Allies?" 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"Yes."

"He currently possesses insufficient strength to confront the host directly."

"So he’ll gather support."

Clay’s gaze slowly darkened.

"That’s annoying."

The system replied calmly.

"Main characters often grow through alliances."

Clay immediately looked disgusted.

"That sentence alone sounds unfair."

The system ignored the complaint.

"He also currently possesses emotional instability."

Clay crossed his arms.

"And?"

"He may act irrationally."

Clay snorted faintly.

"He already attacked a one armed berserker because of a guess. I think we’re way past irrational."

The system remained silent.

Clay slowly became thoughtful again.

If Maxwell truly believed he was the source of the beast tide, then the main character would definitely continue investigating him.

And if Maxwell failed to beat him directly—

Then the next step was obvious.

Rumors.

Allies.

Influence.

Public opinion.

Clay’s face slowly became uglier the more he thought about it.

"...He’s really trying to drag me into the plot."

The system answered.

"Correct."

Clay suddenly muttered quietly—

"Honestly... I kind of miss when my biggest problem was pretending to be lonely and overpowered."

The system said nothing.

The gryphon slowly descended lower toward the road while the sun continued hanging high above the horizon.

Below, Frazanna and the others still remained tense.

None of them knew that the former fiancé they were speaking to was currently discussing how to legally assassinate the main character of fate itself.

Clay slowly looked toward the distance.

Then his eyes narrowed slightly.

"...Where would someone like Maxwell even go?"

The system replied.

"The probability of him moving toward areas connected to ancient powers is high."

Clay frowned.

"Ancient powers?"

"Yes."

"Ruins."

"Dragon related locations."

"Ancient battlefields."

"Mana rich territories."

Clay slowly became thoughtful.

Then suddenly—

A memory flashed through his head.

The dream.

The supposed story.

Fragments began resurfacing one after another.

Maxwell growing stronger.

Maxwell discovering inheritances.

Maxwell encountering hidden opportunities.

Maxwell surviving impossible situations.

Clay’s expression slowly darkened further.

"...Wait."

His eyes narrowed.

"If this really follows story logic..."

The system remained silent.

Clay continued speaking slowly.

"...then the more danger he faces..."

"...the stronger he becomes."

The system answered calmly.

"Correct."

Clay immediately looked irritated.

"That’s complete nonsense."

"Yes."

"So if I fail to kill him..."

"He will likely grow stronger."

Clay rubbed his face hard again.

"This is ridiculous."

Then suddenly—

His expression froze.

Very slowly—

Very, very slowly—

A terrifying realization entered his head.

"...Wait."

The system stayed silent.

Clay’s eyes widened slightly.

"If Maxwell thinks I’m the villain..."

His voice became quieter.

"And if he keeps surviving near death experiences because of fate..."

The system still remained silent.

Clay’s face slowly became ugly.

"...Then am I accidentally turning him into a stronger protagonist every time we clash?"

Several seconds passed.

Then finally—

"Yes."

Clay looked genuinely horrified.

"You should’ve opened with that!"

The system replied calmly.

"The host did not ask."

Clay almost choked.

"That’s important information!"

The system answered.

"The host currently still possesses advantage."

Clay immediately pointed accusingly at the air again.

"You keep saying that like it’s comforting!"

The system did not respond.

Clay took a deep breath.

Then another.

Then finally—

"...Alright."

He slowly calmed himself down again.

"Panicking won’t help."

He leaned back slightly.

"Think."

"If I were the main character..."

His eyes narrowed.

"...where would I go after barely escaping death?"

The system replied.

"To somewhere capable of increasing survival probability."

Clay snorted.

"Very helpful."

Then slowly—

His expression began changing again.

More thoughtful now.

More focused.

"...No."

"He wouldn’t run randomly."

"He hates me now."

"He blames me for his master’s death."

"He thinks I’m responsible for the beast tide."

"And now he probably believes I’m some hidden mastermind."

Clay slowly exhaled.

"...So he’ll search for strength."

His gaze sharpened further.

"And he’ll search for proof."

The system answered.

"High probability."

Clay nodded slowly.

Then finally—

A faint smile appeared on his face.

Not relaxed.

Not carefree.

But dangerous.

"Good."

The wind around him became colder.

"Then that means his movements aren’t completely unpredictable."

His fingers lightly tapped against the gryphon saddle.

"Because no matter where he goes..."

His eyes slowly narrowed toward the horizon.

"...I already know the kind of places the main character could be."

Clay slowly closed his eyes.

The more he thought about it, the clearer the situation became.

Maxwell was not stupid.

Impulsive sometimes, yes.

Emotional, definitely.

But not stupid.

Someone capable of surviving that long against Borzoi and even escaping Maid Cy was not the kind of person who would recklessly expose himself without preparation.

Especially now.

Now that Maxwell believed he had discovered some terrifying hidden conspiracy involving the Valmont Family.

Clay slowly tapped his finger against the gryphon saddle again and again while organizing his thoughts.

Then finally, he muttered inside his head—

"If I were him..."

The system remained silent.

Clay continued quietly.

"If I just escaped a terrifying assassin..."

"If my master died..."

"If I thought some hidden mastermind was controlling the beast tide..."

"...then I wouldn’t immediately come back."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"I’d hide first."

"I’d grow stronger first."

"And most importantly..."

His gaze slowly sharpened.

"...I’d prepare an escape route before ever attacking again."

The system responded.

"Correct."

Clay exhaled softly.

"That means if I want to kill him..."

He paused briefly.

"...then I can’t attack carelessly."

The system stayed silent.

Clay’s expression gradually became more serious.

Maxwell was still a main character.

Even with permission from fate, recklessly charging at him sounded suicidal.

Especially after hearing all those ridiculous things about protagonists surviving impossible situations.

Clay already knew how absurd fate could become in stories like this.

A collapsing mountain would somehow create a hidden tunnel.

A near fatal wound would somehow awaken bloodlines.

A random cave would contain ancient inheritances.

And enemies who should have died—

Would somehow crawl back alive stronger than before.

The more he thought about it, the more irritated he became.

"This really is cheating..."

The system calmly answered.

"It is a survival mechanism."

Clay snorted.

"It’s annoying."

Then suddenly—

His eyes froze slightly.

A new thought entered his head.

"...Wait."

The system remained quiet.

Clay’s expression slowly became thoughtful.

"If Maxwell prepares escape methods before confronting me..."

"Then..."

His eyes narrowed further.

"...wouldn’t he prioritize places connected to teleportation?"

The system answered immediately.

"High probability."

Clay nodded slowly.

"That’s what I thought."

He remembered the teleportation spell Maxwell used before escaping Maid Cy.

That was not ordinary magic.

Even his master had sacrificed himself just to ensure Maxwell survived.

Which meant one thing—

The main character already understood the importance of escape.

Clay’s face slowly darkened.

"So if I attack him..."

"...he’ll definitely run if things become dangerous."

The system answered.

"Yes."

Clay clicked his tongue.

"That’s troublesome."

He leaned back slightly and stared toward the clouds above.

His thoughts continued moving rapidly.

If I corner him too hard, fate might rescue him.

If I don’t corner him enough, he escapes.

If I fail repeatedly, he becomes stronger.

And after four attempts, I become officially involved in the plot.

Clay suddenly felt a headache coming.

"This feels less like hunting someone and more like solving some cursed puzzle."

The system replied.

"Caution is recommended."

Clay snorted.

"No kidding."

Then slowly—

His expression changed again.

This time calmer.

More calculating.

"...No."

"I can’t rush this."

The system stayed silent.

Clay continued speaking inside his head.

"If Maxwell really thinks I’m some terrifying mastermind..."

"Then he’ll be extremely cautious now."

"He won’t expose himself easily."

"He’ll hide."

"He’ll train."

"He’ll gather allies."

"And he’ll prepare escape methods everywhere he goes."

Clay’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"So if I attack him now without preparation..."

"...there’s a huge chance he escapes."

The system answered.

"Correct."

Clay slowly nodded.

Then finally—

A dangerous thought appeared in his head.

"...Then instead of chasing him blindly..."

His gaze sharpened.

"...I should prepare traps first."

The system became quiet for a moment.

Then—

"Recommended."

Clay’s fingers lightly tapped against the saddle once more.

Teleportation escape methods.

Ancient ruins.

Dragon inheritances.

Hidden allies.

If Maxwell truly followed protagonist logic, then directly killing him would not be easy at all.

Which meant—

Preparation mattered more than brute force.

Clay slowly muttered—

"If he escapes once, he’ll become harder to catch next time."

"Yes."

"If he survives near death, he grows stronger."

"Yes."

"If fate notices me forcing things too much, I become part of the story."

"Yes."

Clay sighed deeply.

"...This really is annoying."

Then his eyes slowly became colder.

"But fine."

"If that’s how fate wants to play..."

His lips curved faintly.

"...then I’ll prepare properly too."

The system remained silent.

Below him, Frazanna and the Holy Knights still stood quietly, completely unaware that Clay’s mind had already moved toward something far bigger than rumors.

Meanwhile, Clay himself was already thinking several steps ahead.

If Maxwell can escape through teleportation...

Then I need ways to seal movement.

If he grows stronger through survival...

Then I need overwhelming kills.

If fate protects him during desperate moments...

Then I need situations where escape itself becomes impossible.

His eyes slowly narrowed.

And for the first time since learning the truth—

Clay genuinely began treating Maxwell seriously.

Not as some protagonist from a story.

Not as some distant main character.

But as a dangerous existence capable of becoming a future catastrophe.

The wind continued blowing quietly around him.

Then finally—

Clay slowly opened his eyes again.

"...No rushing."

His voice became calm.

"I need information first."

"Then preparation."

"And only after that..."

A faint dangerous smile appeared on his face.

"...will I decide how to kill the main character."

The system answered.

"Wise decision."

Clay leaned back slightly against the gryphon.

Then quietly—

Almost lazily—

He muttered to himself—

"First..."

"...I must prepare."