Everlasting Wanderer.

The name carried a wicked, domineering air. Yet to Ashe, it felt less like a blessing and more like an impending disaster. In ordinary moments, it granted a trivial +5 to luck. But at critical moments, it would plummet to −50. The gap between the two was horrifying.

Win, and you earned a piece of candy. Lose, and you lost the factory. Even speculative fund trading might not bleed you this badly. And that was only the beginning.

It also brought "a higher chance of triggering mysterious events, unexpected complications, attracting the hostility of fate, and causing catastrophic failures. In short, misfortune would find him more easily, and once it did, the −50 penalty would follow. It was like a veela going all out, "assaulting" him with both hands and mouth at once. At that point, he might as well look up Freya, enjoy one wild night, and die satisfied.

If he had a stable life, or even an ordinary home, he might have offset some of the profession's disadvantages. The −50 penalty looked terrifying, but it required a critical moment as a prerequisite. That made it avoidable. Just as moral coercion required someone with morals, if Ashe lived as a useless lump in a calm, uneventful routine, low luck would at worst affect the odds of him suffering explosive diarrhea after eating at Wallace[1].

The problem was that he had no stability. He did not even have a home.

He suspected that if he slept under an overpass, his profession would make it all but certain that his night would be filled with robberies, gang crossfire, encounters with serial killers, veela hunts, or invasions by foreign sorcerers.

For Ashe, the option of integrating into this country from scratch carried extreme risk. Finding housing, work, and sorcerer resources already posed enough difficulty. Add a −50 luck penalty, and every person he met would probably turn out to be a predatory broker.

Annan's 101-day contract restricted his freedom, but it also guaranteed his safety. Clause One explicitly required the master to protect the slave.

With Annan as a buffer, Ashe could at least survive the most dangerous beginner phase. He refused to believe misfortune would descend like a bolt of lightning guided solely at him. More likely, it would manifest as an area-of-effect calamity centered on him, with a fifty-meter radius. If it dragged Iger, Annan, and the others into its range, the bad luck might be shared. If disaster struck, at least someone else might serve as the first sacrifice.

In retrospect, the Everlasting Wanderer debuff probably took root the moment Serena slammed into his head. Immediately after, he ran into two malicious incidents. First, Annan took advantage of the chaos, then the little girl Lys tricked him with her cuteness. The +5 luck bonus had yet to show its effect, but the −50 penalty had already proved devastatingly effective.

Lost in thought, Ashe barely noticed when they reached the living room.

Annan's residence followed an open-plan layout. The entire negative fifty-first floor belonged to her, and the living room alone exceeded a hundred square meters. As Ashe and the others entered, several mechanical spiders returned to their charging nests.

He had seen them cleaning earlier, and their efficiency was apparent at a glance. They moved with uncanny agility, leaving no corner untouched and no angle neglected. No other servants were in sight. The daily maintenance here relied entirely on these machines. Further taking into account the drone delivery system outside and the advanced automated vehicle network, physical labor here seemed to have lost its place entirely.

Sorcerers ruled both nations, but the Gospel Kingdom surpassed the Blood Moon Kingdom in every respect, from grand infrastructure down to the smallest detail. A troubling thought surfaced in Ashe's mind. Perhaps the Blood Moon Kingdom truly is the most backward and barbaric among sorcerer civilizations. Did I start this transmigration on hell difficulty?

Annan waited at one end of the long table. She had changed into a purple silk nightgown. For some reason, Ashe felt certain he could already guess the color of her underwear. Beside her, the white-haired Lys held a glass of milk. Her eyes were bright with energy, and she was dressed in an adorable rabbit-patterned nightgown.

That made sense. During the hour-long drive from the Four Pillars Cult hideout in the suburbs to the city center, Lys had slept soundly while Ashe and the others took turns dozing.

The young butler, Pankey, stood nearby. Despite his youthful appearance, he carried himself with the composure of a seasoned house steward decades older.

On the table lay four rings with an aluminum sheen, each engraved with numbers from one to twelve. They were sleek and technological in design. Three of them were large, while the remaining one was noticeably smaller.

"It doesn't matter which finger you use. Put it on and rotate it once," Annan said while filing her nails. "This is Salome's newest Gospel Ring. It comes in Starry Gray, Matte Black, and Shimmering Blue. If you prefer another color, tell me. You can exchange it within seven days. The numbers only indicate time. They're decorative."

Iger picked one up and examined it closely. "Gospel Ring?"

Annan said, "It's exactly what you think it is. Once you wear it, you can open the Book of Gospel. Most of your questions will be answered there."

Unable to wait, Lys slipped on her ring and rotated it immediately. Ashe and the others exchanged glances and followed suit.

In the next instant, four books appeared before them, each with a design distinct from the others.

Lys's book bore a crystal cover radiating rainbow light. Harvey's seemed bound in bone, exuding gray mist, while Iger's shone with dazzling gold brilliance.

Ashe's book was the strangest. The others bore solid colors or arcane sigils. His cover showed a hooded figure hanging upside down, holding a book that concealed its face, steeped in mystery.

Even Annan glanced at his book twice before losing interest. "Look at your Book of Gospel and silently say 'mine.'"

Ashe obeyed. The Book of Gospel opened and displayed lines of information.

[Ashe Heath]

Current Points: 0

Points Available This Month: 0

Current Ranking: None

"Eh?"

Iger and Harvey both wore stunned expressions, while Ashe tilted his head. Weird... this didn't look any fancier than a chip-projected interface. Could it really turn us into a couple of hillbillies?

Lys beamed proudly. "Big Sister Annan, I'm ranked tenth on the Azura Beauty List!"

Ashe blinked.

Harvey said in a hollow tone, "First place on the Two-Winged Necromancer Ranking, Azura Division. Seems the Necromancy Class here isn't very developed. To think I actually ranked first..."

Ashe caught the detail. "Wait. Since when did you become a Two-Winged sorcerer? You were still a One-Winged sorcerer during the Blood Moon Tribunal!"

Harvey shrugged. "I was already on the threshold back then. During the prison break, I absorbed enough mana in the Virtual World to advance my Necromancy Class to Gold Rank. After elevating my spirit to two wings, I stepped into the Continent of Time. To think a freshly advanced Two-Winged Necromancer like me would rank first here... I feel like I've arrived in a cultural wasteland."

Iger raised a brow. "What's wrong with being first? I'm ranked second on the Two-Winged Mind Class Ranking, Azura Division, and fifth on the Azura Beauty List. Putting beauty aside, someone here actually surpasses me in the Mind Class at the Two-Winged level. If this were the Blood Moon, I might already be planning to hire you to assassinate that colleague."

"You're strange. If someone's stronger than you, shouldn't you try to surpass them?"

"Is paying to have them assassinated not also a form of strength?" Iger replied casually. "Resources, connections, influence, intelligence. Those are the true strengths of a Mind Class sorcerer. Mana is just a trivial part by comparison."

Harvey considered this, and surprisingly, nodded at Iger's twisted logic. "Makes sense. Corpses are part of my strength too. Mana alone doesn't define everything I am."

As they spoke, the absence of one noisy voice suddenly registered. Both turned to Ashe.

"Ashe, what's your ranking?"

Ashe's reply dripped with disdain. "Me... that's highly classified. I can't just reveal it like you two—"

"Turn your Mine page around and let me see," Annan said.

Ashe and the others promptly obeyed. Lys followed suit. Annan glanced at Lys's book and noticed her point balance was zero. With that, the last trace of suspicion she had toward the mysterious little girl vanished.

Ashe, on the other hand... his page lay fully exposed before Iger and Harvey.

Feigning shock, Iger shouted dramatically, "Ah, my dear Ashe! Do you not have any ranking at all?"

"No way... just Ashe? Only Ashe? It can't be just Ashe! Ashe, as expected of you. It's truly a secret that must be kept hidden. We must never let anyone discover something this embarrassing—"

Ashe's lips twitched with anger. It's one thing for that bastard veela to laugh at me, but why the hell is dead-faced Harvey cracking up like he's eaten Moon Candies?

Ashe's shoulders shook violently, nearly rattling his pajamas loose.

Iger teased, "Harvey, I think it's become obvious who was the one dragging everyone down during the prison break."

"Y-yes... hahaha. Sorry, Ashe. I really can't help it. It's too funny, hahaha—"

Ashe gave up resisting. "Hmph. Laugh all you want. As long as I work hard, I'll rise to the top!"

Iger's grin stretched skyward. "Ah, how nostalgic... I had a classmate who once said, 'As long as I work hard, I'll get into university!' And now? He's the mud cafe's ace, going by the alias Silver Fire Dragon."

Harvey couldn't stop laughing. "Come on, Ashe, don't be like that. I promise you that if there were a corpse ranking, I'd do everything in my power to put you at the top."

Lys clenched her tiny fists. "Daddy, don't be sad! I won't dislike you!"

Ashe couldn't help asking, "Do you really have to keep calling me Daddy?"

Lys said earnestly, "Huh? But who else would promise to protect me forever and always listen to me? I believe that, as incompetent as you are, you can still protect me!"

"Since when did the contract term become forever—"

Harvey reminded him, "When she made her oath, she didn't mention a time limit. Even if you die and I turn you into a Necromancer's servant, you'd still have to protect her."

Annan tapped the table lightly. "Enough. Now that you understand the significance of the Book of Gospel, we should move on to the main topic."

Iger guessed, "Points? The higher the ranking, the more points you get. Do you want us to transfer ours to you?"

Annan answered lazily, "I have no interest in your meager points. I've ranked on at least three lists since I was sixteen. Pankey has done the same. But your work is relevant to the rankings and the Book of Gospel."

She blew gently across her fingernails. "I need you to become future number ones."

1. Wallace is a fast-food chain in China, infamous for copying KFC and notorious for causing diarrhea. ☜