"Sir Ralyks… there's another issue to address."

Rey could already feel himself getting excited about the upcoming event that he barely caught what Rebal said.

"Is it still about the Dark Gathering?" He asked.

"Yes."

Rey felt interested, so he perked up his attention and gestured for Rebal to continue.

"The Dark Gathering is in four days, and the journey from here to the Allied Merchant City takes about three days. If we want to leave, we have to go as soon as possible."

With the tone Rebal used, Rey could already figure out the undertones that were implied.

'It's possible that Scylla tries to delay our arrival so that we end up missing the Dark Gathering, hence killing Rebal and everyone else.'

It was a pretty easy way to get rid of their adversaries.

'If I thought about it, there's no way they didn't consider it too.'

In order to be safe, it was easy to leave as early as possible, and even that wouldn't ensure they would make it in time.

But…

"There's no need to concern yourselves with that. I can easily teleport you to the Merchant City when the time arrives." Rey shrugged.

"A-ah! That's true!" Rebal beamed, and so did the rest of his audience.

Seeing such a sheepish expression from the older man made Rey feel a strange sense of satisfaction.

'I haven't been to the Merchant City yet, but I have traveled somewhere close. If I teleport there and navigate my way to the City, I should be good…'

It probably wouldn't take more than three to five hours, so Reyn wasn't particularly concerned about it.

"You can begin your preparations, though. We can also trick the enemy by pretending like you left early so they can make more obvious moves."

In the end, it was beneficial for Scylla and her New Order to believe that the Blanc and Verte house were at their mercy.

'Let's see how it goes. For now, though, there's something else I want to try.'

Rey decided it was time to wrap things up with the KariBlanc Group and venture somewhere else.

Once he rose to his feet, everyone followed.

After they bowed to him and thanked him profusely, he waved them farewell and teleported away.

To the three who observed him leave, they only saw a dark hero who would save them from certain doom.

However, the true man under the mask was a tiny bit different.

*******

Rey was shaking in excitement.

All the news he had just heard was making something within his body boil, and his heart was racing with anticipation.

He wanted it badly! To experience this Dark Gathering and create the perfect conclusion to the situation he placed himself in.

'But first…' Rey's thoughts flowed as he appeared in an entirely different space.

It wasn't anywhere close to the KariBlanc Group's residence, or his own room. This was a place of immense danger, obscured from the rest of the world.

—The 99th Floor of the Royal Dungeon.

'… Let's take care of business.'

He smiled as he looked all around at the massive space he now occupied.

Most of the Mana Crystals that caused the place to glow had been mined, so the area was shrouded in darkness.

With a single Light Magic Spell, however, illumination filled the entire expanse.

Like fireflies or dandelions floating in the air, balls of golden light danced all around the 99th Floor. They banished the darkness, creating a solemn ambiance that was nearly divine.

The only stain on this perfect canvas was the one who stood at its center.

Ralyks—or rather, Rey.

"I've been too busy to properly do this. Or maybe that's just an excuse I've been giving myself…" He smiled to himself.

He had more than enough Mana, and he had all the necessary Skills for it.

All he needed was a good reason.

"And now I have it…" Rey muttered as he looked at the empty space before him.

"It's time to summon my Familiar."

Since he was about to do something so radical, this was the perfect place to go about it—an isolated space that only he had access to.

'The weird time-displacement thing isn't effective anymore thanks to most of the Mana Crystals being harvested.'

Rey learned this by reading up on a lot of books in order to learn of the phenomenon. He also experimented on the spade during the past couple of days.

The results made it certain!

'Places with phenomenally high density of Mana tend to express some conceptual imbalance.'

Either gravity was too weak, or time was too fast: there were many effects that could be a result of the overwhelming output of Mana in an area.

'Now that we've gotten rid of all that raw Mana, though, it's all back to normal.'

Rey took a deep breath and prepared all his Skills for the moment of truth.

He activated all of his Buff Skills, ensuring bountiful Mana flowed through him. All his Items complemented his current abilities, making him all the more powerful.

With his eyes glowing crimson, and his body leaking out his excess Mana, he felt ready for the challenge.

"[Divine Beast Summon]." He whispered.

The moment he said so, a System Window appeared in front of him.

[Select Category Of Summon]

~Divine Tier (SS)~

~Absolute Tier (S)~

~Grand Tier (A)~

~Lesser Tiers (B - C)~

[Warning: You are not a Tamer, so unless you have a Skill that can subdue the Beast you are Summoning, there will be no way to control it.]

[End Of Information]

Rey looked at the System Window and smiled to himself.

He already knew this process thanks to Alicia.

'She chose the Grand Tier due to the limits of her Class, but… I want to go a step higher.'

He desired the Absolute Tier.

'The problem is how to Bond with something of that caliber.'

Rey had Alicia's [Bonding] Skill, but it was only A-Tier.

To get a Beast in the Absolute Tier, he needed something stronger.

'I'll utilize the effects of [Absolute Mental Control] and [Bonding] using [Fusion/Fission].'

With them working in tandem, Rey reasoned he should be able to achieve his desired results.

'Even if it fails, and there's no way to control it, I'll just have to kill the Beast.'

That would give him some EXP, and he would get new Skills for free.

'I hope that's not the case, though. I don't want to settle for an A-Tier Familiar…'

Rey took in a deep breath and chose his option.

The Absolute Tier.

Then—

~VWUUUUUUSSSHHH!~

Energy began to gather around the space in front of him. It formed a Magic Circle, one so complex and intricate that Alicia's own didn't even compare.

A powerful pressure surrounded the circle, and Rey began to see something emerge from its depths.

Sparks of black and white light flashed all over the glowing circle.

Crimson auras surrounded it as well.

"T-this… this is…!" Rey's eyes nearly bulged as he watched the creature that emerged from within the summoning Circle.

It was nothing like what Rey expected.

"… Meow."

The Absolute Beast was none other than a CAT!

[STATUS WINDOW]

- Name: (Currently Nameless)

- Race: Bakeneko (Beast)

- Class: Absolute Summon (S-Tier)

- Level: 1 (00.00% EXP)

- Life Force: 1,000

- Mana Level: 1,500

- Combat Ability: 2,500

- Stat Points: 0

- Skills (Exclusive): [Shapeshift]

- Skills (Non-Exclusive): [Dark Magic]. [Magic Supremacy]. [Possession]. [Compulsion]. [Illusion]. [Undead Summon]

- Alignment: Chaotic Evil

[Additional Information]

An Absolute Beast whose true form remains unknown, but takes the form of a cat. It is a great trickster with malevolent desires. It is a wicked entity.

[End Of Information]

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Thanks for reading!

Did this surprise anyone? Hehe… I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

I wonder if Rey will be able to control this thing.