Three days later, Glenn finally returned to Bayek.

  The Forest Will had said preparations were needed before confronting the Evil God below, yet no further instructions came. It was only the day after Glenn’s return that Gortaya sought him out and informed him that the corruption of the Evil God lingering on his body had been cleansed.

  Glenn was puzzled; he had felt nothing unusual at all. But that eerie, undetectable mind-control indeed never occurred again.

  The elf explained that the Forest Will had purified both his body and soul from another dimension, which was why Glenn sensed nothing. To this, Glenn could only nod in vague acceptance—he had not truly understood a word of it.

  While inspecting his shop in Duder, Luther told him that Bloodaxe had come looking for him. Knowing it must be the man reporting the completion of his previous commission, Glenn planned to purchase the item regardless, even though he no longer urgently needed it. Yet the man never reappeared in the following days.

  Meanwhile, the farm’s expansion had been ongoing. With the substantial funds provided by the club, Glenn had, after a brief moment of deliberation, chosen to invest them all. With enough manpower, most of the gold went into materials and the purchase of more livestock.

  The constant construction disturbed several townsfolk, provoking strong complaints. But Glenn felt his farm stood far enough from the town—the average person could only faintly hear anything. As for those with overly sharp ears... well, that was their problem. Though displeased, none dared confront Glenn directly. Instead, several chose to temporarily leave town until the noise subsided.

  Once the work was arranged, Glenn intended to devote himself entirely to magic research and the design of new tools. But things did not go as he imagined.

  Perhaps Mister Puppet had fully given up restraining his little sister, for Miss Puppet now sought out Glenn—and his workers—almost daily to chat. That was manageable. But the youths from Duder began visiting often as well, leaving Glenn with little uninterrupted time.

  Months slipped by.

  The farm’s expansion neared completion just as Glenn received Gortaya’s message: preparations were finished, and he was to reenter the abyssal pit.

  At the moment, Glenn had been studying a spellbook confiscated from a Third-Tier mage named Black Sword—a wind-blade technique whose terrifying piercing force had left him deeply impressed. Upon hearing Gortaya’s summons, he set everything aside, picked up the crimson greatsword, and followed her back to the pit.

  But this time, two more figures stood by the chasm: a tall man crowned with antlers, and a hooded sorceress gripping a staff in both hands.

  "You are the one meant to face the Evil God head-on?" The antlered man’s voice was cold, his glance sweeping over Glenn as though seeing straight through him.

  "Who are they?" Glenn ignored the question and addressed Gortaya.

  The elf listened briefly, then translated the Forest Will’s message: "These two are powerful allies who share profound hatred for the Evil God. You may trust them. But by oath, their identities cannot be revealed."

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  Glenn nodded, only mildly curious. "Good. Then tell me what to do. The sooner we finish this, the sooner I can return to my research."

  "It is simple," the antlered man replied calmly. "You will bring the two of us down. All you must do is divert the Evil God’s attention."

  The hooded sorceress remained motionless throughout, like a statue carved from shadow.

  "Bring you down?" Glenn repeated.

  They must have meant shielding themselves from corruption and reaching the bottom safely.

  The antlered man looked toward the sorceress. For the first time, she moved—an ethereal, ribbon-like phantom spilled from her lips and coiled around her body. Within seconds, she transformed into a floating point of light.

  The light extended another ribbon that enveloped the antlered man in the same way.

  Two small glowing motes drifted gently toward Glenn.

  "We shall reside within your eyes. Fear nothing—it will not harm you," said the antlered man’s voice from one of the lights.

  "Very well. Let’s begin."

  The lights slipped into his vision. A faint coolness spread through his eyes; he knew they had settled in place.

  Glenn cast a final glance at Gortaya, silently urging her to be cautious, then shifted into his Third-Tier werewolf form and leapt into the pit.

  The scene was familiar—the darkness quickly receded before his sharpened sight. This time, there were no centipede creatures, only the ocean of malevolent spirits.

  A tidal wave of psychic force crashed over him. Glenn’s face remained unchanged. He even found time to taunt Abu’s corrupted soul once more.

  The two beings residing in his eyes were stunned. They existed in a special state and could observe fluctuations within his mind. When they saw the vast sea of vengeful spirits, a chill gripped them—no sane mind should have survived such an assault.

  Yet Glenn’s willpower astonished them even further. The tide of spirits surged like a storm-ridden sea, but the werewolf’s will stood firm as bedrock—despite the added chaos of lupine bloodlust gnawing at his rationality.

  Once past the mass of spirits, the corrupted zone followed.

  That familiar floating sensation returned as Glenn stepped onto the soft ground and made for the tunnel he had used before. It seemed larger now—a detail that puzzled him enough to slow his pace.

  After crawling for a short while, a faint light appeared ahead.

  Different from last time.

  His instincts told him this was the Forest Will’s doing.

  The deeper he went, the brighter the light grew.

  Without the sudden drop he expected, Glenn emerged from the passage into an enormous chamber—expanded many times larger than before. Cracks of radiant white light fissured the space, illuminating everything clearly.

  The giant fleshmass—the Evil God’s host—still lay below, but its eerie pair of disturbingly "normal" eyes was gone.

  Glenn circled it and landed in a seemingly safe area.

  The two companions surged from his eyes simultaneously, taking shape at his sides beside his transformed werewolf form.

  "It is gravely weakened. This chance will never come again—we must succeed," the antlered man whispered, eyes narrowed.

  "Step back. I’ll draw its attention first." Dark, cursed mist unfurled from Glenn’s body as he strode forward.