Chapter 843: Magical Mushroom

"Sequence 0: The Fool!"

After discerning the words on the tarot card, Klein once again felt the

same feeling he had when he heard Zaratul say his name.

At that moment, he felt the strong call of destiny. He felt that

everything had been arranged from the beginning, just like 0-08.

He began to suspect that his original judgment, believing that the

female beast tamer from the traveling circus that had visited Tingen and

performed a tarot divination for him wasn't an ordinary person.

As his thoughts raced, Klein viewed it from another angle and came up

with a new idea. Gradually, he stopped being that horrified, fearful,

and depressed.

*Perhaps it wasn't a machination but the changes that I brought about

myself.*

*This is because of the ritual that resulted in my transmigration. I had

a connection with the mysterious space above the gray fog. Fate would

naturally be affected as a result. More precisely, as a visitor from

another world, I never had my "fate" here. The current trajectory I've

taken is a result of my character, the encounters of the original Klein,

the influence of the gray fog, and the surrounding environment.*

*The mysterious space above the gray fog is clearly strongly tied to the

Seer pathway. And this pathway's Sequence 0 is The Fool. When projected

into reality, and in front of a divination, I'll definitely get The Fool

as my card!*

*Similarly, this resulted in me later using The Fool as my

name.*

Klein's mood calmed down bit by bit, believing that this was the most

plausible explanation.

*Using Occam's Razor to eliminate all presently unknown factors, I can

still obtain a reasonable explanation. That means that it's quite likely

to be the case...* Klein forced himself to stop thinking about

questions he couldn't provide certain answers to. He then turned his

attention to what had just happened.

*That huge chair and that cluster of translucent maggots were what I saw

when I made a divination above the gray fog.*

*From carefully considering and inferring things from this harrowing

scene, it might very well be an angel from the Seer pathway, an angel

that had lost control and turned into a monster!*

Zaratul "Himself"?

*Or the powerful entity from the Antigonus family from the Fourth

Epoch?*

*If it's the former, that corroborates with Arrodes and Will Auceptin.

Zaratul is already Sequence 1 and has lost control and gone made. "He"

broke down into a monster. This matches... This can also explain why

Zaratul only wishes for the door to be opened. It's because once the

door of secrets is opened, the two sides will have a connection,

allowing "Him" to recover from "His" present state bit by bit. "His"

repeated emphasis on "His" ashes was just a pretense.*

*But herein lies the problem. The environment Zaratul is located in, as

presented by Arrodes, doesn't resemble the ancient palace at the

mountain peak. Otherwise, I would've recognized it back then.*

*What if that's the angel from the Antigonus family who's living as an

abject existence, one that made Zaratul suffer after "He" came to the

Hornacis mountain range after obtaining the notebook from Roselle? "He"

had a part of him separated from "Him" without realizing it; thus,

causing "Him" to go mad during the advancement. Regardless, "He" is a

Sequence 1 Attendant of Mysteries. After all, Zaratul was already a

Miracle Invoker back then...*

*From this angle, Zaratul's goal might very well be the opening of the

door, allowing the foggy town's history and fate to become mixed with

the outside world, preventing "Him" from being dissociated

again.*

*Regardless, that cluster of translucent maggots is probably a Sequence

1 that lost control. No wonder the Demoness of Despair faced a breakdown

the moment she saw "Him." She only managed to struggle a little before

being hung up, turning into a marionette that's being hung up to dry.

Thankfully, I was lacking in clues back then, and the scenes I saw

through divination wasn't clear enough. Otherwise, I would've suffered a

terrible blow from witnessing a complete and crazy Mythical Creature. I

would've lost control and mutated...*

*Wait, no matter how strong "He" is, can "He" be stronger than the

Eternal Blazing Sun and the True Creator? Even if a Seer pathway

Beyonder has a certain resistance against the mysterious space above the

gray fog, it would at best make "Them" be at the same level. In other

words, as long as I endured the pain, with the prerequisites met, I have

one chance of prying on its secrets, and a complete Mythical Creature's

state is mixed in with the relevant knowledge.*

*Who knows, I might be able to get one or two High-Sequence formulas,

just like how I obtained the Unshadowed from the Eternal Blazing Sun

back then.*

At this thought, Klein couldn't help but have a scene surface in his

mind.

The Fool above the gray fog was silently reaching out his thieving hands

once again.

While reeling in joy, Klein also found it a great pity because, with his

present level, strength, and items, he had no way to head to the ancient

chair with the translucent maggots and pick up The Fool card.

To see an item that one desired the most but not being able to obtain it

was often painful.

*Phew... At least I've already obtained the Bizarro Sorcerer potion

formula. In the future, I still have once chance of prying on its

secrets. The risk I took this time wasn't in vain. All the gold pounds I

spent and the marionette I lost wasn't in vain either... Hmm, Zaratul

likely wouldn't give a fake formula. To "Him," there's no need for him

to lie to a Sequence 5 Beyonder who might not walk out alive. Besides,

if "He" was lying, he had to be wary of me already knowing the Bizarro

Sorcerer potion formula. The reason why I asked might only be to

determine if "He" was worth trusting... I'll divine this later when I'm

back above the gray fog...* Klein heaved a sigh of relief, and

seeing that there hadn't been any anomalies outside for quite a while,

he decided to immediately approach the pitch-black cathedral and observe

the changes inside.

To him, all the problems that he thought about weren't pressing issues.

The pressing issue was to leave the secret world, to leave this foggy

town!

When he came out of the building he was in, Klein, who was wearing an

ancient triangular hat and dark red coat, carefully came to the entrance

of the ancient cathedral. He carefully passed through the ajar door and

walked in.

The corpses that looked and dressed differently were no different from

before. They remained hanging in midair, swaying with the wind and

producing the ravings of "Hornacis... Flegrea..."

Klein walked under them as his eyes got accustomed to the dim

environment, allowing him to see more.

The half demonic wolf-and half-human statue was still standing there

without any signs of damage. The obsidian rock and the tin urn were

behind the statue without any signs of cracking.

Klein first heaved a sigh of relief as he began to observe his

surroundings when his gaze froze.

In a dark corner stood a gigantic mushroom taller than he was.

The mushroom's cap had scarlet-red like blood with interspersed white

patterns. Its body was formed out of similar tiny mushrooms. Their

patterns drew out a face---Mr. A's face.

However, Mr. A's "eyes" were blank. It didn't have the glint that one

would call human. There were mushrooms growing from both sides of the

stem, forming into long arms. And on the left palm was a thin

human-skinned glove. Both parties had seemed to fuse as one.

...What kind of abomination is that... Klein involuntarily

took a step back. He found his knowledge in mysticism completely lacking

at that moment in time.

He began taking actions to protect himself. While doing so, having not

deactivated his corresponding visions, he discovered that the terrifying

mushroom didn't have any Spirit Body Threads. It appeared to have long

been dead, and its only movements were the results of spasming nerves.

Suddenly, Klein had a theory.

Mr. A, who had been infested with mushrooms, didn't manage to escape in

time and had seen the cluster of translucent maggots. He had seen a

complete Mythical Creature, causing his mind to instantly die as his

body collapsed completely. This also resulted in a terrifying mutation.

It then merged with Senor who had disintegrated from the curse, becoming

a never-seen-before mushroom monster!

*Also, Creeping Hunger has been swallowed... This "mushroom" is really

disgusting. I'll throw Frank into the sea if he ever mentions mushrooms

again...* Klein's eyes darted around slightly as he

subconsciously headed for the obsidian rock. He planned on ignoring the

"mushroom" and first escape.

At this moment, he found his mind turning adrift. Everything around him

seemed to turn into a blur.

Suddenly, Klein realized that he was being forcefully pulled into a

dream!

He immediately escaped the dream and saw the nearly two-meter-tall

"mushroom" sliding over slowly. In its hand was a great sword that was a

combination of scarlet magma and blue-hot flames.

It can use Sword of Lava... Klein didn't hesitate as he opened

his mouth and let out a sound: "Bang!"

The extremely penetrative Air Bullet hit the "mushroom" who had slowed

down due to it being engaged in controlling dreams. The bullet drilled

through its cap, tearing open a huge wound.

Underneath the wound was human flesh and tiny spores. They quickly

squirmed and restored the "body."

To think that's possible... Klein felt a strong sense of

danger as he hurriedly lunged to the side, rolling several times in the

process.

The "mushroom" sped up suddenly as the Sword of Lava in its hand dragged

scarlet and blue flames, cleaving down at the spot Klein had been

standing at. It caused the floor tiles to rupture as flames scattered.

At this moment, Klein snapped his fingers, igniting the tiny mushrooms

that formed the monster.

Then, he ran towards the back of the statue in an attempt to obtain the

obsidian rock.

But finding his thoughts go adrift for a moment, Klein realized that he

was going in the wrong direction.

He was rushing towards the entrance.

It can distort my will? Klein's heart tightened as he noticed

through the corner of his eye that the surface of the gigantic

"mushroom" was covered in a layer of frost. The frost had extinguished

the soaring scarlet flames.

As his thoughts raced, Klein ran towards the door and snapped his

fingers, igniting the tree leaves outside.

In situations with zero understanding about his enemy, and him having

not made any preparations, he believed that a Magician had to choose to

retreat and avoid dangers for the time being.

More importantly, his strongest Marionettist powers were useless because

the gigantic "mushroom" didn't have any Spirit Body Threads!

Scarlet flames soared up like water, enveloping Klein's body. He quickly

appeared in the flames outside as he jumped towards the ground.

He was just about to distance himself when he heard a howling wind.

The red-capped "mushroom" had come out of the cathedral with the

auspices of a strong gust of wind!

It can even fly! Klein snapped his fingers, using Flaming Jump

to open up a gap.

Meanwhile, he discovered his nose was itching as he wanted to sneeze.

*I'm also sick... How am I supposed to fight? I don't have any mystical

items, and I haven't been able to fully express my strengths as a

Marionettist... It really is a magical mushroom!* Klein was at a

loss on whether to laugh or cry when he hid inside a building.

Suddenly, he felt his body become somewhat cold as his mind naturally

reflected his present appearance.

His ancient triangular hat, dark red coat, white pants, and black boots

had vanished. All he had on him was a pair of briefs to uphold his last

bit of dignity.

*This... Thirty minutes are up. The spell for summoning Senor from the

past has ended...* Klein instantly understood the reason as he

began thinking.

*That "mushroom" which fused with parts of Admiral of Blood has likely

disappeared as well...*

*Also, in another fifteen minutes, the effects of the "fish" will

disappear. It will lack the main element that forms it...*

Klein couldn't help but curl his lips. He immediately used flames and

leaped out. Indeed, as he expected, the gigantic "mushroom" had a

ridiculous hole in part of its stem. Furthermore, it couldn't fix it,

causing its speed to slow and become impeded.

Come on, let's play hide-and-seek... Klein silently said as he

began circling the town's streets, using the flames and buildings to

engage in a merry chase with the gigantic "mushroom."

During this process, the crimson moon didn't turn clear at all.

After more than ten minutes, the terrifying "mushroom" finally lost its

ability to move as it collapsed on the street.

Klein heaved a sigh of relief as he slowly and carefully approached. He

saw that the flesh and blood of the "mushroom" was gathering together as

points of light converged. Soon, all that was left was a thin

human-skinned glove.

*This... because of the mutation brought about by the Sequence 1 angel,

Creeping Hunger fused with Mr. A? It's an upgraded version of Creeping

Hunger?* Klein bent his back as he carefully picked up the

human-skinned glove.