While cloaked in darkness, the strange figure appeared more like a skeleton and held a strange scythe. Its skeletal frame was visible through the tattered robes that draped around it. The robe was black as night, seemingly absorbing all light that dared to touch its fabric, giving the being an ethereal and otherworldly presence.

'Grim Reaper?!' Charles's face stiffened. It was the first time he had seen such a being roaming in the Astral Realm, and was deeply startled.

The Reaper's hood obscured its face, leaving only a void of darkness where the featured should be. Within the depths of the hood, two glimmering pinpricks of light, like cold stars, burned with an icy intensity. These eyes held mystery as if they had witnessed the passing of countless souls throughout the ages.

Long, bony fingers extended from the sleeves of the robe, the skeletal structure a haunting reminder of mortality. On the one hand, the Reaper held a scythe, symbolizing the inevitable end. The blade of the scythe was sharp and gleaming, capable of severing the thread of life with a single stroke. It glinted with an eerie luminosity as if infused with the essence of the souls it had claimed.

As the Grim Reaper moved, its steps were silent, as if it was merely a spectre drifting between realms. An aura of stillness and foreboding surrounded it, causing the air to chill and his heart to race. Time stopped as if the Reaper existed outside the bounds of mortal perception.

Once the Grim Reaper arrived closer to Ronan, it casually grabbed his soul and turned it into a small white bead in a blink!

After that, it suddenly turned its attention towards Charles and tilted its skeletal head.

"You aren't supposed to be here." It spoke in nether tongue.

Before Charles could reply, it suddenly raised its scythe and slashed at him.

Thankfully, Charles reacted in time and turned into his elemental form, leaving the Astral realm hurrying.

"A mortal capable of passing the Astral boundary?" It muttered before turning around and disappearing from there.

On the other hand, Charles reappeared in the Physical World and felt a strange tingling sensation in the depth of his soul.

Without even checking, he had already known that it was due to him coming close to his death just a moment ago. Cold sweat dripped down from his forehead as he finally managed to calm down.

"That being's strength is too abnormal and scary. If I hadn't left the Astral Realm, that grim Reaper might have completely killed me.' He drew a deep breath and decided to leave the woods first.

'But why did it turn Ronan's soul into a white bead? Could it be this Grim Reaper is the one who manages souls?' A question arose in his head.

'I should ask Runeth about it when I return to Rebirth Tower.' He thought to himself.

After that, he covered his body with a black hood and started walking deep into the woods.

Yes, he still had one more job to do.

That was to find a good identity to conceal himself in this city for a while.

Although he wanted to use Ronan's identity to infiltrate the Hawthorne family and learn more about the past foreign gods' invasion, he felt it was not worth taking the risk now.

'I want to find a peaceful place and focus on comprehending the 'Rebirth Essences' and the 'Chaos Fire' essence. And choosing Ronan's identity will only bring troubles. I need not experience or information about the past but a peaceful atmosphere and time to improve my spells.' His vision broadened considerably after talking with Abium and learning more about Fire Pathway.

'I thought Brooks and all other Destiny Conqueror members were peak legendary-level powerhouses, but I was wrong. I have observed that none of them even comprehended around 10 Fire Laws. If they had achieved that feat, they would be powerful enough to squash me like a bug.' But there was something else that bothered him a little.

'Genesis, does the Dice of Disasters has the ability to bring not only disasters but also a hidden fortune?' He couldn't help but ask as he recalled the 'Chaos' fire deep in the meteorite.

[Insufficient information, Host!] An instant response came, causing his lips to twitch.

'I've some quick questions. Are you the 'Will of Dice of Disaster' or the 'Will of System Cube' artifact created by Abium?' He asked while observing the surroundings through his wisdom power and saw more than 1000 people roaming in the Northern Woods.

Some were picking herbs, some were attacking magical beasts in groups, and a few were scouting the surroundings.

While Charles was searching for a suitable target, Genesis began to speak in his mind.

[I'm both, Host. Although I have the 'Will of the Dice of Disaster,' my soul was formed due to the presence of 'System Cube.' Not only that, a few outside powers like 'Wisdom,' 'Time,' and 'Luck' helped me mature rapidly and become a unique existence in the universe.]

'Even though you are a 'Will of the Dice of Disaster,' you don't know how the ability works?' Charles still felt something was off and asked.

At the same time, he found a young kid surrounded by a group of silver-armored guards hunting a Rank-2 Magical Beast and instantly frowned.

'All the guards are only around Rank-2 while this young teenage boy is just a Rank-1 [Swordsman] class Mystic. Aren't they courting death? Moreover, why are they keeping the young boy vulnerable?' As he was mumbling, Genesis answered him.

[Indeed, Host. I can't find any information about the 'Disaster' ability to bring fortunes.]

'Tsk, forget it.' He shook his head and decided to check it during the next disaster.

In truth, Charles always found it suspicious why Goddess Myxenta created this 'Dice of Disaster' artifact.

'Unlike other Miracle Gold coins, which can bring fortunes to the users, this artifact does the opposite. Will a powerful Goddess who sacrificed her soul to create these Miracle Gold coins do something stupid like creating an artifact of destruction?' From what he had learned about her, she seemed to be on the very good side, which caused him to think more deeply.

'I thought of using this Miracle Gold Coin's ability to harm great damage to my enemies and benefit from it. But the appearance of 'Chaos Fire' hidden in the meteorite changed my thoughts completely. If my speculation is right, every disaster is more like a mission. The harder the mission, the more fruitful the reward will be.' Although his current guess might be completely wrong, he didn't mind checking it out next time.

While thinking, he had already arrived much closer to the area where the young boy and tens of guards were battling a Rank-2 Magical Beast and activated the 'Conceal' skill on himself.

The thing that they were battling against was a unique Magical Beast called 'Dread Marauder.'

Standing at a towering height of over 4 meters, the Dread Marauder was hulking and muscular, with bulging veins visible beneath its thick, leathery skin. Its grotesque appearance was accentuated by mottled and darkened flesh, which hinted at its dark and sinister nature. Jagged scars and tattered remnants of clothing drape its body, bearing testimony to past battles and encounter with unfortunate victims.

The Marauder's facial features were twisted and deformed, displaying a menacing grin that exposed rows of razor-sharp teeth. Its eyes, glowing with an evil crimson hue, reflected a sadistic hunger for pain and suffering. Thick, matted hair cascaded down its broad shoulders, adding to its intimidating presence.

Although the guards tried their best to use siege-type skills and made it unmovable for some moments, it soon broke free from the siege and threw off more than three people in the air. Before the guards could regain their position, it activated its bloodline ' Blood Charge' ability and rammed into the fallen guards.

Thankfully, all the guards managed to evade the fatal blow by using their defense skills and backed away from Dread Marauder.

On the other hand, Dread Marauder turned around with its bloodthirsty look and let out a roar.

Simultaneously, it activated the second bloodline ability and covered its body in reddish color.

Upon seeing the sudden change in the monster's body, the guard captain curled his lips upward.

Hurriedly, he turned his gaze towards the right side and spoke.

"As I thought, it isn't an average Rank-2 Magical Beast but a mutated one, Young master. As long as we kill this, Lord Baron will recognize your merit and might award you with some artifact." He spoke like a scammer trying to coax a naive man and added.

"While we use the siege skill again, find a way to strike the red scar on its chest region. It's the weak point of Dread Marauder-"

But before finishing his words, he noticed that the young master was nowhere to be seen!

"That cunning motherf*cker! He escaped silently?" He cursed loudly and signaled his teammates to back away.

"It seems he noticed our plan to make him fight this monster head-on." The guard beside him whispered in a low voice.

"Humph. So what if he noticed? He is only a fourth child of Baron Cedric and also a child of a maid. It's so foolish of him to think that Lord Baron would favor him if he managed to slay some Rank-2 Magical Beast and Rank-1 Magical Beasts with a few guards. Back off, everyone! We should go back and report what happened here to everyone. After this incident, the Silvercrest family will only have three heirs." A cold smirk appeared on the Guard Captain's face.

"What about young master?" Another guard asked in anxiety.

"We are only in the outer region, so he will be alright. Even if he gets eaten by a magical beast, Lord Baron won't give a damn about that peasant. In truth, he finds this kid's presence very bothersome after his mother's death." The guard captain spoke calmly and quietly, backed away from the Dread Marauder's territory.

...