Lord of the Karmic Fate

Hiding behind a thick pillar, just at the edge of this large green field which was seemingly an indoor garden with a simple flat glass roof atop, Raven stared at the sight in front of him with wide eyes.

\'You must be kidding me, right?\' a surge of anxiety swept through Raven\'s body the very next second.

Before him, in the center of the large basketball court-sized garden, a wooden shrine with a rather ancient style stood majestically while inside it a small white orb could be seen floating, emitting a gentle white light.

It looked just like a miniature star, making one wish to grab it.

However, no matter how beautiful the shrine on the raised stone pillar looked with the colorful flowers around it and with the floating orb within, Raven\'s eyes were fixed on the humongous beasts on both sides of the small monument.

The two beasts, obviously, were the two snakes that chased after Raven and his father before this Realm Domain was formed; one white and one black, the former wearing the hat of a kitchen chief while the latter wearing the hat of a doorman!

Raven stared at the beasts with a scarcely worried look as both seemed to have grown twice as big as they were during their first encounter, however, his uneasiness gradually vanished.

It was because even after standing there for 5 minutes straight, the two beasts didn\'t notice him at all. Assuming from their closed eyes, Raven believed they were sleeping soundlessly.

\'This should be the best chance, right? Should I try and sneak there?\' Raven contemplated silently as he stared at the small orb, but just as he could have come to a conclusion something behind him grabbed his shoulder firmly, freaking the shit out of him.

Luckily, whoever was the one behind him also placed a hand before his mouth, or else he was bound to scream up from sheer horror.

"Young Master, please calm down, it\'s just me."

\'Thomas?\' hearing the extremely quiet whisper in his ear, Raven closed his eyes and with a continuous but slow sigh, he made sure to reagin his composure.

\'I was too engrossed in my thoughts that I have completely ignored the things happening around me.\' Raven thought with a scarcely pale face, realizing that he could have not reacted at all if Thomas would have wanted to harm him.

Although it was true that he was inside a Domain that was under the supervision of the Black Moon Guilds, it was still possible to encounter unknown dangers which can easily cause his demise.

After all, this was a Domain that not only had not been explored entirely but was also one that underwent Evolution, something humanity was completely oblivious about what it really did.

Wait... Just since when did he start thinking like this? No, a better question was just since when did his thinking become so... dark and cautious?

It was true that he was never the type of person who freaked out on things and lost the ability to think in dire situations, but he was not a super spy or someone who had been trained through special means for years either. He was just a human.

This was also true in how fast he had been able to adapt to all the current chaos happening around the world, which seemed to be abnormally fast.

Yes, he knew that eight days were enough for any humans to get adapted to any changes, but in his case and in this worldwide situation, it happened just way too fast.

Like, for instance, the very moment he got back from his first Realm Game, except for confusion he was not scared and terrified about the possible future at all, just like how his father looked despite him trying to hide it, Raven felt way too calm.

This also showed back inside the Star Palace. During that time, everyone inside that hall while holding serene facades their eyes held uncertainty and fear. They all looked like scared kids in a dark room while he, on the other hand, seemed to be just perfectly fine!

Damn, now that he was thinking back, only he was the one who ate from the food there while those that held plates with cakes on them or glasses of wine just did so to lessen the tension in the atmosphere!

Even the faces of each individual their Black Moon Guild had recruited so far held a hint of anxiety, akin to soldiers on a battlefield that deep within knew they could die at any moment!

\'This is not right.\' Raven thought with a weird face, but as Thomas made him turn around he had no choice but to push the matter aside for the time being.

"We have to leave, now!" Thomas whispered, continuously glancing at the two beasts behind Raven\'s back, fearing his voice will attract their attention.

Raven furrowed his brows upon seeing the nervous look on Thomas\'s usually calm and collected face, but when he looked behind over his shoulder at the small orb, he clenched his teeth and handed the vase from his hand to Thomas.

\'?!\'

"Stay here, I will be quick," Raven whispered and after spraying once at Thomas with his perfume he quickly began to sneak toward the shrine.

"Y-Young Mas-" Thomas\' face paled, but as he heard how the black snake on the right snorted loudly, his muscles tensed and he froze motionlessly.

\'He will be alright... He will be alright.\' Thomas calmed himself down with those words and watched with anxiety as Raven sneaked closer and closer to the shrine.

With his special boots and perfume that made him silent and literally invisible, Raven was able to walk silently before the small monument and inspect the orb from a closer look.

[You have discovered Preliminary Realm Core.]

[Do you wish to collect it?]

[Warning! If you collect the core, the Realm Domain will collapse and disappear!]

\'What?!\' Raven\'s eyes widened when he noticed the appearing panels around him before his brows lowered into a confused frown.

Should he collect the orb? But if he does, not only will he make this Ream Domain disappear, which technically was a free loot farm thanks to his necklace, but also raised the possibility that the snakes will wake up and hunt him and Thomas down even before the Domain collapses.

Thinking about this, Raven opened his Avatar Status to check something.

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[Avatar Status]

~~~

• Name: Raven

• Rank: Rank 2 (True Rank: 1)

• Avatar Title/s: Chaotic Survivor

• Avatar Class: None

• Avatar Imprint/s: 1st Layer - Luck Boost

• Artifact/s: Dice of Fate

• Rune Mark/s: Death Runner (+1)

~~~

° Vitality: 18 [0]

° Mystique: 24 [5]

° Strength: 28 [0]

° Speed: 27 [6]

° Constitution: 29 [6]

° Dexterity: 25 [0]

<You have 9 Avatar Points that you can freely distribute!>

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\'Oh... I have completely forgotten about these.\' Raven thought to himself once he noticed he had 9 extra Avatar Points which he acquired as a reward from the previous Realm Game.

As for his 3 extra passive points next to his Speed and Constitution Trait, that was the result of him enhancing the effect of his only Rune Mark, his Death Runner. It turned out that little pill he obtained also as a reward had the use to enhance Runa Marks if swallowed!

\'I will just put two to my Vitality, three to my Strength and Speed, and one to my Constitution.\'

Whoosh!

[Congratulations! You have increased some of your Avatar Traits beyond 30 points!]

[Congratulations! You have successfully become Rank 1!]

[Congratulations! You have increased all of your Avatar Traits beyond 20 points!]

[Congratulations! You have successfully become a True Rank 2!]

\'Even with such a ridiculous Status, I don\'t feel confident taking on these two beasts.\' Raven thought wryly as he felt how his body underwent changes inside, giving him a peculiar feeling that was hard to describe.

Though because it only lasted for a few seconds and he felt it would be better to go, Raven after giving one final glance at the orb turned around and left.

It was better to leave now and don\'t push his seemingly perfect luck. After all, at the end of the day, he was still just a nobody who except for basic self-defense techniques knew nothing about fights much less how to kill two humungous beasts!

Perhaps if he would still have the Yin-Yang Yo-Yo he would have the courage to try something ridiculous but without that... Hell no!

"Let\'s go." whispering once he was beside Thomas, Raven quickly started to walk away.

Thomas seeing that nothing happened sighed with relief and with a nod followed after Raven.

The two moved faster the further away they got from the two beasts and the small wooden shrine, and in a matter of 15 minutes, they were finally outside the building.

"So? What happened?" once they reached the perimeter of the Realm Domain, Raven halted his steps and looked at Thomas with crossed arms before his chest.

Thomas after putting down the vase he carried until now on the ground, dusted his clothes off and said, "I don\'t know what happened, we were only told a problem had arisen somewhere, a huge problem at that."

"A huge problem?" Raven furrowed his brows.

"I think we should go and find Master Dan," Thomas suggested to which Raven nodded and after picking up the vase he quickly walked outside the Realm Domain.