Chapter 247

In the Fourth World, I was busy experimenting with all kinds of Harvesting Systems while in the Third World, I suddenly found myself pondering what to do with this newfound freedom.

Back in the First World, I was locked up tight, so there wasn’t much I could do.

Not that the Second World wasn’t free either. There wasn’t anyone really holding me back.

But the Second World was way out in the middle of nowhere.

Even the closest village was super small, so whenever I tried doing anything, there just wasn’t much to do.

I tried sneaking around to expand the Harvesters quietly, but even in a proper society, they weren’t exactly welcomed warmly.

The Third World started off great, but after getting captured by the Royal Family, it felt kinda like being back in the First World again.

After all, everyone at my accommodation was probably just watching me.

But now that they’ve given me a new place, maybe they’re not monitoring me as closely anymore. Though, there’s still a chance some Magic Power–powered gadget is lurking around somewhere…

Still, I gotta deal with it.

And if there *is* something, I wouldn’t even know how to detect it since I can’t sense that kind of thing anyway.

Even sitting around doing nothing on weekends isn’t really a problem, but now that I have some free time, I’m stuck wondering what to do with myself.

It’s weird, though—I’m not someone who burned out from overwork or anything, yet here I am feeling lost.

But honestly, I don’t need extra hobbies. The live feed of Harvester activity keeps me entertained enough.

Maybe I should go out and try expanding the Harvesters again?

Hmm…

Though, things seem to be running smoothly already, so why bother?

If maintaining the status quo works fine, there’s no real need for adventures.

Last time when I lured Maleficent out, I only went because I had to act as bait.

Though I didn’t expect that the person standing nearby, Merriweather, would turn out to be Maleficent!

Nope, I had no idea.

There’s no way you can tell just by looking at their Light.

See, having strong powers or lots of knowledge doesn’t automatically mean your Light will be brighter. And it’s not like older people always have stronger Lights either.

So does that mean every old creature has a massive Light?

Even the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign only had occasional bursts of bright Light, and Maleficent was about the same level.

Meanwhile, some scrawny middle-aged guy living in the slums of Brightshin had a much brighter one. Having a big Light doesn’t make you great, and having a small one doesn’t mean you’re powerless.

Actually, come to think of it, Daegon’s habit of draining others’ souls to boost his own Light is pretty bizarre.

While I do have some understanding of souls, interpreting them is tough. Just owning an expert-level book doesn’t mean you instantly understand everything.

Why can I raise other people’s intelligence but mine stays low?

Ultimately, today ended up being pretty similar to any other day spent cooped up at my place.

***

Oh!

Finally!

One of the Harvesters in the Fourth World escaped outside!

Well, technically, Jeber didn’t intentionally release it—it was more of an accidental escape.

The escapee wasn’t human but a crow-like bird.

There were about seven of them, and one pretended to be sick. It felt exactly the same as the healthy ones, so it was definitely faking it.

When the Chimera noticed, it opened the cage to check on the bird, which was lying down and flapping its wings awkwardly.

As soon as the Chimera touched it, the bird collapsed completely. The Chimera removed the Necklace around its neck and carried it toward the grinder.

Then BAM! The bird sprang up and flew away into the sky.

Classic fake death move.

I knew crows were smart, but escaping like that? Impressive.

The Chimera just stood there dumbfounded as the bird flew off. Once it disappeared from sight, the Chimera reported the incident to Jeber.

Jeber yelled about how they couldn’t even handle such a simple task, blasted the Chimera’s head off with magic, and ordered the next one to ensure confirmed kills before disposal.

Honestly, he’s just mad because he didn’t explain things properly and took it out on someone else.

Meanwhile, the escaped bird soared through the skies, enjoying its newfound freedom.

Thanks to it, I got a bird’s-eye view of this world.

The city below looked gloomy, with smoke obscuring half the sky—proper smog.

Buildings were scattered haphazardly, clearly built without much planning, and the roads between them were packed with vehicles.

Two-wheeled, three-wheeled, four-wheeled, six-wheeled—you name it.

The variety of cars was impressive.

Digging into my Faded Memory, I didn’t recall much at first, but seeing it from above made everything clearer. This city was bigger and more developed than expected.

It reminded me of early 19th-century Europe.

Which means steel and chemical industries are likely somewhat advanced here too.

Down below, workers with soot-covered faces walked the streets, and factories spewed black smoke into the air.

Nearby rivers ran pitch-black with polluted water, bubbling with foam. The bird caught a whiff of the stench as it flew by.

But instead of avoiding it, the bird turned sharply toward the ground, heading toward what looked like a restaurant near the factory.

It swooped down behind the building.

In the alleyway, various creatures gathered: rats, stray animals, and even birds of the same species.

This crow joined them, rummaging through trash bins for scraps.

Wait… There’s a half-eaten corpse mixed in there. Pretty common stuff here.

Anyway, factories need workers, and workers need food, so restaurants pop up nearby.

And where there’s food, there’s waste.

That’s what the bird was after.

Since it went straight for the trash instead of bugs, it’s clear this bird has adapted to city life long ago.

Actually, this city barely has any nature left.

According to faded knowledge fragments, parks only exist in places with specific cultural development.

Judging by the overall vibe, this feels like modern Europe—but frozen in time before any major wars or revolutions.

Without significant upheaval, it makes sense that magic remains monopolized by certain elites.

Magic isn’t entirely outside civilization, but the tools used are expensive and mostly controlled by the powerful.

There’s also something oddly out of place here.

A temple.

Multiple gods are worshipped, and those who use divine power exist. They heal people or perform special abilities based on their deity, but strangely, they aren’t highly regarded.

In fact, it’s the opposite—they’re treated like outcasts, essential to daily life but despised.

None of the memories harvested so far provide a clear reason why. People just grew up hearing warnings from parents or neighbors about how these individuals are dirty and dangerous.

It’s become common sense, so no one questions it.

Because it’s common sense.

The Fourth World is weird.

Gods… If they’re like Daegon, I’ll devour them.

Even if they’re not, their influence seems weak enough that they won’t interfere with me like in the First World.

Or maybe this is just one country where temples are disrespected. Other nations might have theocracies.

I want to learn more about the Fourth World.

While observing through the bird’s eyes, its body suddenly screamed in agony.

Intense pain.

Looking around, I realized a long object had pierced through its body. An arrow?

No, it’s shorter than most arrows.

The bird is fading fast, not dead yet but bleeding heavily. Without medical attention, it’ll bleed out soon.

Someone picked it up. Based on the sharp pain near the wound, they must’ve grabbed it by the arrow.

“Purple. That’s the bird that escaped from Haideka’s place.”

A high-pitched female voice spoke. Haideka refers to Jeber, meaning they targeted and caught the bird deliberately.

“Is it a Servant Beast?”

A deeper male voice responded. So it’s a man and woman working together.

If it’s a Servant Beast, it uses Magic Power to perform tasks similar to what I do.

Then I felt a hard touch—definitely hands. They weren’t exploring the body but pressing firmly before letting go.

“No, no traces of Magic Power. It’s just the color. But this bird shouldn’t naturally have this shade… Maybe it was dyed for a party?”

The body jolted again, rising slightly. Someone else must’ve picked it up.

“I don’t know. Lately, he’s been making strange noises about ‘harvesting’ and gathering people. What’s he planning?”

“Not like last time, dragging people into arenas for entertainment?”

“Dunno. Both him and the others disregard basic human decency, so they deserve punishment.”

CRUNCH.

The bird died. Judging by the final pressure, they probably crushed it in their hand.

From what I gathered, whoever these people are, they’re definitely enemies of Jeber.

Whether they’re part of some resistance group or a legitimate government agency, they clearly oppose the nobles or wizards—or both.

And since they mentioned “punishment,” they’re likely preparing an attack.

Heh heh.

Looks like things are about to get interesting. Didn’t expect it to unfold like this, but…

Can’t wait!

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