Building My SSS-Rank Universal Empire: From Trash to Cosmic Overlord-Chapter 37: Gray

I left before the workers could return from the mines so I would have time to study it before they all came back with their noise. Unfortunately for me, there wasn’t much to gain from the book. Nobody knew how the Mark Order was formed on the hand, so there were always different conflicting theories.

The most widely accepted one was that the mark was connected to the subconscious and the core, appearing once activated on the manifestation day.

There were also theories that the Arcane Wizards designed the altar to make the Mark Order appear. As if the altar was the source.

There were sections discussing the different Mark Orders and how they reflected on the Knight Order. For example, in the past, Knights were divided by their Mark Order, so much so that they went to war and fought over the superiority of their Order. And the different Clans were affiliated with different orders, even going as far as to disown those who got different Orders in the same family.

Displaying certain Marks could either get one killed or welcomed.

The Forbidden mark, on the other hand, was shunned by nearly everyone. The main reason was that those who bore it usually lost control and became corrupted. They became twisted beings that’s not that different from monsters. I looked for an explanation of what "corruption" meant but found nothing about it.

Would the corruption happen when they tried to advance, or while they were still Squires? I found no answers.

And do I really care if I am corrupted or not?

The question lingered in my mind as I went about my days for the following week. I remained cautious, ensuring I was rarely alone to discourage assassination attempts. The only exception was my training sessions deeper in my tunnel after each day’s work.

I continued this routine until four days before the operation, when Tiber and Syla cornered me in my tunnel and dragged me to the natural poolside to relax.

"I didn’t know being a Squire would make you this busy. You’ve disappeared on us, Vale!" Syla said, splashing water onto her shoulder and brushing hair from her face.

I shrugged in the water, relaxing by the side with only my torso submerged. "I’ve been somewhat busy, all right. The imps in the tunnel won’t kill themselves."

"And the starsalt won’t break itself either!" Tiber grunted. "Thanks for breaking it for us, it gave us time to do other work."

I leisurely kicked beneath the water. My body felt relaxed in ways it hadn’t for years. My face had regained some of the intensity and luster it had lost, and my skin was filling out from the food I’d been eating at Nyxori.

"You can do other work?" Why had I never thought of that?

"Yes. If you finish your carts early, you’re free to leave the tunnel. You can do extra work for others as a trade, or find odd jobs," Tiber explained.

"That kind of thing," I said. "So, are you paid in... what?"

"Coins if they have them, or other things, clothes, weapons, fruit, or food. Anything of value for the work done."

I considered doing the same but doubted I could get fair value for my efforts. I was a Squire, too powerful for regular labor, and for now, I planned to wait until after the operation to make any decisions.

"Are you ready for the big operation in four days?" Tiber asked.

I wiped my face and hair, the black strands growing fast and already forming a thick tangle. My green eyes turned upward to study the setting sun. "I’m ready."

My voice was low, my words carrying more meaning than they seemed. I was prepared for whatever would happen at the ruin with the Forbidden mark. ’Will I even return, or will I become corrupted?’

"We’re as ready as we can be too, though we doubt they’ll give us constructs, more likeee, eeeeee..."

I was still gazing at the sky when the voice skipped. I looked down and saw that everything had frozen. The world had lost its color. The water, the brown earth, and the blue sky stained with reddish hues, all turned gray and lifeless.

Tiber and Syla were frozen in place, their sharp eyes unmoving.

I tensed immediately. ’Something’s happening. Is time frozen, or what?’

A chill went down my spine as I hurried out of the water, my wet body glistening. I scanned the area but saw no one. We were far enough from camp that I couldn’t tell if the effect covered the entire area. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

’Tiber and Syla are locked, but I’m free to move. Does that mean I’m the target?’

I quickly donned my shirt, grabbed my sword, and began heading toward the camp. "No way I’m just standing here!"

Suddenly, I threw myself into a roll—but not fast enough! Whoosh! The air stirred forcefully, and an arrow aimed at my head carved a thin, bloody line beside my left ear.

It stung sharply, and I hissed. I bolted upright from my roll and jerked to the side in case another arrow followed. A blue dome of essence materialized around me, thick and protective.

Finally, I looked toward the source of the attack and saw a man dressed in black, floating on a metal disc above the pool. The man held a black bow, and as I watched, green essence condensed into an arrow. Yet the man didn’t fire, he simply observed me from behind a mask.

My spine tingled as my thoughts raced. ’If this man isn’t firing, that means there must be more of them. Assassinations are always fast work!’

I crouched low even with the shield surrounding me, and rightly so. A green essence sword slammed into my shield, breaking through with little resistance and slicing just above me.

A bolt of panic shot through me. ’Green essence! Colored! They’re using green essence! And the pressure I felt from that sword... They must be Knight ranks!’