Volume 1, Chapter 67 – Chaos

The entire corridor seemed as though it had been devoured by some enormous creature. The walls and ceiling were coated in a thick, black mucus that dripped intermittently onto the floor, evoking the image of a carnivorous beast’s maw.

Though Fia knew little about the temple, she was certain this black mucus did not belong here. Regardless of what the temple had done, its divine magic always carried an aura of light. In contrast, the sinister presence emanating from this substance made her instinctively recoil.

But if this wasn’t part of the temple, why had the paladins outside shown no reaction? The inside and outside of the temple felt like two completely separate worlds.

Just as Fia was debating whether to step inside, something within the black mucus caught her attention.

Two nuns wearing emerald-green veils.

Their eyes were closed, their limbs limp—clearly unconscious. Yet, ensnared by the black mucus, the nuns hung eerily against the wall, their feet dangling in midair. The mucus occasionally slid over their bodies, as if savoring a delicious meal.

Was the adhesive strength of the mucus enough to stick people to the wall? Or was the mucus itself alive, actively restraining the nuns?

Fia had encountered living slimes before, so this didn’t surprise her. After using Wind of Exploration to confirm that both nuns still had mana reactions—meaning they were alive—she paused briefly, then raised her hand, palm aimed at the nearest patch of black mucus.

“[Fairy Fire].”

Instead of shaping the Fairy Fire into a fireball, she let the flames flow freely, like a small flamethrower. The moment the fire touched the black mucus, a sizzling sound erupted, as if ice had met flame. Thick white mist and the stench of charred flesh filled the air as the mucus rapidly turned to ash. The surrounding black mucus recoiled in fear, swiftly retreating.

So, it was a low-intelligence lifeform.

The noise made Fia glance reflexively at the guards at the temple’s entrance, but they showed no reaction, as if they hadn’t heard a thing.

Strange.

Dispelling Wind of Exploration, Fia switched to Mana Vision.

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“I see.”

Her ruby-like eyes gleamed with realization.

A deep-purple magic circle slowly materialized before the temple doors, invisible until now. Compared to the magic circles she had seen outside—laid by the temple—this one was infinitely more complex, as if multiple circles had been overlaid into one.

Fia didn’t need an explanation to understand that this magic circle was of a far higher tier than anything the church could produce. It was no wonder even Claire’s [Magic Destruction] hadn’t shattered it incidentally.

This magic circle was likely the reason the outside world remained oblivious to what was happening inside. That was why the guards hadn’t reacted to her earlier noise.

As for why the church would deploy such a bizarre magic circle—the answer was simple. They hadn’t. Someone had come here before her.

Both the black mucus and this high-tier magic circle at the entrance were defenses set up by this unknown intruder to prevent leaks. Right now, that person was likely deep inside the temple, searching for whatever they wanted.

Should she follow, or take the right path?

The saying went, “A wise man does not court danger.” Under normal circumstances, no one would willingly step into such a sinister corridor. But that logic applied to “wise men”—for Fia, a former AI, danger wasn’t determined by appearances or colors, but by whether she could handle it.

She still had plenty of time and no reason to worry about safety. The choice was obvious.

Without fear or hesitation, Fia stepped forward calmly, manipulating Fairy Fire to form a continuous sheet of flames. Like wielding a flamethrower, she unleashed it upon the walls and ceiling.

The black mucus was terrified of fire. Even the slightest contact reduced it to ashes.

Under Fia’s widespread flames, within mere moments, accompanied by hissing sounds and billowing white mist, the mucus recoiled like a wave, fleeing down the corridor as if fleeing a nightmare.

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Fia caught the two nuns before they could hit the ground, cradling their limp bodies.

They were still breathing—just unconscious.

After gently laying them on the floor, Fia examined them closely. Their robes were riddled with burn-like holes, their skin marked with corrosive wounds. The black mucus hadn’t just restrained them—it was highly corrosive. Had she been any later, the nuns might not have survived.

“Who the hell is inside…?”

Fia frowned.

The temple housed the sixth-tier Inquisitor she had seen that morning. On the World Tree Continent, sixth-tier combatants were formidable forces—capable of destroying a temple, if not an entire city. Yet now, there was no sound, no signs of destruction. It was downright eerie.

The image of the blue-haired girl from earlier flashed in Fia’s mind.

They had called themselves members of The Eternal Daylight Mages and seemed at odds with the church. Could they be responsible? But their highest-tier member was only third-tier, wasn’t it?

No one answered her question.

She might as well keep going.

Having made her decision, Fia immediately gave chase. In terms of speed, the black mucus was no match for her.

Had there been a bystander witnessing Fia’s actions, their jaw would have hit the floor.

This black mucus was an entity known as Chaos.

A calamity born from the grudges of dead gods and the blood of the Darkborn—the very force that had destroyed the Primordial Continent. Anything touched by Chaos, even undead without life, would crumble to dust. Its endless nature had driven even the gods to defeat, forcing them to abandon the Primordial Continent and flee to the current World Tree Continent.

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Thus, when people encountered Chaos, their first instinct was to run as far as possible. Yet here was someone chasing after it—so relentlessly that Chaos couldn’t even escape, forced to flee while Fia burned its trailing edges.

Of course, even if Fia knew this was Chaos, she wouldn’t be afraid. As long as she could fight it, fear didn’t exist—though aside from heat death, Fia had never really feared anything to begin with. It was like playing a horror game with a weapon and a visible health bar for the monsters. The moment you could fight back, the nature of the game changed.

Even if a ghost from this world appeared before her, Fia’s first reaction would be to see if it could be burned.

Fia was a staunch materialist.

If not for the assumption that letting the black mucus flee would lead her to its master, she would have already used a larger Fairy Fire to cut off its escape and trap it.

After just two minutes of pursuit, Fia had rescued over a dozen nuns and priests, all in the same state as the first two—clothes corroded, skin burned. The closer she got to the temple’s interior, the worse their injuries. The young nun now lying at her feet reeked faintly of charred flesh, her breathing so weak it seemed on the verge of stopping.

“Tch.”

Her gaze fixed on the half-open double doors ahead, Fia clicked her tongue in irritation. Just moments ago, the black mucus had slipped through the gap, tossing this nun at her.

It must have noticed her rescuing the others and was now using them to slow her down.

Perhaps she should upgrade its classification from low-intelligence to mid-intelligence.

Internally raising the threat level of the black mucus, Fia stopped her pursuit and knelt to examine the severely burned nun.

“Leaving her like this… even infection could kill her. Even if she’s from the church, I’ve heard nuns don’t fight—they only comfort and guide those in suffering. For that, I’ll help you a little.”

Instead of using her blood with its nanomachines, Fia drew Cloud Moon of the Illusory Sea from her waist and quietly recited the incantation from memory, along with its rhythm.

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Incantation magic, as Anastasia and Claire had explained, involved resonating one’s mana with the surrounding elements to produce a desired effect. The incantation and its rhythm were the mediums for this resonance. Thus, as long as one had enough mana and could recite the incantation with the correct rhythm and tone, anyone could cast magic.

And this was Fia’s forte. Even if she had never used Beginner Water Healing before, as long as she knew the magical script and the incantation’s rhythm, she could flawlessly replicate it.

Her Hypercomputation granted her perfect recall, and her absolute control over her mana ensured she wouldn’t fail like ordinary people—whether from forgetting the words or failing to synchronize her mana with the incantation.

The brief chant concluded swiftly. As the final syllable left her lips, Fia aimed Cloud Moon of the Illusory Sea at the nun.

“[—Beginner Water Healing].”

Faint blue motes of light gathered at the staff’s tip, coalescing into a soft glow that drifted onto the nun’s burned arm.

“Not very effective…”

Compared to the visible healing of her nanomachines, Beginner Water Healing only caused the skin to swell slightly—an effect that faded within seconds as the light dissipated.

But there was good news: the moment the spell activated, Hypercomputation kicked in automatically. A simulation of Beginner Water Healing appeared before Fia’s eyes, followed by the spell’s detailed information flooding her mind.

Based on past experience, any magic learned through Hypercomputation would be enhanced. She could try casting Beginner Water Healing again.

Returning Cloud Moon of the Illusory Sea to her waist, Fia held her right palm over the nun.

“[Beginner Water Healing]”

In an instant, an ethereal blue radiance erupted, illuminating the entire temple as if the world itself had been set alight.