THE VILLAIN'S POV

Chapter 433: Perfect Affection (1)

— Frey Starlight’s Pov —

Four more days passed in the blink of an eye.

This marked the ninth day I hadn’t slept since escaping from the Ultras Continent.

The dark circles beneath my eyes grew worse by the hour, deepening as I spent all my time buried in these complicated books, flipping through their endless pages one after another.

I was never much of a reader, but I found myself unable to stop, desperately searching for a way to save Danzo.

But time was far too short.

It showed me no mercy.

And so far, all I’d found was an endless stream of information about teleportation and spatial manipulation.

Teleportation was supposed to be an ordinary ability, governed by the laws of space. But somehow, Nameless had turned it into a world-breaking power.

He could appear anywhere in the universe, at any time, instantly. That was just one of his incredible abilities.

”No wonder he was able to teleport from planet to planet...”

That was something I’d learned after combing through all these dense books, books that spoke of Nameless’ history.

How many world-breaking abilities had he possessed?

In this world, Agaroth held the most if we were speaking strictly in terms of numbers.

But Nameless had owned quite a few himself.

Both of them stood at the pinnacle of the world’s power.

Closing yet another book, I gazed at the countless shelves still waiting for me.

”Endless...”

Nameless had spent thousands of years gathering this knowledge, taking advantage of his immortal, ageless existence.

What did I hope to accomplish in the few days I had left?

As despair gradually crept in, I found myself stumbling through my thoughts, lost and aimless.

”I told you already. Everything you see in that imaginary world is just an illusion your mind created.

You simply have to let what you seek float to you.”

Sitting in one of the dimly lit buildings, the Engineer leaned against a wall as he spoke.

Blue Eyes, as always.

I scowled automatically.

”You say that like it’s the easiest thing in the world. I’ve been trying for days, damn it.”

I cursed again without thinking.

Honestly...

It felt like I’d returned to the madness of my early days in this place, more than two years ago.

Staying here wasn’t doing my mental health any favors.

”If you keep doing what you’re doing now, you’ll never find your answer.”

”And why do you care whether I succeed or fail? Wouldn’t it suit you better if Danzo died and I lost more of my emotions?

You know... so I’d end up like your damned king?”

”...”

I tried provoking him, but the Engineer remained still, his expression unreadable.

Come to think of it .. here we were, under the same roof, surrounded by the same walls.

I never imagined I’d spend this much time with him ..

My hatred for him used to make me attack him on sight. But those feelings had started to calm, especially now that I’d gotten some answers to my questions... and uncovered new ones that still needed answering.

To be honest, I was starting to feel a bit curious about this man ..

”I saw in the mask’s memories... Nameless kept saving all of you, preventing your deaths time and time again. You’re just one of the people he saved, aren’t you?”

The Engineer nodded.

”That’s right.”

”Then what’s your name? What were you before he saved you? I’m curious.”

Before Nameless placed his soul into his current vessel, the Engineer must’ve lived a long life, reaching a very high level of power.

I couldn’t help but feel some curiosity about his past.

But he simply shook his head.

”I abandoned my name and identity long ago. That’s what it means to be part of the Nameless Sect.”

Staring at his scarred, worn-out hand,

Blue Eyes spoke quietly.

”Now, I’m only the Engineer.”

Hearing that, I looked at him, unsure what to say.

Seriously? He was proud of a name like that?

Wasn’t I the one who called him that on a whim?

”I should’ve just called you Son of a Bitch instead of wasting my breath with this crap.”

I said flatly as I scrolled through the system interface.

I had gained a new ability ..teleportation.

But the system still held countless unknowns.

Like those three items:

The mask, the shield, and the sword.

They were known as the Fragments of the Lost Self, and I had only recovered one of them so far.

Remembering all that, I decided to ask about them too.

But, as expected, the Engineer shook his head.

”I won’t answer.”

”As expected of you...”

I sighed softly, still able to hear the chaotic sounds of construction echoing through the air.

”Are you trying to start a war with everything you’re building here?”

The Shadow Sect had grown terrifyingly large by now .. large enough to house all the residents of Belgrad’s capital if needed.

And yet, I still couldn’t understand his true intentions.

As always, he gave no answer.

”Just leave and go back to your construction work.”

I gestured for him to leave me alone, then placed the mask on my face once again.

Thus began another round of exhaustive searching...

But once again, it was futile.

After absorbing so much information, my body weakened instinctively. My mind could no longer endure the flood of knowledge pouring into it.

The dark circles under my eyes were darker than ever, and a sharp headache gripped me, followed by a crushing wave of fatigue.

But no matter how hard I tried to sleep, my eyes refused to close.

”What the hell is wrong with this damned insomnia?”

Sitting atop one of the skyscrapers the Engineer had built, I gazed quietly at the sky, trying to find a moment of rest.

But the headache refused to let up.

”I want to leave this depressing place.”

Staying here wasn’t doing my deteriorating mental state any favors.

Apparently, the Engineer overheard that, prompting him to step in.

”You can leave anytime you want, using the teleportation ability you gained here.”

He spoke bluntly, and I frowned in response.

”What are you talking about? I can barely teleport short distances without crashing into whatever’s around me. How do you expect me to pull it off across such a vast distance?”

True, my control over teleportation had improved—but achieving something like that in such a short time was still impossible.

But the Engineer, as always, had a solution.

”You can teleport to places where people who hold a high affection score toward you are located. If you use the third-person perspective, you’ll see exactly where they are.”

He pointed out something crucial.

Hearing that, I realized how obvious it was.

”You’re right...”

Even though I was still a beginner, combining it with my other abilities would make teleporting that far possible.

”But I can’t just leave yet. There are still many answers I want from you,” I said, doubtful. The Engineer answered immediately.

”Then leave a marker here and save its coordinates. The marker won’t last forever, but it will give you enough time to return later.”

Again.

He was right.

He’d just given me the perfect way to leave and return later.

But I couldn’t help wondering... what exactly was Blue Eyes after?

”What are you really trying to achieve?”

I asked unconsciously, prompting him to repeat his usual answer like a broken record.

”I won’t answer.”

”Forget it, then.”

I waved him off and opened my system interface.

That Engineer was hopeless.

And then, checking the newly updated Affection System, I scanned through everyone, wondering who I should teleport to right now.

Uriel Platini: 50 points.

Danzo Smasher: 50 points.

Snow Lionheart: 50 points.

Ghost Umbra: 50 points.

Ada Starlight: 99 points.

Sansa Valerion: 100 points (Maxed Out).