Rask, Dust Bowl Street, in the back alley of the Corpse Collectors HQ.

"505…"

A man with slicked-back hair, cold pale skin, and a black woolen coat turned the corpse over in the wagon and checked the markings at the side of the neck.

The pale corpse, which was already cold to the touch, had markings of "505" on the side of the neck.

"It's indeed the corpse 505 from Gehram. The corpse has been successfully delivered, and the Corpse Collectors Dorian Mott, and Kael Mizuchi, will receive payment of three hundred Iris coin pieces each."

The two brown pouches were handed to Dorian and Kael as the payment for their services, and the two of them signed some papers to finalize the delivery.

With his only usable arm, Kael pocketed the brown pouch and awkwardly moved his left arm, which was in a sling made of bandagesand sticks.

It looked crude but good enough for him, as during the confrontation with Leroy, it indeed broke.

"Thank you."

Dorian thanked the Corpse Collectors and left the wagon in the back alley while he and Kael left with their payment.

He looked at Kael and at his broken arm—he felt bad—he felt like it was his fault, and in a sense, it was.

"You're going to take a visit to the healer? I know one healer here in Rask, and I think she will be able to heal your broken arm."

Dorian said.

"Hell no. I would have no money left if I did that."

Kael shot down that suggestion immediately, as he knew that the healers weren't going to be cheap.

There was a limit on how many people the healers could heal every day because their divinity wasn't unlimited, so their services cost quite a lot.

"Oh, okay…"

Dorian whimpered with a whisper and awkwardly walked alongside him while thinking that Kael must be hating him.

However, he wondered why Kael helped him, as they weren't close enough for him to risk his life.

Kael didn't intend to save Dorian. He was pretending to be Outlaw. Thus, he wanted to make a scene in the brothel.

It worked, and his divinity increased after the confrontation, but Kael noticed one thing. He reached the limit of his vessel.

Thus, it meant that he was ready to advance to the second level.

"You can start heading back to the Dark Jewel's Corner. I have some stuff left to do in Rask, and I'll take another locomotive tomorrow."

Kael said, took another street, and Dorian watched in surprise as he walked away. He then scratched the back of his head and headed to the steam locomotive station.

…

At the top of the City of Rask, in the Altar of the Ten Gods.

"…Goddess."

"…Please answer my prayer."

"…I need help."

In front of the mighty tall statues, the citizens had their hands clasped together, heads bowed, and prayers whispered fervently.

Kael dropped on one knee in front of the Outlaw Goddess, put his hands together, and with a deep breath, whispered.

"I don't really know Your honorific title and all that, but please, may I get an audience with You?"

Kael asked and looked curiously around the altar, noticing that it was quite empty in front of the Outlaw Goddess.

While only Outlaw Blessed Ones visit this statue, the ordinary folk of the world would often visit gods like Magician, Leader, Fighter, and such to get some guidance.

Rarely, the ordinary folk might get an answer to their prayers, and they never came to Outlaw Goddess for guidance.

It was because, to them, she was the Goddess of the outcasts and misfits, not someone to turn to for help.

In that moment, Kael closed and opened his eyes, but when he opened his eyes again, he was kneeling in a grand hall of marble and gold.

When he lifted his head, he saw a golden throne, its occupant watching him with a look of curiosity.

She was the Goddess of Outlaws, the ruler of the underworld, and the keeper of secrets.

While Kael expected to see her faceless self again, she was actually wearing a thin veil this time around, and Kael could catch a hint of some of her features behind the veil.

She despised her faceless self—she thought it was ugly—so she was now using the Veil of the Cosmos that would be able to protect the eyes of the mortal from her true form.

Of course, they wouldn't still be able to see her face in all its beauty; it still left plenty of room for imagination, which was exactly how she preferred it.

"The wandering sovereign of chains unbound, She who dances upon lawless stars."

Wren said with a smile behind the veil—it was the honorific title—and when she said that, the stars above the grand hall seemed to sparkle just a little bit brighter.

"My lady. I've come for an audience with you to discuss the matter of my vessel."

Kael said.

"…Your vessel is full. You've done well in such a short time, but I didn't expect anything less from you."

Wren said, crossed her right leg over the left, and tapped her slender finger against the armrest of the throne.

"Your current vessel cannot handle any more divinity, so you cannot increase your divinity any more, at least not until you get a stronger vessel."

She said.

"Am I ready to level up?"

Kael asked.

"…Not yet. Have you heard of the Pathway Test?"

She asked.

"Pathway Test? No, never."

Kael said with a frown.

While he'd been reading about every Pathway, he had never heard of the stuff about the Pathway Test.

Till this day, all he thought was that he needed to increase his divinity to level up.

"It's honestly a new thing we, the Ten Gods, made up. It's just a few years old, so I am not surprised that you haven't found out yet.

"To go to a higher level, now you need to increase your divinity to fill your vessel and clear the Pathway Test.

"If you're ready, you may do the Pathway Test. It's not something you can study for, and you won't even know what it is about until you've started the test."

Wren said.

Kael looked at his broken left arm, took a deep breath, and nodded.

"I'd like to take the test."