You were given the authority to tame beasts, not to raise unspeakable animals.

The metallic smell in the air grew stronger, like blood fermenting in the lungs.

The man in the black trench coat, codenamed Hound, was the Arbiter. He raised his hand to raise his gun. The movement was as fluid as if it had been rehearsed a thousand times. There was no unnecessary flourish.

The hammer of the alchemical revolver had already been lowered. The runic aura flowing from the muzzle was cold and piercing. It was aimed directly at Chen Mo's brow.

"In accordance with Article 7 of Chapter 3 of the Abnormal Biological Disposal Act."

The hunting dogs recited the terms. Their tone was dry and monotonous, yet it carried an undeniable air of bloodshed.

"Refusal to cooperate with the investigation can be considered defection, and the perpetrator will be shot on the spot."

The hook-nosed priest next to him was so excited his nostrils were twitching. He pointed at Chen Mo and shouted.

"Kill him! Sir! Shoot! That cat is an absolute monster; it sucked my scepter dry in the auditorium just now!"

"Shut up."

The hound didn't even look at him. It just uttered a warning.

"I need evidence."

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: ①⓪①ⓚⓚⓢ.ⓒⓞⓜ]

He flipped his left hand, revealing a black box resembling a Geiger counter in his palm.

The eyeball embedded at the top was murky and cloudy. It was made from a living creature dug out of an inanimate object from the abyss. It would react if it came near the abyss; it would become congested with blood and might even burst open.

"Put it on the ground."

The hound tapped its chin on the backpack on Chen Mo's shoulder.

"Don't try anything funny, this thing can even spot a succubus in disguise."

Chen Mo shrugged. As instructed, he placed the backpack at his feet and unzipped it.

"Xiao Hei, cooperate with your uncle for a medical check-up."

Little Black was curled up in a ball, its belly round like a balloon. Clearly, it hadn't finished digesting the afternoon's buffet.

It lazily lifted its eyelids. Its golden, vertical pupils revealed a restlessness at being disturbed from its sleep.

The hunting dog stepped forward and pressed the instrument probe unceremoniously against the little black belly.

zizi...

The instrument screamed.

The cloudy eyeball instantly became bloodshot. The indicator light jumped from green to red. The numerical bar surged wildly, almost bursting off the dial!

[Alert! High-energy reaction detected! Energy level: S...]

"We caught them."

The skin on the hound's face twitched, revealing the hunter's cruel satisfaction as he pulled in the net. His index finger, already on the trigger, began to apply pressure.

"An S-rank abyss reaction, just as expected..."

The hook-nosed priest was overjoyed and danced wildly.

"I told you! I told you! It's a demon!"

Chen Mo's brow twitched slightly. Damn it. This damn device actually has some merit. Is CEO Ke's disguise about to be exposed?

Right at this moment.

The probe of the instrument pushed hard against him. Little Black, who was already bloated, made a gurgling sound deep in his throat.

It couldn't help it. Its pink cat mouth, which it had specially created for disguise, opened slightly.

"belch……"

A loud, long, and gassy burp erupted onto the street.

Followed by.

The red light alarm that the probe had just touched was forcibly shut down. What came out of Little Black's mouth wasn't black mist, nor tentacles.

Instead, it was a thick, milky-white halo, as rich as milk.

That was the highly concentrated holy light contained within the entire Second-Rank Priest's Scepter. It was the essence extracted after fermenting in the stomach of the Great Old Ones for an entire afternoon.

The dam of light burst open.

The crimson warning lights, which had originally symbolized the abyss of corruption, hadn't even had time to flash twice before they were completely engulfed by this sacred, milky-white light, instantly turning into a blinding platinum!

Sparks flew from the black box in the hound's hand. The electronic voice from the speaker was out of tune and high-pitched.

[Beep! Error... Error! Under correction...]

[Unknown sacred energy detected! Purity: SSS level!]

[Attribute Determination: Archangel/Holy Spirit of Light!]

[Suggestion: Kneel down immediately! Kneel down immediately!]

The cacophony seemed to be cut off by an invisible hand. The street fell into an eerie silence. Only the absurd, immediate echo of the instruments still lingered in the wind.

The hook-nosed priest's maniacal laughter froze. His jaw drooped as if dislocated. A meaningless hissing sound escaped his throat.

"Light...the Holy Spirit of Light?"

The hunting dog's hand, holding the gun, hovered in mid-air for the first time.

He glanced at the nearly burnt-out instrument in his hand, then at the black cat on the floor, which had just finished burping and looked completely innocent. The cat had even stuck out its tongue and licked the halo around its mouth.

All the dogmas in his mind were now worthless.

As an Arbiter who has spent years hunting down heretics, he is most sensitive to the abyss's aura.

But the light emanating from this cat was so clean it reminded him of the sacred pool at the Vatican headquarters. Even more sacred.

This level of light... let alone abyssal monsters, even an ordinary person slightly tainted by bad luck would be burned alive if they touched it.

But this cat... just let it pass like a fart?

"This is the S-class heretic you were talking about?"

The hound turned its head. Its gaze swept across the hook-nosed priest's face like a knife.

"No...no...Sir, please let me explain! It really is..."

The priest's tongue was tied. He couldn't even string together a coherent sentence. His legs were trembling like noodles.

"It just now clearly..."

"Shut up!"

The hound put away the still-smoking equipment. The murderous intent in its eyes subsided. A more insane, twisted fanaticism took over its gray eyes.

He started to work on his own strategy.

The black exterior... that's biomass armor created to protect the overly pure light core inside.

It can devour holy light... that's a legendary devouring evolutionary physique that only the Son of Radiance possesses.

This isn't a monster.

This is clearly the Holy Light Devouring Beast, which was recorded in the ancient Vatican texts and has long been extinct!

It's a living miracle!

"Misunderstand."

Chen Mo seized the opportunity and naturally interjected.

He bent down and picked up Little Black. Like petting a cat, he gently pressed back the tips of Little Black's tentacles that were about to extend. A perfectly measured look of helplessness graced his face.

"I've already told you, my child is timid and has severe mysophobia."

"It's allergic to dirty things, and it will spit out halos of light when it's stressed."

As Chen Mo spoke, he stroked Xiao Hei's fur with his fingers.

Little Black was very well-behaved. It meowed obediently, and a faint golden halo rippled around it again, making Chen Mo appear dignified and imposing.

The hunting dog watched this scene. Its breathing became rapid and heavy.

Even the master can be adorned with this radiance... Could this student named Chen Mo be a holy child lost among the common people?

Snapped.

The gold-plated revolver was put back into its holster.

The hound straightened its collar. Its once-hard, mechanical prosthetic limbs emitted a soft gnawing sound. It bowed slightly. Its attitude had completely changed.

"I apologize, Mr. Chen. My subordinate was blind."

He didn't even glance at the priest again, as if the other person were a bag of unrecyclable trash.

The hunting dog pulled a document from its bosom. The document was sealed with a bright red thorn wax seal.

"Since your beast possesses such a high-level Light attribute, this is no longer an investigation, but a recruitment."

He handed over the documents with both hands.

"Three days from now, the Federation will open the S-level restricted area, the Lost Relics."

"The pollution concentration there is extremely high, and all conventional purification methods have failed."

The hound's eyes were glued greedily to the cat in Chen Mo's arms, as if it wanted to devour it whole.

"We need a sacred purifier like you."

"As a reward, you can keep 30% of the resources obtained from the ruins."

Chen Mo took the document. His fingertips swept over the line of small gold-embossed text on the cover.

[Codename: Shadow of R'lyeh (Top Secret)]

The All-Knowing Eye twitched.

Chen Mo closed the file without making a sound.

"An S-class restricted area? That's too dangerous. I'm still a student."

You have no right to refuse.

The hound regained its unyielding, unyielding demeanor. Only this time, it carried a hint of respect.

"This is the highest order from the Holy See. This sacred beast is the hope of all mankind."

After saying that, he turned and left, decisively and cleanly.

The hook-nosed priest was about to say something when the hound slapped him so hard he spun around twice.

"Go back and write a self-criticism. If you dare to slander the sacred beast again, I'll send you to the Inquisition."

A roaring sound arose.

The armored vehicle recklessly smashed through the night and disappeared into the distance.

Chen Mo stood at the entrance of the building, watching the car's taillights disappear. Only then did the smile on his face vanish completely.

"Humanity's hope?"

He looked down at the little black cat in his arms.

The guy was nuzzling his chest with his head. Apparently, that burp earlier had made him a little hungry. He was begging for a midnight snack.

"Klein, did you hear that? You've become the Holy Spirit of Light."

"Meow?"

(Is it edible?)

Chen Mo shook his head. He turned and walked into the shadows of the stairwell.

"The Shadow of R'lyeh... It seems your homeland is a bit restless."

I just entered the house and closed the door.

The little black dog, who had been acting cute, suddenly gagged.

puff.

It spat out something the size of a coin. It was a fragment of a gemstone from the priest's scepter it had just eaten.

But at this moment, the gemstone had been eroded by some force, turning it a deep green.

On the surface of the gemstone, the facets that originally represented light had twisted and rearranged themselves, transforming into a writhing spiral mark.

Chen Mo picked up the gemstone.

In my mind. The system's notification sound was cold and urgent.

[High-dimensional coordinate beacon detected.]

[Real Name Unlock Progress: 5%...]

[Long-term mission update: That is your sleeping palace. Go and reclaim your rightful authority.]

Chen Mo gripped the burning-hot mark tightly. He looked out the window toward the forbidden zone shrouded in mist at the edge of the city.

"Three days later."

He chuckled softly. He tossed the mark representing the key to the abyss into the air and caught it steadily.

"Alright, let's go see. What kind of deity dares to live in my pet's house?"