The Boss glanced at the unlucky soul Freya had casually killed and said, “Before anything else, we need to dispose of this body.”
He turned to another patron in the tavern—a drunkard slumped in a corner, nursing his drink—and said, “Help me move this corpse and dump it, and I’ll waive your tavern tab for the next three days.
What do you say?”
The drunkard lifted his head, belched, and slurred, “Where should I dump it?”
“Just find some secluded spot,” the Boss replied.
“Plenty of hidden corners around.
Nobody will notice an extra corpse turning up in those places.”
As he spoke, the Boss left the tavern, Freya trailing closely behind.
They navigated a maze of winding streets, and just as Freya was starting to feel lost, they reached a T-junction.
A man carrying a suitcase brushed past them.
Without a word, the man smoothly handed the suitcase to the Boss.
The entire exchange was silent and seamless.
The Boss took the suitcase, turned, and entered an ordinary-looking house nearby, using a key to unlock the door.
Freya noticed that the key wasn’t taken from the Boss’s pocket but was already clutched in his palm.
Could it have been given to him by the person who brushed past us when handing over the briefcase?
After entering the residence, the Boss placed the briefcase on the table and opened it.
Inside, securely fixed in the center, was a bottle filled with a viscous, red liquid that resembled molten lava, constantly churning and bubbling.
Despite the briefcase being roughly the size of a laptop, it contained only this single potion.
This struck Freya as incredibly formal, like the extravagant gift-giving scenes in movies where dignitaries present a massive box containing only a lighter, a bottle of fine wine, or a luxury watch.
The Boss retrieved the potion, turned, and handed it to Freya behind him without explanation.
“Drink it,” he simply instructed.
Freya took the potion without hesitation, uncapped the bottle, and downed it in one gulp.
The potion, only about 100 milliliters in volume, tasted like a mouthful of scalding-hot medicine—an indescribable blend of bitterness and fiery heat that lingered in her mouth.
Immediately afterward, Freya felt as if her entire body was on fire, her temperature skyrocketing.
If she had taken her temperature at that moment, it would have been at least 45 degrees Celsius.
Her legs buckled, and she collapsed to the ground, bean-sized drops of sweat continuously dripping from her forehead.
Soon, not just her forehead but her entire shirt and pants were drenched in sweat, and visible white steam rose from her body.
This process lasted at least five minutes before Freya’s body temperature gradually began to drop.
As it did, an inexhaustible surge of power flooded through her limbs and every bone in her body.
She rose to her feet, lowered her head to examine her hands, and clenched her fists.
She couldn’t judge exactly how much strength she now possessed, but she could clearly feel that the injury on her right hand was nearly healed.
At that moment, the Boss, who had witnessed the entire process, smiled and said, “This is the Rank 1 potion of the War Pathway.
Its effect is very simple: it drastically enhances a person’s physical condition.
Even the most ordinary, weakest person can instantly become a super-soldier capable of fighting a hundred enemies alone after drinking this.”
“War Pathway?” Freya repeated the words with a questioning tone, genuinely surprised.
The War Pathway is one of the twelve discovered pathways, and it’s an “official pathway”—meaning it’s controlled by the state.
Both the formula and the materials required for the potion are strictly regulated by the government.
For ordinary people, the only way to obtain this potion is to join the military, make contributions, and exchange military merits for it.
It’s worth noting, however, that the War Pathway isn’t the official pathway of Freya’s current nation, the Tarapaca Kingdom, but rather that of its neighboring nation, the Pentagram Alliance.
This was what puzzled Freya most.
How could a potion strictly controlled by another nation end up here?
In the Boss’s eyes, Freya was just a novice new to the world of Beyonders, and he assumed she was simply questioning the name “War Pathway” itself.
So he explained, “It’s one of the twelve discovered pathways, and among those twelve, the War Pathway boasts some of the most formidable combat capabilities.”
“I can see you crave power, so I’ll grant you power.
This is just the Rank 1 potion.
Naturally, there will be Rank 2 and Rank 3 potions afterward.
But before consuming subsequent potions, you must first fully adapt to and master your current power, completely ‘digesting’ the potion’s effects.”
“Otherwise, forcing down the next potion will only cause your body to be torn apart by uncontrollable power, turning you into a mindless monster.”
The first is to constantly use your abilities, but this requires a long time—even the fastest cases take several months.”
“The second method varies by pathway.
For the War Pathway, it’s simple: kill people!
Just kill one hundred people, and you can safely consume the Rank 2 Potion without any risk.
Go now, young lady.
Come back to me after you’ve killed one hundred people, and I’ll give you the Rank 2 War Potion.”
Freya paused for a moment before asking, “Does it matter how I kill them?
If I plant a bomb, detonate it from a distance, and kill one hundred people, would that count?”
The Boss chuckled.
“Of course it counts!
This is the War Pathway, and war has no rules.
Any method, direct or indirect, counts as long as their deaths are a result of your actions!
Of course, indirect methods might be less effective, so you might need to kill a few extra.”
“I understand,” Freya said after a pause.
“So, should I still meet you at the Broken Axe Tavern next time?”
The Boss seemed pleased with her response.
“No need,” he replied.
“Next time, go directly to Dreigasse Street in the south.
Look for a dilapidated blue warehouse—I’ll be waiting for you inside.”
It was clear that The Boss had already developed some trust in Freya and was considering recruiting her into their ranks.
Or, to put it another way, given Freya’s evident hunger for power, she would almost certainly carry out The Boss’s orders to kill.
Killing a few homeless people in dark corners might go unnoticed, but the War Pathway’s advancement required killing one hundred people—far too many.
If Freya dared to do it, it was only a matter of time before she became a wanted criminal.
At that point, she would have no choice but to double down, joining Obsidian even if she didn’t want to.
What The Boss couldn’t have anticipated was that Freya would open fire in broad daylight, killing the “pervert” in front of countless witnesses.
She was likely already a wanted fugitive by now.
This meant Freya could no longer go home.
The police had likely already surrounded her residence.
Even as a Beyonder, living in this city while wanted by the police would be extremely difficult.
At first, ordinary police officers might have been sent, but once they realized she wasn’t just an ordinary person and possessed Beyonder abilities, the Special Operations Division would quickly take over.
Freya knew very well that Captain Nolan was a Practitioner of the Law Pathway and had already advanced to Rank 4 as a Punisher.
Me fighting Captain Nolan?
Seriously?
I’d be instantly annihilated.
So Freya decided to “close the file.” After a moment’s thought, she looked at the Boss and asked, “So, this Dreigasse Street Blue Warehouse is Obsidian’s base of operations?”
The Boss froze, a look of stark surprise spreading across his face.
He had never mentioned Obsidian by name.
In fact, Obsidian was merely a codename the Special Operations Division used for him—how could an ordinary person possibly know it?
Seeing the Boss’s reaction, Freya adopted an air of understanding.
Before he could react further, she mentally commanded, End simulation.
[Simulation complete.
Duration: 8 hours.
Save this save slot?]
Freya immediately overwrote her original “01” save slot, renaming it “War Freya.” When she opened her eyes again, she found herself back at school, having lunch with Amy.
The simulation had entered its one-hour cooldown period.
Though she desperately wanted to summon “01” to test its abilities, the current environment was hardly suitable.
Freya continued eating normally with Amy, chatting about the latest amusing incidents at school and around the city.
Meanwhile, she was mentally reviewing and organizing the information she had gleaned from the simulation.
The pervert’s Handler, the boss of the Broken Axe Tavern, was truly puzzling.
For instance, would an ordinary Handler really have the authority to distribute whatever potion they pleased? This chapter is updated first at g.com.
Everyone else was on the Demon Pathway, yet the moment he saw Freya—perhaps taking a liking to her—he immediately switched her to a superior potion?
Moreover, in this era without mobile phones or telephones, how had the boss communicated?
How did he arrange for someone to deliver a freshly packaged, brand-new War Potion directly to him?
During the second simulation, Captain Nolan had also arrested the Boss.
However, Freya was still a rookie at the time and hadn’t participated in the operation, so she didn’t know the specifics.
All she knew was that the arrest was successful, but the Boss suddenly died just as interrogation was about to begin, exactly like all the other Handlers they’d captured.
The Special Operations Division had speculated that these Handlers might have hidden extremely subtle poisons in their mouths, which, when ingested, would cause sudden cardiac arrest and instant death.
Alternatively, it could be some kind of cursed Beyonder ability that activated when they were about to betray information, killing them before they could speak.
But now Freya had reason to suspect: could these Handlers all be mere clones or avatars?
Perhaps the one who truly admired Freya wasn’t the Boss himself, but the mastermind behind him.
Regardless, Obsidian’s current objective was now clear: to continuously create Beyonders and instigate a flood of Beyonder incidents in the city, overwhelming the Special Operations Division’s resources.
The Boss had likely given Freya the War Pathway for this very reason.
He had exploited Freya’s “insatiable thirst for power” and her “treating murder like child’s play.” By deliberately revealing the War Pathway’s advancement methods to her, he sought to manipulate Freya into slaughtering others.
At its core, the goal remained the same.
However, Freya’s recklessness was only possible within the simulation; she would never act so rashly in reality.
As for the deeper purpose behind diverting the Special Operations Division’s attention, Freya remained unaware.
But she knew it couldn’t be anything good.
Given the War Potion, she now suspected that Obsidian’s boss might be a spy sent by a neighboring nation to sabotage their operations.
After lunch, regular classes resumed.
When the simulation’s cooldown timer reset, Freya didn’t immediately re-enter it.
Instead, she waited until after class and went to the restroom first.
Once inside a stall, she quietly murmured, “Initiate simulation (fourth iteration), select Save Slot 01.”
To anyone watching, Freya entered the restroom looking one way, but when she emerged, she had changed into different clothes, her right hand was wrapped in layers of bandages, and a faint metallic rust lingered in the air around her.
As always, Freya first sought out Amy to ask her to excuse her absence before hurrying out of the school.
She broke into a run towards home, and as soon as she started, she felt an astonishing lightness in her body.
The scenery blurred past at an incredible speed.
Freya even saw herself effortlessly overtake a horse-drawn carriage without feeling the slightest fatigue.
Passersby only noticed a gust of wind rushing past them.
By the time they turned to look, Freya had already vanished into the distance.
“Amazing!” Freya exclaimed to herself as she ran, her voice brimming with excitement.
In less than ten minutes, she covered a distance that usually took her an hour to walk, returning home from school in record time.
Even as she reached her doorstep, her breathing remained remarkably steady.
Freya lowered her gaze to her hands, already plotting how to test her newfound abilities.
Her speed and endurance had already been perfectly demonstrated.
Next up was strength.
Freya entered her house, her eyes immediately landing on her bed.
She approached it, bent slightly, and gripped the edge with both hands.
Then…
with seemingly minimal effort, as easily as lifting a bag of fruit with one hand, she hoisted the entire bed into the air.
“Unbelievable…” She gazed at her unchanged, still pale and slender arm.
Who could imagine such immense power residing within this delicate frame?
It defied biology, but…
her absurd physical capabilities were essentially a ‘superpower,’ and biology couldn’t explain superpowers.
Finally, Freya unwrapped the bandage from her right hand.
She discovered that the wound had completely healed, leaving only an unsightly scar on her palm.
After a moment’s thought, she re-wrapped her right hand with fresh bandages.
Then, a sudden whimsical idea struck her.
A bizarre thought flashed through her mind as she held up her right hand, striking a dramatic pose like a final boss, and muttered, “Hoo-hoo~ The demon-possessed right hand has been sealed…”
But as she spoke, her cheeks flushed crimson, and she covered her face with both hands, muttering, “What am I even doing…?”