Inside the building, the atmosphere felt strangely silent and stretched endlessly. Long hallways extended deep inside with rooms lined sideways one after another, broken toilets, ruined walls, abandoned furniture— the entire place looked similar to an old apartment complex abandoned for many years. Strangely enough, the inside was far larger and deeper compared to what the building looked like from outside, and Rain quietly noticed that detail while walking together with Bam Yellow deeper and deeper into the structure.
Tap… Tap… Tap…
Their footsteps echoed repeatedly through the empty corridors as two people wearing black robes suddenly passed beside them. One glance alone was enough to tell they were shady as hell, but Rain only looked at them once before calmly looking away again.
'…Definitely not a cult. Yep.'
Eventually Bam opened one of the rooms before entering first. "Come. Take a seat," he said calmly.
Rain stepped inside afterward while quietly scanning the surroundings. The room itself looked old and worn out too. A shabby sofa rested near the wall while weak lights flickered above them occasionally.
"It's a bit shabby, so please bear with it," Bam said while sitting down slowly. "This place is only temporary."
"It's fine," Rain replied casually as he walked around the room slightly before finally taking a seat himself with a completely unconcerned look on his face, though inwardly he was still observing every little detail carefully. The place was genuinely shabby beyond words.
"What exactly do you want to talk to me about?" Rain finally asked while resting one hand against his chin.
"Huuh… about that…" Bam muttered quietly, and a moment of silence slowly filled the entire room afterward.
The instant Bam spoke again however, his tone completely changed— darker, heavier, enough to make even the atmosphere inside the room feel colder somehow.
"Outer One has arrived."
His sharp eyes locked directly onto Rain afterward.
"She wants me to bring you."
Rain's pupils narrowed slightly.
'Outer One…? Why have I never heard of someone like that before?'
He finally couldn't hold his curiosity back anymore. "Is she one of those existences you talked about before?" Rain asked while narrowing his gaze toward Bam. "…Perhaps a god?"
A faint smirk slowly appeared on Bam Yellow's face afterward, but Rain's own expression became far more serious instead.
'…If she really is one of the gods or goddesses… no. That's impossible. That woman would NEVER stay peacefully around humans with that horrible temper of hers.'
The image of someone suddenly formed inside Rain's mind— long black hair burning crimson-red like flames themselves while everything around her trembled in fear beneath that overwhelming existence alone. Even remembering her presence made Rain's instincts feel uncomfortable.
Gods and Goddesses were the absolute beings ruling the world from behind the shadows. Every region possessed at least one god watching over it, and each one of them held power capable of absolute destruction. With nothing more than a flick of their finger, entire existences could disappear without leaving behind even a trace. Ancient creatures beyond common understanding.
Even in the OG, Rain only knew information about a very few of them, and among those few… the weakest one was his beloved Sylvia.
Bam Yellow slowly leaned back against the sofa afterward.
"No one truly knows her," he muttered quietly. "Yet she has always been with us."
A faint dark smile slowly appeared on his old face as he continued, "When you finally come to realize it… you will understand very soon."
That smile alone made Rain even more cautious internally.
'…What exactly is this bastard trying to do?'
Rain already had several guesses forming inside his head, though none of them felt completely certain yet. One thing however was obvious already— this old man was giving him a dangerous fanatic vibe.
Rain quietly murmured, almost like speaking toward someone beside him.
"Hey… do you know what this old bastard is trying to do?"
Naturally, he was asking his overly caring future "wife." After all, she constantly bragged about being all-knowing and overwhelmingly powerful.
But several moments quietly passed by with absolutely no answer coming back. Rain blinked blankly once before his eyes finally landed toward the floating screen itself, and the instant he saw it his expression changed slightly.
There was no familiar floating screen talking excitedly like usual anymore. Instead, countless heavy chains wrapped around the entire screen layer after layer while a massive prohibited sign glowed above it. Some chains constantly shattered apart while countless new ones formed immediately afterward, almost like something was desperately trying to suppress whatever existed beyond it.
[ Restricted ]
[ Unknown Entity'S Prohibited ]
'…Something is definitely wrong.'
Behind Rain's calm face, genuine worry slowly formed for the first time.
"Join us," Bam suddenly spoke again. "We will show them who the real pests are."
Rain's eyes narrowed slightly.
'…Antagonizing other races?'
'Do these bastards seriously possess enough power to rebel against the entire world?'
"Let us rise to the very top," Bam continued while his voice gradually became more intense, "and drag every other race down beneath us together with the power of the Mighty One!"
Rain's gaze deepened slightly.
'Certainly… with his wealth, influence, and whatever background he possesses…'
Bam suddenly stood up from his seat completely.
"No… not only other races!" he declared loudly while spreading both arms wide open. "We will conquer the entire world itself! Every continent! Every land!"
Rain quietly stared at him while countless thoughts rapidly moved inside his mind.
'…If I join hands with him, he could become useful.'
'And perhaps I might even solve THAT problem too… the main reason why I need to achieve absolute strength and survive in the first place.'
"You are human, aren't you?" Bam suddenly asked sharply while pointing toward Rain. "I am human as well. To those other races, humans are nothing more than vermin they can crush whenever they wish!"
His voice gradually became darker afterward.
"Isn't that alone enough reason for us to join hands? And with your strength..."
A smirk slowly appeared on Bam Yellow's face as he suddenly walked toward a nearby closet before opening it. The moment it opened, Rain's pupils narrowed slightly. Inside rested several glowing flowers emitting strange crimson light while blood-like liquid continuously oozed around them unnaturally.
'…So that's the reason.'
Rain quietly understood something immediately.
"I can give you many things," Bam said while taking out one of the flowers carefully between his fingers. "Wealth. Status. Resources."
Rain's gaze remained completely fixed on the glowing flower.
'…What the hell is that?'
And then Bam smiled darker than before.
"If you wish…"
"…Even my beloved granddaughter."
Rain's eyes immediately narrowed sharply.
"How about that?" Bam asked softly.
'…Just how low can a person truly fall?'
Rain honestly couldn't even find proper words for someone capable of casually offering his own granddaughter like a bargaining chip. Disgusting. That was the only fitting word.
Still, Rain's face remained completely calm.
"What exactly do you mean by that?" Rain asked casually while slowly standing up from his seat.
"So… are you finally interested?" Bam asked while walking around rain.
Rain didn't answer immediately. His eyes instead remained fixed on the strange red flower resting in his hand.
Bam noticed his gaze and faintly smiled.
"Do you know what this is?" he asked while lightly pointing toward the crimson flower.
Rain's eyes narrowed slightly.
The flower itself looked abnormal no matter how you saw it. The petals carried a deep blood-red color while strange veins spread across them like living arteries. Even the surrounding air around it felt heavy somehow.
"What is that?" Rain asked seriously while keeping his guard completely up.
Bam's faint smile widened slightly afterward.
"A millennium ago, a man rebelled against the world itself," he said calmly. "And this… you can call it part of his legacy."
His finger lightly trace around the flower.
"It was born from the essence of his blood."
Rain silently listened without interrupting.
"With this flower, many races can be controlled absolutely." Bam continued slowly. "Of course, humans are excluded."
A dangerous glint flashed across his eyes afterward.
"But every other race? Very easy."
"Hm…" Rain quietly hummed while continuing to stare at the flower.
"They will obey anything you say," Bam added calmly. "Any order. Any command."
Bam finally looked directly toward Rain again before a sinister smirk slowly appeared across his face.
"So… what do you think about my offer now?"
"You can obtain both.My granddaughter… and this flower."
'Ha… what do I think?'
Rain slowly clenched his fist tightly while countless thoughts started colliding inside his head.
'I think—'
' You're absolute trash who can't even be compared to anyone else… but why should I let go of such a perfect chance?' Rain thought while slowly pulling his hand back.
A faint smile appeared on his face afterward. Calm. Confident. Fierce.
"And why exactly do you think your granddaughter alone is enough for me?" Rain asked while staring directly into Bam Yellow's eyes without the slightest fear.
His grin slowly widened afterward.
"What I actually want is…"
Rain leaned slightly forward.
"I want your daughter-in-law. That flower."
He paused for a moment before adding casually—
"And if you want me to pay extra, your granddaughter is fine too."
Bam Yellow visibly flinched, but only for a brief moment.
Soon afterward, the old man's grin widened even more instead.
"…Interesting."