C10 Reason

Early the next morning, Odin hurried out the door. To justify bringing an ink bottle to the fighting club, he also packed his backpack and books.

By the time he reached the fighting club, their morning practice had already started.

Curott, noticing Odin's somewhat pale complexion, expressed his dissatisfaction, "You're part of the fighting club now. You should get some control over your actions. If you keep up this reckless behavior, all the training you're getting here will go to waste."

Odin felt awkward for a moment. He clearly understood Curott's point, but he couldn't explain that he had lost 0.2 of his constitution, which caused his pallor, nor could he reveal that professionally, he was now much stronger than Curott.

At least he had successfully secured his current position.

Fortunately, Curott wasn't one to dwell on the issue. He allowed Odin to join the morning practice squad, where Odin began to train at a steady pace.

Odin didn't concern himself with experience that morning; his priority was to enhance his various attributes.

After the rest of the group had finished their practice, Odin was still there, repeatedly honing his practice skill.

The others didn't react to Odin's relentless training. In the combat pit of the fighting club, many students were still practicing diligently.

Meanwhile, Curott and a few others had gone out to recruit new members, leaving Odin's actions unchecked.

Just then, several men dressed in black entered.

The leader was the same man Odin had encountered the day before.

Upon seeing Odin, the man's face conveyed a resigned 'not you again' expression, and he eventually called out somewhat helplessly, "Odin Vesconte, come here."

Odin ceased his practice and approached the man in black, puzzled. He didn't understand what was happening, but it was clear that if anyone should be causing him trouble, it would be from the Ebon Hand, not a police officer.

Before Odin could get a word in, the lead man in black stated, "You're supposed to be dead."

What?

Odin was completely baffled. He was standing right there; how could he possibly be dead?

The man in black then explained that after they had taken Leo into custody the previous day, they had learned some information. Leo was a peripheral member of a secret group affiliated with the Ebon Hand, and he had picked up a few minor, ineffective tricks.

Leo had received orders from his superiors to lure Odin to Carte's location. The Ebon Hand had set a trap, and as soon as Odin entered, the elaborate setup would be revealed, implicating him as a murderer.

Leo was in the dark about the reasons behind these machinations; he was only aware of his role in the scheme.

The man in black interrogated him repeatedly but to no avail. Consequently, they summoned a Diviner from the God of Prophecy's retinue.

After reviewing the gathered intelligence, the Diviner solemnly made a prediction, pointing at Leo and declaring, "Odin is shrouded by the crow's shadow. He is the vessel chosen by the crow, and tonight he shall meet his end..."

The interpretation of this prophecy was left to the man in black's imagination.

The original plan was to locate Odin and ensure his safety, especially since the matter involved the Evil God, the nemesis of the Death God. Communicating the situation to the Death God would have made finding and protecting Odin straightforward.

Unexpectedly, a crisis erupted at the school just as they were about to search for Odin.

Senior Anne had met a gruesome end, her death marked by the outflow of black blood, a sight that was truly horrifying.

In light of this event, the men in black abandoned their mission to safeguard Odin and rushed to the scene. They called upon a professional from the Death God's ranks, a Death Master, to summon Anne's spirit for questioning.

The Death Master discovered that Anne had joined the Ebon Hand and was a level 1 Ghost Rider. Her untimely demise occurred during astral projection when her soul was caught in a tempest and perished.

The men in black were taken aback by this revelation. What was happening at Ivywood University, where Ebon Hand members seemed to be everywhere?

Nevertheless, this was no longer their concern. After a night of fruitless searching, they had no leads. Upon hearing the Diviner's prophecy, the Death Masters urged the men in black to find Odin.

With nothing more to say, the men in black had indeed intended to seek out Odin, but it was their own delay that had held them back.

It seemed as though the men in black were reluctant to come and protect Odin.

Listening to the man's grievances, Odin was at a loss for words. He had clarified the relationships involved, but what did all the grumbling have to do with him? It was incessant.

Yet, Odin was starting to understand why he had become a target.

He was a player, and both his body and identity were assigned by the game. A player's body is the ideal vessel for soul transference, unaffected by whichever soul enters it.

For the deities, it was the perfect incarnation.

Leo and Odin were on good terms, and Leo must have realized this. It was even possible that members of the Ebon Hand were among Odin's roommates.

They had stashed the Raven God's token in Odin's wardrobe to subtly influence his constitution.

At a critical moment, Leo had steered Odin to a murder scene to expose him to bloodshed and danger.

Only with Odin in peril could the Ebon Hand manipulate him into joining their ranks willingly, eventually becoming a willing host for the Raven God.

Grasping this, Odin couldn't help but scoff.

"Their brains must be waterlogged if they think anyone would fall for such tactics."

The man in black, realizing Odin had caught on, chimed in, "In a life-or-death situation, many would indeed fall for such methods. You need to watch out for yourself. Within the halls of Ivywood University, who knows how many Ebon Hand followers lurk."

He gave Odin's shoulder a firm pat, adding, "You're fortunate to have evaded their snare. They tried to send word through astral projection, but a storm in the Spiritual World likely delayed their message from reaching the Ebon Hand's higher-ups. You have a few days of safety.

"Make the most of this time to figure out how to shake off the Ebon Hand's influence. If I were you, I'd head straight to the Church of the God of Death as soon as I stepped out. They're the real pros at handling the Ebon Hand."

With that, the man in black left Odin and swiftly departed with his followers.