After some time, Calyx teleported back into his room.
He scanned the entire Auction House, and when he sensed her presence outside, he slowly walked out of his room and in that area.
There, he saw Selene standing—but this was no longer the Selene he once knew. A terrifying murderous intent surrounded her body.
Selene looked at Calyx as well.
'Old self, how strong am I? and how strong is he really? I can see he's at the Early Stage of Tier 2, but I just want to be sure,' Selene asked her past self within her consciousness.
'You're currently at Peak Tier 9, having awakened 1% of our memories. And yes, he's truly only at Early Stage Tier 2. Strange for someone who holds a system.'
'You should kill him now. Twelve years of humiliation—being treated like an object, doing everything for him... Argh! It's infuriating.'
'Then how did he manage to give me a Rank 9 Heart Ring?'
'It's simple—it came from the system. Nothing is impossible with it. I don't fully understand how it works, but we are stronger than it. Stronger than everything in this world.'
Selene retrieved the Rank 9 Heart Ring and the Rank 5 sword Calyx had given her.
Calyx sighed and decided to play it naturally.
"Are you alright?" he asked with confusion.
Selene didn't speak. She simply returned the items, now inside a storage ring, to Calyx.
"I've already unbound myself from your system. I know everything—your secret."
"I am no longer your tool. I will kill you and wash away this shame!"
She released her spiritual energy at Peak Tier 9, targeting everything except the space where Calyx stood.
Dante, Nyx, and everyone in the Monarch Auction House collapsed instantly.
She raised her sword to strike him.
"Wait, stop. I have an idea," Anomaly said.
"In my timeline, I did nothing—it was boring. But now, we'll play a different game. Killing interesting people like him would just ruin the fun."
Selene stopped her sword.
She stared at Calyx one last time—cold, emotionless—then flew into the air using her spiritual energy and left.
Calyx remained.
Alone.
"Farewell," he said softly.
He removed the Heart Ring from his hand, retrieved his book, and erased its existence.
A month passed.
There was no longer a Selene to brew him coffee each morning. He didn't take another maid.
He brewed for himself.
Another month passed. The sadness slowly faded.
Then another month. And another. And another.
A full year had passed.
The year was 16.
Sadness turned into anger. Anger turned into hatred.
Calyx woke and stared at the ceiling.
"How pathetic. I really acted pathetic back then. These human emotions... They should've disappeared. Love? It's because I've only lived so few years. Maybe it's because I haven't killed millions yet."
"It's disgusting. Pathetic. Feelings? Screw it all!"
"I am the Supreme Anomaly! You want fun? You want a game? You dare challenge me? I created all of you!"
Calyx shouted.
He couldn't stop laughing. With the kind of power he possessed, to have acted that way was laughable.
After a while, the laughter faded. He closed his eyes.
That's right...
When he first came into this world, the only thing in his mind was to have fun.
Fun...
Fun...
Months passed. He remained in the room.
"Right, it wasn't that pathetic after all."
"I'm still human."
"I'll just call it experience. I am who I am... and I'll change with time."
"If I ever have my first child, I might feel joy. But if I have a hundred, I'd probably feel nothing."
"If I kill someone for the first time, I'll feel complicated. But if I kill millions, it'll be like stepping on ants."
"My time with Selene may have meant a lot to me, but to her... it was negligible. With the lifespan she's lived, it meant nothing."
Another year passed.
The year was 17.
Calyx soared through the sky with Velo, dressed in a simple robe. He was heading to the Ice Domain Temple.
Now, he was fine. He had sorted out his emotions and calmed his mind.
Hours later, he finally arrived.
To his surprise, the Ice Domain Temple was lively. It looked like they were celebrating something.
He teleported to the Alchemist Hall and walked to the Master Hall, where he was immediately greeted by Granny Nayi, who was surprised to see him.
After all, he had been gone for two years.
From Granny Nayi, he learned that Larisha, along with other elders and disciples, had led an attack on the Spider Silk Temple.
The Ice Domain Temple and the Spider Silk Temple had long been at odds. Finally, Larisha made her move to settle the score.
The Spider Silk Temple's leader, Valt, had been slain by Larisha in a single strike, fulfilling her revenge.
It was a decisive victory for the Ice Domain Temple. Many disciples of the Spider Silk Temple were killed, and several elders chose to flee—especially after witnessing Valt's death.
This incident shook all of Eldoria. Emperor Dazon even convened a meeting with his ministers to address the event.
Several days later, Larisha and the others returned, welcomed with grand celebrations.
During this time, Calyx stayed inside the Alchemist Hall, concocting pills to make up for his two-year absence.
The aroma of pills filled the air as he retrieved three Rank 2 pills from his cauldron, then began preparing another batch.
In just a few days, he had produced 500 different kinds of Rank 1 pills and 50 Rank 2 pills.
Calyx's spiritual energy had grown significantly—he had reached Middle Stage Tier 2.
Minutes later, he sensed a familiar energy enter the Alchemist Hall and smiled.
"She's already at Middle Stage Tier 3."
"Sir Calyx!" a voice called.
He turned to see Larisha.
She was even more beautiful now, likely due to her increased cultivation realm.
Her usual cold demeanor melted when she saw him. She smiled.
"It's been two years... Why did you leave without telling me?" she asked softly.
Calyx stopped what he was doing and walked toward her.
He sighed.
"My master sent a letter. He was nearing the end of his lifespan, so I rushed to him."
"You... you went to another kingdom? Why didn't you tell me? I could've gone with you to protect you."
Calyx chuckled.
"Temple Master, you underestimate me. Look—I'm already at Middle Stage now."
Larisha also noticed it but for her it was still dangerous for a Middle stage tier 2.
They spoke for hours, catching up.
"Sir Calyx, about your master..."
Calyx sighed again.
"Yes, you guessed right. He already passed away. He left all his inheritance to me."
Larisha nodded slowly. She was curious about Calyx's master—surely its someone powerful and renowned throughout the Desolate Region—but she chose not to ask out of respect.
"So, Temple Master, what's your next plan?"
"For now, let's focus on growing the Temple. Actually, since you asked... we'll be holding the Temple Entrance Examination. I want you to oversee it. I'll accompany you."
Calyx raised a brow.
"Temple Entrance Examination? Sure, I'll do it. But... is it really necessary for the Temple Master herself to attend?"
"Sigh... I've been secretly observing the examinations every year, hoping to find a worthy disciple. Some had decent talent, especially our current top disciples—but nothing truly exceptional, so I let the Elders take them in."
"Also, I want you to oversee it because you still haven't accepted a single disciple for your Alchemist Hall."
Calyx smiled.
"Alright. Let's see if someone can catch my interest."
After some time, Larisha invited Calyx to join the others in the victory celebration.
But Calyx shook his head.
"I'll just stay here. I didn't contribute to the battle—I don't deserve to be there."
"What are you saying?!" Larisha pouted.
"Then I'll stay here too."
"Hey, you're the Temple Master. You should Join them."
hours later...
They were still talking about everything that had happened over the past two years.
Meanwhile, the Elders and disciples began wondering where the Temple Master had gone.
"I'm still amazed by the Monarch Auction House," Larisha said. "They're incredibly powerful. People are still in shock and fear over what happened to the Diones Empire. It ceased to exist overnight after picking a fight with them. Now, the four neighboring empires are at war, trying to divide its lands."
"Right. They're truly mysterious and powerful." Calyx said with a nod of agreement.
"By the way, Temple Master... it's already dark."
Larisha glanced outside and noticed the night sky.
"Sir Calyx..."
"Can I just call you Calyx? You can call me Larisha." She said.
Calyx smiled.
"Of course you can call me by name. You're the Temple Master. But I can't do the same—calling you by name would be disrespectful."
Larisha pouted again. Calyx found it cute—she always did that when irritated.
"Alright... I'll leave for now."
Calyx nodded and bid her farewell. He handed her the pills he had concocted and watched her leave.
"It's so boring at the Auction House. I suppose I won't be sending a clone anymore. I'll stay here at the Ice Domain Temple," he muttered to himself.