Seekers could kill themselves with a mere thought. As long as they transformed the Energy in their head into an attack, their heads would explode.
Essentially, Seekers always had a proverbial loaded gun in their pockets.
One small moment of weakness or despair was enough. Even if it only held for a single second, and even if the Seeker recovered after that second, it wouldn't matter. The trigger was already pulled.
For regular Seekers, the Wisdom Fire Realm was not very different from all the Realms before it. These Seekers only aimed to reach the next Realm. They didn't need to be Fulfilled or Unique. They might try to become Fulfilled, but they very quickly gave up after realizing how painful Sin Flames were. Then, they would just become Spirit Lords.
Yet, for geniuses, the Wisdom Fire Realm was a wake-up call.
These geniuses had managed to become Fulfilled or Unique Seekers in almost every Realm. They were used to being successful, and they would also aim to become Fulfilled Sages.
While the total rate of death for the Wisdom Fire Realm wasn't really different from other Realms, the rate of death for geniuses was extremely high.
Becoming Fulfilled or Unique required a lot of dedication and talent, but none of that mattered in the Wisdom Fire Realm. The things they had relied on to become Fulfilled or Unique in the past were no longer important.
Naturally, talented Seekers often also had a lot of willpower, but this increased willpower, ironically, was the reason why so many of them died. They easily overcommitted, which led to a moment of weakness that ended their lives.
The talented Seekers who survived would also realize that something had fundamentally changed. They might have been talented in the lower Realms, but now, they had entered the big leagues. Becoming Fulfilled wasn't "easy" anymore.
They would realize that they were slowly becoming average.
The majority of the few Seekers, who managed to become Fulfilled Sages, didn't even attempt to become Unique Sages. Becoming Fulfilled was already far too difficult, and the Sixth Refinement simply appeared far too imposing.
6,000 years.
More painful than Sin Flames.
15% of their longevity... spent in unending agony, not being able to do anything else.
It was far smarter to focus on comprehending Laws or amassing resources.
As for becoming a Legendary Sage...
Only former Legendary Sages and Peak Organizations knew how long the Seventh Refinement took.
Kyle also knew.
Some smart Unique Sages still tried to attempt the Seventh Refinement. After all, what if it didn't take that long? What if it only tested someone's courage and commitment? What if it only took a couple of years?
They would be in for a rude awakening.
10,000 years.
It took 10,000 years.
As Kyle thought about the Wisdom Fire Realm, he could only sigh. 'It's the worst Realm for a reason. I really don't look forward to spending so much time in agony. Pretty sure I can become a Major Sage without any issues. I can probably keep living normally during my Fifth Refinement, but I'm not sure about the Sixth and Seventh Refinements.'
'Most likely, I can only lie down and writhe in agony.'
Kyle shook his head. 'I shouldn't worry about that for now. There are more pressing matters. For example, will I even survive my arrival in the Primary World?'
Kyle had an issue.
His True Sin Aura.
If anyone killed someone who had a True Sin Aura, they would receive a substantial reward of Karmic Luck. The most important part...
Realm didn't matter.
It was possible that a random Spirit Lord or Ascendant would kill him, just to gain the reward.
Swamp Dragon and Sebastian also had True Sin Auras, but not for much longer. Swamp Dragon had only done "good deeds" until he condensed a True Sin Aura. After all, he couldn't do any more "good deeds" after he couldn't see any other people anymore. According to Manny, their secretive Organization would simply donate a bunch of Energy Stones to the needy in Swamp Dragon's name, getting rid of his True Sin Aura.
Something similar was true for Sebastian. He could just use his Contribution Points to get the privilege of executing failed Adepts of the Cult. The failed Adepts had True Sin Auras, and by killing them, Sebastian would get a good chunk of Karmic Luck.
Sadly, since he had been involved in the assassination of the Chief Overseer and the Countess, getting rid of his True Sin Aura ate up almost all of his Contribution Points.
Kyle didn't have a sponsor, nor did he have enough Contribution Points. He also held more blame for the two deaths.
The biggest part of the blame obviously belonged to the Red Witch.
However, the Red Witch was here because of Sebastian and Kyle, which was why Sebastian held part of the blame.
Sebastian was here because of Kyle.
The Chief Overseer was here because of Kyle.
The Countess was here because of Kyle.
The Red Witch killed the two Immortals because the Array of Stars didn't fight for the Contrast Empire.
Kyle was the connection between all of these Karmic Bonds.
Would the two Immortals have died without Sebastian's presence? Most likely not, but it wasn't a complete certainty.
Would the two Immortals have died without Kyle's presence? No.
Because of that, Kyle couldn't get rid of his True Sin Aura, and he also didn't know how the world would react.
It was possible that nobody had ever seen someone with a True Sin Aura.
It was possible that ascenders with a True Sin Aura were executed on the spot.
It was possible that True Sin Auras were normal in this world.
It was even possible that people actively cultivated True Sin Auras for some unknown purpose.
Sadly, nobody knew anything about this world.
'Well, whatcha gonna do? Just gotta jump into the cold water. If I die, I die.'
After getting more familiar with his powers, Kyle returned to the others. They went over their plans again, and a couple of weeks later, preparations for their departure were made.
Swamp Dragon and Sebastian lost their True Sin Auras.
Kyle traveled to the Lord, who got rid of the Blessing. After all, he couldn't take anything he couldn't make himself with him.
While this was happening, Kyle remembered something.
"So, do you know about our plan in the Primary World?" he asked the Lord. Naturally, he was referring to their plan to make Swamp Dragon the Overseer. Manny had said that the Cult would send them to the world, knowing about their plan.
"I've received orders from my superior," the Lord said. "I've been told that your group has received a different mission in the same world and that I am not supposed to ask about any details."
Kyle's brows rose in surprise.
'From his superior?' he thought. 'The Lord is already a... Lord. His superior has to be a Demigod, right?'
A Demigod.
The highest achievable Realm.
Now, Kyle could see the power of Manny's secretive Organization firsthand.
At least one of the Cult's Demigods worked for them.
"Oh, okay," Kyle answered. "So, everything's good?"
"I don't see any issues, unless you want to bring up something," the Lord said.
"No, no, everything's good," Kyle answered quickly.
After getting rid of the Blessing, the Lord looked at Kyle.
"I've been told you're leaving in a month," he said.
Kyle nodded. "Yep."
"Then, this is the last time we'll see each other. I'll look forward to your return and hope you succeed," he said.
"Thank you. I'll do my best," Kyle said with a nod.
"Good luck," the Lord said before teleporting Kyle out of his house.
tg://resolv?domain=StrongestHammerGod
The author's patreon. If he gets more than 1000€ per month, he will increase the number of words in the chapter.