Chapter 53: Doctor

A chaotic, maddening mumble echoed in her ears.

The words solidified into tangible steel needles piercing into Loki’s brain, tearing apart her mind.

A strong wave of dizziness swept over her.

Loki clutched her ears with both hands, her delicate and beautiful face gradually contorting into a grimace.

Her expression shifted from pain to numbness, and finally, an icy coldness flickered across her features.

Just as Loki was about to lose herself in the secret potion, tiny points of light emerged from beneath her feet, floating in midair and dispelling the boundless darkness.

The murmuring voices slowly faded, and a warm sensation wrapped around Loki like a summer breeze.

She gasped for breath, lowered her hands from her head, and looked down at her feet in confusion.

One by one, fine lines spread out from beneath her feet, like branches of a tree, stretching and extending into the endless darkness, filling the vast firmament.

Loki reached out a hand and touched one of the “branches.”

Boom—

A torrent of consciousness surged into her mind.

In an instant, Loki became a rabbit—born, growing up, then dying in a wolf’s jaws.

Then, she transformed into a wolf, hunting alongside others, competing for food, and licking her wounds alone in the dark night.

The chaotic visions pained her.

Loki knelt on the ground, pressing a hand against her temple.

She lifted her head and gazed toward the end of the “branch.”

Deep within the infinite darkness glowed a profound red light.

The red light seemed to breathe, its color ebbing and flowing, flickering between bright and dim.

As Loki’s gaze settled, the red light surged, tinting the entire world with its hue.

A fragment of knowledge, a whisper, or perhaps a curse—it all flooded into Loki’s mind.

She lost her senses, lost track of time, space, order, and rules, left only with chaotic disorder.

How long passed, she did not know—an instant, or tens of thousands of years.

Loki found herself again.

Her vision cleared gradually.

The conference room table was right before her, a half-open briefcase lying abandoned on its surface.

Loki glanced down—no spreading “branches,” no profound “red light.” Everything that just happened felt like a dream.

Yet, the knowledge newly added to her mind was undoubtedly real.

Secret Path 9, Seeker.

Her memory and comprehension had greatly improved.

She had grasped a certain amount of esoteric knowledge, ranking among the top tier of the Covenant bearers in terms of inspiration and spirituality.

Her physical strength showed no significant enhancement.

When focusing her surrounding inspiration to the utmost, there was a very small chance she might hear the whispered mumblings of hidden existences—maybe a piece of knowledge, or perhaps a curse.

Besides that, Loki’s expression suddenly shifted into something peculiar…

“Morton?”

Harvey Michelson’s voice came from beside her.

Loki suppressed her thoughts and turned her head.

“Manager.”

“How do you feel?”

“You don’t seem to be showing any obvious signs of pain.”

Is that so? But in ‘her’ world just now, she was on the verge of collapse.

Loki still felt uneasy and replied, “I… I’m okay.”

“Just feeling a bit mentally exhausted.”

Harvey comforted her, “That means your spirituality has been somewhat drained. Rest well and you’ll recover. No need to worry.”

Then, Harvey asked Loki some more questions.

When he heard that she had become a ‘Seeker’ and the knowledge she obtained, he completely relaxed.

“It’s the same knowledge I got back then.”

“Morton, you’re officially a ‘Seeker’ now.”

Harvey smiled. “Take the next couple of days off and rest at home. Come back to work on Thursday.”

“Of course, it’s paid leave.”

This middle-aged man’s true nature did not seem strict at all.

“All right, thank you, Manager.”

With everything settled, Harvey stayed behind to collect the glass bottles and briefcase containing the secret potion, while Yvette Lamb escorted Loki away.

On the way, Loki casually started a conversation:

“Miss Lamb, when you took the secret potion, did you feel anything special? Or see any visions no one else could see?”

“Pain.”

Yvette’s answer was concise.

“And in a daze, I saw the night sky of Glen City.”

She didn’t press further about what Loki saw because such experiences varied from person to person and generally held no particular significance.

Loki nodded and curiously asked, “I have another question.”

“I’m a ‘Seeker’ now, but what if I want to switch paths in the future? For example, becoming a ‘Sorcerer’ like you, Miss Lamb—is that possible?”

“No. You’ll die.”

Good—a clear and straightforward warning.

Loki thought for a moment and asked, “Then what if I take two different secret potions and complete two covenant ceremonies?”

Yvette stopped walking, turned her head toward Loki, and her tone grew serious as she warned:

“Losing control is inevitable. You’ll either die immediately or become a mindless monster.”

“Thank you for your explanation, Miss Lamb,” Loki said politely.

After that, they fell silent.

After seeing Yvette and Mary off at the door, Loki boarded the carriage.

“Miss, what are your plans from here?” Wendy’s voice came softly beside her ear.

Loki answered casually, “Red Bridge District, 13 Mel Street.”

Wendy was already accustomed to the address—it was Mr. Herman Hughes’s home.

Her mistress visited on average every three days.

And…

Her gaze lingered briefly on the handbag resting on the carriage seat.

Scumbag!

Loki had no interest in analyzing what plot her personal maid might have conjured up, instead turning her thoughts repeatedly to the other piece of knowledge newly embedded in her mind.

Secret Path 9, Doctor.

An expert in pharmacology, deeply knowledgeable of human anatomy, an excellent surgeon.

Spirituality was slightly higher than ordinary people but far from outstanding.

No significant increase in physical strength or endurance, but improved coordination and control meant no hand tremors during delicate operations.

Her senses were somewhat sharpened—vision improved enough to solve her original nearsightedness.

Her sense of smell became keen, especially regarding blood.

Within five meters, if someone was injured—even if well concealed—the ‘Doctor’ could detect the unique scent in the air.

She hadn’t taken the secret potion for the ‘Doctor’ path.

Where then did this knowledge and ability come from?

“Hello, welcome home, Loki Morton.”

“Or rather.”

“The new me?”

The words written at the end of the last diary entry resurfaced in Loki’s mind.

‘Morton’—was she originally a ‘Doctor’?