"Alright, Neron. You''re up." I smiled at the most vital element of our first step—as well as the major powerhouse we had on our team.


    Neron was going to be the one to initiate the first contact on the base of our adversaries—in essence, the Nether Cult Headquarters.


    ''We''ve known their location for some time now. So, Neron will use his Timeless State to infiltrate the area. With everything stopped in the world, he''ll conduct a survey and inform us of everything we need to know about the area we''re about to invade.''


    I wanted this whole thing done far sooner, but there was a valid reason we were just relying on it now. ording to Neron, the First Seat was able to sense his presence when he used Time Immersion.


    ''If that''s the case, it''s possible that he will also be able to sense Neron if he surveys the area, even though the entire world is paused. We can''t take any chances or reveal our cards beforehand.'' That was the reason we decided to do this at thest minute.


    ''It''s not going to take any time, considering the nature of Neron''s Timeless World; He''s the only one who will be out of the natural flow of time, hence everything is stopped till he returns.''


    It would simply be like a sh.


    "Got it." Neron smiled, resonating with his Arcana, no doubt.


    I knew I was going to be seeing Neron a secondter, but this stuff never got old. I kept my eyes peeled, watching as he vanished from sight.


    And then, I awaited his instant return.


    **********


    "Welp… here we go." Neron looked around him, and as expected, everyone was frozen in time.


    He looked at Jared''s expectant face, and he could tell that the youngd was expecting him to instantly appear once the survey was done.


    ''Fair enough.'' Neron considered teasing him, but considering the nature of the mission, he decided against it.


    There would be plenty of time for fun after their job wasplete.


    ''I feel a bit tired—considering the fact that I had to operate [The Hermit] nonstop, the whole time. Well, it''s no big deal, but…''


    Fortunately, he wasn''t exhausted to the point of not being able to use any of his abilities. Timeless World and Time Immersion were still options. And, of course, his other abilities outside the realm of time. However, he knew full well that he wasn''t at full strength.


    ''I''m having a long sleep after this.''


    Neron vanished—or rather, he was just that fast—instantly appearing above the coordinates Jared gave him.


    ''Well, this is the Nether Cult''s Headquarters, right? As expected, it''s cloaked.'' All he could see for miles was a vast body of water.


    It was just the sea, through and through.


    However, he had expected this much. A smile formed on his face, and he knew a barrier was right in front of him.


    ''If I interfere with the barrier, then it''s possible that I will be caught. It''s a possibility… and it''s a definite future that I''m going to be on the other side, right?''


    Neron grinned. Wasn''t this the perfect time to try out a new ability he had cultivated during the time everyone had been practising? He''d had to undo his Time Loop so that he could grow beyond his previous strength, and boy did he grow.


    He hadn''t shown this to Jared yet, but…


    ''[Future Insertion]''


    In a sh, Neron became something akin to an after-image. His appearance was pale and borderline transparent.


    In return, another Neron appeared at the other end of the illusory barrier. He pretty much looked the same, but an excited grin covered his face as he stared at his afterimage.


    "It works here too. Great!"


    What he just did was [Future Insertion]—a Spell that functioned exactly the way it sounded. Not only could Neron insert himself into the time stream, but he could take the ce of his future self, so long as the event was probable.


    For example, if he was going to be in a particr area at some point in the future, Neron could insert himself into that future, teleporting to that point instantly.


    ''Well, it''s not instant teleportation since I''ll be there at the time my future self would have been there. But… since we''re in Timeless World, I can be anywhere in no time at all.''


    It was something akin to time travel, but with no consequences—especially when it was as instant as this.


    "Alright then… let''s take a look around, shall we?" Neron removed his gaze from his afterimage that had practically faded away, and instead feasted his eyes on the vastnd that was beneath him.


    ''Wow…''<novelnext></novelnext>


    ? The patch ofnd waspletely circr—like it was artificially made. The ground was surprisingly all white, like it was covered in light sand. The ground''s surface seemed smooth, and everything appeared clean.


    The massive ind contained several structures—one which looked like a storehouse, another that resembled an army barrack; and several other importantndmarks that Neron could not quite recognize.


    However, if there was anything that stood out, it would be the massive building that found itself within an equallyrgepound. It resembled a crossbreed between a cathedral and a mansion, and one could easily guess its purpose.


    ''I''m guessing that is the headquarters, huh?'' Neron was using his immensely powerful vision to cover the absurdlyrge ind, taking in what details he could from his current distance.


    ''There''s so much Nether around, though. Jared was right; the others wouldn''t have fared so great here… well, except Maria and Elrich.'' Neron thought Asa had a chance as well, but not the other three.


    Even his heightened senses felt dulled by the waves of Nether that distorted everything on the ind. His only advantage was his constant resonance with [The Hermit].


    ''I''ll need to have a closer look, after all.'' Neron thought, finally descending from his elevated position.


    He had his work cut out for him, and it was amazing how only a second—or even less—would pass for everyone waiting for him. In a way, that told him not to rush, but he also had to consider the First Seat.


    That man was his major interest in the Nether Cult. Neron had so many things he was curious about—but that had to involve them making contact.


    ''Well, I can sense him… he''s still.'' Even with the amount of distance between them, Neron could tell just how much power the First Seat possessed.


    He wondered if he could take him out with Timeless World.


    ''Nah. The moment I make contact with him, he''ll be brought into Timeless World with me. There''s no guarantee that he''ll die from my first strike. It''s better not to ruin the n.''


    As such, Neron stuck to his duty—surveince.


    *


    *


    *


    After spending hours of his time diligently checking the nook and cranny of everything around, all that was left were two buildings.


    ''That massive building that looks like a research centre… and then the main headquarters.''


    Neron was going to save the headquarters forst, so he decided to check the research centre first.


    So far, so good; nothing worthy of note had urred. Sure, he found some very interesting things—like what appeared to be a breeding area that would have had several Nether Beasts within, as well as another ce that seemed to be reserved for human experimentation.


    ''Nothing urred in Timeless World, so…'' Neron wondered what new things he would discover in this research centre he was about to investigate.


    What other atrocity awaited him? He was genuinely curious. Too curious to have noticed something that was too minuscule to have warranted his keen observation.


    "Uh…?" Neron felt himself step on something, something akin to a muddy puddle.


    The puddle was ck—a seemingly harmless ck patch of liquid, and he wondered why he didn''t notice it before stepping there.


    ''Illusion? But wait… if I stepped on it, then—?!'' Before Neron couldplete his thought, the ck puddle suddenly expanded, and a huge pool of fluid-like darkness suddenly surged forth.


    >VWWWWUUUUUUUUSSSSSHHHHHH<


    The Nether quality of the burst of liquid was enough to interfere with Neron''s barrier, forcefully causing the darkness topletely envelop his body within mere moments— It was faster than he could utilize any other Spell.


    Thus, in an instant, Neron was consumed by the darkness. As soon as that urred, both he and the dark wave…pletely vanished.


    *


    *


    *


    [A/N]


    Neron is mysteriously abducted. Has the mission begun to take a big dip from the very start? There''s only one way to find out!