Death… And Me

Chapter 4373: Mark

Harksha turned to the rest of her group members. "I believe you are all ready, right?"

Everyone nodded. They had finished their preparations long before coming to the Godly Subjugation Guild, so there was nothing left to do except depart.

"Definitely, Senior Harksha."

Without wasting any more time, the group headed toward the landing pads, the designated area where cultivators could deploy or store their airplanes before taking off. Upon arriving, Harksha waved a hand, and an elegant aircraft emerged from within her Spatial Ring.

It was an excellent model, one specifically built for long-distance exploration. It possessed impressive speed, exceptional maneuverability, and, more importantly, the ability to fly at extremely high altitudes. That last feature alone made it invaluable during expeditions, allowing it to bypass the territories of countless ground-based Godly Creatures altogether.

After all, although the Konvey Ruins had already been charted, the journey there remained anything but safe. Once someone traveled far enough away from the Sacred Relic’s influence, civilization ceased to affect the surrounding environment. From that point onward, the Godly Creatures ruled the land once again.

Harksha looked around before speaking. "Alright, everyone. Get inside. We’re leaving."

However, just as everyone prepared to board, Rean suddenly raised a hand. "Senior... why don’t we use my airplane instead?"

That immediately drew everyone’s attention.

"Your airplane?" Rico’the blinked. "Well, your group certainly earned enough rewards during the last defensive war to purchase a very good model. Even so, Senior Harksha’s aircraft is already one of the best available for exploration. At most, yours should only be comparable."

Harksha herself sighed. "You really shouldn’t have spent resources on an airplane at your cultivation level. Even with your contributions, resources are difficult to accumulate. Selling it and converting everything back into cultivation materials would’ve been the wiser decision."

Rean simply shook his head. "Oh... I didn’t buy it."

*Zush!*

Another wave of his hand later, a second airplane appeared on the neighboring landing pad.

"I built it."

Every gaze immediately shifted toward the unfamiliar aircraft.

The experienced explorers examined it carefully.

They all relied heavily on airplanes during their expeditions, so naturally they paid close attention whenever new models reached the market. Harksha’s own aircraft was proof of that. Yet despite all their experience, none of them had ever seen anything resembling the one now resting before them.

Its streamlined shape was unlike the standard military designs used throughout Besgol. The light-blue body blended naturally into the surroundings, while elegant golden patterns flowed across its surface like living inscriptions. Certain portions even appeared slightly translucent, almost as though parts of the airplane weren’t entirely there.

Rico’the frowned. "...What exactly is this?"

Rean immediately puffed out his chest.

"I’m glad you asked! Allow me to introduce the Mark-Seven Autonomous Multi-Layer Godly Pressure Concealment, Light-Bending, Air Vibration Suppression, Long-Range Godly Creature Detection, Adjustable Celestial Thruster Propelled Strategic Reconnaissance, Transportation, Emergency Extraction, and Gravity-Assisted Beverage Creation-Preservation Aerial Vessel!"

Silence.

Every expression became blank.

Finally, Cantra slowly opened her mouth. "...The what?"

Rean happily inhaled, clearly preparing to repeat the entire title. "The Mark-Sev—"

*Pah!*

"Ouch!"

Before he could continue, Roan’s palm landed squarely on the back of his head. Ignoring Rean’s wounded expression, he calmly looked toward the others. "It’s called Mark."

"Oh!" The entire group visibly relaxed. "That’s much better."

A tear nearly formed in Rean’s eye. "...Mark... How painfully boring..."

Even Kentucky looked sympathetic. "Don’t worry. You will get there, eventually."

’You’re not helping,’ Rean said through their soul connection.

Meanwhile, Harksha suddenly blinked before rubbing her forehead.

She had somehow become distracted by Rean’s absurd naming convention and nearly forgot what actually mattered.

"No, wait." She pointed at the airplane again. "You built this yourself? More importantly, you’re asking an exploration group to trust an airplane that you personally assembled? Are you trying to kill us?"

Rean sighed dramatically before placing a hand over his chest. "As long as the true name lives within my heart, no one can erase it."

Roan silently raised his hand again.

"Fine, fine..." Rean coughed. "Simply put, whatever your airplane can do, Mark can do better."

The confidence in his voice wasn’t arrogance.

It sounded more like someone stating a simple fact.

"Haven’t you all been following the recent news?" he continued. "Every airplane company in Besgol has announced new models recently. They’re all based on my designs."

Harksha stared.

"...You’re serious."

"I am."

She frowned thoughtfully.

"I did see those announcements. Every company claimed they were developing a revolutionary new generation of aircraft. But... you’re telling me you’re the one responsible?"

Rean nodded. "The prototype used during the battle against the Three-Eyed Raven was mine as well."

Realization immediately flashed across Harksha’s face.

"The guild..." she muttered. "That’s why they insisted your safety was the highest priority."

"They are exaggerating a bit..." Rean smiled.

"Although, compared to Mark Seve-..."

Roan slowly turned toward him.

"..."

Rean noticed the stare immediately.

"...Compared to Mark," he corrected himself with obvious reluctance, "that prototype barely deserves to be called an airplane."

Senkiyu, who had remained mostly quiet until now, finally stepped closer. "So it really contains the Godly Pressure Disguise Array?"

That was the feature everyone cared about.

The disguise array alone had become the talk of the entire Besgol Region. Every major manufacturer advertised it as the centerpiece of their upcoming models.

Rean nodded. "Of course!" Then he added with complete seriousness, "But the coffee machine is still the biggest improvement."

Nobody reacted.

Harksha simply ignored that statement entirely.

Instead, she walked around the aircraft, inspecting every visible detail.

The partially transparent outer shell immediately caught her attention, followed by several unfamiliar inscription patterns near the wings.

"I’ve read the public specifications," she said while examining it carefully. "Light-bending plates... vibration suppression... improved concealment... But this one still looks different from every design I’ve heard that will reach the market later."

"Naturally," Rean confirmed. "It does have a coffee machine, after all. The others don’t."

"The coffee machine again." Harksha pinched the bridge of her nose. "It can’t all be because of the coffee machine."

Rean was sad that she also didn’t see the importance of the coffee machine. Nonetheless, he explained. "No. The public blueprints weren’t my latest version."

He rested one hand against the airplane’s side as though introducing an old friend. "The companies received designs that had already gone through extensive testing. From there, they each performed their own optimizations to suit large-scale production."

"That makes sense," Harksha admitted.

Rean continued. "It does. Manufacturers need standardized components, replacement parts, maintenance procedures, production costs... all sorts of limitations I don’t have."

He smiled. "I don’t need to care about any of that."

Rean gently patted the airplane. "If I discover a better inscription tomorrow, I’ll replace it tomorrow. If I invent a more efficient rune next month, I’ll rebuild the entire system next month. I don’t need to worry about production lines or compatibility."

His eyes gleamed with unmistakable pride. "This airplane evolves every time I learn something new."

That sentence finally made everyone understand.

The public models would eventually surpass every airplane currently available.

Mark, however, would always remain one step ahead.

Senkiyu quietly exchanged looks with the others.

Now the Godly Subjugation Guild’s attitude made perfect sense.

Rean wasn’t simply an exceptionally talented Arrays Master.

He was the creator of a technology capable of changing how every cultivator in Besgol traveled through the Godly Creatures’ Territories.

Protecting him wasn’t favoritism.

It was protecting one of the region’s greatest strategic assets. They actually found it strange that the Guild would allow him to take such missions at all.

Harksha remained silent for several more moments before finally making her decision.

Coincidentally, she had already placed an order for one of the upcoming commercial models. Since that was the case, there was no better opportunity than experiencing the original firsthand.

"Very well."

She looked directly at Rean.

"We’ll use your airplane."

Before Rean could celebrate, she added,

"But I’ll be piloting it. I’ve traveled to the Konvey Ruins several times already, and I know the safest routes through the Godly Creatures’ territories."

Rean immediately nodded. "Perfect. I built it with ten seats. Everyone can come aboard."

A few minutes later, all ten experts had taken their places inside.

The cabin felt surprisingly spacious despite the aircraft’s compact exterior, and several of the veterans couldn’t help but look around curiously as they noticed details unlike anything found in conventional airplanes.

Not long afterward, the light-blue and golden aircraft slowly rose from the landing pad.

The Celestial Thrusters activated with little more than a faint hum, and the airplane accelerated into the sky with astonishing smoothness. Even Harksha, who had piloted countless aircraft throughout her life, couldn’t help raising an eyebrow at how responsive it felt.

’This thing...’

She barely needed to move the controls.

Every adjustment happened almost instinctively.

Then, the moment they crossed beyond the Sacred Relic’s influence and entered the wild territories once again, the concealment systems activated.

Without producing the slightest visible distortion, the airplane simply disappeared.

To anyone watching from below, it was as though nothing had ever been there.