The Greatest Sinner

Evan had read a lot of books about the monsters and the beasts, and he was curious to know more about them, as well as the different species of these creatures. Sure, new species appeared from time to time due to special evolutions, but Evan would know what he should expect from his opponent thanks to this information.

Information was the as powerful thing as weapons and magic, in some cases, it was even more important. If you knew your enemy's strengths and weaknesses, you could defeat him even if he was stronger than you. Many people have given up real treasures for some information.

After reading a little more about the topic, Evan moved on to books about underground organizations. One of Evan's main goals at this point was- "To join the "Demonic Tree."

He was in no hurry in this decision, for if he joined the "Demonic Tree," he would most likely have to leave the city and the Academy. Of course, he could pass himself off as an ordinary magician and live quite covertly, but it was too early to think about that. He didn't even know where to find this organization.

Thanks to all the books he had read, Evan had broadened his horizons and learned about a large number of underground organizations, as well as the ones similar to the "Tears of Light." There was a lot of information about their battles, former bases, motives, and goals. Dark and light organizations often had opposing views on this world, which is why the battles between them were inevitable and happened constantly.

One of the most dangerous organizations was the "Merciful Death." Despite its name, the members of this organization were not merciful. They did not hide their actions or their power but constantly robbed and killed. They were a well-known and influential dark organization. If the members of the "Demonic Tree" were like stealthy assassins carrying death behind them, the "Merciful Death" members were more like mad killers wreaking havoc and destruction.

Even the locations of some of their bases were known, and Evan could well try to join them if he wished. Their distinctive features were the black mantles with the image of a white scythe on the back. While the "Demonic Tree" used demon magic, "Merciful Death' concentrated on dark and forbidden magic.

Unfortunately, Evan didn't know anything about forbidden magic yet. He hadn't found any books that dealt with the subject in any way.

Light organizations often fought with dark organizations, and lately, the biggest confrontation was between the "Tears of Light" and the "Merciful Death". Because of its secrecy, the "Demonic Tree" had faded into the background, but everyone knew that this organization was the main threat to the entire underground world.

<Damn, I've read so many books on the subject, learned about so many organizations, but there's practically nothing about the "Demonic Tree"....> Evan thought, returning the book to the shelf and picking up the next one.

Many books talked about the "Demonic Tree" and how scary this organization was, but that's all.

Evan only had one clue, and that was his own observations and the words of the group leader he had killed in the "Half-Dead Forest."

<Members of the "Demonic Tree" are looking for something all over the "Kingdom of Fallen Hopes," and one of those places is right in the "Half-Dead Forest." A second rank monster guards these ruins, and it looks like he could fight back against a member of the "Demonic Tree" who came there> Evan concluded.

The second-ranked monster was a very formidable opponent, so if a member of the "Demonic Tree" who was in the "Two -Pointed Star" stage had come there, he might well lose or even die.

Evan wanted to join the "Demonic Tree" and learn more about their spells and what they did in general, but he didn't need to rush. He needed to get strong enough anyway before he could join such organizations. 

For now, he would train, learn new spells, and gather information. Evan already had a rough plan for finding the members of the "Demonic Tree". He was going to mark on the map all the ruins, ruined structures, and any abandoned areas that might be of any interest.

Then he planned to exclude from the list all the places where the members of the "Demonic Tree" were rumored to have been before, so he could significantly increase his chances of meeting them.

<Hmm, there are many books in this library, and most of them were written not too long ago. The library is constantly being updated and replenished. But anyway, that knowledge is a little outdated. For more accuracy, I need to know what's going on right this second.>

Evan had one option for finding out what was going on in the world right now. He needed to find a top-notch informant. And the best informants were known to be on the black market. Only there could Evan find out what he needed to know.

<Hopefully, there's a dark side to this city too. I'll have to spend some time on this and find an informant. Without one, I'll be standing in one place for a long time,> Evan thought and continued reading. 

He had already learned a lot about the monsters and the beasts, as well as the dark and light organizations. He had read about the most important cities in the "Kingdom of Fallen Hopes" and the various territories.

In his short stay in this world, Evan had already visited such unusual places as the "Half-Dead Forest" and the "Forest of Aquamarine Crystals," but that was only a tiny part of the great diversity.

To the north of the "Kingdom of Fallen Hopes" was a small desert, but it was truly unique. It snowed there every day, and the closer you got to the center, the stronger the snowstorms were. It was more like a snow-covered land than a desert, but the most exciting thing was in the center of the place.

There was a small area in the very center where there was no snow or ice. It was as hot there as any other desert, and no one knew the reason for this strange phenomenon.

In one unusual forest, the crowns of the trees consisted of glass, and on a sunny day, you could see there thousands of rainbows intersecting each other. 

It's said that there were caves made entirely of crystals and precious stones.

There was one interesting place that used to be a regular forest, but this area has changed considerably over time. It was all about the fact that one of the "Merciful Death" bases was located there.

This forest was unique in that all the trees there were black as tar, and only the occasional white flower diluted this impenetrable darkness. Some trees had a special crown consisting of leaves that burned with green flames. They lit up the place at night and gave a creepy atmosphere.

The most prominent feature of this place was its inhabitants, and we are not talking about the members of "Merciful Death." Hundreds of skeletons and monsters alike them walked relentlessly through this forest.