If you’re still waiting for Klein Moretti to wake up and fix everything, you’re not alone, but you're also kinda missing the point of what Cuttlefish is doing right now. Lord of the Mysteries 2, officially titled Circle of Inevitability, isn't just a sequel. It’s a total shift in perspective. Honestly, most readers went into this expecting "Klein 2.0," but what we got was Lumian Lee, a protagonist who is—to put it mildly—way more of a chaotic arsonist than our favorite cowardly scholar ever was.
The pressure on this book was insane. When the original Lord of the Mysteries wrapped up, it left a massive hole in the webnovel community. We had a world of 22 pathways, Lovecraftian horrors, and a protagonist who tricked the entire world while barely keeping his own sanity. So, how do you follow that? You don't do it by repeating the same beats. You do it by changing the genre entirely.
The Lumian Lee Problem and Why It Works
Lumian Lee is a brat. He’s a prankster. He’s also deeply, tragically traumatized in a way that feels different from Klein’s "fish out of water" vibe. While Klein spent the first book trying to find a way home, Lumian starts in a village called Cordu that basically feels like a fever dream. If you’ve read the first volume of Lord of the Mysteries 2, you know that the "loop" is where everything changes.
The pacing here is a bit of a shock. Lord of the Mysteries was famous for its slow-burn world-building, focusing on historical details and currency exchange rates. Circle of Inevitability kicks off with a mystery that feels much more intimate and claustrophobic. You aren't worried about the fate of the world yet; you’re worried about why the local priest is acting weird and why there's an owl following everyone around. It's a tighter, more psychological horror approach.
Cuttlefish (the author) has a specific way of handling power systems. In the first book, the "Seer" pathway was about prep and information. In Lord of the Mysteries 2, we’re dealing with the "Hunter" pathway. This changes the entire flavor of the combat. It’s more visceral. It’s about traps, provocation, and straight-up fire. It fits Lumian’s personality. He’s not a gentleman. He’s a survivor from the gutters who happened to stumble into a cosmic conspiracy involving the Outer Deities.
Those Outer Deities Aren't Just Background Noise Anymore
In the first series, the Great Old Ones were these looming, distant threats. They were the shadows at the edge of the map. In Circle of Inevitability, the door is cracked open. The "Inevitability" in the title refers to a specific Outer Deity, and their influence is felt from chapter one. This isn't just flavor text. It changes how the Beyonder powers work.
We’re seeing new pathways now. These aren't the standard 22 that we spent years memorizing. They are "boons." This is a huge distinction. A traditional Beyonder consumes a potion and digests a sequence. A recipient of a boon from an Outer Deity just... gets the power. It sounds like a shortcut, right? It is. But in this universe, shortcuts usually end with you turning into a pile of sentient tentacles or a pillar of salt.
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Why the Setting Shift Matters
Moving the primary action to Trier (the Intis Republic) was a stroke of genius. Loen was very Victorian London—gloomy, industrial, polite. Intis is flamboyant. It's French-inspired. It’s full of underground catacombs, art, fashion, and extreme political radicalism.
- The underground of Trier is literally a labyrinth.
- The political factions are constantly at each other's throats.
- The iron fist of the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun is everywhere.
This atmosphere allows Lumian to play his games of provocation in a way he couldn't in Backlund. He blends into the chaos. The scale of the city feels massive, but unlike Klein, who wanted to climb the social ladder, Lumian is perfectly happy staying in the filth as long as it gets him closer to his goals.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Timeline
There’s a common misconception that you can jump into Lord of the Mysteries 2 without reading the first book. Technically, you could, but you’d be confused as hell. The story starts roughly six years after Klein went into his slumber. The world has changed. The "Tarot Club" is now a legendary, shadowy organization of high-sequence Beyonders.
Seeing the original cast from a third-person perspective is actually one of the best parts of the sequel. When Fors Wall (The Magician) shows up, she isn't the lazy writer we remember. She’s a terrifyingly powerful high-sequence Beyonder who talks in riddles and moves through planes of existence like she’s walking through a doorway. It gives you a sense of scale. It reminds you how far the world has progressed while the "main" protagonist is sleeping.
Actually, the way Cuttlefish handles "The Fool" as a religion is fascinating. It’s no longer just a small group of people in a gray mist. It’s a legitimate faith competing with the established orthodox churches. This creates a weird tension for the reader. We want the Church of the Fool to succeed because we love Klein, but we also see how "faith" can be manipulated and how dangerous it is for Lumian to be caught in the crossfire of these divine entities.
The Complexity of the Hunter Pathway
Let’s talk about the "Hunter" sequence for a second. It’s one of the most popular pathways for a reason. It's built on three pillars: hunting, traps, and provocation.
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Lumian’s ability to "provoke" people isn't just a gimmick. It’s a literal power that forces enemies to lose their cool and make mistakes. It makes the dialogue in Lord of the Mysteries 2 incredibly sharp. Lumian is constantly testing people, looking for a crack in their armor. He’s a master of psychological warfare long before he becomes a master of physical combat.
But there’s a catch. The Hunter pathway eventually leads to the "Red Priest" sequence. To become a Red Priest, you basically need to lead an army and win a war. The scale of the story has to expand from a small village in the mountains to a continent-wide conflict. We’re seeing the seeds of that being sown right now.
Real Talk: Is it as good as Book 1?
This is the question everyone asks. Honestly? It's different.
The first book was a masterpiece of world-building and mystery. The second book is a masterpiece of character and tension. Lumian is a more proactive protagonist in the early stages than Klein was. Klein was reactive; he was trying to survive. Lumian is driven by a very specific, very dark motivation involving his sister, Aurore. This personal stake makes the early chapters feel much higher-risk.
The horror elements are also dialed up. Cuttlefish has clearly been leaning into his love for the macabre. The descriptions of corruption, the rituals, and the "gifts" from the cosmos are genuinely unsettling. It's not just "oh no, a monster." It’s "oh no, my own reflection is trying to eat my soul and also I’m turning into a concept."
Major Factions You Need to Watch
- The Iron and Blood Cross Order: They are deep into the Hunter pathway and are essentially the primary antagonists/rivals for Lumian in the early Trier arcs.
- The Tarot Club: Operating from the shadows, they act as mentors or "quest givers" but they have their own agenda related to Klein’s awakening.
- The Aurora Order: Yes, the crazy True Creator worshippers are back, and they are just as messed up as ever, though their role is shifting in surprising ways.
- The Purifiers: The official Beyonder arm of the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun. They’re basically the police, and they make Lumian’s life a living nightmare.
Actionable Insights for Readers
If you're planning to dive into Circle of Inevitability or you're currently caught up and feeling overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information, here is how to actually digest this beast of a story.
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Don't skim the "Provocation" scenes. In many webnovels, trash-talking is just filler. In Lord of the Mysteries 2, it is a mechanical part of the power system. If Lumian is talking, he is likely fighting. Pay attention to how he manipulates his opponents' emotions; it usually foreshadows how he's going to trap them five chapters later.
Track the "Boons" separately from Potions. One of the biggest mistakes readers make is treating the powers from Outer Deities like regular Beyonder sequences. They don't follow the same rules of stability. If a character has a boon, they are essentially on a leash. Look for the "price" they pay, because in this world, nothing—literally nothing—is free.
Re-read the "Magician" chapters carefully. Fors Wall is the bridge between the two books. Every time she appears, she drops hints about the state of the world and the progress of the "Great Old Ones" countdown. She knows more than she lets on, and her dialogue is packed with Easter eggs for fans of the first series.
Watch the calendar. Time matters in this book. The apocalypse is coming in 1350. Every month that passes in the story brings the world closer to total collapse. The sense of urgency is much higher than it was in the early volumes of the first book.
The best way to experience this is to treat it as a standalone noir mystery that just happens to be set in a world you already know. If you spend every chapter looking for Klein, you’re going to miss the incredible story of a boy trying to burn down the world to save the one person he cares about. Lumian’s journey is darker, bloodier, and in some ways, more human.
Get ready for the "Circle" to close. The transition from the "Seer" era to the "Hunter" era is officially here, and it’s a wildfire that isn't stopping anytime soon.