Naless Death didn't move.
He just stared at the ants.
He wasn't here to fight.
Inside the Infinite Prison, hours had passed in the outside world. But for him, it had been centuries.
The long ti had allowed him to look at himself.
What was he even doing here?
He wanted be to strong enough to take on the Alliance, and return the favor they had done to him a thousand ti worse.
That was why he ca to this colony. It was to force growth by throwing himself into the lion's den.
But that goal, when picked apart, made him uncomfortable now.
Was I really so weak… that I needed to steal from others just to grow?
He had asked himself that question again and again. The answer hadn't co easy.
He looked around the ruined chamber, the injured ants, and shaken soldiers. They were all ready to fight him to death.
This was their ho, and he had broken into it.
I kicked down their doors and killed their kin. I treated it like it was my right.
How was that any different from the Alliance?
Sure, soone could argue that the ants were built for war.
That they had done similar intrusions countless tis in the past, and should be ready for the sa to happen to them. That they were a militant species living on the edge of blood and fire in the Jungle of Red Silence.
But those were excuses.
The real reason was simple.
The Quest.
That stupid blue window. That line of text urging him toward bloodshed. Even if the ants had surrendered, even if they hadn't lifted a single limb in defense, he still would've attacked.
Because the System had told him to.
Because he wanted the reward.
Because he needed the power.
Because… he was a pathetic man who needed to borrow strength from others.
The realization made his stomach twist.
When did I beco like this?
When did I beco a servant to sothing else's will?
First I accepted the Universal Codex System. Now I do whatever it tells to. All for what? So strength? So fake approval that I'm on the "right path"?
The thoughts didn't stop.
They spiraled deeper.
He called himself Naless Death, like he was so symbol of sorts. A force of Death.
But the more he thought about it, the more hollow that na felt.
Death wasn't selfish like he had been.
What he brought today wasn't death.
It was destruction.
He had co here like a thief, like a plague.
Naless Death stared at the ants again. His Intent gaze swept over them. The fear in their eyes was thick. But none of them looked ready to strike.
They were just trying to survive.
So was he.
He looked around slowly, taking in the damage.
The wrecked walls, the collapsed platforms, the blood. All of it was the doing of the 'unknown entity' who ca to Jungle of Red Silence.
If Naless Death had to guess, he was the ally the Quest was talking about.
'Haah,' he snorted. 'I was causing masscares and destruction for an ally who raided ho for training.'
The hypocrisy wasn't lost to him.
He had killed far more that this possible ally.
He knew the consequences of his choices.
And right now, his current choice was invalidating his previous choices.
He was being a hyprocite, who talked about peace after massacring hundreds of ants.
'My sins are mine to carry.'
Naless Death had no intentions of denying his past.
And even if that made him hyprocite, he wanted to be a better version of himself.
He would rather carry his sins and try to change, than be a sinner for lifeti.
He let out a long, steady breath. Then he turned around.
He'd seen what he needed to see.
He bent his knees and jumped, latching onto the side of the shaft and launching upward. The vertical tunnel echoed with the sound of his movent as he scaled it with speed that made the ants flinch.
None of them followed.
None of them tried to stop him.
They watched in silence, too afraid that he might change his mind and co back down swinging.
As Naless Death moved through the tunnels, a ssage flashed in front of his eyes.
[Alert! Forty minutes left until the Quest's ti limit is up.]
[Failure will result in increased chances of death of a possible ally. Please complete the Quest.]
He ignored the Quest, and dismissed the screen with a ntal flick and kept moving.
He didn't care about the warning.
The power of Death stirred within him. It was beginning to take shape of his Death, one different from before.
Naless Death exhaled. The clarity that the Infinite Prison had forced on him wasn't sothing he could forget or unsee.
The Quest had promised him strength. But it was all hollow if he didn't even understand who he was anymore.
As he rose past Layer Two and neared the exit, mories of the last few hours returned in flashes. The explosion, the sacrifice of his body, his soul, his very existence. All just to break out. All just to keep running forward on a path he hadn't even chosen for himself.
He didn't regret the growth. But he hated the cost.
He hated what he had beco.
When he finally reached the surface of the colony, the jungle stretched out in front of him.
He saw red trees, and pale vines.
He stood there for a long ti, catching his breath.
After a while, he turned his hand and checked the tir for the Berserker's arrival.
[30]
"Only thirty minutes left."
Naless Death clenched his fists.
He could go and attack monsters to grow stronger, but it did not feel right anymore.
If they ca to attack him, then he would glady devour him.
However, invading others and stealing from them was not sothing he wanted to do anymore. Those were the actions of a bandit.
He would grow stronger by himself.
If he had to keep walking this path, he would walk it on his terms. Not the System's. Not the Quest's. Not anyone else's.
Naless Death would still fight.
But next ti, it would be for reasons that made sense to him.
Not because he was told to.
Not because he was afraid of failure.
As the jungle wind blew across his skin and the sky above remained clouded with crimson light, he made a silent promise to himself.
No more cowardice.
No more running soone else's race.
If he was going to be Death…
Then he'd do it the right way.
Without excuses.
Without sha.
He would carve his own legacy.
"Sigh, I really do keep changing my ntality," he chuckled.
Still, if it was a good change, he would accept it with open arms.
He turned away from the entrance to the ant colony, and moved away.
For now, he needed to prepare for the upcoming battle with Berserker.
He moved through the jungle with steady steps.
Each step took him deeper into unfamiliar terrain, away from the colony and any prying eyes.
A few beasts stirred in the underbrush, but he kept away from them.
Eventually, he found a hollow beneath the roots of a massive, moss-covered tree. The space was just wide enough for him to sit cross-legged. He cleared it with a quick sweep of his hand and settled in.
His breathing slowed, and he focused into himself.
He had sothing to test.
"There is one way I can fight the Berserker," he muttered, half to himself. "When I use the sa technique or Concept from all Cores at once, the power increases exponentially, it stacks."
He had done it several tis. Now, he needed to refine it.
Right now, he could maintain seven Cores. His original one, five created from Ikuru (the monster with Ti Dilation World), and one more from the Level 2 ant he had absorbed.
Seven Cores. Seven potential amplifiers.
The best part?
Since a Concept's strength was tied to his own Existence level, each Core could produce equally powerful results.
No matter which Core he used to activate a Concept, the raw output didn't change. What did change was the multiplier when they were used in unison.
"If I synchronize them, I can use a seven-fold boost on a single Concept or technique. I could fight Berserker that way."
But it wasn't that simple.
He leaned back slightly and focused inward, toward the center layer of his Seed of Existence, and the Intent of Existence that existed deep in the center.
The damage was still there.
His Seed of Existence had sustained permanent damage.
It should've been solid, immutable, but now it was twisted and fragile. Worse, his Intent of Existence, the core belief that defined his identity, had beco unstable, and distorted.
The Intent of Existence was connected to his Consciousness, so he couldn't even devour the Intent and rebuild it using Shadow Core Concept.
Shadow Core was versatile. It recreate, and alter anything he could understand.
If he could consu his Intent and Consiousness and rebuild them from scratch, he might be able to stabilize himself fully. With control over the reconstruction, he could even make them stronger than before.
But there was a problem.
"If I consu my own Seed and my own Consciousness… that's would be True Death. I don't think I can revive from that."
He sighed.
"Well, I should focus on organizing my techniques and planning what I would use to fight the Berserker, so that I can put that technique in all Cores.
"As for the problem with my Intent of Existence, and Consiousness, I can only try to find sothing that can help heal properly."
With a plan in hand, he focused on his abilities, trying to see what suited as the best counter to Berserker.
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